JPH05193757A - Paper sheet feeding device with size detection of image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the paper sheet feeding device of an image forming device which sharply simplifies paper sheet supply action. CONSTITUTION:After a paper sheet pack 20 is automatically mounted in a paper sheet feed position by means of a conveyance roller 8, the package sheets 20A and 20B of the paper sheet pack 20 are automatically removed by means of a pack unsealing device 2. Further, when the size of paper sheet pack 20 detected by a detecting means for detecting the size of the paper sheet pack does not coincide with a preceding paper sheet size, the paper sheet pack is prevented from being conveyed to the inside.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device with size detection for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine, and more particularly to a sheet feeding device for feeding sheets loaded in a main body together with a sheet pack.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a paper feeding device of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine which is widely used, paper is replenished manually.

Normally, the paper supply operation is as follows: Draw out (withdraw) the cassette (tray) from the paper feeder. Remove the cassette top cover 3. Open the packaging of the paper pack 4. 4. Lift the paper pressing member (corner claw) inside the cassette. Align the paper taken out from the pack 6. Attaching the paper to the cassette 7. 7. Place the paper pressing member on the loaded paper. The cassette (tray) is attached to the paper feeding device and other processes.

However, in such a sheet feeding device, as described above, a large number of sheet replenishing operation steps are required, and especially for a user who uses a large amount of sheets, the work is extremely troublesome and time consuming. It was a thing.

For this reason, there has already been proposed a paper feeding device in which a predetermined number of sheets of paper are packaged and loaded as they are in a paper feeding device main body, which is opened by a mechanism inside the device and fed.

[0006] For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-203534, a stack of sheets, each of which is wrapped by a predetermined number of packaging sheets, is stacked in multiple stages, and one sheet of the bundle is advanced with a cutter. The left and right sides are cut, the upper and lower surfaces of the cut packaging sheet are adsorbed and opened, and the opened sheet bundle is sandwiched and placed on a conveyance table, and then the sheet bundle is conveyed. There has been proposed an unsealing and stacking method and apparatus for packaging sheets, which are transported to a mounting position and stacked by moving a table.

Further, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 60-97145, a paper wrapping material is made of a strong material such as cardboard and resin into a box shape, and a portion on which a feeding roller, a separating claw and the like come into contact is formed. A technique has been proposed in which the box-shaped member is used as a cassette for paper feeding by separating the box-shaped member from the box-shaped member and then mounting the box-shaped member at the paper feeding position of the main body of the image forming apparatus.

[0008]

However, in the former of the above-mentioned conventional techniques, the packaging sheet is cut with a cutter, and the upper and lower surfaces of the cut packaging sheet are adsorbed and opened. According to the paper, even the packaged paper may be cut by the cutter. This is a fatal defect for a sheet used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. Moreover, since the suction mechanism is used to open the packaging sheet, the size of the device is increased, and there is a problem in terms of noise.

Further, in the above-mentioned apparatus, the opened sheet bundle is nipped and placed on the carrier, and then the sheet bundle is conveyed to the stacking position by the movement of the carrier and stacked. The sandwiching and conveying of the opened sheet bundle disturbs the stacking state of the sheet bundle, and in some cases, the sheet bundle may be separated.

Further, in the latter case, since the paper packaging material (box-shaped member) is used as a cassette for paper feeding, it is necessary to use a strong material such as cardboard or resin.
The above-mentioned materials are generally expensive, and are disadvantageous in that they are expensive and not versatile as a sheet storage member for use in a copying machine or the like that only stores hundreds of sheets of paper.

Further, the box-shaped member has perforations for cutting off the leading end portion, but when the paper is stored for a long period of time, the paper is exposed to the outside air through the perforations and absorbs moisture, thus forming an image. May adversely affect.

In addition, the box-shaped member inevitably has a part thereof protruding out of the apparatus from the viewpoint of attachment / detachment to / from the apparatus body. This is contrary to the recent demand for space saving in copying machines and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding device with size detection for an image forming apparatus which can eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional apparatus and can remarkably simplify the sheet supply operation.

[0014]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned object is to provide a sheet feeding device body provided with a sheet feeding means, a sheet pack insertion port provided on one side surface of the sheet feeding device body, and a sheet pack insertion port. Paper pack conveying means for conveying the inserted paper pack to a predetermined position in the main body of the paper feeder, packaging sheet removing means for removing the packaging sheet of the paper pack conveyed to the predetermined position, and detecting the size of the paper pack Detecting means for comparing, a comparing means for comparing the size of the sheet pack detected by the detecting means with the size of the sheet finally fed by the paper feeding means, and the comparing means, If it is detected that the size of the inserted paper pack and the size of the paper that was fed at the end are not the same, return the paper pack to the paper pack insertion slot side, and Finally salary If paper size is met, is achieved by a first means and a control means for controlling the paper the packed conveying means to convey the paper the packed in the paper feed position.

Further, the above-mentioned object is to pull a paper stacking portion capable of receiving paper packs of a plurality of sizes and a protruding portion of the paper pack placed on the paper stacking portion when paper is not stacked. A sheet removing means for removing the packaging sheet from the sheet by the
Paper feeding means for separating and feeding sheets one by one, no-paper detecting means for detecting that there is no paper in the paper stacking section, and size detecting means for detecting the paper size of the paper pack placed on the paper stacking section When the absence of paper in the paper stacking unit is detected and the paper stacking unit receives a new paper pack, the paper size of the paper pack concerned and the size of the paper finally separated and fed by the paper feeding means are And a display means for displaying whether or not the sheet removing means can be operated when the sizes are different as a result of the comparison by the comparing means. To be done.

[0016]

According to the present invention, the paper pack inserted by the user is automatically mounted at the paper feed position in the main body of the paper feeder by the paper pack conveying means, and then the paper pack is packed by the packing sheet removing means. Automatically remove the sheet.

In the first means, specifically, a detection means for detecting the size of the paper pack inserted in the apparatus is provided, and the paper pack size detected by the detection means is previously stored. If the sheet size is different from that of the sheet size, the fact is notified, and after confirmation by the user, the sheet is conveyed into the apparatus or discharged to the outside of the apparatus when the sheet pack has an undesired size.

In the second means, the user automatically stores the paper packs in the accommodating portion, and the apparatus automatically conveys the paper packs part by part to the paper feeding means, and the packaging sheets of the conveyed paper packs are provided. Remove and feed. In addition, the packing sheet removal work is unconditionally performed only when the paper pack of the same size as the last fed paper size is used, and a warning is displayed in other cases.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is composed of a copying machine main body A having a well-known configuration and a fully automatic sheet feeder B according to the present invention.

In the paper feeding device B, 1 is a trash can for storing a pack of paper, 2 is a pack opening device for opening a paper pack, 3 is an entrance guide plate, 4 is a drive motor of a conveyance roller which will be described later, and 5 is a drive motor. 4 is a drive shaft, 6 is a tray for stacking sheets, 7 is a side fence provided in plural according to the size of the sheet in order to regulate the side edge of the sheet on the tray 6, and 8 is the sheet conveyed in the width direction. A feeding roller 9 for feeding a sheet of paper toward the main body of the copying machine, and a back fence 10 for regulating the trailing edge of the sheet.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the paper feeding device. Paper insertion ports 11, 12, and 13 are provided on the front side (front side of the copying machine) for A5, A4, and A3, respectively.
Insert the paper pack 20 shown in
The right side of 3 is set to the reference position, and the tongue piece 21 is set to the left side, and the sheet is inserted into the corresponding places of the sheet insertion ports 11, 12, and 13. At this time, the doors 31, 32, and 33 of the respective paper insertion openings shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 guide the paper pack 20. For example, A4 size paper pack 2
When inserting 0 into paper insertion slot 12, insertion slot 1 for A3
Since the door 33 of No. 3 does not open, it is possible to guide the paper pack 20 so as not to shift laterally. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the door (the door 31 is exemplified) is automatically returned to the original position by the spring 34 after the paper pack 20 is inserted.

In this embodiment, the sheet insertion ports for A5, A4 and A3 are provided, but as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to deal with the B row by increasing the division position. Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a slide type guide piece 36 is provided in a slide groove 35 of a door (shown by the door 31), and the guide piece 36 is moved to the left and right according to the size of the sheet to You may make it guide an edge part. In FIG. 2, 14a is a pack opening device drive motor, 14b is a back fence drive motor, and 15 is a screw (male screw) attached to this motor shaft.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of the paper pack detection mechanism. For example, a bar code reader 40 is provided at the right reference position of the paper insertion opening (showing the paper insertion opening 11), and the paper packing is detected. By reading the bar code 41 provided on one side surface of the sheet 20, the entry of the sheet pack 20 is detected.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the carrying roller portion, and FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing how the paper pack enters and the carrying roller rotates.

The conveying roller 8 is usually located above the sheet insertion port so as not to obstruct the entrance of the sheet pack 20. In the figure, 51 is a drive gear that rotates integrally with the drive shaft 5, 52 is an arm that rotates around the drive shaft 5,
Numeral 3 is a planetary gear attached to the tip of the arm 52 and meshes with the drive gear 51, and numeral 54 is a driven roller made of a low friction member provided for smoothly conveying the paper pack 20. Note that a plate-shaped Teflon sheet, for example, may be used instead of the roller.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the drive gear 51 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the transport roller 8 provided coaxially with the planetary gear 53 rotates in the counterclockwise direction together with the arm 52, and is moved upward (indicated by a broken line). Position), and the paper pack 20
When the drive gear 51 is rotated in the clockwise direction, the transport roller 8 is also rotated in the clockwise direction and drops onto the upper surface of the paper pack 20. The rotation of the drive gear 51 causes the transport roller 8 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction and transport the sheet pack in the arrow direction.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the pseudo load member of the transport roller 8, FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing another example of the same, and FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional view of the pseudo load member shown in FIG.

When a pseudo load is applied by frictional force,
As shown in FIG. 13, a friction member 55 such as a cork or a felt is urged against the planetary gear 53 by a coil spring 56 to generate a frictional force on the side surface of the planetary gear 53 to apply a load.

When a dummy load is produced by using a damper, as shown in FIG. 14, a damper 57 is attached to the rotating portion of the planetary gear 53 and a fixing screw 58 is attached to the arm 52. For the damper 57, for example, a hydraulic damper, a powder torque limiter, or the like is used.

FIG. 15 shows the structure of the hydraulic damper. 6 in the figure
Reference numeral 0 is a rotary shaft directly connected to the planetary roller, and a vane wheel is formed at its end. Reference numeral 61 is a seal member for preventing liquid leakage, and 62 is a cover in which viscous oil 63 is filled.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the conveying roller 8 comes into contact with the sheet pack 20, the pseudo load member starts sliding. As a result, the transport roller 8 that has been rotating together with the drive gear 51 starts rotating, and the paper pack 20 is further transported into the mechanism. At this time, if a pack other than the dedicated pack can be identified by a bar code label or the like on the sheet pack 20, when the pack other than the dedicated pack is inserted, the transport roller 8 is reversed to eject the sheet pack. can do.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a side fence moving mechanism, and FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a state where the side fence is tilted.

As shown in FIG. 16, the side fence drive motor 70 (the gear portion thereof) is connected to the side fence 7 on the front side.
When the rack 71 of a and the rack 72 of the rear side fence 7b are engaged with each other, when the fence drive motor 70 is rotated, both side fences 7a and 7b move toward and away from each other.

When the sheet pack 20 enters the main body, as shown in FIG. 17, the front side side fence 7a is closed.
Is pushed by the paper pack 20 and falls to the back side to facilitate the entrance of the pack. By the way, the side fence 7 and the back fence 10 move to the retracted position (maximum size) when the paper presence sensor detects the absence of paper. The transport roller 8 is located on the back side of the side fence 7, while the side fence 7a is retractable and can be restored by a spring, so that the final end of the paper pack 20 exceeds the side fence 7a. Then, the side fence 7a rises to its original position. After the side fence 7a gets up and rises,
The side fence 7 is moved by the side fence drive motor 70 to the center which is the transport reference position of the paper pack 20.

After the alignment by the side fence 7 is completed, the alignment by the back and forth direction is performed by the back fence 10. In this case, since the paper size is known when the side fence is moved, the movement amount of the back fence 10 is determined based on this data.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the back fence moving mechanism, and FIG. 19 is a perspective view near the back fence and the pack opening device.

Since the back fence 10 and the pack opening / closing device 2 are provided with internal threads for screwing with the screw 15, both can be moved by rotating the drive motor 14. In FIG. 18, reference numeral 80 is a bearing.

FIG. 20 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the back fence and the bottom of the paper pack storage portion, and FIG. 21 is a front view thereof.

Since the back fence 10 also serves as a paper retainer when the paper pack 20 is opened, the lower end of the back fence 10 and the bottom surface of the paper pack storage portion (paper loading surface) 8
A gap 83 is provided between the tongue piece 1 and the tongue piece 21 of the sheet pack 20. Furthermore, from the gap 83
The opened sheet is the packaging sheet 20A of the sheet pack 20,
A barrier 82 is provided below the back fence 10 using a soft material such as mylar so as not to come out with the 20B.

Returning to FIG. 19 again, the tongue piece 21 projects to the rear side of the back fence 10 when the back fence 10 is stopped. At the same time as the back fence 10 moves, the pack opening device 2 moves and puts the rubber-coated magnet roller 90 on the tongue 21 and stops. 91 is a drive shaft for driving the magnet roller 90,
Reference numeral 92 is a drive motor, and 93 is a worm gear.

The pack opening device 2 is mainly composed of a magnet roller 90 and a drive shaft 91, and is set so as to be biteable when driven in the pack opening direction. Therefore, when the required torque for opening the pack is increased, the pressure applied to the tongue 21 of the magnet roller 90 is also increased, and as a result, the carrying force is increased. The magnet roller 90 may have a structure divided into a plurality of parts. In addition to the entrance guide plate 3 provided on the roller portion, the tongue piece 21 is provided.
Tongue 2
When the 1 contacts the magnet roller 90, this roller is lifted and thus facilitates the entry of the tongue 21 (FIG. 3).
1).

The paper pack 20 will be described below.

FIG. 22 is a development view of the packing sheet of the paper pack, FIG. 23 is a schematic view of the opening process of the paper pack, and FIG.
(A), (b) is explanatory drawing of an adhesion part, FIG.25 (a)-.
(C) and FIGS. 26 (a) to (c) are explanatory views of the packaging process. One packaging sheet 20A, 20B is made of two sheet materials having different strengths, and the packaging sheet 20A having the larger strength is shown. The part is each plate part 20a, 20b, 20c, 20
d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h, and a tongue piece 21 integrated with the packaging sheet 20A portion. The tongue piece 21 is reinforced with mylar or the like so as not to be bent.

In the packaging, as shown in FIG. 25 (a), the upper left is used as a reference for clockwise winding, and as shown in FIG. 25 (b), a portion of one turn is bonded to the reference end.
See (a). After that, as shown in FIG. 25 (c), it is wound in the opposite direction (counterclockwise), and when the tongue piece 21 reaches the reference diagonal position, the winding ends and the adhesive is applied as shown in FIG. 24 (b). Finally, as shown in FIGS. 26A, 26B, and 26C, the side faces are folded inward and adhered.

At the time of opening, by pulling the tongue piece 21, the adhesive portion at the reference position is first peeled off as shown in FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), and the strength is different by pulling. Two wrapping sheets 20A and 20B are cut at the boundary position and opened. (A) of FIG. 3 and FIG.
The state is shown in (d).

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram for calculating the length of the tongue piece, and the length of the tongue piece 21 is determined by the relationship between the magnet roller 90 and the back fence 10.

That is, L1 is the distance from the center of the magnet roller 90 to the back fence 10, L2 is the thickness of the back fence 10, L3 is the length of the tongue piece 21, and L3
Due to the condition .gtoreq.L1 + L2, when the back fence 10 hits the rear end of the paper pack 20, the tongue 21 is located under the magnet roller 90, so that the tongue 21 can be reliably pulled.

FIG. 28 is an overall control block diagram, and the programs for performing various controls of the present invention are ROM 100, RA.
It is executed by the M101 and the CPU 102. CPU10
The bus 2 receives information from the sensor group 104 including S1 and S2 via the bus 103 and controls the motor group 105 including M1 and M2. Examples of the sensor include a paper presence detection sensor and a paper pack detection sensor. Further, as the motor, there are a transport motor for the paper pack 20, a pack opening device moving motor, and the like. 106 is an I / O port, 107 is a motor current detection circuit, and 108 is a motor drive circuit.

The locking mechanism of the door will be described with reference to FIGS. 29 to 31.

29 and 30 are a perspective view and a front view showing an example thereof, and FIG. 31 is a front view showing another example.

Only when the paper end detecting filler 110 shown in FIG. 31 is lowered and the paper end is detected,
The solenoid 111 is turned on to retract the door lock member 112, and the door (representative of the door 31) can be opened and closed (examples in FIGS. 29 and 30). Further, in the example of FIG. 31, the door lock filler 113 is similarly opened and closed.

This also applies to the paper feed cassette. That is, as shown in FIG. 32, the door lock member 112 at the front end of the solenoid 111 is freely retractable from the side wall of the paper feed cassette 120, and the paper feed cassette 120 is opened only when the inside of the paper feed cassette 120 is the paper end. Can be taken out.

FIG. 33 is a flow chart of the overall control (automatic opening and closing control of the paper pack). First, the paper feed cassette 120
It is determined whether or not there is paper inside (S1), and if there is, the doors 31 to 33 are locked so that the paper pack 20 cannot enter. Alternatively, the conveyance control is not performed even when the paper pack 20 is inserted.

When there is no more paper in the paper feed cassette 120, first, the preparation operation is started in preparation for the insertion of the paper pack 20. That is, back fence 10 and side fence 7
Is moved to the retracted position, and the bottom plate 6 is lowered. During this time, the locked state of the doors 31 to 33 is still maintained so that the paper pack 20 cannot be inserted.

Here, the retract position of the back fence 10 is outside the portion where the paper feed cassette 120 (or the tray 6) is pulled out, and the retract position of the side fence 7 is outside the maximum sheet size.

When the preparation for insertion is completed, the doors 31 to 33 are unlocked, and the inserted paper pack 20 is carried into the tray 6 or the paper feed cassette 120 to detect the paper size (S3). ) Is executed. If there is no transport error (NO in S4), the pack opening control subroutine (S5) is executed, and further the paper set subroutine (S6) is executed.

Here, the pack opening operation will be further described.

FIG. 31 shows the positional relationship between the magnet roller 90 and the drive shaft 91 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3A, the drive shaft 91 is connected to the magnet roller 9
The distance L between the bottom of the paper pack storage portion (paper loading surface) 81 and the lower end of the drive shaft 91 is located upstream of 0 and is smaller than the diameter 2r of the magnet roller 90 and larger than the radius r. In other words, the lower end of the drive shaft 91 is located between 2r and r (that is, r ≦ L <2r). As shown in FIG. 9B, when the tongue 21 comes under the magnet roller 90, the tongue 21 is pulled by the magnet roller 90 without rotating the magnet roller 90. At this time,
The back fence 10 is fixed at the position where the paper pack 20 is set, and as shown in FIG. 7C, the magnet roll 90 is rotated to stop the paper when the pack is pulled in the a direction. To do. The pack is opened by pulling the pack while the paper is stopped (see Fig. 3).

The pack opening device 2 moves while opening the paper and reaches the trash box 1. The sheet mounting surface 81 facing the magnet roller 90 is made of a low friction member such as a Teflon sheet.

Next, the conveyance control of the paper pack 20 will be described.

35 and 36 are flow charts of the pack transport control subroutine.

When the paper pack 20 is inserted (YES in S11), it is determined whether or not the paper pack 20 has been inserted up to the pack conveyance start (reference) position (S12). As a specific example of the "conveyance start reference position", the position where the pack half or more is inserted is used. That is, in order to prevent the pack from slipping out, it is necessary to set the carrying start timing of the carrying roller 8 to after the operator inserts more than half of the pack. However, this is not the case when some kind of slip-out prevention measure (such as provision of a holding means) is adopted. Inserting the paper pack 20 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
As described above, the detection is performed by the reflection type sensor 40 installed near the sheet insertion port. Paper pack 20
It is conceivable that the reflective type sensor 40 may be used for marking. Further, this marking can also be used as a size detection mark described later. The marking position for determining the transport start position is a position where the sheet pack 20 reaches the transport roller 8 and can be reliably transported by the transport roller 8. Furthermore, by setting the position of this marking to a constant distance from the rear end in the insertion direction regardless of the size under the above conditions, the conveyance of the paper pack 20 starts when the operator always inserts it to a constant position regardless of the paper size. As a result, operation mistakes can be prevented.

Further, the insertion time is judged (S13), and if the insertion of the paper pack 20 is insufficient, that is, if a conveyance error occurs (S14), the operator is prompted to reset. The method can be determined by detecting the insertion time from the front end of the paper pack to the marking or by detecting the opening time of the door members 31 to 33.

If the marking cannot be detected or if it does not follow the predetermined pattern, it is possible to judge that it is not the dedicated pack or the insertion direction of the paper pack 20 is wrong. Instruct reinsertion without starting transportation.

When the paper pack 20 reaches the transportable position, the fact is displayed or a buzzer is signaled, and the operator is urged to let go (S14). After that, the carry roller 8 is rotated to start carrying (S16). At this time, by delaying the start of conveyance by a time sufficient for the operator to let go of the hand (S15), an operation error can be prevented. Further, at this time, the paper size is detected. For example, a bar code 41 (FIG. 10) on the paper pack 20 according to the paper size.
Etc., and read it with the reflective sensor 40 installed in the paper pack insertion port, and count the time from the marking of the paper feedable position until the trailing edge of the paper pack 20 leaves the reflective sensor 40. Then, a method of measuring the length and a method of determining the size in combination with the above-described detection of the paper size (paper width) at the doors 31 to 33 can be considered.

If the paper size is the same as the paper size used so far when the paper size is detected, the control is continued as it is, and if it is different, the conveyance is stopped to call attention to detect an operation error. it can. If the operator notices an error at this stage, the transport roller 8 is reversed by a switch operation or the like, and the paper pack 20 is returned to the original position.

When the paper pack 20 is conveyed to the inside of the side fence 7, the front side fence 7a rises. This rising is detected by the sensor, and the driving of the transport roller 8 is stopped (S17). At this time, the transport roller 8
If the rising of the side fence 7 cannot be detected even after the lapse of a predetermined time, it is determined that the paper pack 20 has not been normally conveyed, the driving of the conveyance roller 8 is stopped, and a display as a conveyance error is displayed. Subsequent conveyance of the paper pack 20 is performed by moving both side fences 7a and 7b inward (S18), and the paper pack 20 is set at the center. At this time, the side fence 7 is stopped after the moving amount is determined according to the size detected in advance (S19). If the size is not determined at this point, the movement is stopped by detecting a motor current described later, or a sensor is installed on the back side side fence 7b to detect the contact of the sheet pack 20 to move the sheet. Stop. further,
By installing a plurality of these sensors in the sheet feeding direction, even if the sheet pack 20 is skewed and conveyed, the side fence 7 can surely correct it. After that, the transport is confirmed (S20), and if the transport is not performed, a transport error is displayed after a predetermined time has passed (S21).

Next, the opening control of the sheet pack 20 will be described.

FIG. 37 is a flow chart of the pack opening control subroutine.

When the opening control of the pack is started, the paper feed tray 6 (or the paper feed cassette 120) is first locked (S31). This is to prevent the paper pack 20 from being pulled out during the unsealing operation and hindering the unsealing operation. As a locking method, as shown in FIG. 29, the solenoid 1
It can be realized by using 11. In FIG. 29, when unlocking the paper feed cassette 120, the solenoid 111 is turned on to retract the lock member 112, and the paper feed cassette 120 can be attached and detached. At the time of locking, the solenoid member 111 is turned off so that the locking member 112 projects toward the sheet feeding cassette 120, so that the sheet feeding cassette 120 is locked. After that, back fence drive motor 1
4b and the pack opening device drive motor 14a are rotated in the normal direction (S32) to approach the paper pack 20. Then, it is stopped at a position corresponding to the size (S33). At this time, the tongue piece 21 of the paper pack 20 is held in the pack opening device 2.

Next, only the pack opening device drive motor 14a is reversely rotated (S34), and the tongue piece 21 is retracted while being held,
Stop before the trash can 1 (S35). Further, the rotation of the magnet roller 90 is started (S36), and the paper pack 20 is opened. At this time, for example, when the paper pack 20 is not the dedicated pack and the tongue piece 21 is missing, the insertion direction of the paper pack 20 is reversed and the tongue piece 21 is missing, or the tongue piece 21 is not pinched, etc. I do.

In the above situation, the motor current of the pack opening device drive motor 14a increases due to the friction between the magnet roller 90 and the sheet placement surface 81, and therefore the error can be determined by detecting the motor current. .. in this case,
The pack opening device 2 is again pressed against the paper pack 20 and the opening operation is repeated. If it is still an error even if it is repeated a plurality of times, the opening operation is stopped and an error message is displayed (NO in S37, YES in S38, S39).

When the opening of the paper pack 20 is completed (S3
(7: YES) The rotation of the magnet roller 90 is stopped.
In addition, the pack opening device 2 remains rearward as it is. The detection means of the completion of the opening of the paper pack can be realized, for example, by detecting the motor current for transmitting the drive to the magnet roller 90. The magnet roller 90 rotates with a low torque during the conveyance of the opened paper pack 20, and the current value is small. On the contrary, when all the sheet packs 20 are pulled out, the motor current increases due to the friction between the magnet roller 90 and the sheet placement surface 81. Therefore, the completion of opening the paper pack is detected from the difference between the current values.

If the sheet size is not measured by the entrance sensor 40, the side fence 7 and the back fence 10 can also measure the size. For example, when the side fence 7 is moved to reach the end of the paper pack 20, the side fence 7 cannot be moved any more, and the current of the motor 70 that transmits the drive to the side fence 7 increases. Therefore, the size can be measured by counting the time from the start of the movement of the side fence 7 until the current rises.

Further, the end portion of the paper pack 20 can be detected by detecting the current as well as by installing a sensor on the back side side fence 7b. Further, the movement amount of the side fence 7 can be obtained by counting the number of rotations by installing an encoder in the side fence drive motor 70 in addition to counting the time. The back fence 10 can also be used for size detection by performing similar control.

Side fence 7 and back fence 1
Even when the size is measured at 0, if the size is the same as the paper size that has been used so far, the control continues as it is, and if it is different, the display is temporarily displayed to warn the attention. The operator can select whether to execute the operation or reload the paper pack 20, and prevent the paper pack 20 from being opened due to an operation error.

As described above, while the pack is being opened, a message such as "in operation" is displayed so that the operator can understand the situation.
Also, regarding the end of operation, this is notified by the display of "end of operation" or a buzzer. Note that even during the opening operation, it is possible to set each mode such as selection of the paper feed cassette 120, setting of the number of copies, and use of a sorter, and after the opening operation is completed, the copying operation is automatically performed.

When there is paper left in the paper feed tray 6 (paper feed cassette 120) and the paper after opening is replenished, the bottom plate is lowered by pushing the operation switch or the like, and the back fence 10 is moved backward. To do. Until the back fence 10 is completely moved backward, the paper feed cassette 120 is locked so that it cannot be pulled out. After the evacuation of the backup fence 10 is completed, the lock is released.

After the paper feed tray 6 (paper feed cassette 120) is pulled out and the paper is replenished, for example, when the paper feed cassette 120 is set, the paper feed cassette 120 is locked again and the back fence 10 is moved forward. It moves and stops when it hits the paper. Then, the bottom plate is raised to complete the preparation for feeding.

[0081]

As described above, according to the present invention, after the paper pack inserted by the user is automatically mounted at the paper feed position in the main body of the paper feeder by the paper pack conveying means, the packaging sheet is removed. Since the packaging sheet of the paper pack is automatically removed by the means, the paper supply operation can be remarkably simplified.

According to the present invention, the detection means for detecting the size of the paper pack inserted in the main body of the apparatus is provided, and the paper pack size detected by the detection means is previously determined. If it is different from the accommodated paper size, it is notified, and after confirmation by the user, if it is conveyed to the inside of the device or if it is a paper pack of an undesired size, it is ejected out of the device. It is possible to prevent replenishment of a paper pack of an undesired size, and it is possible to remarkably improve the paper replenishment property.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the user automatically stores the paper packs in the storage portion, and the apparatus automatically transfers the paper packs part by part to the paper feeding means. Since the packaging sheet is removed and the sheet is fed, complicated work relating to the sheet replenishing operation is omitted and operability is improved. Also, the packaging sheet is unconditionally removed only when the paper pack of the same size as the last paper is fed, and the warning is displayed in other cases, so even if the wrong paper pack is replenished. Recovery becomes easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an entire copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a sheet pack and an opening process thereof.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a door of a sheet insertion port.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a sheet insertion port door.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a door of a sheet insertion port.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a sheet pack is inserted into a sheet insertion port.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another example of the door.

FIG. 9 is a top view showing another example of the door.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of a paper pack detection mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a transport roller unit.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a sheet pack enters and a transport roller rotates.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a pseudo load member of a transport roller.

FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram showing another example of the pseudo load member of the transport roller.

FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional view of the pseudo load member shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a side fence moving mechanism.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a state where the side fence has fallen down.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a back fence moving mechanism.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a back fence and a pack opening device portion.

FIG. 20 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the back fence and the bottom surface of the paper pack storage portion.

FIG. 21 is a front view showing the positional relationship between the back fence and the bottom surface of the paper pack storage portion.

FIG. 22 is a development view of the packing sheet for the paper pack.

FIG. 23 is a schematic view of the process of opening the paper pack.

FIG. 24 is an illustration of an adhesive portion.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram of a packing process of the paper pack.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram of a packing process of the paper pack.

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram of calculating the length of a tongue piece.

FIG. 28 is an overall control block diagram.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view showing an example of a locking mechanism of a door.

FIG. 30 is a front view showing an example of a door locking mechanism.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view showing another example of the locking mechanism of the door.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view showing a locking mechanism of the paper feed cassette.

FIG. 33 is an overall control flow chart.

FIG. 34 is an explanatory view showing the positional relationship between the magnet roller and the drive shaft in the pack opening device.

FIG. 35 is a flowchart of a pack transport control subroutine.

FIG. 36 is a flowchart of a pack transport control subroutine.

FIG. 37 is a flow chart of a pack opening control subroutine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Trash Bin 2 Pack Opening Device 4 Drive Motor 6 Tray 7 Side Fence 8 Conveying Roller 9 Feeding Roller 10 Back Fence 11, 12, 13 Paper Insert Port 14a Pack Opening Device Drive Motor 14b Back Fence Drive Motor 20 Paper Pack 20A, 20B Packaging Sheet 21 Tongue Piece 31, 32, 33 Door 36 Guide Piece 51 Drive Gear 53 Planetary Gear 54 Driven Roller 70 Side Fence Drive Motor 81 Storage Bottom (Paper Placement Side) 82 Barrier 83 Gap 90 Magneto Roller 100 ROM 101 RAM 102 CPU 103 Bus 104 Sensor Group 105 Motor Group 110 Paper End Filer 111 Solenoid 112 Door Lock Member 113 Door Lock Filer 120 Paper Feeding Cassette

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Internal reference number for FI Technical indication G03G 15/00 109 7369-2H H04N 1/00 108 C 7046-5C (72) Inventor Yoshinobu Kagami Tokyo Inc Ricoh Co., Ltd. 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Masaru Shiina Inc. 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Keisuke Hayashi Naka Ota-ku, Tokyo Magome 1-3C6 In Ricoh Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A paper feeding device main body having a paper feeding means, a paper pack insertion opening provided on one side surface of the paper feeding device main body, and a paper pack inserted through the paper packing insertion opening. Paper pack conveying means for conveying to a predetermined position in the apparatus body, packaging sheet removing means for removing a packaging sheet of the paper pack conveyed to the predetermined position, detecting means for detecting the size of the paper pack, and the detecting means Comparing means for comparing the size of the paper pack detected by the paper feeding means with the size of the paper fed last by the paper feeding means, and the comparing means for comparing the inserted paper pack size and the last If it is detected that the size of the paper fed to the paper is not the same, return the paper pack to the paper pack insertion port side,
On the other hand, when the size of the inserted paper pack and the size of the paper that was fed last match, a control means is provided for controlling the paper pack transport means to transport this paper pack to the paper feed position. A sheet feeding device with size detection for an image forming apparatus, which is characterized in that: 2. The image according to claim 1, further comprising informing means for informing whether or not the inserted sheet pack size and the last fed sheet size match. Paper feeder with size detection for forming machine. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising input means for selectively inputting whether or not to drive the paper-pack conveying means when the notification means notifies. Paper feeder with size detection. 4. The size detection device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a size identification code is provided on the paper pack, and the size of the paper pack is detected in the vicinity of the paper pack insertion opening. Paper feeder. 5. The paper feeding device with size detection of an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the size of the paper pack is detected during the conveyance by the paper pack conveying means. 6. A paper stacking unit capable of receiving paper packs of a plurality of sizes when the paper is not stacked, and a protrusion of the paper pack placed on the paper stacking unit is pulled to pull the paper from the paper. Sheet removing means for removing the packaging sheet,
Paper feeding means for separating and feeding the papers from which the packaging sheets have been removed one by one, paper absence detecting means for detecting that there is no paper in the paper stacking section, and the paper placed in the paper stacking section A size detecting means for detecting the paper size of the pack, and when the absence of paper in the paper stacking section is detected and the paper stacking section receives a new paper pack, the paper size of the paper pack and the sheet feeding means Comparing means for comparing the sizes of the sheets separated and fed to the display means, and display means for displaying whether or not the sheet removing means can be operated if the sizes are different as a result of the comparison by the comparing means. A sheet feeding device with size detection for an image forming apparatus, comprising: