JPH06144620A - Paper feeding device for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate maintenance work of a selvedge member by engaging a support part of the selvedge member provided with a delivery roller and the selvedge member with an engagement part provided on a sheet storage part. CONSTITUTION:Of a paper feeding cassette 15 at a paper feeding part of an image formation device, a selvedge member 20 is installed on a sheet supply side end part, and at a position to make contact with this selvedge member 20, a delivery roller 21 is arranged in a case 1a of the image formation device free to rotate and drive. In this case, the selvedge member 20 is furnished with a support part 22 having a pair of leg parts 24, 25 of roughly a square shape with one side open seen horizontally from the side, and it is constituted by providing a pressure pad 23 to pressurize it on the delivery roller 21 on its head end. The support part 22 is easily installed on the paper feeding cassette 15 free to disconnect by engaging a boss part 26 formed on the head end of the elastic leg parts 24, 25 with a hole shaped engagement part 31 provided on a bottom part of a cutoff part 30 formed on the paper feeding cassette 15.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feeding device, and more particularly to a paper feeding device for feeding paper to an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a paper feeding device for feeding paper to an image forming apparatus provided in a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer or the like, a paper storage unit for storing a large number of stacked paper sheets and the paper storage unit. There is known a sheet separating unit that separates and supplies a sheet from an image forming apparatus to the image forming apparatus.
Further, as the paper separating section, there is known one having a feed roller and a pad-like separating member which is in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the feed roller.

[0003]

The separation member is contaminated and worn by contact with the feed roller and contact with the paper, so that maintenance work such as replacement is required. However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the separating member is fixed to the sheet storage unit or the member of the image forming apparatus by a screw or the like, and maintenance work cannot be easily performed.

An object of the present invention is to facilitate the maintenance work of the separating member.

[0005]

A sheet feeding device according to the present invention is a device for feeding a sheet to an image forming apparatus. This device includes a paper storage unit and a paper separation unit. The paper storage unit has an engagement unit and stores a large number of stacked paper sheets. The paper separating unit has a feed roller and a separating member, and separates and supplies the paper from the paper storage unit to the image forming apparatus. The separating member has a support portion that is detachably engaged with the engagement portion of the paper storage portion, and a pressure contact portion that is attached to the support portion and that can be in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the feed roller.

[0006]

In the paper feeding device according to the present invention, the paper stored in the paper storage unit is sorted and supplied by the paper sorting unit. Here, since the support portion of the separating member is detachably engaged with the engaging portion of the sheet storage portion, the separating member is taken out of the paper feeding member or replaced with a new one during maintenance work of the separating member. Work can be done easily.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1, a facsimile 1 is provided with an image forming section 2 arranged in the center, a sheet feeding section 3 arranged below the image forming section 2, and an upper part of the image forming section 2. The image reading unit 4 is provided. The image forming unit 2 has a photosensitive drum 5 in the center. Around the photosensitive drum 5, a charging device 6, a developing device 7, a transfer device 8, and a separating device 9 are provided.
Also, the cleaning device 10 is arranged. A laser unit 11 for irradiating the photoconductor drum 5 with a laser beam corresponding to the output image is provided above the charging device 6.
Are arranged. The sheet conveying device 12 and the fixing device 1 are provided on the downstream side of the separating device 9 in the sheet conveying direction (left side in FIG. 1).
3 and the discharge tray 14 are sequentially provided.

The paper feed unit 3 has a paper feed cassette 15 for storing a large number of stacked paper sheets, and a paper feed tray 16 for manually feeding the paper sheets. Paper cassette 15
Paper discharge side end (right side end in FIG. 1) and paper feed tray 1
A paper supply path 17 including a plurality of pairs of conveyance rollers and a paper conveyance guide is formed between the image forming unit 6 and the image forming unit 2.

The paper feed cassette 15 is housed in the lower portion of the facsimile 1 so that it can be pulled out from the case 1a to the front side of the paper in FIG. 1 (see FIG. 5). Paper cassette 1
A cassette plate 18 is swingably arranged in the container 5. The cassette plate 18 is biased upward by a spring 19 from below. A separating member 20 is attached to the upper portion of the paper feed cassette 15 at the end of the paper feed cassette 15 on the paper supply side. Further, the separating member 20
The feed roller 21 is disposed in the case 1a at the position where the feed roller 21 abuts on the case 1. The feed roller 21 is rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the separating member 20 is provided.
Has a support portion 22 and a pressure contact pad 23 attached to the tip of the support portion 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the support portion 22 has a substantially U shape when seen in a plan view and has a pair of leg portions 24 and 25. The legs 24 and 25 can bend as indicated by the chain double-dashed line due to the elasticity of the resin that is the constituent material of the support 22. A boss portion 26, which is the center of rotation of the support portion 22, is formed at the tips of the legs 24 and 25, respectively. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a guide rib 27 protruding upward is integrally formed at the central portion of the upper surfaces of both leg portions 24 and 25. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface of the guide rib 27 constitutes a part of the paper supply path 17.
Further, the outer surface of the guide rib 27 is formed with irregularities so that the operator can easily put his / her finger on the detaching operation which will be described later.

A pressure contact pad 23 is provided at the tip of the support portion 22.
A protrusion 28 is formed on the side opposite to the fixed side. Figure 2
As shown in, a coil spring 30 is fitted in a compressed state between the protrusion 28 and the protrusion 29 formed on the paper feed cassette 15. As a result, the pressure contact pad 23 is in pressure contact with the feed roller 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the paper feed cassette 15 is provided with a notch 30 into which the separating member 20 is fitted, and both bosses 26 of the separating member 20 are provided on the bottom side surface of the notch 30. A hole-shaped engaging portion 31 that is rotatably fitted is formed.

The image reading unit 4 in FIG. 1 has a reading unit main body 40 including a CCD line sensor in the center. The document placing tray 4 is provided on the upstream side of the reading unit main body 40 in the document conveying direction.
1 and a document discharge tray 42 is provided on the downstream side. Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. When transmitting an image of an original using the facsimile 1, the original is placed on the original placing tray 41, the image of the original is read by the reading section body 40, and the original is ejected to the original ejection tray 42.

When an image signal is received from the outside,
The laser beam corresponding to the image signal is the laser unit 1
The photosensitive drum 5 is irradiated with light from No. 1 and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the received image is formed on the photosensitive drum 5. The electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image by the developing device 7. On the other hand, the paper in the paper feed cassette 15 or the paper manually supplied to the paper feed tray 16 is supplied to the image forming unit 2 through the paper supply path 17. The transfer device 8 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 5 to the supplied paper. The sheet on which the toner image is transferred is subjected to fixing processing when passing through the fixing device 13, and is discharged to the discharge tray 14.

In the above operation, when the paper is supplied from the paper feed cassette 15 to the image forming section 2, the feed roller 21 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the sheets stored in the sheet feeding cassette 15 in a stacked state are separated between the pressure contact pad 23 of the separating member 20 and the feed roller 21, and only the uppermost sheet is fed to the sheet supply path 17 side by the feed roller 21. Is supplied to. As a result, the sorting operation is performed.

When the separating member 20 becomes dirty or worn due to contact with rollers or paper due to the use of the facsimile 1, maintenance work for cleaning or replacing the separating member 20 is required. . In this case, the paper feed cassette 15 is pulled out from the case 1a as shown in FIG. 5, and the separation member 20 is exposed. Then, the guide rib 27 is picked up with a finger, and the legs 24 and 25 are bent as shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. As a result, the boss portion 26 comes out of the engaging portion 31, and the separating member 2
0 can be taken out.

The separating member 20 after cleaning or the new separating member 20 is provided with the guide ribs 27 by grasping the guide ribs 27.
After bending 4, 25 as shown in FIG. 3, the elasticity of the legs 24, 25 is used to engage the boss portion 26 with the engaging portion 31, so that the sheet cassette 15 can be easily mounted. After the separation member 20 is attached, the paper cassette 15 that has been pulled out is pushed into the case 1a and stored.

[Other Embodiments] (a) The present invention is also applicable to the case where the separating member 20 is attached to the case 1a side instead of the above embodiment in which the separating member 20 is attached to the sheet feeding cassette 15. Can be carried out. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, a rotatable support member 50 is attached to a side portion of the case 1a,
The separating member 20 may be exposed to the outside by rotating the support member 50. (B) Although the above embodiments relate to a facsimile, the present invention can be similarly implemented in a paper feeding device that feeds paper to another image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a computer printer.

[0018]

In the paper feeding device according to the present invention, the paper storing portion has the engaging portion, and the supporting portion of the separating member is detachably engaged with the engaging portion. Maintenance work of members can be easily done.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a facsimile in which an embodiment of the present invention is adopted.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a plan partial view of the paper feed cassette.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the separating member.

FIG. 5 is a perspective partial view showing one operation state thereof.

FIG. 6 is a perspective partial view of another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Image Forming Section 3 Paper Feeding Section 15 Paper Feeding Cassette 20 Separation Member 21 Feeding Roller 22 Support Section 23 Pressing Pad 31 Engaging Section

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shunji 1-22 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shihisa Miyazaki 1-228 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Arima 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Junichi Inada 1-228 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka Mita Kogyo Business

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A sheet feeding device for feeding a sheet to an image forming apparatus, the sheet storing section having an engaging section for storing a large number of stacked sheets, a feed roller and a separating member. And a sheet separating section that separates and supplies the sheet from the sheet storing section to the image forming apparatus, the separating member includes a support section that is detachably engaged with the engaging section, and the support section. A sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus, the sheet feeding device being attached to a portion of the sheet feeding device and having a pressure contact portion that can be in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the feed roller. 2. The sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the separating member further includes a guide portion that guides the sheet. 3. The sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guide portion also serves as a handle for attaching and detaching a separating member.