JPH061554Y2 - Paper feeder - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

(Prior Art) In some conventional manual sheet feeders, a sheet inserted from a sheet insertion section is conveyed to a predetermined position by a pair of conveying rollers (hereinafter, the operation up to this point is referred to as primary sheet feeding). In some cases, the conveying operation is temporarily stopped while the sheet is nipped by the pair of conveying rollers, and the conveying operation is restarted when an operation such as a copy button is received (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-8947). (See the official gazette).

According to such a device, the operator first stands up at the side of the sheet inserting section of the image forming apparatus to insert a sheet, and then stands up in front of the operating section of the image forming apparatus, which is a normal operation position, and presses the copy button. You will have to press. In particular, in the case of a document table moving type image forming apparatus, if the document table moves while the operator is inserting paper, the document table may come into contact with the operator. By operating the copy button after moving to a normal operation position where there is no fear of hitting the platen, the platen moves to form an image, so that there is an effect that the safety of the operator can be enhanced.

However, in this type of conventional apparatus, even when the sheet is obviously conveyed obliquely to the operator's eyes during the primary sheet feeding, the sheet is nipped by the pair of conveying rollers driven during conveyance. It cannot be pulled back from the paper insertion section because it is already installed. Therefore, when such a sheet is obliquely conveyed, conventionally, it is unavoidable that the image forming operation is unavoidably continued to eject the sheet, or an operation similar to a normal jam processing, that is, a cover of the image forming apparatus main body is performed. Open the door and take out the paper by performing a troublesome operation such as releasing the pressure contact of the conveying roller pair with a switch etc. inside the main body. In the former case, one sheet is wasted, and in the latter case, the processing is There was the inconvenience of being very annoying.

(Object of the Invention) In view of the above circumstances, the present invention is designed so that after the primary paper feeding, the paper inserted in the paper insertion portion is sandwiched by the transportation rollers, the transportation operation is temporarily stopped, and the transportation is restarted. An object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device that can easily take out a paper when the paper is conveyed in an oblique state at the time of primary paper feeding.

(Constitution of the Invention) The present invention rotates the paper inserted in the paper insertion part in a predetermined direction by rotating the paper insertion part for manual paper feeding provided on the outer surface of the image forming apparatus main body in a state of being pressed against each other. And a conveying roller pair that conveys the sheet inserted into the sheet inserting portion to a predetermined position, and then the conveying operation is temporarily stopped with the sheet sandwiched by the conveying roller pair, and the conveying is restarted. In the sheet feeding device configured as described above, the pair of conveying rollers are configured to be able to come into contact with and separate from each other, and the operation unit provided on the outer surface of the image forming apparatus main body and operated from the outside An interlocking mechanism that moves the conveying roller pair in and out in association with the movement is provided.

In such a configuration, when the sheet is conveyed in an oblique state at the time of the primary sheet feeding, if the operation unit is operated in an appropriate direction from the outside of the apparatus main body, the interlocking mechanism interlocks with the operation unit of the conveying roller pair. Since the pressure contact is released, the above-mentioned sheet can be easily taken out in this state.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the structure on the paper feed side of an electrophotographic copying machine. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a photosensitive drum, and around the photosensitive drum 1, a developing device 2, a transfer device 3,
A separation device 4 and the like are provided.

On one side of the main body of the copying machine, paper feed cassettes 5 and 6 in which paper is stored are removably mounted, and a paper feed tray (paper insertion portion) 7 for manual feeding is provided above the paper feed cassettes. There is. Paper feed rollers 8, 9 and 10 are provided in the vicinity of the paper feed cassettes 5 and 6 and the paper feed tray 7, respectively. A registration roller pair 11 for feeding is provided.

Further, on the downstream side of the paper feed cassette 5 and the paper feed tray 7, there is provided a carry roller pair 12 for carrying the paper fed from the paper feed cassette 5 and the paper feed tray 7 toward the registration roller pair 11. Alternatively, even when a small-sized sheet is supplied from the sheet feeding tray 7, the sheet can be reliably conveyed to the registration roller pair 11 by the conveying roller pair 12.

Downstream portion of the paper feed tray 7 and registration roller pair 1
Immediately upstream of 1 are limit switches 13 and 1 respectively.
4 are provided, and these limit switches 13,
14 is connected to a control unit 15 that controls the drive of each transport mechanism.

When a sheet is inserted from the sheet feed tray 7, the limit switch 13 detects this and is turned on, and the detection signal is input to the control unit 15 at this time. The paper feed roller 10 and the conveying roller pair 12 are driven by a control signal output from the above.

The limit switch 14 is turned on by detecting that the sheet has reached the registration roller pair 11, and the detection signal is input to the control unit 15. Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time from this point, a control signal is output from the control unit 15, whereby the sheet is nipped by the conveying roller pair 12 and slightly loosened between the registration roller pair 11 and the conveying roller pair 12 ( With the loop formed), feed roller 1
0 and the driving of the transport roller pair 12 are stopped. After such a temporary stop, the control unit 15 is configured to output the control signal again to start the sheet conveyance by turning on the copy button 16 provided on the upper surface of the copying machine main body. ing.

Normally, the pair of transport rollers 12 are in pressure contact with each other, but in this apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper roller 12a is movable with respect to the lower roller 12b. As a result, the pair of conveying rollers 12 come into contact with and separate from each other.

The upper roller 12a is connected to a lever 20 via a wire 19 hung on pulleys 17 and 18, and the lever 20 is located at a position facing the outer surface from an insertion opening 21 formed in the main body of the copying machine. It is attached so as to be rotatable around 20a. Then, when the lever 20 is pushed down by the operator, the roller 12a is pulled up, and the pressure contact of the conveying roller pair 12 is released. The rollers 12a and the lever 20 are urged in a direction in which the conveying roller pair 12 is in pressure contact by an appropriate urging means or its own weight, and when the operator releases the lever 20, the roller automatically returns to the pressure contact state. It is supposed to do. That is, the pulleys 17 and 18 and the wire 1
9 configures an interlocking mechanism that moves the conveying roller pair 12 in and out in association with the movement of the lever 20, which is the operation unit, in the operation direction.

Further, in the vicinity of the lever 20, the plunger 22a
Is provided with a solenoid 22. The solenoid 22 is arranged at a position where the plunger 22a projects downward of the lever 20.
The appearance of 2a is controlled by the control unit 15. Specifically, a signal is output from the control unit 15 only when paper is fed from the paper feed cassette 5, whereby the plunger 22a projects, and with the plunger 22a projecting, the lever 20 moves the plunger 22
The lever 20 cannot be pushed down to come into contact with a. However, the plunger 22
Alternatively, a may be set in a normally protruding state, and the plunger 22a may be retracted by turning on the limit switch 13 during manual paper feeding. in this case,
The plunger 22a is made to project at the timing when the paper feed by the registration roller pair 11 is started.

Next, the operation of the above device will be described. First, when a sheet is inserted into the sheet feed tray 7 by the operator, the limit switch 13 is turned on by the sheet, and the control unit 15 receives a signal from the limit switch 13 and causes the control unit 15 to pair the sheet feed roller 10 and the conveyance roller pair. 12 is activated. As a result, the inserted sheet is conveyed toward the registration roller pair 11.

Then, when the sheet reaches the registration roller pair 11, the limit switch 14 is turned on, and after a lapse of a predetermined time after receiving this signal, the control unit 15 drives the sheet feeding roller 10 and the conveyance roller pair 12. Stop. After that, when the copy button 16 is turned on, the control unit 1 receives the signal and receives the signal.
Reference numeral 5 starts driving the resist roller pair 11 and the conveying roller pair 12, whereby the paper is supplied to the photosensitive drum 1.

When the paper is mistakenly conveyed in an oblique state when inserting the paper into the paper feed tray 7, the lever 20 is immediately pressed.
By pushing down, the upper roller 12a of the conveying roller pair 12 is pulled away from the lower roller 12b by being pulled by the wire 19 connected to the lever 20, and in this state, the rear end of the inserted sheet is grasped. Then, the sheet can be easily pulled back from the sheet feeding tray 7 by pulling it toward you. Since the paper feed roller 10 is provided alone and does not have a structure for sandwiching the paper like the transport roller pair 12, it does not hinder the withdrawal of the paper.

When the paper is fed from the paper feeding cassette 5, the copy button 16 is operated to operate the paper feeding roller 8 and the conveying roller pair 12, so that the paper is registered to the registration roller pair 11.
The sheet feeding roller 8 and the pair of conveying rollers 12 are once stopped, but the registration rollers 12 are automatically re-driven shortly after the stop. During this time, the solenoid 22 is switched to the state in which the plunger 22a is projected by the output signal of the control unit 15, and the plunger 22a
The lever 20 cannot be pushed down. When the paper is fed from the paper feeding cassette 6, a normal paper feeding operation is performed.

As described above, according to this apparatus, after the paper is inserted into the paper feed tray 7, when the paper is fed in an oblique state,
The pressure contact of the conveying roller pair 12 can be released only by pulling down the lever 20 from the outside of the copying machine. Therefore, unlike the conventional apparatus, the same operation as jam processing, that is, the operation of opening the cover of the main body of the copying machine and releasing the pressure contact of the conveying roller pair 12 by the switch etc. inside the main body, is extremely easy. The paper can be pulled back.

If the lever 20 is erroneously operated during paper feeding from the paper feeding cassette 5, the paper may not be normally conveyed to the registration roller pair 11 and may cause a jam, especially when the paper has a short dimension in the conveyance direction. However, if the solenoid 20 or the like makes the lever 20 inoperable at the time of paper feeding from the paper feeding cassette 5, the above inconvenience is solved.

Further, when the lever 20 is operated after the primary paper feeding from the manual feed tray 7, the paper is released due to the separation of the conveying roller pair 12, whereby the paper formed between the resist roller pair 11 and the conveying roller pair 12 is released. Since the predetermined slack in the sheet disappears, if the sheet is conveyed as it is without being removed, it may be fed at the wrong conveyance timing.To prevent this, for example, in the case of primary sheet feeding Providing detection means for detecting whether or not the lever 20 is operated,
When the sheet is not pulled out despite the lever 20 being operated, the control unit 15 may be configured to drive the conveying roller pair 12 by a predetermined amount to restore the slack.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the one having the registration roller pair 11, and the sheet is simply held by the conveying roller pair 12 and temporarily stopped, and thereafter the sheet is directly fed from the conveying roller pair 12 to the photosensitive drum 1. It can be applied to various devices. Further, the paper feed roller 10 may be omitted.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, after the sheet inserted in the sheet inserting section is conveyed to a predetermined position (primary sheet feeding), the conveying operation is performed once while the sheet is sandwiched by the pair of conveying rollers. In the paper feeding device that was stopped and started to convey again,
Since the pair of conveying rollers can be brought into and out of contact with each other, and the pair of conveying rollers is provided with an interlocking mechanism that comes into contact with and separates from the outer surface of the image forming apparatus main body in association with the movement in the operating direction of the operating section. When the sheet is conveyed in a slanted state during the primary sheet feeding, it is possible to pull back the sheet very easily by operating the operation unit from the outside to release the pressure contact of the pair of conveyance rollers. is there.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural view showing a paper feed side structure of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a pressure contact releasing mechanism of a pair of conveying rollers in the copying machine. 7 ... Manual feed tray (paper insertion section for manual feed), 12 ... Conveying roller pair, 15 ... Control unit, 17, 18
... pulley (constituting interlocking mechanism), 19 ... wire (constituting interlocking mechanism), 20 ... lever (operating portion).

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A conveying device for conveying a sheet inserted in the sheet inserting section in a predetermined direction by rotating the sheet inserting section for manual sheet feeding provided on an outer surface of an image forming apparatus main body in a state of being pressed against each other. A pair of rollers, and is configured to convey the sheet inserted into the sheet insertion section to a predetermined position, and then once the sheet is sandwiched by the pair of conveying rollers, the conveying operation is stopped and the conveying is started again. In the paper feeding device, the pair of conveying rollers are configured to be able to come into contact with and separate from each other, and the operation unit provided on the outer surface of the image forming apparatus main body and operated from the outside and the operation direction of the operation unit are interlocked And an interlocking mechanism for bringing the pair of conveying rollers into and out of contact with each other.