JPH07206208A - One-way clutch unit, sheet feeding device, and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ease phase adjusting work in the rotational direction by providing a switching means, which can switch rotational phase angles at intervals of prescribed steps, between a clutch drum member and a driving force transmitting member. CONSTITUTION:In a one-way clutch unit 561, which is used to control a driving system of a facsimile or the like, a driving input to an inputting gear 571 transmits the driving force to a clutch drum 572 when a clutch spring 573 is in the direction of tightening (for normal rotation), while the driving input cuts off the transmission of the driving force to the clutch drum 572 when the clutch spring is in the direction of loosening (for reverse rotation). This switching of transmission/cut-off of the driving force can be achieved by controlling the engagement/disengagement of a solenoid flapper to a control annulus 574. In this case, the clutch drum 572 is connected to a cam 577 via a phase angle adjusting part 576 that is formed by engaging knurling tools 572a, 577a to each other, which are formed in respective members 572, 577, respectively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a one-way clutch unit, a sheet feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus using the one-way clutch unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a one-way clutch unit used for controlling a drive system in a facsimile machine is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a) and (b), the input gear 101, the clutch shell 102, the clutch spring 103, and the control ring 104 are provided.
If 3 is the tightening direction (normal rotation direction), the clutch cylinder 102
If the driving force is transmitted to the clutch barrel 103 in the loosening direction (reverse rotation direction), the driving force is not transmitted to the clutch barrel 102, and the input gear 101 is always rotating in the forward rotation direction. 104, for example, control claw 110
There is a control mechanism that switches between transmission and non-transmission of the driving force by being fixed and opened by a solenoid mechanism (not shown).

Further, in order to transmit the driving force to the output shaft 109, there is one in which the clutch barrel 102 is fixed with a set screw 106. In addition, in order to suppress wear due to the clutch spring 103, a metal sleeve 105 may be fitted to the input gear 101, or the clutch barrel 102 may be made of a sintered alloy.

There is also one in which the cam 107 is fixed to the output shaft 109 by a parallel pin 108 so that the cam 107 is rotated or stopped by the transmission or non-transmission of the driving force.

In order to adjust the phase angle of the control pawl 110 and the output shaft 109 or the cam 107 in the rotational direction within a predetermined range, the angle is adjusted by a jig when fixing the clutch barrel 102 with the set screw 106. And clutch spring 10
Control ring 104 to correct the phase angle difference between the two ends of
Alternatively, there is one in which a plurality of grooves 111, 112, 113 for fixing the end portion of the clutch spring 103 of the clutch barrel 102 are provided and the groove for inserting the end portion of the clutch spring 103 is switched and adjusted.

[0006]

Therefore, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when the clutch body 102 is fixed by the set screw 106, the angle is adjusted by a jig, and then the set screw 106 is loosened. Makes it difficult to adjust the phase angle within a predetermined range.

Further, the clutch body 102 is set with a set screw 10.
If a gap is created between the input gear 101 and the clutch barrel 102 when fixing with 6, the clutch spring 3 may fall into this gap.

When the groove for inserting the end portion of the clutch spring 103 is switched, it is necessary to remove the clutch spring 103 and then reassemble it if the phase angle is out of the predetermined tolerance range after once assembling. At that time, it was necessary to reassemble the clutch spring 103 with great care so as not to deform the clutch spring 103, which was inconvenient.

Further, since this portion cannot be disassembled after the angle adjustment, it is inconvenient because the clutch portion needs to be treated as a large unit with a shaft and the like.

[0010]

According to the present invention, a rotating input member, an output member disposed on the same axis as the input member, and a clutch wound around the input member and the output member. In a one-way clutch unit having a spring and a control unit that controls the rotation of the output member by fixing or releasing one end of the clutch spring in the rotation direction of the input member, the output member is wound by the clutch spring. And a drive transmission member for transmitting the driving force to the subsequent stage. A phase angle in the rotational direction can be switched between the clutch body member and the drive transmission member at predetermined steps. The switching means is provided.

The present invention is characterized in that the phase angle switching means is a knurl arranged so that the clutch body member and the drive transmission member mesh with each other.

The present invention is characterized in that, when the knurls are engaged with each other, the clutch body member and the drive transmission member are fitted by light press-fitting.

The present invention is characterized in that the relative movement of the input member and the clutch body member in the rotational axis direction is restricted by a snap-fit claw provided on the clutch body member.

The present invention is characterized in that, when the one-way clutch unit is attached to a rotary shaft, movement of the snap-fit claw in a direction in which the snap-fit is disengaged is restricted.

According to the present invention, at least a portion of the input member and the output member around which the clutch spring is wound is made of a material having a higher wear resistance than the clutch spring on the input member side. And

The present invention is characterized by comprising sheet feeding means having the one-way clutch unit and sheet supporting means for stacking and supporting the sheets fed by the sheet feeding means.

The present invention is characterized by comprising a sheet supporting means having the one-way clutch unit, and a sheet feeding means for feeding the sheet supported by the sheet supporting means.

[0018]

The phase angle can be adjusted by switching the phase angle in the rotational direction between the clutch barrel member and the drive transmission member by steps by the phase angle switching means. Also,
By switching every step, the angle to be changed can be easily and accurately set by counting the number of steps.

If a knurl is used for the phase angle switching means, the angle to be changed can be accurately set by counting the number of teeth. Further, if the knurling is fitted by light press-fitting, there is no rattling in the rotation direction, so that reliable positioning can be performed at the position where the phase angle is adjusted.

By using the snap fit claws to connect the input member and the clutch body member, the input member and the clutch body member can be easily disassembled and assembled.

In the sheet feeding device using the one-way clutch unit of the present invention for the feeding roller having a non-circular cross section,
The rotation stop position of the feeding roller can be adjusted easily and accurately, and the sheet feeding timing can be set accurately.

In the sheet feeding device using the one-way clutch unit of the present invention to control the rotation of the up and down cams of the sheet stacking table, the timing for raising and lowering the stacking table can be adjusted easily and accurately. Can be set, the timing of sheet feeding can be set accurately,
Further, the timing for separating the stacked sheets from the sheet feeding means can be appropriately set to prevent the sheets from being double-fed.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An outline of an entire facsimile apparatus using a sheet feeding apparatus as a first embodiment constructed according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the figure, 1 is an apparatus main body, 2 is an original placing table configured so that a plurality of originals S can be stacked on a top cover of the apparatus main body 1, 3 is an image reading unit for reading image information of the original S, and 4 is A recording apparatus body composed of a laser beam printer, 5 is a document conveying section,
6 is a document pressing unit, 7 is a contact image sensor, 8 is a document ejection tray, 9 is a laser scanner, 10 is an image forming unit, 11 is a cassette sheet feeding unit, 12 is a recording sheet ejection tray,
13 is an MP (multi-paper) cassette unit, 14 is a cartridge cover, 15 is an ADF (auto document feeder) cover, 16 is an upper document guide, 17 is a weight shaft, 18 is a document pressing plate, 19 is a lower document guide, 20 Is a partition between the image reading unit 3 and the recording apparatus main body 4, 21 is a control unit of the facsimile device, 22 is a handset, 23 is a conveyance guide, 24 is an operating unit, 25 is a display unit, and 26 is an operating state of the facsimile device. Indicated is a tally lamp, 27 is a second stage cassette unit, 28 is a light cover, 29 is an MP (multi-paper) cassette sensor, and 30 is an MP separation unit.

The image reading section 3 feeds and separates the originals S stacked on the original placing table 2 one by one by a pre-conveying roller 5b that is in pressure contact with the pre-conveying pressing piece 5a and a separation roller 5d that is in pressure contact with the reverse rotation roller 5c. Then, the paper is fed to the contact image sensor 7 by the paper feed roller 5f which is pressed against the paper feed roller 5e pressed by the pressing spring 5k, and the original S is moved by the weight pressing shaft 17 and the original pressing plate 18 at the original pressing portion 6. After the image information of the document S is read while pressing the contact type image sensor 7 so as to be in close contact with the contact type image sensor 7, the document S is discharged onto the document discharge tray 8 by the discharge roller 5h which is in pressure contact with the discharge roller 5g pressed by the pressing spring 5k. It is designed to be discharged. During this time, the document S is guided by the upper document guide 16 and the lower document guide 19.

A slider 2a is slidable on the original placing table 2 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the original S (width direction of the original S).
Is provided so that both sides of the original document S stacked on the original document table 2 can be aligned by the slider 2a. If the original S is a long original, the extension original tray 2b can be opened to prevent the rear end of the original S from protruding from the original table 2 and hanging down.

The recording apparatus main body 4 emits a modulation signal from the laser beam oscillator 9a of the laser scanner 9 based on the image signal output from the control section 21, and the modulated beam is emitted from the image forming section 10 by the polygon mirror 9b. The photoconductor drum 10a is irradiated with scanning light so that the photoconductor drum 1
After the image information is formed on the surface 0a, and the image information is transferred and fixed to the recording paper P fed from the cassette paper feeding unit 11, the second stage cassette unit 27 or the MP cassette unit 13 to the image forming unit 10, The recording sheet stack tray 12 is configured to discharge the sheet.

The photosensitive drum 10a is integrally incorporated in the recording cartridge 10e together with the primary charger 10b, the developing roller 10c and the cleaning roller 10d, and is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 1. Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 10a is uniformly charged by the primary charger 10b, and when the scanning light is reflected on the surface of the polygon mirror 9b and reflected by the folding mirror 9c, a latent image is formed, and the latent image is formed on the developing roller. The toner is supplied from 10c so as to be visualized.

A transfer charging device 10f is arranged around the photosensitive drum 10a of the image forming section 10, and the thermal fixing device 10 is provided in the recording paper conveying path downstream of the photosensitive drum 10a.
g, a paper discharge roller 10h are arranged.

The recording paper P is transferred with the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10a by the transfer charger 10f, is then transported along the transport guide 23, and the toner image is fixed by the thermal fixing device 10g. The recording paper is discharged to the recording paper discharge tray 12 by the discharge roller 10h.

The MP cassette section 13 is arranged at the bottom of the apparatus main body 1. MP (Multi Paper) cassette 13
The recording paper P stacked on a is MP-loaded by the pressure contact member 13b.
By rotating the (multi-paper) middle plate 13c upward, the MP (multi-paper) separation roller 30a
Pressed against the MP (multi-paper) separation pad 30b
Is separated one by one (friction piece separation method), MP
(Multi-paper) Carried along the separation base 30c, further carrying rollers 28a, a cover-side U-turn guide 28b arranged on the light cover 28, and the apparatus main body 1
It is reversed by the main body side U-turn guide 28c arranged on the side.

The leading edge of the recording paper P being fed is detected by the registration sensor 28d, and the photosensitive drum 10a is detected.
After the paper is fed and the image output timing is adjusted so that the leading end of the toner image formed on the recording paper P and the leading end of the recording paper P coincide with each other, the paper is conveyed between the transfer charger 10f and the photosensitive drum 10a. The image is recorded on the lower surface side of the recording paper P stacked on the MP cassette 13a.

The recording paper P is an MP (multi-paper) regulating plate 1 mounted so as to be movable according to the recording paper size.
The side end surface and the rear end surface are regulated by 3d so that skewing and non-feeding do not occur. The size and presence / absence of the recording paper P is detected by the MP cassette sensor 29. The maximum number of recording sheets that can be stacked is 100, and the recording sheets are pulled out to the left side toward the apparatus main body 1 (side loading method). There are three sizes of recording paper that can be stacked: A4, Letter, and Legal.
The P regulation plate 13d is set to A4 size.

The cassette paper feeding unit 11 is arranged so that the top plate 11h of the cassette paper feeding unit 11 is in contact with the bottom lower surface of the apparatus main body 1, and the top surface of the top plate 11h is the bottom plate of the apparatus main body 1. There is. The recording paper P stacked in the paper feed cassette 11a is urged upward by the middle plate spring 11f, and the semi-circular paper feed roller 11b and the pair of separation claws 11d.
The recording sheets P are separated one by one (by the claw separation method), and the separated recording paper P is conveyed by the cassette conveying roller pair 11c, passes between the MP separation base 30c and the sheet passing guide 28e, and is conveyed to the conveying roller 28a. , The cover-side U-turn guide 28b arranged on the light cover 28 and the body-side U-turn guide 28c arranged on the apparatus body 1 side are reversed. From this point, it is the same as the sheet feeding from the MP cassette unit 13 described above. The paper path joins immediately before the transport roller 28a. The image is recorded on the lower surface side of the recording paper P stacked in the paper feed cassette 11a.

Although not shown in FIG. 8, the second-stage cassette paper feeding unit 27 has almost the same structure as the illustrated cassette paper feeding unit 11, and the recording paper P inside the second-stage cassette 27a is Paper is fed to the recording unit 4 through the lateral space 11g of the cassette paper feeding unit 11.

Each of the cassettes 11a and 27a is capable of stacking 500 recording sheets, and is configured to be pulled out to the front of the apparatus main body 1 (front loading system). In addition, the stackable recording paper size is A
There are two types, letter and letter.

The cassette paper feeding unit 11 and the second-stage cassette paper feeding unit 27 can be separately separated and combined as an option, and the total number of recording papers that can be stacked on the apparatus is 10.
It is possible to change from 0 to 1100 sheets.

The apparatus body 1 is provided with a cartridge cover 14 which can be opened and closed. By opening the cartridge cover 14, the recording cartridge 10e is opened.
It can be pulled out and replaced. Further, the cartridge cover 14 is provided with an interlock mechanism so that the recording apparatus body 4 does not operate when the cartridge cover 14 is open or the recording cartridge 10e is not set in the apparatus body 1.
Further, the drum photosensitive prevention shutter 10i provided in the recording cartridge 10e is designed to interlock with the setting of the recording cartridge 10e to the apparatus main body 1, and the cartridge cover 14 is opened to set the recording cartridge 10e to the apparatus main body 1. The shutter 10i is opened at this time, and the shutter 10i is closed when the recording cartridge 10e is taken out from the apparatus main body 1, whereby unnecessary exposure of the photosensitive drum 10a is prevented.

When a jam occurs during recording, the cartridge cover 14, the light cover 28, the paper discharge cover 1
The recording paper P staying inside can be taken out by opening either 0j or the jam release cover 11i. Further, the paper discharge cover 10j needs to be opened after removing the recording paper discharge tray 12.

The partition section 20 is a duct that separates the image reading section 3 from the recording apparatus main body 4. The image reading section 3 is adversely affected by the heat generated from the recording section 4 when air is blown by a fan (not shown). It is prevented that the water vapor that is received or vaporized from the recording paper P is condensed and drops onto the recording paper P.

The contact-type image sensor 7 uses L as a light source.
The image information surface of the original S is irradiated with light from the ED array, and the reflected light reflected by the image information surface is SELFOC lens (trademark).
To read the image information by forming an image on the sensor element.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a control system 300 of a facsimile apparatus using the LBP according to the present invention.
In the figure, 301 is a C for controlling the entire facsimile apparatus.
R is a PU that is used as an MPU 311, a ROM 312 that stores a control program for the MPU 311, a work area for various data processing, and a temporary storage unit for image information.
An AM 313, an image processing unit 314 that performs image scaling, resolution conversion, and the like are configured.

Further, the CPU 301 is provided with a calendar, clock function and the like having a known structure, and the area of the RAM 313 for storing important system setting information such as one-touch key destination information and software switch information is backed up by a battery to prevent a power failure or the like. Protected against accidental disability. The control system of the facsimile machine is the above-mentioned CPU
301 and the following elements 302 to 310 are connected through an interface.

The operation unit 302 includes various key switches such as a ten-key pad 314, a function key 315, a one-touch key 316, a start key 317, a stop key 317, and the like. The display unit 303 includes an LCD 318 for displaying various messages and various LEDs 3 for displaying transmission modes and the like.
19, a tally lamp 320 for notifying a distant operator of a communication state and occurrence of a failure.

The reading unit 304 is a driving unit 3 such as a reading motor.
21, a reading sensor 322 for reading an image, an image processing unit 323 for shading and binarizing the read image,
It is composed of various sensors 324 and the like for detecting a document.

The recording unit 305 is a drive unit 32 such as a recording motor.
5, a laser scanner, a recording unit 326 for controlling the electrophotographic process, an image processing unit 327 for smoothing an image to be recorded, and various sensors 328 for detecting recording paper and the like.

Further, the communication control unit 306 for making a call, receiving a call, encoding image data, and the like has a connection unit 329 composed of DSU, NCU, etc., and the communication network 307 and the handset 308 are connected to the connection unit 329. It The CPU external interface 309 is an interface for directly transmitting and receiving data from the CPU 301, for example, RS232C, SCS.
The device is used as a scanner printer or the like of an external computer by connecting to a computer external to the device via I, LAN or the like. The HDD 310 is used as a large-capacity non-volatile memory for storing image information and the like.

Next, FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the basic operation of LBP.
This will be described using 1. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 400 denotes a semiconductor laser that blinks laser light for image data to be recorded,
401 is a polygon motor, 402 is a polygon motor 40.
1, a polygon mirror that rotates by 1, an optical system 403 for image formation and tilt correction, a photodetector 404
Reference numeral 5 is a folding mirror, 406 is a photosensitive drum, 407 is a developing device, P is recording paper, 409 is a conveyance guide, and 410 is a fixing device.

In the above structure, first the semiconductor laser 4
The laser beam emitted from 00 is deflected by being reflected by the polygon mirror 402, and is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 406 via the optical system 403 and the folding mirror 405 (main scanning). At this time, the photo detector 404 cuees to determine the irradiation position. While this main scan is completed for one line, the photosensitive drum 406 rotates for one line (sub-scan). The image formed on the photosensitive drum 406 as described above is developed by the developing device 407, and the recording paper P
Transcribed on. Further, it is conveyed along the conveyance guide 409, fixed by the fixing device 410, and discharged.

The photosensitive drum 406 and the developing device 40 described above are used.
Elements of the sub-scanning system such as 7, the conveyance guide 409, and the fixing device 410 are controlled by a recording motor, a gear, a belt, etc.
It is driven in synchronization.

Next, the structure of the one-way clutch unit used in the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the one-way clutch unit 561 comprises an input gear 571, a clutch shell 572, a clutch spring 573, a control ring 574 and a cam 577. The drive input to the input gear 571 is the clutch spring 57.
If 3 is the tightening direction (normal rotation direction), the clutch cylinder 572
When the driving force is transmitted to the clutch barrel 573 in the loosening direction (reverse rotation direction), the driving force is not transmitted to the clutch barrel 572, and the input gear 571 is always rotating in the forward rotation direction. The control pawl 580 of 574 attracts the flapper 575 a of the solenoid 575 and returns the spring 5.
The driving force is switched between transmission and non-transmission by being fixed and released by returning by 75b.

Further, the clutch body 572 and the cam 577 are connected by the phase angle adjusting section 576, and the cam 5
77 has a parallel pin groove 577a formed therein, and by inserting the parallel pin 578 therein and fixing the cam 577, the driving force of the input gear 571 is transmitted to the output shaft 579.

The material of the input gear 571 and the cam 577 is made of sliding grade POM resin, for example, DURACON SW-01 made by Polyplastics Co., Ltd., and the material of the clutch body 572 and the control ring 574 is made of general grade POM resin, for example poly. It is composed of DURACON M270-44 or M90 manufactured by Plastics.

The material of the clutch spring 573 is, for example, a piano wire having a rectangular cross section by drawing a die. The materials of the input gear 571, the clutch body 572, the control ring 574, and the cam 577 that rotate while sliding are made to alternate between sliding grade POM resin and general grade POM resin, so that sliding of each member Resistance can be reduced (POM resin is generally known to have a property that sliding properties between the same grades are greater than sliding resistance between different grades or different materials).

Further, since the material of the input gear 571 is a sliding grade POM resin, only the input gear 571 is rotating and the clutch spring 573 is extended for a long time when the driving force is not transmitted.
Even if it slides, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of abnormalities such as noise. Since the clutch body 572 and the clutch spring 573 hardly slide when the driving force is not transmitted, the clutch body 5
No problem occurs even if the material of 72 is a general grade POM resin.

Further, in order to provide further wear resistance, a sleeve made of an oilless metal material or a SUS material may be fitted to the input gear 571. At this time, the sleeve may not be fitted on the clutch cylinder 572.

A snap fit arm 582 is integrally formed on the clutch body 572 by injection molding.
At the tip of the snap fit arm 582, a snap fit claw a583, a snap fit claw b584, and a protrusion 5 are provided.
85 is formed. Input gear 571, clutch body 5
When 72 is assembled, the snap fit arm 582 bends toward the center of rotation and the snap fit claw a583 is snap fit, and the movement of the input gear 571 and the clutch barrel 572 in the separating direction is restricted.

Further, when this is assembled to the output shaft 579, the snap fit arm 582 causes the arm deflection space 5
It is bent toward the 86 side, and the snap-fitting claw b584 is snap-fitted in the E-ring groove 587 of the output shaft 579 so that the clutch barrel 572 and the output shaft 579 are fixed. The input gear 5 regardless of the relative position of the clutch cylinder 572 and the output shaft 579.
Since the movement of 71 and the clutch cylinder 572 in the separating direction is restricted, the problem that the clutch spring 573 falls between the input gear 571 and the clutch cylinder 572 does not occur.

Furthermore, when removing from the output shaft 579, the projection 585 can be easily removed by bending the snap fit arm 582 with a flat-blade screwdriver or the like. Further, when the one-way clutch unit 561 is incorporated in the output shaft 579, the output shaft 579 restricts the deflection of the snap fit arm 582 toward the center of rotation.
There is no worry that the snap fit of 83 will come off. Further, even when the snap-fit claw b 584 is worn due to repeated assembly and removal on the output shaft 579 and a predetermined fixing force cannot be obtained, the E-ring groove 58 is cut by cutting the snap-fit arm 582 along the reference surface 588.
The one-way clutch unit 561 can be continuously used by assembling the E-ring to 7.

In this embodiment, the shaft diameter of the output shaft 579 is φ8f.
9 mm, E-ring groove 587 has a groove width of 1 (tolerance 0 to +0.
08mm), groove shaft diameter is φ6.4 (tolerance 0 to +0.0
7mm), the height of the snap-fit claw b584 is 0.7
(Tolerance ± 0.05 mm).

Details of the phase angle adjusting unit 576 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). Clutch body 572,
The cam 577 has knurls 572a and 577a, respectively.
Are formed. Each of the knurls 572a and 577a is a flat knurl and has a width and a height of 0.4 mm, and are arranged 90 on the circumference at a pitch of 4 degrees. By doing so, the phase angle of the clutch cylinder 572 and the cam 577 in the rotation direction can be changed at a pitch of 4 degrees. The phase angle adjustment standard is ± 2 by changing the phase angle at a pitch of 4 degrees.
It can be done in degrees. Also, knurled 572a, 5
Sliding resistance is generated between the tip R and the root R by making the tip R of the 77a slightly smaller than the root R. Therefore, the clutch cylinder 572 and the cam 577 can be assembled by light press fitting. By setting this pressure input to about the weight of the one-way clutch unit 561 (for example, 1 to 2N), the clutch barrel 72, when the one-way clutch unit 561 is transported in the unit state,
The cam 577 is separated, and the phase angle does not shift.

The pitch diameter of the knurling 572a may be made slightly smaller than the pitch diameter of the knurling 577a so that the clutch cylinder 572 and the cam 577 can be lightly press-fitted.

Next, an assembling method for accurately adjusting and assembling the phase angle of the control claw 574 and the cam 577 in the rotation direction within a predetermined range will be described.

It is the degree of winding of the clutch spring 573 around the input gear 571 and the clutch barrel 572 that contributes to the variation in the phase angle of the control claw 574 and the cam 577 in the rotational direction. If the phase angle is adjusted while the winding condition is unstable, the phase angle varies during actual use. Assemble in the following procedure to prevent variations. 1) Assemble the input gear 571, the clutch barrel 572, the clutch spring 573, and the control ring 574. 2) The input gear 571 and the clutch body 572 are relatively rotated in the forward rotation direction, and drive transmission is performed by the clutch spring 573. If this drive transmission is performed by inspecting whether or not the drive transmission torque is equal to or larger than a predetermined capacity, no waste occurs in the process. 3) Leave it for 24 hours or longer. 4) The input gear 571 and the clutch body 572 are relatively rotated again in the forward rotation direction, and the drive transmission by the clutch spring 573 is performed. The transmission torque at this time should be the same as the rated load torque during actual use. 5) Control claw 574 without loosening clutch spring 573
The cam 577 is lightly press-fitted into the clutch cylinder 572 by adjusting the phase angle so that the phase angle of the cam 577 is within a predetermined standard. 6) Control claw 574 without loosening clutch spring 573
And the phase angle of the cam 577 is inspected. 7) When the phase angle is deviated, the deviated amount is corrected by switching the phase angle adjusting unit 6 by a predetermined step.

The reason for performing this procedure is as follows: input gear 571, clutch case 572, clutch spring 5
This is because after the 73 and the control ring 574 are assembled, the clutch spring 573 is adapted to the winding portion of the input gear 571 and the clutch barrel 572 by transmitting drive. If the clutch spring 573 is left for 24 hours or more after the drive transmission, the winding condition of the clutch spring 573 is further stabilized. Since the position of the control pawl 580 is fixed by the flapper 575a of the solenoid 575 after the predetermined drive transmission, the phase angle of the control pawl 580 and the cam 577 is adjusted with the rated load torque close to the actual use condition being applied. By doing so, the adjustment deviation can be minimized. The same applies to the inspection.

Next, the MP cassette unit 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. In the figure, 32 is M
P regulating plate, 33 MP middle plate, 34 and 35 curl presser, 36 marking for operation description, 37 separation shaft, 38 middle plate pressing arm, 39 middle plate pressing lever, 40 middle plate adding A pressure spring, 41 a hinge part of the middle plate, 42 a pressing part of the middle plate, 43
Is a protrusion of the middle plate, 44, 45, 46 are fixing plate fixing holes, 4
7 is a regulating plate positioning portion, 48 and 49 are lateral pressure springs, 50 is a rear end regulating portion, 51 is a regulating plate removing hole, 52 is a middle plate rear end portion,
53 is a regulation plate moving hole, 54 is a recording paper stacking surface, 55 is a regulation plate moving surface, 56 is a side pressure spring moving groove, 60 is a separating roller,
61 is a one-way clutch unit, 63 is a bearing support, 64 is a protrusion of the separation cam 577, 65 is a separation roller rubber, 66 is a bearing, 67 is a tip of an intermediate plate, 68 is a separation cam 577 and an intermediate plate pressure lever. Space, 69 is a bearing of the separated shaft.

The MP cassette portion 13 (the material of the cassette pocket: ABS resin) is assembled in the order of the MP regulation plate 32, the MP middle plate 33, and the curl retainers 34, 35. MP control plate 3
Reference numeral 2 is an integrally molded product of a resin mold (material: polycarbonate), and the regulation plate positioning portion 47 is inserted through the regulation plate removing hole 51 and moved along the regulation plate moving hole 53 and the regulation plate moving surface 55 to fix the regulation plate. The fixing pin portion 32a is inserted and fixed in any one of 44, 45, and 46. The restriction plate fixing holes 44, 45, and 46 correspond to letter, A4, and legal sizes, respectively. The side pressure springs 48 and 49 suppress the positional deviation of the recording paper in the main scanning direction due to the elasticity of the resin. The trailing edge regulation unit 50 suppresses positional deviation of the recording paper in the sub scanning direction.
Further, a side pressure spring moving groove is provided so as not to obstruct the movement of the side pressure spring 48.

The MP middle plate 33 is an integrally molded product of resin mold (material: polycarbonate) and is rotatably arranged around the hinge portion 41. The MP middle plate 33 is assembled by vertically arranging the MP middle plate 33 vertically by a combination of a well-known two-way-shaped shaft and a partially cutout hole, and rotating it so as to be horizontal. However, it cannot be removed when it is almost horizontal.

Further, a protrusion 43 is formed on the rear end side of the central portion of the MP middle plate 33 in the recording paper width direction (main scanning direction), and the leading end thereof also digs under the recording paper stacking surface. This allows the middle plate pressure arm 38 to
Since the MP middle plate 33 is prevented from bending in the main scanning direction when the middle plate 33 is pressed by the pressing portion 42, it is possible to employ a resin mold material having a lower strength than sheet metal.
As described above, by making the MP intermediate plate 33 a non-conductive material, static electricity generated by sliding of recording sheets during continuous feeding or the like is discharged to the MP intermediate plate 33 to make the operation of the apparatus unstable. In addition, since it is a non-conductive material, the MP middle plate 33 itself does not serve as an antenna.

Further, the hinge portion 41 is arranged at a position higher than the protruding portion 43, and the tip end portion does not change its position in the recording paper conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) when the MP intermediate plate 33 rotates. It is like this. Curl press 34, 35
(Material: POM resin) suppresses curling of the recording paper that occurs when the device is placed in a high temperature and low humidity environment. As a result, even if the recording paper curls, it will not stick out above the MP cassette 13a, and the recording paper will not get caught inside the device when it is mounted in the device.

Further, the curl pressers 34 and 35 restrict the rotation of the MP middle plate 33, so that the MP middle plate 33 cannot be removed until the curl pressers 34 and 35 are removed. The distance L1 between the rear end portion of the MP middle plate 33 and the side pressure spring 48 that is the front end portion of the MP regulating plate 32 is the regulating plate positioning portion 4
Since 7 is smaller than the distance L2 to reach the regulation plate removal hole 51, the rear end portion of the MP middle plate 33 and the side pressure spring 48 contact each other before the regulation plate positioning portion 47 reaches the regulation plate removal hole 51. Therefore, the MP regulation plate 32 cannot be removed until the MP middle plate 33 is removed. This can reduce the risk of the operator inadvertently disassembling the MP cassette 13a.

Since the entire MP cassettes as described above are made of a non-conductive material for the whole MP cassette, the whole MP cassette can be made non-conductive, and the problems of electrostatic discharge and antenna formation can be solved. There is no need to ground from the cassette to the ground level.

Next, the paper feed mechanism will be described. The MP separation roller 30a is a one-way clutch unit 561 including a separation roller 60 fixed to the central portion of the shaft recording paper in the width direction and a separation cam 577 fixed to the outside of the paper path in the width direction.
Bearing 66 for fixing the MP separation roller 30a to the main body
Etc. The pressure contact member 13b is fixed to the separation shaft 37 at the center portion in the width direction with the middle plate pressure arm 38 and the middle plate pressure lever 39 fixed at a position facing the separation cam 61.
9. The bearing support 63 is arranged in the main body. The intermediate plate pressure spring 40 includes the intermediate plate pressure lever 39 and the bearing support 63.
It urges the pressure contact member 13b in the clockwise direction in FIG.

Further, the pressure contact member 13b can be taken out from the main body as a unit while the intermediate plate pressure spring 40 is being applied together with the bearing support base 63. The phase angle of the intermediate plate pressing lever 39 is adjusted so that the one-way clutch unit 561 idles near the protrusion 64 of the separation cam and the separation cam 61a stops during standby (FIG. 6a).

Further, the intermediate plate pressing arm 38 is used for the MP intermediate plate 33.
Is configured to be pushed up by the pressing unit 42 by about 0.5 mm. Therefore, a slope serving as a guide is provided at the tip of the middle plate pressing arm 38. At the time of paper feeding, when the MP separation roller 30a starts to rotate by the control of a drive system (not shown), the pressure contact member 13b is rotated by the middle plate pressing lever 39 rotating along the separation cam 577, and the MP middle plate 33 is rotated.
Is pushed up by the urging force (Fig. 6b). At this time, since the middle plate pressing arm 38 is already in contact with the MP middle plate 33, the striking sound generated when separated is not generated.

When the tip portion 67 of the middle plate comes into contact with the separation roller rubber 65, a space 6 is formed between the separation cam 577 and the middle plate pressure lever 39.
8, the sheet feeding pressure is generated by the urging force of the intermediate plate pressure spring 40 (FIG. 6c). Further, the separation cam 577 rotates,
When the space 68 disappears, the intermediate plate pressing lever 39 is pushed down along the separating cam 577, and the MP intermediate plate 33 also lowers by its weight accordingly. When it is further rotated and one rotation is completed, it returns to the standby state (one rotation sheet feeding).

According to this structure, the leading edge 67 of the middle plate comes into contact with the separation roller rubber 65 to generate a sheet feeding pressure, which is stable regardless of the angle of the MP middle plate 33 at the time of sheet feeding depending on the remaining amount of the recording sheet. It is possible to obtain the specified paper feed pressure. Therefore, even if there is a large change in the angle of the MP middle plate 33 at the time of feeding due to the remaining amount of recording paper, it can be fed without problems, and the length L in the conveying direction is 78 mm, which is the smallest recording paper that can be fed. It becomes possible to make it 1/3 or less of the length of the letter size in the conveying direction (about 280 mm).

For this reason, even if the recording paper is different in length only, such as letter and legal size, the MP middle plate 3
Since the weights of the portions related to 3 become equal, there is an advantage that the sheet feeding pressure is stable. In addition, since the MP sub-plate 33 has a short sub-scanning length, the recording paper stacking surface 54 becomes wide, and it is not possible to increase the expression density of the operation explanation of the cassette performed by pasting the printed sticker as compared with printing. It can be done by stamping on the mold, and no seal is required. In addition, since the markings make the recording paper stacking surface 54 uneven, the recording paper stacking surface 5 of the recording paper at low temperature and low humidity is used.
Sticking to 4 can be prevented without using ribs or the like.

The separation roller 60 and the separation pad 30b prevent double feeding of the recording paper. In addition, the separation roller 60
After the driving is completed, the needle type one-way clutch 60a incorporated in the separation roller 60 rotates together to prevent the resistance from occurring.

Next, the initial state of the phase angle of the one-way clutch unit 561 and the change over time in use will be described. As described above, the materials of the input gear 571 and the cam 577 are sliding grade POM resin, the materials of the clutch barrel 572 and the control ring 574 are general grade POM resin, and the material of the clutch spring 573 is piano wire. Clutch spring 573
Since the material of this is a piano wire, there is almost no elongation, and the sliding mating material is POM resin.
No wear occurs on 73, so clutch spring 5
73 has almost no effect on the phase angle of the one-way clutch unit 561. Since the input gear 571 and the clutch body 572 are both made of POM resin, the clutch spring 573 is used.
As a result, some wear occurs, and the diameter of the winding portion of the clutch spring 573 becomes slightly smaller. This gives almost no problem to the transmission torque capacity of the one-way clutch unit 561, but the winding amount of the clutch spring 573 increases, so that the phase angle between the control ring 574 and the cam 577 reverses the cam 577 based on the control ring 574. Shift in direction.

In the configuration of the present embodiment, this shift amount is caused by idling only the input gear 571 in a state in which the driving force is not transmitted, and idling 80
In 10,000 times, the phase angle shift is about 4 degrees. Since the phase angle shift is in the reverse direction, even if the phase angle shift occurs, the intermediate plate pressing lever 39 is displaced only in the direction away from the protrusion 64 of the separation cam 61a during standby (FIG. 6a). The intermediate plate pressure lever 39 is provided with the protrusion 64 of the separation cam 61a.
There is no chance of malfunctioning that the vehicle will get over and rotate.

If the amount of deviation becomes large, the paper feeding operation will be delayed, so if the amount of deviation exceeds a certain amount, the phase angle is readjusted. For example, when the shift amount is 8 degrees, the adjustment step is 4 degrees, and therefore the 2-step knurled groove may be displaced. In this way, the middle plate pressure lever 39 does not approach the protrusion 64 of the separation cam due to a change with time, so the middle plate pressure lever 39 and the separation cam 5 cannot be adjusted at the initial stage.
The protrusion 64 of 77 can be adjusted to a state close to the limit, the delay of the paper feeding operation can be minimized, and the deterioration of the operation response of the paper feeding unit can be prevented.

Since the input gear 571 and the clutch body 572 are made of POM resin, the shape change with temperature is larger than that of the clutch spring 573. Therefore, when the temperature is low, the diameter of the winding portion of the clutch spring 573 becomes slightly smaller, and the phase angle becomes smaller. It shifts in the reverse direction. The deviation amount is about 12 degrees at 30 ° C. from 5 ° C. to 35 ° C. Since the amount of deviation due to temperature can be predicted, a preferable adjustment angle can be set according to the temperature at the time of adjustment.

Next, a second embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the cassette sheet feeding section 11 will be described with reference to FIG. Figure 7
FIG. 9A is a structural diagram of a semicircular sheet feeding roller 11b. The semi-circular paper feed roller 11b needs to be stationary at a position where a flat surface portion is opposed to the recording paper during standby. In FIG. 7A, 91 is a paper feed roller, 92 is a paper feed shaft, 93 is a mounting plate, 94 is a bearing, 95 is a one-way clutch unit, 96 is a hub, and 97 is a parallel pin. The paper feed roller 91 includes a paper feed roller core 91a and a paper feed roller rubber 91b, and is fixed to a paper feed shaft 92 by a parallel pin 91c and an E ring 91d. Four paper feed rollers 91 are attached so as to be symmetrical with respect to the center of the paper path of the recording paper. The paper feeding shaft 92 is mounted on a mounting plate 94 via a bearing 93, and the mounting plate 94 is mounted on the cassette paper feeding unit 11.
It is fixed to the top plate 11h. The one-way clutch unit 95 has its axial direction restricted by a snap fit on the outside of the paper path in the width direction of the paper feeding shaft 92, and the hub 96 has its rotational direction restricted by a parallel pin 97. The parallel pin holes of the paper feed shaft 92 are in the same direction as the parallel pin 91c and the parallel pin 97, and when the hole is drilled, the feed shaft 92 can be continuously drilled with the paper feed shaft 92 fixed, thereby suppressing the phase angle shift. It is like this.

Here, the one-way clutch unit 95 replaces the separation cam 577 of the one-way clutch unit 561 of the first embodiment with the hub 96, and the other parts are common. The only difference between the separating cam 61a and the hub 96 is that the separating cam 61a has a cam shape. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, the paper feed roller core 91a, the paper feed shaft 92, and the hub 96 are integrally molded into a mold paper feed shaft 98, and the parallel pin 91c, the E ring 91d, and the parallel pin 97 are omitted. You can also reduce the points. At this time, the material of the mold feeding shaft 98 is, for example, glass-filled P
BT resin is used.

Such a one-way clutch unit 9
If No. 5 is used, the one-way clutch unit 95 can be easily disengaged from the shafts 92 and 98 even when the paper feed roller rubber 91b is worn and needs to be replaced, so there is no hindrance to the replacement.

In the above embodiment, one control pawl of the control ring has been described, but the present invention can be applied even if there are a plurality of control pawls.

Further, the control may be performed by directly fixing and releasing the bending and bending of the input side end of the clutch spring with a solenoid without using the control ring.

Further, the drive transmission member may not have the cam shape as long as it is necessary to adjust the phase angle in the rotation direction with the control portion of the clutch spring.

Further, the knurled shape of the phase angle adjusting portion may be another knurled shape such as an involute knurl. The knurl pitch may be changed according to the required adjustment accuracy.

The drive input member may be a pulley instead of a gear, or may be the output shaft itself of a driving force generation device such as a motor.

Also, the image recording section has been described for the LBP,
If a sheet of cut paper is used, it can be applied to other electrophotographic type, thermal transfer type or ink jet type sheet feeding devices.

Although the separation method of the MP cassette part has been described as the feeding method using the circular separating roller and the one-way clutch, it can be applied to another feeding method such as the feeding method using the half-moon type separating roller and the idler roller. is there.

The number of paper feed units, the type of recording paper to be used, and the number of sheets to be loaded are not particularly limited as long as they do not depart from the configuration of the present invention.

[0095]

As described above, according to the one-way clutch unit of the present invention, when the assembled phase angle is different from the desired phase angle, the phase angle can be reliably changed by a predetermined step. It is possible to adjust the angle without a jig. Further, at that time, since it is not necessary to disassemble the clutch spring portion, there is no fear of deforming the clutch spring.

Further, since the clutch portion can be unitized in a state in which the phase angle is adjusted, it is not necessary to handle it as a large unit with a shaft, rollers, etc., and the unit management becomes easy.

When the one-way clutch unit of the present invention is used in the sheet feeding device, the adjustment can be easily and accurately performed, and the sheet feeding timing can always be set appropriately. The reliability can be increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of a state where a one-way clutch unit of the present invention is incorporated in a shaft.

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a one-way clutch unit embodying the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a diagram of a phase angle adjusting unit of a clutch cylinder,
(B) is a diagram of the cam phase angle adjustment unit

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of an MP cassette unit of a facsimile machine embodying the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of an MP separation roller.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a paper feed mechanism of an MP cassette unit.

7A and 7B are explanatory views of a paper feed roller of a cassette paper feed unit.

FIG. 8 is an external view of a facsimile apparatus embodying the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an entire facsimile device embodying the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a control system of a facsimile apparatus embodying the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the basic operation of LBP.

12A is a perspective view of a conventional one-way clutch unit, and FIG. 12B is an external view of a conventional one-way clutch unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Device Main Body 2 Original Placement Table 3 Image Reading Unit for Reading Image Information of Original S 4 Recording Part Consisting of Laser Beam Printer 5 Original Transfer Part 6 Original Pressing Part 7 Contact Image Sensor 8 Original Paper Ejection Tray 9 Laser Scanner 10 Image Forming Part 11 Cassette Paper Feeding Part 12 Recording Paper Output Tray 13 MP (Multi Recording Paper) Cassette Part 14 Cartridge Cover 15 ADF Cover 16 Upper Document Guide 17 Weight Shaft 18 Document Holding Plate 19 Lower Document Guide 20 Image Reading and Recording Unit Partition unit 21 Facsimile machine control unit 22 Handset 23 Transport guide 24 Operation unit 25 Display unit 26 Tally lamp 27 Second stage cassette unit 28 Light cover 29 MP cassette sensor 30 MP separation unit 31 MP cassette protrusion 32 MP restriction plate 33 MP Middle plate 34, 35 Curl push 36 Engraving of operation explanation 37 Separation shaft 38 Middle plate pressure arm 39 Middle plate pressure lever 40 Middle plate pressure spring 41 Middle plate hinge part 42 Middle plate pressure part 43 Middle plate protrusions 44, 45, 46 regulating plate fixing hole 47 regulating plate positioning part 48, 49 side pressure spring 50 rear end regulating part 51 regulating plate removing hole 52 middle plate rear end 53 regulating plate moving hole 54 recording sheet stacking surface 55 regulating plate moving surface 56 side pressure spring moving Groove 60 Separation roller 61 One-way clutch unit 63 Bearing support base 64 Separation cam protrusion 65 Separation roller rubber 66 Bearing 67 Middle plate tip portion 68 Space between separation cam and middle plate pressure lever 69 Separation shaft bearing 70 MP cassette tip Projection 75 Recessed part of MP cassette tip projection 91 Paper feed roller 92 Paper feed shaft 93 Mounting plate 94 Bearing 95 One-way clutch unit 96 Block 97 Parallel pin 98 Mold feed shaft 101, 102 Conventional facsimile device 103, 104 Conventional cassette 105 Small size recording sheet 106 Large size recording sheet 107 Paper ejection cover 108 Paper ejection tray 109 Paper ejection, stacked recording Sheet 300 Control System of Facsimile Device 301 CPU for Controlling the Entire Facsimile Device 302 Operation Unit 303 Display Unit 304 Reading Unit 305 Recording Unit 306 Communication Control Unit 307 Communication Network 308 Handset 309 CPU External Bus Interface 310 HDD 400 Semiconductor Laser 401 Polygon Motor 402 Polygon mirror 403 rotated by a polygon motor 403 Optical system for performing image formation and tilt correction 404 Photodetector 405 Folding mirror 406 Photosensitive drum 407 Developer 408 Recording paper 409 Conveying guide 410 Fixing device 571 Input gear 572 Clutch barrel 573 Clutch spring 574 Control ring 575 Solenoid 576 Phase angle adjusting unit (knurl) 577 Cam 7 578 Parallel pin 579 Output shaft 580 Control ring control claw 582 Snap-fit arm

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A rotating input member, an output member arranged on the same axis as the input member, a clutch spring wound over the input member and the output member, and one end of the clutch spring. In a one-way clutch unit having a control unit for controlling the rotation of the output member by fixing or releasing with respect to the rotation direction of the input member, the output member is a clutch body member around which the clutch spring is wound, and a driving force. And a phase angle switching unit capable of switching the phase angle in the rotational direction at predetermined steps between the clutch body member and the drive transmission member. A one-way clutch unit. 2. The one-way clutch unit according to claim 1, wherein the phase angle switching means is a knurl arranged so that the clutch body member and the drive transmission member mesh with each other. 3. The one-way clutch unit according to claim 2, wherein when the knurls are engaged with each other, the clutch body member and the drive transmission member are fitted by light press-fitting. 4. The one-way according to claim 1, wherein a relative movement of the input member and the clutch barrel member in a rotation axis direction is restricted by a snap-fit claw provided on the clutch barrel member. Clutch unit. 5. The one-way clutch unit, wherein movement of the snap-fit claw in a direction in which the snap-fit is disengaged is restricted when the one-way clutch unit is attached to a rotary shaft. 6. The material of the input member and the output member, on which at least the clutch spring is wound, is made of a material having higher wear resistance to the clutch spring on the input member side. The one-way clutch unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. A sheet feeding means including the one-way clutch unit according to claim 1, and a sheet supporting means for stacking and supporting the sheets fed by the sheet feeding means. Sheet feeding device. 8. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the one-way clutch unit controls rotation of a feeding rotating body that feeds a sheet. 9. The feeding roller according to claim 8, wherein the feeding rotating body is a feeding roller having a non-circular cross-sectional shape, and the one-way clutch unit is connected to a drive shaft of the feeding roller. Sheet feeding device. 10. The sheet feeding device according to claim 9, wherein the drive transmission member of the one-way clutch unit is integrally formed with the drive shaft by integral molding. 11. A sheet supporting means comprising the one-way clutch unit according to claim 1, and a sheet feeding means for feeding a sheet supported by the sheet supporting means. Sheet feeding device. 12. The sheet supporting means includes a stacking table for stacking sheets, and a cam for moving the stacking table to press and separate the sheets stacked on the stacking table from the sheet feeding means. The sheet feeding device according to claim 11, further comprising: a one-way clutch unit that controls rotation of the cam. 13. The stacking table is biased toward the sheet feeding means by a biasing means, and the stacking table is biased against the biasing force of the biasing means in response to the rotation of the cam. 13. It is separated from the feeding means.
The sheet feeding device described in. 14. The phase angle in the rotational direction of the cam with respect to the control unit of the one-way clutch unit gradually moves in the reverse rotation direction with respect to the control unit as a reference. Sheet feeding device. 15. An image forming apparatus comprising: the sheet feeding device according to claim 7; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding device. .