JPH0786710B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrostatographic copying machine or a facsimile.

[Conventional technology]

In an image forming apparatus (for example, an electrostatic photocopier), generally, the cut sheets in a sheet feeding cassette loaded in the main body of the image forming apparatus are automatically fed to the image forming section one by one, or a manual sheet feeding port is used. There is a means of manually feeding cut sheets one by one to the image forming section.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

In such an image forming apparatus, the larger the size of the cut sheet used for image formation, the larger the space required to store the cut sheet. Is set and the roll paper is cut into a desired size in advance by this device, and the cut cut paper is fed to the image forming unit. The work of cutting each time was very troublesome and extremely inefficient.

Alternatively, the above roll paper cutting device is integrally incorporated into the image forming apparatus main body, and when the roll paper mode is selected as the paper feed mode, the roll paper is cut into a predetermined size and fed to the image forming unit. It is possible to do
Since it is necessary to newly design and manufacture an image forming apparatus having a special and complicated structure, it is costly, and
A user who owns an image forming apparatus having a function of feeding a cassette or manually feeding must separately obtain an image forming apparatus with a built-in roll paper cutting device, which wastes the existing image forming apparatus. There is inconvenience.

The present invention has been devised in view of such actual circumstances, and uses the existing image forming apparatus as it is, and does not impair the maintainability such as the jam processing, and the original cutting An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of selectively taking a paper feeding mode and a roll paper feeding mode and avoiding a dangerous situation during maintenance.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention, which has achieved the above object, has a roll paper loading unit, a paper feed roller unit for feeding and feeding the roll paper, and a roll paper fed by the paper feed roller unit. A paper feed unit main body including a cutting means for cutting to a predetermined length and a paper discharge unit for cut paper is provided in a unit frame so as to be switchable between a paper feed position and a standby position below the roll paper feed unit. A unit is configured and the unit frame of the roll paper feeding unit is connected to the paper feed port side of the image forming apparatus main body, while the drive means for the drive system of the paper feed unit main body is provided on the unit frame side. It is characterized in that the drive means and the drive system on the side of the sheet feeding unit main body are interlocked with each other via a gear interlocking mechanism that is disengaged as the sheet feeding unit main body moves down from the sheet feeding position.

[Action]

According to the above characteristic configuration, by switching the paper feeding unit main body to the paper feeding position, the roll paper of the roll paper feeding unit is cut to a predetermined length in addition to the cut paper feeding mode by the image forming apparatus main body itself. Then, the sheet can be fed.

Further, by switching the sheet feeding unit main body to the lower standby position, it is possible to perform maintenance such as supply of cut sheets to the sheet feeding cassette and jam processing without being disturbed by the sheet feeding unit main body.

Further, when the sheet feeding unit main body at the sheet feeding position is lowered, the gear meshing of the gear interlocking mechanism is released and the drive system for the sheet feeding unit main body side is cut off, so the sheet feeding unit main body is lowered. Even if the switch is mistakenly operated to activate the drive means during the maintenance, the paper feed roller means and the roll paper cutting means on the paper feed unit body side are not driven.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an electrostatographic copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus, in which a copying machine main body 2 is mounted on a moving deck 1 and a roll paper 3 is provided. A roll paper feeding unit 6 that cuts to a predetermined length and discharges the cut paper 4 to a manual paper feeding port 5 of the copying machine body 2.
Is connected to the copying machine main body 2.

The copying machine body 2 is configured as follows. That is, the reciprocating means 9 for reciprocating the document with respect to the exposure section 8 is provided on the upper part of the device case 7, and the large paper feed cassette 10 is provided on the lower part side of the device case 7 so as to be drawn out to the roll paper feeding unit 6 side. In addition, the photoconductor 11 is horizontally mounted on the device case 7, and the charging unit 12, the exposure unit 8, the developing unit 13, the transfer unit 14, the paper separating unit 15, and the cleaning device 16 are arranged around the photoconductor 11. In addition, a pair of paper discharge rollers 17 is provided above the paper feed port 5.

Further, a sheet passing guide 18 is provided from the supply portion of the sheet feeding cassette 10 to the sheet feeding port 5, and a sheet feeding / conveying path 19 is arranged from the sheet feeding port 5 to the transfer portion 14, and after transfer / separation. Paper ejection transport path 21 that feeds cut sheets to the fixing unit 20
Is provided.

The roll paper feeding unit 7 is a unit frame 23 mounted on the paper feeding port 5 side of the copying machine main body 2 via a connecting mechanism 22.
And a sheet feeding unit main body 24 that can be raised and lowered with respect to the unit frame 23. The unit frame 23 in the unit frame 23 has vertical frames 26 erected on both left and right sides of the bottom frame 25, and the front and rear of the vertical frame 26. The guide rails 27 are provided on both sides, and the tie rods extend over the upper ends of the left and right vertical frames 26.
Along with mounting 28, caster wheels 29 are provided at the lower four corners of the bottom frame 25 so as to be freely slidable, so that horizontal level adjustment and movement are possible.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the paper feed unit main body 24 is provided with rollers 30 loosely fitted on the guide rails 27 in the vicinity of the upper and lower four corners of the elevating frame 32 via a support shaft 31. At the same time, urging means (for example, a guide spring) 33 for lifting and urging the elevating frame 32 is provided on the left and right sides of the unit frame 23 and the elevating frame 32.
In addition, a loading section 34 for the roll paper 3 is provided on the lower side of the elevating frame 32, and a paper path extending from the paper feed section above the roll paper loading section 34 to the manual paper feed port 5 extends through the paper path. Further, a paper feed roller means 35 and a roll paper cutting means 36 for cutting the roll paper 3 to a predetermined length are provided.

The support shafts 31 of the four upper and lower rollers 30 on the copying machine main body 2 side
Has its axis oriented in the left-right direction of the unit to prevent the roll paper feeding unit 6 from swinging in the front-back direction with respect to the copying machine main body 2. Also,
Spindle 31 of four upper and lower rollers 30 on the side opposite to the copying machine body 2
Is designed so that its axis is oriented in the front-rear direction of the unit and the lateral deviation of the roll paper feeding unit 6 with respect to the copying machine main body 2 is prevented.

A discharge guide plate 37 is obliquely provided above the roll paper cutting means 36, and a cover 38 that also serves as a discharge guide surface is provided on the front side of the unit in association with the roll paper loading portion 34. A guide plate 39 that is attached so as to be openable and closable and that forms a paper discharge path with this cover 38, and a guide member 40 that guides the cut paper 4 discharged through the paper discharge path to the movable deck 1 side are provided.

Incidentally, reference numeral 41 in the drawing is a cover fixing means, which is the lifting frame 32.
A locking pin a is provided on the plate, and a hook member 42 that can be engaged with and disengaged from the locking pin a is pivotally attached to plate portions 43 that are connected to both sides of the cover 38. 44 is cut paper 4 and unit frame 23
Is a bent guide member that is taken out to the bottom tray 45 of FIG.

According to the above configuration, the cut paper 4 fed from the paper feed cassette 10, the manual cut paper 4 fed through the paper feed port 5, or the paper feed port fed from the roll paper feeding unit 6 The so-called cut paper 4 obtained by cutting the roll paper 3 fed to the sheet 5 at a predetermined timing is discharged to the roll paper feeding unit 6 side through a pair of paper discharge rollers 17 after the image formation, and the cut paper 4 is discharged. The cut paper is guided by the paper discharge guide plate 37 and the cover 38, reaches the guide member 40 through the space between the cover 38 and the guide plate 39, and is bent by the guide member 40 toward the movable deck 1 side. The leading end of the sheet 4 comes into contact with the bent portion of the bending guide member 44, and the trailing edge of the cut sheet falls off the guide member 40 and is taken out onto the bending guide member 44 and the tray 45.

Next, the specific structure of the connecting mechanism 22 will be described.
This one, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4-6,
A position regulating member 47 having an S-shape in plan view, which is provided with a connecting member 46 for the copying machine main body 2, is provided on the vertical frame 26 in a state of being connected to the upper side of each guide rail 27 on the copying machine main body 2 side, and The paper unit main body 24 is raised so that the paper discharge section of the paper feeding unit main body 24 is manually fed to the copying machine main body 2.
The upper roller of the paper feeding unit main body 24 while facing the
The support shaft 31 of 30 is positioned so as to engage with the recess c of the position restricting member 47, and is configured so as to restrict the upward movement of the paper feed unit main body 24 when it reaches the paper feed position. The hook member 48 for holding the support shaft 31 engaged with the recess c is pivotally attached to the position regulating member 47, and the biasing means 49 for biasing and holding the hook member 48 in the holding position is provided as described above. The position regulating member 47 and the hook member 48 are provided so as to extend over an arm 50.

Then, as the paper feeding unit body 24 moves up and down, the support shaft 31
Is formed on the inclined cam surface d, and the inclined cam surface d and the support shaft 31 actuate the urging means 49 as the paper feeding unit body 24 moves up and down. A cam mechanism 51 is configured to switch the hook member 48 to the holding release position against the force.

Therefore, when the sheet feeding unit main body 24 at the standby position below the sheet feeding position is moved upward, the support shaft 31 comes into contact with the inclined cam surface d at the tip of the hook member 48, so that the hook member 48 is temporarily moved. The support shaft 31 is switched to the holding release position, the supporting shaft 31 is engaged with the recess c of the position control member 47 to restrict the upward movement of the sheet feeding unit body 24, and the hook member 48 is cut to the holding position. In other words, the support shaft 31 is held by the recess c and the hook member 48, and the paper feed unit body 24 is fixed at the paper feed position.

Next, the driving means 52 provided in the roll paper feeding unit 6
With reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the drive means 52 is provided with a motor (an example of drive means) M inside one of the vertical frames 26, and outputs the motor shaft 53. mounting gear G _1, and, second gear G ₃ which meshes with the first gear G ₂ to mesh with the output gear G ₁ to the gear G ₂
Is rotatably provided on a gear bracket 54 pivotally attached to the motor shaft 53.

On the other hand, an input gear G ₄ that meshes with the second gear G ₃ when the paper feed unit body 24 is at the paper feed position is provided in the paper feed unit body 24, and a belt type transmission mechanism 55 is provided in the input gear. interlockingly connected to the input shaft 56 of G _4, the output shaft 57 of the belt type transmission mechanism 55, it is allowed to mesh with a gear mechanism G for said paper feed roller means 35 and the roll paper cutting means 36.

Reference numeral 59 in the figure is a spring for urging and swinging the gear bracket 54 toward the copying machine main body 2 side, and urges the second gear G ₃ to the input gear G ₄ of the paper feeding unit main body 24 at the paper feeding position. 60 is a stopper for preventing the gear bracket 54 from swinging against the urging force of the spring 59,
The second gear G ₃ is provided so as to prevent the gear bracket 54 from swinging in a state where the second gear G ₃ is thrust into the ascending / descending locus of the input gear G ₄ .

Then, for maintenance or the like, if the sheet feeding unit main body 24 at the sheet feeding position is lowered and switched to the standby position,
At the initial stage of the switching, the second gear G ₃ on the unit frame 22 side
The engagement of the gear interlocking mechanism by the input gear G ₄ on the side of the paper feed unit body 24 is released.

Therefore, even if the switch M is accidentally operated to activate the motor M during maintenance with the paper feed unit main body 24 lowered, the drive of the input gear G ₄ is cut off, so the paper feed roller is stopped. It is possible to safely perform the maintenance such as the jam treatment without driving the means 35 and the roll paper cutting means 36.

Alternatively, the motor M can be provided on the side of the paper feed unit body 24 and the paper feed unit body 24 can be driven up and down. In this respect, since the motor M is provided separately from the sheet feeding unit body 24 on the unit frame 23 side, the left and right sides of the sheet feeding unit body 24 are balanced. It is preferable because it is easy.

By the way, as described above, when the motor M for the drive system on the side of the paper feed unit main body 24 is provided on the unit frame 23 side, the relationship between the motor M and gears interferes with the drive system on the side of the paper feed unit main body 24. However, as shown in FIG. 7, the paper feeding roller means 35 and the roll paper cutting means 36 are not easily maintained.
To the swing bracket 58,
58 is pivotally attached to the elevating frame 32 so as to be able to be turned over to the copying machine main body 2 side, and the swing bracket 58 is fixed to the elevating frame 32 by an unillustrated screw at an initial position.

Therefore, by tilting the swing bracket 58 toward the copying machine main body 2 side as required, maintenance of the paper feed roller means 35 and the roll paper cutting means 36 can be easily performed.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, by equipping the image forming apparatus main body with the roll paper feeding unit, in addition to the cut paper feeding mode by the image forming apparatus main body, the roll paper feeding unit is provided. The roll paper of the paper unit can now be cut into a specified length and fed, and by moving the paper feed unit body to the standby position, the roll paper feed unit can be obstructed. It is possible to easily perform maintenance such as replenishment of cut sheets to the paper feed cassette and jam processing without being performed.

Further, when the sheet feeding unit main body is lowered from the sheet feeding position toward the standby position, the gear engagement of the gear interlocking mechanism is released and the drive system of the sheet feeding unit main body side is cut off. Even if the switch is accidentally operated to activate the drive means during maintenance with the paper unit body lowered, the paper feed roller means and roll paper cutting means on the paper feed unit body side are not driven. Therefore, maintenance such as jam handling can be performed safely, and by providing the drive means on the unit frame side,
There is an advantage that it is easy to balance the left and right sides of the sheet feeding unit body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical side view of an image forming apparatus, FIG. 2 is a vertical plan view of a roll paper feeding unit, FIG. 3 is a vertical side view of a paper feeding unit main body, and FIG. 4 is a roll paper feeding unit. FIG. 5 is a side view of the connecting mechanism, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the connecting mechanism, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a swinging state of a swing bracket equipped with roll paper cutting means and the like. It is a figure. 2 ... Image forming apparatus body (copier body), 3 ... Roll paper,
4 ... Cut paper, 5 ... Paper feed port, 6 ... Roll paper feeding unit, 23 ... Unit frame, 24 ... Paper feeding unit main body, 34 ... Roll paper loading section, 35 ... Paper feeding roller means, 36 ... Roll paper cutting Means, M ... Driving means (motor), G ₃ , G ₄ ... Gear interlocking mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A roll paper loading section, a paper feed roller means for feeding and feeding the roll paper, a cutting means for cutting the roll paper fed out by the paper feed roller means to a predetermined length, and a cut paper. The paper feed unit main body including the paper discharge unit is provided in the unit frame so that it can be switched between the paper feed position and the standby position below it to form a roll paper feed unit. While the unit frame of the unit is connected to the paper feed port side of the image forming apparatus main body, drive means for the drive system of the paper feed unit main body side is provided on the unit frame side, and the drive means and the paper feed unit main body side are provided. An image forming apparatus characterized in that a drive system is interlockingly connected through a gear interlocking mechanism that is disengaged as the sheet feeding unit main body descends from a sheet feeding position.