JPH08198462A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To increase and secure the expansion space for after-mounting of an electrical unit with built-in optional parts having various functions without enlarging a device. CONSTITUTION: The image forming device, in which a paper feeding tray can be drawn for change from a draw-in port of a multistage paper feeding board arranged inside of an opening of the front surface of an image forming device main body, is provided with a paper feeding tray 3 to be loaded with paper sheets in a range from the paper sheet 1 at the maximum size to the paper sheet 2 at a size smaller than the maximum size, a compact paper feeding tray 4 to be loaded with the paper sheet at a size smaller than the maximum size, an electrical unit 5 provided in the same stage as the compact paper feeding tray, and a paper feeding board, which can support the compact paper feeding tray and the electrical unit.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a copying machine, a facsimile,
The present invention relates to improvement of an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a scanner, or a multi-functional peripheral having both of these functions, and particularly, pulling out a paper feed tray for loading paper from an insertion port of a multi-stage paper feed stand opened at the front of the device. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a front loading type paper feed table that is replaceable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, due to the development of digital signal processing technology and laser beam scanning technology, copying machines, laser facsimiles, laser printers, laser scanners, etc. Space saving has been realized by implementing multiple functions with individual functions and performing multiple functions with one device. In such a multifunction machine, various needs from users, for example, it is usually possible to use recording paper up to A3 size, a book document scanner is preferred, and a high-definition formed image is formed. Due to demands and the like, the functions are mechanically and electrically loaded, and as a result, the device becomes large and complicated. From this point of view, various measures have been taken to reduce the occupied area. For example, a paper feed tray for loading paper can be pulled out from the insertion opening of a multi-stage paper feed table opened at the front of the apparatus and replaced. An image forming apparatus having a front loading type paper feed tray has been developed and is well known.

Further, by installing an image memory and software for image processing, it is possible to rotate and divide an image, and as a result, vertical feeding is abolished and the number of types of feeding trays can be reduced. It is possible. Further, there is known a technique for effectively utilizing an empty space formed by mounting a small-sized sheet feeding cassette by providing another small-sized sheet feeding cassette (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-204237). . However, according to this technology, although the number of paper feed cassette stages can be slightly reduced, it is possible to avoid the increase in the number of electrical components in the digitalized multifunction peripherals and the increase in the size of the entire image forming apparatus due to the increase. There is no situation.
That is, conventionally, there has been a tendency for the storage space for electrical components to become insufficient, and as a result, it has been impossible to avoid making the device larger. Therefore, there is not enough expansion space for retrofitting the electrical component units with various functions such as image memory, additional memory, floppy disk, optical disk, printer driver unit, facsimile board unit, etc. There is a problem that the image forming apparatus cannot be performed or the entire image forming apparatus becomes large.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional image forming apparatus, the expansion space for retrofitting the electrical component unit of various kinds of options is insufficient, or various functions cannot be used. There is a problem that the entire image forming apparatus becomes large.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention is to solve such a problem. That is, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of increasing and securing an expansion space for retrofitting an electric component unit incorporating various function options without increasing the size of the entire apparatus. The purpose is to

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is such that a sheet feeding tray is located in front of an insertion opening of a multi-stage sheet feeding table arranged in an opening of a front surface of an image forming apparatus main body. In the image forming apparatus that can be pulled out and replaced
A paper feed tray that stacks from the maximum size paper to a small size paper that is smaller than the maximum size paper, a small paper feed tray that loads the small size paper that is smaller than the above maximum size, and the above small paper tray It is characterized in that it has an electric equipment unit provided in the same stage, a small paper feed tray, and a paper feed table capable of supporting the electric equipment unit. According to a second aspect of the invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect,
The main feature is that the electrical unit can be attached and detached from the rear of the paper feed table. A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the electrical unit is configured to be attachable / detachable from the front of the sheet feeding table. The invention of claim 4 relates to claim 1
Alternatively, the main feature of the image forming apparatus according to item 3 is that the electrical unit is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the paper feed tray integrally or independently with the small paper feed tray. A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the image forming apparatus according to the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the small paper feed tray has a horizontal paper feed structure.

[0007]

The image forming apparatus having the above structure is
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a small paper feed tray and an electrical unit are provided in the same stage of the insertion tray of the paper feed tray of the multi-stage paper feed stand so as to be exchangeable, and various function options are built in without increasing the size. It is possible to increase and secure the expansion space for retrofitting the electrical unit. According to the present invention, a small paper feed tray and an electric component unit are provided in the same stage of the insertion tray of the paper feed tray of the multi-stage paper feed table so that the electric component unit can be detached and replaced from the rear side, and usually the rear face without increasing the size. Increasing and securing an expansion space for retrofitting an electrical component unit that has various function options that can accommodate electrical component boards that are placed outside or as a separate box-shaped unit Made possible.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a small paper feed tray and an electrical unit are provided at the same stage of the insertion tray of the multi-stage paper feed tray so that the electrical unit can be replaced from the front.
(EN) Provided is an image forming apparatus which is easy to operate and is capable of increasing and securing an expansion space for retrofitting an electric component unit incorporating various options of functions without increasing the size. In claim 4, the small paper feed tray and the electrical unit are integrally or independently provided in the same stage of the insertion tray of the paper feed tray of the multi-stage paper feed stand so as to be replaceable, and the design is unified without increasing the size. Therefore, it is possible to increase and secure the expansion space for retrofitting the electrical unit that incorporates various functional options that are highly compatible with expansion. According to the present invention, a small paper feed tray having a horizontal paper feed structure and an electric component unit are provided at the same stage of the insertion tray of the paper feed tray of the multi-stage paper feed stand so that they can be replaced, and various functions can be achieved without increasing the size. It is possible to increase and secure more expansion space for retrofitting the electrical component unit with built-in options.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the overall configuration of an example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a timing chart of the operation of each section of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of each section. 1 to 3, an image forming apparatus, for example, a composite type digital PP described below.
The C (Plain Paper Copier) includes an image forming unit 17 capable of outputting (image forming) according to an image signal or an information signal, and an original reading unit 18 for photoelectrically converting an image of the sheet original 9 into an image signal. In addition to the function of forming a copy image of the sheet original 9, the printer has various functions such as a printer of a computer terminal and a facsimile connected to a communication line.

A paper feed tray 3 capable of stacking a maximum size sheet 1 to a small size sheet 2 smaller than the maximum size sheet 1, and a small size for stacking a small size sheet 2 smaller than the maximum size sheet 1. The paper feed tray 4 and the electrical unit 5 provided on the same stage as the small paper feed tray 4 are inserted into the insertion ports 8 of the paper feed trays 6 provided on the four stages, and can be pulled out to the front for replacement. ing. This insertion port 8 is open at the front of the device, and there is 4
The sheet feed trays 6 are arranged vertically. Each paper feed tray is attachable / detachable in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface.

Each of the multi-stage paper feed trays 6 is operated by a paper feed mechanism having the same structure, but a double-sided tray 10 used for double-sided copying or the like is mounted on the uppermost stage. Has been done. A maximum size sheet 1 which is a transfer sheet and accommodated in the sheet feeding tray 3 is stacked on a bottom plate 11 whose one end is rotatably supported, and is pressed by a pressure spring 12 which presses the bottom plate 11. Two corner claws 13 that are pushed up and are provided at both front ends
It has been held down by.

The maximum size sheet 1 or the small size sheet 2 is stacked on the operation panel (not shown), or the selected maximum size sheet 1 or the small size sheet 2 is stacked according to an external or internal request. The meniscus rollers 14 arranged in the paper feed tray 3 or the small paper feed tray 4 are turned on by the start key (not shown) to turn on the paper feed clutch 30, and the power is transmitted to rotate the paper feed operation.

The half-moon roller 14 gives a propulsive force when the circular arc portion contacts the largest size sheet 1 or the small size sheet 2, and separates from the sheet when the notch (non-arcuate portion) faces the sheet. Therefore, the paper 1 of the maximum size and the paper 2 of the small size are extruded by a predetermined distance during one rotation of this, and are bitten by the transport roller 15. When the cutout portion faces the maximum size sheet 1 or the small size sheet 2 side, it is programmed to release and stop the sheet feeding clutch 30.

The corner claw 13 keeps pressing the paper when the conveying force of the half-moon roller 14 is transmitted to the maximum size paper 1 and the small size paper 2, but as the paper feed progresses, it keeps the maximum. The size paper 1 and the small size paper 2 are bent and then come out of the corner claws. At this time, due to the paper-to-paper frictional force (low) between the uppermost first sheet that is directly driven by the half-moon roller 14 and the second sheet directly below it, only the uppermost first sheet is Separately transported. Here, the separation method using the corner claw 13 which has been widely put into practical use has been described, but other separation methods may be used. The fed maximum size sheet 1 or small size sheet 2 is conveyed along a guide plate 52 formed of resin, sheet metal or the like while the conveying force is maintained by some conveying rollers 15 and the like, and the resist is registered. The roller 28 is reached.

The registration roller 28 corrects the skew of the conveyed maximum size sheet 1 or small size sheet 2 and at the same time transfers the image transfer position to the leading edge of the conveyed maximum size sheet 1 or small size sheet 2. The (positional relationship with the toner image on the photoconductor) is corrected. That is,
The papers 1 and 2 are conveyed at a timing when the transfer position is reached a little earlier, and the leading ends of the papers 1 and 2 hit the stationary registration rollers 28, and the registration rollers 2
Since the maximum size sheet 1 and the small size sheet 2 are loosened within the time until the registration roller clutch 28b of No. 8 is turned on, the skew can be corrected and the image transfer position can be corrected at the same time. When the registration roller clutch 28b of the registration roller 28 is turned on, the maximum size paper 1 and the small size paper 2 reach the transfer position and the transfer device 29
Thus, the toner image is transferred onto the maximum size sheet 1 or the small size sheet 2.

In this process, the papers 1 and 2 are adsorbed by the photoconductor unit (PCU) 24, and when the paper is further transported, the photoconductors 1 and 2 of the maximum size and the small size paper 2 are strained. The unit (PCU) 24 cannot follow the curvature and is separated. Further, as the conveyance proceeds, the fixing device 45 reaches the fixing roller 45 and the action of the heat roller 45a causes the sheet 1 of the maximum size to be conveyed.
The toner image on the upper or small size paper 2 is heat-fixed, is discharged to the paper discharge tray 53a of the paper discharge unit 53, and the paper discharge detection sensor 53b detects the paper discharge and is stored. The document feeder 16 sequentially sends the set sheet originals 9 to predetermined positions on the contact glass 19 and discharges them to a predetermined place after the reading operation of the sheet originals 9 is completed.
The document feeder (ADF) 16 is rotatably supported at an appropriate position on the upper surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus so that one side of the document feeder is capable of rotating a thick document such as a book in addition to the sheet document 9. It can be pressed against the contact glass 19.

The reading original surface of the sheet original 9 sent out on the contact glass 19 by the original feeding device 16 is illuminated by a fluorescent lamp 20 as a light source, and the reflected light is composed of a first mirror 21 and a roof mirror. By the combination of the operations of the mirror traveling body 22, the charge coupled device (C
An image is formed on the light receiving surface of the CD) 37a. The combination of the slit exposure and the line sensor is a typical well-known configuration used in the document reading section of a composite type digital PPC. The endless belt-shaped photosensitive unit (PCU) 24 stretched by the driving roller 25 and other rollers rotates the driving roller 25 by the main motor 31 when a print button (not shown) is turned on, and the surface of the metal belt is covered. The OPC belt 26 coated with the OPC layer is rotationally driven.

Therefore, first, the charging charger 27 is turned on.
Then, the OPC is performed by the charging charger 27.
The surface of the belt 26 is uniformly negatively charged (-1200V). When the FGATE 32 of FIG. 2 is turned on in consideration of the distance from the registration roller 28 to the transfer point of the transfer device 29, the laser beam 33 modulated by the image data becomes
The surface of the OPC belt 26 is scanned and exposed to form a latent image. In the developing device 34, the toner stirring roller 34a,
The sponge roller 34b and the developing sleeve 34c rotate,
The thinned and charged toner adheres onto the developing sleeve 34c. This toner is a magnetic material wrapped with a colored resin coat. The developing sleeve 34
A developing bias of -840 V is applied to c, and the above-mentioned O
Toner is attached to the surface of the PC belt 26 to form a visualized toner image.

The transfer device 29 is charged with a positive charge so that the negatively charged toner on the surface of the OPC belt 26 is transferred to the maximum size sheet 1 or the small size sheet 2. The untransferred toner remaining on the surface of the OPC belt 26 is removed by the cleaning blade 35 from the O
It is scraped off by being pressed against the surface of the PC belt 26. Further, by the LED light from the static elimination lamp 36, O
The residual charge on the surface of the PC belt 26 is also removed, and the OPC belt 26 can be reused again in the steps of latent image formation, development, etc., and is prepared for it. In the copy operation, when a copy button (not shown) is pressed, the main motor 31, the polygon motor 44, and the PCU motor 46 are turned on.
Drive the photoconductor unit (PCU) 24 to a PC.
The U motor 46 is in charge, and other than the above, the main motor 3
1 is in charge, and the rotational driving force is transmitted to each driving element via the gear and the belt.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration centering on the document reading section. The accumulated charge of each photocell of the charge coupled device (CCD) 37a which is the photoelectric conversion section 37 is A / D converted at a constant timing. , Serial data (SDAT
A) is transferred to the image processing unit 38 by the line clock (LCLK), and image processing such as shading correction, edge enhancement, and gradation conversion is performed, and a fixed clock (S
CLK) and transferred to the signal selection unit 39. At this time, a line synchronization signal (SLSYN), which is a data delimiter for each line, and two types of gate signals (SLGATE, SFGATE) representing an effective area for main scanning and sub-scanning are passed together.

The signal selection section 39 is selected by a select signal 40 issued from the main body control section as to whether data of copy, printer or facsimile is passed. The select signal 40 is normally a copy, but when an interrupt is requested to the main body control unit, printer data and facsimile data are selected according to a predetermined priority order. Here, although detailed description is omitted, each data has the same data format that is bit-expanded by each control unit.

The selected data is subjected to speed conversion via the buffer 41, and the signal conversion unit 42 converts it to VCL as VDATA suitable for modulation of the semiconductor laser (LD).
It is sent to the LD drive circuit 33a together with K. By rotating or dividing the image in the image memory unit 62, it becomes possible to eliminate the vertical feeding, so that it is possible to reduce the types of the feeding trays. For example, rotate the output image by 90 degrees to convert the A4 size vertical output format to A
Converting to a 4 size horizontal output format, dividing the read image, for example, dividing an A3 size image into two A4 size horizontal images, and outputting or combining 2 pages of A5 size data, It is possible to perform output such as fitting in one page of A4 size.

Therefore, since the output images can be rotated by 90 °, the output sizes can be easily unified, and a small paper feed tray (not shown) mounted on the paper feed table 6 (not shown) in the same stage as the electrical unit 5 (not shown). By setting 4 as a horizontal paper feed structure 7 (not shown) described later, it is not necessary to prepare and prepare many vertical and horizontal paper feed trays for each paper type, and various function options are built in. It is possible to increase and secure an empty space 4a for expansion, which will be described later, for retrofitting the electric component unit 5 (not shown).

That is, since the image memory unit 62 is mounted and the small paper feed tray 4 (not shown) has a horizontal paper feed structure 7 (not shown) which will be described later, not only can the variation of the paper feed tray be reduced, but also the image memory unit An extra space for mounting the device 62 is not secured, and a dead space is not provided in advance even if the image memory unit 62 is unnecessary. Therefore, it is possible to perform various functions without increasing the size of the entire device. It is possible to increase and secure an empty space 4a for expansion for retrofitting the electric component unit 5 having built-in options.

5 to 10 are a perspective view showing the overall structure of the paper feed tray, an enlarged view of a main part, a perspective view of the main part, another perspective view of the whole part, and an explanatory view of the operation of the main part. 1
The small-sized paper 2 and the small-sized paper 2 are stacked on the paper feed tray 3 and the small paper feed tray 4, respectively, and are held by the bottom plate 11 and the corner claws 13. The end portions of the side fence 47 and the back fence 48 are aligned. Each of the bottom plates 11 and the like in the paper feed tray 3 and the small paper feed tray 4 can be removed by being fitted into the outer frame of the tray, depending on the size of the maximum size paper 1 or the small size paper 2. The mounting position can be moved.

Further, the paper feed tray 3 and the small paper feed tray 4 are provided with pressure release pins 49 which are operated by an interlocking mechanism (not shown) in association with the attachment / detachment operation of the paper feed tray. When the pressure spring 12 is set in a compressed state in the direction of arrow A in the figure, and the tray is attached to the sheet feeding table 6 in this state, the pressure release pin 49 slides in the direction of arrow B in the figure, and the pressure is applied to the bottom plate 11. , The maximum size sheet 1 and the small size sheet 2 are abutted against the half-moon roller 14 (not shown), and the sheet feeding preparation is completed. Since this interlocking mechanism is not directly related to the present invention, its detailed description is omitted.

When the paper feed tray 3 and the small paper feed tray 4 are mounted on the paper feed tray 6 not shown, the paper end detection lever 50 on the image forming apparatus main body side causes the paper 1 of the maximum size or the paper 2 of the small size. The paper end detection is performed by the operation of the filler 50a, the lever 50b, and the actuator 50c. That is, a hole 11A is formed in the bottom plate 11 at a position corresponding to the filler 50a. When the hole 11A is closed by paper as shown in FIG. 8, the filler 50a detects the presence of recording paper, but the paper is When the filler is gone, the hole is 11A as shown in Fig. 9.
The paper end is detected when it projects downward from. As an actual detection method, for example, the paper end is used when the photo interrupter 50d shields the actuator 50c.

11 and 12 are a longitudinal sectional view and a plan view of a main part showing the structure of a sheet feeding mechanism using a half-moon roller, and the half-moon roller 14 is the same size as the maximum size sheet 1 or the small size sheet 2. Correspondingly, half moon roller 14a, half moon roller 14b,
The half-moon rollers 14c are arranged at target positions of the sheet feeding center 14d. Presser roller 14e arranged in the center
Prevents the maximum size sheet 1 and the small size sheet 2 from floating. Between the ends of the sheets 1 and 2 stacked on the sheet feeding center 14d and the end of each half-moon roller 14a, a half-moon roller 14
A gap b is provided between the end of b and the end of the half-moon roller 14c.

FIGS. 13 to 16 show an example of the structure for detecting the size of the recording paper stored in each paper feed tray. The paper tray 6 (not shown) is provided with four tray paper size detection sensors 51. And a size detection plate 5 having four irregularities mounted after the paper feed tray 3 or the small paper feed tray 4
From 1a, the size detection of the maximum size paper 1 and the small size paper 2 is performed. That is, the size detection of the papers 1 and 2 is performed by detecting the recesses 51a1 or the projections 51a2 at four positions of the size detection plate 51a and the tray paper size detection sensor 5 described above.
4 push switches 1 of 1 push switch 5b
51b1, push switch 2 51b2, push switch 3 51b3, and push switch 4 51b4 are combined.

FIG. 17 shows an example of the configuration of a laser optical system. The laser beam 33 is modulated by the LD drive circuit 33a and made into a parallel light beam by the action of a collimator lens (not shown) in the laser diode unit 33b. The laser beam 33 emitted from the laser diode unit 33b is imaged on the anti-slope of the polygon scanner 55 in the sub-scanning direction by the action of the cylindrical lens 54, and is polarized by the polygon scanner 55.
Further, the laser beam 33 is acted by the f.theta. Lens 56 to form a minute spot on the OPC belt 26 (not shown) of the photoconductor unit (PCU) 24 (not shown) for uniform scanning.

The reflection mirror 57 directs the laser beam 33 in the image forming range to the photoconductor unit (PCU) 2 (not shown).
4, which is guided on the OPC belt 26 (not shown),
The imaging lens 58 corrects the surface tilt of the polygon scanner 55 in combination with the action of the cylindrical lens 54. The laser beam 33 preceding the image writing
The sync detecting mirror 59 causes the sync detecting unit 60 to
Then, the photo sensor 60a incorporated therein obtains a synchronization detection signal.

The synchronization detection unit 60 is the O (not shown) of the photoconductor unit (PCU) 24 (not shown).
The image writing position is fixed at a fixed position with respect to the PC belt 26, and a gate signal relating to the image writing timing is generated as a delay with respect to the synchronization detection signal so that the image writing positions are made uniform. The change amount of the delay is set in the ROM in advance, and the selection is made by each of the sheet feeding trays 3 (not shown), the small sheet feeding tray 4 (not shown), or the insertion port 8 (not shown) of the sheet feeding table 6 (not shown). This is done either by being detected or by calling something already defined.

FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the structure of the paper feed table. The maximum size paper 1 to the small size paper 2 smaller than the maximum size paper 1 are inserted into the insertion port 8a of the paper supply base 6a. The small paper feed tray 4 of the horizontal paper feed structure 7 in which the paper feed tray 3 for stacking the sheets is contracted in the width direction and the small paper 2 smaller than the maximum size of the paper 1 is stacked is in the front in the direction of the arrow C in the figure. It can be pulled out and replaced. The direction of feeding the paper on each tray is a direction orthogonal to the C direction.

Since the small paper feed tray 4 has the horizontal paper feed structure 7 contracted in the width direction, the front surface of the empty space 4a formed in each paper feed tray 6 is closed and the rear surface is opened.
Connect the electrical unit 5 to the arrow D from the rear insertion port 8c on the rear surface.
It can be attached and detached in any direction. For this reason,
It is possible to store, in the vacant space 4a, electrical equipment substrates that are placed on the back surface of the paper feed tray or arranged outside as a separate box-shaped unit. Therefore, it is possible to increase and secure an empty space 4a for expansion for retrofitting the electrical unit 5 which is small and incorporates various types of options.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing another example of the construction of the paper feed table. The electrical equipment unit 5a as the electrical equipment unit 5 is
From the insertion opening 8d1 on the front surface side of the paper feed tray 6d, it is possible to attach and detach from the front surface in the direction of arrow E shown in the drawing in accordance with the guide groove 4b provided in the empty space 4a. This embodiment is characterized in that the paper feed tray and the electrical equipment unit can be independently pulled out and stored from the front side.

The electrical connection between the main body of the image forming apparatus and the electrical unit is performed by the female connector 6 provided on the paper feed table 6d.
1a and the male connector 6 provided on the electrical unit 5a
It is realized by connecting with 1b. Since the positioning boss 61c provided on the paper feed table 6d and the positioning pin 61d provided on the electrical unit 5a are fitted and guided, the reliability of electrical connection of the connector 61 is high. Can be secured. However, when the guide function of the connector 61 itself is sufficient and the guide groove 4
If the guide of b is performed accurately, the positioning boss 61c and the positioning pin 61d can be omitted.

The small paper feed tray 4 can be attached / detached from the front side in the direction of arrow F shown in the drawing from the insertion port 8d2 of the paper feed table 6e in alignment with the guide groove 4c. Various kinds of things can be put in the electric equipment unit 5a. For example, when a floppy disk drive is put in, the floppy disk 5b is detachably mounted in the direction of arrow G shown in the drawing and can be taken out. Mouth 5c
Is provided on the front surface of the electrical unit 5a,
It is suitable when the user's operation is frequently performed on the front surface. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus which is small in size and which can increase and secure an empty space 4a for expansion for retrofitting the electric component unit 5a, which has various built-in options and the like. You can

FIG. 20 shows another example of the structure of the paper feed table. The small paper feed tray 4d of the small paper feed tray 4 is provided with the paper feed mechanism of the horizontal paper feed structure 7 and the empty space 4a. The various electric component units of the electric unit 5 are covered by a cover (not shown), and for example, the board 5d, the harness 5e, and the floppy disk 5b are arranged, and the insertion port of the paper feed table 6g is inserted. It can be attached and detached from the front surface of 8e in the direction of arrow H shown in the figure.
This embodiment is characterized in that the paper feed tray and the electrical component unit are provided on the same table, and they can be integrally withdrawn and stored.

Instead of the small paper feed tray 4d, a paper feed tray 3 for stacking a maximum size paper 1 to a smaller size paper 2 smaller than that, and a small size paper smaller than the maximum size paper 1 are loaded. Other small paper feed tray 4 for loading 2
However, it is excellent in compatibility because it can be attached to and detached from the front surface of the insertion port 8e of the paper feed table 6g in the direction of the arrow H shown in the figure. The floppy disk 5b is detachably mounted in the direction of the arrow I shown in the drawing, and the ejection port 5c for ejecting is provided on the front surface of the small paper feed tray 4d, so that the user's operation is frequently performed on the front surface. Is preferred.

The small paper feed tray 4d has substantially the same structure as the other small paper feed trays 4 and the like except for the connector 61, so that the design uniformity is maintained and the expansion compatibility is further enhanced. It is possible to increase the empty space 4a for expansion for retrofitting various electric component unit parts of the electric component unit 5 which is rich in size and has a small number of built-in options of various functions.

The bottom plate 11, the side fence 47, the back fence 48, and the like in the paper feed tray 3 and the small paper feed tray 4 are inset type and the maximum size paper 1
It can be moved or removed according to the size of the small size paper 2. Therefore, the electrical component unit 5 may be of any size as long as it is within the size of part or all of the paper feed tray 3 and the small paper feed tray 4, and may be a single unit or a plurality.

However, the advantage of the present invention is that
It is as easy to install and remove the paper feed tray 3 and the small paper feed tray 4 that the electrical equipment unit can be installed and replaced, and if the electrical equipment unit is unnecessary or is not used, other paper feeding That is, the tray 3 and the small paper feed tray 4 can be attached and used. That is, as an expansion option, for example, an expansion memory, a floppy disk drive, an optical disk drive, a G4 facsimile apparatus, an Ai editing unit, a hard disk, etc. can be retrofitted, or an expansion space where an updating unit can be used can be increased. Is excellent.

[0043]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, in the front loading type image forming apparatus, the same stage of the insertion tray of the sheet feeding tray of the multi-stage sheet feeding table located in the front opening. Since the small paper tray and the electrical unit are housed interchangeably, it is necessary to increase the expansion space to retrofit an electrical unit that incorporates various functional options without increasing the overall size of the device. You can

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the small paper feed tray and the electrical equipment unit are provided in the same stage of the insertion port of the paper feed tray of the multi-stage paper feed stand, and the electrical equipment unit can be detached and replaced from the rear, the large equipment An expansion space for retrofitting an electrical unit with various function options that can normally be placed on the back or housed as a separate box-shaped unit. Can be increased and secured.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the small paper feed tray and the electrical equipment unit are provided in the same stage of the insertion tray of the paper feed tray of the multi-stage paper feed stand so that the electrical equipment unit can be replaced from the front, a large size is achieved. Without doing so, it is possible to increase and secure an expansion space for retrofitting an electrical unit incorporating various options of functions.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the small paper feed tray and the electrical unit are provided integrally or independently in the same stage of the insertion tray of the paper feed tray of the multi-stage paper feed stand so that they can be replaced. Without having to do so, it is possible to increase the expansion space for retrofitting the electrical unit that incorporates the options of various functions that are highly compatible with the design and that are highly compatible with expansion.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since a small paper feed tray having a horizontal paper feed structure and an electrical unit are provided in the same stage of the insertion tray of the paper feed tray of the multi-stage paper feed stand so as to be exchangeable, the size is increased. It is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of increasing and securing an expansion space for retrofitting an electric component unit incorporating various options of various functions without doing so.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a timing diagram illustrating an operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a main part of the image forming apparatus in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating another main part of the image forming apparatus in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the configuration of the paper feed tray of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

6 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a main part of the paper feed tray of FIG.

7 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating another main part of the paper feed tray of FIG.

8 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating another state of the paper feed tray of FIG.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating another main part of the paper feed tray of FIG.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating another main part of the paper feed tray of FIG.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating a half-moon roller.

12 is an enlarged plan view of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a paper size detection unit.

14 is a configuration diagram of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of a main part of FIG.

16 is a diagram showing a size detection method by the sensor of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a structural explanatory view of an example of a laser optical system.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged development view showing an example of the paper feed tray of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged development view showing another example of the paper feed tray of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged development view showing another example of the paper feed tray of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... maximum size paper, 2 ... small size paper,
3 ... Paper feed tray, 4 ... Small paper feed tray, 4a
..Vacant spaces, 4b ... Guide grooves, 4c ... Guide grooves, 4d ... Small paper feed tray, 5 ... Electrical unit, 5a ... Electrical unit, 5b ... Floppy disk, 5c ... Ejection port, 5d ... Substrate, 5
e ... Harness, 6 ... Feeding table, 6a to i ... Feeding table, 7 ... Horizontal feeding structure, 8 ... Inserting port, 8a
~ C ... insertion port, 8d1-2 ... insertion port,
8e to f ... insertion port, 10 ... double-sided tray, 1
1 ... Bottom plate, 12 ... Pressure spring, 13 ...
Corner claw, 14 ... Half moon roller, 14a-c ... Half moon roller, 14d ... Paper feeding center, 14e ... Presser roller,
15 ... Transport roller, 16 ... Document feeder, 17 ...
..Image forming section, 18 ... Original reading section, 19 ... Contact glass, 20 ... Fluorescent lamp, 21 ... First mirror, 22 ... Mirror traveling body, 23 ... Imaging Lens, 24 ... Photosensitive unit (PCU), 25 ...
Drive roller, 26 ... OPC belt, 27 ... Charging charger, 28 ... Registration roller, 28a ...
Registration detection, 28b ... Registration roller clutch,
29 ... Transfer device, 30 ... Paper feed clutch, 31 ...
-Main motor, 32 ... FGATE, 33 ... laser beam, 33a ... LD drive circuit, 33b ...
Laser diode unit, 34 ... Developing device, 34a
・ ・ ・ Toner stirring roller, 34b ・ ・ ・ Sponge roller, 34c ・ ・ ・ Developing sleeve, 35 ・ ・ ・ Cleaning blade, 36 ・ ・ ・ Static removal lamp, 37 ・ ・ ・ Photoelectric conversion part, 37a ・ ・ ・ Charge coupled device (CCD), 38 ...
Image processing unit, 39 ... Signal selection unit, 40 ... Selection signal, 41 ... Buffer, 42 ... Signal conversion unit, 44 ... Polygon motor, 45 ... Fixer, 4
5a ... Heat roller, 46 ... PCU motor, 47 ...
..Side fences, 48 ... Back fences, 49
... Pressure release pin, 50 ... Paper end detection lever, 50a ... Feller, 50b ... Lever, 50
c ... actuator, 51 ... tray paper size detection sensor, 51a ... size detection plate, 51a1 ...
-Convex portion, 51a2 ... Recessed portion, 51b1-4 ... Push switches 1-4, 52 ... Guide plate, 53 ...
Paper ejection unit, 53a ... Paper ejection tray, 53b ... Paper ejection detection sensor, 54 ... Cylindrical lens, 55 ...
Polygon scanner, 56 ... fθ lens, 57 ...
Mirror, 58 ... Imaging lens, 59 ... Sync detection mirror, 60 ... Sync detection unit, 60a ... Photo sensor, 61 ... Connector, 61a ... Female connector, 61b ... Male connector, 61c ... positioning boss, 61d ... positioning pin, 62 ... image memory section.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. In an image forming apparatus in which a paper feed tray is pulled out from an insertion opening of a multi-stage paper feed tray arranged in an opening on the front surface of an image forming apparatus main body and is replaceable A paper feed tray that stacks up to a small size paper smaller than the paper, and a small paper feed tray that stacks a small size paper smaller than the above maximum size,
An image forming apparatus comprising: an electrical component unit provided in the same stage as the small paper feed tray; and a paper feed table capable of supporting the small paper feed tray and the electrical component unit. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrical component unit is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the rear of the paper feed table. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrical component unit is configured to be detachable from the front of the paper feed table. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrical unit has a structure that can be attached to and detached from the paper feed tray integrally or independently with the small paper feed tray. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the small paper feed tray has a horizontal paper feed structure.