JPH08208051A - Paper sheet storage device for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce the space of a sheet feed section, compared with constitution to move the whole of sheet storage members right and left, and back and forth, by moving the sheet storage members in a sheet feed direction to select a desired sheet storage member and, then, turning the selected member for the travel thereof to a sheet feed position. CONSTITUTION: A support plate 15 with one end rotatably held on a support shaft 16 is laid on the bottom of a tray frame 11. Also, a thrust-up arm 17 rotatable on the operation of a drive shaft 18 is laid under the support plate 15. In addition, a sheet storage section 20 is provided above the support plate 15, and four trays T1 to T4 are staked in the section 20 respectively in order from the bottom. Also, the side plate of each of the trays T1 to T4 is provided with a rack. In this case, the desired tray T1 or the like is moved along a sheet feed direction, and the plate 15 is turned. As a result, one side of each paper sheet stored in the tray T1 or the like is pressed with a pinch roller, thereby allowing the sheet to be taken out.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet accommodating device to be mounted in a sheet feeding section of an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, it accommodates sheets of different sizes in a plurality of sheet feeding trays, respectively, and optionally stores sheets of arbitrary size. The present invention relates to a sheet storage device of an image forming apparatus capable of sending out the sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser beam printer, a plurality of paper feed trays are arranged in a paper feed section, and a paper feed mechanism such as a pickup roller corresponding to each paper feed tray. By arranging each, and storing different size paper in each paper tray,
An image can be formed on paper of any size. However, in a relatively small image forming apparatus such as a laser beam printer, one or two paper feed trays are mounted to accommodate one or two sizes of paper. Therefore, in the case of a small-sized image forming apparatus, it is necessary for the user to replace the paper feed tray when paper of a desired size is not set in the paper feed tray, which is inconvenient for the user.

As a means for solving the above-mentioned inconvenience, for example, a sheet accommodating device proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-128140 is known. This paper accommodating device is configured such that a plurality of paper feed trays are stacked in a stepwise manner when viewed from the paper feed direction to form one unit, and this unit is movable in the paper feed direction, the opposite direction, and the vertical direction. Is. In this paper storage device, the paper stored in the paper feed tray can be selected by moving the unit so that a desired paper feed tray faces one paper feed mechanism provided in the image forming apparatus. However, this paper accommodating apparatus has a drawback that it requires a large space in the paper feeding section because it is configured to move the entire unit of the paper feeding tray.

On the other hand, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-209139, a plurality of sheet placing plates are arranged inside one tray member, and sheets of different sizes are accommodated in each sheet placing plate to form an image. A technique is disclosed in which one paper feed mechanism provided in a paper feed unit of the apparatus is moved to a paper feed position of a paper placement plate. According to this technique, it is possible to feed out a desired size of paper by one paper feeding mechanism, and further, it is not necessary to move the tray member, so that there is no need to increase the space of the paper feeding unit.

[0005]

However, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-209139, a pickup roller for taking out a sheet, a sheet separating mechanism for separating a plurality of sheets taken out and delivering only one sheet, and the like are integrated. Since the paper feeding mechanism configured as described above is configured to move and position to a desired paper placing plate, not only a complicated drive mechanism for moving the paper feeding mechanism is required, but also the main body of the image forming apparatus is required. However, there is a drawback in that the design of the structure must be drastically changed.

In addition, the same can be said for the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-128140, but when the feeding of a certain size of paper is completed, the succeeding paper is projected from the leading end of the paper stacking plate. It may remain in the state where it did. In this case, when trying to take out another size of paper,
The protruding part of the paper that is sent out first may get in the way.
Especially, if the paper is left protruding for a long time, the protruding part of the paper hangs down when the stiffness of the paper is weak or the humidity is high, and this paper and the paper of different size are sent together and a jam occurs. Or, there is a possibility that a jam will occur even when trying to take out the protruding paper again. However, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-209139, the paper feeding mechanism is retracted by a predetermined distance after the paper is sent out, and the operation of returning the projected paper is performed. Then, the structure of the sheet feeding mechanism becomes more complicated, which causes an increase in the load when performing maintenance of the apparatus.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a sheet accommodating apparatus capable of taking out sheets from a plurality of sheet feeding trays with a single sheet feeding mechanism without complicating or increasing the size of the apparatus. The purpose is to do. It is also an object of the invention to provide a sheet storage device capable of returning the sheet protruding from the sheet feed tray with a simple configuration.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a sheet is mounted in a sheet feeding section of an image forming apparatus and one surface of the sheet is pressed against a sheet feeding member of a sheet feeding mechanism provided in the image forming apparatus. In a sheet accommodating apparatus of an image forming apparatus adapted to take out a sheet in a predetermined paper feeding direction, the apparatus main body and the other one provided on the apparatus main body, the one end on the paper feeding direction side being vertically movable Support means having end portions rotatably supported; a plurality of sheet storage means continuously provided in the support means in the up-down direction and movably provided in the paper feeding direction and the opposite direction; At least one of the storage means
And a drive member that is provided on one side to move the sheet storage means in the direction and the support means is rotated to move the sheet storage means moved in the sheet feeding direction to the sheet feeding means. It is characterized in that a rotating means for moving toward and away from the member is provided.

(Operation) In the sheet accommodating apparatus having the above-described structure, the desired sheet accommodating means is moved in the sheet feeding direction and the supporting means is rotated, so that one of the sheets accommodated in the sheet accommodating means is moved. The surface is pressed by the paper feed member, and the paper can be taken out. As described above, the configuration is such that the sheet accommodation member is moved in the sheet feeding direction to select the desired sheet accommodation member, and is rotated to move to the sheet feeding position.
It is possible to significantly reduce the space of the sheet feeding unit as compared with the configuration in which the entire sheet storage member is moved to the front, rear, left and right. Further, since the mechanism for moving the paper feeding mechanism is not necessary, the device is not so complicated.

Further, in the sheet accommodating apparatus having the above-mentioned structure, the protruding sheet can be returned by performing the following operation. That is, after the paper feeding from the paper accommodating means is completed, the paper accommodating means is moved in a direction opposite to the paper feeding direction by a predetermined amount, and the end portion of the supporting means on the paper feeding direction side is lowered to a predetermined position. . Next, the paper accommodating member is moved in the paper feeding direction, and the end portion on the paper feeding direction side is brought into contact with or close to the apparatus main body. As a result, the paper sheet protruding from the paper sheet storage means is pushed back into the apparatus main body.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A. First Embodiment (1) Configuration Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 10 show a composite tray (sheet accommodating device) according to a first embodiment. The composite tray 10 according to the first embodiment is configured so that it can be detachably attached to a sheet feeding unit of an image forming apparatus (not shown) such as a copying machine. In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a paper feed mechanism provided in a paper feed unit of the image forming apparatus. The paper feed mechanism 1 is a pickup roller (paper feed member) pressed against the upper surface of the paper stored in the composite tray 10. ) 2, and a paper separating device (second roller) including a feed roller 3a and a retard roller 3b.
Sheet feeding member 3). Here, the feed roller 3a is configured to rotate counterclockwise in the figure, that is, the paper feeding direction, and the retard roller 3b is configured to rotate clockwise. As a result, when a plurality of sheets are taken out by the pickup roller 2, the first sheet of the sheets is sent out by the feed roller 3a toward the sheet conveying path 5, and the other sheets are kept at the retard roller 3a. To be The retard roller 3b may be configured not to rotate, and in that case, may be configured to rotate in the sheet feeding direction when a torque of a predetermined value or more is applied.

Next, reference numeral 11 in the drawing denotes a tray frame (apparatus body) which constitutes the outer shell of the composite tray 10. When the composite tray 10 is attached to the paper feeding unit, the paper separating device 3 of the paper feeding mechanism 1 is operated by the front plate 2 of the tray frame 11.
4, the pickup roller 2 is located on the side of the paper feed side, and the pickup roller 2 is located on the opposite side of the front plate 24 from the paper feed side. A support plate (supporting means) 15 whose one end is rotatably supported by a support shaft 16 is arranged at the bottom of the tray frame 11. Support plate 15
A push-up arm (rotating means) 17 that is rotatable by a drive shaft 18 is disposed on the lower side. With this structure, when the push-up arm 17 is rotated counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 1, the support plate 15 is rotated counterclockwise about the support shaft 16. When the push-up arm 17 is rotated clockwise from that state, the support plate 15 is rotated clockwise by gravity.

Next, a sheet accommodating portion 20 is provided above the support plate 15, and four trays (sheet accommodating means) T1 to T4 are stacked in this order from the bottom in this sheet accommodating portion 20. . Each of the trays T1 to T4 accommodates a larger size sheet on the lower side, and accommodates a smaller size sheet toward the upper side. The lowermost tray T1 is slidably supported by the support plate 15 in the paper feeding direction and in the opposite direction, and the trays T2 to T4 on the tray T1 are also fed by the lower trays T1 to T3. Reverse direction (hereinafter referred to as the opposite paper feed direction)
Are slidably supported on each other.

A stopper can be provided upright at the edge of the support plate 15 in order to position the trays T1 to T4 at the positions shown in FIG. In addition, each tray T1
When replenishing paper to T4, the push-up arm 17 may be rotated to incline each of the trays T1 to T4, and in that state, the paper may be dropped into the paper storage portion of the trays T1 to T4. is there.

Next, FIG. 2 shows a front sectional view of the composite tray 10. As shown in this figure, each of the trays T1 to T4 is roughly composed of a bottom plate 22 on which sheets are placed, and side plates 23 and 23a extending upward from both side edges of the bottom plate 22. Then, the trays T1 to T4 are slidable in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 2 because the side plates 23 and 23a of the vertically adjacent trays T1 to T4 are in sliding contact with each other. A plate-shaped guide member 25 is attached to the bottom plate 22 of each of the trays T1 to T4, and the distance between the guide member 25 and the side plate 23 is set according to various sizes of paper. In this embodiment, trays T1 ...
The so-called side registration method is used in which the sheets accommodated in T4 are positioned by the side plate 23.
It is also possible to adopt a center registration method by providing the sheets on both sides of the sheet.

Next, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a driving mechanism 30 for moving the trays T1 to T4 in the paper feeding direction and the opposite direction, and the driving mechanism 30 supports the support plate 15.
Supported by. The drive mechanism 30 is a drive transmission device 32, 3 driven by a motor 31 that is rotatable in forward and reverse directions.
4 are arranged on both sides of the sheet storage portion, and the drive of the drive transmission device 32 is transmitted to the drive transmission device 34 via the interlocking shaft 33. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, racks (driving members) R1 to R4 are attached to the side plates 23 and 23a of the trays T1 to T4, respectively. on the other hand,
The drive transmission devices 32 and 34 are connected to the drive shaft 35 via a gear mechanism (not shown). As a result, the motor 3
The rotation of 1 is performed by the drive transmission devices 32 and 34 and the interlocking shaft 33.
Is transmitted to the drive shafts 35, 35 via. Further, the drive shaft 35 is provided with pinions G1 to G1 through clutches C1 to C4.
G4 is attached, and each pinion G1 to G4 meshes with each rack T1 to T4. An electromagnetic clutch can be used as the clutches C1 to C4.

When the desired trays T1, ... Are moved in the paper feeding direction or the opposite direction, an exciting current is supplied to the clutches C1 ,. Is transmitted to the pinion G1, ... Through the clutch C1, ... And the designated tray T1 ,. At that time, the tray T
The trays T2, ... Mounted on 1, ... Also move in the same direction. Such an operation is controlled by a controller (control means, not shown) having a built-in CPU. In addition,
As the drive mechanism 30, any mechanism such as a piston cylinder may be used instead of the above configuration.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the tray frame 11 is provided with rail guides 12 and 12a protruding therefrom. The direction in which these rail guides 12 and 12a project is the same as the direction in which the composite tray 10 is accommodated in the image forming apparatus, and the composite tray 1 is placed relative to the paper feed section of the image forming apparatus.
The rail guides 12 and 12a slide on the guide rails provided in the paper feed unit when the 0 is attached or detached. As shown in FIG. 3, in the composite tray 10, the paper feeding direction X is set at a right angle with respect to the mounting direction in the paper feeding unit of the image forming apparatus main body. It can be attached and detached from the front side.

B. Description of Operation (1) Sheet Feeding Operation Next, the operation of the sheet storage device according to this embodiment will be described. In the following, an operation when the tray T2 is designated and the paper is sent will be described. First, an exciting current is supplied to the clutch C1 corresponding to the tray T1, the clutch C1 is turned on, and the tray T1 is moved in the sheet feeding direction from the state shown in FIG. And tray T1
Of the tray T1 by bringing the front end surface of the tray into contact with the front plate 24 of the frame.
Position. At this time, the trays T2 to T4 on the tray T1 also move together with the tray T1. Next, the tray T2 is moved in the paper feeding direction, and the leading end surface of the tray T2 is brought into contact with the front plate 24 to be positioned (state in FIG. 4). At this time, the trays T3 and T4 on the tray T2 are also the tray T2.
Move with.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the drive shaft 18 is rotated to rotate the push-up arm 17. In this way, the support plate 15 is rotated until the leading end of the paper stored in the tray T2 on the paper feed side contacts the pickup roller 2 of the paper feed mechanism 1. Then, the pickup roller 2 is rotated in response to a paper feed signal from the image forming apparatus, and the paper is sent out toward the feed roller 3a and the retard roller 3b. The feed roller 3a rotates in the sheet feeding direction, and the retard roller 3b rotates in the direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction, for example. As a result, even when a plurality of sheets are sent out by the pickup roller 2, only the uppermost one sheet passes to the sheet conveyance path 5 side, and the other sheets are retained by the retard roller 3b. Then, when the designated number of sheets have been sent to the sheet conveying path 5, the driving of the sheet feeding mechanism 1 is stopped.

When the paper in the tray T1 is fed out, the tray T1 is moved in the paper feeding direction from the state shown in FIG. 1 to abut against the front plate 24, and in that state, the support plate 15
Rotate. Further, when using the paper of the tray T3 or T4, the tray T3 is further changed from the state shown in FIG.
Is moved in the paper feeding direction, or the tray T4 is further moved in the paper feeding direction, and then the support plate 15 is rotated.

(2) Paper Return Operation At the time when the last paper in the tray T2 is sent out to the paper transport path 5, the leading end of the lower paper may protrude from the tray T2 following the sent paper. is there. When the tray T2 is moved to the horizontal position shown in FIG. 4 in such a state, the projecting portion of the paper is located on the front wall 2 of the tray frame 11.
It will be bent at 4 and will interfere with the next paper feeding operation. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, first, the tray T2 is moved in the counter sheet feeding direction, and thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, the push-up arm 17 is rotated clockwise to return the support plate 15 to the horizontal position. Here, considering the possibility that the paper may protrude to the nip portion of the feed roller 3a and the retard roller 3b, the distance for moving the tray T2 in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction is from the tip surface at the paper feeding position of the tray T2 to the nip portion. It is desirable to set the distance equal to or greater than the distance.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the tray T2 is slid with respect to the tray T1 so that the leading end of the tray T2 abuts on the front plate 24 or moves to a position close to the front plate 24. , The projected paper P is returned to the storage position and the paper is aligned. After that, all the trays T1 to T4 are moved in the direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction, returned to the position shown in FIG. 1, and put on standby so as to be ready for the next sheet feeding operation.

In the composite tray 10 having the above-described structure, by moving the desired trays T1, ... In the sheet feeding direction and rotating the support plate 15, one side of the sheets accommodated in the trays T1 ,. The sheet is pressed by the pinch roller 2 so that the sheet can be taken out. In this way, the trays T1, ...
1, 1, ... Is selected and rotated to move to the paper feeding position, so that the space of the paper feeding unit is significantly reduced compared to the configuration in which all of the trays T1 to T4 are moved to the front, rear, left and right. can do. Further, since the mechanism for moving the paper feeding mechanism 1 is not necessary, the device does not become complicated.

In particular, in the composite tray 10 having the above structure, since the trays T1 to T4 are stacked on top of each other, when a certain tray T1, ... Is moved, the trays T2 ,. Therefore, the exciting current supplied to the clutches C1 to C4 can be reduced, the power consumption can be reduced, and the control can be simplified. Further, after the paper feeding from the selected trays T1, ... Is completed, the trays T1, ... Are moved in the opposite paper feeding direction by a predetermined amount and returned to the horizontal position, and then the trays T1 ,.
Is moved in the paper feeding direction and the projected paper P is pushed back by the front wall 24 of the tray frame 11, so various inconveniences caused by the paper P being left in a projected state can be avoided, and Such improvements can be made only by software changes or simple control circuit changes.

C. Modification Example (1) In the composite tray 10, after the last sheet of the trays T1, ...
.. are moved in the direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction to return the papers protruding from the trays T1, .. However, when the protruding papers are caught in the nip portion between the feed roller 3a and the retard roller 3b. , The sheet does not follow the backward movement of the trays T1, ... And remains caught in the nip portion. Therefore, in order to eliminate such a trouble, it is possible to control at least one of the feed roller 3a and the retard roller 3b to rotate in the anti-feeding direction before retracting the trays T1 ,. By such an operation, the projected paper is returned and the leading end portion thereof is located upstream of the nip portion. Then, as described above, the retreat distance of the trays T1, ... Is set to be equal to or more than the distance from the tip end surface of the trays T1 ,. It can be surely returned to the trays T1 ,.

(2) In the modified example (1), when the feed roller 3a or the like is rotated in the direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction when the paper is only slightly caught in the nip portion, the leading end of the paper is the feed roller 3a or the like. It may be bent by the surface. Therefore, in order to eliminate such a trouble, the feed roller 3a and the like are once rotated in the paper feeding direction so that the paper is caught in the nip portion, and then the feed roller 3a and the like are rotated in the counter paper feeding direction. Can be controlled to return to the downstream side of the nip portion. When controlled in this manner, the paper is ejected after being sufficiently bitten in the nip portion, so that the paper is urged and returned to the downstream side. In this case, a sensor is arranged on the downstream side of the nip portion, and a time for rotating the feed roller 3a and the like in the sheet feeding direction is measured by a timer to set the sheet feeding amount to the downstream side. can do.

(3) In the modified example (1), when the feed roller 3a and the like are rotated in the direction opposite to the paper feed direction, the upper surface of the paper is in contact with the pickup roller 2 and various guide members provided in the paper feed section. And the resistance acts on the paper. As a result, the paper may return only to the nip portion, or the paper may buckle between the nip portion and the contact portion between the guide member and the like. Therefore, in order to eliminate such a trouble, before the feed rollers 3a and the like are rotated in the opposite sheet feeding direction, the trays T1, ... Are rotated downward to separate the upper surface of the sheet from the various guide members. Can be controlled.

(4) In the modified example (3), it is possible to control so that the feed roller 3a and the like are rotated in the anti-feeding direction and at the same time the pickup roller 2 is rotated in the anti-feeding direction. In this case, the paper feed mechanism 1 is configured to be rotatable around the rotation axis of the feed roller 3a, and the pickup roller 2 is configured to press the upper surface of the paper stored in the lowered trays T1 ,. To do. Also,
The configuration in which the sheet feeding mechanism 1 is rotated may be applied to the modified examples (1) and (2), and the pickup roller 2 may be separated from the upper surface of the sheet when the sheet is returned from the nip portion. With this configuration, the paper can be prevented from buckling and the paper can be returned to a sufficient position.

(4) When the trays T1, ... Are moved in the opposite paper feed direction after the last paper in the trays T1 ,. It is conceivable that the guide and the pickup roller 2 or the front wall 24 of the tray frame 11 come into contact with each other to generate resistance, and the leading edge of the sheet remains on the downstream side of the front wall.
Therefore, the pickup roller 2 can be configured to rotate in the opposite sheet feeding direction when the trays T1, ... Are retracted. In this case, buckling of the paper can be prevented by making the peripheral speed of the pickup roller 2 equal to the return speed of the trays T1 ,. If the return speed of the trays T1, ... Is faster than the peripheral speed of the pickup rollers 2, the pickup rollers 2 may be rotated for a while after the retreat of the trays T1 ,. (5) Further, when the trays T1, ... Are retracted, the paper feed mechanism 1 may be rotated to separate the pickup roller 2 from the paper. As a result, at least the resistance of the pickup roller 2 to the paper is eliminated, so that the trouble described in the modification (4) can be reduced.

(6) The front end portion of the paper is placed on the front wall 24 in a state where the last paper in the tray T1, ... Is sent to the paper transport path 5 and the retreat of the tray T1 ,. Can be considered. Therefore, in such a case, the tray T
It is possible to control the operation of moving 1, ... To the front wall 24 side so as to be repeated twice or more. That is, even if the leading edge of the paper is on the front wall 24, when the trays T1, ... Are moved in the paper feeding direction, the paper is returned to the trays T1 ,. . Therefore, when the trays T1, ... Are retracted next or next time, the leading edge of the paper comes to be positioned upstream of the front wall 24. It is also possible to provide a sensor for detecting whether or not the paper is on the front wall 24, and to control the above operation only when the paper is on the front wall 24.

(7) In the composite tray 10 having the above structure, 4
Sheets of different sizes are accommodated in the four trays T1 to T4, respectively, large-sized sheets are accommodated in the lower tray, and small-sized sheets are accommodated in the upper tray. But all trays T1 ~
It is also possible to accommodate sheets of the same size in T4 and feed them using one type of sheet. For example, in FIG.
In the example of the composite tray 10a shown in FIG. 1, the trays T1 to T4 of the same size are arranged in the sheet storage unit 20 on the instruction plate 15 so as to be stacked on each other, and the trays T1 to T4 store sheets of the same size. There is.

Then, the upper tray or the lower tray of the plurality of trays T1 to T4 is moved in the paper feeding direction and is raised toward the paper feeding mechanism, whereby the paper feeding operation can be performed. When all the sheets are sent out from one tray, the supporting plate 15 is lowered to return to the horizontal position, the other trays T1, ... Are moved forward, and then the instruction plate member 15 is raised to accommodate the sheets. It is possible to newly position the existing trays T1, ... With respect to the paper feeding mechanism and start the paper feeding operation. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, when sheets of the same size are attached to all trays, the plurality of trays T1, ... Arranged in the composite tray 10a are sequentially moved to the sheet feeding position and the sheet is fed out. Can be continued, and the number of times of paper supply can be reduced.

The composite tray 10 can accommodate an arbitrary number of sheets. For example, as in a general image forming apparatus, it is possible to mount the composite tray of the present invention instead of the paper feed tray that can store about 250 sheets. Further, when the four trays T1 to T4 are equipped, each tray can store about 50 sheets of paper, and when all the sheets have been fed from one tray, general paper feeding can be performed. As in the case of the mechanism, a detecting means such as a paperless sensor can be operated. When the paper in the designated tray is exhausted during the paper feeding operation, a signal indicating no paper can be output to the display unit of the control panel of the image forming apparatus to notify the user. it can.

D. Second Embodiment (1) Configuration of Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the sheet storage device of this embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI of FIG. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 40 denotes a support plate, which is arranged at the bottom of a tray frame (not shown) like the support plate 15 shown in FIG. Further, the support plate 40 is rotatably supported at its end portion on the side opposite to the sheet feeding direction, and is rotatable by a push-up arm (not shown).

Similar to the first embodiment, trays T1 to T4 are stacked on each other on the support plate 40. The trays T1 to T4 are manufactured so that the lower ones are longer, and the guide members 51 attached to their upper surfaces are
The lower one accommodates a larger size paper. Supporting portions 52 are provided on both sides of the trays T1 to T4, and the trays T1 ,. A drive mechanism for moving the trays T1, ... Is provided in each of the support portions 52. Hereinafter, this drive mechanism will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 11, the supporting portion 52 is provided at the end (rear end) of the supporting portion 52 of the tray T1 on the side opposite to the sheet feeding direction.
The long hole 53 communicating with the upper and lower surfaces of the
A cam 60 is arranged inside the. A cylindrical boss 61 is formed at the rear end of the cam 60, and a shaft 62 attached to the support portion 52 penetrates the boss 61.
As a result, the cam 60 is rotatably supported by the shaft 62 so that the tip of the cam 60 moves in the vertical direction.

An arm portion 63 is formed on the tip side of the boss 61, and a drive portion 64 which is semicircular in side view and projects downward is formed on the lower surface of the tip portion of the arm portion 63. . In addition, an engaging portion 65 that is substantially rectangular in a side view and that protrudes upward is formed on the upper surface of the distal end portion of the arm portion 63. On the other hand, a long hole 41 that communicates with the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate 40 is formed at the rear end of the support plate 40, and the drive portion 64 of the cam 60 is set in the long hole 41. Here, the inner surface 41 a of the long hole 41 on the tip side is the support plate 40.
Inner surface 4 on the rear end side of the long hole 41 that is substantially orthogonal to the lower surface of
1b is formed on a curved surface of a downward slope having a radius of curvature equal to or larger than that of the outer peripheral surface of the drive portion 64 of the cam 60.

Next, a cam groove 54 is formed in the middle portion of the upper surface of the support portion 52 in the front-rear direction. The cam groove 54 has a flat first groove portion 54a with a constant depth, and the first groove portion 54a.
It is composed of a second groove portion 54b continuous to the tip side of a. The second groove portion 54b has a curved surface portion 54b ₁ whose depth gradually increases from the tip edge of the first groove portion 54a toward the tip side,
The curved portion 54b ₁ is composed of a flat portion 54b ₂ extending from the tip edge toward the tip side, and the radius of curvature of the curved portion 54b ₁ is
The radius of curvature is equal to or greater than the radius of curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the drive unit 64. Further, a guide groove 55 extending in the front-rear direction is formed at the tip of the upper surface of the support portion 52. The guide groove 55 has a constant depth and a flat bottom.

Next, a long hole 56 communicating with the upper and lower surfaces of the support portion 52 is formed at the rear end of the support portion 52 of the second tray T2 from the bottom, and the cam 60 is provided inside the long hole 56. Are rotatably arranged by a shaft 62. This cam 60
The driving portion 64 is housed in the first groove portion 54a of the lower cam groove 54 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. Also, the long hole 56
A step portion that accommodates the engagement portion 65 of the lower cam 60 is formed at the rear end portion, and the surface of the step portion facing the tip end side is formed by the cam 60.
Is an engaging surface 56a for engaging with. Also, the support portion 5
A cam groove 54, which is the same as that of the tray T1, is formed in the middle portion of the upper surface of 2 in the front-rear direction, and a guide groove 55 is formed in the tip portion of the upper surface of the support portion 52. Further, the supporting portion 5
A slide portion 57 that is slidable in the front-rear direction within the lower guide groove 55 is formed at the tip portion of the lower surface of 2. The support portion 52 of the third tray T3 from the bottom is also the tray T3.
Since it has the same configuration as the second support portion 52, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

Next, at the tip of the lower surface of the supporting portion 52 of the tray T4, the groove 5 for accommodating the engaging portion 65 of the lower cam 60 is formed.
8 is formed, and the surface of the groove 58 facing the front end side is an engagement surface 58a that engages with the cam 60. A slide portion 57 that is slidable in the front-rear direction in the lower guide groove 55 is formed on the tip end side of the groove 58. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a rack 70 is attached to the side portion of the tray T4. A pinion 71 is meshed with the rack 70, and the pinion 71 is rotated by a driving means (not shown) including a motor and the like. With this configuration, when the pinion 71 is rotated in either direction, the rotation is transmitted to the rack 70, and the tray T4 moves in the paper feeding direction or the non-paper feeding direction. The drive means is supported by the support plate 15, and the support plate 1
5 is rotated and also rotated.

(2) Operation of the Second Embodiment Next, among the operations of the composite tray 10 having the above-described structure, the operations from selecting the trays T1 to T4 to the sheet feeding operation will be described. First, to select the tray T1, see FIG.
The pinion 71 is rotated from the state shown in to move the tray T4 in the sheet feeding direction. Then, since the trays T1 to T4 are engaged with each other by the cam 60, the trays T1 to T3 move in the paper feeding direction together with the tray T4. Then, the cam 60 of the tray T1 is attached to the support plate 15
After reaching the elongated hole 41, the cam 60 rotates downward as it advances in the sheet feeding direction, and the driving portion 64 thereof is recessed in the elongated hole 41 and engages with the inner surface 41a of the groove 41 (see FIG. B)). As a result, the tray T1 does not move further in the paper feed direction, and is located at the paper feed standby position where paper can be fed. As a result of the rotation of the cam 60, the engaging portion 65 of the cam 60 comes out of the groove 56 of the upper tray T2. As a result, the tray T2 and the tray T1 are disengaged from each other so that they can move relative to each other.
And the tray T4 is stopped. Then, the support plate 15 is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 12B, and the paper in the tray T2 is pressed against the pickup roller of the paper feed mechanism 1 to feed the paper.

Next, the operation when the tray T2 is selected will be described. Tray 4 from the state shown in FIG.
When is further advanced, the trays T2 and T3 also move in the paper feeding direction. At that time, the tray T2 slides on the upper surface of the support portion 52 of the tray T1, and the slider portion 57 of the tray T2 slides in the guide groove 55 of the tray T1. Further, the cam 60 of the tray T2 slides on the first groove portion 54a of the cam groove 54 of the tray T1, but after reaching the second groove portion 54b, the cam 60 rotates downward as it advances in the sheet feeding direction. Move,
The drive portion 64 is submerged in the second groove portion 54b and abuts on the tip side wall portion thereof. As a result, the tray T2 does not move further in the paper feed direction, and is positioned at the paper feed standby position above the tray T1 (FIG. 12C). Further, as a result of the cam 60 of the tray T2 rotating, the engaging portion 65 of the cam 60 slips out of the groove 56 of the upper tray T3, the engagement state between the tray T3 and the tray T2 is released, and both can move relatively. However, the rotation of the pinion 71 is stopped at this point to stop the tray T4. Then, the support plate 15 is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 12C, and the paper in the tray T2 is pressed against the pickup roller of the paper feed mechanism to feed the paper.

Next, in order to select the tray T3 and feed the paper, the pinion 71 is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 12C to further move the tray T4 in the paper feeding direction. Then, the tray T3 moves in the sheet feeding direction together with the tray T4, and then the cam 60 of the tray T3 rotates downward in the same manner as described above. Accordingly, the drive unit 64 of the cam 60
Is sunk into the second groove portion 54b of the tray T2 and abuts on the tip side wall portion thereof. As a result, T3 does not move further in the paper feed direction, and is located at the paper feed standby position above the tray T2 (FIG. 12D). In addition, as a result of the rotation of the cam 60, the engaging portion 65 of the cam 60 causes the groove 57 of the upper tray T4 to move.
, The tray T4 and the tray T3 are released from the engaged state, and the tray T3 and the tray T3 are relatively movable. At this point, the rotation of the pinion 71 is stopped to stop the tray T4. Then, the support plate 15 is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 12D, and the paper in the tray T2 is pressed against the pickup roller 2 of the paper feed mechanism 1 to feed the paper.

Next, in order to select the tray T4 and feed the paper, the pinion 71 is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 12D to further move the tray T4 in the paper feeding direction. Then, the slide portion 57 of the tray T4 comes into contact with the tip side wall portion of the guide groove 55, and the tray T4 does not move further in the sheet feeding direction (FIG. 12 (E)). Pinion 71 at this point
Rotation is stopped, the support plate 15 is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 12 (E), and the paper in the tray T4 is pressed against the pickup roller 2 of the paper feed mechanism 1 to feed the paper.

Next, from the state shown in FIG.
The operation of returning to the state shown in (A) will be described. First, in the state shown in FIG. 12 (E), the pinion 71 is rotated in the opposite direction to the above to move the tray T4 in the non-feeding direction. Then, the slide portion 57 of the tray T4 is moved to the tray T3.
The guide groove 55 is brought into contact with the rear end side wall portion to be in the state shown in FIG. 13 (B). In the state shown in FIG.
Similar to the case shown in (D), it is possible to feed the paper by the tray T3.

As can be understood from FIG. 13B, at this time, the groove 58 of the tray T4 is located above the engaging portion 65 of the cam 60 of the tray T3. Where tray T4
When the tray T3 is further moved backward and the tray T3 is moved in the direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction, the drive portion 64 of the cam 60 of the tray T3 causes the tray T2 to move.
Is pushed up along the groove 54 of the
Are inserted into the grooves 58. Then, the tray T3 moves in the half paper feeding direction, and the sliding portion 57 thereof abuts on the rear end side wall portion of the guide groove 55 of the tray T2, and the state shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 13, as in the case shown in FIG. 12C, it is possible to perform sheet feeding by the tray T2.

In this operation, the cam groove 54 of the tray T2 pushes up the cam 60 of the tray T3, and as a result, a force toward the rear end acts on the tray T2. Also,
The force is also transmitted to the tray T1 via the cam 60 of the tray T2. However, the cams 60 of the trays T1 and T2 are not the same as the support portions 5 of the trays T2 and T3.
The trays T1 and T2 are prevented from moving to the rear end side by the respective cams 60 because the trays T1 and T2 cannot rotate due to the existence of the lower surface of the tray 2.

Next, in the state shown in FIG. 13A, the cam 60 of the tray T2 can rotate upward. Therefore, when a force toward the rear end side is applied to the tray T2 by retracting the tray T4, the cam 60 of the tray T2 rotates upward and the tray T2 moves in the opposite sheet feeding direction by the same action as described above. To the state shown in FIG. 12 (B).
Then, by further retracting the tray T4, a force is applied to the tray T1 toward the rear end side, and while the cam 60 of the tray T1 is rotated upward along the inner surface 41b of the long hole 41, the tray T1 is not charged. It moves in the paper direction and reaches the state shown in FIG.

In the composite tray having the above-mentioned structure, the same effect as that of the first embodiment is obtained, and the other trays T1 to T3 are transferred by transmitting the driving force only to the tray T4. By interlocking with each other, a desired state can be selected from among the states shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 to perform sheet feeding. Therefore, the number of mechanical components is small and the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced, and the control can be greatly simplified.

In particular, in the composite tray 10, when the tray T4 is moved in the paper feeding direction, the cams 60 of the tray T1 are sequentially operated to reach the moving end in the paper feeding direction from the tray T1 in order. When the tray T4 is moved in the counter paper feeding direction, the tray T4 is sequentially moved in the counter paper feeding direction. In this way, the desired trays T1, ... Can be positioned at the paper feed standby position on the forward and return paths of the tray T4, so that the trays T1 ,.

Further, as the cam 60 rotates, the engagement between the cam 60 and the upper trays T2, ... Is released almost at the same time as the guide grooves 54 of the lower trays T1 ,.
Since the trays T1, ... Having the cam 60 are prevented from moving by being engaged with, the trays T1 to T3 can be accurately positioned. That is, the cam 60 and the tray T
When the trays T1, ... Having the cam 60 are stopped by an appropriate stopper after the engagement state with the two, ... Is canceled, the trays T1 ,. Will be free and will not know where to stop in the meantime. In this respect, according to the above configuration, the stop positions of the trays T1, ... Are determined on the basis of the support plate 15, and the positioning accuracy is ensured.

Further, in the composite plate 10, as shown in FIG. 13B, the cams 60 of the trays T1 and T2 below the tray T3 at the paper feed standby position are
It is constrained by the lower surface of the supporting portion 52 of the trays T2, T3 above it. Therefore, even if a force toward the rear end side is applied to the trays T1 and T2, the movement thereof is blocked, and as described above, the trays T4 can be sequentially moved in the direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction. Note that the various modified examples described in the first embodiment can be applied to the second embodiment as well. In addition, in the second embodiment, the trays T1 to T4 are of the center registration type, but they may be of the side registration type as in the first embodiment.

[0054]

As described above, according to the sheet accommodating apparatus of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the space of the sheet feeding section is greatly reduced as compared with the structure in which all of the sheet accommodating means are moved to the front, rear, left and right. be able to. Further, since a mechanism for moving the paper feeding mechanism is not necessary, it is possible to select and use a plurality of paper accommodating means without complicated the device (claim 1).

By driving the drive member of any one of the paper accommodating means, the paper accommodating means located above the paper accommodating means is moved, so that the power consumption is low and the control is simple. (Claim 2). Further, after the paper feeding from the selected paper accommodation member is completed, the paper accommodation member is moved in the counter paper feeding direction by a predetermined amount and lowered to a predetermined position, and then the paper accommodation means is moved in the paper feeding direction. Since the protruding paper is pushed back by the wall of the main body of the apparatus, various inconveniences caused by the paper being left in a protruding state can be avoided, and such improvement can be achieved by changing or controlling the software. It can be done by a simple modification of the circuit (claim 3). Furthermore, after the completion of the paper feeding from the paper accommodating means, the paper accommodating means is moved in the direction away from the paper feeding mechanism, and the paper feeding mechanism is driven so that the paper moves in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction. By the operation described in claim 3, the paper can be surely returned to the paper storage means.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a composite tray according to a first embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a configuration of a composite tray.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a configuration of a composite tray.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where a designated tray is moved.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the tray is positioned with respect to the paper feeding mechanism.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a state at the end of paper feeding from a designated tray.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a state where a pointing plate member is lowered.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the tray, from which the paper has protruded, is moved forward and the paper is returned.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a modified example of the composite tray of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a composite tray according to a second embodiment of this invention.

11 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a view for explaining the operation of the composite tray.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the composite tray.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Paper feeding mechanism, 10 ... Composite tray (paper accommodating device), 1
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Tray frame (apparatus main body), 15 ... Support plate (support member), 17 ... Push-up arm (rotating member), 24 ...
Front plate (plate portion), 30 ... Driving mechanism (driving means), R1
R4 ... Rack (driving member), T1 to T4 ... Tray (paper accommodating means).

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A paper which is mounted in a paper feeding section of an image forming apparatus and which presses one side of the accommodated paper against a paper feeding member of a paper feeding mechanism provided in the image forming apparatus to take out the paper in a predetermined paper feeding direction. In the sheet accommodating apparatus of the image forming apparatus thus configured, the apparatus main body and the apparatus main body are rotatably supported at the other end so that the one end in the sheet feeding direction can be moved in the vertical direction. At least one of the paper accommodating means, and a plurality of paper accommodating means continuously provided in the up and down direction of the supporting means and movably provided in the paper feeding direction and the opposite direction. A drive member that is provided and moves the sheet storage means in the direction by being driven, and a sheet storage means that is moved in the paper feed direction by rotating the support means in the paper feed member. Approaching and separating Paper accommodation device of an image forming apparatus characterized in that a and that rotating means. 2. The sheet accommodating means is vertically stacked and provided slidably with respect to each other in the direction, the driving members are provided in the respective sheet accommodating means, and the driving member is driven in the apparatus main body to thereby be arranged. A drive means for moving the sheet storage means is provided, and the drive means drives a drive member of any one of the sheet storage means to move the sheet storage means and the sheet storage means located above the sheet storage means. The sheet accommodation device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1. 3. A second sheet feeding member, comprising: a control unit for controlling the driving unit and the rotating unit, wherein the sheet feeding mechanism separates the sheet taken out by the sheet feeding member and passes only one sheet. And the apparatus main body has a plate portion located between the paper feeding member and the second paper feeding member, and the control means, after finishing the paper feeding from the paper storing means,
The sheet accommodating means is moved in a direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction by a predetermined amount, the end of the supporting means on the sheet feeding direction side is lowered to a predetermined position, and then the sheet accommodating member is moved in the sheet feeding direction. 3. The sheet accommodating device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet accommodating device of the image forming apparatus is moved so that an end portion on the sheet feeding direction side is brought into contact with or close to the plate portion. 4. The control means moves the paper accommodation means in a direction away from the paper feeding mechanism after the completion of the paper feeding from the paper accommodation means, and sets the paper feeding mechanism to the paper feeding direction. The sheet storage device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sheet storage device is driven so as to move in the opposite direction.