JPH10120218A - Paper feeding device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce separation resistance caused by a separating means at the time of feeding sheet material sheet by sheet by hand insertion so as to be able to feed paper well in a paper feeding device provided with automatic sheet feeder(ASF) mechanism. SOLUTION: At the time of stand-by of hand-insertion paper feeding, a hand- insertion guide member 120 is lifted above a pressure plate 110. The tip side of an inserted sheet S is thereby brought into contact with the vicinity of the upper end of a movable bank 116, than the upper end of the movable bank 116 so as to be able to go over the movable bank 116 easily and smoothly. The sheet S fed by the rotation of a feed roller 108 is thereby reduced in separation resistance caused by the movable bank 116 so as to be fed accurately.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeder and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a so-called ASF (Auto) which separates and feeds sheet materials such as a plurality of stacked recording media and read originals one by one. (Sheet Feeder)
The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus having a so-called manual sheet feeding mechanism that releases a sheet separating mechanism of a sheet feeding mechanism and an ASF sheet feeding mechanism and feeds sheets stacked one by one.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording apparatus in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile or the like drives an energy generator of a recording head based on image information being transferred, thereby forming a thin sheet of paper or plastic. It is configured to record an image composed of a dot pattern on a sheet material.

The recording apparatus includes an ink jet system, a wire dot system, a thermal system, a laser beam system, and the like, depending on the recording system. Further, the recording mechanism is classified into a full multi type and a serial type according to the configuration of the recording mechanism. The full multi type has recording means over the entire recording width, and performs recording by moving a sheet material as a recording medium in the sub scanning direction. ,
In the serial type, printing is performed by main-scanning a recording unit mounted on a carriage that performs main scanning, and moving a sheet material in a sub-scanning direction.

[0004] Sheet materials such as recording media and read originals used in such recording devices and so-called sheet-through type image reading devices are not only plain paper but also thick paper such as postcards and envelopes and thin plastic plates. There is a special sheet and the like. The sheet material feeding method is roughly divided into the above-mentioned ASF sheet feeding and manual sheet feeding. Further, the ASF sheet feeding includes a built-in type incorporated in a sheet feeding device and a detachable type. There is an exterior type to be attached.

[0005] As a method of separating the sheet material used for the ASF sheet feeding, there are a so-called claw separation method in which a claw is brought into contact with a corner of the sheet material to separate the sheet material, and a friction separation method utilizing friction of the sheet material. There is also a bank separation system using the bending of the elastic member. The bank separation method using this elastic member can separate types from thick paper such as postcards and envelopes to plain paper of 64 g / m ² represented by a copy recording medium.

[0006]

However, in the ASF sheet feeding by the conventional sheet feeding apparatus described above, for example, 45 g
When feeding a sheet material that is extremely thin and has no stiffness, such as report paper having a thickness of / m ² or less, for example, in the above-described bank separation method, the sheet material buckles before sufficiently moving the movable bank which is an elastic member. In some cases, separation was not performed correctly. Further, in the separation method using friction separation or claw separation, there is a problem that wrinkles are generated due to insufficient rigidity of the sheet material with respect to a load resistance applied for separation.

On the other hand, when a thick sheet material such as an envelope or a postcard with a photo is manually fed, a minimum force required to hold the sheet between a transport roller and a pinch roller opposed thereto is required. It is necessary to require the operator to feed the paper with a very limited force, that is, a force that is larger and does not slide more than necessary, and an improvement in operability has been desired.

[0008] As described above, there is a problem that the operation required by the operator becomes complicated when performing manual sheet feeding.

[0009] Further, in the case of ASF paper feeding, it is necessary to meet a wider range of paper types to meet the requirements of the operator. There is a problem that it is difficult to meet such a demand with one fixed separation mechanism.

Accordingly, the present invention can satisfactorily perform manual paper feeding of sheet materials having various characteristics from thin paper to thick paper, and perform highly accurate paper feeding for a wide range of sheet materials. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeder and an image forming apparatus that can perform the same.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the present invention is directed to a sheet material loading means capable of loading a plurality of sheet materials, and a sheet loading means for loading the sheet material. And a separating unit for separating the sheet material fed by the feeding unit one by one. And a separation resistance varying means for changing the separation resistance of the sheet material by the separation means according to the sheet feeding method.

In the sheet feeding method, a first sheet feeding method in which a plurality of sheet materials stacked on the sheet material stacking means are separated and fed one by one by the feeding means and the separating means. And a second sheet feeding method for releasing the separating function of the separating means and feeding the sheet material one by one. The sheet material is fed by the feeding means.

[0013] Further, the feeding means includes an urging means for urging the sheet material stacking means upward, and a rotatable feeding roller disposed above the sheet material stacking means on the downstream side in the feeding direction. Moving the sheet material stacking means upward by the urging means to rotate the feed roller against the sheet material stacked on the sheet material stacking means to feed the sheet material. It is characterized by.

The separation resistance varying means is a guide member for controlling the state of contact of the sheet material with the separation means.
The sheet material is lifted by the guide member above the sheet material stacking means, and the downstream end of the sheet material in the feeding direction is set near the upper end of the separating means or higher than the upper end of the separating means. It is characterized by.

The separation resistance varying means is a retreating means for retreating the separating means from the conveying path of the sheet material. When the sheet is fed by the second sheet feeding method, the separating means is moved by the retreating means to the conveying means. It is characterized by being evacuated from the route.

Further, the separation resistance varying means is a displacement means for displacing the position of the sheet material loading means, and the position of the sheet material loading means is displaced by the displacement means according to the feeding system of the feeding means. Then, the gap between the sheet material stacking means and the feeding means is adjusted.

Further, the separation resistance varying means is a moving means for moving the position of the separating means, and the moving of the position of the separating means by the moving means in accordance with the characteristics of the fed sheet material. Features.

The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus, and includes: an image forming section for forming an image on a sheet material;
The image forming section is provided with any one of the above-described sheet feeding devices for feeding a sheet material to the image forming section.

(Operation) According to the sheet feeding device of the present invention, the characteristics of the sheet material or the sheet feeding method (for example, a plurality of sheet materials stacked on the sheet material stacking unit are fed one by one by the feeding unit and the separating unit). A first paper feeding method (ASF paper feeding) in which the paper is separated and fed, and a second paper feeding method (manual paper feeding in which the separating function of the separating means is released and the sheet material is fed one by one) )), The separation resistance of the sheet material by the separation means is set to be optimal by the separation resistance variable means, so that good feeding can be performed for a wide range of sheet materials.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an information processing apparatus equipped with an image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) provided with a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) provided with a sheet feeding device of the processing apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the sheet feeding device. FIG.
In the information processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG.
The display unit 3 includes an input crystal display (3), a keyboard unit 3 serving as an input unit, and a paper tray 4 serving also as a cover of the information processing apparatus 1. When the paper feeding device is used, it functions as a paper tray by rotating in the direction of arrow A.

In the image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) 10 and the sheet feeding apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 5 denotes a recording head 6 (in this embodiment, a disposable type recording head is used as the recording head). ) On which a carrier is mounted for scanning, 5a is a positioning projection, 7 is a cable terminal portion provided on a flexible cable for connecting the recording head 6 to a control system having a CPU 201 and the like described later, and 9 is It is a guide shaft for guiding the carrier 5 for scanning, and is inserted through the bearing 11 of the carrier 5. Reference numeral 13 denotes a timing belt to which the carrier 5 is fixed and which transmits power for scanning the carrier, and is stretched over pulleys 15a and 15b disposed at both ends. 1
7 is a carrier motor.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a conveying roller for regulating the height of the recording surface of the sheet S as a recording medium and conveying the sheet S during printing or the like. The driving roller 19 transmits a driving force from a paper feed motor 20 which is a stepping motor to a gear train. This is transmitted to the LF gear 21 press-fitted into one end of the transport roller 19 via an unillustrated illustration. Reference numeral 23 denotes a pinch roller unit that is disposed in the middle of the sheet S feeding path, presses the sheet S toward the conveying roller 19 by a pinch roller spring (not shown), and conveys the sheet S. Reference numerals 25a and 25b denote metal spurs rotatably supported by the spur holder 27 and assembled to the guide rail 29.
Of the printing surface of the sheet S, the distance between the ink ejection port formed in the recording head 6 and the recording surface of the sheet S is stabilized, and a good recording state is maintained.

Here, the spurs 25a, 25
The reason for using b is that, in the ink jet recording used in the present embodiment, when the ink before drying ejected onto the sheet S comes into contact with the conveying means, the ink adheres to the conveying means. , When the sheet S is conveyed,
This is to minimize the problem of transferring the sheet S to the sheet S and soiling the sheet S.

Reference numerals 31a and 31b denote discharge rollers for discharging the sheet S to a discharge port (not shown) provided in the information processing apparatus 1. The shaft portion of the ABS resin and the roller portion made of elastomer are integrated. And the spurs 25a, 2
5b, and is urged toward spurs 25a and 25b by a discharge roller spring (not shown).

The paper discharge rollers 31a and 31b and the transport roller 19 are connected to the paper feed motor 20 through a gear train. , 31b are slightly larger than the transport rollers 19 (in the present embodiment, the difference in the transport amount is set to 1.9%). Therefore, the sheet S is transferred to the discharge roller 31 and the transport roller 1.
When the sheet S is held at both positions, an appropriate tension is applied to the sheet S, the deflection of the sheet S can be effectively prevented, and as a result, the distance between the recording head 6 and the sheet S can be stabilized. High print quality and transport accuracy.

The spur 25a corresponding to the discharge roller 31a provided on the downstream side in the transport direction is larger than the spur 25b corresponding to the discharge roller 31b provided on the upstream side in the transport direction of the sheet S. It is arranged at a position near the surface. This is because the rear end of the sheet S is provided on the platen 33 so that the rear end of the sheet S does not come into contact with the recording head 6 and break after the sheet S comes off the conveyance roller 19 (not shown). This is because the transfer is performed while regulating the pressing direction.

Reference numeral 35 denotes a paper sensor using a photo interrupter. When a sheet S is inserted, a sensor lever 39 which is rotatably supported by an upper guide 37 which is a guide member when the sheet S is inserted rotates. The paper sensor 35 is attached to the sheet S by the shielding plate formed on the sensor lever 39.
Detect insertion of 41 is a home position sensor, which detects the passage of the carrier 5 and
Is to detect the position of. 45 is a head guide.

Reference numeral 61 denotes a cap made of an elastic material such as rubber, which covers an ink ejection port surface of the recording head 6, which will be described later, prevents drying and fixing of the ink, and covers the ink ejection port surface. Pump unit 63
Is controlled by a cam provided in the pump gear 65, a negative pressure is generated in the cap 61, and the ink is forcibly discharged by the suction force, so that the clogging of the ink discharge port can be eliminated.

Reference numeral 108 denotes a sheet feeding roller which is provided to face the sheet S and has a fan-shaped cross-sectional shape in which a part of an arc is cut out. 110 is constantly urged upward by a pressure plate spring 109 in the figure. The pressure plate 111 on which the sheet S is stacked, 111 is a separation pad whose friction coefficient is controlled so as to be in contact with the lowest sheet S, 112 presses the top sheet S against the feed roller 108 in the feeding state, and 112 in the standby state. A cam for controlling the movement of the pressure plate 110 so as to separate the sheet S is a paper guide for suppressing one end of the stacked sheets S.
Can be moved in the left-right direction according to the size of. Reference numeral 116 denotes a movable bank made of a bank separation type elastic member which is a sheet S separating means, and the movable bank 116 can separate the sheet S by using its deflection.

Reference numeral 118 denotes a switching lever for switching between the ASF paper feeding mode and the manual paper feeding mode by the above-mentioned ASF mechanism comprising the pressure plate spring 109, the pressure plate 110, the paper feed roller 108, the separation pad 111, the movable bank 116 and the like. In addition, it is interlocked with a rotatable manual feed guide member 120 disposed on the pressure plate 110 on the upstream side in the paper feeding direction. When the friction coefficient between the separation pad 111 and the sheet S is set as a reference, the friction coefficient between the sheets S is lower than the friction coefficient between the separation pad 111 and the sheet S. Is set to be larger than the friction coefficient of the sheet S.

The sheet S such as copy paper, postcard, envelope or the like of about 64 g / m ² is formed of an elastic member and is disposed near the leading end of the stacked sheet S on the downstream side in the sheet feeding direction. Movable bank 116
When a propulsive force is applied to the uppermost sheet S, the sheet S is elastically collapsed by the load and the sheets S are separated one by one.

In this embodiment, the bank separating means using the movable bank 116 is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a claw separation method or a friction separation method may be used.

The sheet S separated by the movable bank 116 rotates the paper sensor lever 39 so that the paper sensor 3
By controlling the number of revolutions of the sheet feeding roller 108 in accordance with the result of detecting the passage of the leading end of the sheet S in step 5, the leading end of the sheet S reaches the transport roller 19 without fail. This is because, depending on the type of the sheet S, a slip with the sheet feed roller 108 occurs, and if this registration operation is to be performed only by the rotation amount of the sheet feed roller 108 from the start of sheet feeding, the sheet does not reach the transport roller 19. This is in order to avoid a problem that the sheet S is not sufficiently skewed or that the sheet S is pressed too much and the sheet S is wrinkled.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the information processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

In this figure, reference numeral 200 denotes a main control unit for controlling the entire apparatus, and 210, an image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) 10
And a control unit of the sheet feeding device 100. Reference numeral 3 denotes a keyboard unit of the information processing apparatus 1, 2 denotes a display unit, 230 denotes an external storage device such as an FDD or a RAM card mounted on the information processing apparatus 1, and 231 communicates with other information processing apparatuses or has an internal An external interface for controlling peripheral devices by directly connecting to a bus.

The main control unit 200 includes a CPU 201 for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus, and a RAM 2 provided with an area for expanding text data and image data and an area for work.
02 and a ROM that stores programs and other fixed data such as font data corresponding to the operation procedure of the entire apparatus.
203, a timer 204 for creating an execution cycle of the CPU 201 and timing necessary for a printing operation, and an interface unit 205 for connecting the CPU 201 with the image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) 10 and the sheet feeding apparatus 100. ing.

The control section 210 includes various information of the recording head 6 (presence / absence and type of the recording head 6, an output value of a sensor for detecting the temperature of the recording head 6, an output of a sensor for detecting the presence / absence of ink in the ink tank, and the like). ) For detecting head 2
11, a line buffer 212 for storing print data of the print head 6, a head driver 213 for sending a print signal, electric power, and the like to the print head 6, a carrier motor 17,
Motor drivers 216a, 216b, and 216c for transmitting signals and electric power necessary for driving the paper feed motor 20 and the automatic paper feed motor 214 via a detector 215; a home position sensor 41, a paper sensor 35; A sensor detection unit 220 that detects sensor outputs from the sensor 217, the sheet feed switching sensor 218, the thermistor 219, and the like is provided.

Next, the sheet feeding operation of the sheet feeding device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 5 shows that the switching lever 11
8 (see FIG. 2) to change the phase of the cam 112 interlocked with the
FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the sheet S is inserted into the sheet feeding apparatus 100 in the manual feed standby state, FIG. 6 is a view showing the time when the sheet S is conveyed, and FIG. FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 5, the cam 112 rotates around a fulcrum independent of the pressure plate 110, and the tip position of the manual guide member 120 in the manual feed standby state is higher than the upper end of the movable bank 116. From the pressure plate 110 to a higher position or a position near the upper end.

Therefore, when the sheet S is inserted in the manual feed standby state, the leading end of the sheet S in the sheet feeding direction is moved to the movable bank 1.
Since it abuts on a position higher than or near the upper end of 16, it moves over the movable bank 116 with extremely weak force and reaches the nip formed by the transport roller 19 and the pinch roller 23. As shown in FIG. 8, the separation pad 111 is disposed between the manual guide portions 120a of the manual guide member 120, and the sheet S and the separation pad 111 do not come into contact with each other during the manual standby state, so that the insertion is smooth. Is configured to be performed.

Next, the operation in the feeding state of the sheet S will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

At the time of inserting the sheet S, step S1
When a key input of a “print start command” is performed by the keyboard unit 3 at 01, the paper sensor (PE sensor) 3
5 is detected, and if it is in the OFF state (NO), the pressure plate spring 109, the pressure plate 110, the sheet feeding roller 108, the separation pad 1
11. The ASF paper feed mode by the ASF mechanism composed of the movable bank 116 and the like, and if it is in the ON state (YES), it is determined to be the manual paper feed mode (step S102).

If the ASF paper feed mode is determined in step S102, the guide member 120 has been lowered to the original position by the rotation of the cam 112, and the paper feed roller 108 is rotated in the direction of arrow B in step S103. A cam (not shown) is disengaged and the pressure plate 110 is raised by the spring force of the pressure plate spring 109, so that the sheet S
08, the sheet S starts to be fed with a feeding force.

Then, when the driving step amount of the motor (not shown) for rotating the paper feed roller 108 reaches a predetermined amount A step, the state of the paper sensor 35 is confirmed (step S104). If it is detected that the leading end of S has reached the position of the paper sensor lever 39, the process proceeds to step S107,
On the other hand, if not detected, it is considered that a delay has occurred due to the feeding resistance or the like, and the drive step amount of the paper feed motor 20 is increased by a predetermined amount B steps to further rotate the paper feed roller 108 in the direction of arrow B. Rotate (step S
105).

At the end of the rotation, the state of the paper sensor 35 is checked again (step S106). If the state is OFF, an error message is displayed on the display unit 2 of the information processing apparatus 1 to notify the operator of the abnormality of the apparatus. Is notified (step S108).

On the other hand, if it is confirmed that the sheet is turned on in step S106, the sheet feeding roller 108 is further rotated in the direction of arrow B (step S107), and the leading end of the sheet S is conveyed to the conveying roller 1.
After reaching the nip portion formed by the roller 9 and the pinch roller unit 23, the feed roller 108 is further rotated by a predetermined amount, and the transport roller 19 is rotated by a predetermined amount C steps in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction (counterclockwise). As a result, the leading end of the sheet S is securely moved to the transport roller 19 and the pinch roller unit 2.
Then, registration is performed in accordance with the nip portion formed with No. 3 (step S109).

In this embodiment, the transmission gear train from the motor (not shown) to the paper feed roller 108 is provided with a clutch using a pendulum gear (not shown). The paper feed roller 108 is configured to rotate normally even when rotated.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the mode is the manual feed mode, the process proceeds to step S116, in which the sheet feeding roller 108 is rotated in the direction of arrow B, and the cam (not shown) comes off and the pressure plate 110 is released. The sheet S is lifted by the spring force of the pressure plate spring 109, so that the sheet S
8, the sheet S starts to be fed with a feeding force. Then, the process proceeds to step S109, where the sheet feeding roller 10
8 is further rotated by a predetermined amount, the rotation of the transport roller 19 in the direction of arrow C (clockwise) is started, and the rotation is continued to the mechanical stop position. Note that the manual feed guide member 120 has been lowered to the original position by the rotation of the cam 112.

Next, the operation of the reset state of the sheet S will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

After the paper feeding operation, the conveying roller 19 is moved
The sheet S is conveyed while being rotated in the direction by a predetermined amount D steps to perform cueing (step S110). At this time, the paper feed roller 108 further continues to rotate in the direction of arrow B (clockwise), and after the sheet S is conveyed by a predetermined amount after being sandwiched between the conveyance roller 19 and the pinch roller unit 23, stops. still,
In the present embodiment, the rotation end timing of the sheet feeding roller 108 in the direction of arrow B is determined by employing a mechanism using a gear having a missing tooth in a part of the gear train.

Therefore, although the flow chart shown in FIG. 9 does not include a command to stop the normal rotation of the paper feed roller 108, the mechanism stops mechanically after a predetermined time from step S110, and the pressure plate 110 is also moved by the cam (not shown). It is configured to stop in a separated state by the action of (omitted).
On the other hand, the manual feed guide member 120 is displaced upward again by the cam 112, and when stopped, the manual feed guide member 120 is again in a manual feed standby state.

Then, according to the print data, step S1
11, one line printing and line feed are repeated in S112 and S113. If it is detected in step S113 that the print data in one page has been completed, the sheet is discharged in step S114, a page break command is waited in step S115, and if there is a command, the process returns to step S103 to similarly execute the next page. Execute printing.

If it is determined in step S102 that the mode is the manual feed mode, the process proceeds to step S116, in which the transport roller 19 starts rotating in the direction of arrow C (clockwise) and continues to rotate to the mechanical stop position. .

The difference in the feed control between the ASF paper feed mode and the manual paper feed mode in the present embodiment is the feed amount of the paper feed roller 108. In contrast, the manual feed mode is configured to perform one rotation. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, when the difference between the stacking positions of the sheets S in the ASF sheet feeding mode and the manual sheet feeding mode is small, the same transport amount may be set.

As described above, the separation resistance of the movable bank 116 serving as the separation means can be set optimally according to the characteristics of the fed sheet S or the paper feeding method (ASF paper feeding and manual paper feeding).

Next, a recording head that can be mounted on the image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) 10 will be described.

The function of the image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) 10 is to perform one-line recording on the sheet S by the recording head 6 discharging ink in accordance with a recording signal in synchronization with the reciprocating movement of the carrier 5. is there. That is, the recording head 6 generates a fine liquid ejection port (orifice), a liquid passage, an energy acting portion provided in a part of the liquid passage, and a droplet forming energy acting on the liquid in the energy acting portion. Energy generating means.

Means for generating such energy include a recording method using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element and the like, energy generation for irradiating electromagnetic waves such as a laser to generate heat, and discharging droplets by the action of this heat generation. There is a recording method using means or a recording method using energy generating means for discharging liquid droplets by heating a liquid by an electrothermal converter such as a heating element having a heat generating resistance. Among these, the recording head used in the ink jet recording method of discharging droplets by thermal energy has a high density of liquid discharge ports for discharging recording liquid to form discharge droplets. The recording head using an electrothermal transducer as an energy source can be easily made compact, and with the recent technological progress in the field of semiconductors. This is advantageous because the advantages of IC technology and micromachining technology, which have remarkably improved reliability, can be fully utilized, high-density mounting is easy, and manufacturing cost is low.

As the recording head 6, for example, FIG.
There are two types, a monochrome recording head shown in (a) and (b), and a color recording head (not shown), and either of them is mounted on the carrier 5 of the image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) 10.

Next, an operation for detachably mounting the two types of recording heads 6 on the carrier 5 will be described.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the recording head 6 is not mounted on the carrier 5. When the recording head 6 is mounted on the carrier 5, the recording head terminal 51 is electrically connected to the cable terminal 7. . Two recording head positioning projections (one of which is not shown) 5 a provided on the surface where the cable terminal portion 7 is located are located in the positioning notch 53 of the recording head 6, and the other recording head positioning projection is located in the recording notch 53. The recording heads 6 are fitted into the positioning holes 55 of the head 6, respectively, so that the recording head 6 is accurately positioned with respect to the carrier 5.

A contact spring (not shown) is provided at a position facing the cable terminal portion 7 of the carrier 5.
A head guide 45 made of resin is fixed to the tip end. That is, the head guide 45 urges the recording head 6 toward the cable terminal portion 7 to realize an electrical connection between the cable terminal portion 7 and the recording head terminal portion 51. In addition, the head guide 45 has a function of allowing the recording head 6 to be attached or detached by flexing when the recording head 6 is replaced, and of holding the mounted recording head 6 so as not to come off upward.

Therefore, when the operator replaces the recording head 6, the recording head 6 is inserted so that the recording head terminal portion 51 side faces the cable terminal portion 7 of the carrier 5, and then the upper surface of the recording head 6 is replaced. By pressing the head downward, the head guide 45 is bent, and the recording head 6 is mounted with a click feeling, at which time the electrical connection is completed. When the recording head 6 is detached, the head guide 45 is bent by pulling up the attachment / detachment operation portion 57 of the recording head 6 with a finger, and the recording head 6 can be detached from the carrier 5.

Next, the case where the recording head 6 is a monochrome recording head will be described in more detail. FIG. 10 (a),
In (b), reference numeral 59 denotes a monochrome ink tank containing ink, and the monochrome ink tank 59 is detachably inserted by a latch member 61 formed integrally and elastically. On the surface on the opposite side of the monochrome ink tank 59, an ink ejection port surface 63 having a nozzle portion for ejecting ink for recording is formed, and when a print signal is input via the recording head terminal portion 51, Then, the ink in the monochrome ink tank 59 is discharged from the nozzles of the ink discharge port surface 63 onto the sheet S and printed.

When the ink is consumed by the printing and the ink in the monochrome ink tank 59 is exhausted, the latch member 61 is bent to remove the empty monochrome ink tank 59 and install another new monochrome ink tank 59. By doing so, printing can be resumed.

Next, the case where the recording head 6 is a color recording head will be described.

In FIGS. 10A and 10B, in order to perform color recording on the portion corresponding to the ink ejection port surface 63, independent portions for ejecting four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are provided. Four types of nozzle groups are provided. Further, two ink tanks, a black ink tank formed smaller than the monochrome ink tank 59 and a color ink tank having three independent liquid chambers therein and containing yellow, magenta, and cyan ink respectively, are provided. The nozzles are detachably mounted, and are connected to respective yellow, magenta, cyan, and black nozzle groups provided on the ink ejection port surface through independent ink flow paths via detachable joints.

As can be seen from the fact that the above-described monochrome recording head and color recording head are interchangeable, since the external dimensions of the two are almost the same, the size of the monochrome ink tank 59 for the monochrome recording head is The size is substantially equal to the total size of the color ink tank and the black ink tank of the color recording head. Further, the color ink tank and the black ink tank of the color recording head can be freely attached and detached by latches provided respectively for the color recording head and the monochrome recording head.

As described above, by mounting the color recording head on the carrier 5, recording by color printing becomes possible, and when the black ink runs out, only the black ink tank is replaced, and yellow, magenta, and cyan are replaced. When any one of them or all of them are exhausted, it is possible to replace only the color ink tank.

Next, a procedure for replacing the above-described recording head (for example, monochrome recording head) 6 and ink tank (monochrome ink tank 59) will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

First, in step S201, the keyboard unit 3
Interrupt for replacing the recording head 6 and the ink tank by the key input of
If it is determined in step 202 that a printhead that does not conform to the selection menu is mounted, or if it is determined in step S203 that there is no ink in the ink tank, the carrier motor 17 is driven in step S204 to drive the carrier 5.
Is moved to a prescribed exchange position where exchange is easy, and if exchange is confirmed in step S205, step S20
6, the cap 61 is opened or retracted, and the carrier 5 is returned to the home position in step S207. If it is determined in step S208 that the printhead mounted on the carrier 5 is the proper printhead 6, the process proceeds to step S209. In step S209, the pump unit 63 sucks ink from the ink discharge ports of the printhead 6. .

By performing this processing, the recording head 6
Alternatively, when the ink tank is replaced, minute impurities such as air and dust mixed into the recording head 6 or the ink flow path that causes the ejection failure of the ink tank can be automatically sucked out of the recording head 6. Discharge failure can be prevented from occurring.

Next, a procedure of a recording process by the recording head (for example, a monochrome recording head) 6 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

First, in step S301, it is checked whether or not a command for executing recording, for example, a paper feed command or data to be recorded, has been received. If there is a recording command, the process proceeds to step S302. I do. In step S302, it is checked whether or not the recording head 6 is mounted on the carrier 5. If the recording head 6 is mounted, the process proceeds to step S303. If the recording head 6 is not mounted, error processing is performed in step S304. Step S3
In 04, an error message is displayed on the display unit 2,
Sounds a buzzer and warns.

In step S303, processing for starting recording is performed. Specifically, the temperature of the print head 6 is adjusted by a heater in the print head 6, the discharge is adjusted by discharging the print head 6 to the outside of the print area, and the shift amount of the carrier motor 17 during forward / reverse scanning. Is detected by the home position sensor 41 to correct the misalignment during bidirectional printing, and then the process proceeds to step S305 to feed the sheet S. This sheet feeding process is performed based on the above-described flowchart of FIG.

When the paper feeding process is performed in step S 305, the paper feeding state is checked in step S 306, and when the paper sensor 35 detects the insertion of the sheet S into the recording head 6, for example, after two seconds, The paper feed motor 20 is driven in the forward direction until the leading edge of the sheet S reaches the paper discharge sensor (not shown). If the paper discharge sensor (not shown) confirms that the leading end of the sheet S has arrived, the paper feed is performed. The motor 20 is driven in the reverse direction by a predetermined amount to perform cueing in preparation for the next recording operation, and the flow proceeds to step S307. If the insertion of the sheet S is not detected in step S306, it is determined that the sheet S is not properly inserted, and the process proceeds to step S308, where the paper feed motor 20 is driven in the reverse direction to discharge the sheet S to the insertion side. , An error message is displayed on the display unit 2.

In step S307, recording is performed on a line-by-line basis. Specifically, first, the paper feed motor 20 is driven in the forward direction by a predetermined amount to set the upper margin of the sheet S to the set value, and then the carrier motor 17 is driven to drive the recording head 6.
Ink is ejected to perform recording by printing, and when the recording of one line is completed, the sheet S is fed by a predetermined amount, and the process proceeds to step S309. In step S309, an error in recording on the sheet S is checked, and if there is no recording error, the process proceeds to step S310. The error check in step S309 includes, for example, detection of the lower end of paper, detection of paper jam, detection of presence / absence of ink, scanning errors of various motors, and the like.
An error message is displayed on the display unit 2 according to the detected error content.

In step S310, it is checked whether a command indicating the end of recording, for example, a paper discharge command, has been received. If recording has been completed, the process proceeds to step S311. In step S311, printing is completed, specifically, the sheet S is discharged in the forward direction, and capping is performed, which is an operation of covering the ink discharge port surface 63 of the print head 6 with the cap 61, and the process ends.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a configuration of a sheet feeding device 100 according to a second embodiment.

In the present embodiment, as the sheet S separating means, a claw separation method using a rotatable separation claw 131 is used instead of the bank separation method using an elastic movable bank used in the first embodiment. Configuration. In the present embodiment, a so-called one-claw separation method is used, in which the separation claw 131 is provided only at one end on the front side of the sheet S to be fed. The separation claw 131 has a reversible structure interlocked with a switching lever (not shown) that is a retracting means connected to the rotation shaft 137. When the operator operates this switching lever to set the manual feed mode, The separation claw 131 has an arrow D
By turning in the direction and descending to the position shown by the broken line,
The sheet S is configured to retreat from the conveyance path.
Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the above-described first embodiment. As described above, in the present embodiment, the sheet S fed in the manual sheet feeding mode has a smooth surface and slides on a slope having little frictional resistance because the separation claw 131 is retracted from the conveyance path of the sheet S. , And can easily reach the nip position formed by the transport roller 19 and the pinch roller 23.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 14 and FIG.
FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a sheet feeding device according to a third embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the control cam 14 which is rotatable above the projection 110a formed on the side surface of the pressure plate 110
1, and the drive of the control cam 141 is transmitted from a motor (not shown) via a gear and an electromagnetic clutch (not shown) that can be turned on and off at a desired timing. Other configurations and operations are the same as those described in the first embodiment.
This is the same as the embodiment.

In the present embodiment, in response to a command to change to the manual paper feed mode by a key input, a switch operation, or the like, the phase of the control cam 141 is changed by the rotation of the control cam 141 to press the protruding piece 110 a to press the pressure plate 110. By displacing the position, the sheet feeding roller 1 in the manual feed standby state
In this case, the insertion distance of the inserted sheet S is limited to the vicinity of the upper end of the movable bank 116 by reducing the separation distance between the sheet 08 and the pressure plate 110 and suppressing the descending amount of the pressure plate 110.

As described above, the control cam 141 stops at a certain phase during manual paper feeding.
The position of the cam surface 1 is in the manual feed standby state, that is, the chord portion of the feed roller 108 having a fan-shaped cross section is
0, a gap is formed between the paper feed roller 108 and the separation pad 111 so that at least one sheet S can be inserted thereinto, and rotation is started, as shown in FIG. When the arc portion faces the separation pad 111, as shown in FIG. 15, the sheet feeding roller 108 and the separation pad 111 are configured to abut.

In the ASF paper feed mode by the ASF mechanism including the pressure plate spring 109, the pressure plate 110, the paper feed roller 108, the separation pad 111, the movable bank 116, and the like,
The control cam 141 changes the position of the pressure plate 110 while changing the phase angle according to the rotation of the sheet feeding roller 108.

The present embodiment is not necessarily limited to the above configuration. For example, two types of the above-described control cams 14 for manual paper feed and ASF paper feed are prepared, and these are coaxially arranged in the thrust direction. By displacing the shaft and displacing this shaft in the thrust direction by the switching lever, a desired control cam can be selected to control the optimal pressure plate 110 in the manual paper feed mode and the ASF paper feed mode. it can.

(Fourth Embodiment) In each of the embodiments described above, the separation resistance variable means is switched between the manual paper feed mode and the ASF paper feed mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this. However, in the present embodiment, for example, by switching the position of the separation means to a plurality of stages according to the type of the sheet S, an optimum separation resistance according to the characteristics of the sheet S is added, and a more reliable sheet This is an example in which S is separated.

The configuration of the paper feeding apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 16 shows a so-called plain paper feeding state, and the configuration of the paper feeding apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 17 shows a thin paper feeding state. ing.

In feeding the plain paper S1 shown in FIG. 16, the separating claw 131 serving as the separating means is moved to the slide hole 1 serving as the moving means.
By moving the plain paper S1 to the right (downward direction of the separation bank 133) in the figure along 35 to increase the amount of projection of the plain paper S1 into the transport path, the separation resistance is in an optimum state. FIG.
In the feeding of the thin paper S2 shown in FIG.
1 along the slide hole 135 to the left in the figure (separation bank 1
By moving the thin paper S2 toward the transport path, the separation resistance is reduced to prevent wrinkles and the like. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the above-described first embodiment.

As described above, also in each of the second to fourth embodiments, the separation resistance of the separation means can be optimally set according to the characteristics of the fed sheet material or the sheet feeding method.

[0093]

As described above, according to the present invention, according to the characteristics of the sheet material or the sheet feeding method (for example, a plurality of sheet materials stacked on the sheet The first sheet feeding method for separating and feeding, and the second sheet feeding method for canceling the separating function of the separating means and feeding the sheet material one sheet at a time. Since the separation resistance of the sheet material can be changed, for example, the separation resistance caused by the separation unit, which is an obstacle when feeding thin paper by the second paper feeding method (manual paper feeding), is changed to a separation resistance variable unit. , And good feeding can be performed.

Further, by feeding paper using the feeding means also in the second paper feeding method (manual paper feeding), it is possible to optimize and stabilize the insertion force in feeding thick paper, for example. it can.

Furthermore, since the separation resistance by the separation resistance variable means can be optimally controlled according to the characteristics (type) of the sheet material, highly accurate feeding can be performed for a wide range of sheet material characteristics (type). It can be carried out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an information processing apparatus equipped with an image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) including a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an electric circuit configuration of an information processing apparatus equipped with an image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) including the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a sheet feeding operation of the sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a sheet feeding operation of the sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a sheet feeding operation of the sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a pressure plate of the sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating sheet feed control of the sheet feeder according to the first embodiment.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are image forming apparatuses (recording apparatuses);
FIG.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a head replacement process of a recording head.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a recording process of the image forming apparatus (recording apparatus).

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a sheet feeding operation of the sheet feeding device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a sheet feeding operation of a sheet feeding device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a sheet feeding operation of the sheet feeding device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a sheet feeding operation of a sheet feeding device according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a sheet feeding operation of a sheet feeding device according to a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 information processing device 2 display unit 3 keyboard unit 4 paper tray 5 carrier 6 recording head 10 image forming device (recording device) 19 transport roller (transport unit) 35 paper sensor 39 paper sensor lever 100 paper feed device 108 paper feed roller (feed 110 pressure plate (sheet material loading means) 111 separation pad 112 cam 116 movable bank (separation means) 120 manual guide member (separation resistance variable means) 201 CPU 131 separation claw (separation means) 135 slide hole (moving means) 141 Control cam (displacement means)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI B65H 3/56 310 B65H 3/56 310D

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A sheet material stacking means capable of stacking a plurality of sheet materials, a feeding means for feeding a sheet material stacked on the sheet loading means, and the sheet fed by the feeding means. A sheet separation device for separating the sheet material one by one, wherein a separation resistance variable for changing the separation resistance of the sheet material by the separation means according to a characteristic of the sheet material or a sheet feeding method of the sheet material. A sheet feeding device comprising: 2. The sheet feeding method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of sheet materials stacked on the sheet material stacking unit are separated and fed one by one by the feeding unit and the separating unit. 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second sheet feeding method for canceling a separating function of the separating unit and feeding the sheet material one by one. 3. 3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the sheet material is fed by the feeding unit even when the sheet is fed by the second sheet feeding method. 4. The feeding means includes: an urging means for urging the sheet material stacking means upward; and a rotatable feeding roller disposed above the sheet material stacking means on the downstream side in the feeding direction. And moving the sheet material stacking means upward by the urging means to rotate the feed roller against the sheet material stacked on the sheet material stacking means to feed the sheet material, The sheet feeding device according to claim 1. 5. The separation resistance varying means is a guide member for controlling a contact state of the sheet material with respect to the separation means, and the sheet material is kept in the guide member during standby for sheet feeding by the second sheet feeding method. 4. The sheet material stacking means is lifted above the sheet material stacking means, and the downstream end of the sheet material in the feeding direction is set near the upper end of the separating means or at a position higher than the upper end of the separating means. The paper feeding device according to claim 1. 6. The separation resistance varying means is a retreating means for retreating the separating means from a conveying path of the sheet material, and at the time of sheet feeding by the second sheet feeding method, the separating means is moved by the retreating means by the retreating means. The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sheet feeding device is retracted from a path. 7. The separation resistance varying means is a displacement means for displacing the position of the sheet material stacking means, and the position of the sheet material loading means is displaced by the displacement means in accordance with the feeding system. The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a gap between a material stacking unit and the feeding unit is adjusted. 8. The separating resistance varying means is a moving means for moving a position of the separating means, and moves the position of the separating means by the moving means in accordance with characteristics of the fed sheet material. Item 4. The sheet feeding device according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 9. The paper feeder according to claim 1, wherein the separation unit is a bank separation system, a claw separation system, or a friction separation system using an elastic body. 10. An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet material, and feeding the sheet material to the image forming unit.
An image forming apparatus comprising: the sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 9 to 9.