JPH11255359A - Paper feeder and image forming apparatus having it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily replace a paper feed roller and a cleaning means by constructing a paper feeding means and a cleaning means as an integrated unit, in an apparatus in which a sheet is fed by a paper feeding means and the surface of the paper feeding roller is cleaned by a cleaning means. SOLUTION: A paper feeder includes a paper feed roller unit in which a paper feed roller 5 and a roller cleaning brush 19 are integrated with each other, and in the case of replacing the unit U, first an operating arm 28b of a roller holder 28 is operated to release the fixing operation of a snap fit part 28a, and a first paper feeding cam 8, an idler roller 11 and the roller holder 28 are moved to a chain line position. Secondly, the paper feed roller unit U is shifted to the right in the axial direction to release the engagement of a paper feed roller collar 6 with a second paper feed cam 25, whereby the paper feed roller 5 is rotatable with respect to a paper feed square shaft 7. After that, the paper feed roller 5 is rotated about in a 180-degree arc and the paper feed roller unit U is drawn out downward to be removed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device for feeding a sheet by sheet feeding means having a sheet feeding roller and an image forming apparatus having the same, and more particularly to a structure for cleaning the sheet feeding roller. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a paper feeder for feeding a sheet by a paper feeder having a paper feed roller, which includes a brush member as cleaning means for cleaning the paper feed roller. As described in JP-A-53-106130 and JP-A-57-37942, they are arranged so as to always contact the paper feed roller.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a paper feeder equipped with such a brush member.
Reference numeral 0 denotes a paper feed roller. Here, this paper feed roller 100
Is a paper feed roller rubber 105 having a high friction coefficient and a roller surface, a paper feed roller collar 106 fixing the paper feed roller rubber 105, and a driving means (not shown) for holding the paper feed roller collar 106. A sheet feeding cam 108 fitted with a sheet feeding angle shaft 107 which is appropriately rotated by the control means, a sheet feeding roller 109 for first pushing down the upper surface of the sheet bundle S, a feeding device (not shown) after the sheet feeding operation, etc. The trailing end of the sheet conveyed by the
An idler roller 110 that separates the sheet from the sheet feeding roller 100 while remaining inside the sheet and is rotatable so as to minimize the resistance force received by the sheet.

On the other hand, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 118 denotes a roller cleaning brush which is a brush member. The roller cleaning brush 118 is attached to the surface of the paper feed roller rubber 105 and is derived from a sheet composed of fibrous material, filler and the like. We try to remove paper dust. Reference numeral 119 denotes a brush holder for holding the roller cleaning brush 118, and the brush holder 119 is attached to the frame 120 of the image forming apparatus.

[0005] The paper feed roller rubber 105
The paper dust consisting of fibers and filler adhering to the surface of the paper is wiped off by the roller cleaning brush 118, so that the paper feed roller rubber 1 is removed.
05 can be maintained for a certain period of time.

[0006]

Here, in such a conventional paper feeding device, the roller cleaning brush 118 is arranged so as to always contact the paper feeding roller 5 as described above. Since the paper dust adhering to the paper feed roller 5 adheres to the roller cleaning brush 118 every time the paper feeding operation is performed, when the paper feed roller 5 is replaced, the roller cleaning brush 118 also needs to be replaced at the same time.

However, for example, in the case of an image forming apparatus having a sheet feeding device arranged at a lower portion, the sheet feeding roller is disposed at the back of the bottom of the image forming device, and a roller cleaning brush for cleaning the sheet feeding roller is further provided with a hand. It will be located in a position that is difficult to enter. For this reason, the replacement of the paper feed roller and the roller cleaning brush must be performed in a state where the image forming apparatus is caused to be horizontally laid or turned over, causing a problem that the replacement is troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and a paper feeder capable of easily exchanging a paper feed roller and a cleaning means, and an image forming apparatus having the same. It is a first object to provide a device. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding device capable of reducing replacement of a sheet feeding roller and a cleaning unit, and an image forming apparatus including the same.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding apparatus including a sheet feeding unit having a sheet feeding roller and a cleaning unit for cleaning a surface of the sheet feeding roller. The paper feed unit and the cleaning unit are configured as an integrated unit, and the unit is detachably attached.

Further, according to the present invention, the cleaning means is provided in the unit so as to selectively contact the surface of the paper feed roller, and the cleaning means comes into contact with the paper feed roller at a predetermined timing. It is characterized by having means.

Further, according to the present invention, the contacting means includes a solenoid which is selectively excited, and an arm which moves so that the cleaning means comes into contact with the surface of the paper feed roller in accordance with the excitation of the solenoid. It is characterized by having.

The present invention further comprises a control device for controlling the abutting means so that the cleaning means selectively abuts on the paper feed roller, wherein the control device performs a retry operation by the paper feed roller. And / or when the sheet feeding tray for storing the sheet to be sent out by the sheet feeding roller is attached and detached, and / or when the sheet feeding roller sends out a predetermined number of sheets. Then, the cleaning means is brought into contact with the paper feed roller.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the cleaning means is detachably attached to the unit so that the cleaning means can be used.

Further, the present invention comprises a cleaning means for feeding a sheet by a paper feeding means having a paper feeding roller and cleaning the surface of the paper feeding roller, and a secondary cleaning means for cleaning the cleaning means. A paper feeding device, wherein the paper feeding unit, the cleaning unit, and the secondary cleaning unit are configured as an integrated unit, and the unit is detachably attached.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the unit is configured to be removable by removing the secondary cleaning means at the time of removal.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the unit is configured to be removable by moving the secondary cleaning means to a predetermined position at the time of removal.

Further, according to the present invention, the paper feed roller, the cleaning means, and the secondary cleaning means are held above a gap formed between the frame and the paper feed roller or perpendicularly from the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller. The cleaning means covers a desired direction.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a paper dust container for accommodating paper dust and the like coming off the cleaning means by the secondary cleaning means after being attached to the cleaning means is provided integrally with the unit. It is assumed that.

Further, as in the present invention, the paper feeding means having the paper feeding roller and the cleaning means for cleaning the surface of the paper feeding roller are constituted as an integral unit, and the paper feeding roller and the cleaning means are removed by removing this unit. Can be exchanged at the same time.

[0020]

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

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the configuration of a sheet feeding apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view in the direction A of FIG.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a sheet feeding tray which is removed from the sheet feeding device when the sheet bundle is set in the sheet feeding device, and after the sheet bundle is inserted, is mounted again on the sheet feeding device. Reference numeral 2 denotes a middle plate that supports the stacked sheet bundle S and presses in the direction of a later-described paper feed roller 5 that is a paper feeding force generating source. 3 presses the lower surface of the middle plate 2 to raise the middle plate 2 upward. The middle leaf spring 4 is a separation sheet that generates a frictional force with the lowermost sheet to prevent double feeding of the last sheet.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a paper feed roller. The paper feed roller 5 includes a paper feed roller rubber 5A forming a roller surface and having a high friction coefficient, and a paper feed roller fixing the paper feed roller rubber 5A. Color 6 and paper feed roller color 6
And drive means and control means (not shown)
First and second paper feed cams 8 and 25 fitted to a paper feed angular shaft 7 that rotates appropriately, and a rear end of a sheet conveyed by a conveyance device or the like (not shown) after a paper feed operation is performed. The first and second idler rollers 11, 26, which separate the sheet from the sheet feed roller rubber 5A while remaining inside the roller 1 and are rotatable so as to minimize the resistance force received by the sheet. .

Reference numerals 6a and 6b denote first and second ribs projecting laterally from the feed roller collar 6, and the first and second ribs 6a and 6b have cylindrical shapes of the feed roller rubber 5A. First and second paper feed roller joints 9 and 24 having sliding surfaces coaxial with the first and second paper feed roller joints are fitted respectively. Reference numeral 10 denotes a paper feed roller holder.
The paper feed roller 5 is rotatably held at 0 through the first and second paper feed roller joints 9 and 24.

Reference numeral 27 denotes a second idler roller 26
In order to attach the paper feed angle shaft 7 and the second idler roller 26,
And a second roller holder interposed between the rollers. The second roller holder 27 has a snap-fit portion 27a, and the position of the second idler roller 26 in the thrust direction with respect to the feed angle shaft 7 is determined by the snap-fit portion 27a.

Reference numeral 28 denotes the first idler roller 11
In order to attach the paper feed shaft 7 and the first idler roller 11
And a first roller holder interposed between the first roller holder and the first roller holder. The first roller holder 28 has a snap-fit portion 28a, and the position of the first idler roller 11 in the thrust direction with respect to the feed angle shaft 7 is determined by the snap-fit portion 28a.

The first idler roller 11 is integrally formed with an operation arm 28b for releasing the fixing operation of the snap-fit portion 28a. The operation arm 28b is turned by the user in the direction opposite to the arrow shown in FIG. By pressing in the direction, the fixing operation of the snap fit portion 28a is released. By releasing the fixing operation of the snap fit portion 28a, the first sheet feeding cam 8, the first idler roller 11, and the first roller holder 2 are released.
8 can be moved to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line.

On the other hand, reference numeral 19 denotes a roller cleaning brush for removing paper dust derived from a sheet composed of fibrous material, filler and the like attached to the surface of the paper feed roller rubber 5A. A brush holder 20 rotatably attached to a brush holder 10 via a brush shaft 21 is connected to a predetermined position of the brush holder 20 by means such as bonding.

Reference numeral 22 denotes one end of the paper feed roller holder 10,
The other end is a brush spring 22 which is engaged with the brush holder 20 and generates a force for pressing the brush holder 20 in the direction of the paper feed angle shaft 7. The roller cleaning unit coupled to the brush holder 20 by the spring force of the brush spring 22. The brush 19 contacts the paper feed roller rubber 5A with an appropriate pressure.

The upper end of the paper feed roller holder 10 is
At least while the paper feed roller 5 is rotating, the paper feed roller 5 is caused to abut against the frame 23 of the paper feed device by the rotation torque, so that the paper feed roller holder 10 in the paper feed device at the time of paper feeding. The posture is kept constant, and the posture of the roller cleaning brush 19 is also kept constant.

As described above, in this embodiment, by attaching the roller cleaning brush 19 and the paper supply roller 5 to the paper supply roller holder 10, the paper supply roller 5 and the roller cleaning brush 19 are integrated. A paper roller unit U is configured.

When the paper feeding roller unit U is attached to and detached from the paper feeding device, the paper feeding roller unit U can be attached to and detached from the paper feeding angle shaft 7 as shown in FIG. 6, the first and second paper feed roller joints 9, 24 and the paper feed roller holder 10 have openings 10A, 6A, 9A, 24A, respectively. When assembling the sheet feeding roller unit U, the assembling is performed such that the directions of the openings 10A, 6A, 9A, and 24A match.

On the other hand, reference numeral 12 denotes a separation pad for preventing sheets from being stacked, and 13 denotes a separation pad holder for holding the separation pad 12, and 14 denotes one end of which is held by the sheet feeding tray 1 and the other end thereof is pushed by the separation pad holder 13. Contact, separation pad 1
2 is a separation pad spring that presses the paper feed roller 2 in the direction of the paper feed angle axis 7;
Reference numerals 5 and 16 denote first and second transport guides for determining the transport direction of the sheet, 17 a transport roller for transporting the fed sheet, and 18 a transport roller facing the transport roller 17 to form a nip.

Next, the sheet feeding operation of the sheet feeding device thus configured will be described.

The sheet bundle S is stacked on the middle plate 2 of the removed sheet tray 1 by the user, and the sheet bundle S is set in the sheet feeding device by mounting the sheet tray 1 on the sheet feeding device again. Is done. In this state, the sheet bundle S receives the urging force of the middle plate spring 3 and receives the first sheet bundle S.
And the second idler rollers 11 and 26.

On the other hand, when the sheet feeding operation of a driving device (not shown) and a control device 90 shown in FIG. 8, 25, and the first and second paper feed cams 8, 25
Paper feed roller collar 6, paper feed roller rubber 5A fitted with
That is, the paper feed roller 5 starts rotating at the same time and comes into contact with the sheet.

The paper feed roller 5 comes into contact with the uppermost surface of the sheet bundle S being pushed up by the urging force of the middle plate spring 3, and applies a frictional force to one of the uppermost surfaces. Under this force, at least one uppermost sheet starts to advance, and eventually reaches a nip formed by the paper feed roller 5 and the separation pad 12 urged by the separation pad spring 14.

Here, in this nip, the separation pad 1
Due to the frictional force 2 and the separating effect of the wedge shape, the sheets other than the topmost one are stopped, while only the topmost one is fed ahead, and then the first and second conveyance guides 1 are fed.
The leading edge enters the nip formed by the transport rollers 17 and the transport rollers 18 while being guided by the rollers 5 and 16, receives a strong transport force, and is transported to an image forming unit or the like.

By the way, the paper dust or the like adhering to the paper feed roller rubber 5A is removed by the roller cleaning brush 19 which is in contact with the paper feed roller rubber 5A with an appropriate pressure by the spring force of the brush spring 22.
Is wiped off.

Next, a method of replacing the paper feed roller unit U in which the paper feed roller 5 and the roller cleaning brush 19 are integrated will be described.

First, the operation of operating the operating arm 28b of the first roller holder 28 to release the fixing operation of the snap-fit portion 28a is performed, and the first sheet feeding cam 8, the first idler roller 11 and the first roller holder 28 are described above. It is moved to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Next, the sheet feeding roller unit U is shifted rightward as indicated by the arrow in FIG. As a result, the fitting between the paper feed roller collar 6 and the second paper feed cam 25 is released, and the paper feed roller 5 can be made rotatable with respect to the paper feed angle shaft 7.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the paper feed roller 5 thus rotatable is rotated by about 180 ° from the state shown in FIG. Then, when the paper feed roller 5 is rotated in this way, the paper feed roller unit U makes the opening 6A of the paper feed roller collar 6, the first and second
Since the openings 9A and 24A of the paper feed roller joints 9 and 24 and the opening 10A of the paper feed roller holder 10 are assembled in the same direction, the paper feed roller unit U
Can be easily removed by pulling it out in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG.

Here, the feed roller unit U
At the time of removing the roller cleaning brush 19 and the tip of the brush holder 20, the spring force of the brush spring 22 enters the opening of the paper feed roller collar 6 as shown in FIG. Thus, when the paper feed roller unit U is pulled out in the direction of the arrow, the roller cleaning brush 19 and the brush holder 20 do not come into contact with the paper feed square shaft 7, and it is possible to prevent a problem in removing the paper feed roller unit U. it can.

On the other hand, when a new paper feed roller unit U is mounted, the opening 6A of the paper feed roller collar 6 and the openings 9A, 2 of the first and second paper feed roller joints 9, 24 are provided.
4A and the paper feed roller unit U assembled so that the directions of the openings 10A of the paper feed roller holder 10 match.
Is pushed in the direction opposite to the arrow in FIG. 3, and then the paper feed roller 5 is rotated by about 180 °.

Thereafter, the paper feed roller unit U is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow in FIG.
By moving the idler rollers 11 in the same direction, the mounting of the paper feed roller unit U is completed.

As described above, the paper feed roller 5 and the roller cleaning brush 19 are integrated, and the paper feed roller unit U in which the paper feed roller 5 and the roller cleaning brush 19 are integrated is replaced. 5 and roller cleaning brush 19
Can be exchanged at the same time.

Further, the roller cleaning brush 19 can be attached and detached without causing the image forming apparatus,
The replacement of the paper feed roller 5 and the roller cleaning brush 19 can be easily performed. Furthermore, the roller cleaning brush 19 having a high cleaning effect retains dirt such as paper dust in the fiber, and as a result, the cleaning effect tends to be greatly reduced.
If it is configured to be replaced at the same time as the paper feed roller 5, a brush material having a high cleaning effect can be adopted.

Further, by integrating the paper feed roller 5 and the roller cleaning brush 19 in this manner, the paper feed roller 5 is limited to countries and regions where paper with a large amount of paper dust is frequently used. It can be easily supplied as a unit U or supplied as a countermeasure product.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same or corresponding parts.

In the figure, 31 is a paper feed roller holder, and 20a is a spring hook formed on the brush holder 20. A brush separation spring 35 applies a force in a direction to separate the roller cleaning brush 19 from the paper feed roller rubber 5A. The brush separation spring 35 has one end connected to a locking portion 31a formed on the paper supply roller holder 31, and to the other. The ends are respectively engaged with spring hooks 20a of the brush holder 20.

Reference numeral 36 denotes a solenoid controlled by a control device 90 (see FIG. 14), and 37 operates by receiving the electromagnetic force of the solenoid 36. That is, the solenoid 37 rotates downward to move the brush holder 20 to the spring force of the brush separation spring 35. Arm to push down against
A harness 38 connects the solenoid 36 and the control device 90.

Here, FIG.
Is held at a position separated from the paper feed roller rubber 5A by the brush separation spring 35. This position is a position where the roller cleaning brush 19 does not hinder the attachment and detachment of the sheet supply roller unit U when attaching and detaching the sheet supply roller unit U.

In the paper feeder having such a configuration, the solenoid 36 is excited as needed or periodically under the control of the control device 90, and accordingly, the contact means is constituted together with the solenoid 36. When the arm 37 is rotated downward as shown in FIG. 5 and pushes down the brush holder 20, the roller cleaning brush 19 is moved to the feed roller rubber 5A.
, And the paper dust and the like adhering to the paper feed roller rubber 5A are removed.

After the cleaning is completed, the excitation of the solenoid 36 is released at a predetermined timing, so that the roller cleaning brush 19 is moved to a position separated from the paper feed roller rubber 5A shown in FIG. Return.

Here, the timing of this cleaning is as follows.
When the control device 90 detects that the retry operation for performing the sheet feeding operation again when the leading end of the sheet does not reach the pair of conveying rollers 17 and 18 in one sheet feeding operation, the sheet feeding failure occurs. When the sheet feeding tray 1 is attached or detached, or after a certain number of sheets are fed.

By cleaning the paper feed roller 5 at a predetermined timing as described above, the wear of the paper feed roller 5 due to the contact with the roller cleaning brush 19 can be minimized. The durability of the unit U can be improved, and replacement of the paper feed roller 5 and the roller cleaning brush 19 can be reduced. Further, as described above, when the paper feed roller unit U is attached or detached, it is necessary to rotate the paper feed roller 5 by about a half turn (see FIG. 3), but the load due to the brush contact at that time is eliminated, and replacement is easy. Becomes

In the present embodiment, the cleaning operation is electrically controlled by using the solenoid 36. For example, when the sheet feeding tray 1 is removed, the roller cleaning brush 1 is controlled only once.
Even when a mechanism that allows the sheet 9 to contact the paper feed roller 5 is used, the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be obtained.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same or corresponding parts.

In the figure, reference numeral 40 denotes a paper feed roller holder, and reference numeral 42 denotes a brush handle for holding the roller cleaning brush 19. The brush handle 42 includes a boss 43 fitted in a mounting hole (not shown) formed in the paper feed roller holder 40, an arm 44 that elastically allows the boss 43 to move in the thrust direction, and an arm 4.
4 is provided on the moving end side of the paper feed roller 4 and is locked by a square hole 40 </ b> A indicated by a dotted line in the drawing provided on the paper feed roller holder 40.

Normally, the roller cleaning brush 19 is held by the paper feed roller holder 40 by locking the locking claw 45 into the square hole 40A of the paper feed roller holder 40 by the elasticity of the arm 44. ing. The brush handle 42, the boss 43, the arm 44, and the locking claw 45 are formed by integral molding.

Here, in this embodiment, the sheet feeding operation and the sheet feeding roller unit attaching / detaching operation are the same as those in the first embodiment, but the sheet feeding roller rubber 5A is cleaned by removing the sheet feeding roller unit U. After that, the brush handle 42 is detached from the paper feed roller holder 40 against the elasticity of the arm 44, and the surface of the paper feed roller rubber 5A is manually applied by the user.

By removing the sheet feeding roller unit U and cleaning the sheet feeding roller 5 by hand, the cleaning operation is performed only when the sheet feeding performance actually decreases. Therefore, the wear of the feed roller 5 is not accelerated. Thereby, the exchange of the paper feed roller 5 and the roller cleaning brush 19 can be reduced.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 denote the same or corresponding parts.

In the figure, reference numeral 50 denotes a paper feed roller holder, 51 denotes a roller cleaning brush, 52 denotes a brush holder for holding the roller cleaning brush 51, and the brush holder 52 is a brush fixed to the paper feed roller holder 50. The shaft 53 is rotatably supported by the sheet supply roller holder 50.

A brush spring 54 presses the roller cleaning brush 51 against the paper feed roller rubber 5A. One end of the brush spring 54 is supported by the paper feed roller holder 50 and the other end is supported by the brush holder 52.

Reference numeral 55 denotes a scraper which is provided on the paper feed roller 5 and is a secondary cleaning means for cleaning the roller cleaning brush 51 every time the paper feed roller 5 rotates. Reference numeral 56 denotes a scraper holder for holding the scraper 55, and reference numeral 57 denotes a paper feed. The shaft is provided integrally with the roller collar 6, and the scraper holder 56 is held by the shaft 57 so as to be rotatable and detachable.

Reference numeral 58 denotes a hook formed integrally with the scraper holder 56.
Reference numeral 8 denotes a hook which is hooked on a hooking surface (not shown) of the first paper feed cam 8 when the first paper feed cam 8 is assembled, and fixes the scraper holder 56 so as not to rotate.

By fixing the scraper holder 56 by the first sheet feeding cam 8 in this manner, in the present embodiment, the sheet feeding roller 5, the roller cleaning brush 19 and the scraper 55 are integrated. The roller unit U1 is configured.

The feed roller unit U1 is, for example, the feed roller unit U of the first embodiment described above.
Similarly to the above, the opening 6A of the feed roller collar 6 and the openings 9A and 24A of the first and second feed roller joints 9 and 24.
The paper feed roller holder 10 is assembled such that the directions of the openings 10A thereof coincide with each other. Further, the sheet feeding operation and the operation of cleaning the sheet feeding roller 5 in the present embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, cleaning of the roller cleaning brush 51 is performed as follows.

Now, when the sheet feeding roller 5 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 8 and conveys the sheet S ₁ , the roller cleaning brush 51 is accordingly moved by the force of the brush spring 54 to feed the sheet S 5.
The roller A hits following the surface shape of A, but when the range of the paper feed roller rubber 5A ends, it comes into contact with the scraper 55 next.

At this time, the pressing force determined by the brush spring 54 and the movement of the scraper 55 due to the rotation of the paper feed roller 5
Paper dust and the like attached to the roller cleaning brush 51 are swept away. As a result, the paper dust and the like cleaned from the paper feed roller 5 adhering to the surface of the roller cleaning brush 51 are periodically removed.

Next, a method of replacing the paper feed roller unit U1 will be described.

First, the first paper feed cam 8, the first idler roller 11 and the like are moved to the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above. Next, as shown in FIG. 9, after rotating the feed roller 5 by about 180 °, the scraper holder 56 is moved to the opening 6A of the feed roller collar 6 with the shaft 57 as a fulcrum, and the first and second feed rollers. The opening portions 9A and 24A of the joints 9 and 24 and the opening portion 10A of the sheet feeding roller holder 10 are rotated in the opening direction, and then the sheet feeding roller unit U1 is pulled out in the direction shown by the arrow.

Thus, the paper feed roller unit U1 can be easily removed. When the paper feed roller unit U1 is removed, the leading ends of the roller cleaning brush 51 and the brush holder 52 enter the opening of the paper feed roller collar 6 by the spring force of the brush spring 54 as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, when a new paper feed roller unit U1 after replacement is mounted, the opening 6
A, openings 9A and 24A of the first and second sheet feeding roller joints 9 and 24 and opening 1 of the sheet feeding roller holder 10
After pushing in the sheet feeding roller unit U1 assembled so that the directions of 0A coincide with each other, the opening 6A of the sheet feeding roller collar 6 is pivoted with the scraper holder 56 using the shaft 57 as a fulcrum. And the like are turned in the closing direction.

After that, the paper feed roller 5 is rotated by about 180 ° and moved in the direction opposite to the arrow shown in FIG. 2, and then the first paper feed cam 8 and the first idler roller 11 are moved in the same direction. The feed roller unit U1
Is completed. As described above, by replacing the paper feed roller unit U1 in which the paper feed roller 5, the roller cleaning brush 19, and the scraper 55 are integrated,
The paper feed roller 5, the roller cleaning brush 19, and the scraper 55 can be easily replaced and mounted integrally with the paper feeder.

If the scraper 55 is detached from the paper feed roller unit U1 in advance instead of being rotated, the paper feed roller unit U1 falls by its own weight only by rotating the paper feed roller 5 half a turn. And can be easily removed.

Further, by supplying the parts as service parts in the form of the integrated paper feed roller unit U1, the structure can be simplified, and the occurrence of service operation errors in the market can be prevented. Can be prevented beforehand.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view of a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 10, the same reference numerals as those in FIG.
The same or corresponding parts are shown.

In the same figure, reference numeral 62 denotes a brush holder. As shown in FIG. 11, which is a detailed view of a portion B in FIG. The distal end portion is formed so as to extend so that the distal end of the holder 62 overlaps the vertical direction.

A shaft hole 61 is formed in the upper part of the brush holder 62 so as to support the brush shaft 53.
The shaft hole 61 has a vertically long slot shape so that the vertical movement of the brush holder 62 can be secured.
By thus forming the shaft hole 61 into a long hole shape, the brush holder 62 can be moved upward when the paper feed roller unit U1 is replaced, so that the leading end interferes with the paper feed roller collar 6. The brush holder 62 can be inserted into the opening of the paper feed roller collar 6 as shown in FIG.

The paper feeding operation, the cleaning operation of the paper feeding roller 5 and the cleaning operation of the roller cleaning brush in this embodiment are the same as those in the fourth embodiment.

By the way, as a result of performing a large-volume paper-passing test on the paper that actually generates a large amount of paper dust and the like in the fourth embodiment, the paper dust and the like swept away from the roller cleaning brush 51 by the scraper 55 are removed around the brush. Has been found to float and accumulate on places where the flow of the wind is weak, for example, on the upper surface opposite to the side facing the paper feed roller 5 of the brush holder 62.

However, even if the paper dust accumulates on the upper surface of the brush holder 62 and the lump of paper powder falls from the tip of the brush holder 62 in this way, in the present embodiment, the supply of the paper dust is as described above. Since the wall surface of the paper roller holder 50 and the tip of the brush holder 62 overlap vertically, the paper dust mass directly deposited on the paper feed roller A does not fall.

Thus, it is possible to prevent paper dust and the like adhering to the paper feed roller 5 from re-adhering to the surface of the paper feed roller 5. Further, when the paper feed roller unit U1 is attached or detached, the paper dust falls by its own weight, so that the cleaning operation inside the machine is not required.

Although the present embodiment has been described with respect to a configuration in which the sheet overlaps when viewed from the vertical direction, the present invention is not limited to this, and overlaps when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the outer peripheral surface of the sheet feeding roller 5. It is obvious that the same effect can be obtained even with the configuration.

Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 12 is a schematic sectional view of a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 12, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 10 indicate the same or corresponding parts.

In the figure, reference numeral 71 denotes a paper feed roller holder, and reference numeral 72 denotes a paper dust block capable of temporarily holding a paper dust mass accumulated on the upper surface of the brush holder 62. Reference numeral 74 denotes a paper dust container that holds a paper dust mass 75 that temporarily falls in the paper dust block 72 and then falls downward due to its own weight or impact, and the paper dust container 74 is attached to the paper feed roller holder 71. ,
That is, it is integrally attached to the paper feed roller unit U1.

Then, with this configuration,
After being swept away from the roller cleaning brush 51 by the scraper 55, the paper dust floating temporarily and adhered in the area partitioned by the paper dust block 72 grows into a paper dust lump having a certain size. The paper dust mass falls downward due to its own weight or impact, and accumulates in the paper dust container 74.

Then, thereafter, the sheet feeding roller unit U1
Is replaced, the paper feed roller 5, the roller cleaning brush 51, the scraper 55, and the paper dust container 74 containing the paper dust can be simultaneously replaced. In addition, since the place where the lump of paper dust falls can be determined and held, the risk of paper dust contamination can be eliminated.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus provided with the sheet feeding device according to any of the first to sixth embodiments described above.

Here, in such an image forming apparatus, the sheets fed one by one from the paper feed tray 1 by the paper feed roller 5 are separated by the first and second transport guides 15 and 16.
The tip of the nip formed by the transport roller 17 and the transport roller 18 is guided by the guide roller, receives a strong transport force, and is transported to the registration roller 80.

Thereafter, when the leading end position of the developed image formed on the photosensitive drum 81 reaches the position of the transfer nip where the photosensitive drum 81 contacts the transfer roller 82, the rotation of the registration roller 80 is controlled. The timing is set so that the leading edge of the sheet is conveyed to the transfer nip. Note that the photosensitive drum 81 and the transfer roller 82 constitute an image forming unit.

After the developed image on the photosensitive drum 81 is transferred to the sheet at the transfer nip in this way, the sheet is separated from the photosensitive drum 81 and is conveyed to the fixing device 84 by the conveying belt 83. In the fixing device 84,
The sheet is nipped between the heating member 85 and the pressure roller 86 to fix the unfixed image transferred to the sheet.
Thereafter, the sheet on which the toner image has been fixed passes through the conveyance path B, and is discharged to the tray 89 of the image forming apparatus main body 88 by the discharge roller pair 87.

[0101]

As described above, according to the present invention, the sheet feeding roller and the cleaning means are replaced by replacing the unit in which the sheet feeding means and the cleaning means (and the secondary cleaning means) are integrated. They can be replaced at the same time, and the replacement of the paper feed roller and the cleaning means can be easily performed.

Further, by selectively performing cleaning of the paper feed roller, replacement of the paper feed roller and the cleaning means can be reduced. Further, by exchanging the unit in which the paper dust container is integrated, the paper dust container, the paper feed roller and the cleaning means can be simultaneously replaced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a sheet feeding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view in the direction A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing a method of mounting a paper feed roller unit of the paper feed device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a sheet feeding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a sheet feeding roller cleaning operation of a roller cleaning brush according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a sheet feeding device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a sheet feeding device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the operation of the scraper according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a method of mounting a paper feed roller unit according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a sheet feeding device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a partial detailed view of a sheet feeding device according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a sheet feeding device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a conventional sheet feeding device.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus including a sheet feeding device according to any of the first to sixth embodiments.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 5 feed roller 5A feed roller rubber 6 feed roller color 7 feed angle shaft 10, 31, 40, 50, 71 feed roller holder 19, 51 roller cleaning brush 20, 52, 62 brush holder 36 solenoid 37 arm 55 scraper 75 Paper Powder Container 81 Photosensitive Drum 82 Transfer Roller 88 Image Forming Apparatus Main Body S Sheet Bundle U, U1 Feed Roller Unit

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A sheet feeding device comprising a sheet feeding unit having a sheet feeding roller and a cleaning unit for cleaning a surface of the sheet feeding roller, the sheet feeding unit and the cleaning unit. As an integral unit, and the unit is detachably mounted. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit is provided on the unit so as to selectively contact a surface of the paper feed roller.
2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a contact unit that causes the cleaning unit to contact the sheet feeding roller at a predetermined timing. 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the contact unit includes a solenoid that is selectively excited, and an arm that moves so that the cleaning unit contacts the surface of the sheet feeding roller when the solenoid is excited. 3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein: 4. A control device for controlling said contact means so as to selectively contact said cleaning means with said paper feed roller, said control device comprising: when said paper feed roller performs a retry operation, And / or when a paper feed tray for storing sheets to be fed by the paper feed roller is attached / detached, and / or
3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein when the sheet feeding roller feeds out a predetermined number of sheets, the contact unit is controlled to cause the cleaning unit to contact the sheet feeding roller. 5. The paper feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit is detachably attached to the unit so that the cleaning unit can be used. 6. A sheet feeding apparatus, comprising: a cleaning unit for feeding a sheet by a sheet feeding unit having a sheet feeding roller and cleaning a surface of the sheet feeding roller; and a secondary cleaning unit for cleaning the cleaning unit. A paper feeding apparatus, wherein the paper feeding unit, the cleaning unit, and the secondary cleaning unit are configured as an integrated unit, and the unit is detachably attached. 7. The sheet feeding device according to claim 6, wherein the unit is configured to be removable by removing the secondary cleaning unit when removing the unit. 8. The paper feeder according to claim 6, wherein the unit is configured to be removable by moving the secondary cleaning unit to a predetermined position when the unit is removed. . 9. A direction perpendicular to a space above a gap formed between a frame holding the sheet feeding unit, the cleaning unit and the secondary cleaning unit and the sheet feeding roller or from an outer peripheral surface of the sheet feeding roller. 7. The sheet feeding device according to claim 6, wherein the sheet is covered by the cleaning unit. 10. A paper dust container for accommodating paper dust and the like coming off the cleaning means by the secondary cleaning means after being attached to the cleaning means is provided integrally with the unit. Item 7. The paper feeding device according to Item 6. 11. An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit and a sheet feeding device, wherein the sheet feeding device is the sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. Forming equipment.