JPH1135170A - Sheet feeder and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet feeder, in which positioning between a driving shaft arranged in a sheet loading means to be pulled out from a device case and the device case can be carried out precisely without applying any unnecessary load to the driving shaft and mounting workability for a sheet regulation plate can be improved, and an image forming device provided with the sheet feeder. SOLUTION: A storage box 15, which can be pulled out from a frame 16 (device case) by means of a guiding means, is provided with a bearing 31 (bearing part), which supports one end part side of a winding shaft 30 (driving shaft), and an oblong hole 15a (supporting part) supporting the other end part side of the driving shaft 30 while using the bearing 31 as the oscillation center. The frame 16 is provided with a bearing 40 (bearing part), to which the other end part, of the winding shaft 30 is fitted so as to be positioned when the storing box 15 is stored in the frame 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus for feeding sheets such as originals and recording paper, and an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional sheet feeding apparatus 100 provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 9, an image forming apparatus such as a known laser beam printer is mounted on an upper surface of the sheet feeding apparatus. The sheet feeding apparatus 100 feeds a sheet S to an image forming apparatus (not shown). Things.

The sheet feeding apparatus includes a tray 101 on which sheets S can be loaded and lowered, a storage 102 containing the tray, which can be pulled out to load the sheets S on the tray 101, and a storage 102. A guide 103 for supporting the storage and unloading of the storage, a feeding unit (a pickup roller, a retard roller pair and the like, not shown in the drawing, and the like) for feeding the sheet S on the tray 101, and a sheet S to the image forming apparatus. And a frame F equipped with a transport unit for feeding the frame.

A sheet S is provided inside the storage box 102.
Is suspended in the storage 102 by wires 104a, 104b, 104c, and 104d (hereinafter referred to as wires 104) fixed near four corners, and the other end of each wire is a pulley fixed to the storage. Pulley 1 rotatably engaged with shafts 105
The take-up winch 107 provided before and after the storage box 102 (front and rear sides in the pull-out direction) via the plurality of storages 106
a, 107b (hereinafter, take-up winch 107).

[0006] The take-up winch 107 is fixed to a single take-up shaft 108 rotatably fixed to the storage 102, and when the storage 102 is mounted on the frame F,
A gear 109 provided on the winding shaft 108 is connected to a gear 110 provided on the frame F, and a motor (not shown) provided on the frame F is driven so that the winding winch 1
07, the wires 104 are wound around the body of the take-up winch 107, and the tray 101 is raised.

[0007] Further, the storage shaft 102 is pulled out of the frame F to thereby take up the winding shaft 108 attached to the storage space 102.
The connection between the gear 109 and the gear 110 provided on the frame F is released. Then, the tray 101 descends due to its own weight and the weight of the sheet S.

The frame F is provided with a detecting means for detecting the upper surface of the rising sheet S. When detecting the upper surface of the rising sheet S, the motor for driving the winding winch is stopped.

Further, sheets S on the tray 101 are sequentially sent out by feeding means provided on the frame F,
When the position of the highest-order sheet is lowered, the detection means
The tray 101 is raised until the upper surface of the tray 101 is detected.

The pulley 106 through which each wire passes is
The pulley 106 and the wire 104 are set so that the contact point between the pulley 106 and the wire 104 comes on the vertical line of the fixed point between the tray 101 and the wire 104, and the tray is suspended by the wire 104 so as not to contact the storage.

Alternatively, the pulley 106 is connected to the pulley shaft so that stress is not applied to the wire 104 even when the wire 104 is wound in the axial direction of the winding winch 107 and the wire 104 moves in the axial direction of the winding winch 107. It is mounted so as to be movable in the axial direction of 105.

A sheet reference plate 111 serving as a sheet position reference in a direction perpendicular to the sheet S conveying direction is provided on the tray 10 so as not to obstruct the tray 101 from moving up and down.
It is attached to the storage 102 through a hole drilled in 1.

The sheet regulating plate 112 is also a sheet reference plate 11.
In the same manner as described above, it is attached to the storage 102 through a hole formed in the tray 101 so as not to hinder the lifting and lowering of the tray 101. Therefore, the sheets S stacked on the tray 101 are positioned by the sheet regulating plate 111 and the sheet reference plate 112 irrespective of the elevation of the tray 101.

In this prior art, the winding shaft 108
Is fixed to the storage 102 by bearings (not shown) fixed to the front plate 102a and the rear plate 102b of the storage 102.

[0015]

In such a configuration, when the storage 102 is stored in the frame F, the positioning of the storage 102 moving rearward by the guide 103 is performed.
At the same time, the operation is performed by inserting the distal end of the winding shaft 108 into a bearing 113 provided on the rear plate Fa of the frame F.

For this reason, a deviation may occur between the position of the winding shaft 108 and the position of the bearing 113 due to the assembling accuracy of the apparatus itself, the play of the guide 103 and the secular change.

The deviation in the left-right direction can be absorbed by the horizontal movement of the guide 103, but the deviation in the vertical (height) direction can be corrected by tilting the storage box 102 itself or bending the winding shaft 108. It may be deformed.

In such a state, the winding shaft 108 receives a bending moment or is deformed.
The winding shaft 108 is hardly rotated. Therefore, there arises a problem that a large driving force is required to rotate the winding shaft 108, and a device life is shortened due to an unbalanced load applied to the bearing.

In order to avoid this state, there is a case where the bearing 113 provided on the frame F is an elongated hole extending in the vertical direction (FIG. 9). In this case, since the positioning in the vertical direction is insufficient, the gear 1 of the winding shaft 108 is
09 and the gear 110 provided on the frame F side are reduced in meshing accuracy. This may increase the load on the drive unit or cause gear damage.

As for the sheet regulating plate 111 and the sheet reference plate 112, sheets of different sizes
In the case of mounting on the sheet 1, it is necessary for the operator to change the mounting position according to the size of the sheet.

However, these sheet regulating plates 11
Since the sheet reference plate 1 and the sheet reference plate 112 are sheet metal parts or thin sheet-shaped plastic molded products, they are liable to bend or bend.
It is difficult to smoothly insert the slit into the slit on the side, and if the size of the sheet is too large and the slit is too far away, the wrong slit may be inserted into another slit that is easy to insert. There was also a risk of triggering.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a winding (sheet loading means) provided in a storage (sheet loading means) which is pulled out from a frame (device housing). A sheet feeding device that accurately positions a take-up shaft (drive shaft) and a frame and does not apply an unnecessary load to a take-up shaft, and a sheet feeder that can improve workability in mounting a sheet regulating plate. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding device and an image forming apparatus including these sheet feeding devices.

[0023]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a tray which can be pulled out of an apparatus housing by a guide means and moves in accordance with a stacked amount of sheets, and A sheet stacking unit having a drive shaft substantially parallel to a pull-out direction for transmitting a driving force for moving the tray; and interlocking with a pull-out operation of the sheet stacking unit from the apparatus housing, one of the drive shafts In a sheet feeding apparatus for connecting / disconnecting an end-side driving force transmitting member and a driving force transmitting member of the apparatus casing, the sheet stacking means includes a bearing portion for supporting the other end side of a driving shaft. And a support portion that swingably supports one end of the drive shaft with the bearing portion as a swing center. The sheet stacking means is housed in the device housing in the device housing. State of the drive shaft Characterized in that it comprises a bearing portion for an end portion is fitted in and positioning.

A bearing may be provided at the position of the support portion of the sheet stacking means of the drive shaft.

The supporting portion of the sheet stacking means is a long hole which supports one end of the drive shaft so as to be vertically swingable.

The tray is hung by a sheet stacking means by a wire, and the drive shaft is capable of moving up and down the tray by winding and rewinding the wire to feed the sheets stacked on the tray. It is characterized by comprising a sheet feeding means.

Further, in a sheet feeding apparatus in which a sheet regulating plate for regulating the position of the sheets to be stacked is detachably attached to the sheet stacking means, the sheet regulating apparatus is provided on one of the sheet regulating plate and the sheet stacking means, and has a root from the tip. An insertion portion provided with a guide portion extending toward the front end, a holding portion provided at the other of the sheet regulating plate or the sheet stacking means, a holding portion having an opening width substantially equal to the thickness of the insertion portion at both ends, and the insertion portion at a center portion. A wide portion having an opening width larger than the thickness of the portion, and a slit having a guide width portion obliquely connecting the wide portion and the holding portion, and a guide portion for the insertion portion and a guide for the slit. The size and the relative positional relationship of the width portion are set so that the insertion portion and the slit are in contact with each other when the insertion is shifted.

An image forming apparatus is characterized by including the above-mentioned sheet feeding apparatus and image forming means for forming an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding apparatus.

[0029]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(Embodiment 1) An embodiment of a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that this embodiment will be described using a laser beam printer as an image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet feeding device as an option.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of a storage 15 of the sheet feeding device 13 and a frame 16 as an apparatus housing. FIG.
(B) is a state where the storage 15 was stored.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the entire configuration of the laser beam printer 1 and the sheet feeding device 13.

First, a schematic configuration of a laser beam printer and a sheet feeding device will be described with reference to FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a laser beam printer (hereinafter abbreviated as LBP) as an image forming apparatus, which has the following configuration.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a cassette in which sheets S are stacked and stored. The cassette 2 is provided at the lower part of the apparatus in two upper and lower stages so as to be detachably mounted on the front side of the apparatus. 3 is a pickup roller and a cassette 2
Is sent out from the uppermost side. A retard roller pair 4 separates and transports the fed sheets S one by one.

A feed roller pair 5 conveys the separated sheet S. Reference numeral 6 denotes a pair of registration rollers, which abuts the leading end of the sheet S against the nip to correct skew, and conveys the sheet S to the image forming unit at a predetermined timing.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a process cartridge containing known process means for image formation, which is detachably mounted on the apparatus main body. In the process cartridge 7, a photosensitive drum 7a, a charging device 7b, a developing device 7c,
A cleaning device 7d and the like are built in, and the photosensitive drum 7a is irradiated with laser light from a laser exposure device 8 in accordance with image information to perform writing.

A transfer roller 9 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 7a, and the photosensitive drum 7a and the transfer roller 9 are pressed.
The developed image (toner image) is transferred to the sheet S when passing through the gap.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a fixing device, which fixes a transferred image by applying heat and pressure to the sheet S after image transfer. The sheet S after the image transfer is conveyed through a reversing path, and is discharged by a discharge roller pair 11 to a discharge tray 12 formed on the upper surface of the apparatus with the image surface facing down (face down).

Next, the sheet feeding device will be described.
The sheet feeding device 13 also serves as a base for the above LBP1, and is arranged below the LBP1. The sheet feeding device 13 is capable of stacking and storing relatively large-sized sheets S that cannot be stored in the cassette 2, and
A large amount can be supplied to BP1.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a tray on which sheets S can be stacked and moved up and down. The tray 14 is provided in a storage 15 as sheet stacking means which can be pulled out to stack the sheets S on the tray 14.

The storage 15 has storage rails 15b provided on the left and right sides of the storage 15 and provided with wheels in the rear, and guides 17 provided on the left and right in the frame 16 and provided with wheels in the front.
, And can be pulled out toward the apparatus along the guide 17 by rotating the respective wheels.

The frame 16 has a pickup roller 18 for feeding out the sheets S on the tray 14 from the uppermost side, a pair of retard rollers 19 for separating and feeding the fed out sheets S one by one, and a feeding for feeding the separated sheets S to the LBP 1. A section 20 is provided.

In FIG. 8, the tray 14 has wires 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d as suspension means fixed around four corners, and is suspended in the storage case 15.

The other ends of the wires are connected to pulley shafts 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d fixed to the storage 15 so as to be rotatably engaged with pulleys 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d.
They are connected to winding winches 24 provided before and after via 23d.

The pulleys 23a, 23b, 23c, 2
3d is rotatably attached to the pulley shafts 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, respectively, but cannot move in the axial direction.

The take-up winch 24 is fixed to a take-up shaft 30 as a drive shaft to which a gear 27 (see FIG. 1) as a drive force transmitting member is attached. In this state, the winding winch 24 is connected to a driving gear 41 as a driving force transmitting member provided on the frame 16 and the motor M is driven to rotate the winding winch 24, and each wire is attached to the body of the winding winch 24. The tray 14 is lifted by winding.

When the storage 15 is pulled out of the frame 16, the connection between the gear 27 of the take-up winch 24 and the drive gear 41 fixed to the frame 16 is cut off. Descends by weight.

Here, the drawing / storing operation of the storage 15 with respect to the frame 16 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

First, the configuration will be described. The take-up shaft 30 to which the take-up winch 24 and the gear 27 are fixed is inserted into a bearing 31 (bearing portion) at an end on the near side in the drawing. The bearing 31 is attached to the front side plate of the storage.

The other end of the winding shaft 30 (rear side in the figure)
Is a vertically extending elongated hole 1 as a support portion of the storage 15
5a. The winding shaft 30 is connected to the bearing 3 on the near side.
A configuration is adopted in which it can swing in the region of the elongated hole 15a with 1 as a fulcrum.

The storage 15 is supported on the left and right by a storage rail 15b provided with wheels 15c and a guide 17 provided on a frame 16 and provided with wheels 17a.
By rotating c, 17a, it can be pulled out to the front side of the apparatus along the guide 17, and the storage rail 1
Since the width of 5b is smaller than the width of the guide 17 and has a clearance, it can be moved in the horizontal direction within the range of the clearance.

Next, the operation of inserting the storage 15 into the frame 16 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a state in which the storage 15 is changed from a state where the storage 15 is pulled out to a state where the storage 15 is stored in the order of (a) → (b) → (c).

In the state where the storage case 15 is pulled out, the gear 27 side of the winding shaft 30 is located at the lower end of the elongated hole 15a in the up-down direction, and the short side of the elongated hole 15a is perpendicular to the insertion direction (horizontal direction). At any position within the range of the axial clearance.

The housing 15 starts to be inserted in the direction of arrow A1 in FIG. 1, and the end of the winding shaft 30 (having a streamlined shape or an acute angle) is mounted on a bearing 40 (bearing portion) provided on the frame 16.
2B and 3B), the top end of the take-up shaft gear side is inserted into the bearing 40 in the vertical direction, so that the bearing portion 31 attached to the take-up shaft 30 is inserted. The end on the side of the gear 27 is inserted into the bearing 40 provided on the frame 16 while slightly swinging upward about the center of rotation.

In the left-right direction, the end of the winding shaft 30 is inserted into the bearing 40, and the housing 15 moves while following the bearing 40 provided on the frame 16. At this time,
The clearance between the storage rail 15b and the guide 17 of the frame is configured so that it can be guided by the bearing 40 fixed to the frame 16 by the taper at the tip of the take-up shaft 30 on the gear 27 side and can be inserted.

It is desirable that the clearance be as small as possible, that the taper angle at the tip of the winding shaft be gentle, and that the tip be spherical.

The winding shaft 30 in a state where the storage 15 is completely mounted on the frame 16 (FIGS. 2C and 3C)
The up and down direction is supported by a bearing 31 provided in the storage 15 and a bearing 40 provided in the frame 16.

At this time, the bearing 4 provided on the frame 16
0 and the driving gear 41 are accurately positioned, so that the gear 27 fixed to the winding shaft 30 and the frame 1
6 is connected to the drive gear 41 provided in an accurate meshing state.

In the left-right direction, the storage shaft 1 is inserted into the bearing 40 provided on the frame 16 so that the storage 1
The position of 5 is also determined by these relationships.

With such a configuration, the gear 27 of the storage 15 and the drive gear 41 are securely connected, and the winding shaft 30 can be used also as a positioning means in the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the storage 16. Since it is possible, there is no need to add another positioning means.

Further, it is possible to solve the problems such as the tooth skipping phenomenon that occurs when the meshing of the gears is too large, the breakage that occurs when the meshing is too small, and an increase in the load torque. Further, since no excessive force is applied to the winding shaft 30 itself, the load torque is stabilized, and uneven wear of the bearings 31 and 40 is eliminated.

The frame 16 is provided with detecting means (not shown) for detecting the upper surface (paper surface) of the tray 14 that has risen. When the upper surface (paper surface) of the tray 14 that has risen is detected, the winding winch 24 is moved. The driving of the rotating motor M is stopped.

The tray 1 is moved by a pickup roller 18 and a retard roller 19 installed on the frame.
When the sheet S on 4 is sent out and the sheet surface is lowered, the motor M is driven again to raise the tray 14 until the detecting means detects the sheet surface.

(Embodiment 2) In FIG.
A sheet reference plate 25 is provided as a sheet regulating plate that serves as a sheet position reference in a direction perpendicular to the sheet S conveyance direction. The sheet reference plate 25 is attached to the storage 15 through a hole formed in the tray 14 so as not to hinder the lifting and lowering of the tray 14.

On the side of the storage 15 facing the sheet reference plate 25, a sheet shifting plate 26 (for pressing the end of the sheet S opposite to the sheet reference plate 25 to shift the sheet S to the sheet reference plate 25). Sheet regulating plate).

The sheet shift plate 26 is also used as the sheet reference plate 2.
Similarly to 5, the tray 14 is attached to the storage 15 through a hole formed in the tray 14 so as not to hinder the lifting and lowering of the tray 14.

Accordingly, the sheets S stacked on the tray 14
Is positioned by the sheet shift plate 26 and the sheet reference plate 25 regardless of whether the tray 14 is raised or lowered.

Here, the storage 1 of the sheet reference plate 25 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
6 will be described in detail.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the sheet reference plate 25 is lifted upward with respect to the storage case 15 before the sheet reference plate 25 is mounted on the storage case 15. Sheet reference plate 2
5 is provided with a vertically extending insertion portion 25a having a C-plane shaped portion C1 as a guide portion at the tip.

The positioning portion P on the upper end face of the front side plate of the storage 15 has a widened portion H1 at the center, which is larger than 1.5 times the thickness of the insertion portion 25a, and both end portions are almost the same or slightly larger than the thickness. A wide holding portion H2 is provided, and the widened portion H1 and the holding portion H2 are provided.
A slit H having a guide width portion H3 connected diagonally is provided between them.

Here, the relationship of the dimensions of each part is shown. The width of the base of the insertion portion 25a of the sheet reference plate 25 is L1, the width of the tip is L2, the plate thickness is T, the width of the holding portion H2 of the slit H of the storage 15 is t1, the width of the widening portion H1 is t2, and the right and left. Is defined as 11 and the section of the guide width portion H3 at which the width of the slit H starts to increase is defined as 12.

Here, the relation between the dimensions is t1 ≧
T, L1 ≧ L2, t2 ≧ t1, l1 ≧ L1, L2 ≧ l
2.

Next, the insertion operation will be described. When the operator lowers the sheet reference plate 25 downward from the state of FIG. 4, first, the distal end (L2 portion) of the insertion portion 25a of the sheet reference plate 25 is positioned at the width of the widened portion H1 of the slit H of the storage 15. Inserted.

In this state, the width t2 of the widened portion H1 of the slit H is sufficiently large with respect to the thickness T of the sheet reference plate 25, so that it can be easily inserted. When the sheet reference plate 25 is pressed down (or released by letting go), the slit H
Even if there is some deviation in the positional relationship between the insertion portion 25a and the insertion portion 25a, the C-shaped portion C1 at the tip of the insertion portion 25a is guided by the guide width portion H3 of the slit H to correct the positional deviation. Is attached to the slit H.

By such means, it is very easy to set the sheet reference plate 25 in the storage 15, a problem that the sheet reference plate 25 is caught in the middle of setting is eliminated, and the workability of mounting the sheet reference plate 25 is improved.

This configuration is not limited to the sheet reference plate 25, but can be applied to the sheet shift plate 26 and a rear end regulating plate (not shown).

In this embodiment, the insertion portion 25a is provided on the sheet reference plate 25 side, and the slit H is provided on the storage case 15 side. Conversely, the insertion portion, the sheet reference plate 25a is provided on the storage case 15 side.
A similar effect can be obtained by providing a slit on the side.

(Embodiment 3) FIGS. 5 and 6 show a third embodiment of the present invention.
An embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the relationship between the storage 15 and the frame 16 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram illustrating the state of FIG. Note that members having the same functions as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the storage 15 and the frame 16 of the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment have substantially the same configuration as that of the above-described first embodiment. The hole of the support portion for the storage 15 on the gear 27 side of the take-up shaft 30 is changed from a long hole to a round hole 15e larger than the diameter of the take-up shaft 30.

According to this configuration, an operation similar to that of the first embodiment is performed in the vertical direction. Regarding the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction (horizontal direction), even when the end of the take-up shaft gear 27 side is inserted into the bearing 40 provided on the frame 16, the take-up shaft 30 has a round hole in the storage 15. 15e and the take-up shaft 30 because they can be moved by the clearance therebetween.
The storage 15 is not guided with respect to the frame 16 within a range where 0 is movable in the storage 15.

Only when the storage 15 is tilted with respect to the frame 16 more than the clearance, the storage 15 is guided and moved so as to correct the amount. According to this configuration, the winding shaft 30
Since the amount of movement of the storage 15 guided by the frame bearings 40 is small, the stress applied to the winding shaft 30 can be reduced. A relatively small diameter take-up shaft can be used for the drawer operation. Further, the operator's power required for putting the storage in and out is small as compared with the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A is a perspective view illustrating a relationship between a storage 15 and a frame 16 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. It is. Note that members having the same functions as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the means for positioning the storage 15 of the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment with respect to the frame 16 has substantially the same configuration as that of the above-described first and third embodiments. is there. In the fourth embodiment, the size of the storage 15 in the depth direction is small, and the distance between the bearing 40 of the frame and the take-up winch 24 at the center is larger than in the other embodiments.

In this configuration, a bearing 42 is provided on the winding shaft at the position of the round hole 15f of the support portion of the winding shaft 30 with respect to the gear-side storage, and the storage 15 can hold the bearing 42 with a clearance. And a round hole 15f having an inner diameter larger than the diameter of the bearing 42. The operation of pulling out the storage 15 is the same as in the second embodiment.

According to this configuration, a very large torque is applied to the winding shaft 30 to lift the sheet S, and a tension is applied to the winding winch 24 from a wire so that the winding shaft 30 is easily deformed. When the distance between the take-in winch 24 and the bearing 40 of the frame is large, even if the winding shaft 30 is slightly deformed, the bearing 42 can contact and support the inner surface of the round hole 15 f of the storage 15. As a result, excessive deformation of the winding shaft 30 is suppressed, and the motor load can be stabilized.

[0085]

According to the present invention, when the sheet stacking means is inserted into the apparatus casing, the connection between the driving force transmitting member of the drive shaft of the sheet stacking means and the driving force transmitting member of the apparatus casing is securely performed. As a result, an increase in the load torque of the drive shaft and a breakage of the drive force transmitting member are prevented. Further, since no excessive force is applied to the drive shaft itself, the load torque is stabilized, and uneven wear of the bearing can be prevented.

Further, it is possible to improve the workability when attaching the sheet regulating plate to the sheet feeding device or changing the position.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a sheet feeding apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a method of attaching a sheet reference plate according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a sheet feeding apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a sheet feeding apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
(B) is DD sectional drawing of FIG.7 (a).

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional configuration explanatory view of an image forming apparatus and a sheet feeding apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a sheet stacking means of the conventional sheet feeding apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 laser printer (image forming apparatus) 2 cassette 3 pickup roller 4 retard roller pair 5 roller pair 6 registration roller pair 7 process cartridge 8 laser exposure device 9 transfer roller 10 fixing device 11 discharge roller pair 12 discharge tray 13 sheet feeding device 14 Tray 15 Storage (sheet stacking means) 16 Frame (device housing) 17 Guide 17a Wheel 18 Pickup roller 19 Retard roller pair 20 Conveying units 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d Wires 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d Pulley shafts 23a, 23b , 23c, 23d Pulley 24 Winding winch 25 Sheet reference plate (sheet regulating plate) 25a Insertion section 26 Sheet shifting plate (sheet regulating plate) 27 Gear (driving force transmitting member) 30 Winding shaft (drive shaft) 31 Bearing (bearing) Department ) 40 Bearing (bearing part) 41 Drive gear (driving force transmitting member) C1 C-plane shape part (guide part) H slit H1 Widening part H2 Nipping part H3 Guide width part M Motor P Positioning part S Sheet

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Makoto Izumi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Minoru Kawanishi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon (72) Inventor Yuzo Isoda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A tray which can be pulled out of an apparatus housing by a guide means, and which moves in accordance with a stacked amount of sheets; A driving force transmitting member on one end side of the drive shaft and a driving force transmitting member of the device housing in conjunction with an operation of pulling the sheet loading device out of the device housing. Wherein the sheet stacking means comprises: a bearing portion supporting the other end of the drive shaft; and one end of the drive shaft having the bearing portion as a swing center. A support portion for swingably supporting a side of the drive shaft, wherein one end of the drive shaft is fitted and positioned in the device housing in a state where the sheet stacking means is housed in the device housing. It is characterized by having a part Sheet feeding device. 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion of the sheet stacking means is a long hole that supports one end of the drive shaft so as to swing vertically. Feeder. 3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a bearing is provided at a position of a support portion of the sheet stacking means of the drive shaft. 4. The tray is hung by a sheet stacking means by a wire, and the drive shaft is capable of moving the tray up and down by winding up and rewinding the wire. The sheet feeding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a sheet feeding unit that feeds the sheet. 5. A sheet feeding device for detachably attaching a sheet regulating plate for regulating a position of a sheet to be stacked to a sheet stacking means, wherein the sheet regulating apparatus is provided on one of the sheet regulating plate or the sheet stacking means, and a root from a leading end. An insertion portion provided with a guide portion extending toward the front end; a holding portion provided on the other of the sheet regulating plate or the sheet stacking means; a holding portion having an opening width substantially equal to the thickness of the insertion portion at both ends; A slit having a widened portion having an opening width larger than the thickness of the portion, and a guide width portion for connecting the widened portion and the holding portion obliquely, and a guide portion for the insertion portion and a guide for the slit. A sheet feeding device wherein the size and the relative positional relationship of the width portion are set so as to abut each other when the insertion portion and the slit are shifted and inserted. . 6. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding apparatus. Image forming apparatus.