JPS5953327A - Sheet feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To feed paper from a cassette in good timing by selecting one cassette among a plurality of cassettes by cam operation and bringing paper feed means of the cassette into contact with sheets in the cassette. CONSTITUTION:A cam leber 43 is moved in direction of an arrow (j) to slide a cam 37 to select one leber 35a among levers 35a, 35b, 35c respectively mounted on a plurality of cassettes 36a-36c which is pivoted in direction of an arrow (k), and one support member 22a among support members 22a, 22b, 22c mounted on the respecetive cassettes 36a-36c is selectively pivoted in direction of an arrow (l). A paper feed roller 20a supported by the support member 22a is brought into contact with sheets placed in a corresponding cassette 36a to feed the uppermost sheet of the stacked sheets in the selected cassette 36a in direction of an arrow (m).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device that feeds sheets to a sheet processing device, such as a sheet feeding device that feeds a sheet of paper to a copying machine main body in an iJ copying device. So, on the glaze,
Select one sheet stacking section from among a plurality of sheet stacking sections loaded with sheets of different sizes, such as A4, B4, and B5, or sheets of different materials, and select this selected sheet stacking section. The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device that feeds sheets from a sheet stacking section to a sheet processing device.

A copying machine will be explained below as an example.

In a copying machine, when copying paper is automatically bound, sheets of different sizes must be fed and unloaded depending on the size of the original, copying magnification, etc. Conventionally, two types of paper feeding devices have been used as paper feeding devices that feed sheets of different sizes depending on the size of the original document. One method is to store sheets cut to a certain size in advance in a cassette, and by loading the cassette loaded with sheets of the desired size into the machine, the sheets are automatically fed one by one. There is a cassette type paper feeding system, and the other one uses a long sheet rolled into a roll, and then cuts the sheet into 191 sizes depending on the size of the manuscript etc. It is a method.

In the method of cutting and feeding sheets, it is troublesome to control the timing of stopping or cutting the sheets, and slight errors in operation may cause irregularities in sheet length. In comparison, the cassette paper feed type has no such drawbacks and is widely adopted, but depending on the size of the original, a cassette loaded with 7 sheets of the desired size is selected, and the machine There is the hassle of having to put on and take off each time.

For this reason, cassettes are often used in the machine (several sheets are set in the machine and the sheets required according to the document size etc. are loaded and unloaded with minimal effort). It is a multi-stage paper feeding power type that allows you to select by reducing the number of sheets.

An example of a copying machine equipped with such a multistage paper feeding device is shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, A indicates the main body of the copying machine, and B indicates a paper feeding device. The copying apparatus main body A includes an image bearing drum 1, guide plates 2, 3.4 for guiding the copy paper, and register rollers 5 for feeding the copy paper to the drum 1 in synchronization with the image carrying drum 1. a paper feed guide plate 6 for feeding the copy paper fed from the paper feed device B to the register roller 5;
It is provided with a conveyance roller 27 that conveys the copy paper onto which the image has been transferred from the image bearing drum 1 described above.

Paper feeding device B has two cassettes F 8 a + 8 b. The cassettes 8a and 8b have bottom plates 1 lifted up by compression springs 9a and 9b, respectively.
Sheet 11a stacked on 0a, 1ObO.

11b, and there are separation claws 12 at both ends of the front of the notebook.
a and 12b are provided. Feeding rollers 13a and 13b are provided so as to be in contact with the upper surfaces of the sheets stacked in the cassettes 8a and sb. Cassette) 8
When feeding the copy paper from one sheet to the other, the feeding roller 13a is brought into contact with the upper part of the sheet 11a, and by rotating this, the sheet 11a is fed while separating 91 sheets at a time by the separation claw 12a. Further, when feeding copy sheets from the cassette 8b, the feeding roller 13b is brought into contact with the top surface of the notebook 11b, and by rotating this, the sheets are separated one by one by the separation claw 12b and fed. The sheet fed out from the feeding device B in this manner is guided by the paper feeding guide plate 6, and is moved to the image bearing drum 1 by the guide 2.
The image on the drum is transferred, the sheet is guided by the guide 3, the sheet is conveyed at the fastest speed by the feed roller 7, and the sheet is sent to the fixing device (not shown) by the guide 4. In addition to the above-mentioned feeding rollers, suction feeding means and the like are also used as the feeding means.

In the multi-stage paper feeding device as described above, there are still
ipy 1 Two cassettes are installed as shown in Figure 1. In many cases, switching between two sizes is usually performed by operating a lever, and when feeding paper of other sizes, it is necessary to attach and detach the cassette from the machine. In this case, this is done by a single switching lever protruding from the wall, and the free end of the lever is used to identify the cassette size. Easy to make mistakes,
There were disadvantages such as copying onto sheets of the wrong size, wasting sheets, and the time it took to attach and detach them. Also, using such a method to attach three or more cassettes to a copying machine and switching between them is an act of duplication! -, which is very troublesome and easy to make mistakes.

In the multi-stage paper feeding system as described above, the cassette) 8a
, sb, and the feeding rollers 13a+13b are brought into direct contact with each other, and only the feeding rollers are rotated with a force corresponding to the size using a switch, etc. that selects the sheet of the required size. There is also a method to do this, but in this case, the sheets and the feeding roller are always in contact with each other, and when the cassette is installed or removed, the top loaded sheet may turn up or come off from the claws 12a and 12b. When being fed, diagonal feeding 9 or poor feeding may occur, which can easily cause paper jams 9. Also, there are disadvantages in that it is very troublesome to handle the damaged cassette when removing the OB.

In addition, when a multi-stage cassette with three or more stages is used, it is necessary to rotate the feeding roller for each cassette, or to use a clutch to stop the feeding roller. This method not only tends to cause troubles such as feeding failures due to timing malfunctions, but also requires a large number of mechanisms such as clutches, making it complicated and costly.

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the troublesomeness of attaching and detaching a cassette, the wastage of notes due to incorrect operation, and the causes of poor feeding and defective loading, which are disadvantages of conventional sheet feeding devices such as IJ1, E, and E. , the selection of the cassette in which the sheet is to be placed is carried out in one direction by the sliding movement of one cam. + Created by JJ (so that you can do this [2
, at least 1 by operating a cam from one drive shaft.
Tsutake's timing mechanism makes it possible to feed from all cassettes at the right time, which is extremely simple and can be applied no matter how many cassettes there are, and the number of parts is small. This is a sheet feeding system that can be done inexpensively.

The feature of the sheet feeding device according to the present invention is that it selects one sheet stacking section from among a plurality of sheet stacking sections each stacking different notes, and then selects one sheet stacking section with Ml≦ from among a plurality of sheet stacking sections each stacking different notes. In a device for feeding sheets by feeding means that engage with the sheet, a support member that supports each feeding means movably between a feeding position where the feeding means engages with the sheet and a non-feeding position where the feeding means is separated from the sheet. is provided for each sheet stacking section, and a cam is provided for selectively operating one of the above-mentioned support members and moving the transporting means supported by the support member to the feeding position. It is in.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

FIG. 2 shows a sheet feeding device used in a copying machine as shown in FIG. A feeding roller is shown that engages with and feeds the topmost sheet of sheets, and in the illustrated example, four feeding rollers are provided. These feeding rollers 20 are fixed to the soil on a roller shaft 21 at intervals in the lateral direction, and the roller shaft 21 f (
It is rotatably supported at the tip of an 11U-shaped support member 22,
The support member 22 has lll1II2 at its base.
3 It is rotatably supported by the soil. The shaft 23V'L side plate 24a.

24b, one end of which is rotatably supported by a bearing 26 attached to the side plate 24a by an E-type city ring 25.
The other end protrudes outward from the side plate 24b,
Gear 27 is attached to 91M. Drive gear 28 driven by a motor (not shown) and gear 2 described above
A belt 29 is placed between the drive gear 2 and the drive gear 2.
By rotating 8 in the direction indicated by the arrow, the belt 29
is moved in the direction shown by the arrows, the gear 27 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrows, and the support 23 is thereby rotated in the direction shown by the arrows. In order to transmit the rotation of m1123 to the roller shaft 21, a ladder chain 32 is placed between a gear 30 fixed to the center of the shaft 23 and a gear 31 fixed to the center of the roller shaft 21. That is, 1. Movable gear 28
When the roller rotates in the direction shown by the arrow, the rotation is transmitted to the gear 27, the droplet 23, the gear 30, the ladder chain 32, and the gear 31, and the feeding roller 20 rotates in the direction of the arrow through the entire roller shaft 21. There is.

As mentioned above, the shaft 21 of the feeding roller 20 is rotatably supported at the tip of the support member 22, and this support member 22 is rotatably supported on the 1IQl] 23 by the bearing 33 at the base. The feeding roller 20 is placed between a feeding position where it engages with and feeds sheets loaded in a cassette as shown in FIG. 1, and a non-feeding position away from the sheets. A mechanism is provided for swinging the support member 22 about an axis 23 in order to move it. This oscillating unit 1 & structure has a frame member 34 joined to one side of the support member 22 and a shaft 35 integrally joined to one end of the frame member. If you turn -35,
The feed roller 20 is configured to be able to swing vertically using the shaft 23 as a fulcrum via the support member 22 and the roller shaft 21.

In the illustrated embodiment, there are three cassettes 3, each carrying a different sheet, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
There are three paper feed units equipped with 6a, 36b, and 36c, and the paper feed roller and its operating mechanism as shown in FIG.
It is provided for each cassette. That is,
Each of the cassettes 3 (3a + 36b + 36c) includes feeding rollers 20a, 20b, 20c, and support layers 22a, 22b, 22c that support the feeding rollers.
, Renogu-35a + 35b that swings the support member
+35c is provided.

The above-mentioned feeders 020a, 20b, 20c are adapted to be rotated together by one driving split,
That is, the roller axes of the feeding rollers 20a, 20b, and 20c are moved by mechanisms 1 and k, which are not shown in FIG. Drive gear 28 to belt 29, gear 27, shaft 23, gear 30
, ladder chain 32, and gear 31, they are simultaneously rotated in the direction shown by the arrow.

Therefore, - the support i' supporting the passing feed roller metal -
μm: 1 out of 35 a + 35 b, 35 c
3 to move the feed roller supported by this support to the feed position where it is held in the sort on the cassette. A cam 37 is provided.A cylindrical portion 38 is integrally connected to both cams 370 and III, and the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 38 and the circumferential surface closest to the axis of the cam 37 are aligned.

A cam shaft 39 passes through these axes, and rotates at the same time as the cam 37 via a key 40. A gear 41 is fixed to one end of the shaft 39, and a drive gear 42 is meshed with this.
When the drive gear 42 that rotates at a certain operation timing rotates in the direction shown by the arrow mark, the gear 41 rotates in the direction shown by the arrow ■, and through the shaft 39, the cam 37 and the cylindrical part 38 rotate in the directions shown by the arrows upward and ±, respectively. do.

The above cam shaft 39 is rotatably supported by a cam lever 43 that sandwiches the cam 37 and the cylindrical portion 38, and the cam lever 43 can swing in the direction shown by arrow j.

The upper end portions of the levers 35a, 35b, 35c that swing the support members 22a, 22b, 22c that support the feeders D20a, 20b, 20c described in 11iJ are
The tension spring 4 is attached to the cam 37 and cylindrical portion 38 of i2.
4a, 44b, 44e and depending on the position of the cam 37, the lever 35a.

Either one of 35b and 35c is selectively activated.

Figure 4 shows the machine not operating, feeding = +o
The cassettes 36a, 36b are moved around the shaft 23 by tension springs 44a, 44b, 44c.

It is located with a gap from the seats stored in 36c. In this state, the cassette can be attached and detached smoothly without coming into contact with the rollers.

The third figure shows a state in which the cam 37 is positioned on the lever 35B by moving the cam lever 43 in the direction of arrow j. Lever: 35n, 35b, 35c are tension springs 44a
, 44b, 44c, the cylindrical portion 38 and the cam 37
The rotation of the gear 42 causes the rotation of the cam 3.
7, the lever 35a swings in the direction of the arrow. The swinging of the lever 35a is controlled by the frame member 34 shown in Figure @2.
, through the support part 22, arrow the feeder C120a! It will be swung in the direction of. In this way, the feeding roller and the stacked sheets come into contact with each other or separate from each other due to the swinging of the feeding roller, thereby controlling the feeding of the sheets.

At that time, all three feeding rollers are constantly rotating.

FIG. 5 shows that the lever 35 is moved by the cam 37 as described above.
a in the direction of the arrow, and feed roller 2 follows this.
Arrow 0a! A state in which the feeding roller 20a is brought into contact with the sheets stacked in the cassette 36a by swinging in the direction shown in FIG. That is, only when the cassette 36a is selected and the feeding roller comes into contact with the sheet, the topmost sheet of the stacked sheets is fed in the direction indicated by the arrow m.

The cassette can be selected by moving the cam lever 43 in the direction of arrow j.

Therefore, the selected state of the cassette can be controlled by a mechanism (not shown) mechanically or electrically interlocked with the cam lever 43.
The display can be made easy for the user to understand.

Now, let us assume that the sheet in the lower cassette 36a and 36a is selected. When the machine is stopped, move the bar 43 in the direction of arrow j at the position of the cam 37 and the cylindrical part 38 shown in FIG. 4, so that the cam 37 comes to the lever 35a (the third figure).

Then, when you press the glint button, the gear 28 drives all the upper, middle, and lower paper feed rollers from the belt 29.
The gear 42 rotates in accordance with a certain timing. As a result, the lower feeding roller 20a begins to swing, and the sheet is fed. When copying one sheet, the cam 37 rotates once and stops, but when copying multiple sheets, the cam 37 rotates for the number of sheets.
rotates, and the feeding roller swings. The stopping position of the cam 37 can be adjusted by simply pressing the selection button on the operation panel or by operating a single lever when printing these sizes. Since it is also possible to make a selection, the selection operation is extremely simple, and there is no need to copy a sheet of the wrong size.

In addition, when loading and unloading the cassette, there is no contact with the feeding roller, the topmost stacked sheet does not get stuck, the claws do not come off, and troubles such as paper jams and poor feeding can be prevented. It is. However, according to the present invention, it is possible to install three or more cassettes in a copying machine, and if a cassette containing frequently used paper sizes is always installed, there will be little chance of installing or removing the cassette. This greatly improves work efficiency compared to before.

Furthermore, only one drive is required to move the feeding roller, and since it is always rotating, the mechanism is IHJ-only, and there is no need to use a clutch or the like to stop the feeding roller or repeat rotation, so there is no malfunction. It is possible to eliminate timing discrepancies and feeding defects. Another advantage is that the cassette can be selected by simply sliding one cam, and since the cam is rotated by a single drive, the structure is simple and cost-effective no matter how many cassettes there are. It can be done cheaply.

In the above explanation, the present invention was mainly applied to a paper feeding device of a copying machine. However, the present invention is applicable not only to sheet feeding of an electrophotographic copying machine, but also to an automatic feeding device of various copying machines or printing machines. It can be applied to a sheet feeding device, and furthermore, it is a sheet feeding system that selectively feeds sheets to a sheet processing machine from a number of sheet stacking sections loaded with a plurality of bolted sheets, such as sheets of different sizes or materials. Applicable to devices in general. In the above explanation, the feeding roller was explained as a means for feeding sheets from the sheet stacking section, but as this feeding means, it is also possible to use a suction feeding device or the like.
It goes without saying that AQ transmission means can be used.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional sheet feeding device 6, Ca2
The figure is a perspective view showing the feeding roller section of a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure A3 shows the cam section of the same device, F view, and FIGS. 4 and 5 show the cam section and the cam section. , is a schematic side view showing the relationship between the roller portion including iS. l... Image bearing drum 2.3.4... Guide plate 5
... Renostar roller 6 ... Paper feed guide plate 7 ... Conveyance roller 8 ... Cassette 9 ... Compression spring 1O ... Bottom plate 11 ... Sheet 12
... Separation claw 13 ... Feeding: +o 20 ... Feeding near tff21 ... Roller shaft 22 ... Supporting member 23 ... Shaft 24 ... Side plate 2
5...Retaining ring 26...Bearing 27...Gear 28...Drive gear 29...Bell)
30.31... Gear 32... Ladder chain 33... Ill receiver 34... Frame 6B Material 3
5...Lever 36...Cassette 37.
...Cam 38...Cylindrical part 39...Cam shaft 40...Key 41...Gear 4
2... Drive gear 43... Cam lever 44.
...Tension spring Figure 4 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] A device that selects one sheet stacking section from among a plurality of sheet stacking sections each stacking different sheets, and feeds the sheet by a feeding means that engages with the sheets stacked on the selected sheet stacking section. In the above-mentioned method, a support member for movably supporting each feeding means is provided between a feeding position that holds the respective feeding means to the sheet and a non-feeding position that is separated from the sheet, and the above-mentioned A cam f for selectively operating one of the supporting parts 410 to move the feeding means supported by this supporting member to the feeding position.
A sheet feeding device with l' characteristics.