JPS60223736A - Sheets feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide automatic cassette loading, in which only insertion is required of the operator, by incorporating such a construction that a sheet receipt plate rises up to a feed roller when a cassette is loaded to be sensed by a probe, and that rise of a locking pawl locks the cassette surely. CONSTITUTION:When a cassette C is, upon preparation for loading, placed on a table 31 and inserted, the cassette does not contact a probe 36 owing to a cut in the cassette front wall 6000 and proceeds further, and then its slope part 6010 contacts a boss 36 to move it down. When the contact of these two members develops, the boss 36 turns an actuator lever counterclockwise to disengage the detent face of a cam lever from the folding 4900 of a detent member, which allows the lever to rapidly fall down in the clockwise direction to come back to its initial position. At the same time a pressure contact plate 34 raises a sheets receipt plate 61 to permit the uppermost transcript sheet to come into contact with a feed roller 15. If the cassette C advances further and its front wall 6000 contacts the rising part 3101 of the above-mentioned table 31, a locking pawl 48 will rise to cause detention of a step 4803, and thus cassette loading is completed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a recording device such as an electrophotographic copying machine or an offset printing machine that applies the principles of electrophotographic copying, in which a paper cassette for storing transfer paper as recording paper is loaded at a predetermined position. The present invention relates to a paper feeding device having a paper cassette loading device for loading paper.

It is well known that paper cassettes are currently used in many copying machines. The cassette is removably attached to the main body of the device, so even if the size of the transfer paper to be used is different from the size of the transfer paper in the cassette loaded in the device, the cassette can be attached and removed. It has the great advantage that paper can be replaced extremely easily just by replacing it. Here, the paper feeding method and the structure of the cassette will be briefly explained. In general, the paper feeding method is as follows: (1) A paper feeding roller is disposed on the main body of the apparatus so as to be able to engage with the topmost sheet of stacked transfer paper, and at the same time, the roller is made vertically movable, and copying operations Feeding the transfer paper one sheet at a time by rotating the paper feed roller in synchronization with the
A method in which the paper feed roller descends as the number of transfer sheets decreases, and the paper is fed to the last sheet in a continuous manner. There is a method in which the engagement of the paper with the paper feed roller due to the decrease in the number of transfer papers is ensured by a mechanism that raises the accumulated transfer paper, and as a result, the last transfer paper is fed as in method (2) above. .

As is clear from the above explanation, in the method (■), the starting position of the transfer paper is sequentially displaced, and in the method (◎), the transfer paper always starts from a constant position.

As will be explained later, in normal copying machines, the relationship between the image position on the intermediate medium (rotating photosensitive plate in electrophotographic copying machines, and original plate in offset printing machines) and the transfer paper is always kept constant. Since this is desired, the 00 method is currently being adopted more often than the e-method because it can eliminate the cause of positional deviation even slightly.

Of course, the method of Φ is not without means for achieving synchronization, as will be described later.

Next, the structure of a conventional cassette will be explained in relation to its loading into the main body of the apparatus. As a cassette for use in the method (2) above, a cassette as shown in FIG. 2 of Japanese Patent Publication No. 49-26847 has been considered.

That is, the sheet holder has a structure in which a plate is loosely dropped into the lower part of the cassette to hold (store) a large number of transfer sheets thereon, and a hole is provided in the bottom plate of the cassette.

When loading such a cassette into the main body of the device, first hold the paper feed roller in a position where it does not come into contact with the topmost transfer paper in the cassette, and then fit the hole in the cassette with the protrusion provided on the main body of the device. Complete the alignment, alignment, and cassette loading. At this time, the protrusion penetrating through the hole not only fixes the cassette in a predetermined position, but also supports the sheet holder dropped into the cassette. Therefore, the position of the lowermost transfer sheet necessarily has a constant position.

On the other hand, as a cassette when using the method @,
For example, JP-A-49-127632. Something like the one shown in Figure 2 in the issue is being considered. That is, the sheet holder is provided with a plate so as to be rotatable about one end (side J located far from the paper feed roller) as a fulcrum in the lower part of the cassette, and the sheet holder is provided with a plate that is free of the plate. This is a cassette with a structure in which a spring is attached between the end (directly below the paper feed roller tiL) and the lower part of the cassette.
This is the cassette shown as FIG. 3 in No. 131139. That is, as mentioned above, the sheet holder in the cassette has a plate but does not have a spring, and when the cassette is loaded, the sheet holder comes into contact with the plate through the hole provided in the lower wall of the cassette. A pressure member to which a biasing force is applied by a spring is used to bring the paper feed roller into contact with the paper.

The paper feeding method to which the present invention can be applied belongs to the above-mentioned @ method, that is, the method of starting the transfer paper from a fixed position. It does not have a cassette loading device, but has a structure in which the transfer paper can be raised by coupling with a pressure member provided on the main body of the device, and can be described as a cassette loading device with such a coupling configuration.

Now, among the above-mentioned publications, JP-A-49-131139 discloses a bonding form similar to that of the present invention. However, as can be seen, in this type of device, there is a difference between the step of fixing the cassette at a predetermined position and the step of causing the pressure member to substantially act on the transfer paper. .

That is, when loading a cassette, the pressing member is retracted from the cassette sliding plane by manually operating a lever associated with the pressing member, and then the cassette is fixed at a predetermined location on the main body of the device. By operating the lever in the opposite direction, the pressure member and the transfer paper are brought into engagement, and preparation for the copying operation is completed.

It is extremely troublesome in terms of handling that, after the pressure member is evacuated in this manner, two different operations must be performed before preparations for the copying operation are completed.

The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for convenience of explanation showing an outline of a transfer type electrophotographic copying apparatus. 1 indicates the entire device.

2 is a receiving type (seamless) photosensitive drum having a photoconductive insulating layer of selenium, 0 (is, etc.) on its surface, and rotates at a constant speed clockwise as shown by the arrow during copying. It's in control.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a reciprocating document table including a document placement surface F made of transparent glass, which moves in the direction of the arrow (actual M) at the same speed as the linear speed of the photosensitive drum 1 during reciprocating motion, that is, scanning. This is controlled using a well-known method.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a light-opening lamp disposed below the movement path of the document table 3.

5, L, and 6 are elements constituting an optical system for guiding the reflected light image of the document 0 caused by the exposure lamp 4 onto the photosensitive drum 1 through the photosensitive drum 1 during the scanning; The mirror, lens and second mirror are shown.

The light beam image is, of course, projected onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, which is uniformly charged by the action of the corona charged electrode 7.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a magnetic brush developing device, which converts an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the document 0 sequentially formed on the photosensitive drum into a visible image by the function of the charged electrode 7 and the light beam reaching through the Surin S. (toner image). 800 is its frame, and 801 is a cylindrical sleeve (hereinafter simply referred to as sleeve) made of conductive and non-magnetic material such as aluminum or brass, which is connected to an appropriate drive system so that it can rotate in the direction of the arrow during development. . Reference numeral 802 denotes a support member for fixing the permanent magnets 8Q3 and 804, which itself is held by both side plates (no symbols) of the frame 800. permanent magnet 80
3 and 804 are disposed at an appropriate distance from each other over a desired range around the sleeve 801 so as to have a gap with the inner wall of the sleeve 801. Among the permanent magnets, the permanent magnet 803 disposed in the part where the developing action is actually performed has a larger shape and magnetic force than the other permanent magnets 804.

This is to increase the contact width of the developer to the photosensitive drum 2 and to allow a soft developer layer to contribute to development. Therefore, if a developer consisting of toner and carrier is stored in the bottom of the frame 800 and the sleeve 801 is rotated, the developer will be drawn onto the sleeve 8Q1 by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet. - It will be understood that as the sleeve 801 rotates, a circulation flow path for the developer is formed. At this time, it goes without saying that known means such as controlling the spike of spikes (adjusting the height of the developer on the sleeve 801) and applying a bias voltage to the sleeve 801 can be applied. 9 is a transfer pole to which a high voltage having the same polarity as that of the charging electrode 7 is applied, and transfer paper P, which will be described later,
When the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 overlaps with the toner image area formed on the photosensitive drum 2 and passes over the transfer pole 9, the toner image on the photosensitive drum z is transferred onto the transfer paper P by its corona discharge action. Reference numeral 10 denotes a first elimination electrode for eliminating electricity from the transfer paper P after transfer, and is connected to an A/0 power source (not shown). Reference numerals 11 and 1z designate a static elimination lamp and a second elimination electrode for erasing or reducing the residual potential on the photosensitive drum 2 after passing through the transfer process and the charge held by the residual toner. Reference numeral 13 denotes a cleaning device for removing residual toner from the photosensitive drum 2, which includes a blade 1300 made of an elastic material and placed in contact with and moisturizing the surface of the drum 20, and a thin flexible material such as a polyester film. The main elements are a toner collecting means 1301 and a toner storage box 1302. During operation, residual toner on the photosensitive drum 2 is scraped off from the top of the drum z by the blade 1300, and transferred to the toner storage box 1 via the toner collecting means 13o1.
It falls within 302.

This completes the explanation of the process provided around the photosensitive drum 2, and next the conveyance path for the transfer paper P will be described.

0 is a cassette that can accommodate a large number of transfer sheets P, and is designed to be in the state shown in the figure when loading is completed. That is, the bottom plate 6006 is loosely depressed inside the cassette (as described later, the bottom plate 6006 is actually
The plate 61 of the two-sheet receiver, which is pivotally supported on fulcrums at both corners of Paper is device 1
A paper feed roller 15 is provided at a fixed position for feeding the paper.
is in constant contact with. M is a paper feed motor for rotating the paper feed roller 15 in synchronization with the copying operation. MS-
1 is a microswitch for detecting the presence or absence of transfer paper; in the embodiment, it cooperates with other microswitches for detecting various sizes of transfer paper to display the size of the loaded transfer paper. It has functions for 1
Reference numeral 6 denotes a lower guide plate for the transfer paper P fed by the paper feed roller 15, and has a curved portion 1600 so that the transfer paper P can easily form a loop. MS-2 is a microswitch provided at a position where it can come into contact with the formed loop of transfer paper P.

The microswitch MS-2 issues a signal to stop driving the MfillE motor M. Lower guide plate 1
The pair of first conveyance rollers 17 that receive the transfer paper P from the transfer paper P 6 are controlled so as to be inactive at the time when the leading edge of the transfer paper P comes into contact with them, that is, in the initial state of the copying operation. Further, the distance between the first conveyance roller 17 and the paper feed roller 15 is set to be shorter than the length of the transfer paper to be used in the conveyance direction.

As described above, the first conveyance roller 17, which is in an inactive state at the initial state of the copying operation, starts rotating based on a synchronization signal to ensure synchronization between the image area on the photosensitive drum 2 and the transfer paper P. It is supposed to be done. The synchronization signal is
For example, a microswitch (not shown) disposed on the movement path of the document table 3 can be defined as an output signal when the passage of the document table 3 is detected. 19 is a transfer paper conveyance means for conveying the transfer paper after transfer, and a conveyance bell)
1900, the conveyor belt), a plurality of rollers 1901 on which the conveyor belt 1900 is stretched, and Saki,! As the transfer paper conveying means (c, 20) consisting of a transfer paper carrying box 1902 connected to the transfer means, a known roller type fixing device can be used. Reference numeral 21 is a force guide, and 22 is an ejection roller for ejecting the transfer paper to the outside of the machine.

23 indicates a tray.

The operation sequence of the copying apparatus constructed as described above will now be described. When a copy start button (not shown) is pressed, the photosensitive drum 2 and document table 3 start rotating and moving in the directions indicated by the arrows. The photosensitive drum 2, which is uniformly charged by the corona discharge electrode, is moved from the original 0 on the original placing surface P illuminated by the exposure lamp 4 to the first mirror, the lens L1, the second mirror 6, and the lens L1. ) is illuminated by a beam image guided through S. Therefore, the charges on the photosensitive drum 2 are appropriately eliminated and converted into an electrostatic charge image corresponding to the document 0 one after another. Thereafter, this electrostatic latent image is transferred to a developing device 8, where a developer layer consisting of toner and carrier ('a visible image (toner image)) is formed on a certain part of the transfer pole 9 by the contact action of a magnetic brush cylinder. Head over.

On the other hand, the transfer paper P is sent out from the cassette c under the action of the paper feed roller 15 rotated by the operation of the paper feed motor M, and is kept on standby with its leading edge touching the first conveyance roller 17. Then, when the photosensitive drum 2 comes to a predetermined position, that is, when the document table 3 reaches a predetermined position, synchronization is performed by the first conveying roller 17, which operates based on a signal from a microswitch that detects the document table 3. The photosensitive drum 2 is conveyed with the image area on the photosensitive drum 2 and passes over the transfer pole 9 in a state overlapping with the image area on the photosensitive drum 2. At this time, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 2 is transferred onto the transfer paper P by an electric field formed between the drum and the transfer pole 9. Immediately thereafter, the transfer paper P that has passed through such a transfer process is exposed to the corona discharge of the A-0 removing electrode 10 and separated from the n1 sensing source draft 2.

Next, the transfer paper P is continuously transported by the transport belt 19oo and reaches the fixing device 2o. The temperature of the surface of the fixing roller is controlled within a range suitable for melting the toner, so the toner is melted by the synergistic effect of the thermal energy received when passing between the fixing rollers and the pressure of both, and the toner is transferred. It is fixed on the paper P. After that, the transfer paper P is transferred to the paper ejection roller 2.
2, it is discharged into a tray provided outside the machine and handled as a copy.

On the other hand, the residual potential of the photosensitive drum after passing through the transfer process and the residual toner on the drum are removed by the static elimination lamp 11 and the second elimination electrode 12.
The remaining toner is removed by the blade 1.
It is removed from the drum by 300 and prepared for the next copying operation. Of course, the document table 3 has returned to its initial state.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the cassette according to the present invention including a partially cutout portion, FIG. 4 is a left side view of the cassette with the cam lever 35 raised, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal mechanism. First, in FIG. 2, only the functions of the members considered to be necessary will be shown, and the details will be described using FIGS. 3 to 5. 3 in the diagram
0.30' indicates the left and right side plates, respectively. 31 is a cassette) O
It is a mounting table on which it can be placed (see FIG. 5) and has a notch 31Q2 in the center of the front edge. Also, there is a fifth on the side edge and front edge.
As shown in the figure, rising portions 310.0.3100' and 3
101 is provided. MS-1 is a loaded force)
This is a microswitch for detecting the presence or absence of transfer paper stored in O.The shaft 5H- is rotatably held by both side plates 30.3-Q' so as to be located above the center of the mounting table 31. It is fixed at 1.

On the lower side of the mounting table 31 is a micro switch MS-4,
MS-5 is provided, each actuator a4. a5
are positioned so as to protrude upward from the notch 3102, and when the cassette corresponding to the size of the transfer paper is loaded, the actuator a4. of at least one of the microswitches MS-4, MS-5. A portion for energizing a5 is provided. Then, only when the actuator al of the microswitch MS-1 is energized, the energized microswitch M'8-4. By combining the MS-5s, five types of transfer size display are possible as shown below.

This allows the size of the paper to be displayed only when it is prepared, thereby preventing erroneous operations.

15 is a paper feed roller rotatably held between the side plates as described in FIG. A worm wheel 32 is fixedly installed on the right side in FIG. It meshes with the provided worm W.

Reference numeral 34 denotes a pressure bonding plate (which performs the same function as the above-mentioned pressure member) provided on the rotation shaft SH-3, and is located above the center of the front end of the mounting table 31, and is made of, for example, a phosphor bronze plate. In addition, it is designed to be interlocked with the cam lever 35 via the rotation shaft 5H-3. Further, its tip is separated into left and right sides with a notch of 340 degrees in between. When the cam lever 35 is pushed up (FIG. 4), the crimp plate 34 is maintained at the first position, which is almost parallel to the mounting table 31, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 5, and in this state, the cassette 0 is When the cassette is slid onto the mounting table 31, the bottom flat part 6007 of the cassette (O) exposed on the front surface of the cassette and the sheet holder are pressed into the gap formed between the plates 61 so that the pressure bonding plate 34 hangs. state. In addition, this crimp plate 34 has legs 6004 provided at the bottom of the cassette O.
Another hole 310 provided in the mounting table 31 during the sliding process
When the detection protrusion 36 protruding from the detection protrusion 3 is pressed down, it can be maintained at the second position raised via the rotation shaft 5H-3 by mechanical movement. In this state, the pressure bonding plate 34 as a pushing up member raises the sheet receiving plate 61 in the cassette 0, so that the uppermost sheet of the stacked transfer paper P stored in the cassette It is pressed into contact with the

The detection protrusion 36 is provided as follows.

That is, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG.
0 is rotatably supported, and an arm 37 is mounted on this pin 40.
is fixedly installed, and a detection protrusion 36 is rotatably provided on a lateral pin 38 implanted on this arm 37. The detection protrusion 36 is restrained clockwise in FIG. 5 by a spring 39 so as to come into contact with the end arm 37.

The legs 6004 of the cassette O are thus slid into the loading position.
When the detection protrusion 36 is pressed down, the arm 37 rotates via the locking portion, thereby rotating the rotation pin 40 and releasing the cam lever 35 from the raised position as described below. However, the leg 6004 of the retreating cassette O merely rotates the detection protrusion 36 against the spring 39, and the arm 37 and pin 40 do not operate, and the detection protrusion 36 returns after the leg 6004 has passed. do. Next, the interlocking relationship will be described using FIGS. 3 to 5. Note that the cassette is omitted in FIGS. 3 and 4.

As mentioned above, 35 is a cam lever, which can be rotated up and down using a pin 42 installed on the upper outer surface of the side plate 30 as a fulcrum.

43 is a pin implanted on the side plate 30 similarly to the pin 42, and is positioned in the recess 3500 of the cam lever 35 so as to regulate the maximum rotation amount (angle) of the cam lever 35. That is, the cam lever 35 is activated by the biasing force of the spring 8P-1, which is stretched between the end of the lower arm 4400 of the two-pronged lever 44 and the pin 45 provided on the side plate 30.
Although always biased clockwise, the pin 42 comes into contact with the lower end surface 3501 of the recess 3500 of the cam lever 35 in order to stop the cam lever 35 in a predetermined position. Furthermore, when the cam lever 36 is rotated counterclockwise, the recess 3 of the cam lever 35 is used to restrict the amount of rotation in that direction.
500 and comes into contact with the upper end surface 35o2. The cam surface 3503 of the cam lever 35 contacts the roller child 46 rotatably provided on the upper arm 44o1 of the two-pronged lever 44, which is restrained counterclockwise by the spring 5P-1 as described above. As a result, a clockwise force is always acting on the cam lever 35 as described above.

The two-pronged lever 44 is fixed to a rotating shaft 5H-3 to which the crimp plate 34 is fixed, and therefore, when the cam lever 35 is pushed up to rotate counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. The fork lever 44 is rotated clockwise against the subring 5P-1, the rotation shaft 5H-3 is rotated, and the crimp plate 3 is rotated.
4 descends to the first position where it is in the stored state. That is, the crimp plate 34 is locked in the first position by the cam lever 35. When the cam lever 35 rotates clockwise and descends toward the state shown in FIG.
-3 also rotates accordingly, and as a result, the pressure bonding plate 34 rises and is maintained at its second position.

In addition, in consideration of noise or wear, the pin 43, the lower end surface 3501% of the recess 3500 of the cam lever 35, and the roller element 46 are covered with a ring-shaped or plate-shaped material made of a suitable resin.

Lever 4 that partially overlaps with two-pronged lever 44 in Figure 3
Reference numeral 7 is located between the side plate 3o and the cam lever 35, and this lever 47 is fixedly mounted on a shaft 5H-4 rotatably held between the side plates 30 and 3Q'. The cam lever 35 is in a properly non-contact state, and when the cam lever 35 is rotated counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 4, the recess 3500 of the cam lever 35 and the cam surface 3503, is engaged with a bent portion 3504 located between 3503,
Hereinafter, the upper end surface 35o2 of the recess 3500 of the cam lever 35
is rotated clockwise until it abuts against the pin 43. The shaft 5H-4 is located below the shaft 5R-3 having the crimp plate 34, and on this shaft 5H-4 is a lock claw 48 for locking the inserted cassette).
is the provision. When the cam lever 35 is in a lowered state as shown in FIG. 3, the lock pawl 48 projects upwardly from the mounting angle 31 by a predetermined amount through the notch 3102 as shown in FIG. Therefore, from the middle of the pushing up operation of the cam lever 35, the cam lever 35 rotates clockwise via the interlocking lever 47, and is sequentially retracted to the lower side of the mounting surface 31. Therefore, lever 4
It should be understood that 7 should be rotated by the cam lever 35 by the amount of rotation required to retract the lock claw 48 to a level below the top surface of the mounting table 31, and therefore, the lock claw 48 and the mounting table 31 should be It should also be understood that depending on the relationship with cam lever 31, the cam lever 35 may be interlocked from the beginning of rotation. As shown in FIG. 5, the lock pawl 48 is restrained in the operating direction, that is, in the protruding direction, by the other end of a spring 100, which is disposed on the shaft 5H-4 and has one end locked on the shaft 5H-3. On the other hand, place the mounting table 3
A distal end portion 4801 is formed that comes into contact with the lower surface of the holder 1, thereby preventing more rotation (raising) than necessary. The portion 4800 that protrudes from the mounting table 31 in the state shown in FIG. 5 is formed with a front end surface 4801 and two locking steps 4802 and 4803 facing rearward. This is a cassette-loaded armor removal locking member. The locking member 49 has bent portions (bent toward the front in the figure) 4900 at the ends of the two arm portions, respectively.
and 4901. On the lower side bent portion 49ol, there is a rotating pin 40 that is rotated via the detection protrusion 36.
The free end of a first actuating lever 51 fixedly attached thereto is engaged. On the other hand, a second operating lever 52 is provided on the rotatable shaft 8H-1 on which the microswitch MS-1 is fixedly mounted, and the free end of the second operating lever 52 is engaged on the cam lever 3507. There is.

A tension spring 8P-2 is provided between the lower bent portion 4901 of the engagement member 49 and the second operating lever 52.
It is necessary to intervene. As is clear from this, when the cam lever 35 is lowered and prevented from further clockwise rotation by the pin 43 as shown in FIG. The locking member 49, which is positioned at a predetermined position as described above by the spring f9F-2, is rotated through the rotation pin 40 and the end arm 37. This means that the first operating lever 51 is held in order to project the detection protrusion 36 onto the mounting table 31.

At this time, the upper bent portion 4900 of the locking member 49 is in a non-contact state with respect to the cam lever 35. With this structure, when the cam lever 35 is rotated counterclockwise, the second actuating lever 52 receives a force A L/the bent portion 35 of the bar.
07, the first actuating lever 51 and the locking member 49 are pushed up against the biasing force of the spring 5P-2. Since the portion 3700 is in contact with the lower surface of the mounting table 31, its position does not change. Eventually, the cam surface 3505 of the cam lever 35 will move to the upper bent portion 490 of the locking member 49.
0, the locking member 49 is moved slightly clockwise, and then the locking surface 35o6 that follows the cam surface 3505 and extends inward at approximately right angles thereto comes to be above the bent portion 4900. Then, the spring 5P-2 returns to the initial position by the action of the spring 5P-2. On the other hand, since the spring 5P-2 acts to pull the free end of the second actuating lever 52 downward, when the cam surface 3506 passes over the bending part 4900, the rotational force to the cam lever 35 is removed. A portion of the curved portion 4900 will be locked with the locking surface 3506.

As described above, the shaft 5H-j is given a clockwise rotational force via the second actuating lever 52, and therefore the microswitch MS-1 for detecting the presence or absence of transfer paper is also rotated. As a result, the actuator a1 rises to the position shown by the chain line in FIG. Note that the actuator a1 of the microswitch MS-1 and the microswitch MS-1, which has two functions as described above, is used to detect the transfer paper (detecting the looped transfer paper, which is arranged in front of the paper feed roller 15). The second actuator a2 is a coiled spring made of thin metal wire.Of course, this may also be a conventional rigid body.

As described with reference to FIG. 1, reference numeral 16 denotes a lower guide member which has a curved portion 1600 on the inlet side of the transfer paper to facilitate the formation of a loop. The actuator a2 of the loop detection microswitch MS72 extends above the curved portion 1600. The upper guide plate 161 has the function of relating the loop of the transfer paper to the detection by the microswitch MS-2. In order to prevent the actuator a2 from being lifted up by the increasing loop of the transfer paper during operation, a notch is provided at a corresponding position on the upper guide plate 16'. Reference numeral 17 denotes a first conveying roller whose lower roller is connected to an appropriate drive system, and its control is as described in the explanation of FIG. 1.

Reference numeral 53 denotes a lever that is fixed to the shaft of the lower roller 17A of the first conveying roller 17 inside the side plate 30, and has a cam $5300 that engages with the shaft of the upper roller 17'B. . This is effective when, for example, a paper jam occurs in this vicinity. That is, when the holding member H, which integrally holds the transfer electrode, the removal electrode, etc., shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. A part of the right end of the member H is used to rotate the lever 53 counterclockwise via the protruding lower end 5301 of the lever 53, and at this time, the cam portion 530o is used to push up the upper roller 17B and lower it. A gap is formed between the lever 53 and the roller 17A, and as a result, the transfer paper sandwiched between the rollers 17A and 17B can be easily discharged and removed.
It is desirable to provide them on both sides (front and back sides) of the roller 17.

The lever 53 is biased in a counterclockwise direction by a spring 54. Also, unnecessary rotation of the lever is caused by the bent portions 5300 (also on the back side) of the side plates 30, 30'.
This is to prevent it.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, cassette 0
I will explain about it. The cassette O is molded from resin and consists of a front wall 6000° having a central notch, a rear wall 6001, a left side wall 6002, a right side wall 6003, and a bottom wall 6006.

A portion of the cassette that comes into direct contact with the upper surface of the mounting table 31,
That is, the lowest part is the front and rear walls 6000.60 in the embodiment.
01 and both side walls 6002.6'003 and legs 6004
．． 6005 and the flat lower surface of four depressed portions 6007, which will be described later. The bottom wall 6006 forms the same flat main surface with which the plate 61 can come into contact with a portion of the lowest transfer paper or sheet receiver.

As is clear from the above explanation, the legs 60 of cassette 0
04, a slope portion 6010 facing forward as shown in FIG. 5 is formed at a position corresponding to the detection protrusion 36 when sliding on the mounting table 31. There are notches 6011 and 601 at both ends of the lower edge of the front wall 6000 of the cassette 0, respectively!
is formed.

The notch 6011 is a slope portion 6010 of the leg portion 6004.
It is located at a position corresponding to , and is designed to allow the detection protrusion 36 to pass through. Further, the depressed recess 6007 is located at the bottom wall 60.
06, the leg portion 6004 and the front wall 6000 are formed to coincide with the central notch of the front wall 6000.

Further, slit-shaped holes 6008 in the width direction are formed at two positions on both rear ends of the bottom wall 6006, and a notch 6009 is formed at the bottom of the four recessed portions 6007 from the front edge.

The slit-shaped hole 6008 is such that the transfer paper P can be placed thereon, and the sheet holder inserted into the cassette O is for inserting the lower bent portion 6100 formed at the rear end of the plate 61. It is.

The hole 6008 can be placed at an appropriate location depending on the size of the plate 61, i.e., at a position further forward than shown, for example, on the bottom wall 6.
It goes without saying that it may be provided at a position around the center of 006, and that any known support means may be used. hole 600
As described above, the relationship between the seat support 8 and the plate bending portion 6100 is such that the seat support can permit a predetermined upward and rotational movement of the plate.

Further, the notch 6009 is for avoiding activation of the microswitch MS-4 or MS-50 for detecting the size of the transfer paper that protrudes from the mounting table 31, and the cutout 6009 Its position can be changed. There is a notch 6009 in the cassette that energizes both microswitches.
is not necessary. In this way, the transfer size detection microswitch M8-4. For example, one of the MS-5s is pushed in using the lower surface of the recessed part 6007 of the cassette C, and at that time, it is turned off so that the output of the pressed microswitch energizes the display means of the operation wall as described above. By maintaining the relationship between the number, width, or position of the notches 6009 and the microswitch, many types of transfer paper sizes can be detected. The sheet holder 61 is a plate, and when the cassette loading is finished, the front edge portion located below the paper feed roller 15 is used to prevent the double sheet feeding phenomenon when the number of transfer papers piled up on the plate decreases. Therefore, a friction material 62 is attached. Further, the sheet receiver plate 61 has a hole 6101, although the part of the plate 61 in the figure is also inserted into the friction material attachment part. This is a hole into which the actuator a1 of the microswitch MS-1, which detects when the transfer paper is missing from the cassette, is inserted. The seat support is located at the four depressed portions 60o with the lower surface of the board as the ceiling.
7 is the crimp plate 3 in a predetermined position when loading the cassette.
4 is inserted. As described above, the crimp plate 34 is maintained at the lower first position (FIG. 3) when the cassette O is inserted. Further inside the side plates 6002 and 6003 of the cassette O, there is a plate 63 attached with a gap from the side plates.

Reference numeral 64 is a well-known equinox which engages both ends of the front surface of the transfer paper, and is provided so as to be able to swing up and down.

The structure of the paper cassette loading device of the present invention is as described above. Next, the loading order will be explained. First, the transfer paper is stored in a cassette O corresponding to the size of the transfer paper to be used, and the separating claw 64 and the transfer paper are surely engaged to complete the preparation. On the other hand, the cam lever 35 of the loading device is rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 3 toward the state shown in FIG.

At that time, in accordance with the rotation of the cam lever 35, the two-pronged lever 4
4 is the upper arm 4401 and the cam 35 of the cam lever 35
It is forcibly turned clockwise by cam engagement with 03.

The rotatable shaft 5H-3 and the two-pronged lever are fixed,
Moreover, since the crimp plate 34 is fixedly mounted on the shaft 5H-3, the crimp plate 34 also rotates, and the concave recess 6 at the front end of the cassette 0 is moved from the raised second position in FIG.
It is sequentially moved toward a lower first position where it can be inserted into 007. During the rotation of the cam lever 35, the bent portion 3604 of the cam lever 35 comes into contact with the lever 47, so the lever 47 is also rotated clockwise. The rotational force of the lever 47 is transmitted to the lock claw 4 through a rotatable shaft 8H-4 to which the lever 47 is fixed, and as a result, the lock claw 48 is at a position protruding above the mounting table 31 in FIG. It is then lowered from there toward the retracted position shown by the chain line. On the other hand, a second operating lever 52 fixedly mounted on the shaft 5R-1
is engaged with the bent portion 3507 of the cam lever 35, so it is rotated clockwise against the biasing force of the spring 8P-2-. Therefore, the microswitch M8-1 for detecting the presence or absence of transfer paper on the shaft 8H-1 is raised from the solid line position in FIG. 5 to the chain line position. During its rotation, the cam lever 35 acts on the locking member 49 in the same way as it acts on the two-pronged lever 44. That is, force is transmitted to the upper bent portion 4900 of the locking member 49 using the cam surface 3505. Therefore, the locking member 49 is rotated clockwise to the dashed line position (FIG. 4). Locking member 49
The first operating lever 5 resting on the lower bent portion 4901 of
1 also rotates counterclockwise by the same amount as the amount of rotation of the lever 49. The contact time between the cam surface 3505 and the upper bent portion 4900 of the locking member 49 and the amount of rotation of the locking member 49 are very small, and the immediate locking surface 3506 and the upper bent portion 49
00 into the engaged state. In this state, if the urging force on the cam lever 35 is removed, the cam lever 36 is held in the position shown in FIG. 4. When the cam lever 35 is rotated until the upper end surface 3502 of its recess 3500 comes into contact with the pin 43, the roller element 46 rotates between the four parts 3 of the cam lever.
508.

In this series of operations, the amount of rotation of the rotation pin 4o, which can be expressed in other words as the amount of rotation of the arm 37 that holds the first actuating lever 51 and the detection projection 36, moves the detection protrusion 36 from beginning to end from the mounting base 31 described above. It remains protruding from the top. By the above operations, the crimp plate 34, the lock claw 48, and the microswitch MS-1 (actuator alJ) complete the preparation for loading the cassette 0.

After doing this, when the cassette 0 is placed on the mounting table 31 and slid into place, the notch 6 of the cassette front wall 6000
Even if the front wall 6000 approaches the detection protrusion 36 due to o11, there is no contact between the two, so there is no change in the cassette). However, when the leg portion 6004 reaches the position of the detection protrusion 36, the front surface of the sloped portion 6QIQ comes into contact with the detection protrusion 36, and sequentially moves the detection protrusion 36 downward. As the contact progresses, that is, the amount of rotation of the detection protrusion 36 causes the first operating lever 51 to rotate counterclockwise via the arm 37, causing the locking surface 35o6 of the cam lever 35 and the locking member 49 to rotate. Upper bent portion 490o
The pivotable lid that can release the engagement with the lever 49 is transmitted to the lever 49, and the two-pronged lever 44 is now compressed by the biasing force of the spring 5P-1 and the biasing force of the spring 5P-2, which had been pulled until then. The cam lever 35, which had been holding the plate 34 in the energized state, suddenly drops clockwise and returns to its initial position, ie, the state shown in FIG. 3. At the same time, the pressure bonding plate 34 raises the front end of the sheet receiving plate 61 to bring the uppermost transfer paper into contact with the paper feed roller 15. Originally, the design could be such that the loading of the cassette O was completed at this point. However,
In the embodiment according to the present invention, the detection protrusion 36
When activated, the slope portion 6010 of the leg portion 6004 is also on the detection protrusion 36, and the lowermost part of the front wall 6000 is at a position passing the first step locking step portion 4802 of the two-step lock claw 48. The loading of the cassette is not completed at this point. The reason for this plan is that the loading of cassette 0 is to be completed using the locking claws, and if you try to use one locking claw, it will cause variations in the components, stacking during assembly, etc. There are structural problems and the loading state of the cassette by the operator (for example, if it is a B5 cassette due to the small size of the device, more than half of the cassette can be placed on the mounting table 31 without any problems, but In the case of a cassette that stores A3 paper, if the size of the mounting base 31 is set to such a size that it cannot hold paper as described above, the leading end of the A3 cassette Even if it can slide on the mounting table 31, it is often moved diagonally as a whole.Here, we refer to this state. 3101 and the left end of the lock claw) must have some play. On the other hand, from the perspective of rock,
A contradictory problem arises in that it is a problem if there is any backlash. The reason why the lock pawl 48 has a two-stage structure is to solve both of these problems.

That is, when the cassette 0 is inserted and the cassette 0 is lowered by -35, the shaft 5H-4 is rotated counterclockwise via the lever 47, and the lock pawl 48 is inserted into the cassette loading area 4.
In the case of i j
Since 802 is engaged, it is not possible to pull out the force sensor) O unless the cam lever 35 is pushed up again. Furthermore, in this state, the lock pawl 48 is not in a completely protruding state because the horizontal surface portion 4804 following the first stage locking step portion 48o2 is pressed down by the front wall 6000. When the cassette (cassette) O is further advanced, when the front wall 6000 comes into contact with the rising portion 31o1 of the front edge of the mounting table 31, the lock claw 48
rises and the second stage locking step 4803 touches the front wall 6000
This completely locks the cassette C and completes the loading of the cassette C.

As described above, preventing the removal of cassette 0 by the first stage lock has the risk that if cassette c is allowed to be removed, cassette 0 may be reinserted without the cam lever 35 being pushed up again. Micro switch MS-1
This is because the pressure bonding plate 34 and the like protrude onto the cassette movement path, which may damage them. Especially the lock claw 48
is formed with a 1υ surface 4801, and in this state, the front surface 4801 protrudes into the loading area, so that it can be detected even if the cassette is not loaded due to mischief, etc. The protrusion 36 is displaced, and as a result, even if the cassette (O) is inserted with the cam lever 35 being lowered, the front wall 6000 of the cassette 36 is not aligned with the front end surface 4.
801 and prevents further advancement, thereby completely preventing damage to the crimp plate 34 protruding deep into the cassette loading area due to incorrect insertion.

If some backlash is acceptable, the lock claw 48 may have only one locking step.

When the transfer paper P is sent out from the uppermost position from the loaded cassette O by the method described above, the transfer paper P bulges upward at the curved portion 1600 of the guide plate 16 with its leading edge abutting the first conveyance reeler 17. Form a loop and energize the micro switch MS-2. The paper feed motor M is stopped based on the output signal, and since the paper feed roller 17 is of a unidirectional rotating type, the transfer paper is kept on standby in this state. Thereafter, the first transport reel 17 is activated by a synchronizing signal from a detection means such as a microswitch that detects the movement of the document 3.
When activated, the image forming apparatus is transported to an image forming process including a transfer process.

Even if a paper jam or the like occurs with a portion of the paper remaining on the first conveying roller 17, the lever 53 will be energized counterclockwise by the lowering of the holding member H, and at that time the shaft of the upper roller 17B will be rotated. Since the cam surface of the holding member H can be pushed down, it can be easily removed. When the transfer paper is used up or when a different size transfer paper is to be used, all that is required is to raise the cam lever 36 in the same way as before loading the cassette.

As described above, according to the present invention, with an extremely simple configuration,
The paper feeding device allows the cassette to be automatically loaded into the predetermined operating state simply by inserting the cassette, making it extremely easy and reliable to load the cassette.In particular, the crimp plate can be easily and easily retracted due to erroneous operation. This has the great advantage of preventing accidents caused by inserting a cassette in a state where the cassette is not inserted properly.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic copying machine to which the present invention is applied;
3 is an explanatory side view of the inventive device in an operating state, FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 in an inoperative state, and FIG. The figure is an explanatory longitudinal cross-sectional side view showing the internal mechanism of the device of the present invention in a cassette loaded state, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the cassette of the present invention seen from the top side and the bottom side, respectively. be. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Entire apparatus, 2... Photosensitive drum, 3... Original platen, 8... Magnetic brush developing device, 13... Clean,
ning device, 0...cassette, P transferable paper, 15...
-Paper feed roller, 17...first conveyance roller, 19...
Transfer paper conveyance means, 20... Fixing device, 23... Tray, 30, 3Q'... Side plate, 31... Mounting table, M.
...Paper feed motor, 34...Crimp plate, 35...Cam lever, 36...Detection protrusion, 5H-1, 5H-2, 5
R-3, 5H-4...shaft, MS-1, M8-2. M.S.
-4, M3-5... Four microphone switches, 40... Rotating pin, 44... Two-pronged lever, 47... Lever, 4
8...-Lock claw, 49... Locking member, 51... First operating lever, 52... Second operating lever, 61...
The seat support is a plate, 62 river friction material, H...holding member. Agent Patent Attorney Shu 1) Parent-in-law

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) - Feeding means for feeding recording paper to an image forming area. - A loading section into which a paper cassette, which supports recording paper and is swingably displaced and has a plate, can be loaded. - A push-up member movably disposed near the loading section in order to bring the recording paper placed on the board into contact with the feeding means when the advance paper tray is loaded in the loading section. - A spring member is provided so that the sheet receiver always urges the sheet in the direction of the feeding means; 5, the locking member configured to release the push-up member from the stored state in conjunction with the loading operation of the paper cassette from the state in which the pushing member is locked in the stored state;
A paper feeding device characterized by having: (21. The paper feeder according to claim y, wherein the locking member is interlocked with the locking release of the locking member and protrudes into the loading section, thereby preventing the paper cassette from being removed from the loading section. Paper device. (3) The paper feeding device according to claim 2, which is configured to prevent the paper cassette from entering the loading section when the locking member is in a protruding state into the loading section. (4) The paper feeding device according to claim #I2, wherein the locking member is always biased by a spring member in a direction to lock the paper cassette.