JP5338454B2 - Manual sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manual paper feeding device allowing exact swing motion of a flapper with a simple construction. <P>SOLUTION: A flapper swing regulating mechanism includes a cam 91 acting on the flapper 82, a rotation-transmitted member 92, 93 integrally fixed to a camshaft 90, a rotation transmission gear 94 transmitting rotation to the rotation-transmitted member, and a rotation regulating member 95 controlling rotation and stop of the rotation-transmitted member at every half-rotation. The rotation-transmitted member is formed of a rotating disk 92 equipped with two pawls 921, 922, and a tooth-chipped gear 93 integrated with the rotating disk, meshing with the rotation transmitting gear and transmitted with rotation. The rotation regulating member is formed of an acting piece 951 swinging with turning-on/off of a solenoid 950 and acting on either of the pawls, and tension springs 952, 953 bridged between an eccentric position of the rotation-transmitted member and a fixed frame 90. The tension springs are provided so that tensile force acts in opposite directions to each other, and the tooth-chipped gear has tooth-chipped parts 931, 932 in two places. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a manual paper feeding device, and more specifically, a manual paper feed provided with a flapper that swings between a position where the leading side of a sheet to be set is pressed against the paper feeding roller and a position where it is separated from the paper feeding roller. The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device and an image forming apparatus including the manual sheet feeding device.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a Fukushimari device, a printer, or a so-called multifunction device, a special paper such as a non-standard paper or a postcard is set each time according to the purpose of use of the user, and an image is set on the image. A manual paper feeder for recording is provided on the side of the apparatus main body. In such a manual sheet feeding device, the manual sheet feeding tray is provided on the side of the apparatus main body so as to be openable and closable, and is closed when not in use, and its outer surface forms part of the outer casing of the apparatus main body. Is done. A paper feed roller is installed in the main body of the manual feed tray on the side in the paper feed direction, and a flapper capable of swinging up and down that is urged upward toward the paper feed roller is manually fed. It is provided to be continuous with the paper feed tray. When in use, the manual paper feed tray is opened and the target paper is set thereon. At this time, the flapper is located away from the paper feed roller, and the user inserts and sets the paper so that the leading edge of the paper extends between the flapper and the paper feed roller. When an image recording operation is performed on the sheet from the manual sheet feeding device, the flapper swings upward, and the leading end of the set sheet is sandwiched between the flapper and the sheet feeding roller. The The paper is fed out along with the rotation of the paper feed roller and supplied to the image recording unit in the apparatus main body. For this reason, the flapper in such a manual sheet feeding device has a flapper swing restriction for pressing the front side of the sheet against the sheet feed roller to maintain the sheet feed position and the standby position away from the sheet feed roller. A mechanism is attached (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-62933 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-81247

  In any of the manual paper feeders disclosed in the patent documents, a cam mechanism is employed as the swing restricting mechanism. In other words, the flapper is controlled to swing so that the cam acts on the flapper and the flapper is pushed down to the standby position, and when the cam does not act, the flapper is pushed up by the elastic force of the elastic member to the paper feeding position. Made. In any of the cam mechanisms employed in the two-handed paper feeder, the cam is directly connected to the drive shaft of the paper feed roller. Also in the case of image recording using a manual sheet feeding device, image recording is often continuously performed on a plurality of sheets in one image recording job. Therefore, the paper feed roller is designed so that the leading edge of the paper fed out by one rotation reaches the conveying roller in the apparatus main body, and stops until the trailing edge of the paper conveyed by the conveying roller after one rotation passes. Then, drive control is performed so that the paper is rotated again after passing and the next sheet is fed out. Thus, since the cam is directly connected to the drive shaft of the paper feed roller, the cam swings repeatedly between the working position and the non-working position with respect to the flapper every rotation of the paper feed roller. Such repeated swinging may cause malfunction of the swinging mechanism unit due to the accumulation of stress over time, or the operating sound may cause discomfort to the user.

  FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway side view schematically showing an example of a manual sheet feeding device which the inventors have made as a prototype in view of the above-mentioned problems, although it is not known on the filing date of the present application. A manual paper feeding device 100 shown in FIG. 8 includes a manual paper feeding tray 110 that is attached to the side of the apparatus main body 101 of the image forming apparatus so as to be openable and closable, and a vertical paper feeding device that moves up and down on the front side of the manual paper feeding tray 110. A flapper 120 and a paper feed roller 130 are provided. The paper feed roller 130 is installed above the swinging end side of the flapper 120, and the rotation drive shaft 131 of the paper feed roller 130 is connected to a rotation transmission gear 132 that meshes with an idler gear 140 that is driven and transmitted from a drive source (not shown). Are coupled via an electromagnetic clutch 133. Therefore, the rotation transmission gear 132 is always rotated as long as the drive source side is operated, but the rotation of the sheet feeding roller 130 is controlled by turning on and off the electromagnetic clutch 133. The flapper 120 is installed on the manual feed tray 110 or the apparatus main body 101 on the front side of the manual feed tray 110 so as to be swingable up and down with a hinge pin 121 as a fulcrum. The upward elasticity is given by 122.

  A cam 150 that is not directly connected to the rotation drive shaft 131 of the paper feed roller 130 is disposed on one side of the flapper 120, and the cam shaft 151 of the cam 150 rotates in parallel with the rotation drive shaft 131. It is installed as possible. A cam gear 160 that meshes with the rotation transmission gear 132 is attached to the cam shaft 151 so as to be relatively rotatable. Further, a rotation restricting cylindrical member 170 is concentrically attached to the cam shaft 151 via a spring clutch 161 integral with the cam gear 160. Two claw portions 171 and 172 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotation restricting cylindrical member 170 at positions symmetrical to the axis of the cam shaft 151. Further, in the apparatus main body 101, an action piece 180 that swings between a position that acts on the claw portions 171 and 172 by a solenoid 181 and a position that does not act is installed. The action piece 180 is elastically biased toward the rotation restricting cylindrical member 170 by a tension spring 182 and is attracted when the solenoid 181 is turned on so as to swing away from the rotation restricting cylindrical member 170. It is configured.

  When the paper is fed into the apparatus main body 101 using the manual paper feeder 100 as shown in FIG. 8, the paper (not shown) is shown with the flapper 120 pushed down by the cam 150 as shown by the solid line in FIG. ) Is made. In a state where the flapper 120 is pushed down, the solenoid 181 is in an OFF state, and the action piece 180 acts on one claw portion 171 of the rotation restricting cylindrical member 170, and the cam shaft via the spring clutch 161 is caused by this action load. The rotation transmission to 151 is cut off. Thus, since the flapper 120 is pushed down and the leading end thereof is at a position away from the paper feed roller 130, the leading end of the sheet can be inserted between the both without any trouble. The idler gear 140 is transmitted with a rotational driving force from a driving source. Therefore, the rotational driving force is also transmitted to the rotational transmission gear 132 and the cam gear 160. In this case, since the electromagnetic clutch 133 is in the OFF state, the rotation transmission gear 132 is idled and is not transmitted to the rotation drive shaft 131, and the paper feed roller 130 is stopped. Further, the cam gear 160 idles around the cam shaft 151 by the restraining action of the spring clutch 161 interposed between the cam gear 160 and the cam shaft 151 due to the action load on the claw portion 171 of the action piece 180, and the cam 150 is the flapper. The state where 120 is pushed down is maintained. When a manual sheet feeding job operation is performed, the solenoid 181 is turned on, and the action piece 180 is pulled down against the elasticity of the tension spring 182. As a result, the action of the action piece 180 on the claw 171 is released, the cam shaft 151 rotates together with the cam gear 160, the cam 150 rotates and moves to the non-action position with respect to the flapper 120, and the flapper 120 moves to the compression spring 122. Swing upwards due to elasticity.

  When the cam 150 rotates approximately 180 °, the solenoid 181 is turned off, the action piece 180 is engaged with the other claw portion 172, and the rotation of the cam shaft 151 is suppressed. In this state, the leading edge of the set paper is elastically pressed against the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 130 by the flapper 120 (two-dot chain line in FIG. 8) to which the elasticity of the compression spring 122 is applied. Maintained. When the electromagnetic clutch 133 is turned on, the paper feed roller 130 rotates and the set paper is fed toward an image recording unit (not shown) in the apparatus main body 101. When the leading end of the fed paper reaches a conveyance roller (not shown), the electromagnetic clutch 133 is turned off, and the rotational drive transmission to the paper feed roller 130 is interrupted. When the manual sheet feeding job is to feed a plurality of sheets, when the trailing edge of the fed sheet passes the sheet feeding roller 130, the electromagnetic clutch 133 is turned on again, and the next sheet is fed. A payout is made and this is repeated. During this time, the flapper 120 is maintained in a state where the paper is pressed against the paper feed roller 130. When the manual sheet feeding job is completed, the solenoid 181 is turned on, whereby the action piece 180 is pulled down to release the action on the claw 172, the cam shaft 151 rotates together with the cam gear 160, and the flapper 120 acts on the cam 150. Is pushed down. When the cam 150 rotates approximately 180 °, the solenoid 181 is turned off, the action piece 180 is engaged with the one claw portion 171, the rotation of the cam shaft 151 is suppressed, and the flapper 120 returns to the solid line position in FIG. 8. This state is maintained.

  In the case of the manual sheet feeding device 100 shown in FIG. 8, the vertical swing of the flapper 120 by the cam 150 is performed regardless of the rotational driving of the sheet feeding roller 130. Therefore, the problem does not occur when the cam is directly connected to the drive shaft of the paper feed roller as in the manual paper feed device disclosed in Patent Document 1 or 2, and it is extremely effective in solving such a problem. It is. However, in the course of developing the manual sheet feeder 100, the following problems to be solved were newly discovered. That is, the cam standby position may vary due to variations in the angle of the spring clutch 161, the adhesion resistance of the lubricant (grease) interposed in the rubbing portion, and the smoothness of the paper setting operation may be impaired. . Therefore, it is necessary to manage parts such as an inspection jig for stabilizing the standby position of the cam, and it cannot be denied that manufacturing or maintenance becomes complicated.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a manual sheet feeding device that can perform an accurate swinging operation of the flapper and an image forming apparatus using the same with a simple configuration. It is said.

A manual sheet feeding device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a manual sheet feeding tray, a sheet feeding roller, a flapper that is swingably attached to the front side of the manual sheet feeding tray, and the flapper that feeds the flapper. A manual paper feeding device comprising an elastic member for urging the paper roller and a flapper swing restricting mechanism for restricting swinging of the flapper, wherein the flapper swing restricting mechanism is A cam that acts against the elastic force of the elastic member, a rotation transmission member that is integrally fixed to a cam shaft of the cam, a rotation transmission gear that transmits rotation to the rotation transmission member, and the rotation transmission member A rotation restricting member that controls rotation and stationary for each half rotation, and the rotation transmission member is concentrically integrated with a rotating disk having two axially symmetric claws. And a toothed portion that meshes with the rotation transmission gear and transmits rotation. The rotation restricting member swings when the actuator is turned on and off and acts on one of the claw portions to inhibit the rotation transmitting member from rotating, and the rotation transmission The eccentric position of the member and two tension springs spanned between the fixed frames, the two tension springs are provided such that a tensile force acts in the opposite direction, and the toothless gear is A position where any of the claw portions does not mesh with the rotation transmission gear when any of the claw portions is in a position to receive the action of the action piece piece at two axially symmetrical positions. The cam has an action part and a non-action part for the flapper, and the action part and the non-action part are provided at symmetrical positions around the axis of the cam shaft, Acts on the flapper In this case, the flapper is configured to swing in a direction away from the paper feed roller against the elastic force of the elastic member, and the working portion and the non-working portion of the cam are provided in the toothless gear. It is characterized by being formed so as to correspond to each of the tooth missing portions .

  In the manual sheet feeding device of the present invention, a separation pad that elastically contacts the sheet feeding roller is provided, and the sheets placed on the manual sheet feeding tray are fed out one by one by the sheet feeding roller and the separation pad. A separate sheet feeding member may be configured.

  In the manual sheet feeding device of the present invention, the rotation transmission gear may be coupled to the rotation driving shaft of the sheet feeding roller via an electromagnetic clutch.

  An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including any one of the manual sheet feeding devices and an image recording unit, wherein the manual sheet feeding tray is an apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus. The paper feed roller is installed in the apparatus main body in the vicinity of the attachment position of the manual feed tray, and is placed on the open manual feed tray. Is configured such that the front end thereof is pressed against the paper feed roller by the flapper and is supplied toward the image recording unit installed in the apparatus main body by the rotation of the paper feed roller. .

  According to the manual paper feed device of the present invention, the flapper attached to the front side of the manual paper feed tray is swingably urged toward the paper feed roller by the elastic member. The manual feed paper set on the paper tray has its leading end pressed against the paper feed roller. Therefore, the paper is fed out by the rotation of the paper feed roller. Since the flapper receives an action against the elastic force of the elastic member by the cam constituting the flapper swing restricting mechanism, the flapper is pushed down by the cam, and a gap is secured between the flapper and the hand. The difference sheet is accurately set at a predetermined sheet feeding position. The cam is rotated by the rotation transmission of the rotation transmission gear with respect to the rotation transmission member integrally fixed to the camshaft, and this rotation gives an action against the elastic force of the elastic member to the flapper. Since the rotation transmission member is rotated and stationary controlled every half rotation by the rotation restricting member, the cam interlocked with the rotation transmission member can be stopped at a position where it acts on the flapper and a position where it does not act.

  The rotation transmission member includes a toothless gear that meshes with the rotation transmission gear and transmits rotation, and the toothless gear has toothed portions at two axially symmetrical positions. The rotation from the rotation transmission gear is not transmitted in the part. The rotation and stationary control for each half-rotation are the presence of these two toothless portions, a rotating disk having two axially symmetric claw portions, and an action portion that acts on the two claw portions. It is made precisely by the piece and the eccentric position of the rotated transmission member and the two tension springs spanned between the fixed frames. That is, when any one of the claw portions is in a position to receive the action of the action portion piece, the tooth-missing gear is in a position where it does not mesh with the rotation transmission gear. The rotation transmission from the rotation transmission gear is reliably maintained at a position where the transmission is interrupted. The two tension springs are attached to the eccentric position of the rotational transmission member and are provided so that a tensile force acts in the opposite direction to each other. Therefore, the action of the action piece on the claw part is released. Then, the toothless gear is rotationally biased by the tensile elasticity of one of the tension springs. The rotationally biased toothless gear meshes with the rotation transmission gear and rotates by receiving rotational power from the rotation transmission gear. When the half rotation is made, the other toothed portion closes to the rotation transmission gear and the rotation transmission is interrupted, and at the same time, the rotation of the two tension springs against the elasticity of the two tension springs by the action on the other claw portion. The transmission member is prevented from rotating. Here again, when the action of the action piece on the claw portion is released, the toothless gear is rotationally biased by the tension spring force of the tension spring as in the case described above, but in this case, the tension spring force of another tension spring is different from the above. Will work.

The rotation transmitting member integrally fixed to the camshaft is controlled to rotate and stop every half rotation by the rotation restricting member as described above, so that the cam acts on the flapper independently of the paper feed roller. And a rotational position between the non-acting position is set. Therefore, the above-mentioned problem as in the case of using a cam mechanism directly connected to the paper feed roller does not occur. In addition, since no spring clutch is used, there is no concern that variations in the angle of the spring clutch or variations in the standby position of the cam due to grease adhesion resistance or the like will occur. Then, the position of the tooth-less portion of the tooth-less gear corresponds to the position of the cam, and combined with the action on the claw portion of the action piece that swings when the solenoid is turned on / off, The working position and the non-working position are always kept at the normal positions. Further, since the rotation bias of the toothless gear after the action release on the claw part of the action part piece is performed by the tension elasticity of the two tension springs, it is only necessary to appropriately set the elasticity of these springs, There is no need for special parts management. In addition, since the working part and the non-working part of the cam with respect to the flapper are provided at symmetrical positions around the axis of the cam shaft, the position setting of the working position and the non-working position for each half rotation is further performed. It is made accurately. When the cam acting portion acts on the flapper, the flapper is configured to swing away from the paper feed roller against the elastic force of the elastic member. The smoothness of work is improved. In this case, since the working portion and the non-working portion of the cam are formed so as to correspond to the tooth-cut portion of the tooth-missing gear, the position setting of the working position and the non-working position for each half rotation is further performed. It is made more accurate.

  In the manual sheet feeding device of the present invention, a separation pad that elastically contacts the sheet feeding roller is provided, and the sheets placed on the manual sheet feeding tray are fed out one by one by the sheet feeding roller and the separation pad. A separation sheet feeding member is configured. Due to the presence of such a separating paper feeding member, when the paper pressed against the paper feed roller by the flapper is fed out by the rotation of the paper feed roller, even if a plurality of sheets are fed out one by one, the paper is fed one by one. Therefore, it is supplied without any hindrance to the subsequent processes. Further, in the manual sheet feeding device of the present invention, if the rotation transmission gear is connected to the rotation drive shaft of the sheet feeding roller via an electromagnetic clutch, the sheet feeding roller is independently controlled for rotation by the electromagnetic clutch. . Therefore, the rotation control of the paper feed roller and the swing control of the flapper can be completely irrelevant while being in a common drive system.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, if the manual sheet feeding tray is opened only when the manual sheet feeding apparatus is used, the manual sheet feeding tray does not protrude from the side of the apparatus body at all times. It can be maintained, has a simple appearance, and does not obstruct traffic. Then, by the manual paper feeding device having the excellent functions as described above, the manual paper is smoothly supplied to the image recording unit installed in the apparatus main body, and image recording in the image recording unit is not hindered. Made.

1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a partial broken schematic plan view of the manual paper feeder in the same embodiment. It is AA arrow sectional drawing in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 2. It is CC sectional view taken on the line in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a flapper swing restricting mechanism portion in the manual paper feeder, and is an arrow view seen from the direction of line D in FIG. 2. It is the same figure which shows the operation state by the mechanism part. It is the schematic which shows the rocking | fluctuation control mechanism part of the flapper in the manual paper feeder as a reference example of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a printer having an electrophotographic image recording unit. However, an image reading unit is added to the printer, and a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and these are combined. It can also be configured as a so-called multifunction machine. The image forming apparatus 1 shown in the figure is configured in such a manner that a recording paper (recording medium) supply unit 2, an electrophotographic image recording unit 3 and a recorded recording paper discharge unit 4 are stacked one above the other from the bottom. Yes.

  The image recording unit 3 includes an electrophotographic apparatus using a non-magnetic two-component developer. The process unit 5, a toner supply unit 6 for supplying toner to the process unit 5, and a toner image transferred by the process unit 5 The fixing unit 7 fixes the recording paper as a permanent image. The non-magnetic two-component developer is composed of a magnetic carrier and a toner, and is mixed at a predetermined ratio in an initial state and filled in the developing device 54 described later in the process unit 5, and the toner is consumed as it is used. A system that can replenish is used. That is, the toner replenishing unit 6 includes a bottle mounting unit 61 for a toner bottle (not shown), a service hopper 62 for temporarily storing toner supplied from the bottle mounting unit 61, and developing the toner from the service hopper 62. It comprises a conveying screw (pipe screw) 63 for sequentially supplying to the device 54. A toner bottle can be detachably mounted on the bottle mounting portion 61 from the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1, and the toner bottle mounted on the bottle mounting portion 61 is supported horizontally on a support base 64. Has been. In the developing device 54, a toner concentration detection sensor 544 is installed. Based on detection information of the toner concentration detection sensor 544, a discharge screw (not shown) installed in the transport screw 63 and the service hopper 62 is operated. Toner is supplied from the service hopper 62 into the developing device 54. Further, a toner presence / absence sensor (not shown) is also installed in the service hopper 62. Based on the detection information of the toner presence / absence sensor, the rotation of the bottle attachment unit 61 causes the toner from the attached toner bottle to the service hopper 62. Supply is made. Here, the rear side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 is the rear side of the apparatus, and the front side is the front side.

  The process unit 5 includes a photosensitive drum 51, a scorotron charger 52 disposed around the photosensitive drum 51, an exposure device 53 including an LED (light emitting diode) unit, a developing device 54, a transfer roller 55, and a cleaning device 56. It is comprised by. A fixing unit 7 is installed downstream of the process unit 5 in the recording paper conveyance direction. The image recording unit 3 is configured to heat and press the recording paper on which the toner image has been transferred in the process unit 5 with the heating roller 71 and the press roller 72 in the fixing unit 7 to fix the toner image as a permanent image. . The recording sheet on which the toner image is fixed is discharged onto a discharge tray 42 by a discharge roller pair 41 on the downstream side of the fixing unit 7, and the discharge unit 4 for the recorded recording sheet is configured by the discharge roller pair 41 and the discharge tray 42. Has been.

  The photosensitive drum 51, the charger 52, and the cleaning device 56 are collectively incorporated into a resin-molded photosensitive drum unit housing 510 to constitute a drum unit. The photosensitive drum 51 is rotatably supported by the photosensitive drum unit housing 510 via a support shaft 511. The developing device 54 incorporates two parallel agitating and conveying screws 541 and 542, a developing roller (mag roller) 543 and other incidental members (for example, a toner seal member) in a resin-molded developing unit housing 540. It is configured as a developing unit. The agitating / conveying screws 541 and 542 and the developing roller 543 are rotatably accommodated in the developing unit housing 540. The developing unit housing 540 also serves as a housing portion for the non-magnetic two-component developer, and the toner concentration detection sensor 544 is attached to the outer side thereof. The photosensitive drum unit housing 510 and the developing unit housing 540 are coupled by mutual coupling means (not shown) to constitute the image forming process unit 50. In this coupled state, corresponding portions of the photosensitive drum unit housing 510 and the developing unit housing 540 are opened so that the photosensitive drum 51 and the developing roller 543 are close to each other.

  The process unit 50 is mounted in a horizontal state at a predetermined position shown in FIG. 1 from the front side to the rear side of the apparatus body 10. At the time of attaching / detaching the process unit 50, the exposure unit 53 is retracted to a position where the attaching / detaching operation of the process unit 50 is not hindered. It is comprised so that it may be positioned in the predetermined position which adjoins. Further, a toner receiving port 501 is formed in the developing device unit housing 540 above the stirring and conveying screw 541 on the front side in the mounting direction of the process unit 50. A shutter member (not shown) that opens and closes when the process unit 50 is attached or detached is attached to the toner receiving port 501. The receiving port 501 is positioned so as to sink under the toner discharge port 631 of the conveying screw 63, and a toner delivery unit is established by the discharge port 631 and the receiving port 501. A shutter member (not shown) is mounted on the discharge port 631, and the discharge port 631 is opened when the process unit 50 is mounted, and the discharge port 631 is closed when the process unit 50 is detached. By establishing the toner delivery unit, a toner supply system is formed from the service hopper 62 via the conveying screw 63.

  The agitating and conveying screws 541 and 542 are installed in the developing unit housing 540 in parallel with the partition wall 545 therebetween, and the toner conveying directions are opposite to each other. Further, both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the partition wall 545 are notched, and the toner is circulated and conveyed by the both agitating and conveying screws 541 and 542 through the notched portions (not shown), and the agitation and mixing of the toner and the carrier is performed during the conveyance. Made. A rotation driving coupling portion (not shown) of the photosensitive drum 51 and a rotation driving coupling portion (not shown) of the developing roller 543 are exposed at the end of the process unit 50 with respect to the apparatus main body 10 in the mounting direction. doing. When the process unit 50 is mounted on the apparatus main body 10, both coupling portions are coupled to a driving source (not shown) installed in the apparatus main body 10, and the photosensitive drum 51 and the developing roller 543 are driven. A transmission system is formed. Further, a coupling portion (not shown) is coupled to the end portion in the mounting direction on the agitating / conveying screw 541, and the agitating / conveying screw 541 is driven from a driving source in the apparatus main body 10 via the coupling portion. Communicated. A gear is formed on the peripheral surface of the coupling portion, and the rotational drive of the agitating and conveying screw 541 is transmitted to the agitating and conveying screw 542 by a gear meshing with the gear. Further, a drive transmission is made from the photosensitive drum 51 via an idler gear (not shown) to the conveying screw 561 for discharging the removed toner constituting the cleaning device 56.

  The recording paper supply unit 2 includes a paper feeding cassette 21 for supplying recording paper that is detachably attached to the cassette chamber 20 formed in the apparatus main body 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 from the front side of the apparatus. The insertion / removal direction of the paper cassette 21 may be a direction along the left-right direction from the side of the apparatus main body 10 in addition to a direction along the rear side from the front side of the apparatus main body 10. The front end side wall portion in the recording paper supply direction in the cassette chamber 20 is a recording paper guide wall portion 201. A pad base 22 is incorporated in the center of the upper surface of the front end side wall portion of the paper feed cassette 21 in the recording paper supply direction in a state in which elasticity is applied upward by a compression spring (not shown). A friction separation pad 23 is fixed to the upper surface of the table 22.

A paper feed roller 24 is rotatably installed on the front end side of the paper feed cassette 21. The separation pad 23 is elastically pressed against the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 24, and the recording paper deposited on the paper feed cassette 21 is fed one by one from the uppermost layer by the paper feed roller 24 and the separation pad 23. A recording paper separating and supplying member that separates and feeds out and supplies the apparatus main body 10 is configured. In the illustrated example, the recording paper separating and supplying member is an example using a separation pad method. However, a retard roller method in which a pickup roller is disposed in the vicinity of the upstream side and a paper feeding roller and a retard roller are combined therewith may be used. . A push-up plate 25 is provided in the paper feed cassette 21 so as to be swingable up and down with a hinge pin (not shown) as a fulcrum. The push-up plate 25 is elastically moved upward by a compression spring (not shown). It is assumed that it has been granted. In the paper feed cassette 21, although not shown or described, an end guide for regulating the trailing edge of the recording paper, a side guide for regulating the width direction of the recording paper, or a positioning portion for the end guide and the side guide. Etc. are also equipped.
Note that an optional cassette (not shown) may be arranged below the paper feed cassette 21 to constitute a multi-cassette system having two or more stages.

  In the apparatus main body 10, a curved recording paper main transport path 11 connected to the recording paper separating and supplying member (separation pad 23 and paper feeding roller 24) configured when the paper feeding cassette 21 is mounted is formed. In the middle of the main transport path 11, a registration roller pair 12 is installed. The recording sheets separated and fed one by one by the recording sheet separating and supplying members 23 and 24 from the sheet feeding cassette 21 are transferred by the registration roller pair 12 and introduced into the nip portion between the photosensitive drum 51 and the transfer roller 55. It is configured to be. A recording paper conveyance path 11 ′ from the lower cassette is formed behind the recording paper guide wall portion 201, and the conveyance path 11 ′ joins the main conveyance path 11 on the upstream side of the registration roller pair 12.

  An image forming process in the image forming apparatus 1 including the process unit having the above configuration will be described. A process unit 50 constituted by coupling the photosensitive drum unit housing 510 and the developing unit housing 540 by the coupling means is mounted at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body 10 shown in FIG. 1 along the mounting direction. In this state, the toner supply system from the toner replenishing unit 6 to the process unit 50 is established. In addition, a transmission system of the rotational drive unit in the process unit 50 is established by coupling coupling of the respective coupling units, and further, although illustration and description are omitted, a power feeding system and the like of each electric operation unit are also established. As shown in FIG. 1, the photosensitive drum 51 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow, and along with this rotation, the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 is uniformly charged by the charger 52. Image information read by an image reading unit (not shown) or image information transmitted from an external terminal (not shown) such as a facsimile or a personal computer is written as optical information by the exposure unit 53, whereby the photosensitive drum An electrostatic latent image based on optical information is formed on the surface 51. This electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 54 with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 51 to become a toner image, and reaches the nip portion with the transfer roller 55.

  In the developing device 54, the toner and the carrier are circulated and conveyed in the developing unit housing 540 while being agitated by the two agitating and conveying screws 541 and 542. Developer is supplied to the developing roller 543 in the process of being circulated and the electrostatic latent image is successively developed with toner by the developing roller 543 to which a bias is applied. From the paper feed cassette 21, the recording paper is separated and fed one by one by the recording paper separating and supplying members 23 and 24 and reaches the registration roller pair 12. The recording paper is conveyed in registration by the registration roller pair 12 so as to be synchronized with the toner image and introduced into the nip portion between the photosensitive drum 51 and the transfer roller 55, and the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum is sequentially transferred onto the recording paper. Is done. The toner image transferred onto the recording paper is fixed as a permanent image by the fixing unit 7, and the recording paper on which the permanent image is formed is transported through the main transport path 11 and onto the discharge tray 42 by the discharge roller pair 41. Discharged and deposited.

  A small amount of toner remains on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 after passing through the nip portion with the transfer roller 55, and this residual toner (transfer residual toner) is scraped off by the scraper 562 of the cleaning device 56 to be photosensitive. It is removed from the surface of the body drum 51. The removed toner temporarily stays in the cleaning case (a part of the photosensitive drum unit housing 510), but is continuously pushed to the conveying screw 561 side by the removed toner. The removed toner that has reached the conveyance screw 561 is collected in the developing unit housing 540 through a toner collection conveyance path (not shown). The toner collected in the developing unit housing 540 is used for reuse.

  As described above, the recording sheet on which the image has been formed and the toner image has been fixed passes through the main conveyance path 11 and is discharged onto the discharge tray 42 while drawing the main feeding path 111. The forming apparatus 1 has a double-sided recording function. That is, a switching gate 13 is provided in the main conveyance path 11 on the downstream side of the fixing unit 7, and circulates from the attachment position of the switching gate 13 to the main conveyance path 11 on the upstream side of the registration roller pair 12. A reversing conveyance path 14 that merges is formed. The discharge roller pair 41 can be rotated forward and backward, and conveyance roller pairs 141 and 142 are installed in the reverse conveyance path 14. When performing double-sided recording, when the recording paper on which single-sided recording is performed as described above is conveyed along the main conveyance path 11 and the trailing edge of the recording paper reaches the discharge roller pair 41, the discharge roller pair 41 is temporarily stopped. And nip the trailing edge of the recording paper. Next, the discharge roller pair 41 is reversed, and the recording paper is conveyed on the reverse conveyance path 14 by the conveyance roller pairs 141 and 142 from its rear end, and is introduced into the main conveyance path 11 while drawing the reverse feeding path 140 to be registered roller pairs. To 12. The recording paper is conveyed by the registration roller pair 12 and is again introduced into the nip portion between the photosensitive drum 51 and the transfer roller 55 to record the back surface thereof. The recording paper on which both sides are recorded is then discharged onto the discharge tray 42 along the main transport path 11 as described above. The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with a jam access cover 15. By opening the jam access cover 15, the main transport path 11 and the reverse transport path 14 can be opened. The nip of each roller pair is released, and the jammed recording paper can be taken out.

  A manual paper feeder 8 is installed on the side of the apparatus main body 10 in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. The manual sheet feeder 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. That is, the manual sheet feeding device 8 includes a manual sheet feeding tray 80, a sheet feeding roller 81, a flapper 82 swingably attached to the front side of the manual sheet feeding tray 80, and the flapper 82. And a compression spring (elastic member) 83 that urges the feed roller 81 toward the paper feed roller 81. As the manual paper feed tray 80, for example, a three-stage slide extendable tray is adopted. The manual paper feed tray 80 is connected to a pair of manual paper feed unit frames 800, 800 provided in parallel on the rear side and front side on one side of the apparatus body 10 via hinge pins 801, 801. It can be opened and closed freely. The manual feed tray 80 can be opened / closed and expanded / contracted by a handle 802, and various types of manual feed paper can be set on the opened upper surface, and the upper surface can approach and separate in the width direction. A pair of side guides 803 and 803 are provided. A two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a state in which the manual paper feed tray 80 can be opened to perform manual paper feeding. When the manual paper feed tray 80 is closed, it forms a part of the outer casing of the apparatus main body 10. A flapper 82 is attached to the front side of the manual feed tray 80 in the paper feed direction via hinge pins 821 and 821 so as to be swingable up and down. The flapper 82 is configured so that an upward elasticity is applied by a compression spring 83, and its swing end side can elastically contact the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 81.

  A paper feed roller 81 that is driven and transmitted from a drive source (not shown) in the apparatus main body 10 is installed inside the apparatus main body 10 and is located on the swing end side of the flapper 82. At the installation position of the paper feed roller 81, a manual paper feed guide wall portion 84 that is inclined obliquely upward toward the inside of the apparatus main body 10 is formed. At the center of the manual paper feed guide wall 84 corresponding to the paper feed roller 81, the upper surface is the manual paper feed guide with the separation pad base 85 elastically applied upward by the compression spring 851. It is embedded so as to be exposed from the surface (guide surface) of the wall portion 84. A separation pad 852 made of a high friction material such as rubber is fixed to the upper surface of the separation pad base 85, and the separation pad 852 is adjacent to the downstream side in the rotational direction of the portion of the paper feed roller 81 that contacts the flapper 82. It is in elastic contact with the peripheral surface. The separation pad 852 and the paper feed roller 81 constitute a separation paper feed member that feeds the manual paper set in the manual paper feed tray 80 one by one. A manual feed path 16 that is continuous with the manual feed guide wall 84 and extends into the apparatus main body 10 is formed. The manual feed path 16 is upstream of the registration roller pair 12 and the main transport path 11. (See FIG. 1).

As described above, the flapper 82 is swingable up and down with the hinge pins 821 and 821 as fulcrums, and the swinging of the flapper 82 is performed in a fixed frame 90 in the apparatus main body 10 collectively. Regulated by. That is, the flapper swing restricting mechanism 9 is a cam 91 that acts against the flapper 82 against the elasticity of the compression spring 83 and a rotation transmission member that is integrally fixed to the cam shaft 910 of the cam 91. The rotation disk 92 and the toothless gear 93 are provided as main swing restricting members. The cam 91 has an action part 911 and a non-action part 912 with respect to the flapper 82, and the action part 911 and the non-action part 912 are provided at symmetrical positions around the axis of the cam shaft 910. As is shown in Fig 4, the outside diameter of the working portion 911 about the axis of the cam shaft 910 is a large fan-shaped. When the action portion 911 acts on the flapper 82, the flapper 82 is configured to swing away from the paper feed roller 81 against the elasticity of the compression spring 83.

  Further, the flapper swing restricting mechanism 9 includes a rotation transmission gear 94 that transmits rotation to the rotation transmission members 92 and 93, and a rotation restriction member that controls rotation and stationary of the rotation transmission members 92 and 93 every half rotation. 95 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The rotating disk 92 includes two axially symmetrical claw portions 921 and 922 on its peripheral surface, and the toothless gear 93 is concentrically integrated with the rotating disk 92 and is axially symmetrical. Are provided with tooth missing portions 931 and 932. The rotation transmission gear 94 is connected to the drive shaft 810 of the paper feed roller 81 via an electromagnetic clutch 811. Accordingly, the rotation transmission from the rotation transmission gear 94 to the paper feed roller 81 is turned on / off by turning on / off the electromagnetic clutch 811. The rotation transmission gear 94 meshes with an idler gear 96 connected to a drive source (not shown), and the drive transmission is transmitted from the idler gear 96. A cam shaft 910 of the cam 91 is rotatably supported by the fixed frame 90 and one of the manual feed portion frame 800 so as to be parallel to the drive shaft 810 of the paper feed roller 81.

  The rotation restricting member 95 acts between any of the claw portions 921 and 922 to suppress the rotation of the rotating disc 92, and between the eccentric position of the toothless gear 93 and the fixed frame 90. It consists of two tension springs 952 and 953 that are stretched. The action piece 951 can swing by turning on and off a solenoid 950 as an actuator. That is, when the solenoid 950 is off, the action piece 951 is located at a position where the hook-like action portion 951a at the tip acts on one of the claw portions 921 and 922 by the tensile elasticity of the tension spring 951b. It is set as follows. In addition, when the solenoid 950 is turned on, the action piece 951 is sucked, and the action of any one of the hooks 921 and 922 of the saddle action portion 951a is released. When any of the claw portions 921 and 922 is in a position where the action piece 951 is acted on, the position is such that any of the toothed portions 931 and 932 does not mesh with the rotation transmission gear 94. The positional relationship between the claw portions 921, 922 and the tooth missing portions 931, 932 is set. A spring mounting boss 933 is formed at an eccentric position of the toothless gear 93, and one end portions of the two tension springs 952 and 953 are mounted on the mounting boss 933. Both tension springs 952 and 953 are attached to attachment pieces 901 and 902 formed at the upper and lower sides of the fixed frame 90 so that a tensile force acts in the opposite direction.

  A plate-shaped light shielding member (filler member) 970 is fixed to a portion of the camshaft 910 positioned between the fixed frame 90 and the manual feed unit frame 800 so as to be rotatable relative to the manual feed unit. A photoelectric sensor 97 that receives the action of the plate-like light shielding member 970 is installed on the part frame 800. The photoelectric sensor 97 includes a light emitting unit 971 arranged opposite to each other and a light receiving unit 972 that receives light from the light emitting unit 971, photoelectrically converts the light received by the light receiving unit 972, and transmits an electric signal. It is configured as follows. The plate-shaped light shielding member 970 is formed in a shape corresponding to the cam 91, and shields light projection from the light emitting portion 971 to the light receiving portion 972 or allows light projection as the cam shaft 910 rotates. Displace to position. That is, when the cam 91 acts on the flapper 82 and is in the position where the flapper 82 is pushed down against the elasticity of the compression spring 83 (solid line position in FIG. 4), the plate-like light shielding member 970 is the light emitting portion. 971 and the light receiving portion 972. Therefore, the light projection from the light emitting unit 971 to the light receiving unit 972 is blocked, and the photoelectric sensor 97 sends a signal indicating that the cam 91 acts on the flapper 82 and the flapper 82 is in the depressed position. Further, when the cam 91 is at a position where it does not act on the flapper 82 (two-dot chain line position in FIG. 4), the plate-like light shielding member 970 is out of the light projection area between the light emitting part 971 and the light receiving part 972, and Light from 971 is received by the light receiving unit 972. Upon receiving this light, the photoelectric sensor 97 sends out a signal indicating that the flapper 82 is pushed up by the compression spring 83 and the swinging side end is in a position where it is pressed against the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 81.

  The operation of the manual sheet feeding device 8 configured as described above will be described. When recording an image on a manual sheet using the manual sheet feeder 8, the manual sheet feed tray 80 is opened as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, and the telescopic tray is appropriately expanded according to the sheet size. In addition, the distance between the side guides 803 and 803 is adjusted. Prior to this manual sheet feeding operation, the flapper 82 is pushed down by the cam 91, and in this state, the claw portion 921 is hooked on the vertical action portion 951a of the action piece 951 ( Maintained by being in an acted state. In this state, a gap is ensured between the flapper 82 and the paper feed roller 81, so that the paper can be set so that its leading end is located within the gap. When the paper is set so as to extend within the interval, it is notified that the paper is correctly set by a paper presence sensor (not shown). In a state where the claw portion 921 is hooked on the hook-shaped action portion 951 a of the action piece 951, the tooth notch portion 931 of the tooth missing gear 93 is in a position close to the rotation transmission gear 94, and the rotation transmission gear 94 and the tooth The meshing relationship with the missing gear 93 is not established.

  When an instruction to start a manual sheet feeding job is given, rotation drive transmission is made from a drive source (not shown) to the rotation transmission gear 94 via an idler gear 96. The rotation drive transmission from the drive source to the rotation transmission gear 94 is triggered not only by a manual feed job start instruction but also when the drive system of the image forming apparatus 1 shifts to a standby state. Sometimes. Accordingly, the rotation transmission gear 94 rotates in the direction of the arrow 940 in FIG. Soon, the solenoid 950 is turned on, the action piece 951 is sucked, and the hook of the claw portion 921 by the hook action portion 951a is released. Along with this release, the rotation transmission member (the rotating disk 92 and the toothless gear 93) can be freely rotated around the axis of the gear shaft 910. At this time, the mounting boss 933 is provided at a position close to the tooth notch portion 931 at an eccentric position of the tooth missing gear 93, and the lower tension spring 953 extends between the two tension springs 952 and 953. In this state, a strong tensile force is applied. Accordingly, the rotation transmission members 92 and 93 that are allowed to rotate freely receive the tensile force and attempt to rotate in the direction of the arrow 930 in FIG. Along with this rotation, the gear portion of the toothless gear 93 meshes with the rotation transmission gear 94, and the rotation transmission members 92 and 93 are rotated in the direction of the arrow 930 in response to the rotational force of the rotation transmission gear 94.

  When the rotated transmission members 92 and 93 are rotated by approximately 180 ° (half rotation), the solenoid 950 is turned off and the suction force is released. As a result, the action piece 951 is turned upward by the tensile elasticity of the tension spring 951b. The nail | claw part 922 which rocks and rotates is hooked on the saddle type action part 951a. When the claw portion 922 is hooked on the saddle type action portion 951a, the rotation transmission members 92 and 93 are prevented from rotating. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the other toothed portion 932 of the toothless gear 93 is close to the rotation transmission gear 94 and the toothless gear 93 and the rotation transmission gear 94 are not engaged with each other. 93 stops. When the rotation transmitting members 92 and 93 are half-rotated, the cam 91 is also half-rotated, the action portion 911 is separated from the flapper 82, and the flapper 82 is not affected by the cam 91. As a result, the elastic force of the compression spring 83 is received, the tip side of the hinge pin 821 swings upward with the hinge pin 821 as a fulcrum, and the leading edge of the sheet thus set is pressed against the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 81.

In this way, when the electromagnetic clutch 811 is turned on with the leading edge of the paper being pressed against the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 81 by the flapper 82, the rotation transmission gear 94 and the drive shaft 810 of the paper feed roller 81 are Are driven and connected, and the paper feed roller 81 rotates. By rotation of the paper feed roller 81, the uppermost layer paper in the paper bundle set in the manual paper feed tray 80 is fed out. At this time, the lower layer paper may be fed out in a state of being overlapped due to humidity, paper quality, etc., but the separation action of the separation pad 852 and the paper feed roller 81 prevents the lower layer paper from being fed out, and only one sheet is fed. Is fed toward the manual feed path 16 through the manual feed guide wall 84. Then, the sheet is conveyed along the manual conveyance path 16 and is introduced into the main conveyance path 11 while drawing a manual conveyance path 160, and reaches the registration roller pair 12. In synchronism with the timing at which the leading edge of the sheet is nipped by the registration roller pair 12, the electromagnetic clutch 811 is turned off, and the rotation of the sheet feeding roller 81 is stopped. The paper that has reached the registration roller pair 12 is conveyed by the registration roller pair 12 and introduced into the recording unit 3 to perform predetermined image recording. A one-way clutch is incorporated in the paper feed roller 81, and is configured to idle around the drive shaft 810 due to the tensile force of the paper when the paper receives the conveying force of the registration roller pair 12. When a paper sensor (not shown) installed near the downstream side of the paper feed roller 81 detects that the rear end of the paper has passed, the electromagnetic clutch 811 is turned on again, and the paper feed roller 81 rotates. Then, the subsequent sheet is similarly fed out and conveyed to record an image.
When the sheet receives the conveying force of the registration roller pair 12, the electromagnetic clutch 811 is turned off. However, if the conveying roller pair is installed on the upstream side of the registration roller pair 12, the conveying force of the conveying roller pair is reduced. Accordingly, the electromagnetic clutch 811 may be turned off.

  Such manual sheet feeding and image recording are repeatedly executed until one manual sheet feeding job for which an operation instruction has been issued is completed. During this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the flapper 82 is not subjected to the action of the cam 91, and the leading end of the set paper is kept pressed against the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 81. When the manual sheet feeding job is completed, the solenoid 950 is turned on, the action piece 951 is sucked, and the hook by the hook action portion 951a of the claw portion 922 is released. Along with this release, the rotation transmission member (the rotating disk 92 and the toothless gear 93) can be freely rotated around the axis of the gear shaft 910. At this time, since the mounting boss 933 is at a position 180 ° opposite to that in the case of FIG. 6, in the two tension springs 952 and 953, the upper tension spring 952 extends and a strong tensile force acts. It is supposed to be in a state to do. Therefore, the rotation transmitting members 92 and 93 that are allowed to rotate freely receive the tensile force and try to rotate in the direction of the arrow 930. Along with this rotation, the gear portion of the toothless gear 93 meshes with the rotation transmission gear 94, and the rotation transmission members 92 and 93 are rotated by driving transmission from the rotation transmission gear 94. Along with this rotation, the cam 91 acts to push down the flapper 82 against the elasticity of the compression spring 83.

  Then, when the transmission members 92 and 93 are further rotated halfway, the solenoid 950 is turned off and the suction force is released. As a result, the action piece 951 swings upward by the tensile elasticity of the tension spring 951b. The claw portion 921 is hooked on the saddle type action portion 951a. When the claw portion 921 is hooked on the saddle type action portion 951a, the rotation transmission members 92 and 93 are prevented from rotating. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the toothless portion 931 of the toothless gear 93 is close to the rotation transmission gear 94, and the rotation transmission members 92, 93 are in a state where the toothless gear 93 and the rotation transmission gear 94 are not engaged with each other. Quiesce. In this stationary state, the flapper 82 is in the most depressed state by the cam 91, and waits until there is an instruction to start the next manual sheet feeding job in this state.

  As described above, in the case of the manual sheet feeding device 8 according to the present embodiment, the flapper 82 is in the standby position, the sheet feeding position (the position where the sheet is pressed against the sheet feeding roller 81) during one manual sheet feeding job. ) And the standby position cycle only once. Accordingly, even when a plurality of sheets are continuously fed in one manual sheet feeding job, the flapper 82 does not repeat swinging, and the swinging mechanism portion is accumulated by stress accumulation over time due to repeated swinging. There is no concern that the operation noise or the like may cause the user to feel uncomfortable. In addition, since no spring clutch is used for the operating portion of the cam 91, the cam standby position varies due to variations in the angle of the spring clutch, the adhesive resistance of the lubricant interposed in the rubbing portion, and the like. The smoothness of work is not impaired. Therefore, parts management such as an inspection jig for stabilizing the cam standby position is not required, and manufacturing or maintenance is not complicated.

  In the above-described embodiment, an image forming apparatus using a monochrome electrophotographic apparatus is illustrated, but an image forming apparatus using a color electrophotographic apparatus may be used. Moreover, although the example in which the exposure device 53 is an LED unit has been shown, a laser unit can also be used. Further, as the charger, a charger other than the scorotron method (for example, a brush charger, a roller charger, etc.) can be used. In addition, the development method using a non-magnetic two-component developer has been exemplified, but the present invention can also be applied to other two-component or one-component development image forming apparatuses. Further, the shape of the cam 91 is not limited to the shape shown in the figure, and other shapes can be adopted as long as the flapper 82 can be swing-regulated to the paper feeding position and the standby position every half rotation. Needless to say. Further, the shape of the light shielding member 790 that acts on the photoelectric sensor 97 is not limited to that shown in the figure, and may be any other shape as long as it acts on the photoelectric sensor 97 corresponding to the position of the cam 91. Is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Apparatus main body 8 Manual paper feed apparatus 80 Manual paper feed tray 81 Paper feed roller 810 Rotation drive shaft 811 Electromagnetic clutch 82 Flapper 83 Compression spring (elastic member)
852 Separation pad 9 Flapper swing restricting mechanism 90 Fixed frame 91 Cam 911 Action part 912 Non-action part 92 Rotating disk (rotated transmission member)
921, 922 Claw portion 93 Toothed gear (Rotated transmission member)
931, 932 Tooth cut portion 94 Rotation transmission gear 95 Rotation restricting member 950 Solenoid 951 Action piece 952, 953 Tension spring

Claims (4)

A manual paper feed tray, a paper feed roller, a flapper swingably attached to the front side of the manual paper feed tray, an elastic member that urges the flapper toward the paper feed roller, and the flapper A manual feed device provided with a flapper rocking regulation mechanism for regulating the rocking of
The flapper swing restricting mechanism includes a cam that acts on the flapper against the elastic force of the elastic member, a rotation transmission member that is integrally fixed to the cam shaft of the cam, and a rotation that rotates to the rotation transmission member. A rotation transmission gear that transmits the rotation, and a rotation regulating member that controls rotation and stationary of the rotation transmission member every half rotation,
The rotation transmission member includes a rotating disk having two axially symmetric claw portions, a toothed portion that is concentrically integrated with the rotating disk, meshes with the rotation transmission gear, and transmits rotation. With gears,
The rotation restricting member swings when the actuator is turned on and off, and acts on any of the claw portions to suppress rotation of the rotation transmission member; an eccentric position of the rotation transmission member; It consists of two tension springs spanned between the fixed frames,
The two tension springs are provided such that a tensile force acts in the opposite direction to each other, and the toothless gear has toothed portions at two axially symmetrical positions, and any one of the claw portions is When it is in a position to receive the action of the action part piece, it is set so that any one of the toothless parts does not mesh with the rotation transmission gear ,
The cam has an action part and a non-action part for the flapper, and the action part and the non-action part are provided at symmetrical positions around the axis of the cam shaft, and the action part acts on the flapper. The flapper is configured to swing in a direction away from the paper feed roller against the elastic force of the elastic member, and the working portion and the non-working portion of the cam are the teeth of the toothless gear. A manual sheet feeding device, which is formed so as to correspond to each of the notches . The manual sheet feeding device according to claim 1,
A separation pad that elastically contacts the sheet feeding roller is provided, and the sheet feeding roller and the separation pad constitute a separation sheet feeding member that feeds out the sheets placed on the manual sheet feeding tray one by one. A manual paper feeder. In the manual sheet feeding device according to claim 1 or 2,
The manual sheet feeding device, wherein the rotation transmission gear is connected to a rotation driving shaft of the sheet feeding roller through an electromagnetic clutch. An image forming apparatus comprising the manual sheet feeding device according to claim 1 and an image recording unit,
The manual paper feed tray is attached to the side of the main body of the image forming apparatus so as to be openable and closable. The paper feed roller is installed in the main body of the apparatus near the attachment position of the manual paper feed tray, and is opened. The sheet placed on the manual sheet feeding tray in a state is pressed against the sheet feeding roller by the flapper, and is rotated on the image recording unit installed in the apparatus main body by the rotation of the sheet feeding roller. An image forming apparatus configured to be supplied to an image.

Images