JP6119501B2 - Paper feeder for image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device of an image forming apparatus.

A paper supply device that supplies paper to the image forming apparatus includes a paper stacking plate on which the paper is stacked in a stacked state, a movable side end regulating member that defines the positions of both ends in the width direction of the paper, and paper supply And a movable rear end regulating member that regulates the position of the rear end portion in the direction. By positioning each regulating member in accordance with the paper size, it is possible to supply the paper in the correct orientation.
However, such a paper feeding device that can adjust the paper size has a notch on both side edges of the paper stacking plate in order to allow movement adjustment of the side edge regulating member. There was a limit to dealing with smaller size paper.

  Therefore, in the conventional paper feeding device, an auxiliary side end regulating member that can be rotated is provided at the front end portion of the side end regulating members on both sides, and the width is narrower than the minimum sheet width that can be adjusted by the normal side end regulating member. When using paper, each auxiliary-side end regulating member is turned inward to define the paper width by the turning end (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-327805 A

  However, in the conventional paper feeding device, since the auxiliary side end regulating member guides both side edges of the front end of the paper, there is no problem when the length of the paper is short, but the width is narrow and long. In the case of a paper of a scale, there is a possibility that a deviation in the width direction occurs at the rear end portion and the paper is bent in the paper feeding direction.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device of an image forming apparatus that performs appropriate paper feeding.

  The present invention relates to a sheet stacking plate for stacking sheets, an ascending drive unit for lifting the sheet stacking plate until the stacked uppermost sheet reaches a certain upper limit stop position, and feeding of the sheet A pair of side edge regulating members that are movable in the width direction orthogonal to the direction and regulate the positions of both end portions in the width direction of the paper, and float the topmost paper stacked by blowing air In the sheet feeding device of the image forming apparatus that feeds in the sheet feeding direction, each of the side end regulating members is provided at a front end portion in the sheet feeding direction and protrudes inward from the inner side surfaces of the pair of side end regulating members. A first auxiliary side that can be switched between a restricting position that restricts the position of the end in the width direction of the paper that is smaller than the paper width that is regulated by the pair of side end restricting members and a retracted position on the front side of the side end restricting member. End regulating members and the respective side end rules A second auxiliary side end regulating member that is detachably provided behind the first auxiliary side end regulating member in the member and regulates an end position in the width direction of the sheet that has floated by the air blowing, The lower end portion of the second auxiliary side end regulating member is located above the upper limit stop position of the uppermost sheet.

  In the present invention described above, the second auxiliary side end regulating member is an inclined surface that guides the paper that floats by the air blowing to the end position in the width direction of the paper regulated by the second auxiliary side end regulating member. The guide member having a lower end is supported below the second auxiliary side end regulating member, and the guide member is swung up and down with respect to the second auxiliary side end regulating member and pushed upward from the outside. It may be possible.

  In the present invention described above, the guide member may be supported in a suspended manner below the second auxiliary side end regulating member by its own weight.

  In the present invention described above, the guide member may be flexible, and may be configured to be able to be pushed upward from the outside with respect to the second auxiliary side end regulating member by bending.

  Further, in the present invention described above, an uneven structure portion for mounting the second auxiliary side end regulating member from above on the side end regulating member is provided between the above, and the uneven structure portion is formed by the gap between each other. A state in which the second auxiliary side end regulating member can be rotated with respect to the side end regulating member, and the rotation is regulated by providing a magnet on the side end regulating member or the second auxiliary side end regulating member. The second auxiliary side end regulating member may be fixed.

  In the present invention described above, the second auxiliary side end regulating member includes a feeding mechanism that sucks the sheet with respect to the sheet stacking plate above the upper limit stop position and feeds the sheet in the sheet feeding direction. A configuration may be adopted in which the edge position in the width direction of the sheet is regulated to a height at which the feeding mechanism sucks the sheet.

  Further, in the present invention described above, a configuration may be provided that includes a rear end regulating member that can be moved and adjusted in the paper feeding direction and that regulates the position of the rear end of the paper feeding direction.

In the present invention, the sheet feeding device includes the first and second auxiliary side end regulating members, and regulates the end position in the width direction of the sheet floated by air to an appropriate position. Accordingly, it is possible to correct the bending when feeding a narrower sheet and to supply an appropriate sheet.
In addition, since the lower end portion of the second auxiliary side end regulating member is positioned above the upper limit stop position of the uppermost sheet, the sheet stacking plate is located on the inner side so as not to interfere with the second auxiliary side end regulating member. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a notch, and the strength can be kept high.

1 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 2 is a perspective view of a sheet feeding unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a state in which the first and second auxiliary side end regulating members are not used in the paper feeding unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 5 is a plan view of a state where first and second auxiliary side end regulating members are used in a paper feeding unit of the image forming apparatus. It is a side view of a paper feed belt mechanism of a paper feed unit. It is a perspective view of the 2nd auxiliary side end control member and a guide member. It is a disassembled perspective view of a 2nd auxiliary | assistant side end control member and a guide member. It is a side view of the 2nd auxiliary side end control member in which a guide member is in a hanging state. It is a side view of the 2nd auxiliary side end control member in the state where the guide member rose. FIG. 6 is a view of a state in which a sheet that floats in a state where a plurality of sheets are stacked on a sheet stacking plate is viewed from the rear in a sheet feeding direction. FIG. 9 is a diagram of a state in which the last sheet on the sheet stacking plate is guided as viewed from the rear in the sheet feeding direction. FIG. 6 is a view of a state in which a sheet stacking plate is raised beyond an upper limit stop position as viewed from the rear in a sheet feeding direction. It is a side view which shows the other example of a 2nd auxiliary | assistant side end control member and a guide member.

[Outline of image forming apparatus]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, although various technically preferable limitations for implementing the present invention are given to the embodiments described below, the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 mainly includes an image forming apparatus main body 100a, an image reading apparatus SC, an automatic document feeder DF, an image processing unit 30, and a paper feeding apparatus 500.

The image forming apparatus main body 100a includes an image forming unit including a photosensitive member 1, a charging unit 2, an image exposing unit 3, a developing unit 4, a transfer unit 5, a cleaning unit 6 and the like, a fixing unit 7, and a paper transport system. ing.
The paper transport system includes a paper feed cassette 10, a first paper feed unit 11, a second paper feed unit 12, a paper discharge unit 14, a transport path switching unit 15, a circulation refeed unit 16, and a reverse paper discharge unit 17. ing.
The paper feeding device 500 is composed of three paper feeding units 50 arranged side by side.

[Automatic document feeder and image reader]
The document d placed on the document table of the automatic document feeder DF is transported by the paper feed unit, the image on one or both sides of the document d is read by the optical system of the image reading device SC, and read by the image sensor CCD. It is. The analog signal photoelectrically converted by the image sensor CCD is subjected to analog processing, A / D conversion, shading correction, image compression processing, and the like in the image processing unit 30 and then sent to the image exposure unit 3.
Further, the control device of the image forming apparatus 100 (not shown) can communicate with an external device (for example, a personal computer) connected to a communication network from a communication unit (not shown), and has received from the external device. In some cases, an image signal is sent to the image exposure unit 3 via the image processing unit 30.

[Image forming unit]
In the image forming unit, a charge is added to the photosensitive member 1 by the charging unit 2, an electrostatic latent image is formed by laser light irradiation from the image exposure unit 3, and the electrostatic latent image is visualized by the developing unit 4. Into a toner image. Next, the paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 10 is conveyed from the first paper feed unit 11. The sheet P is conveyed in synchronization with the toner image by the second sheet feeding unit 12 formed of a registration roller. Thereafter, the paper P is fixed by the fixing unit 7 after the toner image is transferred by the transfer unit 5.
Further, not the paper P stored in the paper feeding cassette 10 but also the paper P stored in the paper feeding device 500 is fed to the image forming apparatus main body 100a, and the toner image is transferred to the paper P and fixed. .

  The paper P after fixing is discharged out of the apparatus by the paper discharge unit 14. On the other hand, the toner remaining on the photosensitive member 1 is removed by the cleaning unit 6. In the case of double-sided printing, the paper P on which the image is formed on the first surface is sent to the circulation refeed unit 16 by the conveyance path switching unit 15 and reversed, and image formation is performed again on the second surface in the image forming unit. Thereafter, the paper is discharged out of the apparatus by the paper discharge unit 14. In the case of reverse paper discharge, the paper P branched from the normal paper discharge path is switched back and upside down in the reverse paper discharge unit 17 and then discharged out of the apparatus by the paper discharge unit 14.

[Outline of paper feeder]
2 is a perspective view showing an outline of the paper feeding unit 50 of the paper feeding device 500, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which first auxiliary side end regulating members 61 and 62 and a second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 which will be described later are not used. A plan view and FIG. 4 are plan views in use. As described above, the three sheet feeders 50 are arranged in the sheet feeder 500 in the vertical direction. Since these are all configured in the same way, only one sheet feeder 50 will be described here. Assumed to be performed.
In the following description, the front of the paper feeding unit 50 in the paper feeding direction a is simply referred to as “front”, and the opposite direction is simply referred to as “back”.

  The paper feed unit 50 raises the paper stacking plate 51 on which the paper P is placed in a stacked state and the paper stacking plate 51 until the uppermost paper P in the stacked state reaches a certain upper limit stop position m (see FIG. 10). A raising motor (not shown) as a raising drive unit for moving the sheet P and a sheet width direction (hereinafter referred to as a sheet width direction h) that is horizontal and orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction a of the sheet P. A pair of side end regulating members 52 and 53 for regulating the positions of both ends of the paper P in the paper width direction h to a predetermined position, a front end regulating member 54 for regulating the position of the front end of the paper P to a predetermined position, The position of both ends in the sheet width direction h is set to a predetermined position with respect to a sheet narrower than the minimum restriction width by the trailing edge regulating member 55 and the side edge regulating members 52 and 53 that regulate the position of the trailing edge of the paper P to a predetermined position. The first auxiliary side end regulating members 61 and 62 and the second auxiliary to be regulated And a paper feed belt mechanism 56 serving as a feed mechanism that sucks the paper and feeds it in the paper feed direction above the housing 59. Yes.

The casing 59 is a rectangular parallelepiped box having an open top.
The sheet stacking plate 51 is a rectangular flat plate, and the side edge regulating members 52, which are adjusted in movement in the sheet width direction h, are arranged at the side edges of both ends in the sheet width direction h near the front end. Notches 511 and 512 for avoiding interference with 53 are formed. Further, a rectangular opening 513 is formed at the center in the paper width direction h from the vicinity of the rear end of the paper stacking plate 51 toward the front, and the rear end regulating member provided on the inner bottom surface of the housing 59. 55 extends upward through the opening 513.

  Further, the sheet stacking plate 51 is supported by the casing 59 so as to be movable up and down inside the casing 59, and a lifting operation is given from a lifting motor via a lifting mechanism (not shown). . The lifting / lowering mechanism is a mechanism that converts torque from the lifting motor into a linear motion along the vertical direction. For example, a pinion-rack mechanism, a ball screw mechanism, or the like is used.

  Above the sheet stacking plate 51, an upper limit sensor (not shown) for detecting that the uppermost stacked sheets P are raised to a predetermined upper limit stop position m is provided. The control device controls the raising motor so that the uppermost stacked sheets P always maintain the upper limit stop position m.

The rear end regulating member 55 is provided on the inner bottom surface of the housing 59 so that the position of the rear end regulating member 55 can be adjusted in the front-rear direction in a state where the flat plate surface is perpendicular to the paper feeding direction a. The upper end portion of the trailing edge regulating member 55 is higher than the upper limit stop position m described above, and abuts against the trailing edge portion of the sheet P on which the flat plate surface is stacked, thereby regulating the trailing edge position to a predetermined position.
Further, the rear end regulating member 55 can be manually adjusted forward and backward within the range of the opening 513 of the paper stacking plate 51, and the rear end position of the paper P can be adjusted as appropriate.

The pair of side end regulating members 52 and 53 are disposed opposite to each other in the width direction with the width direction center portion of the sheet stacking plate 51 interposed therebetween. The side end regulating members 52 and 53 are erected on the inner bottom surface of the housing 59 so that the inner side surfaces facing each other are along the vertical vertical direction and the paper feeding direction a, and move along the paper width direction h. It is adjustable. Each of the side end regulating members 52 and 53 abuts against the end in the sheet width direction h of the sheet P on which the opposite inner side surfaces are stacked, and regulates the end to a predetermined position.
The side edge regulating members 52 and 53 are connected by an interlocking mechanism that moves and adjusts one side in the paper width direction h to move the other side in the opposite direction and move the same distance. The same distance is maintained from the center line in the width direction h. For example, this interlocking mechanism is provided with long members extending toward each other along the paper width direction h at the bottom of each side end regulating member 52, 53, and the long members are mutually connected. A rack having a general configuration in which rack teeth are formed at opposing side edge portions and pinion gears meshing with the rack teeth are provided.

Support plates 591, 592 extending toward the side end regulating members 52, 53 are fixed to the inner side surface of the housing 59, and are attached to the upper surface on the rear end side of each side end regulating member 52, 53. Are equipped with guide plates 521 and 531 extending toward the support plates 591 and 592.
Each of the guide plates 521 and 531 is formed with a pair of elongated holes along the extending direction, and is connected to the support plates 591 and 592 via a thumbscrew. That is, when adjusting the positions of the side end regulating members 52 and 53, the thumbscrews are loosened to release the connection between the support plates 591 and 592 and the guide plates 521 and 531, and the position is adjusted along the elongated holes. The thumbscrews are fastened again to fix the position in the sheet width direction h after the adjustment of the side edge regulating members 52 and 53.
In addition, step portions 522 and 532 are formed at the rear end portions of the side end regulating members 52 and 53 so as to be higher than other portions, and the step portions 522 and 532 are equipped with guide plates 521 and 531. ing.
3 and 4 show a state in which the side edge regulating members 52 and 53 are adjusted to the innermost side (position where the mutual width becomes narrower) within the range allowed by the notches 511 and 512 of the paper stacking plate 51. Show.

  Each side end regulating member 52, 53 has a hollow box shape, and the floating air blowing portions 57, 58 are individually stored therein. These floating air blowing sections 57 and 58 are provided with ducts 571 and 581 with a built-in fan, and are located at the uppermost positions from the blowing ports 572 and 582 provided at the upper limit stop position m on the inner side surface of each side end regulating member 52 and 53. By blowing air from both sides in the paper width direction h toward the paper P, the uppermost paper P can be floated.

  The front end regulating member 54 is fixedly mounted on the front side of each side end regulating member 52, 53 on the inner bottom surface of the housing 59 with its flat plate surface oriented perpendicular to the paper feeding direction a. Then, the rear side flat surface of the front end regulating member 54 facing the front end portions of the side end regulating members 52 and 53 comes into contact with the front end portion of the stacked paper P and is regulated to a predetermined position.

Further, the front end regulating member 54 has a hollow box shape, and a separation air blowing unit 60 is stored therein. The separation air blower 60 blows air to blow off the lower paper P that floats together with the uppermost paper P by the air blown by the floating air blowers 57 and 58 described above.
The separation air blowing unit 60 includes a duct 601 with a built-in fan, and blows air from the front toward the lower sheet P of the uppermost sheet P floating from the blowing port 602 provided on the upper surface of the front end regulating member 54. And pay off.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the paper feed unit 50 has a paper feed belt above the front end of each side end regulating member 52, 53 (the side end regulating member 52 is not shown in FIG. 5) and above the front end regulating member 54. A mechanism 56 is arranged.
The paper feeding belt mechanism 56 includes a large-diameter roller 561 provided on the upstream side in the paper feeding direction a, two small-diameter rollers 562 and 562 provided on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction a, and a tension between them. Four sets of belts 563 arranged in the paper width direction, a paper feed motor (not shown) that rotationally drives the rollers 561, a duct 565 inserted inside each belt 563, and the other end of the duct 565 And a fan (not shown) that makes the inside of the duct 565 a negative pressure. A sprocket may be used instead of the rollers 561 and 562.

Each belt 563 is formed with a plurality of small holes penetrating the front and back over the entire surface, and the inside of the duct 565 disposed on the inner side is made negative by a fan, so that each small hole passes through each small hole. Thus, the sheet P can be adsorbed to the lower portion of each belt 563.
Note that the height of the lower portion of the belt 563 that adsorbs the paper P is above the upper limit stop position m and is close to and opposed to the upper surface portions (except for the step portions 522 and 532) of the side end regulating members 52 and 53. It is height.
Further, the lower portion of each belt 563 is conveyed in the paper feeding direction a by driving the paper feeding motor, and the sucked paper P can be sent out in the paper feeding direction a.

  A transport unit 65 is provided in front of the paper feed belt mechanism 56. The conveyance unit 65 continues to the insertion guide unit 651 into which the paper P fed from the lower part of the belt 563 can be inserted, and the conveyance path of the image forming apparatus main body 100a with the paper P sandwiched in front of the insertion guide unit 651. Conveying rollers 653 and 654 to be sent to the conveying path 652 and a motor (not shown) as a drive source for rotating the conveying rollers 653 and 654 are provided.

The first auxiliary side end regulating members 61 and 62 are supported by the front end portions of the side end regulating members 52 and 53 so as to be rotatable about an axis along the vertical vertical direction, and the side end regulating members 52 and 53 are supported. A regulation position (in which the position of each end in the width direction of the paper P is regulated to a predetermined position within a range narrower than the paper width regulated by the pair of side edge regulating members 52, 53. 4) and a retracted position on the front side of the side end regulating members 52 and 53 (state shown in FIG. 3).
Each of the first auxiliary side end regulating members 61 and 62 can be fixed by providing an uneven structure that fits shallowly at each of the regulating position and the retracted position, and can be manually rotated. The fitted state can be released by operation.

Each of the first auxiliary side end regulating members 61 and 62 is smooth at almost the entire height from the bottom of the side end regulating members 52 and 53 to the lower part of the belt 563 of the paper feeding belt mechanism 56 at the rotating end. Restricting surfaces 611 and 621 are formed, and these restricting surfaces 611 and 621 are parallel to the sheet feeding direction a and the vertical vertical direction when the first auxiliary side end restricting members 61 and 62 are in the restricting position. It becomes the direction. Thereby, it is possible to abut the end portions in the sheet width direction h of the sheets on which the respective regulation surfaces 611 and 621 are laminated to regulate the positions thereof.
Note that the position in the paper width direction h of the restriction surfaces 611 and 621 of the first auxiliary side edge restriction members 61 and 62 at the restriction position can be adjusted by adjusting the movement of the side edge restriction members 52 and 53 in the paper width direction h. It has become.
Reference numerals 612 and 622 in FIGS. 3 and 4 are sensors that detect that the first auxiliary side end regulating members 61 and 62 have been switched to the regulated position and notify the control unit. Such a sensor may be optical, contact, or the like.

  The second auxiliary side end regulating members 63, 63 will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the second auxiliary side end regulating members 63, 63 provided on the respective side end regulating members 52, 53 have the same structure, the second auxiliary side end provided on the side end regulating member 53 side is provided. The restricting member 63 will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

  The second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is provided via engagement protrusions 533 a and 533 a provided on the upper ends of two screws 533 and 533 that fix the tip of the guide plate 531 to the upper surface of the side end regulating member 53. Attached to the side end regulating member 53. The second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is connected to the upper surface portion 631 that becomes horizontal when mounted, and one end portion of the upper surface portion 631 (the end portion on the opposite side to the side end regulating member 53), and is bent downward. Two inclined portions 634 and 634 that are connected to a lower end portion that is bifurcated by a portion 632 and a notch 633 formed in the restricting portion 632 and have inclined surfaces, and the side end restricting member 53 from the inclined portions 634 and 634. The support portions 635 and 635 that are folded back and become horizontal, the magnet 637 that fixes the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 to the side end regulating member 53, and the columnar column 638 that supports the guide member 64 described later. And.

A stepped portion 631a that is higher than the other is formed at the central portion in the paper feeding direction a at the end portion on the side end regulating member 53 side of the upper surface portion 631 of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63. A magnet 637 is fixed on the back.
And through-holes 631b and 631b penetrating vertically are formed on both sides of the stepped portion 631a. The second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is attached to the side end regulating member 53 by inserting the engaging projections 533a and 533a of the screws 533 and 533 into the through holes 631b and 631b.

The through holes 631b and 631b and the engaging protrusions 533a and 533a function as an uneven structure portion for mounting the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 on the side end regulating member 53 from above.
The inner diameters of the through-holes 631b and 631b are set so that a slight clearance is generated between the inserted engaging protrusions 533a and 533a. The diameter is reduced. For this reason, when the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is lifted upward in a state where the engaging protrusions 533a and 533a are inserted in the through holes 631b and 631b, it can be easily removed by the clearance. Further, the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 can be rotated around the axis along the paper feeding direction a with respect to the side end regulating member 53 within a range permitted by the clearance.
That is, the lower surfaces of the support portions 635 and 635 that are the lower end portions (lowest portions) of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 are mounted on the side end regulating member 53 so as to be somewhat higher than the upper limit stop position m. Yes. On the other hand, the control unit controls the raising motor so that the upper surface of the sheet stacking plate 51 does not move above the upper limit stop position m. However, when an unexpected factor occurs, for example, an accident such as the occurrence of a control error in the control unit or the failure of the upper limit sensor, there is a concern that the sheet stacking plate 51 rises beyond the upper limit stop position m. Even if the sheet stacking plate 51 comes into contact with the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 due to such an unexpected accident, the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is caused by the clearance as shown in FIG. It is possible to avoid the interference with the paper stacking plate 51 by rotating. Further, even when the sheet stacking plate 51 continues to rise, the upper end portions of the engaging projections 533a and 533a are reduced in diameter, so that the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 extends from the engaging projections 533a and 533a. It can be easily detached and interference with the paper stacking plate 51 can be avoided.
Thus, measures are taken in two stages, and it is possible to avoid damage to the engaging protrusions 533a and 533a and the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 even when an unexpected accident occurs.

Note that the second auxiliary-side end regulating member 63 is for regulating the end position in the sheet width direction h of the floated sheet P, and therefore, it is preferable that the second auxiliary-side end regulating member 63 be easily rotated during sheet feeding. Absent. For this reason, the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is fixed to the side end regulating member 53 so that the magnet 637 provided on the upper surface portion 631 is attracted to the guide plate 531 made of a magnetic material and does not rotate. doing.
In addition, since it is fixed by the magnet 637, the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 can be easily released from the fixed state, rotated, and separated from the side end regulating member 53 when the above-described accident occurs. Can do.

In the mounted state of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63, the plane of the regulating portion 632 is parallel to the paper feeding direction a and the vertical vertical direction, and the position of the end of the floating paper P in the paper width direction h is set to a predetermined position. To regulate.
As shown in FIG. 10, the restriction portion 632 is arranged such that the lower end portion is higher than the upper limit stop position m and the upper end portion is higher than the lower portion of the belt 563 of the paper feeding belt mechanism 56. As a result, the positions of both ends in the sheet width direction h of the trailing edge of the sheet P that has floated up can be restricted to appropriate positions until the sheet P is attracted to the belt 563.
Further, the above-described notch 633 is formed in the lower center portion of the regulating portion 632 in the paper feeding direction a.

  The lower end portion of the restricting portion 632 has a shape separated into two by a notch 633, and inclined portions 634 and 634 each having an inclined surface somewhat inclined toward the side end restricting member 53 are connected to each of the lower end portions. ing. The inclined surfaces of the inclined portions 634 and 634 are arranged in substantially the same plane as the inclined portion 646 of the guide member 64 supported by the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63.

Support portions 635 and 635 are connected to lower end portions of the inclined portions 634 and 634, respectively. The upper surfaces of the support portions 635 and 635 are horizontal, and the boss portions 643 and 643 of the guide member 64 supported by the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 are individually placed, so that the guide member The lower limit position of the 64 vertical movement range is regulated.
Further, the lower surfaces of the support portions 635 and 635 serving as the lower end portion of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 are located somewhat above the upper limit stop position m described above.

Further, the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 includes a guide member 64 having an inclined portion 646 that guides the sheet P that floats by air to the end position in the sheet width direction h of the sheet regulated by the regulating unit 632. The auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is supported below the auxiliary side end regulating member 63.
The lower end of the guide member 64 can be pushed upward from the outside with respect to the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63.

  The guide member 64 includes a base portion 641 having a structure that is supported so as to be swingable up and down with respect to the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63, and an inclined member 645 having an inclined portion 646 that is fixedly installed below the base portion 641. It has.

The base portion 641 is a flat plate that is long along the paper feeding direction a, and includes a cylindrical portion 642 that is vertically installed in a central portion in the paper feeding direction a. The cylindrical portion 642 is supported so that the column 638 of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 described above is inserted, and the guide member 64 moves up and down along the column 638.
Further, cylindrical bosses 643 and 643 are fixedly mounted on the lower surfaces of both ends of the base 641 in the paper feeding direction a while being suspended downward. The lower ends of the bosses 643 and 643 come into contact with the support portions 635 and 635 of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 described above, so that the upper and lower sides of the guide member 64 with respect to the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 are Determine the lower limit position of the moving range.

The guide member 64 stays at the lower limit position where the boss portions 643 and 643 are normally regulated by its own weight due to the support structure of the base portion 641 (state of FIG. 8), and by applying an upward external force to the guide member 64. It can be easily moved upward (state shown in FIG. 9).
8 and 9 is a weight, and an appropriate load is applied so that the guide member 64 is stabilized when the paper P is guided. Instead of the weight 644, an elastic body such as a spring that performs weak pressure downward may be provided between the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 and the guide member 64.

  The inclined surface of the inclined portion 646 of the inclined member 645 is inclined at substantially the same inclination angle as the inclined surface with the inclined portion 634 of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 described above, and the guide member 64 is the lower limit described above. As shown in FIG. 8, the positional relationship is set such that the inclined surface of the inclined portion 646 and the inclined surface of the inclined portion 634 are substantially on the same plane when in the position. Further, the inclined surface of the inclined portion 646 extends below the inclined surface of the inclined portion 634 of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63. As a result, even when the trailing edge of the floating sheet P is displaced in a wide range in the sheet width direction, the trailing edge of the sheet P can be guided to an appropriate position in the sheet width direction. .

The upper end portion of the inclined portion 646 is continuous with a non-inclined portion 647 that is parallel to the sheet feeding direction a and the vertical vertical direction. The width in the sheet feeding direction a of the non-inclined portion 647 is substantially the same as the width in the sheet feeding direction a of the notch 633 formed in the regulating portion 632 of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63. The inclined portion 647 is accommodated inside the notch 633. The non-inclined portion 647 is configured so that the guide member 64 moves up and down while being in sliding contact with each other in a state where the non-inclined portion 647 is aligned on the same plane as the restricting portion 632.
When the non-inclined portion 647 is fitted into a notch 633 formed in the restriction portion 632 of the second auxiliary side end restriction member 63, the guide member 64 moves up and down along the column 638. At this time, it is possible to restrict the rotation around the column 638 so as not to occur.

  Note that the front end of the guide plate 521 on the side end regulating member 52 side is also fixed by screws 533 and 533. The second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 on the side end regulating member 52 side is in a state where the regulating portions 632 are opposed to the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 on the side end regulating member 53 side. The screws 533 and 533 of the guide plate 521 are attached.

[Paper feed operation of paper feed mechanism]
A sheet feeding operation by the sheet feeding unit 50 having the above configuration will be described. Here, a case in which a long paper P having a width narrower than the minimum paper width that can be regulated by the side edge regulating members 52 and 53 and being long in the paper feeding direction a is illustrated.
As shown in FIG. 4, the trailing edge regulating member 55 is adjusted to a position that matches the length of the paper P, and the side edge regulating members 52 and 53 are adjusted to positions that have the minimum paper width. And each 1st auxiliary | assistant side end control member 61,62 is rotated so that it may become a control position.
Further, the through holes 631b and 631b are aligned with the engaging protrusions 533a and 533a of the screws 533 and 533 of the guide plates 521 and 531, and the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is placed on the side end regulating members 52 and 53. 63 are attached. At this time, each second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is fixed to the upper surfaces of the guide plates 521 and 531 by the magnet 637. The second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is equipped with a guide member 64 in advance.
Then, the paper P is stacked on the paper stacking plate 51.

  The raising motor is driven in the upward direction until the upper limit sensor detects that the height of the uppermost portion of the paper P stacked on the paper stacking plate 51 is the upper limit stop position m by the control unit of the image forming apparatus 100. It is controlled and stops at the position where the uppermost sheet P becomes the upper limit stop position m.

Next, in the paper feeding belt mechanism 56, each belt 563 is in a state capable of adsorbing paper, and the floating air blowing units 57 and 58 blow floating air from both sides in the paper width direction h to the uppermost paper P. Further, separation air is blown from the separation air blowing unit 60 from the front of the paper P.
As a result, the uppermost sheet P floats and is attracted to the lower part of the belt 563. Further, the lower sheet P that has floated together with the uppermost sheet P is wiped off by the separated air.
At this time, the second auxiliary side end regulating members 63, 63 are in a state where the guide members 64, 64 are suspended downward as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 10, when the uppermost sheet P floats, even if the rear end portion is displaced along the sheet width direction h, the inclination of each guide member 64 is inclined as shown in FIGS. 4 and 10. It is corrected by the portion 646 and is guided between the restricting portions 632 and 632 of the two second auxiliary side end restricting members 63 and 63.
When the paper P is adsorbed, the belt 563 is driven in the paper feeding direction a, the paper P is sent to the transport unit 65, and further transported from the transport unit 65 to the transport path of the image forming apparatus main body 100a to form an image. Is done.

  Further, when the remaining sheets P are reduced, the upper surface of the sheet stacking plate 51 approaches the upper limit stop position m. When the last sheet is attracted to the belt 563, the upper surface of the sheet stacking plate 51 is moved to the upper limit stop position m. To rise. In this process, the lower end of the guide member 64 that has been suspended below the upper limit stop position abuts on the upper surface of the sheet stacking plate 51 and is pushed upward as shown in FIGS. At this time, since the guide member 64 is suspended by its own weight, it is easily pushed up, and an interference state in which a large load is generated between the guide member 64 and the paper stacking plate 51 is avoided.

FIG. 12 shows a case where the sheet stacking plate 51 is raised beyond the upper limit stop position m due to a control error of the control unit, a failure of the upper limit sensor, or the like. In this case, the support portion 635 of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is pushed up by coming into contact with the upper surface of the sheet stacking plate 51.
The second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is fixed by the magnet 637, and the through hole 631b is provided with a clearance with respect to the engaging projection 533a. Therefore, the fixed state is released and the engaging projection 533a is used as a fulcrum. The auxiliary side end regulating member 63 easily rotates. Even when the sheet stacking plate 51 continues to rise further, the tip end portion of the engaging projection 533a is reduced in diameter, so that it easily disengages from the through hole 631b, and each second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is It is easily separated from the side end regulating members 52 and 53.
Therefore, an interference state in which a large load is generated between the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 and the sheet stacking plate 51 is avoided.

[Technical effects of the embodiment of the invention]
In the image forming apparatus 100, the paper feeding unit 50 of the paper feeding device 500 includes first and second auxiliary side end regulating members 61 to 63, and the end position in the paper width direction h of the paper P that has floated by air is determined. Since the sheet is regulated to an appropriate position, it is possible to correct the bending when feeding the sheet P having a narrower width than the regulation range of the side edge regulating members 52 and 53, and to perform an appropriate sheet supply.
In addition, since the lower end portion of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is located above the upper limit stop position m of the uppermost sheet P, the sheet stacking plate 51 is connected to the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63. In order not to interfere, it is not necessary to form a notch on the inner side, and the strength can be maintained high.

Further, since the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 supports the guide member 64 in a suspended manner, the rear end portion of the sheet P that floats up is inclined by the inclined surface of the inclined portion 646 of the guide member 64 on the second auxiliary side. The edge position in the sheet width direction h regulated by the edge regulating member 63 can be effectively guided, and the bending at the time of feeding the narrower sheet P can be more effectively corrected.
Further, since the guide member 64 can be pushed upward with respect to the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63, even when the sheet stacking plate 51 is raised to the upper limit stop position m, there is no interference with the guide member 64. For this reason, it is not necessary for the paper stacking plate 51 to have a shape that avoids the guide member 64, and the strength thereof can be maintained high.
In particular, since the guide member 64 is supported below the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 by its own weight, the guide member 64 is easily pushed up when the sheet stacking plate 51 is raised to the upper limit stop position m. Therefore, it is possible to avoid interference that causes a large load between the sheet stacking plate 51 and the guide member 64.

In addition, the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is rotatably supported by the concavo-convex structure portion formed of the through hole 631b and the engaging projection 533a, and the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is laterally supported by the magnet 637. Since it is fixed to the restricting members 52 and 53, even when the sheet stacking plate 51 is raised above the upper limit stop position m due to an unexpected factor such as a failure, the second auxiliary side end restricting member 63 is fixed by the magnet. It can come off and turn into a rotatable state, and an interference state between them can be avoided.
For this reason, even when the above-described accidental occurrence occurs, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of breakage due to interference between the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 and the paper stacking plate 51.

  In addition, since the restricting portion 632 of the second auxiliary side end restricting member 63 is provided above the height of the lower surface of the belt 563, the sheet P reaches a height at which the belt 563 of the sheet feeding belt mechanism 56 sucks the sheet P. It is possible to regulate the position of the end portion in the width direction of the sheet, and it is possible to correct the sheet bending more effectively and to supply an appropriate sheet.

  Further, since the paper feeding unit 50 includes the rear end regulating member 55 that regulates the position of the rear end of the paper feeding direction “a” to a predetermined position, in cooperation with the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63. In addition, it is possible to position the paper P at an appropriate rear end position and to optimize the position of the rear end portion of the paper P in the paper width direction h more effectively.

[Others]
In the above embodiment, the case where the paper feeding device 500 is mounted on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 100 is illustrated, but the type of the image forming apparatus is not limited to this. For example, the paper feeding device 500 can be applied to any type of image forming apparatus that forms an image on an ink jet type or other paper.

  Further, the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is provided at the rear end portion of each side end regulating member 52, 53. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is provided in each side end regulating member 52, 53. What is necessary is just the arrangement | positioning which becomes back rather than the side end control members 61 and 62. FIG.

  In addition, the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is equipped with a magnet 637 and the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 is fixed to the side end regulating member 52 or 53 side. The end regulating member 63 may be formed of a magnetic material, the magnet 637 may be provided on the side end regulating members 52 and 53 side, and the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63 may be fixed.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the guide member 64 was supported by the 2nd auxiliary | assistant side end control member 63 so that a vertical movement was possible was illustrated, it is not limited to this.
For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the second auxiliary side excluding the configuration (notch 633, support portion 635, support column 638) that supports the guide member 64 so as to be movable up and down from the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63. It is good also as a structure equipped with the braided guide member 64A which has flexibility in the lower part (for example, inclination part 634) of the end control member 63A.
The guide member 64A is a flat plate having a width substantially the same as the width in the paper feeding direction a of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63A, and is a material that can be elastically deformed more easily than metal, for example, elastic deformability. It is formed from a resin such as plastic or rubber having The guide member 64A is supported by the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63A in a state where the guide member 64A is inclined in the same direction as the inclined portion 646 of the guide member 64 described above.
Further, the lower end portion of the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63A is disposed so as to be above the upper limit stop position m, and the lower end portion of the guide member 64A extends below the upper limit stop position m. .
According to the second auxiliary side end regulating member 63A and the guide member 64A having such a structure, the end portion in the sheet width direction of the rear end portion of the sheet P that floats is caused by the inclined surface of the guide member 64A, like the guide member 64. Can be guided to an appropriate position.
In the process in which the paper stacking plate 51 is raised to the upper limit stop position m, the lower end portion of the guide member 64A is pushed by the upper surface of the paper stacking plate 51 and easily bends upward (two-dot chain line in FIG. 13). Interference between the plate 51 and the guide member 64A can be effectively avoided.

50 Paper Feeding Unit 500 Paper Feeding Device 51 Paper Stacking Plates 52 and 53 Side Edge Restricting Members 533 and 533 Screws 533a Engaging Protrusion (Uneven Structure)
54 Front end regulating member 55 Rear end regulating member 56 Paper feed belt mechanism (feed mechanism)
563 Belts 57, 58 Floating air blowing portions 61, 62 First auxiliary side end regulating member 63, 63A Second auxiliary side end regulating member 631b Through-hole (uneven structure)
632 Restriction part 634 Inclination part 635 Support part 637 Magnet 638 Prop 64, 64A Guide member 611 Restriction surface 642 Cylindrical part 645 Inclination member 646 Inclination part 100 Image forming apparatus 100a Image forming apparatus main body a Paper feed direction h Paper width direction m Upper limit stop Position P Paper

Claims (7)

A paper stacking plate for loading paper,
An ascending drive unit for raising the sheet stacking plate until the stacked uppermost sheet reaches a certain upper limit stop position;
A pair of side end regulating members that are movable in the width direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction of the paper and regulate the positions of both ends of the paper in the width direction;
In the paper feeding device of the image forming apparatus that sends the stacked uppermost paper by blowing air and then sends it in the paper feeding direction.
A sheet that is provided at the front end in the sheet feeding direction of each of the side end regulating members, protrudes inward from the inner surface of the pair of side end regulating members, and is smaller than the sheet width regulated by the pair of side end regulating members. A first auxiliary side end regulating member that can be switched between a regulating position that regulates the position of the end in the width direction and a retracted position on the front side of the side end regulating member;
A second auxiliary side end restriction that is detachably provided behind the first auxiliary side end restriction member in each of the side end restriction members and restricts the end position in the width direction of the sheet that has floated by the air blowing. With members,
A sheet feeding device of an image forming apparatus, wherein a lower end portion of the second auxiliary side end regulating member is positioned above an upper limit stop position of the uppermost sheet. The second auxiliary-side end regulating member includes a guide member having an inclined surface that guides the sheet that floats by the air blowing to an end position in the width direction of the sheet regulated by the second auxiliary-side end regulating member. While hanging down below the two auxiliary side end regulating members,
2. The sheet feeding device of an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member swings up and down with respect to the second auxiliary side end regulating member and can be pushed upward from the outside. .   The sheet feeding device of an image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guide member is supported by the dead weight below the second auxiliary side end regulating member.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guide member is flexible and can be pushed upward from the outside with respect to the second auxiliary side end regulating member by bending. Paper feeder. An uneven structure part for mounting the second auxiliary side end regulating member from above on the side end regulating member is provided between the two,
The concavo-convex structure portion enables rotation of the second auxiliary side end regulating member with respect to the side end regulating member by a mutual gap,
5. The second auxiliary side end regulating member is fixed in a state in which a magnet is provided on the side end regulating member or the second auxiliary side end regulating member to regulate the rotation. The sheet feeding device of the image forming apparatus according to any one of the above. A feeding mechanism that sucks the paper above the upper limit stop position with respect to the paper stacking plate and sends it in the paper feeding direction;
The second auxiliary side end regulating member regulates the end position in the width direction of the sheet up to a height at which the feeding mechanism sucks the sheet. Feeding device of the image forming apparatus.   7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rear end regulating member that is movable and adjustable in a paper feeding direction and regulates a position of a rear end portion in the paper feeding direction. A sheet feeding device of the image forming apparatus according to the above.

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