JP5440778B2 - Sheet feeding device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet supply apparatus, and more particularly to a sheet supply apparatus used in an image forming apparatus.

  The sheet supply device picks up the sheets stacked in the cassette one by one by a paper feed roller and supplies them to the subsequent image forming unit. In such a sheet supply device, the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller is cleaned by a cleaning device in order to prevent a paper feed error from occurring due to paper dust adhering to the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller. As a cleaning device used for the sheet supply device, for example, a paper dust removing device described in Patent Document 1 is known. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of the paper dust removing device described in Patent Document 1.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the paper dust removing device includes a paper feed roller 500, a paper dust removing member 502, a paper dust collecting container 504, and a paper dust removing film 506. The paper feed roller 500 takes out the paper one by one from the cassette. The paper dust removing member 502 is made of sponge or the like, and removes paper dust attached to the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 500 by contacting the paper feed roller 500. As shown in FIG. 7, the paper dust removing member 502 is rotatably provided, and is in a first state where it is in contact with the paper feed roller 500 and in a second state where it is not in contact with the paper feed roller 500. And can take two states.

  The paper dust collecting container 504 is a container for collecting the paper dust attached to the paper dust removing member 502, and is provided below the paper dust removing member 502. The paper dust removing film 506 is provided in the paper dust collecting container 504, and when the paper dust removing member 502 shifts from the first state to the second state, by hitting the paper dust removing member 502, The paper dust adhering to the paper dust removing member 502 is removed. According to the cleaning device described in Patent Document 1 having the above-described configuration, the paper dust removing member 502 is cleaned by the paper dust removing film 506, so that the reduction in the cleaning ability of the paper dust removing member 502 can be suppressed.

  However, in the cleaning device described in Patent Document 1, the paper dust removed by the paper dust removing member 502 may be attached to the paper feed roller 500 again. More specifically, in the cleaning device, as described above, paper dust is removed from the paper dust removing member 502 by tapping the paper dust removing member 502 with the paper dust removing film 506. Some of the paper dust repelled by the paper dust removal film 506 falls downward, and some rises upward. In the cleaning device described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 7, since the paper dust removing film 506 is disposed in the vicinity of the paper feed roller 500, a part of the paper dust rising upward is fed to the paper feed roller. There is a risk of reattaching to the peripheral surface of 500.

JP 7-69474 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet supply apparatus that can prevent paper dust removed from a paper feed roller from adhering to the paper feed roller again.

A sheet supply apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a sheet supply apparatus used in an image forming apparatus, and includes a main body including a first cleaning member, and being slid in a predetermined direction with respect to the main body. A cassette that is detachably mounted and stores a plurality of sheets in a stacked state, the cassette including a paper feed roller and a second cleaning member, and the paper feed roller from the cassette The first cleaning member picks up the sheet, and when the cassette is mounted on the main body, the first cleaning member cleans the paper feeding roller by contacting the paper feeding roller, and the cassette is removed from the main body. It is isolated from the paper feed roller by the movement of the paper feed roller when said second cleaning member is provided in a position different from the paper feed roller in the cassette Together, when the cassette is removed from the body, cleaning the cleaning member of the first by contact with the first cleaning member, wherein the first cleaning member, wherein the cassette is mounted to the body And the paper feed roller protrudes downstream in the predetermined direction .

  According to the present invention, the paper dust removed from the paper feed roller can be prevented from adhering again to the paper feed roller.

1 is an external perspective view of a sheet supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional structural view taken along the line BB of the sheet feeding device of FIG. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view showing a state where the cassette is removed from the main body in the sheet supply apparatus. It is the figure which showed a mode that the cassette was removed from a main body. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where a paper feed roller is cleaned by a cleaning member that does not protrude from the paper feed roller. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where a paper feed roller is cleaned by a cleaning member protruding from the paper feed roller. 1 is a configuration diagram of a paper dust removing device described in Patent Document 1. FIG.

  Below, the sheet supply apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

(Configuration of sheet feeding device)
Hereinafter, a sheet feeding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a sheet feeding apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional structure view taken along the line BB of the sheet feeding apparatus 10 of FIG. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the cassette 12 is removed from the main body 14 in the sheet supply apparatus 10. In the present embodiment, the vertical direction is defined as the z-axis direction. Further, when the sheet supply apparatus 10 is viewed from the vertical direction, the short side direction is defined as the x-axis direction, and the long side direction is defined as the y-axis direction.

  The sheet supply apparatus 10 is used in an image forming apparatus. More specifically, the sheet supply apparatus 10 stores a plurality of sheets (sheets) stacked, and supplies the sheets one by one to the image forming unit of the image forming apparatus. To do. On the sheet supply apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, the main body of the image forming apparatus including the image forming unit is mounted. Since the main body of the image forming apparatus is the same as the main body of a general image forming apparatus, description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet supply device 10 includes a cassette 12 and a main body 14.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cassette 12 is detachably attached to the main body 14. More specifically, the cassette 12 is normally inserted into the main body 14 and is removed from the main body 14 by being slid toward the positive side in the x-axis direction when paper is replenished. . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cassette 12 includes a storage unit 20, a paper feed roller 22, a separating roller 24, and a cleaning member 26.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the storage unit 20 is a box that is open on the positive direction side in the z-axis direction, and can store a plurality of sheets in a stacked state. The sheet feeding roller 22 and the separating roller 24 are a pair of rollers for taking out sheets one by one from the storage unit 20. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sheet feeding roller 22 and the separating roller 24 are end portions on the positive side in the y-axis direction of the housing portion 20 and end portions on the positive direction side in the z-axis direction. Are provided in the vicinity of the center in the x-axis direction of the shaft extending in the x-axis direction. The cleaning member 26 will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the main body 14 includes a housing 40, a conveyance roller pair 42, and a cleaning member 44. The housing 40 constitutes an outer frame of the main body 14. The positive side of the casing 40 in the x-axis direction is open so that the cassette 12 can be mounted on the main body 14. The transport roller pair 42 transports the paper taken out by the paper feed roller 22 and the separating roller 24 to a subsequent image forming unit (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning member 44 cleans the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 22 by contacting the paper feed roller 22 when the cassette 12 is mounted on the main body 14, for example, a brush or soft It is composed of cloth or the like. The cleaning member 44 is in pressure contact with the paper feed roller 22, and the paper dust attached to the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 22 is removed by the rotation of the paper feed roller 22.

  By the way, as the sheet supply apparatus 10 is used, paper dust is accumulated in the cleaning member 44, so that the cleaning ability of the cleaning member 44 is reduced. Therefore, a cleaning member 26 is provided in the cassette 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning member 26 is provided at a position different from the paper feed roller 22 in the cassette 12, and the positional relationship with the paper feed roller 22 is removed when the cassette 12 is removed from the main body 14. The cleaning member 44 is cleaned by moving in a maintained state and contacting the cleaning member 44.

  Specifically, the cleaning member 26 is made of, for example, a brush, a soft cloth, or the like, and, as shown in FIG. 3, the end on the negative side in the x-axis direction of the shaft to which the paper feed roller 22 is attached. (That is, the end of the cassette 12 on the negative side in the x-axis direction). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the paper feed roller 22 is provided in the vicinity of the center of the cassette 12 in the x-axis direction. Accordingly, the cleaning member 26 is provided in the cassette 12 at a position as far as possible from the paper feed roller 22.

  Further, the cleaning member 26 is provided so as to overlap the paper feed roller 22 when viewed in plan from the x-axis direction, and when the cassette 12 is mounted on the main body 14, the cleaning member 26 is upstream of the cassette 12 in the pulling-out direction. It is located on the side (that is, the negative direction side in the x-axis direction). Thereby, when the cassette 12 is removed from the main body 14, the cleaning member 26 comes into contact with a portion (cleaning surface) where the paper feed roller 22 is in contact with the cleaning member 44.

(Operation of sheet conveying device)
Hereinafter, the operation of the sheet supply apparatus 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a view showing how the cassette 12 is removed from the main body 14.

  In FIG. 4A, the cassette 12 is attached to the main body 14. At this time, the paper feed roller 22 is in contact with the cleaning member 44. Thereby, when the paper feed roller 22 is rotated, the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 22 is cleaned by the cleaning member 44. At this time, the paper dust adhered to the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 22 adheres to the cleaning member 44.

  Next, the user pulls out the cassette 12 to the positive direction side in the x-axis direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the paper feed roller 22 moves toward the positive direction side in the x-axis direction, and the cleaning member 26 contacts the cleaning member 44 in the positive direction in the x-axis direction. Move towards the direction. At this time, the cleaning member 44 wipes off the paper dust adhering to the cleaning member 26. At this time, the supply roller 22 is separated from the cleaning members 26 and 44.

  Finally, the user completely pulls out the cassette 12 from the main body 14. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4C, the cassette 12 is removed from the main body 14. Thereafter, the user replenishes the cassette 12 with paper, pushes the cassette 12 toward the negative side in the x-axis direction, and attaches the cassette 12 to the main body 14.

(effect)
The sheet supply device 10 configured as described above can prevent the paper dust removed from the paper feed roller 22 from adhering to the paper feed roller 22 again. More specifically, the cleaning member 26 is provided at a position different from the paper feed roller 22 in the cassette 12 and maintains the positional relationship with the paper feed roller 22 when the cassette 12 is removed from the main body 14. The cleaning member 44 is cleaned by moving in a state and contacting the cleaning member 44. Thus, when the cleaning member 26 comes into contact with the cleaning member 44, the cleaning member 26 and the paper feed roller 22 are separated from each other. Therefore, even if the cleaning member 26 comes into contact with the cleaning member 44 and the paper dust rises from the cleaning member 44, the paper dust hardly adheres to the paper feed roller 22.

  In the sheet supply apparatus 10, it is not necessary to provide a complicated mechanism for cleaning the cleaning member 44. More specifically, in the paper dust removing device described in Patent Document 1, the paper dust removing member 502 is rotatably attached as shown in FIG. Although not shown in FIG. 7, the paper dust removing device is provided with a mechanism for rotating the paper dust removing member 502.

  On the other hand, in the sheet supply apparatus 10, the cleaning member 26 moves with the operation of removing the cassette 12 from the main body 14. Therefore, the sheet supply apparatus 10 does not require a mechanism for moving the cleaning member 26 independently with respect to the cassette 12. As a result, the configuration of the sheet supply apparatus 10 can be simplified.

  Further, in the sheet supply apparatus 10, the cleaning member 44 can be periodically cleaned. More specifically, the operation of removing the cassette 12 from the main body 14 is performed every time paper is replenished. Therefore, cleaning of the cleaning member 44 is performed every time paper is replenished to the cassette 12. Furthermore, the amount of paper dust adhering to the cleaning member 44 while the replenished paper is used up is relatively small. Therefore, the cleaning member 44 is always kept clean by cleaning the cleaning member 44 every time the sheet is replenished.

  Further, the sheet supply apparatus 10 prevents paper dust from falling into the cassette 12 from the cleaning member 26. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning member 26 is provided at the end of the cassette 12 on the negative side in the x-axis direction. That is, the cleaning member 26 is provided at the upstream end of the cassette 12 in the drawer direction of the cassette 12. Therefore, the paper dust removed from the cleaning member 44 by the cleaning member 26 when removing the cassette 12 from the main body 14 falls out of the cassette 12. As a result, paper dust is prevented from adhering to the paper in the cassette 12.

  In the sheet supply apparatus 10, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the cassette 12 is mounted on the main body 14, the cleaning member 44 is on the positive side in the x-axis direction (that is, withdrawing the cassette 12). It is desirable that the sheet protrudes from the sheet feed roller 22 (downstream in the direction). Hereinafter, description will be given with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state where the paper feed roller 22 is cleaned by the cleaning member 44 that does not protrude from the paper feed roller 22. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where the paper feed roller 22 is cleaned by the cleaning member 44 protruding from the paper feed roller 22.

  When the cassette 12 is removed from the main body 14, as shown in FIG. 5, the paper feed roller 22 moves toward the positive side in the x-axis direction. At this time, the bristles of the cleaning member 44 are dragged by the paper feed roller 22 and curved toward the positive side in the x-axis direction. Then, the cleaning of the paper feed roller 22 by the cleaning member 44 is started after the hair of the cleaning member 44 is curved as shown in FIG. That is, the paper dust adhering to the paper feed roller 22 is not removed so much during the period from when the paper feed roller 22 starts to move until the cleaning member 44 is bent. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, there is a possibility that paper dust may remain in a region C in the vicinity of the end of the paper feed roller 22 on the positive side in the x-axis direction.

  On the other hand, the cleaning member 44 shown in FIG. 6A protrudes from the paper feed roller 22 to the positive side in the x-axis direction. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the hair of the cleaning member 44 is curved, the cleaning member 44 exists on the positive side in the x-axis direction with respect to the paper feed roller 22. Therefore, the vicinity of the end portion on the positive side in the x-axis direction of the paper feed roller 22 is cleaned by a portion of the cleaning member 44 that protrudes from the paper feed roller 22 toward the positive direction side in the x-axis direction. As a result, the paper dust adhering to the paper feed roller 22 is more effectively removed.

  The present invention is useful for a sheet supply apparatus, and is particularly excellent in that paper dust removed from a paper feed roller can be prevented from adhering to the paper feed roller again.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Sheet supply apparatus 12 Cassette 14 Main body 20 Storage part 22 Paper feed roller 24 Rolling roller 26,44 Cleaning member 40 Case 42 Conveying roller pair

Claims (4)

A sheet supply device used in an image forming apparatus,
A main body including a first cleaning member;
A cassette that is detachably mounted by being slid in a predetermined direction with respect to the main body, and that stores a plurality of sheets in a stacked state, the cassette including a paper feed roller and a second cleaning member; ,
With
The paper feed roller takes out a sheet from the cassette,
The first cleaning member cleans the paper feed roller by contacting the paper feed roller when the cassette is attached to the main body, and the supply when the cassette is removed from the main body. It is separated from the paper feed roller by the movement of the paper roller,
The second cleaning member is provided at a position different from the paper feed roller in the cassette, and the second cleaning member comes into contact with the first cleaning member when the cassette is detached from the main body. 1 cleaning member ,
The first cleaning member protrudes from the paper feed roller to the downstream side in the predetermined direction when the cassette is mounted on the main body.
A sheet feeding apparatus characterized by the above. The second cleaning member moves while maintaining a positional relationship with the paper feed roller when the cassette is removed from the main body;
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: Before Stories second cleaning member, when viewed in plan from the predetermined direction, it overlaps with the sheet feed roller,
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding apparatus is a sheet feeding apparatus. The first cleaning member is a brush fixed to the main body;
The sheet supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein

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