JP6069166B2 - Paper feeder - Google Patents

Description

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

  In the image forming apparatus, a paper feeding device that accommodates and feeds a large amount of paper may be externally attached as an optional device. The sheet feeding device is coupled to the side surface of the image forming apparatus. Further, since the paper feeding device needs to be separated from the image forming device when a paper jam occurs, it is generally supported to be movable by a caster or the like.

  When a paper feeder supported by a caster is installed on a floor with carpet or carpet with long hairs, the caster sinks into the hair of the carpet or carpet when it is separated from the image forming device. There is a problem that it becomes difficult to move the sheet feeding device. This problem becomes more serious as a large amount of paper is stored in the paper feeding device and the weight of the entire device increases. As a countermeasure, it is conceivable to arrange a rail on which the caster travels on the trajectory of the paper feeding device. However, since the rail is exposed beyond the installation range of the paper feeding device at normal times, the appearance may be damaged. , There is a risk that the rail will interfere with the passage in the vicinity.

  For this reason, Patent Document 1 proposes a paper feeding device that includes a fixing portion that is fixed to the image forming apparatus and a paper feeding portion that accommodates paper and is supported so as to be able to advance and retreat relative to the fixing portion. ing. The sheet feeding unit is slidably connected to the fixed unit in the sheet feeding direction, and is supported by three or more stands on the installation surface after sliding. When the paper feeding unit is separated from the image forming apparatus, the paper feeding unit is slid and then supported on the installation surface by a stand. For this reason, the sheet feeding unit can be moved with relatively little force.

JP 11-71030 A

  However, since the paper feeding device described in Patent Document 1 needs to fix a fixing portion for positioning the paper feeding device in the mounted state to the image forming apparatus, the whole device becomes large and the mechanism is complicated. become. In addition, since the paper feeder of Patent Document 1 is not provided with a caster and a rail on which the caster travels, a large force is required to move the paper feeder when installed on an installation surface such as a carpet with long hairs. is necessary.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding device that can be separated from an image forming apparatus with a simple mechanism and a small force without impairing the appearance or obstructing traffic. .

  In order to achieve the above object, a sheet feeding device according to the present invention is a sheet feeding device that is mounted on a side surface of an image forming apparatus and can be separated in a predetermined direction. A caster that movably supports the apparatus main body, a fixed rail that extends in the separation direction and travels on the caster, and an extension rail that is rotatably connected to a tip end portion of the fixed rail in the separation direction. The extension rail rotates between a vertical posture stored in the apparatus main body and a horizontal posture extending in the extension direction of the fixed rail.

  By adopting such a configuration, when the extension rail is rotated to a horizontal posture, the main body of the paper feeding device can be moved along the extension rail from the fixed rail. It can be separated stably by force. Further, since the extension rail is normally housed in the apparatus main body, it does not impair the appearance and does not hinder the passage of the vicinity of the sheet feeding apparatus.

  The sheet feeding device according to the present invention further includes an extension rail rotation mechanism that automatically rotates the extension rail to the horizontal posture or the vertical posture when the apparatus main body is separated or approached from the image forming apparatus. It may be a feature.

  By adopting such a configuration, the extension rail automatically rotates to a horizontal position when the paper feeder body is moved in the separating direction, and the extension rail automatically rotates to the vertical position when moved in the approaching direction. Therefore, it is possible to move the apparatus main body more easily without the need to rotate the extension rail.

  In the paper feeding device of the present invention, the automatic rotation mechanism has a cam provided on one of the device main body and the extension rail and a cam follower provided on the other, and as the device main body moves, The cam may be in contact with the cam follower to rotate the extension rail around a connection point with the fixed rail.

  By adopting such a configuration, the extension rail can be smoothly rotated to a horizontal posture or a vertical posture as the apparatus main body moves.

  In the paper feeding device according to the present invention, the device main body may be formed with a recess into which the extension rail is fitted in the vertical posture of the extension rail.

  By adopting such a mechanism, the extension rail can be stored so as not to protrude from the apparatus main body at the time of connection with the image forming apparatus, so that the appearance is not impaired.

  According to the present invention, when the extension rail is rotated to a horizontal posture, the main body of the paper feeding device can be moved along the extension rail from the fixed rail, so that the paper feeding device can be stably moved from the image forming apparatus with a small force. Can be separated. Furthermore, since the extension rail is housed in the apparatus main body at normal times, the appearance is not impaired, and there is no hindrance when passing in the vicinity of the sheet feeding apparatus.

1 is a front view illustrating a state in which a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to an image forming apparatus. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to an image forming apparatus. It is a perspective view explaining the mechanism which rotates the extension rail of the paper feeder which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the extension rail rotation mechanism of the paper feeder which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5A is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the present invention is separated from the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 5A illustrates a state in which the sheet feeding device is moved by a very short distance, and FIG. Indicates a state in which the sheet feeding device is completely separated from the image forming apparatus. FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the extension rail rotation mechanism when the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the present invention is separated from the image forming apparatus. FIG. It shows the state where the rail is slightly rotated. FIG. 7A is a view for explaining the action of the extension rail rotation mechanism when the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the invention is separated from the image forming apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 7B shows a state in which the extension rail is rotated by about 70 ° from a vertical posture. FIG. 8A is a view for explaining the action of the extension rail rotation mechanism when the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the invention is separated from the image forming apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 8B shows a state in which the extension rail is rotated to a horizontal posture.

  Hereinafter, a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

  A sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which the paper feeding device is connected to the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the paper feeding device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a mechanism for rotating the extension rail of the sheet feeding device. In the following description, the front direction in FIG. 1 is defined as the front (front side) of the image forming apparatus and the sheet feeding apparatus, and the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction when viewed from the front is defined as the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet feeding device 10 is coupled to the right side surface of the image forming apparatus 1 where the sheet feeding port 2 is formed by a coupling mechanism (not shown), and moves rightward from the image forming apparatus 1. They are separated in the direction of arrow A in FIG. The paper feeding device 10 accommodates a large volume of paper and feeds it to the image forming apparatus, a caster 30 that movably supports the main body 20, a fixed rail 40 on which the caster 30 travels, and a fixed It has the extension rail 50 connected with the rail 40 so that rotation was possible, and the extension rail rotation mechanism 60 which rotates the extension rail 50 with respect to the fixed rail 40. FIG.

  The apparatus main body 20 has a rectangular parallelepiped box-like shape, and includes an accommodating portion 21 that accommodates a large amount of sheets (for example, 4000 sheets of A sheets). A handle 22 is provided on the front surface of the housing portion 21, and the housing portion 21 can be pulled out from the front surface of the apparatus main body 20. A sheet feeding port 23 to the image forming apparatus 1 is formed on the left side surface of the apparatus body 20 facing the sheet feeding port 2 of the image forming apparatus 1. The paper feed port 23 is formed at the upper end of the left side surface of the apparatus main body 20 so that the paper stored in the storage unit 21 is fed in order from the top. Inside the paper feed port 23, a paper feed roller and a transport roller (not shown) including upper and lower roller pairs are arranged.

  A concave portion 27 for accommodating the extension rail 50 is formed on the right side surface of the apparatus main body 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the concave portion 27 is formed in the right side surface of the apparatus main body 20 so as to extend in the vertical direction at a portion near the front end and a portion near the rear end.

  The caster 30 includes casters 31 disposed at the left and right corners on the front side of the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 20, and casters 32 disposed at the left and right corners on the rear side, and supports the apparatus main body 20 so as to be movable. .

  The fixed rail 40 includes a front fixed rail 40F that travels with the front left and right casters 31 mounted thereon, and a rear fixed rail 40R that travels with the rear left and right casters 32 mounted thereon. As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed rail 40 has a U-shaped side surface opened upward, and stands from a horizontal portion 40 a extending rightward on a horizontal plane and from both side edges in the width direction of the horizontal portion 40 a. And an edge 40b provided. A protruding portion 41 having a substantially semicircular front shape is formed at the right end of the edge portion 40b of each fixed rail 40. A mounting portion 40c that is bent in the vertical direction is formed at the left end of the horizontal portion 40a. The attachment portion 40 c is engaged with and fixed to an engagement portion formed on the side surface of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The fixed rail 40 is formed of a sheet metal member. The width of the fixed rail 40 is about the width of the caster 30, and the length is the length on which the left and right casters 30 are placed simultaneously.

  The extension rail 50 includes a front extension rail 50F in which the front caster 31 travels and a rear extension rail 50R in which the rear caster 32 travels. As shown in FIG. 3, the extension rail 50 has a U-shaped side surface opened upward, and is erected from a horizontal portion 50 a extending on a horizontal plane and from both side edges in the length direction of the horizontal portion 50 a. Edge 50b. A protruding portion 51 having a substantially circular front shape is formed at the left end of the edge portion 50b of the extension rail 50.

  The extension rail 50 is formed of a sheet metal member. The width of the extension rail 50 is about the width of the caster 30, and the length is about the same as that of the fixed rail 40.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the right end portion of the fixed rail 40 and the left end portion of the extension rail 50 are arranged so as to overlap with the fixed rail 40 and are inserted into the centers of the respective protrusions 41 and 51. Connected by a pin 53. Thereby, the extension rail 50 can be rotated around the pin 53 with respect to the fixed rail 40.

  The extension rail rotation mechanism 60 is a mechanism that rotates the front and rear extension rails 50F and 50R with respect to the front and rear fixed rails 40F and 40R, respectively. The extension rail rotation mechanism 60 is disposed on the rear side of the connecting portion between the front and rear fixed rails 40F, 40R and the extension rails 50F, 50R. As shown in FIG. 3, the extension rail rotation mechanism 60 includes a cam 70 provided on the bottom surface of the apparatus body 20 and a cam follower 80 provided on the extension rail 50 and engaged with the cam 70. FIG. 3 shows a posture in which the front extension rail 50F is rotated to a horizontal posture.

  The cam 70 is a vertically long hexahedral member, and is provided so as to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 20. The cam 70 has parallel horizontal upper and lower surfaces 71, 72, parallel vertical front and rear surfaces 73, 74, and left and right side surfaces 75, 76. The left side surface 75 has an inclined surface 75 a inclined in the lower left direction from the left edge of the upper surface 71, and a vertical surface 75 b extending substantially perpendicularly from the lower edge of the inclined surface 75 a to the left edge of the lower surface 72. The right side surface 76 includes a vertical surface 76a that extends substantially vertically downward from the right edge of the upper surface 71, and an inclined surface 76b that is inclined from the lower portion of the vertical surface 76a toward the right edge of the lower surface 72 through the curved portion in the lower left direction. Have

  The cam 70 is disposed on the right side and the rear side of the respective casters on the right side of the front caster 31 and the rear caster 32.

  The cam follower 80 is a plate-shaped member having a substantially U-shaped front shape, and is fixed to the extension rail 50 so as to face the cam 70. The cam follower 80 is a shape in which a vertically long rectangular plate piece having a predetermined thickness is bent inward at two locations along the length direction, and includes a base portion 81, a center portion 82, a tip portion 83, Have An obtuse angle is formed between the base part 81 and the central part 82 and between the central part 82 and the front part 83. The width of the cam follower 80 is approximately the same as the width of the cam 70 (length in the front-rear direction).

  The cam follower 80 is fixed to the rear surface of the extension rail 50 with the substantially U-shaped opening portion facing the extension rail 50 side. At this time, the base portion 81 of the cam follower 80 is fixed along the edge portion 50 b of the extension rail 50, and the central portion 82 is fixed to a portion outside the pin 53 of the protruding portion 51 of the extension rail 50. The tip 83 protrudes obliquely in the direction of the extension rail 50 from the protrusion 51 of the extension rail 50.

  As a method of fixing the cam follower 80 and the extension rail 50, a method such as adhesion or welding can be used.

  A state in which the sheet feeding device 20 having the above configuration is connected to the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a front view showing an extension rail rotation mechanism when the sheet feeding device is connected to the image forming apparatus. At the time of connection with the image forming apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the attachment portions 40 c of the respective fixing rails 40 are engaged and fixed to the engaging portions on the side surfaces of the image forming apparatus 1. The front left and right casters 31 ride on the front fixed rail 40F, and the rear left and right casters 32 ride on the rear fixed rail 40R. The front and rear extension rails 50F and 50R are accommodated in the recess 27 of the apparatus main body 20 in a substantially vertical posture rotated about 90 ° with respect to the front and rear fixed rails 40F and 40R around the pin 53.

  In the extension rail rotating mechanism 60, as shown in FIG. 4, a lower left corner 77 between the left side surface 75 and the lower surface 72 of the cam 70 provided in the apparatus main body 20 is a cam follower fixed to the extension rail 50. 80 is in contact with the tip of the inner surface of the tip 83. As a result, the base 81 of the cam follower 80 is substantially vertical, and the extension rail 50 fixed substantially parallel to the base 81 is also in a vertical posture. In addition, since the extension rail 50 is located on the right side of the pin 53 which is a connection point between the extension rail 50 and the fixed rail 40 in the vertical posture, the extension rail 50 is located on the right side with the pin 53 as the center. Although the moment in the direction of rotation, that is, the direction of falling is applied, the rotation of the extension rail 50 is suppressed by the engagement of the cam 70 and the cam follower 80.

  Next, a state in which the paper feeding device 10 is separated from the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5A shows a state in which the paper feeding device is separated from the image forming apparatus by a very short distance, and FIG. 5B shows a state in which the paper feeding device is separated from the image forming apparatus by a sufficient distance.

  When the paper feeding device 10 is separated from the image forming apparatus 1, first, the connection between the paper feeding device 10 and the image forming apparatus 1 is released, and the apparatus main body 20 of the paper feeding device 10 is moved rightward from the image forming apparatus 1. Press to. In the apparatus main body 20, the front and rear casters 31 and 32 run on the front and rear fixed rails 40F and 40R, respectively, and start moving in the right direction.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (A), the front and rear extension rails 50F and 50F are automatically rotated to the right by approximately 90 ° to be separated from the concave portion 27 of the apparatus main body 20, and become a horizontal posture. , 40R. When the apparatus main body 20 is further pushed in the right direction (in the direction of arrow A in the figure), as shown in FIG. 5B, the left casters of the front and rear casters 31 and 32 are on the front and rear fixed rails 40F and 40R, respectively. The right caster moves from the front and rear fixed rails 40F and 40R to the front and rear extension rails 50F and 50R, travels on the front and rear extension rails 50F and 50R, and the apparatus main body 20 moves rightward to move to the image forming apparatus 1. Get away from. As described above, the front and rear casters 31 and 32 travel on the rails 40 and 50 over the entire movement distance of the apparatus main body 20.

  Next, the operation of the extension rail rotation mechanism 60 when the paper feeding device 10 is separated will be described with reference to FIGS. 6-8 is a front view which shows a mode that an extension rail rotates by an extension rail rotation mechanism.

  In the normal state where the paper feeding device 10 is connected to the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6B, the cam 70 moves rightward in the horizontal direction, and the lower left corner 77 of the cam 70 tends to be separated from the inner surface of the tip 83 of the cam follower 80. Then, the cam 70 and the cam follower 80 are disengaged from each other, and the extension rail 50 on which the moment in the rotation direction is applied is separated from the concave portion 27 of the apparatus main body 20 and is clockwise around the pin 53 (the arrow in the figure). Begin to rotate). Since the cam follower 80 also rotates along with the rotation of the extension rail 50, the position where the lower left corner 77 of the cam 70 abuts moves inward from the tip of the inner surface of the tip 83 of the cam follower 80.

  When the apparatus main body 20 is pushed further to the right, as shown in FIG. 7A, the extension rail 50 is inclined by about 50 ° with respect to the vertical plane, and the cam follower 80 is also rotated. The position where 77 abuts moves near the center of the inner surface of the central portion 82 of the cam follower 80.

  When the apparatus body 20 is further pushed rightward, as shown in FIG. 7B, the extension rail 50 is inclined by about 70 ° with respect to the vertical plane, and the cam 70 has a lower left corner 77 at the center of the cam follower 80. The inclined portion 75 a of the left side surface 75 of the cam 70 starts to contact the tip of the inner surface of the tip portion 83 of the cam follower 80 while being in contact with the vicinity of the center of the inner surface of the portion 82.

  When the apparatus main body 20 is further pushed rightward and the cam 70 moves beyond the pin 53, the lower left corner 77 of the cam 70 moves away from the cam follower 80, as shown in FIG. The tip of the inner surface of the tip 83 of the cam follower 80 comes into contact with the inclined portion 75 a of the left side surface 75.

  When the cam 70 moves further beyond the pin 53, as shown in FIG. 8 (B), the extension rail 50 is completely rotated 90 ° to be in a horizontal posture and extend on the extension of the fixed rail 40. 70 leaves the cam follower 80.

  When the paper feeder 10 is reconnected to the image forming apparatus 1, the paper feeder 10 is pushed leftward. Then, the cam 70 and the cam follower 80 operate in the reverse manner to the above-described separation, and finally the extension rail 50 rotates until it assumes a vertical posture and is accommodated in the recess 27 of the apparatus main body 20.

  As described above, according to the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the sheet feeding device 10 is separated from the image forming apparatus 1, if the apparatus main body 20 is moved a short distance in the separation direction, the extension rail is provided. Since 50 automatically rotates on the extension of the fixed rail 40, the caster 30 of the apparatus main body 20 travels on the fixed rail 40 and the extension rail 50 over the entire moving distance. Therefore, the apparatus main body 20 can be stably separated with a small force regardless of the state of the installation surface. Even when the apparatus main body 20 is reconnected to the image forming apparatus 1, the extension rail 50 is automatically accommodated in the apparatus main body 20 after the apparatus main body 20 is moved along the extension rail 50 and the fixed rail 40. The Therefore, the separation and reconnection operations of the paper feeding device 10 can be easily performed.

  Further, since the extension rail 50 is accommodated in the apparatus main body 20 when not in use, there is no possibility that the appearance of the sheet feeding device 10 is impaired or that the passage in the vicinity of the sheet feeding device 10 is hindered.

  Further, the rotation of the extension rail 50 is controlled by the cam 70 and the cam follower 80 until the extension rail 50 is rotated to the horizontal posture or the vertical posture. Can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the extension rail 50 is configured to automatically take a vertical posture or a horizontal posture by the extension rail rotation mechanism 60. However, the extension rail 50 can be manually set to a vertical posture or a horizontal posture. You can also. Further, although the configuration using the cam 70 and the cam follower 80 as the extension rail rotation mechanism 60 has been described, a configuration using a spring or the like may be used.

  Furthermore, since the above description of the embodiment of the present invention describes a preferred embodiment of the paper feeding device according to the present invention, there may be various technically preferable limitations. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless specifically described to limit the present invention. That is, the above-described components in the embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately replaced with existing components and the like, and various variations including combinations with other existing components are possible. The description of the embodiment of the present invention described above does not limit the contents of the invention described in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Paper feeding apparatus 20 Apparatus main body 30 Caster 40 Fixed rail 50 Extension rail 60 Extension rail rotation mechanism 70 Cam 80 Cam follower

Claims (3)

A paper feeding device that is mounted on a side surface of an image forming apparatus and can be separated in a predetermined separation direction,
The sheet feeding device includes an apparatus main body, a caster that movably supports the apparatus main body, a fixed rail that extends in the separation direction and travels on the caster, and rotates to a distal end portion of the fixed rail in the separation direction. An extension rail connected to the image forming apparatus , and when the apparatus main body is separated or approached from the image forming apparatus, the extension rail is automatically extended to a horizontal position extending in an extending direction of the fixed rail or a vertical position stored in the apparatus main body. sheet feeding apparatus, characterized by chromatic and extension rail pivotal mechanism for rotating, to. The extension rail rotation mechanism has a cam provided on one of the apparatus main body and the extension rail and a cam follower provided on the other, and the cam contacts the cam follower as the apparatus main body moves. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 , wherein the extension rail is rotated in contact with the fixed rail about a connection point. Wherein the apparatus main body, the vertical position of the extension rail, the sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that recesses fit is the extension rails are formed.

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