JP6272082B2 - Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus, and relates to a configuration for feeding a sheet having a non-uniform thickness such as an envelope.

  2. Description of the Related Art Today, image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, and facsimiles are widely used in which an image forming unit forms an image on a sheet fed from a sheet feeding apparatus. As this sheet feeding device, a sheet storage portion for storing a sheet is detachably attached to the apparatus main body, and a sheet stored by a pickup roller provided in the apparatus main body is automatically fed. It is common. Further, as a sheet feeding device, there is a sheet feeding device in which a tray is movably moved up and down by a lifting and lowering unit so that a pickup roller presses and feeds the sheets stacked on the tray of the sheet storage unit.

  In recent years, with the expansion of the on-demand digital printing market, the need for printing on a wide variety of sheets in addition to the standard size cut sheets has been increasing. It is necessary to correspond to the sheet. Therefore, the sheet storage unit controls the position of the upstream end (hereinafter referred to as the rear end) of the sheet feeding direction of the sheets stacked on the tray so that sheets of different sizes can be stored. The member is slidably provided. Further, the sheet storage unit is provided with a pair of side end regulating members that regulate the side end positions of the sheets stacked on the tray in the direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction (hereinafter referred to as the width direction).

  When feeding a sheet, the side end position of the sheet on the tray is first regulated by the pair of side end regulating members, and the rear end of the sheet on the tray is regulated by the rear end regulating member. Position the position at a predetermined position. Thereafter, the tray is raised by the elevating unit, and the pickup roller is pressed against the stacked sheets and rotated to feed the sheets.

  By the way, in a conventional sheet feeding apparatus, there is a sheet feeding apparatus such as an envelope having a non-uniform thickness. As such a sheet feeding device, in order to stack a large number of sheets having a non-uniform thickness, a dedicated intermediate plate is provided and the sheets stacked on the intermediate plate are pressed from above by a pressing roller. (See Patent Document 1). When the sheet is fed, the sheet is fed by pressing the middle plate against the upper pickup roller with a spring and rotating the pickup roller while pressing the sheet with the pressing roller.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-35175

  In such a conventional sheet feeding apparatus, the sheet posture becomes horizontal by pressing a bundle of sheets with non-uniform thickness with a spring or a roller, so that the sheet feeding performance is improved to some extent. However, when the sheet is an envelope, the envelope is provided with a flap 23 for closing the sealing opening as shown in FIG. And since this flap 23 is not the shape which covers the whole surface of the envelope S, but the shape which covers a part, in the envelope S, the part covered with the flap 23 becomes thicker than another part. That is, the envelope S is formed into a bag shape by folding the sheet, and the flap 23 is bent at the end portion, so that the thickness portion for two sheets and the thickness portion for three sheets are There is.

  Accordingly, when the envelopes S are stacked in the same direction, the height H1 on the side where the flap 23 is present becomes higher than the height H2 on the side where the flap 23 is absent. As the number of envelopes S to be stacked increases, the difference between the heights H1 and H2 of the envelope bundle SA increases, and the uppermost envelope S1 tilts greatly.

  FIG. 15 shows a state when the number of envelopes S to be stacked is large. When a large number of envelopes S are stacked, the uppermost envelope S1 is greatly inclined because an air layer enters between the folded portions of the flaps and the envelopes. ing. In FIG. 15, reference numeral 12 denotes a pickup roller for sending out the envelope, and 18 denotes a middle plate that can be raised and lowered. The middle plate 18 is controlled to be raised and lowered according to the height of the pickup roller 12. Reference numerals 10 and 11 denote side regulating plates that regulate the end position of the envelope bundle SA, and reference numeral 14 denotes an upper surface of the side wall on the downstream side in the feeding direction of a storage (not shown) that houses the envelope bundle SA.

  When the envelope bundle SA is set on the intermediate plate 18, the envelope bundle SA is inclined, and the inclination of the uppermost envelope S1 is increased. For this reason, the apparent paper width LS in the horizontal direction of the uppermost envelope S1 is smaller than the actual width S of the envelope S1. In this state, when the side regulating plates 10 and 11 are moved in the width direction so as to be moved to a position for regulating the side end position, the side regulating plates 10 and 11 are moved to a position narrower than the actual width S of the envelope S. May move.

  In this case, when the feeding operation of the envelope S is started and the middle plate 18 is raised and the uppermost envelope S1 loaded is pressed against the pickup roller 12, the envelope bundle SA is fixed to the envelope bundle SA from above by the pickup roller 12. Pressure is applied. As a result, the air layer between the envelopes and the flap folding part is removed by pressure, and the inclination angle of the uppermost envelope S1 becomes smaller than that at the time of setting, so that the posture of the uppermost envelope S1 approaches horizontal. That is, in the case of the envelope S, the posture at the time of setting becomes different from the posture at the time of feeding.

  As described above, when the posture at the time of setting is different from the posture at the time of feeding, if the side regulating plates 10 and 11 are moved to a position narrower than the width L of the actual envelope S, the middle plate 18 rises. The envelope S is in a state of being sandwiched between the side regulating plates 10 and 11. When sandwiched between the side regulating plates 10 and 11, the friction with the side regulating plates 10 and 11 increases the resistance when feeding the envelope S, and the sheet feeding performance decreases.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 16A, in order to correct the inclination of the envelope bundle SA, an attachment 62 including a swinging member 63 for inclining the envelope bundle SA may be attached to the intermediate plate 18. In this case, when the feeding operation is started, the intermediate plate 18 is raised, and a certain pressure is applied to the envelope bundle SA by the pickup roller 12 from above, as shown in FIG. The inclination angle of the uppermost envelope S1 is reduced.

  However, even when the attachment 62 is attached, the envelope bundle SA is set on the swinging member 63 that is greatly inclined. Therefore, when the envelope 62 is set, the envelope S is inclined, and the posture of the envelope S when set and the posture when feeding are set. To be different. For this reason, the side regulating plates 10 and 11 cannot be set at a position corresponding to the actual width L of the envelope S1, and as a result, the envelope S is moved to the side regulating plates 10 and 11 as the middle plate 18 rises. It will be in a state of being sandwiched between. When sandwiched between the side regulating plates 10 and 11 as described above, the end of the envelope S is bent upward due to friction between the side regulating plates 10 and 11, for example, as shown in FIG. The sheet feeding performance decreases due to an increase in the load at this time.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such a current situation, and provides a sheet feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can stably and continuously feed a large number of sheets having non-uniform thicknesses. It is intended to provide.

  The present invention provides a sheet storage unit including a sheet stacking unit that can be moved up and down on which a sheet bundle is stacked, and a sheet that is provided above the sheet stacking unit and stacked on the raised sheet stacking unit. Sheet feeding means for feeding the uppermost sheet in contact with the uppermost sheet of the bundle, wherein the sheet storage unit is orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction of the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking unit At least one of which regulates the position of the side end in the width direction is protruded so as to face a pair of side end regulating means movable in the width direction and an upper portion of the inner wall surface facing the sheet bundle of the pair of side end regulating means And a pair of sheet supporting means on which a sheet having the same length in the width direction as the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking unit is placed.

  Like the present invention, by placing the sheet on the sheet support means before moving the side edge regulating means, the interval in the width direction of the side edge regulating means can be set to an interval according to the sheet size, A large number of sheets having a non-uniform thickness can be stably fed continuously.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a monochrome / color copying machine that is an example of an image forming apparatus including a sheet feeding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. The figure which showed the state which pulled out the storage from the paper feed deck which is a sheet | seat feeding apparatus attached to the said monochrome / color copying machine. The figure explaining the structure of the said paper feed deck. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a feeding operation of sheets stored in the sheet feeding deck. The figure explaining the structure of the side control member provided in the said paper feed deck. The figure which shows the state when not adjusting the position of the side control member of the said paper feeding deck. The figure explaining the operation | movement which adjusts the position of the said side control member. The figure which shows a state when the envelope used as the said paper feeding deck in which the position of the said side control member was adjusted was loaded. The figure explaining the structure of the paper feed deck which is a sheet feeding apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the state when an envelope is loaded on the lifter tray provided in the said paper feeding deck, without adjusting the position of a side control member. The figure explaining the operation | movement which adjusts the position of the said side control member. The figure which shows a state when the envelope used as the said paper feeding deck in which the position of the said side control member was adjusted was loaded. The figure which shows the structure of the other implementation system of the said paper feed deck. The figure which shows the subject of the conventional sheet feeding apparatus. The figure which shows the subject of the conventional sheet feeding apparatus. The figure which shows the subject of the conventional sheet feeding apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a monochrome / color copying machine which is an example of an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet feeding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 600 is a monochrome / color copying machine, 602 is a monochrome / color copying machine body (hereinafter referred to as a copying machine body), 650 is a document reading unit (image reader) provided at the upper part of the copying machine body 602, 651 Is a document conveying device for automatically reading a plurality of documents.

  The copying machine main body 602 includes paper feeding cassettes 909a and 909b on which normal sheets S for image formation are stacked, an image forming unit 603 that forms a toner image on a sheet using an electrophotographic process, and a toner formed on the sheet. A fixing device 904 for fixing an image is provided. An operation unit 601 is provided on the upper surface of the copier main body 602 so that the user can perform various inputs / settings on the copier main body 602, and a sheet feeding device including a lifter tray 107 is provided on the side of the copier main body 602. A paper feed deck 100 as a feeding device is connected. A CPU circuit unit 630 is a control unit that controls the copier body 602 and the paper feed deck 100.

  In such a black-and-white / color copying machine 600, when an unillustrated document image is formed on a sheet, the document image conveyed by the document conveying device 651 is first provided in the document reading unit 650. Reading is performed by the image sensor 650a. Thereafter, the read digital data is input to the exposure unit 604, and the exposure unit 604 irradiates light corresponding to the digital data to the photosensitive drum 914 (914a to 914d) provided in the image forming unit 603. When light is irradiated in this way, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum, and by developing the electrostatic latent image, toner images of colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum. Is formed.

  The four color toner images are transferred from the sheet feeding cassettes 909a and 909b or onto the sheet fed from the sheet feeding deck 100, and then the toner image transferred onto the sheet is transferred by the fixing device 904. Fix by heating. Note that after fixing the toner image in this way, in the mode in which an image is formed on one side of the sheet, the sheet is directly discharged from the discharge roller pair 907 to the outside of the apparatus. In the mode in which images are formed on both sides of the sheet, the sheet is transferred from the fixing device 904 to the reversing roller 905, and then the reversing roller 905 is reversed at a predetermined timing, so that the sheets are conveyed to the duplex conveying rollers 906a to 906f. Transport in the direction.

  Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed again to the image forming unit 603, and toner images of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are transferred to the back surface. Note that the sheet having the four color toner images transferred on the back side in this way is conveyed again to the fixing device 904 to fix the toner image, and then discharged from the discharge roller pair 907 to the outside of the apparatus.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the storage 106 that is a sheet storage unit provided in the paper feed deck 100 so as to be freely drawn in the direction of the arrow X is pulled out from the housing 121 of the paper feed deck 100. When sheets are stored in the sheet feeding deck 100, the storage 106 is pulled out in this way, and a work space for storing sheets is secured above to store the sheets.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 115 denotes a slide rail disposed on the upstream outer wall surface in the sheet feeding direction of the storage case 106, and is a slide rail for pulling out the storage case 106 from the housing 121. The slide rail 115 is a sheet of the storage case 106. It is also arranged on the outer wall surface on the downstream side in the feeding direction. Reference numerals 113 and 114 denote side regulating members that regulate the position of the side edge in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction of a sheet bundle stacked on a lifter tray 107, which will be described later. The side regulating members 113 and 114 are indicated by arrows Xa. It is possible to move in the width direction shown in FIG. Reference numeral 116 denotes a trailing end regulating member that regulates the position of the trailing end that is the upstream end in the sheet feeding direction of the sheet bundle. The trailing end regulating member 116 is movable in the sheet feeding direction indicated by an arrow Z.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the sheet feeding deck 100. The sheet feeding deck 100 includes a sheet feeding unit 101 that feeds the sheets stored in the storage 106, and includes a sheet feeding roller 101. Part 120 is provided. When the sheet feeding from the sheet feeding deck 100 is designated, the sheet is fed from the feeding roller 101, and the fed sheet is configured by the feed roller 102 and the retard roller 103 shown in FIG. The paper is separated and conveyed one by one by the separation unit. Further, the sheet fed by the feed roller 102 is conveyed by the drawing rollers 104 and 105 shown in FIG. 1 and conveyed to the copying machine main body 602.

  In FIG. 3, M <b> 1 is a drive motor that drives the feed roller 101, the feed roller 102, and the retard roller 103. Reference numeral 107 denotes a lifter tray that is a sheet stacking unit that is provided in the storage 106 and is capable of moving sheets up and down (movable up and down) indicated by an arrow Y. The lifter tray 107 is suspended by a wire (not shown), The raising / lowering operation is controlled by winding and driving the wire pulley. Further, the side regulating members 113 and 114 are arranged symmetrically around the feeding roller 101 and move in the width direction in conjunction with a rack and pinion (not shown). The side regulating members 113 and 114, which are a pair of side edge regulating means, can regulate the side edge position of the sheet as long as at least one of the side regulating members 113 and 114 is movable in the width direction. It is movable.

  Further, in FIG. 3, reference numeral 130 denotes a lock member for fixing the side regulating members 113 and 114 moved to the side end regulating position for regulating the side end position of the sheet bundle to the storage case 106. In this embodiment, after the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved to the regulating position, the side regulating members 113 and 114 are fixed by fixing the lock member 130 with screws. However, the method of locking the side regulating members 113 and 114 is not limited to this.

  When the sheets are stored in the sheet feeding deck 100, as shown in FIG. 2, after the storage 106 is pulled out and the sheets are stacked on the lifter tray 107, the side regulating members 113 and 114 and the rear end regulating member 116 are moved to the sheet. Set according to the size. Thereafter, when the storage case 106 is closed, the lifter tray 107 is raised, and the uppermost sheet S1 of the sheet bundle SA shown in FIG. 4 is eventually detected by the sheet height detection sensor 202.

  Then, the control unit 630 stops the lift of the lifter tray 107 by a signal from the sheet height detection sensor 202, and thereby the sheet S can be fed by the feeding roller 101. When the feeding of the sheet S is started and the sheets are sequentially fed, the height of the uppermost sheet S1 of the sheet bundle SA becomes lower than the height at which the feeding roller 101 can feed the sheet S. . When this is detected by a signal from the sheet height detection sensor 202, the control unit 630 raises the lifter tray 107. Thereafter, when there is no sheet on the lifter tray 107 and this is detected by a signal from the sheet presence sensor 201, the control unit 630 lowers the lifter tray 107.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the side regulating members 113 and 114 abut against the side edges of the sheets stacked on the lifter tray 107, thereby providing sheet regulating surfaces 113 a and 114 a that regulate the side edge positions of the sheets. I have. By the way, in this embodiment, an image may be formed on a sheet having a non-uniform thickness, for example, an envelope. In this case, the envelope is stored in the sheet feeding deck 100. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), the envelope S having the flap 23 for folding is placed flat with the flap 23 facing downward. Inclined state. In this case, the apparent width Wd1 in the horizontal direction is smaller than the paper width when the paper is actually laid flat in the horizontal state.

  In this state, when the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved inward to a position where the sheet regulating surfaces 113a and 114a abut against both side ends of the envelope S, the side regulating members 113 and 114 are larger than the actual width of the envelope S. It moves to a position corresponding to the narrow apparent width Wd1. When the side regulating members 113 and 114 are locked at this position by the locking member 130 shown in FIG. 3 described above, the envelope S is set with one side pushed upward. In this state, the feeding operation is started, the lifter tray 107 is raised, and the envelope S is pressed against the feeding roller 101 so that the envelope S is in a horizontal state. There is a case where it becomes pinched and feeds poorly.

  Further, due to reasons such as manufacturing errors and assembly errors, the side regulating members 113 and 114 may be slightly inclined inward as shown in FIG. In this case, among the intervals in the width direction of the side regulating members 113 and 114, the upper width direction interval Wt2 is smaller than the lower interval Wd2. In such a state, when the lifter tray 107 is lifted after the envelope setting is completed, the envelope may be sandwiched between the side regulating members 113 and 114, resulting in poor feeding. This phenomenon occurs not only in envelopes but also in normal sheets.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, before the side regulating members 113 and 114 are set in advance with the envelope (sheet), the interval between the side regulating members 113 and 114 is a position corresponding to the length in the width direction of the envelope. To be fixed to. In order to fix the side restricting members 113 and 114 at such positions, the sheet support portions 113b and 114b are arranged in the horizontal direction on the upper portions of the sheet restricting surfaces 113a and 114a that are inner wall surfaces facing the sheet bundle of the side restricting members 113 and 114. Protrusively facing. Before the bundle of envelopes is stacked on the lifter tray 107, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the sheet support portions 113b and 114b have the same length in the width direction as the envelopes once stacked. An envelope, in this embodiment, an envelope loaded on the lifter tray 107 is placed.

  Each of the sheet support portions 113b and 114b, which are a pair of sheet support means, has an upper surface on a plane, and is disposed so that the height and the position in the sheet feeding direction coincide with each other. Then, after the envelope is set on the sheet support portions 113b and 114b, when the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved inward, both side ends of the set envelope are from the sheet support portions 113b and 114b of the sheet regulating surfaces 113a and 114a. Also contacts the upper part.

  Thereby, the movement of the side regulating members 113 and 114 is regulated. Here, the abutting portions, which are portions above the sheet support portions 113b and 114b of the sheet regulating surfaces 113a and 114a with which both side edges of the envelope abut, are flush with the sheet regulating surfaces 113a and 114a. Therefore, the distance between the side regulating members 113 and 114 when the both side ends of the envelope are in contact with the sheet support portions 113b and 114b is equal to the length in the width direction of the envelope. That is, by moving the side regulating members 113 and 114 in a state where the envelopes are set on the sheet support portions 113b and 114b, the side regulating members 113 and 114 are set at the side end regulating positions corresponding to the length in the width direction of the envelope. can do.

  The height positions of the sheet support portions 113b and 114b are set so as to be substantially the same height as the feeding roller 101 when the storage case 106 is stored in the sheet feeding deck 100. Then, by providing the sheet support portions 113b and 114b at such a height position, the envelope can be easily set. Even in the case where the side regulating members 113 and 114 are inclined inward, the interval in the width direction of the side regulating members 113 and 114 at the position where the envelope S abuts on the feeding roller 101 is set in the width direction of the envelope S. Can be the same length as the length.

  Next, the operation when setting envelopes in the storage 106 will be described. When setting the envelope in the storage case 106, first, the storage case 106 is pulled out from the housing 121 of the paper feed deck 100 to the front side. Next, the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved in advance to a position where the width is slightly wider than the width of the sheet S to be set.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B described above, for example, one envelope S to be stacked is set on the upper surfaces of the sheet support portions 113b and 114b. Thereafter, the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved inward to a position where both side ends of the envelope S abut against the sheet regulating surfaces 113a and 114a extending further upward from the sheet supporting portions 113b and 114b. Thereby, the side regulating members 113 and 114 can be moved to positions corresponding to the length of the envelope S in the width direction. Then, by fixing the side regulating members 113 and 114 at the position at this time, the interval in the width direction of the side regulating members 113 and 114 at the time of feeding, that is, the guide position (width) Wt1 is determined.

  Then, after determining the guide position (width) at the time of feeding as described above, the envelope bundle SA is loaded on the lifter tray 107 as shown in FIG. At this time, the envelope bundle SA is stacked such that the front end in the sheet feeding direction abuts against the sheet regulating surface 106a of the storage case 106 shown in FIG. When the stacking operation of the envelope bundle SA on the lifter tray 107 is completed, the above-described rear end regulating member 116 shown in FIG. 2 is moved to a position where it abuts against the rear end of the envelope bundle SA, and the setting of the envelope bundle SA is completed. Thereafter, when the storage case 106 is closed again so as to be stored in the paper feed deck 100, the lifter tray 107 is raised, and an appropriate height for feeding the uppermost envelope S1 of the envelope bundle SA by the feeding roller 101 is raised. Stop at.

  At this time, when the roller pressure of the feeding roller 101 is applied from above the uppermost envelope S1, the flaps overlap each other, so that the air layer of the envelope bundle SA that is inclined and stacked as shown in FIG. 8 is crushed. It is. As a result, compared to the set state shown in FIG. 8, the uppermost envelope S1 is stopped in a state of approaching horizontal, and the paper feed deck 100 enters a standby state before execution of the image forming job.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, before the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved to the side end regulating position, the envelope S having the same length in the width direction as the envelope S to be loaded is used as the sheet support portion. 113b, 114b. Thereafter, the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved in the width direction until both side ends of the envelope S abut against sheet regulating surfaces 113a and 114a extending further upward from the sheet supporting portions 113b and 114b.

  Thereby, the space | interval of the width direction of the side control members 113 and 114 can be set to the space | interval according to the length of the width direction of the envelope S. FIG. By setting the side regulating members 113 and 114 at such intervals, the envelope S is sandwiched between the side regulating members 113 and 114 even when a large number of envelopes S having a non-uniform thickness are stacked. As a result, the envelope S can be stably fed.

  By the way, especially when storing an envelope, an attachment may be attached to a lifter tray. Next, a second embodiment of the present invention in which such an attachment is attached to a lifter tray will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a sheet feeding deck that is a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 9, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 7 described above indicate the same or corresponding parts. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 117 denotes an attachment set on the lifter tray 107, which is set when a larger capacity envelope is loaded on the paper feed deck 100. Note that the attachment 117 as the auxiliary sheet stacking means is not used when a normal flat general sheet is set.

  The attachment 117 is a base member 117a and a swing plate which is an auxiliary sheet stacking portion supported on the upper surface of the base member 117a so as to be swingable in the vertical direction via a swing shaft 117b parallel to the sheet feeding direction. 117c. Even if there is a difference in the stacking height of the envelope due to the difference in thickness at both ends in the width direction, the swinging plate 117c is in the direction of the arrow, that is, the sheet feeding direction so that the uppermost envelope is parallel. And can swing along a plane parallel to a plane perpendicular to the plane.

  Here, since the swing plate 117c is configured to be swingable, when the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved with the envelope set, the apparent width of the envelope S in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. Wd3 becomes smaller than the width when the envelope S is actually laid flat in a horizontal state. For this reason, if the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved in order to regulate the side edge position of the envelope S, the envelope S is moved to a position narrower than the actual width of the envelope S. In this case, when the envelope S is fed, if the lifter tray 107 is raised, the sheet may be sandwiched between the side regulating members 113 and 114 as described above, resulting in a feeding failure.

  Therefore, also in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, after placing one envelope in advance on the sheet support portions 113b and 114b, the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved inward. The guide position (width) at the time of feeding is determined by Wt3.

  Next, the operation when setting envelopes in the storage 106 will be described. When the envelope is set in the storage case 106, first, after the storage case 106 is pulled out, the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved in advance to a position that is slightly wider than the width of the sheet S to be set. Next, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, one envelope S to be stacked is set on the upper surfaces of the sheet support portions 113b and 114b. Thereafter, the side regulating members 113 and 114 are moved inward to a position where both side ends of the envelope S abut against the sheet regulating surfaces 113a and 114a extending further upward from the sheet supporting portions 113b and 114b. Then, by fixing the side regulating members 113 and 114 at the position at this time, the interval in the width direction of the side regulating members 113 and 114 at the time of feeding, that is, the guide position (width) Wt3 is determined.

  Then, after determining the guide position (width) at the time of feeding as described above, the envelope bundle SA is stacked on the attachment 117 attached on the lifter tray 107 as shown in FIG. When the stacking operation of the envelope bundle SA on the lifter tray 107 is completed, the above-described rear end regulating member 116 shown in FIG. Thereafter, when the storage case 106 is closed again so as to be stored in the paper feed deck 100, the lifter tray 107 is raised, and an appropriate height for feeding the uppermost envelope S1 of the envelope bundle SA by the feeding roller 101 is raised. Stop at.

  As described above, even when the attachment 117 is used, the envelope is placed on the sheet support portions 113b and 114b before the side restricting members 113 and 114 are moved to the side end restricting positions. The same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the case has been described where the attachment 117 is configured to hold the envelope horizontally by swinging the swing plate 117c. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. Absent. For example, the attachment 117 includes an auxiliary sheet stacking portion 117d that stacks sheets and can be inclined along a plane parallel to a plane orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction as shown in FIG. May be used. Then, the auxiliary sheet stacking portion 117d is supported so as to be kept horizontal by a compression spring 118 which is an urging means. Accordingly, when the sheets are stacked so that the thicknesses are different in the width direction, the swing plate 117c is opposed to the compression spring 118, and the thicker end portion of the envelope S among the both end portions in the width direction. Swings so that the end on which the is placed is lower than the other end.

  In addition, as the shape of the sheet support portions 113b and 114b, the case where the upper surface is planar has been described. However, as long as the sheet can be placed, the sheet support portions 113b and 114b may be curved as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 13C, the same effect can be obtained even in the case of a cylindrical shape.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Paper feed deck, 101 ... Feed roller, 106 ... Storage, 107 ... Lifter tray, 113, 114 ... Side control member, 113a, 114a ... Sheet control surface, 113b, 114b ... Sheet support part, 116 ... Rear end control 117, attachment, 118 ... compression spring, 120 ... sheet feeding unit, 130 ... locking member, 600 ... monochrome / color copying machine, 602 ... monochrome / color copying machine body, 603 ... image forming unit, S ... sheet ( Envelope), S1 ... Top sheet (top envelope), SA ... Sheet bundle (envelope bundle)

Claims (7)

A sheet storage unit having a sheet stacking unit capable of moving up and down, on which a sheet bundle is stacked;
A sheet feeding unit that is provided above the sheet stacking unit and feeds the uppermost sheet in contact with the uppermost sheet of the bundle of sheets stacked on the raised sheet stacking unit,
The sheet storage portion
A pair of side end regulating means capable of moving in the width direction at least one of which regulates the side end position in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction of the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking unit;
A pair of sheets projecting opposite to the upper part of the inner wall surface facing the sheet bundle of the pair of side edge regulating means and having the same length in the width direction as the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit And a sheet supporting device.   When the pair of side end restricting means moves to the side end restricting position, the side ends of the sheet supported by the pair of sheet supporting means are brought into contact with a contact portion that is flush with the inner wall surface. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1.   3. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the height position of the pair of sheet supporting means is substantially the same as the height position of the sheet feeding means.   4. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheets are sheets having different thicknesses, and are stacked in the sheet stacking unit in a direction in which thicknesses are different in a width direction. 5. .   An auxiliary sheet stacking unit having an auxiliary sheet stacking unit that can swing along a plane parallel to a plane perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction, on which the sheet bundle is stacked, is attached to the sheet stacking unit. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 4.   A sheet bundle is stacked on the sheet stacking unit, and an auxiliary sheet stacking unit that can tilt along a plane parallel to a plane orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction, and the auxiliary sheet stacking unit is urged and leveled. 5. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein auxiliary sheet stacking means having urging means for holding the sheet is attached. An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising: the sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, which feeds a sheet to the image forming unit.

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