JP7622565B2 - Feeding device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a feeding device and an image forming device.

Conventionally, image forming devices such as copiers and printers are equipped with a feeding device that uses a feeding roller to feed paper (medium) loaded on a feeding tray that is detachable from the device body. Such feeding devices are suitable for forming images on multiple sheets of paper in succession, because they can set multiple sheets of paper in a stacked state on the feeding tray.

Here, media with thickness variations may be set in the feeding device. In order to properly feed such media, there is a feeding device that includes multiple support members adjacent in the width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction, multiple urging members that urge each of the multiple support members upward at positions spaced apart in the feeding direction, and an upper plate that presses down from above on the rear end of the media supported by the support members (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, in a feeding device with the above configuration, the rear end of the medium supported by the support member must reach the position of the upper plate. This poses the problem that small-sized media cannot be properly supported.

The present invention was made to solve these problems, and aims to provide a feeding device that can properly feed media with thickness variations and can accommodate media of various sizes.

In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention comprises a storage member that stores multiple media, multiple support members that are arranged inside the storage member and support multiple stacked media, a feeding mechanism that abuts against the media supported by the multiple support members from above and feeds the media out of the storage member, multiple biasing members that abut against different positions on the underside of each of the multiple support members and bias the support members toward the feeding mechanism, and an upper plate that is supported on the storage member above the multiple support members and is slidable in the direction in which the media is fed by the feeding mechanism, and presses the rear ends in the feeding direction of the media supported by the multiple support members , and is characterized in that the multiple biasing members abut against the underside of the support members at a position facing the feeding mechanism and a position facing the upper plate in the feeding direction .

The present invention provides a feeding device that can properly feed media with thickness variations and can accommodate media of various sizes.

1 is an external perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. FIG.

Below, an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100.

The image forming apparatus 100 includes an image forming unit 110 that forms an image on a medium M by an electrophotographic method. The image forming unit 110 includes, for example, a well-known photosensitive drum made of an organic photosensitive body, a charging charger that performs a charging process on the surface of the photosensitive drum, an exposure device that irradiates image information onto the photosensitive drum with laser light to form an electrostatic latent image, a developing device that visualizes the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum, a transfer roller that transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum to a transfer paper, and a cleaning device that removes and collects residual toner on the photosensitive drum. However, the method by which the image forming unit 110 forms an image is not limited to the electrophotographic method, and may be an inkjet method in which ink is ejected onto the medium M to form an image.

Medium M is an object on which an image is formed by the image forming unit 110, and is a sheet-like material such as paper, cloth, or film. Furthermore, the medium M according to this embodiment is available in various sizes (e.g., A4, A5, B4, etc.). Furthermore, the medium M according to this embodiment is not limited to having a uniform thickness, but also includes media with a deviation in thickness. More specifically, the medium M may be thicker in one direction in the left-right direction (width direction) or the front-back direction (length direction) than the other. An example of a medium M with a deviation in thickness is an envelope with a gusset.

The image forming apparatus 100 also includes a feeding device 120 that feeds media M to the image forming unit 110. The feeding device 120 stores multiple media M in a stacked state and feeds the stored multiple media M one by one toward the image forming unit 110. The feeding device 120 mainly includes, for example, a cassette (storage member) 121 and a feeding mechanism 122. Note that the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes two cassettes 121, one above the other, but the number of cassettes 121 can be increased or decreased.

Cassette 121 contains multiple media M in a stacked state. Cassette 121 is pulled out of image forming device 100 in the direction of arrow A and inserted in the direction of arrow B. Feeding mechanism 122 feeds media M contained in cassette 121 in the direction of arrow C (feeding direction). Media M fed by feeding mechanism 122 is supplied to image forming unit 110. The specific configuration of feeding device 120 will be described later with reference to Figures 3 to 5.

The image forming apparatus 100 also includes an original reading unit 130 that reads an image recorded on an original and generates image information. The original reading unit 130 moves a reading travelling body consisting of an original illumination light source and a mirror to read and scan an original placed on a contact glass 131. The image information scanned by the reading travelling body is read as an image signal by an image reading device provided behind the lens. The read image signal is digitized and subjected to image processing.

Then, the image forming unit 110 drives a laser diode (LD, not shown) of an exposure device based on the image-processed signal, and the laser light from the LD is reflected by a polygon mirror and then irradiated onto a photosensitive drum via a reflecting mirror, forming an electrostatic latent image on the drum.

In addition, in the image forming device 100, an internal space 140 is formed between the image forming unit 110 and the document reading unit 130. Inside the internal space 140, there is provided an output tray 141 into which the medium M on which an image has been formed by the image forming unit 110 is output. The internal space 140 is also open to the outside at the front and side of the image forming device 100. In other words, an operator of the image forming device 100 can reach into the internal space 140 and remove the medium M on which an image has been formed from the output tray 141.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 20, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 30, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 40, and an I/F 50, all of which are connected via a common bus 90.

The CPU 10 is a computing means and controls the operation of the entire image forming apparatus 100. The RAM 20 is a volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information at high speed, and is used as a working area when the CPU 10 processes information. The ROM 30 is a read-only non-volatile storage medium in which programs such as firmware are stored. The HDD 40 is a non-volatile storage medium with a large storage capacity that allows information to be read and written, and in which the OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, etc. are stored.

The image forming device 100 processes the control program stored in the ROM 30, the information processing program (application program) loaded from a storage medium such as the HDD 40 to the RAM 20, and the like, using the calculation functions of the CPU 10. This processing constitutes a software control unit including various functional modules of the image forming device 100. The combination of the software control unit thus constituted and the hardware resources mounted on the image forming device 100 constitutes a functional block that realizes the functions of the image forming device 100. In other words, the CPU 10, RAM 20, ROM 30, and HDD 40 constitute a controller 101 that controls the operation of the image forming device 100.

The I/F 50 is an interface that connects the LCD 60, the operation unit 70, the image forming unit 110, the feeding mechanism 122, and the document reading unit 130 to the common bus 90. The LCD 60 is a display that displays various screens to inform the user of information. The operation unit 70 is an input interface that accepts input of various information from the user, and includes a touch panel superimposed on the LCD 60, push buttons, etc.

Next, the feeding device 120 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 5. Figure 3 is an upper perspective view of the feeding device 120. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in Figure 3. The feeding device 120 mainly comprises a cassette 121 (accommodating member), a feeding mechanism 122, support plates (support members) 123a and 123b, coil springs (urging members) 124a, 124b, 124c and 124d, and an upper plate 125.

Hereinafter, the feeding direction of medium M by the feeding mechanism 122 will be referred to as the "front-rear direction", the width direction of medium M (cassette 121) perpendicular to the feeding direction will be referred to as the "left-right direction", the upstream side of the feeding direction will be referred to as the "rear", and the downstream side of the feeding direction will be referred to as the "front". However, the relationship between the feeding direction and the width direction is relative, and is not limited to the above example.

The cassette 121 is a box-shaped member with an open top. The cassette 121 includes a bottom plate 121a, a front plate 121b erected at the front end of the bottom plate 121a, a rear plate 121c erected at the rear end of the bottom plate 121a, a right plate 121d erected at the right end of the bottom plate 121a, and a left plate 121e erected at the left end of the bottom plate 121a. The cassette 121 has an internal space defined by the bottom plate 121a, the front plate 121b, the rear plate 121c, the right plate 121d, and the left plate 121e.

The front plate 121b and the rear plate 121c are erected upward from the bottom plate 121a and extend in the left-right direction. The front plate 121b and the rear plate 121c face each other in the front-to-rear direction of the cassette 121. The right plate 121d and the left plate 121e are erected upward from the bottom plate 121a and extend in the front-to-rear direction. The right plate 121d and the left plate 121e face each other in the left-to-right direction of the cassette 121 (the direction of arrows A-B in FIG. 1).

The cassette 121 according to this embodiment has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. The internal space of the cassette 121 defined by the plates 121a to 121d contains support plates 123a and 123b, coil springs 124a to 124d, and multiple media M in a stacked state.

The top plate 125 faces the bottom plate 121a in the up-down direction of the cassette 121. The top plate 125 is also connected to the upper ends of the right plate 121d and the left plate 121e. In other words, the top plate 125 covers a part of the rear side of the top surface of the cassette 121. Furthermore, the top plate 125 is configured to be slidable in the feeding direction as described below.

The feeding mechanism 122 feeds the medium M stored in the cassette 121 to the outside of the cassette 121 (i.e., the image forming unit 110). The feeding mechanism 122 is disposed above the cassette 121, facing the internal space of the cassette 121. The feeding mechanism 122 is also disposed forward of the upper plate 125. In other words, the feeding mechanism 122 and the upper plate 125 are spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction of the cassette 121. The feeding mechanism 122 mainly comprises a rotating shaft 122a and feeding rollers 122b and 122c.

The rotating shaft 122a extends in the left-right direction of the cassette 121. The rotating shaft 122a rotates when the driving force of the motor is transmitted to it. The feed rollers 122b and 122c have a roughly half-moon shape. The feed rollers 122b and 122c are spaced apart in the left-right direction of the cassette 121. The feed rollers 122b and 122c are attached to the rotating shaft 122a and rotate together. The height of the lower ends of the feed rollers 122b and 122c is set to be the same as the height of the lower surface of the upper plate 125.

The support plates 123a and 123b are flat plates with a roughly rectangular outer shape. The size of the support plates 123a and 123b in the front-to-rear direction is roughly the same as (slightly smaller than) the size of the cassette 121 in the front-to-rear direction, and the size of the support plates 123a and 123b in the left-to-right direction is set to be half or less of the size of the cassette 121 in the front-to-rear direction. The support plates 123a and 123b are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-to-right direction of the cassette 121 in the internal space of the cassette 121.

The upper surfaces of the support plates 123a and 123b function as a support surface on which the stacked medium M is placed. That is, the support plates 123a and 123b jointly support the medium M contained in the cassette 121. More specifically, the left half of the medium M is supported by the support plate 123a, and the right half of the medium M is supported by the support plate 123b.

The coil springs 124a and 124b bias the support plate 123a upward (toward the feeding mechanism 122 and the upper plate 125). More specifically, one end of the coil springs 124a and 124b is connected to the upper surface of the bottom plate 121a, and the other end is connected to the lower surface of the support plate 123a.

The coil springs 124a and 124b are spaced apart in the front-rear direction of the cassette 121. More specifically, the coil spring 124a is located opposite the feed roller 122b. The coil spring 124b is located opposite the upper plate 125. The distance between the coil springs 124a and 124b is longer than the length of the upper plate 125 in the front-rear direction.

The coil springs 124c and 124d bias the support plate 123b upward (toward the feeding mechanism 122 and the upper plate 125). More specifically, one end of the coil springs 124c and 124d is connected to the upper surface of the bottom plate 121a, and the other end is connected to the lower surface of the support plate 123b.

The coil springs 124c and 124d are spaced apart in the front-rear direction of the cassette 121. More specifically, the coil spring 124c is located opposite the feed roller 122c. The coil spring 124d is located opposite the upper plate 125. The distance between the coil springs 124c and 124d is longer than the length of the upper plate 125 in the front-rear direction.

That is, the coil springs 124a and 124c press the front area of the medium M supported by the support plates 123a and 123b against the feed rollers 122b and 122c. The coil springs 124b and 124d press the rear area of the medium M supported by the support plates 123a and 123b against the upper plate 125.

The coil springs 124a to 124d are set to have the same natural length and spring constant. However, the natural length and spring constant may be different for each of the coil springs 124a to 124d. Furthermore, specific examples of the biasing member are not limited to the coil springs 124a to 124d, and may be leaf springs, elastic rubber, or the like.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the main parts of the left plate 121e and the top plate 125. As shown in Figure 6, the inner surface (right side surface) of the left plate 121e is cut out over the entire area in the front-to-rear direction. More specifically, the left plate 121e has a first upper surface 126a, a second upper surface 126b, a first inner surface 126c, and a second inner surface 126d.

The first upper surface 126a is located above the second upper surface 126b and on the outer side (left side) of the second upper surface 126b. The second upper surface 126b is located below the first upper surface 126a and on the inner side (right side) of the first upper surface 126a. The first inner surface 126c is located above the second inner surface 126d and on the outer side (left side) of the second inner surface 126d. The second inner surface 126d is located below the first inner surface 126c and on the inner side (right side) of the first inner surface 126c. The upper end of the first inner surface 126c is connected to the right end of the first upper surface 126a, and the lower end of the first inner surface 126c is connected to the left end of the second upper surface 126b. The upper end of the second inner surface 126d is connected to the right end of the second upper surface 126b.

A guide groove 127 is formed on the second upper surface 126b. The guide groove 127 is recessed downward from the second upper surface 126b and extends in the front-rear direction (feeding direction). Sliders 128a, 128b are attached to the guide groove 127. The sliders 128a, 128b are supported by the second upper surface 126b in a state in which they can slide in the front-rear direction along the guide groove 127.

The left end of the upper plate 125 is fixed to the sliders 128a, 128b of the left plate 121e by a bolt or the like. Although not shown, the inner surface (left side surface) of the right plate 121d is also cut out in the same manner as the left plate 121e. The right end of the upper plate 125 is fixed to the slider of the right plate 121d by a bolt or the like. This allows the upper plate 125 to slide in the feeding direction (front-back direction) along the guide grooves 127 of the right plate 121d and left plate 121e.

The first inner surface 126c is formed with a rack portion 129. The rack portion 129 is formed by arranging multiple protrusions that protrude inward (to the right) from the first inner surface 126c in succession in the front-to-rear direction. On the other hand, protrusions 130a and 130b are formed on the left side surface of the upper plate 125. The protrusions 130a and 130b each protrude to the left at positions spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction.

Furthermore, the first upper surface 126a is provided with markings 131a and 131b indicating the size of the medium M. The markings 131a and 131b indicate the position of the upper plate 125 (more specifically, the protrusion 130b) according to the size of the medium M placed on the support plates 123a and 123b. The markings 131a and 131b are formed, for example, by engraving, sticker, printing, etc.

When the upper plate 125 is attached to the sliders 128a and 128b, the protrusions 130a and 130b engage with the rack portion 129. The upper plate 125 then slides in the front-to-rear direction while the protrusions 130a and 130b climb over the rack portion 129. In addition, the rear end of the medium M is pressed by the upper plate 125 by aligning the protrusion 130b with the positions of the marks 131a and 131b that correspond to the size of the medium M placed on the support plates 132a and 132b.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the stopper 132. As shown in Figure 7, the cassette 121 is provided with stoppers 132 corresponding to the support plates 123a and 123b. The stoppers 132 are rotatably supported at the front end of the bottom plate 121a. The stoppers 132 are configured to be able to change (rotate) their position between the locked position shown in Figure 7(A) and the released position shown in Figure 7(B). Below, the configuration of the stopper 132 corresponding to the support plate 123a will be described, but the stopper corresponding to the support plate 123b has a similar configuration.

The stopper 132 in the locked position engages with the front end of the support plate 123a, locking the coil spring 124a in a compressed state. This causes the support plate 123a to be held in a pressed-down state. On the other hand, the stopper 132 in the released position releases the lock on the support plate 123a. This causes the coil springs 124a and 124b to expand and contract depending on the number of media M placed on the support plate 123a, and the support plate 123a assumes an appropriate position.

The stopper 132 changes its position to the locked position when the cassette 121 is removed from the image forming device 100. The stopper 132 also changes its position to the released position when the cassette 121 is set in the image forming device 100. The configuration for changing the position of the stopper 132 in this manner is already well known, so a detailed description will be omitted.

Figure 8 is a plan view of the cassette 121. As shown in Figure 8, the cassette 121 may include a pair of side fences 133a, 113b. The pair of side fences 133a, 133b are erected on the upper surface of the bottom plate 121a. In addition, the pair of side fences 133a, 133b reach above the support plates 123a, 123b through slits provided in the support plates 123a, 123b.

The pair of side fences 133a, 133b are also configured to be slidable in the left-right direction. By adjusting the width of the pair of side fences 133a, 133b according to the size of the media M to be placed on the support plates 132a, 132b, it is possible to align the widthwise positions of the media M stacked on the support plates 132a, 132b.

Furthermore, the pair of side fences 133a, 133b are disposed rearward of the feed rollers 122b, 122c and forward of the upper plate 125. More specifically, the pair of side fences 133a, 133b are disposed forward of the front end of the upper plate 125 located at the rearmost position in the sliding range. More preferably, the pair of side fences 133a, 133b are disposed forward of the front end of the upper plate 125 located at the frontmost position in the sliding range.

The operator presses down on the support plates 123a, 123b of the cassette 121 removed from the image forming device 100. This causes the coil springs 124a-124d to contract, and a space for accommodating the medium M is formed between the support plates 123a, 123b and the feed rollers 122b, 122c and the top plate 125. Then, when the support plates 123a, 123b are pressed down to a predetermined height, they are held in that position by the stopper 132 in a locked position. This makes it easier to place the medium M on the support plates 123a, 123b.

The operator then places multiple media M in a stacked state on the support plates 123a and 123b. The operator also slides the top plate 125 in the front-to-rear direction to match the front-to-rear size of the media M placed on the support plates 123a and 123b. The operator also slides the side fences 133a and 133b in the left-to-right direction to match the left-to-right size of the media M placed on the support plates 123a and 123b.

Then, the operator sets the cassette 121 in the image forming device 100. This releases the lock by the stopper 132, and the support plates 123a and 123b move upward due to the biasing force of the coil springs 124a to 124d.

When medium M (e.g., plain paper) with no thickness deviation is placed on support plates 123a and 123b, coil springs 124a to 124d have the same length. In other words, support plates 123a and 123b are supported parallel to bottom plate 121a at the same height. Then, medium M supported by support plates 123a and 123b is pressed against feed rollers 122b and 122c and top plate 125 while parallel to bottom plate 121a.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4, when medium M with a thickness deviation in the front-to-rear direction of cassette 121 (thicker at the rear than at the front) is placed on support plates 123a and 123b, the length of coil springs 124a and 124c becomes longer than that of coil springs 124b and 124d. As a result, support plates 123a and 123b are inclined downward from the front to the rear.

That is, the gap between the feed rollers 122b, 122c and the support plates 123a, 123b is larger than the gap between the top plate 125 and the support plates 123a, 123b. When multiple stacked media M are accommodated in this gap, the topmost medium M is pressed against the feed rollers 122b, 122c and the top plate 125 while parallel to the bottom plate 121a. Note that if the front side of the medium M is thicker than the rear side, the support plates 123a, 123b will be inclined upward from the front side to the rear side.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, when medium M with a thickness deviation in the left-right direction of cassette 121 (the right side is thicker than the left side) is placed on support plates 123a and 123b, the length of coil springs 124a and 124b becomes shorter than that of coil springs 124c and 124d. As a result, support plate 123a is positioned lower than support plate 123b.

That is, the gap between the support plate 123a and the feed roller 122b and the top plate 125 is larger than the gap between the support plate 123b and the feed roller 122c and the top plate 125. When multiple stacked media M are accommodated in this gap, the topmost medium M is pressed against the feed rollers 122b, 122c and the top plate 125 while parallel to the bottom plate 121a. Note that if the left side of the medium M is thicker than the right side, the support plate 123a will be located higher than the support plate 123b.

When the cassette 121 containing the medium M as described above is set in the image forming apparatus 100 and an instruction to execute image formation is input, the controller 101 rotates the motor to feed the medium M to the feeding mechanism 122. As a result, when the feeding rollers 122b and 122c rotate, the topmost medium M abutting against the feeding rollers 122b and 122c is fed. In this embodiment, the feeding direction of the arrow C in FIG. 1 corresponds to the direction from the rear side to the front side of the cassette 121.

The above embodiment provides the following advantages:

In the above embodiment, each of the multiple support plates 123a, 123b is supported by multiple coil springs 124a to 124d, so that the coil springs 124a to 124d expand and contract independently in response to the deviation in thickness of the medium M placed on the support plates 123a, 123b. This allows the weight of the medium M to be distributed and supported by the support plates 123a, 123b, so that the bias in the frictional force between adjacent media M and between the bottommost medium M and the support plates 123a, 123b in the width direction of the medium M can be suppressed.

As a result, the topmost medium M is pressed against the feed rollers 122b, 122c in a state parallel to the bottom plate 121a regardless of deviation in thickness of the medium M, thereby preventing skew or non-feeding of the medium M. In particular, paper with a small basis weight (64 g/m2 ^or less) or paper with low smoothness (30s or less) is susceptible to bias in the friction force in the width direction, so the improvement effect of this invention is significant.

In addition, according to the above embodiment, the upper plate 125 is configured to be slidable in the front-rear direction, so that the rear end of the medium M can be pressed from above regardless of the size of the medium M placed on the support plates 123a and 123b. In addition, according to the above embodiment, the position of the upper plate 125 can be appropriately adjusted by marking the marks 131a and 131b on the first upper surface 126a.

Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, by arranging the side fences 133a, 133b behind the feed rollers 122b, 122c and in front of the upper plate 125, it becomes easier to slide the side fences 133a, 133b to match the size of the medium M.

In addition, according to the above embodiment, the coil springs 124a and 124c are arranged in positions facing the feed rollers 122b and 122c, and the coil springs 124a and 124c are arranged in positions facing the upper plate 125, so that the medium M can be appropriately pressed against the feed rollers 122b and 122c and the upper plate 125. As a result, skew and non-feeding of the medium M can be more effectively prevented.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the support plates 123a, 123b are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction of the cassette 121 (the width direction of the medium M), but the arrangement of the support plates 123a, 123b is not limited to the above example. As another example, the support plates 123a, 123b may be arranged adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction of the cassette 121 (the feeding direction of the medium M by the feeding mechanism 122). In addition, the number of support plates is not limited to two, and may be three or more.

In the above embodiment, the coil springs 124a and 124b that bias the support plate 123a are arranged at a distance from each other in the front-rear direction of the cassette 121, but the arrangement of the coil springs 124a and 124b is not limited to the above example. As another example, the coil springs 124a and 124b may bias the support plate 123a at positions spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction of the cassette 121. The same applies to the coil springs 124c and 124d that bias the support plate 123b.

This arrangement of coil springs 124a to 124d is particularly effective when support plates 123a and 123b are arranged next to each other in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the number of coil springs biasing one support plate is not limited to two, but may be three or more.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the medium M is fed by two feed rollers 122b, 122c spaced apart in the left-right direction of the cassette 121, but the number of feed rollers 122b, 122c is not limited to the above example. As another example, the medium M may be fed by a single feed roller that is positioned in the center of the cassette 121 in the left-right direction and straddling the support plates 123a, 123b.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the technical gist of the present invention. All technical matters included in the technical ideas described in the claims are covered by the present invention. The above-described embodiment shows a preferred example, but a person skilled in the art can realize various modifications from the disclosed contents. Such modifications are also included in the technical scope described in the claims.

10 CPU
20 RAM
30 ROM
40 HDD
50 I/F
60 LCD
70 Operation unit 90 Common bus 100 Image forming apparatus 101 Controller 110 Image forming unit 120 Feeding device 121 Cassette (accommodating member)
121a Bottom plate 121b Front plate 121c Rear plate 121d Left plate 121e Right plate 122 Feeding mechanism 122a Rotating shafts 122b, 122c Feeding rollers 123a, 123b Support plate (supporting member)
124a, 124b, 124c, 124d Coil springs (biasing members)
125 Upper plate 130 Document reading section 131 Contact glass 140 Internal space 141 Discharge tray 126a First upper surface 126b Second upper surface 126c First inner side surface 126d Second inner side surface 127 Guide grooves 128a, 128b Slider 129 Rack sections 130a, 130b Protrusions 131a, 131b Marks 132 Stoppers 133a, 133b Side fences

JP 2021-020748 A

Claims (8)

A storage member for storing a plurality of media;
a plurality of support members disposed inside the storage member and supporting a plurality of stacked media;
a feeding mechanism that contacts the medium supported by the plurality of support members from above and feeds the medium out of the medium storage member;
a plurality of biasing members that come into contact with different positions on the lower surface of each of the plurality of support members and bias the support members toward the feed mechanism;
an upper plate that is supported by the storage member above the plurality of support members and is slidable in a feeding direction of the medium by the feeding mechanism, and presses a rear end of the medium supported by the plurality of support members in the feeding direction ;
The feeding device, wherein the plurality of urging members abut against a lower surface of the support member at a position facing the feeding mechanism and at a position facing the upper plate in the feeding direction . The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage member is provided with a mark indicating the position of the upper plate according to the size of the medium. The feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is provided with a pair of side fences that are erected from the bottom wall of the storage member to above the multiple support members between the feeding mechanism and the upper plate in the feeding direction and are slidable in the width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction. The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the multiple support members are arranged adjacent to each other in a width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction inside the storage member. The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the downstream end of each of the plurality of support members in the feeding direction is provided with a stopper that can be changed between a locking position in which the biasing member is compressed and a release position in which the lock is released. 6. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is a spring . 7. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the feeding mechanism includes a plurality of feeding rollers that contact a plurality of positions on the medium in a width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction and feed the medium in the feeding direction. A feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ;
an image forming unit that forms an image on the medium fed by the feeding device.