JPS6158375B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to a paper feeding device for an image forming apparatus or the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a paper feeding device for inserting a paper (cut sheet) cassette into an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrostatic copying machine, or a simple printing machine. This paper cassette insertion type paper feeding device is
Insert and set the paper cassette containing cut sheet paper in advance into the cassette slot of this machine, and the paper in the cassette is pulled into the machine one by one by the action of the paper feeding means on the machine side and fed to the image forming section. By preparing several paper cassettes that store paper of different sizes, paper qualities, etc., paper can be easily replaced with the machine by inserting and removing the cassettes. Alternatively, by providing a plurality of cassette insertion slots on the machine side and inserting cassettes into them, it is convenient because it allows the paper to be changed to the machine with a single operation of a selection button. However, the paper cassettes that have been commonly used have a maximum paper storage capacity of about 250 or 500 sheets, so it is difficult to copy a large number of sheets, such as 1000 or 2000 sheets, continuously. When doing so, it is troublesome to have to replenish paper into the cassette many times during the process, and the copying process is interrupted each time, making it impossible to take full advantage of the machine's high-speed performance. Therefore, some models such as high-end high-speed machines are equipped with a multi-sheet deck (or tray) mechanism that can store and feed a large amount of paper, such as 2,000 sheets, at one time. is built-in or built-in to the model, and is a dedicated mechanism for that image forming apparatus, so it is not versatile. For this reason, recently, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-17960, when a large number of sheets of paper are required in succession, a paper feeder with a large capacity is used instead of a paper feed box with a small capacity to form images. An image forming system has been proposed that can be connected to an image forming apparatus and operated as if it were feeding paper from a paper feeding box, thereby making it possible to easily deal with the problem without changing the specifications of the image forming apparatus. However, in this system, the image forming apparatus and the paper feeding apparatus are electrically connected, and there remains some difficulty in terms of versatility. Therefore, in order to further improve this drawback,
As shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 57-112247, there is a large-capacity paper storage section that can store a large number of cut sheets of paper, and a paper conveyor that is connected to the storage section and that fits into the paper cassette insertion slot of the image forming apparatus. and a paper feeding mechanism that feeds the sheets of paper from the large-capacity paper storage section to the paper transport section one by one, and the paper from the paper transport section is fed by the operation of the paper feeding means on the image forming apparatus side. A paper feeding device has been proposed in which one sheet of paper from a large-capacity paper storage section is automatically fed out and placed on standby in a paper transport section. In other words, this paper feeding device connects the paper conveying section of the paper feeding device to the cassette insertion slot of this machine for general various paper cassette insertion type image forming apparatuses that do not have a built-in multi-sheet deck mechanism. By inserting the cassette in the same way and using them in combination, there is a large capacity paper storage section on the paper feeder side, so you can make continuous copies of a large number of sheets, such as 1000 sheets, 2000 sheets, etc. on the machine side. can be executed to the end without interruption. However, the above-mentioned conventional example (particularly, JP-A-57-
112247), the paper is delivered to the paper transport section by the rotation of the paper feed roller disposed in the paper storage section, and when the paper feed roller stops, it is moved to the specified position of the paper transport section. The paper must be kept pressed by the paper feed roller at all times. Therefore, since the paper feed roller is located outside the paper transport section, paper shorter than the length of the paper transport section cannot be used. Furthermore, in the configuration of the conventional example (same as above), the paper is fed to the paper transport section only by the paper feed roller, so the paper feeding operation is unstable and paper jams are likely to occur. An object of the present invention is to provide a paper cassette insertion type image forming apparatus that does not have a built-in multi-sheet deck mechanism, so that it can be inserted into the cassette insertion slot without connecting a cable (signal line) to the image forming apparatus. As with the cassette, you can easily handle 1,000 or 2,000 sheets by simply physically inserting and connecting the transport standby section for one sheet of paper.
Provides a general-purpose unit-type highly reliable paper feeding device that can be widely used in combination with various paper cassette-inserted image forming devices, making it possible to perform multi-sheet copying without interruption until the end. It's about doing. Another object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device that allows cut sheets to be smoothly fed from a paper transport section to a single sheet transport standby section. A further object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device that prevents preceding cut sheets and subsequent cut sheets from overlapping each other. A detailed explanation will be given below based on the illustrated embodiment of the apparatus. (1) Schematic configuration of the apparatus of this example and connection to the image forming apparatus (mainly in Figures 1 to 3) FIG. The paper feeding device A of this example is broadly divided into an elevating paper storage mechanism that can load and store a large amount of cut sheets, for example, about 2000 sheets at a time, and a paper feeding mechanism that feeds out the stacked sheets one by one from above. a large-capacity paper storage section 1 consisting of; a single sheet transport/standby section 2 that protrudes forward from the upper front of the storage section 1 and fits into the paper cassette insertion slot 101 on the side of the machine B; It consists of a control circuit section and. C is a pedestal on which this machine B is placed, and D is a pedestal for connecting and holding paper feeder A to this machine B.
This pedestal D is, as shown in the exploded perspective view of Figure 2,
Left and right vertical frame sides 1 connected to each other by welding, screwing, etc.
10, 110 and a vertical back frame consisting of upper and lower horizontal frame sides 111, 111, and left and right panels connected by screwing their tips to rearward protruding horizontal lugs 112, 112 formed on the left and right sides of the lower horizontal frame sides, respectively. A pair of horizontal rails 11
3,113, and a common base leg 1 for both rails fixed to the lower surface of the rear end of both rails by welding, screwing, etc.
17, the screw adjuster type floor contact seats 115, 115 provided on the left and right sides of the lower surface of the base leg, and the rear protrusion for left and right positioning of the paper feeder provided approximately in the center of the left and right vertical frame sides 110, 110 of the back frame, respectively. pins 116, 11
It consists of 6. Each of the pair of left and right horizontal rails 113 is an upward channel rail with a substantially U-shaped cross section, and its length is longer than the longitudinal dimension of the bottom plate of the large-capacity paper storage section 1 of the paper feeder A. Reference numerals 117 and 117 indicate rail groove cover plates formed by bending substantially the front half of one of the left and right upward sides of the upward channel rail at a substantially right angle toward the other side, and 118 and 118 indicate bottom plates of each rail. A protrusion formed approximately in the center of the surface, 1
19 and 119 are bending stopper pieces at the rear end of the rail. The above-mentioned pedestal D has four outward facing lugs 120 formed at the upper and lower ends of the left and right vertical frame sides 110 of the vertical back frame, respectively, to stop the outer plate on the side of the cassette insertion opening of the machine B. By using the screws 121, 121 and the screws 122, 122 on the outside of the pedestal and tightening them together with each outer plate, the machine B and the pedestal C are firmly positioned and fixed. The floor surface contact seat 115 of the pedestal leg 114 is the pedestal D
Before or after installation on the machine B and pedestal C, adjust the twist appropriately to bring it into contact with the floor. Four rotating rollers 123 that fit into the grooves of the left and right channel rails 113 are arranged near the four corners on the lower surface of the bottom plate of the large-capacity paper storage section 1 of the paper feeder A. In the vicinity of the two right rollers, downward approximately U-shaped positioning members 124, 124 (for example, (made of synthetic resin). To attach the paper feeder A to the machine B, insert the four rollers on the lower surface of the bottom plate of the paper feeder A into the grooves of the right pair of horizontal channel rails 113 of the pedestal D, which is firmly attached to the machine B and the pedestal C. 123
First, fit the front left and right rollers, and then fit the downward U-shaped member 124 near the right roller to the upward side of the rail on that side to push the entire paper feeder A forward, and halfway through, fit the front left and right rollers. is moved over the protrusion 18 of the rail bottom plate and further pushed forward. Next, the rear left and right rollers are fitted into the left and right rail grooves, respectively, and the downward U-shaped member 124 near the right roller is fitted to the upward side of the rail on that side to further push the device A forward and move the device A further forward. The rollers on the left and right sides are also allowed to ride over the protrusion 118 of the rail. As the paper feeder A is pushed forward, the single sheet transport/standby section 2 protruding forward from the paper feeder A is inserted into the cassette slot 101 of the machine B on the pedestal D.
The vehicle enters through the upper horizontal frame side 111 of the vertical and spine frame. When the rear left and right rollers 123 get over the protrusion 118 of the rail, the large-capacity paper storage section 1 of the paper feeder A
The front plate of the device A contacts and is received by the upper horizontal frame side 111 of the vertical back frame of the pedestal D, and further forward movement of the device A is prevented. At this point, the rear protruding pin 116 for left and right positioning of the paper feeder on the pedestal side has fully entered the corresponding pin entry hole 116a on the paper feeder A side, and the conveyance/standby section 2 for one sheet of paper in the paper feeder A fully enters the cassette insertion opening 101 of the machine B to the proper position and is in a fitted state with the cassette insertion opening 101. Also, device A has rear left and right rollers 123.
When the rail passes over the protrusion 118 of the rail, it is stopped by the protrusion and stably held at the final forward position. By mounting the sheet feeding device A on the base rail 113 and sliding it forward, the connection of the device A to the machine B is completed. To position paper feeder A with respect to machine B, first, pedestal D is attached to this machine B with high accuracy using the outer plate mounting screws 121, 121 on the machine B side, and the final forward position of device A is set vertically on pedestal D. The device A is brought into contact with the upper horizontal frame side 111 of the back frame, and the positioning of the device A in the left and right direction (direction perpendicular to the rail) is performed using the left and right pins 116, 116 on the pedestal D side and the pin entry hole 116a on the device A side. This is achieved with high precision by the engagement of the rail 113 and the downward U-shaped members 124, 124 on the device A side. Note that the pin 116 may be provided only at one location on either the left or right side. The height direction is screws 121, 1 for this machine B on the pedestal D above.
21 and the rail surface. Thus, simply by mounting the sheet feeder A on the pedestal rail 113 and sufficiently sliding it forward, the device A can be inserted and connected to the main machine cassette insertion opening 101 with high precision and without any hindrance. Moreover, after the paper feeder A is connected to the above-mentioned machine, all four rollers 123 are connected to the cover plate 117 of the rail 113.
The floating movement of the device A from the rail is prevented. When disposing of a jam in the cassette slot 101 of this machine B, the paper feeder A connected to the machine B is moved so that the rear left and right wheels 123 go over the rail protrusions 118 so that the paper feeder A Rear end stopper piece 1
19. Move the Stellide backward along the rail until it touches the rail. Then, the single sheet transport/standby unit 2 of the apparatus A is removed from the cassette insertion opening 101 of the machine B, and jam processing can be easily performed. After processing the jam, if device A is pushed forward along the rail, device A will be connected to machine B again. The machine B shown in the figure is a type that has two upper and lower paper cassette slots 102 and 101. The transport/standby section 2 is inserted and connected. The upper cassette E can be left inserted, and if necessary, the paper feed can be switched to the upper cassette by operating the paper selection button on the machine B side, and the paper in that cassette can be fed into the machine B for use. Instead of being hooked to the pedestal C with the screws 122 on the lower end side of the pedestal longitudinal frame, a hook may be formed and the hook may be hooked to the cross beam on the back side of the pedestal bottom plate. (2) Elevating and lowering paper storage mechanism 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d (Figs. 4 to 6) are each made up of four-sided plates, a bottom plate, a front plate, and a left side plate, with the rear and top surfaces open. Vertically long chassis, 4, 4 (Figs. 7, 9, and 11) are channel rails with a substantially U-shaped cross section that are vertically disposed facing each other near the front edge of the inner surfaces of the chassis right side panel 3c and the left chassis panel 3d, respectively; Reference numeral 5 denotes a paper storage table, and roller mounting plates 6, 6 are vertically fixed to both sides of the leading end thereof, and a pair of upper and lower rollers 7, 7 are pivotally attached to the outside of each plate 6. The left and right rollers, one pair each, are fitted and engaged in the grooves of the left and right vertical channel rails 4, 4. Therefore, the paper storage table 5 can freely move up and down along the rails 4, 4. Reference numeral 8 denotes a motor for driving up and down the paper storage table (hereinafter abbreviated as lifter motor), which is attached and held at the inner lower part of the chassis right side panel 3c.The rotation of the motor shaft is decelerated by a reduction gear box 9 (Fig. 10). A final shaft 10 of the gear box is used as a drive shaft and projects from the inside to the outside of the chassis right side plate 3c, and a sprocket 11 is fixed to the projecting end. Reference numerals 12 and 13 (Figs. 6 and 8) denote two parallel rotating shafts that are disposed with bearings between the lower corners and the upper corners of the front sides of the left and right chassis side plates 3d and 3c, respectively. Sprockets 14, 14, 15, 15 are fixedly disposed on both ends of the rotating shafts 12, 13 of the book, respectively. The sprockets 15, 15 may be free to rotate relative to the shaft 13. In addition, the right end of the lower rotating shaft 12 is extended to form the chassis right side plate 3.
c, and a sprocket 17 is attached to the protruding shaft via a one-way clutch (spring clutch) 16. Reference numeral 18 denotes the sprocket 11 of the drive shaft 10 and the sprocket 17 of the outwardly projecting end of the lower rotating shaft 12.
Chains 19 and 19 suspended between the upper and lower 2
Left side sprocket 1 of the parallel rotation shafts 13 and 12 of the book
A pair of left and right vertical chains suspended between 5 and 14 and between right sprockets 15 and 14, respectively, and a part 19 of this pair of left and right vertical chains 19, 19.
a (Figs. 6 and 8) is exposed to the outside of the chassis front plate 3b through left and right vertical slit holes 3e, 3e formed in the chassis front plate 3b by extending the tips of the left and right side plates of the paper storage table 5. It is fastened and connected to the arm plate 5a. When the lifter motor 8 is driven in normal rotation b (Fig. 4), its rotational force is transferred from the sprocket 11 to the chain 1.
8 → Sprocket 17 → One-way clutch 16
is transmitted to the lower rotating shaft 12 via the left and right vertical chains 19, 19, which rotate the platform 5 in a direction that raises the platform 5, causing the platform 5 to move upward along the rails 4, 4. Conversely, when the sprocket 17 is driven in the reverse direction a, the direction of rotation of the sprocket 17 is in the direction in which the one-way clutch 16 rotates idly, and although no active reversing force is applied to the shaft 12 due to the reverse drive of the motor 8, the one-way clutch 16 is rotated in the direction in which the one-way clutch 16 idly rotates. Due to the self-gravity of the table 5, the left and right vertical chains 19, 19, sprockets 15, 14, 15, 14, and the upper and lower rotating shafts 13, 1
2 rotates in the opposite direction, and the table 5 moves downward along the rails 4, 4. 20 (FIGS. 9 and 10) is a gear disc for motor brake fixed to the rear end of the rotating shaft of the lifter motor; 21 is always biased by a spring in the direction of engagement with the gear disc; and an electromagnetic suction device 22. This is a pawl plate that moves away from the gear cutting disk 20 when energized.
Therefore, the electromagnetic suction device 22 is energized from a moment before the start of energization to the lifter motor 8 to drive the motor forward or reverse rotation to a moment a little after the energization is cut off. , while the nail plate 21
is held at the relief position, allowing forward and reverse rotation of the motor 8. On the other hand, outside the above period, the motor shaft is prevented from idling by the engagement of the pawl plate 21 with the gear cutting disc 20. This prevents the table 5, which is in the lifting position midway between the vertical rails 4, 4, from sliding down by itself while rotating the rotating shaft of the motor 8 due to the gravity of the table and the paper P loaded thereon. 5 is held stably in the raised position. 23 (Figs. 7, 11, and 12) is a paper detection rocking lever having a substantially L-shape in plan and rotatably supported on a bearing inside the upper corner of the front side of the chassis right side plate 3c;
A downward first protrusion 23 provided at the tip of the lever
a, a second protrusion 23b that also points downward but has a shorter protrusion length than the first protrusion 23a, and a lever 2.
It has a third upward protrusion 23c provided in the middle of the lever, and an upward protrusion 23d provided at the base of the lever. The first downward protrusion 23a is the stacked paper P on the table 5.
contact the top surface of the top paper. Second protrusion 2
3b, when the last sheet on the table 5 is fed and the first protrusion 23a falls into the through hole 5b on the table 5 side, it hits the top surface of the table 5 on the way and prevents further tilting and rotation of the lever 23. have the effect of Third upward protrusion 2
3c faces a sheet upper surface excessively rising detection sensor S2 disposed on the inner surface of the upper side of the chassis front surface 3b. The fourth upward projection 23d is the chassis right side plate 3c.
It is located on the optical path of a photoelectric paper top surface level sensor S1 consisting of a light source and a light receiving element disposed inside the lever 23 above the base of the lever 23. When the upper surface position of the paper P loaded on the table 5 is within the predetermined upper surface level range PH to PL (FIG. 12), the lever 23 is moved slightly due to the contact of the first downward protrusion 23a with the upper surface of the paper. It is held in a posture within a certain tilt angle range α close to horizontal, and the fourth upward protrusion 23d blocks the optical path of the photoelectric sensor S1.
As a result, it is detected that the upper surface of the stacked paper P is within the predetermined position level range PH to PL. When the stacked sheets P on the table 5 are sequentially fed out one by one from the top by the operation of a paper feeding mechanism to be described later, the top surface of the stacked sheets gradually lowers. Follow that and lever 2
3 tilts and rotates in sequence. When the top surface position of the paper reaches the lower limit level PL, the optical path of the sensor S1, which had been blocked by the fourth protrusion 23d of the lever 23, is completely opened, and it is detected that the top surface position of the stacked paper has fallen to the allowable lower limit level PL. Ru. Based on this signal, the above-mentioned electromagnetic suction device 22 of the lifter motor 8 is energized via the regulation circuit, and the gearing disk 20 of the lifter motor 8 is energized to the pawl plate 2.
1 escapes, and then the lifter motor 8 is energized in the forward rotation b direction, the table 5 moves upward, and the stacked paper P
The whole is lifted and moved. This lifting movement causes the upper surface of the stacked sheets P to rise. Accompanying this, the lever 23 in the inclined position rotates back and the optical path of the sensor S1 is interrupted. After a predetermined period of time has elapsed from this optical path cutoff signal, the power to the lifter motor 8 is cut off via the control circuit, and then the electromagnetic suction device 20
Power is cut off. In this way, each time, for example, about 20 to 30 sheets of paper P on the table 5 are consumed, the above-mentioned raising movement of the table 5 is automatically and intermittently executed, so that the upper surface position level of the paper P on the table 5 is always kept at a predetermined level. Maintained at acceptable range level PH~PL. As the consumption of stacked paper P progresses, the table 5
When the top surface of the table 5 itself falls within the stacked paper top surface level range PH to PL and the last sheet of paper on the table 5 is fed, the first downward protrusion of the lever 23 The through hole 5 formed in the base 5 by the child 23a
b, and the lever 23 is largely tilted and rotated αLL until the second downward protrusion 23b hits the top surface of the stand 5 and is received, and the fourth downward protrusion 23d of the lever is completely removed from the optical path of the sensor S1. This is a position that has escaped. At this time, it is detected that there is no more paper on the table 5 based on a signal from the sensor S1 and a signal from a sensor S2 for the upper limit position of upward movement of the table 5, which will be described later, which is issued before that. S3 and S4 (FIG. 8) are upward movement upper limit position sensors of the platform 5 disposed on the outer surface side of the chassis front plate 3b at the upper and lower end positions of the right slit holes 3e of the vertical slit holes 3e, 3e. (for example, a micro switch) and a downward movement lower limit position sensor (the same). When the platform 5 is moved up and down intermittently and sequentially as described above, and the upper surface of the platform 5 itself reaches the lower limit level PL of the paper top surface level range, the chain locking connecting arm 5a for lifting and lowering the platform 5 is reached. protrusion 5 formed in
c acts on the upper limit position sensor S3 to detect that the table 5 has reached the upper limit position, and the signal thereof is input to the control circuit. At this point, some paper P still remains on the platform 5, and after all the remaining paper is fed, a paper out signal from the sensor S1 based on the large inclination αLL of the lever 23 described above is sent to the control circuit. is input. The lower limit position sensor S4 is activated by the downward movement of the platform 5,
When the lowering limit position is reached, the protrusion 5c is turned on, and reaching the lower limit position of the platform 5 is detected, and the signal is input to the control circuit. The paper upper surface excessively rising detection sensor S2 will be described later. (3) Single-sheet paper feed mechanism 24 (Figs. 5 and 6) is a single-sheet paper feed motor (hereinafter abbreviated as paper feed motor) mounted and held at the inner lower part of the left side panel 3d of the chassis. The rotation of the shaft is reduced by a reduction gear box, and a final shaft 26 of the reduction gear box is used as a drive shaft to project from the inside to the outside of the chassis left side plate 3d, and a first timing pulley 27 is fixed to the projecting end. 28 (Figs. 5 and 13) is a pin shaft installed on the upper outer surface of the left side panel 3d of the chassis, and a second pin shaft is attached to this pin shaft.
A timing pulley 29, a first gear 30, and an encoder gear cutting disc 31 are concentrically coupled together and supported to rotate freely, and the first timing pulley 27 and second timing pulley 29
A timing belt 32 is suspended between them. Therefore, when the paper feed motor 24 is rotationally driven, the pulley 29, first gear 30, and gear cutting disc 31, which are integrated into the three components, are rotationally driven. 33 (Figs. 6, 7, 11, 13) is a paper feeding support shaft disposed on the upper part of the left and right chassis side plates 3d, 3c so as to be rotatably supported between both 3d, 3c, and the left end of the support shaft is It is extended and protruded to the outside of the chassis left side plate 3d, and a one-turn clutch (spring clutch) 34 and a second gear 35 are attached to this protruding shaft. The second gear 35 meshes with the first gear 30 described above. In the one-turn clutch 34, the claw arm 37 of the first electromagnetic suction device 36 is normally connected to the protrusion 34a of the outer ring.
is engaged and is in a clutch-off state, so even if the first gear 30 rotates, the second gear 35 merely rotates idly on the shaft 33, and the shaft 33 is not driven to rotate. When the first electromagnetic suction device 36 is momentarily energized and the outer ring is unlatched by the claw arm 37, the second gear 35 and the shaft 33 are coupled by clutch-on, and the shaft 33 is driven to rotate. The shaft 33 rotates approximately one rotation and the protrusion 3 of the outer ring
When the clutch 4a is hooked to the claw arm 37 again, the clutch is turned off, and the second gear 35 becomes free to rotate around the shaft 33, and the shaft 33 stops rotating. That is, the paper feed spindle 3
3 is driven to rotate intermittently one rotation each time the first electromagnetic device 36 is momentarily energized. 38, 38 (Figs. 6, 7, 9) are the paper feed shafts 33
A paper feeding roller support arm 39 has a substantially downward U-shaped cross section with a base portion rotatably supported and a tip end facing forward, restricting movement of the shaft 33 in the longitudinal direction at two locations on the left and right sides of the shaft 33; A paper feed roller shaft is rotatably supported by a bearing at the tip of the arm, 40 is a paper feed roller attached to several locations on the shaft via one-way clutches 41, 40a is a weight roller fixed to the shaft 39, 42a 42b is a timing pulley fixed to the paper feed shaft 33 in the channel at the base of one of the paper feed roller support arms 38, 38, and 42b is a timing pulley fixed to the paper feed roller shaft 39 in the channel at the tip end of the same arm. The pulley 42c is a timing belt suspended between the two pulleys 42a and 42b. Reference numerals 45 and 45 designate single-sheet separating claws that contact the left and right corners of the leading edge side of the top surface of the uppermost sheet of the stacked sheets P lifted and supported by the table 5. The left and right separating claws 45, 45 are formed at the upper corners of the front sides of a fixed reference side plate 88 and a movable side plate 86, respectively, for regulating the side surfaces of stacked sheets, which will be described later. As the paper feed support shaft 33 is driven one rotation, the rotation of the pulley 42a→timing belt 42c→pulley 42b→paper feed roller shaft 3 occurs while the shaft 33 rotates once.
9->The paper feed roller 40 is rotationally driven in the paper feeding direction via the one-way clutch 41, and a feeding force is applied to the topmost paper of the stacked papers P, so that only one paper passes over the separation claws 45, 45 and moves forward. Sent out. The weight roller 40a functions to keep the paper feed roller 40 in constant pressure contact with the upper surface of the stacked paper with an appropriate force. 46 (FIGS. 5 and 13) is a first gear (idler) rotatably held by a pin shaft implanted on the outer surface of the left side plate 3d of the chassis, and is meshed with the first gear 30. 47 and 50 are a fourth gear and a clutch (spring clutch) attached to a shaft 49 which is rotatably supported by the chassis left side plate 3d and the auxiliary side plate 48 (Figs. 7 and 8), and 51 is an outer ring of the clutch 50. Fine teeth are formed on the outer circumferential surface. 4th gear 4
7 is meshed with the third gear 46. Reference numeral 52 denotes a claw arm 52a that engages and detaches from the gear cutting outer ring 51.
This is a second electromagnetic attraction device that oscillates. The pawl arm 52a is held by a spring in a state away from the toothed outer ring 51 of the clutch 50 when the second electromagnetic attraction device 52 is de-energized, and therefore, in this state, the clutch 50 is in the on state. , 4th
Gear 47 is coupled to shaft 49. On the other hand, when electricity is applied, the clutch 50 is held off by the claw arm 52a engaging the geared outer ring, and the fourth gear 47 is held free of rotation relative to the shaft 49. 53 is a fifth gear fixed to the shaft 49, 54
is the sixth gear (idler) 5 meshed with the fifth gear.
5 is a conveyance roller shaft gear (seventh gear) meshed with the sixth gear. Reference numeral 56 (Figs. 6, 7, and 13) denotes a first conveying roller shaft, which is formed by extending and protruding the upper corners of the front sides of the left and right side plates 3d and 3c of the chassis forward, respectively. , 3c' is rotatably held by a bearing, and the conveyor roller shaft gear 5, which is the seventh gear,
5 is fixedly provided at the left end of this shaft 56. 57 is a one-way clutch 5 attached to this shaft 56.
The first conveyance roller 59 (FIGS. 6 and 14) attached via the conveyance roller 8 is a driven presser roller that is brought into contact with the upper surface of each conveyance roller 57 with an appropriate pressing force.
The shaft 60 of the driven presser roller is connected to the paper feed roller 40.
A pair of upper and lower paper guide plates 61 and 62 disposed between the upper and lower paper guide plates 61 and the transport roller 57 are supported between a pair of left and right protrusions 63 and 63 formed on the upper surface of the upper guide plate 61, and the driven presser roller 59 is supported by this shaft 60. It is installed so that it can rotate freely. Each driven presser roller 59 is in constant contact with the upper surface of each lower conveyance roller 57 through a notch formed in the upper guide plate 61. Therefore, when the second electromagnetic attraction device 52 is not energized while the paper feed motor 24 is being driven to rotate, the clutch 50 is
is on, the first
The rotation of the gear 30 is as follows: 3rd gear 46 → 4th gear 47 →
The first conveying roller shaft 5 is connected to the clutch 50 → shaft 49 → fifth gear 53 → sixth gear 54 → seventh gear 55.
6, and the first conveying roller 57 is rotationally driven in the paper feeding direction. Further, as the roller 57 rotates, the driven presser roller 59 also rotates. On the other hand, when the second electromagnetic attraction device 52 is energized, the clutch 50 is off, so the fourth gear 47 idles on the shaft 49 and the shaft 49 is not driven to rotate. That is, the first conveyance roller 57 is not rotationally driven. (4) The single-sheet conveyance/standby section 2 65 has its base connected to the first conveyance roller shaft 56, and is connected to the chassis front plate 3b of the large-capacity paper storage section 1.
This is a flat box-shaped transport unit base that protrudes forward from the top. The width and thickness of this flat box-shaped base approximately match the width and thickness of a thin paper cassette for storing 250 sheets, and the length is slightly smaller than the depth of the cassette slot on the B side of the machine. It has long dimensions. Further, the flat box-shaped base body is free to swing about the first conveying roller shaft 56 from a substantially horizontal position to a downward position of about 10 degrees (FIG. 4). Therefore, when the cassette slot on the machine B side to which paper feeder A is connected is for a thin paper cassette for storing 250 sheets, the flat box-shaped base 65 is inserted into the cassette slot.
When the cassette is inserted into the single-sheet conveyance/standby unit 2, which is mainly comprised of Also, the base body 6
5 has the degree of freedom of swinging around the shaft 56 as mentioned above, so even if there is a slight deviation in the angle of approach when it enters the cassette insertion opening of the single-sheet conveyance/standby section 2, the deviation will be corrected as it approaches. is corrected naturally,
Finally, the single-sheet conveyance/standby section 2 is smoothly inserted into the cassette insertion slot in the normal position and posture. 66 and 66 (Figs. 4 and 5) are used when the cassette insertion slot 101 on the side of the machine B to which the paper feeder A is connected is for a thick paper cassette for accommodating 500 sheets (this is the example). In order to fit the single-sheet conveyance waiting section 2 for thin paper into the cassette insertion opening 101, the left and right side plates 65a, 65b of the flat box-shaped base 65 are installed.
This is a removable downward slanted cam-shaped spacer plate that is attached to the outer surface near the tip by screws or the like. That is, in this case, when the paper feeder A is pushed forward along the rails 113, 113 in order to connect it to the machine B, the left and right inclined cam-shaped spacer plates are attached to the left and right parts of the lower edge of the cassette insertion slot 101. front slope 66
a, 66a abut (FIG. 15); even after the abutment, the slopes 66a, 66a continue to push the paper feeder A;
66a slides along the lower edge of the cassette insertion opening 101, and an upward rotational force about the shaft 56 acts on the flat box-shaped base 65. As a result, as the paper feeding device A is pushed, the inclined cam plate-shaped spacer plates 66, 66
Due to the pushing up action, the base body 65 naturally changes its posture in a substantially horizontal direction, and the tip of the base body 65 moves toward the cassette insertion slot 10.
Then, the lower ends of the spacer plates 66, 66 are transferred to the bottom plate surface of the cassette insertion opening 101, and the base body 65 is lifted to a substantially horizontal position and enters. Therefore, the cassette insertion slot 101 on the B side of this machine is 250 mm.
Whether it is for a thick paper cassette for storing 500 sheets or for a thick paper cassette for storing 500 sheets, the conveyance/standby section 2 for one sheet of paper in paper feeder A is ultimately transferred to the cassette on the machine B side. In the insertion slot, the upper surface of a second conveyance roller 68a (described later) on the base body 65 side of the conveyance/standby section 2 presses into contact with the lower surface of a freely rotating auxiliary roller 103a of a paper feed roller 103 serving as a paper feed means on the machine B side. ,
In addition, a paper size specifying cam plate 74 (to be described later) protruding forward from the front plate of the base 65 is fitted into a state in which it selectively contacts the paper size detection switch group 104 on the side of the machine B, and is inserted into the paper size detection switch group 104 on the machine B side. The paper device A is now in proper contact with the paper device A (FIG. 1). Reference numeral 67 (FIGS. 6 and 7) is a second conveyance roller shaft disposed inside the front end side of the flat box-shaped base body 65, and is an axis parallel to the first conveyance roller shaft 56. This shaft 67 has its left and right ends formed in the left and right side plates 65a and 65b of the base body 65, respectively, through longitudinally elongated holes 65e.
(Fig. 16), the bearings 67a, 67a are fitted to freely slide up and down, and are rotatably supported, and normally a pair of left and right lifting spring plates 67b are provided.
(Fig. 7), the bearing 67a,
67a is lifted up until it is received by the upper end of the elongated hole 65e. 68a and 68b (Figures 7 and 14) are the second
These are a plurality of second conveyance rollers attached to the conveyance roller shaft 67 of. 68a is one-way clutch 68
It is attached to the shaft 67 via c (Fig. 6), and 6
8b is a roller that is rotatably mounted on the shaft 67 and has a slightly smaller diameter than the roller 68a. The upper surface of each of the second conveyance rollers 68a and 68b is exposed to the outside through a through hole formed in the front end side surface of the upper surface plate 65c of the base body 5. When the paper feeder A is connected to the machine B, each of the rollers 68a and 68b is rotated freely by the paper feed roller 103 (made of rubber) on the machine B side (Fig. 1).
(for example, an acetal roller), the roller 68a is in contact with the lower surface of the roller 103a, and the second conveying roller shaft 67 lifts the spring plate 67b.
It sinks a little against the pressure, and due to the reaction force of the spring plate accompanying the sinking, both 68a and 103a come into pressure contact. Since the roller 68b has a slightly smaller diameter than the roller 68a, it faces the lower surface of the freely rotating roller 103a of the corresponding paper feed roller 103 with a small gap therebetween. 69 (Figs. 7 and 17) is the second conveying roller shaft 6
7 is a timing pulley that is freely rotatable, and 69a is a thrust stop on the left side of the pulley.
69b is the right side thrust stop, both thrust stops 6
The distance between 9a and 69b is larger than the thickness of pulley 69. 69c is a washer loosely fitted to the shaft 67 on the right side of the pulley 69, and 69d is a coil spring compressed between the washer 69c and the left thrust stop 69b. Therefore, the pulley 69 is constantly urged in the direction of the left thrust stop 69a via the washer 69 by the force of the coil spring, and is pressed into the state between the left thrust stop 69a and the washer 69c, thereby creating a pulley friction retention-slip mechanism. (friction clutch mechanism) is constructed. 70 (FIG. 7) is a timing pulley fixed to a substantially intermediate position of the first conveyance roller shaft 56 in correspondence with the above-mentioned pulley 69, and 71 is a timing pulley suspended between this pulley 70 and the second conveyance roller shaft 67. It's a belt. When the first conveyance roller shaft 56 is rotationally driven, the following path occurs: pulley 70 → belt 71 → pulley 69 → pulley friction holding force of the friction clutch mechanism → second conveyance roller shaft 67 → one-way clutch 68c. The rotational force is transmitted to the second conveyance roller 68a, and the roller 68a is rotationally driven in the paper feeding direction. However, if the rotational load force of the second conveyance roller 68a is greater than a certain set value, even if the first conveyance roller shaft 56 is rotationally driven, the pulley 69 on the second conveyance roller shaft 67 side will thrust to the left. Slip rotation occurs against the frictional force between the stopper 69b and the washer 69c, causing the roller to idle on the shaft 67, and the second conveying roller shaft 68a is not forcibly rotated.The effect will be explained in a separate section. 73 (FIGS. 7 and 14) is a flat box-shaped base 65 with its bases supported by bearing pieces 65f and 65f formed by extending the left and right side plates 65a and 65b upward. It is a drainboard-shaped paper guide plate that can be freely raised and lowered with respect to the face plate 65c, and is kept tilted at all times. By tilting it down, a paper conveyance gap path is formed between the base top plate 65c and the guide plate 73 from the first conveyance roller 57 to the second conveyance rollers 68a, 68b. 74 (FIGS. 7 and 18) is a row of cam plates for specifying the paper size to be used, which is disposed in the space on the front end side of the flat box-shaped base 65, and a size dial 75 (exposed on the outer surface of the right side plate 65b of the base 65). Figure 16) is turned by hand to display various size scales 76 on the dial surface.
(FIG. 16), when the scale of the paper size loaded and stored on the table 5 of the paper storage section 1 is aligned with the index 77, a combination of cam protrusions corresponding to the size is formed on the front plate 65d of the base 65. The front plate 65d protrudes forward from the through hole. This dial operation to specify the paper size to be used must be performed or confirmed before connecting paper feeder A to machine B. The cam plate protrusion that protrudes forward from the base front plate 65d in response to the specification of the paper size to be used using the dial detects the paper size to be used on the machine B side when the paper feeder A is connected to the machine B as described above. The switches in the switch row 104 are selectively pressed. As a result, the paper size conditions to be used are automatically set in the control circuit on the machine B side. 78a to 78k (Figs. 7, 18, and 19) are the first
This is a mechanism for applying and releasing a rotational load to the conveyance roller shaft 56, and this will be explained in a separate section. S5 and S6 (FIGS. 6 and 7) are the first conveyance rollers 57 and 68a and 68b, respectively.
First and second paper sensors (for example, microswitches) are disposed at two locations, one near the transport roller axis 57 and the other approximately in the middle. It is supported by a base body 65 via a sliding support member or the like so that its movement can be adjusted and positioned. (5) Control circuit and others FIG. 20 is a block diagram of the main control circuit, and FIG. 21 is a control circuit for the lifter motor 8. These circuits are connected to printed circuit boards 78, 79 (fourth,
As shown in Fig. 5), they are attached and held on the outer surfaces of the left and right chassis side plates 3d and 3c. A transformer and the like are arranged on the chassis bottom plate 3a, but are omitted from the diagram. Reference numerals 80, 81, and 82 (Figs. 6, 7, and 8) are decorative plates that hide the outer surfaces of the front panel 3b, right panel 3c, and left panel 3d of the chassis, respectively, and are removable with screws or the like. Reference numeral 83 denotes an upper lid that closes the upper opening of the chassis, and can be opened and closed freely around a pivot 84 (FIGS. 4 to 6) on the tip side. Reference numeral 85 denotes a box-shaped opening/closing door disposed on the rear opening side of the chassis, which can be opened and closed freely around a hinge 85a (FIGS. 5 and 7) on the rear vertical side of the left side panel 3d of the chassis. This box-shaped door 85 is made of transparent or colored transparent synthetic resin, so that even when the door 85 is closed, the amount of paper on the table 5 inside can be visually confirmed. The MS (FIGS. 1, 8, and 9) and LED are a main switch and an indicator lamp disposed on the upper surface of the decorative panel 81 relative to the chassis right side panel 3c. S7 (FIGS. 1 and 4) is a joint switch that detects that the paper feeder A is connected to the machine B, and is fixedly arranged near the front side of the chassis right side panel 3c. When paper feeder A is connected to this machine B, it is pressed by the tip of the positioning pin 116 on the paper feeder pedestal D side that is fitted into the positioning hole 116a on the paper feeder A side, turns on and maintains that state.
The fact that paper feeder A is connected to machine B is input to the control circuit. S8 (FIGS. 1, 4, 7-9) is a door switch supported via a swing lever 89 near the rear side of the chassis right side panel 3c. When the door 85 is in the closed state, it is pushed by the protrusion 85b of the door 85 and held in the on state, and when the door 85 is opened, it is turned off and the door close signal or open signal is input to the control circuit. However, this door switch S8
When the decorative plate 81 of the chassis right side panel 3c is installed and the top cover 82 is closed, it is closed by the protrusions 83a on the 81 and 83 sides (the protrusions on the decorative plate 81 side are omitted in the figure). protrusion 85b of door 85
is positioned and held at the position where it acts. Decorative board 8
1 is removed or the top cover 83 is opened, even if the door 85 is closed, the switch S8 is held in a position away from the door protrusion 85b (as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4) and is not turned on. 90 (Figs. 6 and 7) is a paper-out detection device installed inside the bottom plate of the set insertion slot 101 on the B side of the machine, inside the flat box-shaped base 65 of the single-sheet conveyance/standby section 2. This is a light source lamp arranged in correspondence with the light receiving element CdS (Figs. 1 and 15). When this lamp 90 is lit, the light passes through the through hole formed in the bottom plate of the base 65,
The light enters the light receiving element Cds through a through hole made in the bottom plate of the cassette insertion opening 101. Reference numeral 86 (FIGS. 7 to 9) is a movable side plate which is attached and supported to the inner surface of the chassis left side plate 3d via a bracket 87 so as to be freely repositionable. A fixed reference side plate 88 on the inner side of the chassis right side plate 3c is moved according to the width size of the paper stacked on the stand 5 and used.
Adjust the distance between paper P and paper to match the paper width size used.
The sheets are stacked and stored on the table 5 between the movable side plate 86 and the fixed reference side plate 88 whose positions have been adjusted as described above, with the front surface of the stacked sheets abutting against the inner surface of the chassis front plate 3b. The stand 5 has a substantially two-part structure consisting of a front half plate 5d and a rear half plate 5e (FIGS. 6 and 7), and the rear half plate 5e can be freely attached to and detached from the front half plate 5d. (6) Operation (sequence) Figure 22 is an overall flowchart of the device operation, Figure 23 is an operation flowchart mainly for the elevating paper storage mechanism, and Figure 24 is mainly a flowchart for feeding and conveying a single sheet of paper.・The operation flowchart of the standby mechanism, and FIG. 25 is a drive timing chart of the lifter motor 8. a Mount the paper feeder A on the rail 113 of the pedestal D attached to the machine B as described in 1 above, turn the paper size dial 75 to align the scale 76 of the paper size to be used with the index 77, and then Connect to machine B. This turns the joint switch S7 on. Further, the paper size conditions to be used are input to the control circuit of the machine B by a switch 1044 on the machine B side that is selectively pressed by the cam plate 74 of the dial shaft. Next, turn on the main switch MS. The indicator lamp LED blinks and lights up. The paperless lamp 90 lights up and light enters the CdS on the B side of the machine. b When the door 85 for paper storage is opened, the door switch S8 is turned off, and in response to this signal, the electromagnetic suction device 22 of the lifter motor 8 is energized, and the motor is released from the hook plate 21. After this release, the motor 8 is energized in the reverse direction. As a result, the paper storage table 5 moves downward.
When the protrusion 5c on the platform 5 side comes into contact with the platform lowering position detection sensor S4 during the downward movement, the sensor S4 is turned on. The power to the lifter motor 8 is cut off by this ON signal, and after a period of time (motor stop time) for the motor to come to a complete stop has elapsed, the power to the electromagnetic suction device 22 is cut off and the claw plate 21 engages the motor 8. The stand 5 is stopped and held at the lower limit position. If the previously used paper is stored on the stand 5 and is of a different size from the one to be used this time, remove it and
Open it and reset the movable side plate 86 to the position corresponding to the paper size to be used this time. Next, a large number of used sheets P, for example about 2000 sheets, are placed on the table 5.
Load and store. c After storing the paper, first close the top lid 83 and then close the door 85. This turns on the door switch S8, and the signal energizes the electromagnetic suction device 22 of the lifter motor 8 to release the motor.Then, the motor 8 is energized in the forward rotation direction, and the base 5 is turned on. Move upward. d Due to this upward movement of the table 5, the top surface of the stacked paper P will eventually rise to the lower limit level PL of the paper top surface level range PL to PH.
reach. At that point, the optical path of the sensor S1 is blocked by the fourth upward protrusion 23d of the lever 23. When a predetermined set timer time (the time when the top surface of the stacked paper P almost reaches the upper limit level PH due to the continued upward movement of the platform 5) has elapsed from the time of that signal, the power to the motor 8 is cut off, and then the motor stops. After the time has elapsed, the power to the electromagnetic suction device 2 is cut off, and the table 5 is stopped and held at its raised position. e Then, based on the fact that the first paper sensor S5 in the paper transport path does not detect the presence of paper at this point, the paper feeding program of the control circuit is started and rotational drive of the transport motor 24 is started.
At the same time, the first electromagnetic device 36 is momentarily energized, the one-turn clutch 34 is turned on, and the paper feed shaft 33 is driven one rotation. At this time, while the first electromagnetic device 36 is energized, the second
The electromagnetic device 52 is also energized. As a result, the paper feed roller 40 is rotated by one rotation of the paper feed support shaft 33. Furthermore, since the second paper sensor S6 does not detect the presence of paper, the power to the second electromagnetic suction device 52 is cut off.
As a result, the clutch 50 is turned on, and the first and second conveying rollers 57 and 68a are also driven to rotate along the aforementioned rotational force transmission path. The rotation of the paper feed roller 40 feeds the topmost paper of the stacked papers P, and the paper passes over the tip separating claws 45, 45 and is sent out one by one. 57 and the driven presser roller 59, and passes through the paper conveyance gap path between the base upper surface plate 65c of the conveyance/standby section 2 for one sheet of paper and the drainboard-shaped paper guide plate 73. It is transported toward the tip. During this conveyance, the rotational drive of the paper feed roller 40 ends, but the fed paper is transferred to the first conveyance roller 5.
7 and the press roller 59 are rotated to continue conveying the paper. Even after the active drive is cut off, the paper feed roller 40 idles on the shaft 39 via the one-way clutch 41 due to the moving force of the paper that is being continuously transported, thereby reducing the paper transport resistance. f The conveyance movement of the sheet entering the gap passage between the base top plate 65c and the guide plate 73 is first detected by the first sheet sensor S5 and then by the second sheet sensor S6. Thereafter, its leading edge is bitten between the rotating second conveyance roller 68a and the freely rotating roller 103a of the paper feed roller 103 on the machine B side that is in contact with it, and the roller 68a and the roller 103
a, and a rotatable second conveying roller 6 on the shaft 67.
8b and the roller 103a on the paper feed roller side that faces it with a small gap therebetween, it passes smoothly without getting caught, and then moves forward a little further to reach the reference line 0-0 near the tip edge of the base body 65. (7,14
At the point in time when the first conveyance roller 57 and the second conveyance roller 68a interlocked with the first conveyance roller 57 are stopped at the timing when the conveyance movement is stopped, the conveyance is stopped. The drive of the first and second conveyance rollers 57 and 68a is stopped by the first conveyance roller 57 and the driven roller 5.
9, the leading edge of the paper that has entered the paper conveyance gap path is detected by the first paper sensor S5, and then detected by the second paper sensor S6, and based on the detection signal, the rotating encoder teeth are activated. The cutting disk 31 and the photoelectric element 31a (FIG. 13) start counting the number of pulses, and when a preset number of pulses is counted, the second electromagnetic device 52 is energized and the gear cutting outer ring 51 of the clutch 50 is energized. This is done by engaging the pawl arm 52a and disengaging the clutch 50. The number of pulses is determined based on the paper conveyance speed, the distance from the second paper sensor S6 to the base line 0-0,
It is calculated from the paper movement amount based on the inertial rotation of both rollers 57, 58a after the rotational drive of the first rotation and second conveyance rollers 57, 68a is cut off, and is preset in the control circuit. This set number of pulses can be corrected later as necessary. Further, after it is detected that the leading edge of the paper has passed the second paper sensor S6 position, the paper-out lamp 90 is turned off, and the indicator lamp LED changes from blinking to continuous lighting. Then, the above-mentioned paper whose conveyance is stopped with the leading edge aligned with the base line 0-0 position remains as it is until the paper feed roller 103 on the machine B side is rotated by the sequence program on the machine B side. stand by. If the paper size used is small, the trailing edge of this standby paper is attached to the paper feed roller 40.
and the first conveyance roller 57,
If the paper is large, it has not completely escaped from the paper feed roller 40 yet. Therefore, in either case, when the paper is on standby, the first rotation second paper sensor S5, S
6 are kept in the on state due to the presence of standby paper. The paper feed roller 103 on the machine B side waits until the predetermined timer time elapses (at least the refeeding time for continuous copying on the machine B side, for example, about 1 to 2 seconds). If re-conveyance is not performed, the power to the conveyance motor 24 of paper feeder A is temporarily cut off to save electricity when the timer time elapses, and when the motor stops (approximately 2 seconds), the second The power supply to the electromagnetic device 52 is also cut off, and the paper feeding/transportation is stopped and stands by. g When the paper feed roller 103 on the machine B side is rotated based on the sequence program on the machine B side, the leading edge of the waiting paper is moved to the second conveyance roller 68a,
68b and the paper feeding roller 103, the paper is drawn from the paper feeding device A to the machine B side by the rotational force of the paper feeding roller 103, and is fed into the machine B. At this time, the paper feed roller 40 of the paper feed device A, the first
Although the second conveyance rollers 57 and 68a are not actively rotated, the rollers 40, 57 and 68a are rotated by the respective support shafts 39 and 5.
6, 67 one-way clutch 41, 58, 6
Since they are attached via the rollers 8C, they all rotate idly as the paper feed roller 103 on the side of the machine A transports the waiting paper, reducing the transport resistance. h When the trailing edge of the paper passes the position of the first paper sensor S5 as the waiting paper is pulled toward the machine B side, the sensor S5 is turned off and the conveyance motor 24 is stopped based on the signal. When the second electromagnetic device 52 is de-energized, the motor is energized, and when the second electromagnetic device 52 is de-energized, the device 52 is de-energized.
(therefore, the clutch 50 is kept off), then current is momentarily passed through the first electromagnetic device 36, turning on the clutch 34 for one rotation, and feeding the paper by driving the paper feed spindle 33 for one rotation. roller 40
rotational drive is performed. The rotation of the paper feed roller 40 feeds the next sheet of paper P on the table 5, and its leading edge touches the nip between the first transport roller 57, which is not rotating, and its driven roller 59. A slight loop of paper is formed between the first transport roller 57 and the paper feed roller 40 until the paper is received and the rotation of the paper feed roller 40 is completed. When the trailing edge of the preceding paper passes the second paper sensor S6 position, this sensor is turned off, and based on the signal, the power to the second electromagnetic device 52 is cut off and the clutch 50 is turned on, so that the first
Then, rotational driving of the second conveyance rollers 57 and 68a is started. As a result, the upper surface plate 6 of the base 65 is arranged so that the next paper follows the previous paper.
The paper is introduced into the paper conveyance gap path between the paper guide plate 73 and the drainboard-shaped paper guide plate 73. When the leading edge of the paper passes the second paper sensor S6 position, the switch S6 is turned off, and the encoders 31, 31 are activated based on the signal.
Pulse counting is started by a, and after counting a predetermined number of pulses, the second electromagnetic device 52 is energized and the clutch 50 is turned off.
When the leading edge of the next paper is aligned with the base line 0-0, the conveyance is stopped and the paper enters a standby state. The trailing edge of the preceding sheet and the leading edge of the next sheet are connected to the second transport rollers 68a, 68b and the paper feed roller 1 on the machine B side.
Before it enters between the freely rotating rollers 103a of No. 03, it has already come out from between both rollers. Note that the speed at which the preceding paper is drawn into the machine B by the paper feeding means 103 on the machine B side is relatively fast;
The trailing edge of the preceding paper is detected by the first paper sensor S5, and the leading edge of the next paper fed out by the rotation of the paper feed roller 40 based on the signal is the first paper sensor S5.
If the trailing edge of the preceding paper has already reached the second paper sensor S6 when it reaches the transport roller 57, the first transport roller 57 is continuously driven to rotate without creating the next paper loop. transported. i The next paper in the standby state is introduced into the machine B by re-rotating the paper feed roller 103 on the machine B side. j From then on, each time the paper feed roller 103 on the B side of the machine is driven to rotate, the above g, h,
The cycle of introducing the standby sheet f into the machine, transporting the next sheet to one sheet, and waiting is automatically repeated. When, for example, about 20 to 30 of the stacked sheets P on the table 5 are consumed, the sheet top surface position level drops to the lower limit PL of the allowable range. Then, as described above, the lowering is detected by the level sensor S1, and the platform 5 is moved upward, and after a certain period of time has elapsed, the upward movement is stopped. At this time, the upper surface of the paper has almost reached the upper limit level PH. Even while this platform 5 is rising, the paper feed mechanism that feeds out the top sheet of the stacked paper P one by one works and stands by every time the waiting paper in the standby section 2 is conveyed by the rotation of the paper feed roller 103 on the side of the machine B. Feed the paper to section 2. Thereafter, each time the level drops to the allowable lower limit PL as the paper is sequentially consumed, the upward movement of the platform 5 is automatically executed intermittently, and the upper surface position level of the stacked paper P reaches the point where the paper on the platform 5 is consumed. is always maintained at a predetermined tolerance level PH~PL until Thus, for example, 2000
It is possible to continuously feed a large amount of paper P, such as sheets of paper P, to the image forming apparatus B as long as the image forming apparatus B is in operation. Also, the preceding paper and the next paper in paper feeding device A can be processed even if the paper drawing speed by the paper feeding means 103 on the side of machine B changes due to changes in magnification, or even if the same speed varies depending on the mechanism. Since the sheets are always fed and conveyed at intervals, there is no problem of paper feeding errors caused by the leading edge of the next sheet catching up with the trailing edge of the preceding sheet. l When the stacked paper P on the table 5 is sequentially consumed and the table 5 is raised intermittently, and the top surface position of the table 5 itself exceeds the lower limit PL of the paper top surface position level, at that point the protrusion 5C on the table 5 side is This sensor is turned on when it comes into contact with the table upper limit position sensor S3, and its signal is input to the control circuit. After that, when the remaining paper on the table 5 is fed and the last sheet of paper is sent out from the table 5, the lever 23 is tilted and rotated αLL.
The optical path of the sensor S1 is opened, and the signal thereof is input to the control circuit. Then, the last sheet sent out waits in the standby section 2, and then is introduced into the machine B side, so that the first sensor S5
Alternatively, when both the first and second sensors S5 and S6 are turned off, the paperless lamp 90 is turned on, and the indicator lamp LED is turned on and off. When the paper out lamp 90 lights up, light enters the light receiving element CdS on the machine B side, and the paper out display/warning circuit on the machine B side is activated, indicating that there is no paper in the paper feeder A side. Be warned. Generally, in this machine B, the mechanism operation is automatically stopped when the display/warning circuit is activated. m Then, the door 85 of the paper feed device was opened to replenish the paper.
When opened, the table 5 automatically descends to the lower limit level and stops as described in item b above, so a large number of sheets of paper can be loaded and stored on the table 5 again. Then, by closing the door 85, the sequence of items c to h is executed again, making it possible to continuously feed a large number of sheets. (7) During abnormality The top surface position level of the paper reaches the upper limit due to the intermittent and sequential upward movement of the platform 5 as the loaded paper P is sequentially consumed.
Even after reaching PH, if the platform 5 continues to move upward due to a paper jam or some other abnormal cause, and the top surface of the paper rises too much, the lever 23 over-rotates and comes into contact with the sensor S2 of the third upward protrusion 23. It is detected that the top surface of the paper is too high. Based on the detection signal, the lifter motor 8 is reversely rotated and the table 5 is moved downward. When sensor S1 detects that the position of the top surface of the stacked paper has fallen due to this downward movement and that the position has fallen to the lower limit level PL of the paper top surface position level range, or sensor S
When it is detected by 3 that the upper surface of the table 5 has fallen below the detection level of the sensor S3, the lifter motor 8 is turned to normal rotation based on the signal, and the table 5 is raised again for a certain period of time. Lowering this platform 5
If the cause of the abnormality disappears naturally by the re-ascending operation, and the upper surface position of the stacked paper is within the normal upper limit level range PH to PL due to the action of the lever 23 and sensor S1, then the ascending movement of the platform 5 stops, it is abnormal. The control circuit determines that the has disappeared. If the cause of the abnormality does not disappear naturally with one automatic lowering and re-raising operation of the table 5 and the paper top surface rises too much sensor S2 is activated, the above-mentioned lowering and re-raising operation of the table 5 is repeated several times, and If the above recovery does not occur within the number of times set in the control circuit, the control circuit determines that there is an abnormality in the device, and the operation of paper feeder A is stopped, and a warning buzzer built into the device is activated to notify the operator of the abnormality. It is now becoming known that That is, the paper top surface rises due to a malfunction of the paper top surface excessively rising sensor S2 due to paper flapping, and other causes that can be naturally removed by lowering and re-raising the table 5 once or several times within a certain range. In the case of overflow abnormality, the abnormality is removed by the above-mentioned automatic lowering/re-raising operation sequence control of the table 5 by the control circuit, and the normal paper feeding operation is automatically continued without activating the warning buzzer. Regarding the vertical movement of the table 5, even after a certain timer period preset in the control circuit has elapsed since the table 5 started to move upward or downward, the paper top surface level sensor S1 is not activated.
Or, if the platform 5 upper limit level sensor S3 or lower platform lower limit level sensor S4 does not operate, the lifter motor abnormality check routine of the control circuit determines that the device is abnormal, and in this case as well, the operation of the sheet feeding device A is stopped. At the same time, a warning buzzer is activated. (8) Friction clutch mechanism (Figs. 7 and 17) The aforementioned friction clutch mechanisms 69a to 69d interposed between the transport roller shaft 67 in Fig. 2 and the timing pulley 69 that drives it have the following troubles. We have intervened to remove it. In other words, the paper feed roller 103 on the B side of the machine may come into direct contact with the second conveyance roller 68a without any paper in between and stop rotating when a paper jam occurs or due to an erroneous operation. There is. In this case, the second conveyance roller 68a is pushed down further against the spring plate 67b due to contact with the paper feed roller 103 than when it is in contact with the freely rotating roller 103a of the paper feed roller 103. Due to the reaction force of the plate 67b, it is in contact with the lower surface of the paper feed roller 103 with a fairly strong pressing force. In such a state, if the second conveyance roller 68a is configured to be forcibly rotated against the strong pressing force against the paper feed roller 103, the rubber peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 103 will be scraped off. In this example device, the second
Since the conveyance roller shaft 67 is rotationally driven via the friction clutch mechanisms 69a to 69d as described above,
Under the above circumstances, the pulley 68 causes slip rotation due to the large rotational load of the second conveyance roller 68a, and the control circuit for the roller 68a is not activated, so that the paper feed roller 103 is not scraped. . The friction clutch force of the friction clutch mechanism can be arbitrarily set by selecting or adjusting the tension force of the spring 69d. (9) Loading mechanism (Figures 7, 18, and 19) A mechanism that applies a rotational load to the first conveyance roller shaft 56 or releases the load in conjunction with the switching rotation operation of the paper size instruction dial 75 described above. 78
A to 78k will be explained in detail. Regarding the paper transport load in the paper transport process due to the rotational drive of the first and second paper transport rollers 57 and 68a, there are two cases when transporting small size paper (B5, A4 (horizontal transport)), The load condition differs depending on the case of (vertical feeding)). That is, the paper feed roller 40 is attached to the shaft 39 via a one-way clutch 41, and after the rotation of the paper feed roller is stopped, the first and second transport rollers 57, 68a of the paper portion that has not yet passed under the roller are moved. By idly rolling on the shaft 39 as the paper moves, the paper conveyance resistance is made as small as possible, but it is not zero. It acts on By the way, in the case of conveying small-sized paper, the trailing edge of the paper conveyed by the first conveyance roller 57 slips out from under the paper feed roller 40 during the conveyance, and from that point on, the above-mentioned process by the paper feed roller 40 occurs. Conveyance continues for a while without any conveyance load, and then the driving of the first and second conveyance rollers 57, 68a is stopped when the clutch 50 is turned off as the encoders 31, 31a count up a predetermined number of pulses. As a result, transportation will stop. However, in the case of transporting large-sized paper, the trailing edge does not come out from under the paper feed roller 40, that is, the paper continues to be subjected to the transport load by the paper feed roller 40 until the transport stops. In other words, in the case of small size paper, the transport load when the transport is stopped is light, and in the case of large size paper, it is heavy. Therefore, the predetermined pulse count set in the circuits of the encoders 31 and 31a is set, for example, when the leading edge of the paper is 0-0 from the base line, based on the conveyance of small-sized paper.
If you set the number of relationships that cause the paper to stop in agreement with the above, when large-sized paper is transported, the paper will stop before the leading edge of the paper reaches the base line 0-0 due to the effect of the heavy transport load described above. The result is that it is packed away. Conversely, if the setting is based on the transport of large-sized paper, when transporting small-sized paper, the leading edge of the paper will be at the base line 0 because the transport load is light when transport is stopped.
The paper is stopped when it slightly overruns -0. Then, when the paper stops before the leading edge reaches the base line 0-0 and is fed into the machine B by the paper feed roller 103 on the machine B side, the image forming process of the machine B starts. There will be some paper feeding delay relative to the progress. Conversely, if the leading edge overruns the base line 0-0 and the paper is stopped, an excessive paper loop may occur before the timing roller on the machine B side when the paper is introduced into the machine B. This can also cause jamming problems. The load mechanism eliminates this inconvenience. In FIGS. 7, 18, and 19, 78a is a cam fixed to the shaft 75a of the paper size indication dial 75, and 78b is a pin 78 on the back side of the top plate of the base 65.
This is an advancing and retracting rod that is freely slidable in the front and rear direction using the long hole 78d and the long hole 78d. The advancing/retracting rod 78b is always urged forward to move forward by a tension spring 78e, and its tip end surface is always pressed against the surface of the cam 78a. As the dial 75 is rotated, the cam 78a
When the large diameter portion of the spring 78b corresponds to the tip end surface of the retractable rod 78b, the retractable rod 78b moves backward against the force of the spring 78e. When the small diameter part responds, it moves forward. In this example, the B4 scale (large size paper) on the dial 75 is the index 77.
(Fig. 16), the advance/retreat lever 78b is kept in the forward position, and the A4 or B5 scale (small size paper)
When these are aligned, the advance/retreat lever 78b is maintained in the retracted position. 78f is a coiled spring-wrapped cylinder having a flange 78g on the left end side fixed to the first conveying roller shaft 56;
78h is a coiled spring-wrapped cylinder which is loosely supported on the shaft 56 at the right position and has a flange seat 78f on the right end side;
78j is the above two spring wrapping cylinders 78f, 78
The coil spring 78k is a locking claw formed on the outer surface of the flange seat 78i of the right spring winding body 78h. When the advancing/retracting rod 78b is held at the forward position, the rear end of the rod moves away to a position where it does not interfere with the locking pawl 78k, and at this time, as the first conveyance roller shaft 56 is driven to rotate. None of the above left and right coil spring wrapping cylinders 78f, 78h, coil spring 78
The entire i is in a rotating state together with the shaft 56. When the advancing/retracting lever 78b is held in the retreating position, its rear end is in a position where it interferes with the above-mentioned locking pawl 78k, and at this time, when the first conveying roller shaft 56 is rotationally driven, a spring is released on the right side. The winding drum 78h has a forward and backward movement rod 78
Rotation is prevented by the engagement between the rear end of the shaft 56 and the locking pawl 78k, so that the shaft 56 rotates while creating a frictional slip between its body 78h and the coil spring 78i. That is, the frictional slip force on the shaft 56
Acts as a rotational load on the The predetermined pulse count number set in the circuits of the encoders 31 and 31a is set to a number such that the leading edge of the paper stops when it coincides with the base line 0-0, based on the conveyance of large-sized paper. If so, dial 75 is a large size paper B4
When aligned with the plate, the rear end of the advancing/retracting rod 78b escapes from the right spring-wrapped cylinder 78b, so that the above-mentioned rotational load is not applied to the first conveying roller shaft 56. Therefore, the paper stops with its leading edge aligned with the base line 0-0. On the other hand, when the dial 75 is set to the A4 size or the B5 size, which is a small size paper, the right spring winding cylinder 78h is hooked at the rear end of the advancing/retracting rod 78b, so that the rotational load acts on the shaft 56. As a result, the rotational load acts as a transport load when transport is stopped for small-sized paper, similar to the transport load that acts on the paper feed roller 40 when transport is stopped for large-sized paper, and suppresses overrunning of small-sized paper. The small size paper also stops when its leading edge substantially coincides with the base line 0-0. As explained above, by applying a load to the first conveying roller shaft 56 when handling small-sized paper, and not applying the load when handling large-sized paper, the paper stops at a zero position regardless of the size. It is possible to make 0 almost the same. The load can be set arbitrarily by adjusting the tightening force of the coil spring. As an electrical means, two settings are set in the encoder circuit, one for conveying pulse count paper and one for conveying small size paper, and switch K (Fig. 20) is turned on by rotating the cam 78a in conjunction with the size instruction operation of the dial 75. - The above set pulse count number may be changed by turning it off. (10) Others In the elevating paper storage table mechanism described in item (2) above, the sprocket 17 (Figs. 4 and 7) is attached to the shaft 12 via the one-way clutch 16, so that the paper feeding device cannot be operated by a service person or the like. When inspecting or repairing A, the joint switch S7 is turned on artificially, and the door switch S8 is turned on by opening the door 85.
is turned off and the platform 5 moves downward, even if a hand or other object is inadvertently caught between the descending platform 5 and the chassis bottom plate 3a and the platform 5 is forcibly stopped, the sprocket 17 will not engage the one-way clutch 16. Due to this presence, the reverse driving force of the motor 8 causes the table 5 to idle on the shaft 12.
is not forcibly lowered, thereby protecting hands and objects caught in the grip, and preventing overload from being applied to the motor 8. When the paper feeding device A is not in use, the conveyance section 2 protruding forward from the large-capacity paper storage section 1 can be largely rotated around the shaft 56 into a substantially hanging state and folded into the front panel of the storage section. By doing so, the overall size can be made compact and convenient for storage. (11) Key points of the present invention In summary, the present invention includes a paper storage section 1 for stacking cut sheet paper, a single-sheet conveyance standby section 2 that can be loaded into the paper feed section of an image forming apparatus, and a paper storage section 1 for storing cut sheets. A paper feeding means 40 that feeds the stacked cut sheets one by one to the one-sheet conveyance waiting section 2; and a paper feeding means 40 that feeds the stacked cut sheets one by one to the one-sheet conveyance standby section 2; conveyance means 57, 59 for conveying the paper to the conveyance unit 57, 59 of the single-sheet conveyance standby section 2,
a first detection means S5 for detecting that the cut sheet paper has passed a predetermined position on the downstream side of the first detection means S5; and a second detection means for detecting that the cut sheet paper has passed a predetermined position on the downstream side of the first detection means S5. S6, and control for operating the paper feeding means 40 in response to the paper passage detection by the detection means S5, and operating the transport means 57 and 59 in response to the paper passage detection by the second detection means S6. Means CPU
The gist is a paper feeding device characterized by having the following. That is, the paper feeding device of the present invention can be used for all kinds of general paper cassette insertion type image forming apparatuses that do not have a built-in multi-sheet deck mechanism. When you insert a cassette into the single-sheet conveyance standby section on the side, you can use it in the same way and use the combination, and since there is a large-capacity paper storage section on the paper feeder side, you can store even 1000 sheets on the machine side. It becomes possible to perform continuous copying of a large number of sheets, such as 2000 sheets, without interruption until the end. Then, the paper waiting for one sheet in the single-sheet conveyance standby section of the paper feeding device fitted in the cassette slot of this machine is fed by the operation of the paper feeding means on the machine side,
When the sensor detects that the trailing edge of the paper has passed a predetermined position, the next sheet of paper from the large-capacity paper storage unit is automatically fed out, leaving a gap between it and the trailing edge of the preceding paper, that is, the leading edge of the paper. catch up with the trailing edge of the paper,
Paper 1 is transported without overlapping.
Since replenishment is immediately held in the sheet destination conveyance standby section, there is no need for a signal line for exchanging information such as sheet feeding timing between this machine and the sheet feeding device. In other words, to connect the paper feeder to this machine, it is sufficient to simply physically fit the paper feeder's one-sheet transport standby section into the machine's cassette slot in the same way as when inserting a cassette. Therefore, it can be used in a wide range of combinations with the various paper cassette type image forming apparatuses currently on hand, and is a highly reliable general-purpose unit that can perform a large number of continuous copies without interruption. It is effective and suitable as a large-capacity paper feeding device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the paper feeding device of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of the paper feeder connected to the image forming apparatus, FIG. 2 is an exploded slope view of the pedestal, and FIG.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rail with rollers fitted, Figure 4
The figure is a right side view with the right side decorative panel removed, Figure 5 is a left side view with the left side decorative panel removed, Figure 6 is a vertical right side view, Figure 7 is a cross sectional plan view, and Figure 8 is a right side view with the left side decorative panel removed. is a longitudinal sectional front view taken along line 8-8 in Figure 7, and Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line 9-8 in Figure 7.
10 is an enlarged plan view of the lifter motor portion, FIG. 11 is an enlarged plan view of the paper detection swing lever portion, FIG. 12 is a side view of the same, and FIG.
The figure is an enlarged side view of the gear train of the paper feed/conveyance mechanism section, Figure 14 is a plan view of the paper conveyance/standby section,
Figure 5 is a side view showing the state of the paper transport/standby section before connection, Figure 16 is an enlarged side view of the paper size designation dial, Figure 17 is an enlarged plan view of the friction clutch mechanism, and Figure 18 is the load Slope view of the mechanism part,
Fig. 19 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional plan view of the friction cylinder portion of the mechanism, Fig. 20 is a block diagram of the main control circuit, and Fig. 21 is a block diagram of the main control circuit.
Figure 22 shows the control circuit of the lifter motor, Figure 22 shows the overall flowchart of the operation of the device, Figure 23 shows the operation flowchart of the elevating paper storage mechanism, and Figure 24
The figure is an operation flowchart of the paper feeding, conveyance, and standby mechanism, and FIG. 25 is a drive timing chart of the lifter motor. A is a paper feeding device, 1 is a large-capacity paper storage section, 2 is a conveyance section, B is an image forming apparatus, C is a pedestal of this device, and D is a paper feeding device pedestal.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Paper storage section 1 for loading cut sheet paper.
a single-sheet transport standby section 2 that can be loaded into the paper feed section of the image forming apparatus; and a single-sheet transport standby section 2 that feeds the cut sheets stacked in the paper storage section 1 one by one to the single-sheet transport standby section 2. Paper means 40; Conveying means 57, 59 for conveying the cut sheet fed by the paper feeding means 40 to the standby position of the one-sheet conveyance standby section 2; and One-sheet conveyance standby section 2 conveying means. 57,5
a first detection means S5 for detecting that the cut sheet paper has passed a predetermined position on the downstream side of the first detection means S5; and a second detection means for detecting that the cut sheet paper has passed a predetermined position on the downstream side of the first detection means S5. S6, and in response to the paper passage detection by the first detection means S5, the paper feeding means 40 is activated, and the second
A paper feeding device comprising: a control means CPU that operates the conveyance means 57 in response to detection of paper passage by the detection means S6.