JPH0662219B2 - Paper feeding device having recording paper position regulating member - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a copying machine such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer using a computer output, a sheet feeding device of various image recording apparatuses such as a light printing machine, and more specifically, Hold a large amount of recording paper 1
The present invention relates to a recording sheet position restricting unit of a sheet feeding device that can supply and replenish the recording unit one by one.

[Conventional technology]

In each of the above image recording apparatuses, various cut sheets such as plain paper, printing paper, photosensitive paper, pressure sensitive paper, thermal paper, electrostatic recording paper, transfer paper, and synthetic resin recording sheet are fed and conveyed in the recording apparatus main body. A so-called cassette paper feeding system is adopted in which the paper is stored in a paper feed cassette and is loaded into a cassette receiving portion of the apparatus main body when the paper is supplied to the unit.

Since such a paper feed cassette is usually small in size, and the amount of recording paper contained in it is limited, in a recording device that uses a large amount of recording paper and is capable of high-speed recording, the recording paper is frequently replenished. There are drawbacks that must be taken.

In recent years, in this type of high-speed printing apparatus, a large-capacity sheet feeding stacker for 1000 to 2000 sheets has been attached to the sheet feeding / conveying unit of the recording apparatus main body in order to cope with the above high operating rate. A highly efficient sheet feeding device has been proposed which feeds and conveys a large number of recording sheets continuously for a long period of time by feeding the recording sheets in a substantially horizontal direction by means of an elevating means and a paper feeding means equipped on the side. ing.

FIG. 8 shows a sheet conveying system of a copying machine or the like provided with such a large capacity sheet stacker (Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-116).
63 publication).

In the figure, 1 is a large-capacity paper feed stacker for storing a large amount of 1000 to 3000 sheets of paper, and 2 is an upper paper feed cassette for storing 500 to 1000 sheets of paper. The paper is sent out from one of the upper and lower paper feed units by the paper feed roller 3A or 3B, and is pressed and held by the synchronous roller 4 which is not rotating, and is pressed and rotated in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 5. After that,
After the toner image is transferred onto the paper by the transfer electrode, the fixing device 7
Sent to. Here, the toner on the paper is heat-fused and fixed on the paper. Thereafter, the sheet is selectively switched to the tray 9 or the sorter 10 or the double-sided copying machine (not shown) by the conveyor belt 8 and discharged from the copying machine main body.

The large-capacity paper feed stacker is composed of a lifting means 11, a paper storage unit guide member 12, and a paper storage unit 13. Further, a sheet bundle lateral surface regulating member (not shown), a sheet advancing direction regulating member 14, and a sheet rear surface regulating member 15 are fixedly provided inside the housing of the sheet accommodating portion 13 to further secure the sheet bundle. Sheet bundle receiving plate 16 that can be loaded and lifted by the lifting operation of the lifting means 10.
Is provided.

The paper rear surface regulating member 15 is a partition-like member fixed to the bottom of the housing of the paper storage unit 13, and its upper end extends to the height of the paper feeding surface by the paper feeding roller 3A.

Although the sheet bundle decreases as the sheet feeding is started and the uppermost sheets of the sheet bundle are sequentially sent out, the receiving plate 16 is lifted by the elevating means 11 and the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle always has a predetermined feeding surface. The height is detected and controlled by the detection means so as to maintain

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

Here, the vicinity of the top end of the sheet bundle is regulated upward by the sheet feeding roller 3A or a separating claw (not shown).
Since the other uppermost surface is not regulated at all, it is turned up, is pushed back by the sheet feeding roller 3A, or is skewed by the single feeding of the sheet feeding roller 3A. If the paper sheet gets over the upper edge and sticks out, the rear surface of the sheet becomes uneven, and the sheet bundle collapses.

Such non-uniformity of paper causes a paper feeding failure (no feed or oblique traveling), which causes normal copying to not be performed.

[Means for Solving Problems] The present invention solves the problems in the paper feeding device having the rear surface regulating member, and always regulates the rear surface of the paper to align the paper, thereby accurately and reliably feeding the paper. An object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device having a large-capacity paper feeding stacker that can operate.

The above-mentioned object is to regulate a rear end of a bundle of recording sheets placed on the receiving plate in a sheet feeding device having a sheet storage unit that has a receiving plate capable of mounting and descending a large number of recording sheets. The rear surface regulating member arranged so as to pivotally support the receiving plate so as to be rotatable along the rear end surface of the recording sheet bundle, and the rear surface regulating member is maintained upright above the receiving plate. The upper surface of the rear surface regulating member is pressed against the lid body as the supporting plate moves upward, and the rear surface regulating member is rotated downward against the supporting plate against the spring force. It is characterized by moving back and forth.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a copying machine provided with a sheet feeding device according to the present invention, and a chain line with an arrow in the drawing indicates a sheet conveying path of the copying machine. In addition, about the code | symbol used in these drawings, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same functional member as FIG.

In FIG. 1, 20 is a paper storage unit for stocking a large amount of 1000 to 3000 sheets, 40 is a mounting unit for mounting the paper storage unit, 50 is a lifting means, and 60 is a paper feeding means. The large-capacity sheet feeding device including the above is mainly installed below the sheet feeding cassette 2 which stores a small amount of sheets of 300 to 500 sheets.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a part of the large-capacity sheet feeding device and the sheet feeding / conveying system, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet accommodating portion 20.

The paper storage unit 20 is an outer box having notches at the front and bottom.
21, fixed side plates 22 and 23 and movable side plates 24 and 25 as side surface regulating members that position the sheet bundle in the width direction, a lid body 26 that closes the upper opening of the outer box 21, and a receiver that stacks the sheet bundle. Board 30
A hinge member 31 integrated with the receiving plate 30 and a rear surface restricting member 32 that engages with the hinge member 31 and is rotatable to restrict the rear end of the sheet bundle.

A notch 21a is provided on the entire surface of the outer box 21, that is, on the side close to the paper feeding means 50, through which an elevating table 41 of the elevating means 40 described later can pass.

The fixed side plates 22 and 23 have side surfaces that restrict the width direction of the notes, and the bent portions 22A and 23 that restrict the forward direction of the paper.
It has A and is fixed to the bottom of the outer box 21. In addition, in the vicinity of the upper portions of the bent portions 22A and 23A, the cutout portion 21 of the outer box 21 is formed.
It is fixed to a support member 27 which is installed above a by a screw or the like.

Movable side plates 24 and 25 are pivotally mounted above the fixed side plates 22 and 23 so as to be swingable. The bent portions 24A and 25A of the movable side plates 24 and 25 are fixed to the support member 28, and the sheet side edge regulating surfaces 24B and 25B are kept at a predetermined sheet width interval. The extension surfaces of the sheet side edge regulating surfaces 24B and 25B form guide surfaces 24C and 25C having a slight inclination angle.

Both ends of the support member 28 to which the movable side plates 24 and 25 are fixed are lids.
It is provided so as to engage with both hinge members 29, 29 provided at the end of 26, and the hinge members 29, 29 are pivotally attached to the upper front part of the exterior box 21 so as to be rotatable, and the lid 26 Locking members 29A, 29A provided at both ends of the lid and the supporting member 28 are engaged with each other, and the lid 26 swings and opens.

FIG. 4 shows a rear surface regulating member 32 built in the paper storage section 20.
3 is a perspective view of a receiving plate unit 30 including a receiving plate 31 and the like. FIG.

The receiving plate 31 is a plate-shaped member on which a stack of sheets is stacked, and is formed to have substantially the same size as the sheet size. The receiving plate 31 can be placed on the bottom of the outer box 21 so as to cover the bottom notch of the outer box 21, and can be raised and lowered according to the raising and lowering operation of the raising and lowering means. The rectangular plate on the upper front surface of the receiving plate 31 is a friction member.

A mounting plate 33 is integrally fixed to the rear side of the receiving plate 31, a bent portion 33A is provided at one end thereof, and a rotary support shaft 34 and a shaft 35 are fixedly provided.

On the other hand, the rear surface regulation member 32 is a resin-molded plate-like member, and a through hole is provided at the lower end thereof, and the rotation support shaft 34 is loosely fitted therein. Further, 32A is a protrusion protruding outward of the rear surface regulating member 32. Reference numeral 36 is a torque spring, the coil portion of which is wound around the rotary support shaft 34, and the linear portions at both ends thereof are hooked by the bent portion 33A and the projection 32A of the mounting plate 33, so that the rear surface regulating member is provided. The spring 32 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction by being biased by a spring.

An arcuate groove 32B having the rotation support shaft 34 as a center point is provided near the center of the rear surface regulating member 32 and slides on a shaft 35 fixed to the mounting plate 33. Here, the rotation of the rear surface regulating member 32 is stopped in the upright state with the lower end of the arcuate groove 32B pressed against the shaft 35.

When downward pressure is applied to the top portion 32C of the rear surface restricting member 32, the rear surface restricting member 32 swings and descends clockwise around the rotation support shaft 34 while being biased by the spring. In this descending stroke, the shaft 35 slides along the arcuate groove 32B, comes into contact with the upper end of the arcuate groove 32B, and stops.
32 is the bottom dead center position. When the pressing force on the top portion 32C is released, the rear surface regulating member 32 returns to the upright state again.

Referring again to FIG. 2, a stacking unit 40 is provided below the paper storage unit 20.
Is provided. The mounting portion 40 is composed of a fixed portion fixed to the main body of the copying machine and a moving portion movable by a rail member. An elevating means 50, which will be described later, is provided in the fixed part, and the paper storage part 20 is detachably mounted and positioned in the moving part.

The elevating means 50 includes a vertical support member 51, a motor M1 with a reduction gear attached to the upper portion of the support member 51, a lower sprocket 52 fixed to the rotation shaft of the motor M1, and a rotatable member above the support member 51. The upper splot 53 attached, the chain 54 stretched between the upper and lower sprockets 52, 53, the guide member 55 fixed to the back surface of the support member 51, and the chain slidably supported by the guide member 55. The moving member 56 is engaged with the moving member 56, and an elevating table 57 is integrally formed with the moving member 56 to move up and down and contact the receiving plate 31 of the sheet storage member 20. The moving member 56 and the lift 57 are
It can be inserted into the notch 21a of the outer box 21 and pass freely.

The rotational driving force of the motor M1 is the lower sprocket.
The chain 54 is rotated from 52, the sliding member 56 fixed to the chain 54 is vertically moved along the guide member 55, and the elevating table 57 integral with the sliding member 56 is moved up and down, whereby the receiving plate 31 and the rear surface regulation. The member 32 is moved up and down.

A known sheet feeding means 60 is provided above the sheet feeding device. Here, 61 is a feeding roller, 62 is a separation belt, 63 is a separating member, 64 is a guide plate, and 65 is a conveying roller. Among the above members, the rotating or rotating members 61, 62, 65 are motors M.
Driven by two.

Next, the operation of the sheet feeding device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a sectional view when the receiving plate 31 of the paper storage unit 20 is at the lowest position, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line AA at this time. Further, FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a state where the receiving plate reaches the uppermost position.

When replenishing the sheet P in the sheet replenishing section 20 or when exchanging it with another sheet, first, the sheet accommodating section 20 placed on the moving section of the placing table 40 is moved to the stop position on the right side of the copying machine. Withdraw. Next, when the descending button is pressed, the motor M1 of the elevating means 50 is driven and rotated, and the elevating table 57 descends to the lowest position. Therefore, the receiving plate unit 30 in the paper storage unit 20 placed on the lift table 57 by its own weight simultaneously descends and reaches the lowest position and stops.

Next, if the lid 26 of the paper storage unit 20 is opened, the movable side plates 24, 25
Oscillates upward together with the lid 26, so that both sides of the sheet bundle are mostly open. In this state, since no external force is applied to the rear surface restricting member 32, the rear surface restricting member 32 is biased by the torque spring 36 and assumes a substantially upright posture. In this state, the sheet bundle to be replenished is placed on the receiving table 31.

At this time, the rear surface regulation member 32 can be pushed down to easily place the sheet bundle on the receiving plate 31.

After the paper is replenished, the lid 26 is closed. At this time, the lid 26
Movable side plates 24 and 25, one end of which is fixed to a support member 28 slidably attached to, swing around the rotation shafts of the fixed side plates 22 and 23, and have guide surfaces 24C and 25C having inclination angles. Regulates both side edges of the sheet bundle to align the sheets, and subsequently the sheet side edge regulating surfaces 24B and 25C contact both side edges of the sheet bundle to accurately position the sheet bundle.

Thus, when the lid 26 completely closes the upper opening of the outer box 21, the lock member (not shown) is engaged, and the lid 26 and the outer box 21 are closed. At the same time, a driving signal is input to the motor M1 to start driving rotation, and the lift 57 is raised,
The uppermost layer of the sheet bundle on the receiving plate 31 is detected and controlled by the detection unit (not shown) of the sheet feeding unit 60, and the ascending is stopped when the sheet reaches a predetermined position. At this time, the uppermost layer of the sheet bundle is pressed against the sheet feeding roller 61 and the separation belt 62.

Outer box 21 raised to a proper height by lifting means 50
The paper inside is a paper feed roller that rotates based on the copy start signal.
The sheets are sent out one by one by the 61 and the separation belt 62, and sent to the photosensitive drum 5 via the guide plate 64, the conveying roller 65, and the synchronous roller 4, and the copying process is performed.

As the paper is consumed, the paper feed roller 61 that is in contact with the paper is lowered to detect that the paper has reached a predetermined height, and the detection signal causes the motor M1 to rotate again. As a result, the lift 51 and the receiving plate 31 are raised. The motor M1 stops rotating when reaching a predetermined height. This operation is repeated while paper is fed.

In the process of raising the receiving plate 31, the rear surface regulating member 32 that comes into contact with the rear end surface of the sheet bundle and regulates it also rises, but when the top portion 32C abuts the inner wall surface of the lid body 26 and the raising is stopped. A pressing force is applied to the top 32C by the rising force of the receiving plate 32. When the backing plate 31 is further raised, the rear surface regulation member 32 is
The top 32C slides on the inner wall surface of the lid 26, the contact point moves to the right, and as a whole rotates clockwise about the rotation support shaft 34.

When the paper is completely consumed, the paper storage unit 20 and the receiving plate unit 30 have the shapes shown in FIG.
32 is the most tilted state. In this state, the detecting means is activated to indicate that there is no paper on the display panel of the copying machine main body, and the motor M1 starts to rotate in the reverse direction, and stops when the lift 57 moves down to the lowest position. In this state, the paper can be replenished or replaced again.

The paper storage section 20 is prepared differently for each paper size to be stored. For example, various paper feed trays for A3 size to B5 size are individually prepared, and when a large number of sheets of required size sheets are to be copied, the dedicated paper feed tray is installed on the mounting table and used.

Alternatively, when various sizes of paper are commonly used in one paper feed tray, the side plates 22, 23, 24 and 25 can be moved and set, and the receiving plate unit 30 is prepared for each paper size. When accommodating necessary sheets, a dedicated receiving plate unit may be replaced and loaded in the outer box.
In this case, the receiving plates of the various receiving plate units have substantially the same shape as each sheet size, and the rear surface regulating member having substantially the same shape as the above is rotatably attached to the receiving plates.

Further, the side plates 22 and 23 may not be fixed and may have a movable structure similar to the rear surface regulating member.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, the paper feeding device according to the present invention enables the paper storage portion to be detached from the elevating means, and further allows the elevating means to raise and lower the receiving plate on which a large number of sheets to be stored in the paper storage portion are placed. In addition, since the rear surface regulating member that regulates the rear end of the sheet bundle on the receiving plate is configured to be swingable with respect to the receiving plate, during the process of raising or lowering the receiving plate by the elevating means, the sheet bundle is The rear end is always in contact with the rear surface regulation member. Therefore, the collapse of the sheet bundle does not occur. In particular, there is no effect that the upper layer of the sheet bundle is displaced or turned up by the sheet feeding means or the like and the trailing edge of the sheet rides over the rear surface regulation member to cause a sheet feeding failure. Therefore, the paper can be smoothly and accurately fed to the main body of the copying machine.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a copying machine provided with a sheet feeding device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a large-capacity sheet feeding device and a transport system,
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the paper storage unit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a receiving plate unit built in the paper storage unit. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the sheet storage section, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are A- thereof.
FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a sheet conveying system of a copying machine equipped with a conventional sheet feeding device. 20 …… Paper storage part, 21 …… External box 22,23 …… Fixed side plate, 24,25 …… Movable side plate 26 …… Lid body, 30 …… Receiving plate unit 31 …… Receiving plate, 32 …… Rear surface regulation Member 33 …… Mounting plate, 34 …… Rotating support shaft 35 …… Shaft, 36 …… Torque spring 40 …… Loading part, 50 …… Lift means 57 …… Lift base, 60 …… Feeding means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A paper feeding device having a paper storage unit containing a receiving plate capable of holding a large number of recording papers and moving up and down, wherein a rear end of the recording paper stack placed on the receiving plate is A rear regulating member arranged so as to regulate is pivotally supported on the receiving plate so as to be rotatable along the rear end face of the bundle of recording sheets, and the rear regulating member stands upright above the receiving plate. The rear surface regulating member is urged by a spring so as to be maintained, and the upper surface of the rear surface regulating member is brought into pressure contact with the lid body as the receiving plate moves upward, and the rear surface regulating member is directed to the lower side of the receiving plate against the spring urging. A sheet feeding device having a recording sheet position regulating member, which is characterized in that the sheet is rotated and retracted.