JPH0228426A - Multi-sheet feed device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure the smooth feed of a transfer material by detecting the uppermost layer of loaded transfer materials at all times, locating the materials properly at a position for transfer to an image formation device and controlling each timing of press contact and rotation of each roller in a transfer system. CONSTITUTION:When the loading of transfer materials is detected with a transfer material detecting member 100, a placement seat 50 is moved up. When the top surface of the transfer materials reaches the predetermined height, an actuator 71 turns off a photoelectric switch and the uppermost layer sheets are pressed to a guide roller 82 for stopping the seat 50, thereby keeping at all times the uppermost layer sheets at the predetermined height. Upon receipt of a feed start signal, an oscillation fixture 32 turns left and a feed roller 37 comes in contact with the transfer materials. With the turn of the roller 37, one sheet is taken out from the uppermost layer materials. Furthermore, while the feed of the stacked materials is being prevented with a takeup roller 36 and a pressing roller 43 rotating reversely, sheets are fed one by one to an image formation device. According to the aforesaid construction, the transfer materials can be fed to the image formation device smoothly without any excessive force.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an improvement in a paper feeding mechanism in a multi-sheet feeding device that accommodates a large amount of transfer material and is attached to an image forming apparatus.

[Background of the invention]

A multi-sheet feeder uses a built-in feed roller to press the stacked transfer materials and feed them sequentially from the top layer to the transfer material conveyance path of the image forming device. Since it is provided at a fixed position corresponding to the transfer material conveyance path, it is necessary that the top layer of the transfer material is always kept at a constant height even as paper feeding progresses.

In order to keep the top layer of transfer material constant, a mechanism is used that gradually raises the loading table on which the transfer material is loaded as paper feed progresses. There are two types of methods: one is to raise the paper by parallel movement, and the other is to tilt the mounting table so that it is higher in the paper feeding direction and rotate and raise the mounting table so that the angle of inclination increases as the amount of soaked layer decreases. be.

However, the former method has a complicated mechanism because it moves the loading table up and down while keeping it balanced, whereas the latter method has a relatively simple structure and high precision, so recently many multi-sheet feeders are using the latter method. A method of rotating the mounting table, for example, Utility Model No. 58-3
The method disclosed in No. 0634, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 59-46941, etc. is adopted.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The inclination angle of the mounting table is controlled by a signal from a detection member that detects the position of the top layer of transfer material, and the detection member detects the height of the front end where the movement of the transfer material is greatest to improve detection accuracy. mounted in position.

Therefore, if the front end surface becomes uneven when a large amount of transfer material is loaded, it will be impossible to accurately detect the top layer, so the mounting table will be raised more than necessary, and the transfer material will forcefully press the other members of the conveyance system. In extreme cases, functionality may be impaired.

As a result of solving this problem and improving the present invention, even if the front edge of the transfer material on the mounting table is slightly uneven, the position of the top layer of the transfer material can be reliably detected and the lifting of the mounting table can be restricted. The purpose of this product is to provide a multi-sheet feeding device that can handle multiple sheets of paper.

[Means for solving problems]

The above object is to provide a multi-sheet feeding device that feeds transfer materials stacked on a tiltable mounting table attached to an image forming apparatus main body one by one from the top layer transfer material to the device main body one by one. A detecting member for detecting the position of the transfer material is provided, and the detecting member is configured to be actuated through a pressure-contact action of the transfer material against a rotatable actuator or a regulating member of a flexible body that engages with the actuator. This is achieved by a multi-sheet feeder featuring the following.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 7.

As shown in FIG. 7, the multi-sheet feeder A of this embodiment is attached to the bottom of the image forming apparatus B using the space provided on the stand C, and can be freely switched together with the general paper feed cassette D. FIGS. 1 to 6 show the main parts of the transfer material conveying function.

Figures 1 and 2 show the states of the drive system and transport system when the transfer material transport function is stopped, and Figures 5 and 6 show the states of the drive system and transport system when the transport function is operating. Further, FIG. 3 shows a part of the plane of FIG. 2.

Each member constituting the drive system is disposed on the outside of the main body of the multi-sheet feeder A (hereinafter simply referred to as the paper feeder), and when attached to the image forming apparatus B, the parts inside the forming apparatus B are The drive is controlled by connecting to the power system.

The transport system is disposed within the main body of the paper feeder tA, and is transported into the image forming apparatus B by transporting the stored transfer materials one by one, starting with the topmost layer, by the action of each member of the drive system to which they are connected. The paper is fed into the transfer material conveyance path.

In FIGS. 1 and 5, ``■'' is a gear pivoted on the side board forming the main body of the paper feeding device A, and 2 is a gear that penetrates the side board and extends the main body center line X, X as shown in FIG. 3. Supporting metal fitting 2A fixed to the main body top plate (not shown) at the central part of the sandwich
3 is a pawl fixed to the end of the rotary shaft 2; 4 is a gear integrally provided with the pawl 3 and a friction member; the gear 4 is connected to the gear 1; mesh.

5 is a support shaft rotatably attached to the side board, 6A and 6B are cam plates with protrusions of respective shapes on the peripheral surface,
Further, 6C is a cam plate having a fan-shaped notch on its circumferential surface, and these cam plates 6A, 6B, and 6C are integrated as a cam block with a predetermined angular phase and are fixed to the end of the support shaft 5.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a gear that is integrated with the cam brake through a friction member, and the gear 7 meshes with the gear 4.

8 is a stepped gear that meshes with the gear 4; 9 is a rotating shaft mounted between the front and rear side boards; IO is a gear fixed to the end of the rotating shaft 9; and the gear IO is the stepped gear 8; It meshes with pinion 8A.

11 is a claw 11A that engages with the claw strap 3 and the cam plate 6A.
A locking member comprising a claw 11B that engages with a protrusion of 12
is a locking member having a claw 12A that engages with the claw strap 3 and a contour that abuts against the protrusion of the nonom plate 6B, which is rotatably attached to a common support shaft 13 and has a respective torsion spring 1.
4 and 15 in the clockwise direction.

S is a solenoid that is energized according to the control timing of the drive system, and P is a plunger of the solenoid S that connects the locking member 11 via the relay member 16.

Reference numeral 17 denotes an elevating lever incorporating a swinging metal fitting for attaching a feed roller, which will be described later, and the elevating lever 17 has a contour that abuts against the cam plate 6c.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a rotating shaft mounted between the front and rear side boards, 19 a sector gear fixed to the end of the rotating shaft 18, 20 and 21 stepped gears, and the stepped gear 20 meshes with the sector gear 19. The gear 20A and the stepped gear 21 are integrally formed with a small gear 21A that meshes with the stepped gear 20, respectively.

M is a motor that is energized according to the amount of transfer material accommodated, W
is a worm attached to the shaft of the motor M, W-H is an ohmic gear paired with the ohm W, and 22 is a gear integrated with the worm gear, and the gear 22 meshes with the stepped gear 21.

On the other hand, in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 5, 31 is a gear fixed to the rotating shaft 2 on the outer surface of the support fitting 2A, and 32 is a rotatable bracket with the rotating shaft 2 as a pivot. 33 is a rotating shaft rotatably supported at the tip of the swinging fitting 32; 34 is a rotating shaft 3;
3 is a gear fixed to the end protruding from the swinging metal fitting 32; 35 is an intermediate gear meshing with the gear 34 and the gear 31; 36 is a sorting roller attached to the rotating shaft 2; 37 is the This is a delivery roller attached to the rotating shaft 33.

The swinging metal fitting 32 is integrated with its bridge portion 32A overlapped with the horizontal bent portion 17A of the lifting lever 17, and the swinging metal fitting 32 is rotated by vertical movement of the lifting lever 17. to move the feed roller 37 in the vertical direction.

Reference numeral 38 denotes a pressing roller unit provided on the axis of the rotating shaft 9 corresponding to the sorting roller 36, and 39 denotes a gear fixed to the rotating shaft 9 on the outer side of the pressing roller unit 38; 39 rotates integrally with the gear 10.

40 is an intermediate gear that meshes with the gear 39, 4I is a gear that meshes with the intermediate gear 40, 42 is a rotating shaft that supports the gear 41, and 43 is a pressure roller attached to the rotating shaft 42, and the pressure roller unit The rollers 38 are pressed against the sorting roller 36 by the action of a tension spring 44 that biases them counterclockwise, thereby forming a double-feed prevention roller pair.

On the other hand, reference numeral 50 is a mounting table on which a transfer material is loaded, and is rotated counterclockwise from a horizontal position indicated by a dashed line with a bent portion at its left end as a fulcrum.

Reference numeral 5I denotes a swing lever fixed to the rotating shaft I8, and therefore the swing lever 51 rotates together with the sector gear 19.

Reference numeral 52 denotes a push-up roller pivotally attached to the tip of the swing lever 51, and the push-up roller 52 is rotated by the rotation of the sector gear 19.
The mounting table 50 is rotated and held at an angle shown by the solid line, for example.

A guide member 54 regulates the rear end position of the transfer material loaded on the mounting table 50. The guide member 54 is stopped by a click stop at a position corresponding to each standard size, and the size of the transfer material is determined by an electric signal as an image. Displayed on the operation section of the forming device.

Reference numeral 55 indicates a pair of opposing guide plates for regulating the width of the transfer material loaded on the mounting table 50, 56 indicates a pair of slide plates locally provided with a rack 56A, and 57 operates the guide plate 55. An operation plate 58 provided for the purpose of the present invention has the slide plate 56 in close contact with the lower surface of the operation plate 57 and the guide plate 55 provided with a slight interval on the lower surface of the slide plate 56.
59 is a connection pin for fixing the slide plate 56 together.
It is a guide bin attached to the tip of the

60 is a frame member installed and fixed at the top between the front and rear side boards, 60A and 60B are long holes provided in the frame member 60, and the neck of the connecting pin 58 is slidably engaged in the elongated hole 60A. The guide pin 59 is slidably fitted into the elongated portion 60B.

Reference numeral 61 denotes a presser plate 62 which is installed in a bridge shape on the upper part of the frame member 60 to prevent the slide plate 56 from floating.
is a gear pivoted on the lower surface of the holding plate 61, and the gear 62 meshes with the racks 56A of the pair of slide plates 56 described above, so that movement of one of the slide plates 56 causes the other slide plate 56 to move in the opposite direction. operate symmetrically.

63 is a handle attached to the operation plate 57; 64 is a clamp lever 164 incorporated in the handle 63; a support shaft to which the clamp lever 64 is rotatably attached; 66 is a support shaft between the handle 63 and the clamp lever 64; The clamp lever 64 is biased counterclockwise by the tensioned tension spring 66, and the friction member 64A attached to the end face of the clamp lever 64 is brought into pressure contact with the bent portion of the frame member 60. The handle 63, that is, the guide plate 55 is stopped and fixed at the illustrated position.

Reference numeral 70 denotes a photoelectric switch which is a detection member for detecting the height of the transfer material provided to control the position of the uppermost transfer material loaded on the mounting table 50; The mounted actuator includes a support shaft 72 serving as a center of rotation of the actuator 71, and a regulating member 73 that limits the swing range of the actuator 71, one end of which is fixed to the frame member 60. That is, the regulating member 7
A vertically long rectangular hole is opened in the rising part 73A of the tip of the actuator 71, and the tip of the actuator 71 is inserted thereinto to support the actuator 71 which is about to rotate counterclockwise due to its own weight. The light beam of the photoelectric switch 70 is not blocked, so the photoelectric switch 70 is OFF.
is in a state of However, when the position of the top layer transfer material reaches a specified height, the detection portion 71A of the actuator 7I is pushed up, and the actuator 71 rotates clockwise, blocking the light beam of the photoelectric switch 70 and Turn on the photoelectric switch 70. During this period, the actuator 71 rotates within the range of engagement with a square hole provided in the rising portion 73A of the regulating member 73.

80 is a pair of transfer material pressing levers provided on the inner surface of each of the guide plates 55; 81 is a support shaft to which the pressing lever 80 is rotatably mounted; 82 is a guide pivoted to the tip of the pressing lever 80; The pressing lever 80 is a roller, and the pressing lever 80 is inserted into the round hole 5 of the guide plate 55 through which the protrusion 80A on the side surface is inserted.
5A, the guide roller 82 is brought into pressure contact with the front corner of the uppermost layer transfer material located at a specified height by its own weight.

Reference numeral 100 denotes a transfer material detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a transfer material on the mounting table 50 using reflected light, and is attached to the lower surface of the mounting table 50 via a bracket.

The function and operation of feeding the transfer material by the paper feeding device A of the present invention will be explained below.

When the paper feeding device A is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, it is engaged through two hook members AI and A2 provided in pairs on the top surface, and then fixed by means such as screws. The gear l meshes with the drive gear on the image forming apparatus side to connect the power system, and power is supplied to the solenoid S1 motor M via a connector or the like, or the photoelectric switch 70 and the transfer material detection member 00 The control system circuit is connected.

When the loading table 50 has finished feeding all the loaded transfer materials, the motor M is reversely rotated by a predetermined number of rotations in response to an undetectable signal from the transfer material detection member 100, and the sector gear I9 is rotated clockwise. The mounting table 5° is rotated and kept in a horizontal position.

With the control system circuit turned OFF, open the cover A3 counterclockwise, load the transfer material on the mounting table 50, and move the guide member 54 and the pair of guide plates 55 according to the size of the transfer material.
to adjust the rear end and width. The guide plate 55 is moved by grasping the clamp lever 64 with the handle 63 to release the pressure contact of the friction member 64A against the frame member 60, and the guide plate 55 is moved between the pair of slide plates 56 and the gear. 62 moves symmetrically with respect to the center line xX of the main body to regulate the position of the transfer material.

When the control system circuit is turned on in such a state, the motor M rotates forward in response to a transfer material detection signal from the transfer material detection member 100, and the sector gear 19 rotates counterclockwise to raise the mounting table 50. let

When the top surface of the transfer material on the mounting table 50 reaches a specified height, the photoelectric switch 70 is turned off by counterclockwise rotation of the actuator 71, and the forward rotation of the motor M is stopped by this signal. be done.

In this state, at least one of the uppermost layers of the transfer material is pressed by the pair of guide rollers 82, and is placed in a feeding position facing the transfer material conveyance path toward the image forming apparatus. It will be destroyed.

The photoelectric switch 70 is turned ON again in response to the decrease in the height of the top layer due to the feeding of the transfer material, and the motor M starts rotating forward, and the same control as in the case described above is performed, and the top layer of the transfer material is turned on. The upper layer is always kept at a constant height.

When clockwise rotation is transmitted to the gear 1 by power transmission from the image forming apparatus, the gear 4 rotates counterclockwise and the gear 7 rotates clockwise, or the windmill rotates as shown in FIG. 3 is locked by the pawl 11A of the locking member 11 and the pawl 12A of the locking member 12, so that it slips and is kept in a stopped state.As for the cam block 6, the cam plate 6A is locked by the locking member 12A. Since it is locked by the number 11 claws 11B, it slips and remains in a stopped state.

Therefore, the rotating shaft 2 in FIG. 2 does not rotate, and as a result, the sorting roller 36 and the feed roller 37 also stand still, and the feed roller 37 does not press against the uppermost surface of the transfer material, but maintains it in a spaced position above. It's in Tama\.

On the other hand, due to the counterclockwise rotation of the gear 4, the rotation shaft 9 is also rotated counterclockwise, and the pressure roller 43 shown in FIG. 2 is further rotated in the direction of the half-hour hand.

The solenoid S is turned on by the signal to start feeding the transfer material.
When the locking member 11 is rotated counterclockwise due to the suction of the plunger P, the claw 11A is disengaged from the wind turbine 3 and the claw 11B is also disengaged from the cam plate 6A. begins to rotate clockwise together with gear 7.

As the cam block 6 rotates, the cam plate 6C rotates and the swinging metal fitting 32, which is integrated with the lifting lever 17, is rotated counterclockwise by its own weight via the lifting lever 17 that comes into contact with it. The feed roller 37 is brought into pressure contact with the uppermost surface of the transfer material.

Next, the protrusion of the cam plate 6B pushes up the locking member 12 and rotates counterclockwise, so that the claw 12 against the windmill 3
A is released, and the windmill 3 and the gear 4 begin to rotate counterclockwise.

Therefore, only one sheet of the top layer of transfer material is carried out from the mounting table 50, but if two or more sheets are fed simultaneously, only one sheet of the top layer is transported by the sorting roller 36, and the transfer material of the lower layer is carried out by the pressure contact. Feeding is blocked by the conveying force of the roller 43 in the opposite direction.

After the cam blower 260 continues to rotate clockwise and the front end of the conveyed transfer material reaches the cutting roller 36, the lifting lever 17 is raised again by the rotation of the cam plate 6C, and the feeding roller 37 is raised again. The paper is retracted upward and conveyance by the rotation of the cutting roller 36 is continued.

After the front end of the conveyed transfer material reaches the paper feed roller on the image forming apparatus main body side, the solenoid S is turned off, and the locking member 11 is rotated clockwise by the biasing force of the torsion spring 14, and the windmill 3 is rotated clockwise. The rotation of the pinch roller 36 and the feed roller 37 is stopped.

The cam block 6 continues to rotate clockwise until the protrusion of the cam plate 6A engages with the pawl llA of the locking member 11 and stops. Further, until the cam block 6 stops, the locking member 12 is also released from the pushing up action by the protrusion of the cam plate 6B, and is rotated clockwise by the bias of the torsion spring 15 to move the claw 12A to the windmill 3. 1 and 2 again.

The height of the top layer of the transfer material, which has been lowered due to continued feeding, is restored by the operation of the motor M, which is rotated in the forward direction by the ON signal of the photoelectric switcher 0. That is, when the height of the top layer of the transfer material decreases, the actuator 7
1 rotates counterclockwise following its own weight, turns on the photoelectric switch 70, and in response to the signal, power for forward rotation is supplied to the motor M via the control system.

When the uppermost layer of the transfer material rises due to the operation of the motor M, the actuator 71 detects that it has reached a specified height, and similarly to the above, the photoelectric spin chia 0 is turned OFF, and the forward rotation of the motor M is stopped by that signal. Ru.

When detecting the height of the top layer of the transfer material by the actuator 71, if the front edge of the transfer material is uneven as shown in FIG. 4, it is impossible to accurately control the height by the actuator 71. As a result, the mounting table 50 is larger than necessary.
However, in the paper feeder A of the present invention, the actuator 71 supports the tip of the actuator 71. The regulating member 73 is made of a thin plate material with high elasticity, and is reshaped to a shape and length that can be removed from the detection portion 71A of the actuator 71 and come into contact with the transfer material, thereby making it possible to detect the actuator 71 or the transfer material. The configuration is such that the rJ actuator 71 can be operated indirectly by at least pushing up the regulating member 73.

As a result, even if the stacking of transfer materials becomes extremely uneven, the apparatus is safely protected, and paper feeding can be resumed by correcting the stacking condition.

As is clear from the above description, the paper feeding device A of this embodiment is configured to be able to control the height of the top layer of the transfer material loaded on the mounting table 50 to always maintain it at a specified position, so that it is pressed against the transfer material. It is possible to release the pressure contact of the feed roller 37 after the transfer material is carried out, and as a result, the unbalance of the conveying force that occurs when the rotation of the cutting roller 36 and the feed roller 37 work together on the transfer material can be avoided. This makes it possible to feed the transfer material without damaging or deforming it.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention provides a detection member that constantly detects the top layer of the stacked and housed transfer materials, thereby automatically positioning the transfer materials sequentially and accurately at the delivery position with respect to the image forming apparatus, and furthermore, each roller of the conveyance system The present invention provides a multi-sheet feeding device that can smoothly and effortlessly feed transfer materials to an image forming apparatus by controlling the respective timings of pressure contact and rotation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 5 are side views showing the drive system of the multi-sheet feeding device of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 6 are sectional views showing the conveyance system of the device, and FIG. 3 is the same as that shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a main part, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part showing an example of detecting a transfer material in the device, and FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing an example of how the device is attached to an image forming apparatus. 3... Windmill 6... Cam block 11,
12...Locking member 17...Elevating lever 19...
- Sector gear 32... Swinging metal fitting 36... Sorting roller 37... Sending roller 50... Placement table 60... Frame member 71... Actuator 73... Regulating member 51... Swinging lever 70...Photoelectric switch 71A...Detection section 73A...Rising section

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a multi-sheet feeding device that feeds transfer materials stacked on a tiltable mounting table attached to an image forming apparatus main body one by one from the top layer transfer material to the apparatus main body, the position of the top layer transfer material The present invention is characterized in that a detection member for detecting is provided, and the detection member is configured to operate through a pressure-contact action of the transfer material against a rotatable actuator or a flexible regulation member that engages with the actuator. Multiple sheet feeder.