JPH04201928A - Mass paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the manufacturing costs and improve the operability by configuring a paper size changeover mechanism with a swing lever which is to move a side fences in the opposite directions with the aid of moving plates. CONSTITUTION:When a changeover lever 26 is swung to the left together with a handle 27, a swing lever 21 turns clockwise, and the righthand moving plate 8 moves downward while the lefthand moving plate 8 upward so as to narrow the spacing of side fences 7. When the changeover lever 26 is swung to the right together with the handle 27, the swing lever 21 rotates counterclockwise, and the righthand moving plate 8 is moved upward while the left hand 8 downward to widen the spacing of the side fences 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a large-volume paper feeder for supplying large quantities of paper to recording devices such as copying machines, facsimile machines, and laser printers.

(Prior Art) Fig. 7 shows a part of a recording apparatus equipped with a large-volume paper feeder.Recording apparatuses such as copying machines, facsimile machines, and laser printers are equipped with drum-shaped or An endless belt-shaped photoreceptor is irradiated with laser light or light reflected from a document to form an electrostatic latent image, and then a developing device attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image to develop it. Then, a mass paper feeder 3 (hereinafter referred to as "paper feeder 3") loaded with about 1,000 to 3,000 sheets of paper 2
”. (See Figure 8) Alternatively, if the paper 2 is fed from the cassette 4 containing about 250 to 500 sheets of paper 2 to the photoreceptor at the appropriate timing with the pair of registration rollers 5, the toner on the photoreceptor will be transferred to the transfer charger. The image is transferred onto the paper 2 by a fixing device, and then fixed onto the paper 2 by a fixing device. Then, the paper 2 is discharged from the recording device 1 to a paper discharge section 6, and residual toner is removed from the photoreceptor by a cleaning device.

By the way, since the size of the paper 2 to be loaded on the paper feeder 3 is not necessarily constant, the side fence 7 that regulates the position so that the paper 2 is carried out straight from the paper feeder 3 is moved in the paper 2 carryout direction (arrow A direction). ) must be able to move in a direction perpendicular to

Therefore, conventionally, the side fence 7 was moved in a direction perpendicular to the carrying-out direction (direction of arrow A) using a mechanism as shown in FIG.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a pair of movable plates with side fences 7 vertically erected at the ends, and 9 denotes two guide rails arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the carrying-out direction. A plate 8 is attached so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the carrying-out direction.

11 is a pinion gear that meshes with each rack 10; 12 is a circular groove 13 with a spirally eccentric groove 13 on the inside; A size in which book grooves 14 are respectively recessed on the outside, and a plurality of size detection elements 15 formed by arranging 1 to 5 size detection plates in an appropriate combination are protruded in a row into the grooves 14. The dial 12 is an adjustment dial (hereinafter referred to as "dial"), and a portion of the dial 12 protrudes from the front of the outer case, and is attached to a frame (not shown) or the like so as to be freely rotatable in the horizontal direction. 16 is
A long hole 18 that engages with a pin 17 protruding from one side of the moving plate 8
is drilled into one arm, and a pin 1 engages with the spiral groove 13.
The lever 16 is an L-shaped lever with a numeral 9 projecting from the other arm, and the lever 16 is attached to a frame (not shown) or the like so as to be swingable in the horizontal direction. 20 is a size detector in which five photosensors each having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element facing each other are arranged in series.

In the conventional paper size switching mechanism configured in this way, when the dial 12 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure, the lever 1
6 rotates clockwise to move the movable plate 8 provided with the pin 17 to the right in the figure, and move the other movable plate 8 to the left in the figure to widen the interval between the side fences 7.
Conversely, when the dial 12 is rotated clockwise in the figure, the lever 16 is rotated counterclockwise, moving the movable plate 8 provided with the pin 17 to the left in the figure, and moving the other side. Move the plate 8 to the right in the figure to narrow the distance between the side fences 7. Therefore, if the size detector 20 reads the number and arrangement of the size detection elements 15 protruding at positions where the distance between the side fences 7 becomes a predetermined dimension, it is possible to determine which size of the paper 2 is between the side fences 7. It is possible to notify whether or not the vehicle can be loaded.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, as described above, the conventional paper size switching mechanism requires parts with a complicated structure, and because the structure is complicated, the manufacturing cost of the parts is high. However, there is a problem in that the number of manufacturing steps is increased, the manufacturing time is labor-intensive, and the manufacturing cost of the paper size switching mechanism is high.

Also, since only a portion of the dial 12 protrudes from the front of the outer case, only the current paper size can be determined, and in order to change to another desired paper size, it is necessary to turn in either direction.
There was a problem in that the operability was poor because it was not possible to tell at a glance how much the rotation should be made.

Furthermore, if the diameter of the dial 12 is made small, a large force must be applied to the dial 12 to change the spacing between the side fences 7, and if the diameter of the dial 12 is made large, the dial 12 must be turned many times. However, there was a problem with poor operability.

Furthermore, if the dial 12 is exposed from the outer case of the paper feeder 3, the distance between the side fences 7 will be increased by operating the dial 12 while the paper feeder 3 is in operation. There is a problem that the position of the size detector 2 is no longer regulated, causing skew, jam, etc.
Since the signal output from 0 also changes, there is a problem in that the printing apparatus 1 determines that there is a paper size error and stops the printing operation during the printing operation.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a mass paper feeder equipped with a paper size switching mechanism that is inexpensive to manufacture and has good operability.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a pair of movable plates each having one side fence erected at each end thereof, and a pair of movable plates each having one side fence erected at each end thereof, and a pair of movable plates each having one side fence erected at each end thereof, and a side fence arranged perpendicularly to the paper conveyance direction. a guide rail movably supporting a pair of movable plates so as to move in a direction; and a guide rail having both ends connected to the pair of movable plates, respectively;
The centers of these two connection points are pivotally supported by pins, and when pivoted by an integrated switching lever, the side fences are moved in opposite directions via a movable plate. A paper size switching mechanism is constructed with a moving lever.

(Function) According to the configuration of the present invention, by marking the moving position of the handle on the outer case and displaying the size name of the paper that can be placed, the distance between the side fences can be changed from the current paper size to the desired size. At a glance, you will be able to see in which direction and how far you need to move the switching lever to change the paper size.

Also, since the switching lever is longer than the swinging lever,
Changing the spacing of the side fences can be done with just one touch by applying a small amount of force to the handle.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, and the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. A rocking lever is swingably attached to a pin 23, 24 is a long hole bored at both ends of the rocking lever 21, and 25 is a pin protruding from the movable plate 8, and this pin 25 engages in the elongated hole 24. be done. Reference numeral 26 denotes a switching lever that is integrally provided in the center of the swinging lever 21 so as to be orthogonal to the swinging lever 21; 27 is a handle attached to the tip of the switching lever 26; Move along the outer case in front of the. 28 is a shielding plate provided with a cutout hole 29 of a predetermined width, and this shielding plate 28
is fixed to one of the movable plates 8 in a direction perpendicular to the carrying-out direction. Reference numeral 30 denotes a size detector in which photosensors 30a and 30b each having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element facing each other are arranged in series. The output of a signal from the photosensor 30a or 30b is controlled by the hole 29, and the size of paper that can be placed on the paper feeder 3 is detected. Paper size and photosensors 30a and 3
The relationship with the signal output from 0b can be set, for example, as shown in the following table.

In this embodiment configured in this way, when the switching lever 26 is swung to the left in the drawing together with the handle 27, the swiveling lever 21 is rotated clockwise, and the movable plate 8 on the right side in the fig. While moving downward in the middle, the moving plate 8 on the left side in the figure moves upward in the figure to narrow the interval between the side fences 7. or,
When the switching lever 26 is swung to the right in the figure together with the handle 27, the oscillation lever 21 is rotated counterclockwise, and the movable plate 8 on the right side in the figure moves upward in the figure, and also moves to the left side in the figure. The movable plate 8 moves downward in the figure to widen the interval between the side fences 7.

By the way, since the handle 27 moves along the outer case in front of the paper feeder 3, the position at which the switching lever 26 swings when the distance between the side fences 7 is opened to a dimension corresponding to the size of each paper, in other words, the handle By marking the moved position of the side fence 27 on the outer case and displaying the size name of the paper that can be placed, the switching lever can be used to change the spacing between the side fences 7 from the current paper size to another desired paper size. You can now see at a glance in which direction and by how much you need to move 26.

Furthermore, since the switching lever 26 has a longer dimension than the swinging lever 21, the distance between the side fences 7 can be changed with one touch by simply applying a small force to the handle 27.

3 and 4 show the configuration of another embodiment of the present invention, in which the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate the same parts, and 31 indicates the same parts. In Figure 7, the cover attached to the paper feed port on the right side of the paper feed device 3 so that it can be opened and closed;
Reference numeral 32 denotes a single rod-shaped lever with one end of the swinging lever part 33 extending in the direction of the center line of the swinging lever part 33, and a switching lever part 34 integrally provided at one end of the swinging lever part 33. When the swinging lever part 33 is swingably attached to the pin 23 protruding from the board 22, the switching lever part 3 becomes the lever 32.
A handle 27 attached to the tip of the paper feeder 3 moves along the outer case on the right side of the paper feeder 3. Reference numeral 35 denotes an elongated hole bored at both ends of the swinging lever portion 33, into which the pin 25 protruding from the movable plate 8 is engaged.

In this embodiment configured in this way, in FIG.
When the lever 32 is moved to the left in the figure together with the handle 27 and the swing lever part 33 is rotated clockwise, the moving plate 8 on the upper side in the figure moves to the right in the figure, and the lower part in the figure moves. The side moving plate 8 moves to the left in the figure to narrow the distance between the side fences 7.

Furthermore, when the lever 32 is moved to the right in the figure together with the handle 27 and the swinging lever part 33 is rotated counterclockwise, the upper moving plate 8 in the figure moves to the left in the figure.
The lower movable plate 8 in the figure moves rightward in the figure to widen the interval between the side fences 7.

By the way, since the handle 27 moves along the outer case on the right side of the paper feeder 3, the position at which the lever 32 swings when the distance between the side fences 7 is opened to a dimension corresponding to the size of each paper, in other words, the handle The lever 32 is used to change the distance between the side fences 7 from the current paper size to another desired paper size by marking the moved position of the paper 27 on the outer case and displaying the size name of the paper that can be placed.
You will be able to see at a glance in which direction and by how much.

Also, since the position of the end of the swinging lever part 33 from the pin 23 is farther from the pin 23 than the position of the end of the switching lever part 34 from the pin 23, it is difficult to change the distance between the side fences 7 by using the handle. You can do it with just one touch by applying a small amount of force to 27.

Furthermore, when the cover 31 is closed, the handle 27 is stored inside the paper feeder 3 and cannot be operated. Therefore, while the paper feeder 3 is in operation, the distance between the side fences 7 is widened to prevent skew and This eliminates the possibility of occurrence of a jam or the like, or of stopping the recording operation of the recording apparatus 1 during the recording operation by changing the signal output from the size detector 20.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of still another embodiment of the present invention, in which the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate the same parts, and 36 indicates the handle 27. Paper feed device 3
A rail that moves freely along the outer case in front of the
37 is a link whose one end is swingably attached to the handle 27 and whose other end is connected to an elongated hole 39 at the tip of the switching lever 26 via a connecting pin 38 protruding from the other end; 40 is a rail 36 inward from the right end in the figure by approximately the length of the link 37, in other words, the distance between the side fences 7 has expanded to the allowable range, and the switching lever 26
A link release hole is drilled in the side plate 41 at a position where the sensor cannot swing, and 42 is a size detector consisting of a photosensor with a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element facing each other.
is installed at one end of the rail 36. 43 is a shielding plate attached to the handle 27, and when the handle 27 is slid to the end, the shielding plate 43 is inserted between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the size detector 42.

In this embodiment configured in this way, when the link 37 is located at a location other than the link release hole 40, the movement of the link 37 is regulated by the side plate 41, and the link 37 is
7 is almost fixed in a tilted state [Figure 5 (a)
reference]. Therefore, when the handle 27 is moved to the left in the figure along the outer case in front of the paper feeder 3, the link 3
Since the switching lever 26 also rotates in conjunction with the switching lever 7, the swinging lever 21 rotates clockwise, so that the interval between the side fences 7 becomes narrower. Also, when the switching lever 26 is swung to the right in the figure together with the handle 27, the switching lever 26 is moved together with the link 37.
6 is also interlocked, and the swing lever 21 is rotated counterclockwise, so that the interval between the side fences 7 is widened.

Then, when the handle 27 is moved to the right in the figure until the distance between the side fences 7 widens to the allowable range and movement of the side fences 7 is blocked, the switching lever 26 will no longer swing. However, since the connecting pin 38 side of the link 37 faces the link release hole 40 [see FIG.
While moving in the direction of the center line of the link 37 connects the connecting pin 38
The handle 27 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure about the axis, and the handle 27 further moves to the right in the figure [see FIG. 5(b)]. Therefore, the shielding plate 43 is inserted between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the size detector 42, and a signal is output from the size detector 42. The dimensions of the paper 2 are the same as the spacing of the side fences 7, but have different lengths in the carry-out direction, for example, JIS standard A4 paper 2 placed horizontally with respect to the carry-out direction and JIS standard A4 paper 2 placed vertically with respect to the carry-out direction. It becomes possible to distinguish and detect paper 2 of standard A3.

FIG. 6 shows the connection relationship between the electrical components of the recording apparatus 1 and the paper feeding apparatus 3. An engine board 44 provided in the recording apparatus 1 includes a means S3 for determining the presence or absence of the paper feeding apparatus 3. A motor M that drives the tray 45 (see Figure 8) in the vertical direction
, a means S for detecting opening/closing of the cover 31 of the paper feeder 3 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), a means S for detecting the position where the tray 45 is completely lowered, and a size detector 30 are connected. , the central processing unit (CPU) of the engine board 44
, ) controls the motor M according to the signals output from the discrimination means S l 1 open/close detection means S, the 2 position detection means S, and the size detector 30.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, the distance between the side fences can be adjusted to the current distance by marking the moving position of the handle on the outer case and displaying the size of paper that can be placed. This has the effect of making it possible to see at a glance in which direction and by how much the switching lever should be moved in order to change from one paper size to another desired paper size.

Also, since the switching lever is longer than the swinging lever,
Changing the spacing of the side fences can be done with just one touch by applying a small amount of force to the handle.

Furthermore, when the cover of the large-volume paper feeder is closed, the handle is stored inside the large-volume paper feeder, making it impossible to operate the handle. This has the advantage that jams and the like do not occur, and the signal output from the size detector does not change to stop the recording operation of the recording apparatus during the recording operation.

Furthermore, if a link is interposed between the handle and the switching lever, the length of the paper in the direction perpendicular to the unloading direction, that is, the distance between the side fences, and the length of the paper that is different in the unloading direction can be differentiated. This has the effect of enabling detection.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are block diagrams of one embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 3 and 4 are block diagrams of another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
) and (b) are diagrams showing the configuration and operation of still another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the connection relationship between the electrical components of the recording device and the paper feeding device, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a large-volume paper feeder, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional paper size switching mechanism. ■... Recording device, 2... Paper, 3-... Mass paper feeder, 7... Side fence, 8... Moving plate,
9... Guide rail, 21... Swing lever (33.
... Part of the swinging lever), 23... Pin, 26... Switching lever (34... Part of the switching lever), 27... Handle, 28, 43... Shielding plate (detected object ), 30.42
...Size detector, 31...Cover, 36...Rail (guide member), 37...Link, 39...Elongated hole, 40...Link release hole, 41...Side plate, 45...
·tray. Patent applicant Rico Co., Ltd. - 'i41Figure 2Figure 3J jI4Figure 5V (b) Figure 6Figure 8Figure 9

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) In a large-volume paper feeder that supplies large amounts of paper to recording devices such as copying machines, facsimile machines, and laser printers, a pair of movable devices with side fences erected at one end to control the lateral displacement of the paper loaded on the tray are used. a guide rail that movably supports the pair of movable plates so that the side fence moves in a direction perpendicular to the paper carrying direction; both ends thereof are respectively connected to the pair of movable plates; In addition, the centers of these two connection points are pivotably supported by pins, and when pivoted by an integrally provided switching lever, the side fences are moved in opposite directions via the movable plate. A large-volume paper feeder equipped with a paper size switching mechanism consisting of a swing lever that moves the paper size. (2) In a large-volume paper feeder that supplies large amounts of paper to recording devices such as copying machines, facsimiles, and laser printers, a pair of movable trays with a side fence erected at one end to prevent the paper stacked on the tray from shifting laterally. a guide rail that movably supports the pair of movable plates so that the side fence moves in a direction perpendicular to the paper carrying direction; both ends thereof are respectively connected to the pair of movable plates. With,
The centers of these two connection points are pivotably supported by pins, and when pivoted by an integrated switching lever, the side fences are moved in opposite directions via the movable plate. a swing lever that moves the handle along the outer case; a link that is rotatably attached to the handle and movably engaged with an elongated hole drilled in the switching lever; A side plate for regulating the rotation of the link, and a hole in the side plate at a position where a gap between the side fence is maximally opened or minimally closed to prevent swinging of the switching lever, and the switching lever is When a force is applied to the handle while the swinging of the handle is prevented, the link is inserted into a link release hole that allows only the handle to move; a detected object integrally provided on the handle; The size of the paper is installed at a position where the detected object moves when it moves, and the length of one side is the same as the maximum or minimum interval of the side fence, but the length of the other side is different. A large-volume paper feeder equipped with a paper size switching mechanism consisting of a size detector that detects paper size. (3) The large-volume sheet feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operating end of the switching lever is installed inside a cover of a sheet feeding port. (4) The movable plate is integrally provided with a detected object that moves in the vicinity of the size detector, and detects the size of paper that can be loaded in conjunction with changes in the interval between the side fences. 1) or the mass paper feeding device according to claim (2).