JPH0710295A - Sheet stacking device and sheet feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To miniaturize an intermediate plate for pressing stored sheets against a feeder means in a sheet stacker in which sheets of plural sizes can be selectively stored by setting the feed length of the intermediate plate to a specific size as to the sheet of the minimum size that can be stacked. CONSTITUTION:While an MP(multiple recording paper) cassette added to facsimile terminal equipment using LBP is waiting, its intermediate-plate pushing lever 39 is restrained from turning by the protruding portion of a separation cam and its intermediate plate 33 is pushed slightly upward by an intermediate- plate pushing arm 38. To feed sheets, at the start of rotation of a separation roller a pressure-contact member is rotated by rotation of the intermediate-plate pushing lever 39 along the separation cam, and thereby pushes up the intermediate plate 33 to start feeding sheets.; in this case, the feed length of the intermediate plate 33 which presses the stored sheets against a feeder means is set to be one-third or less of the feed length of the sheet of the minimum size that can be stacked. Therefore, the intermediate plate 33 can be miniaturized and the cassette can be made lightweight.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet stacking apparatus used in an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile machine and capable of storing a plurality of types of sheets, and a sheet feeding apparatus using the sheet stacking apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a sheet stacking apparatus used in an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile machine, a side direction of the image recording apparatus 101 as shown in FIG. 20 or the image recording apparatus as shown in FIG. There is a sheet cassette that can be inserted from the front side of 102.

In addition, the sheet cassettes 103, 104 used in order to stack the small size sheets S _S on the sheet cassettes 103, 104 made to fit the maximum size sheet S _L. There is a type in which a plurality of sheet sizes can be accommodated by exchanging or moving the sheet stacking section and the end surface regulating section while maintaining the outer shape.

Further, the length of the middle plate is made longer than the length of the sheet in order to reduce the change in the angle of the middle plate, which is the stacking base of the sheets, due to the change in the remaining amount of the sheets, and the center of rotation of the middle plate is adjusted. Some are near the rear edge of the seat.

Further, there is one in which the intermediate plate is a steel plate in order to secure the strength for the intermediate plate to withstand the weight of the sheet.

[0006]

However, the following problems may occur in the above-mentioned conventional example in which the length of the intermediate plate is longer than the length of the sheet and the intermediate plate is a steel plate.

Since the intermediate plate becomes large, the weight of the sheet stacking device increases.

Static electricity generated by sliding of sheets during continuous feeding may discharge to the intermediate plate and make the operation of the apparatus unstable. In addition, the middle plate, which is a conductive material that is not connected to the ground inside the device, may receive the radiated noise generated from the electric circuit inside the device and may become a radiated noise antenna that further radiates this to the outside of the device. There is. In order to solve this problem, if a countermeasure is taken such as using a leaf spring or the like from the middle plate to connect it to the main body of the apparatus to secure a ground, the cost may increase. Further, since the sheet stacking device is attached to and detached from the main body of the device, conduction is likely to be unstable.

In recent years, most of the control of the apparatus is performed by electronic circuits and software, so that prevention of malfunction due to electrostatic discharge and compliance with radiation noise regulations that tend to become severe year by year are important issues.

If a plurality of sheet sizes can be accommodated by exchanging or moving the sheet stacking section and the end surface regulating section, the removed parts may be lost when the size is switched.

The above-mentioned problems have become serious problems due to the speeding up of sheet feeding devices, the large capacity storage of sheets, and the increase in size in recent years.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to reduce the weight of a cassette, to eliminate the need for a ground due to non-conduction, and to prevent the loss of parts when switching sizes. Is to try.

[0013]

According to the present invention, in a sheet stacking device capable of selectively storing sheets of a plurality of sizes, the feeding of an intermediate plate for urging the stored sheets to the feeding means. It is characterized in that the length in the paper direction is set to ⅓ or less of the length in the paper feed direction of the smallest size sheet that can be stacked.

Further, according to the present invention, in a sheet stacking device capable of selectively storing sheets of a plurality of sizes, an intermediate plate for urging the stored sheets to a feeding means and a movement within a sheet stacking surface. And a sheet regulating plate that can be fixed by a snap fit and that regulates either the side end surface or the rear end surface of the sheet according to a plurality of types of sheet sizes, and the sheet regulating plate from the apparatus main body. When removing the intermediate plate, a part of the intermediate plate interferes with the intermediate plate, and when the intermediate plate is incorporated, it cannot be removed from the main body of the apparatus.

[0015]

In the former invention, the length of the middle plate in the paper feeding direction is set to be ⅓ or less of the length in the paper feeding direction of the smallest size sheet that can be stacked, so that the middle plate is made smaller and the middle plate is made smaller. By reducing the weight of such a sheet, a non-conductive material (resin or the like) can be used for the intermediate plate.

Further, in the latter invention, when the intermediate plate is incorporated in the main body of the apparatus, the sheet regulating plate cannot be removed from the sheet stacking apparatus, so that the loss of parts at the time of size switching can be prevented.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An outline of an entire facsimile apparatus provided with a sheet stacking means according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIGS. 3 to 5, reference numeral 1 denotes the apparatus main body, 2
Is an original placing table configured so that a plurality of originals D can be stacked on the top cover of the apparatus body 1, 3 is an image reading unit for reading image information of the original S, 4 is a recording unit including a laser beam printer, Reference numeral 5 is a document conveying section, 6 is a document pressing section, 7 is a contact image sensor, 8 is a document discharge tray,
Reference numeral 9 is a laser scanner, 10 is an image forming unit, 11 is a cassette paper feeding unit, 12 is a recording paper discharge tray, 13 is an MP (multi-recording paper) cassette, 14 is a cartridge cover, 1
5 is an ADF cover, 16 is an upper document guide, 17 is a weight shaft, 18 is a document pressing plate, 19 is a lower document guide, 20 is a partition between the image reading section and the recording section, 21 is a control section of a facsimile apparatus, 22 Is a handset, 23 is a transport guide, 24
Is an operation unit, 25 is a display unit, 26 is a tally lamp indicating the operating state of the facsimile apparatus, 27 is a second stage cassette unit,
28 is a light cover, 29 is an MP cassette sensor, 30
Is an MP separation unit.

The image reading section 3 feeds and separates the originals D stacked on the original placing table 2 one by one by a pre-conveying roller 5b in pressure contact with the pre-conveying pressing piece 5a and a separating roller 5d in pressure contact with the reverse roller 5c. Further, the paper feed roller 5f pressed by the pressing spring 5k conveys the paper to the contact type image sensor 7 by a paper feed roller 5f and the like, and the original pressing unit 6 conveys the weight shaft 1 to the weight.
7. After reading the image information of the document D while pressing the document D against the contact type image sensor 7 by the document pressing plate 18 to bring the document D into close contact, the document D is pressed against the discharge roller 5g pressed by the pressing spring 5k and discharged. The document is discharged to the document discharge tray 8 by the paper roller 5h. During this time, the document D is guided by the upper document guide 16 and the lower document guide 19.

A slider 2a is slidable on the document table 2 in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the document D is conveyed (width direction of the document D).
Is provided so that both sides of the original document D stacked on the original document table 2 can be aligned by the slider 2a. Further, when the original D is a long original, the extension original tray 2b can be opened to prevent the rear end of the original D from protruding from the original placing table 2 and hanging down.

The recording unit 4 emits a modulation signal from the laser beam oscillator 9a of the laser scanner 9 based on the image signal output from the control unit 21, and the modulated beam is exposed to the image forming unit 10 by the polygon mirror 9b. The body drum 10a is irradiated with scanning light to form image information on the surface of the photoconductor drum 10a, and the image information is fed from the cassette paper feeding unit 11, the second stage cassette unit 27, or the MP cassette unit 13 to the image forming unit 10. After the image information is transferred and fixed on the recording paper S, the recording paper S is discharged onto the stacking tray 12.

The photosensitive drum 10a is integrally incorporated in the recording cartridge 10e together with the primary charger 10b, the developing roller 10c, and the cleaning roller 10d, and is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 1. Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 10a is uniformly charged by the primary charger 10b, and when the scanning light is reflected on the surface of the polygon mirror 9b and reflected by the folding mirror 9c, a latent image is formed, and the latent image is formed on the developing roller. The toner is supplied from 10c so as to be visualized.

A transfer charger 10f is arranged around the photosensitive drum 10a of the image forming section 10, and the thermal fixing device 10 is provided in the recording paper S conveyance path downstream of the photosensitive drum 10a.
g, a paper discharge roller 10h are arranged.

The recording sheet S is transferred with the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10a by the transfer charger 10f, is then transported along the transport guide 23, and the toner image is fixed by the thermal fixing device 10g. The recording paper is discharged to the recording paper discharge tray 12 by the discharge roller 10h.

The MP cassette unit 13 is arranged at the bottom of the apparatus main body 1. The recording sheets S loaded on the MP cassette 13a are pressed against the MP separation roller 30a by the MP contact plate 13c being rotated upward by the pressing member 13b, and separated one by one by the MP separation pad 30b (friction strips). (Separation method), is conveyed along the MP separation base 30c, and is further conveyed by the conveyance roller 28a and the light cover 2.
8 is reversed by the cover-side U-turn guide 28b arranged on the side of the apparatus 8 and the main-body-side U-turn guide 28c arranged on the side of the apparatus main body 1. Further, the leading edge position of the recording sheet S being fed is detected by the registration sensor 28d, and the photosensitive drum 1
After the paper is fed and the image output timing is adjusted so that the leading edge of the toner image formed on 0a and the leading edge of the recording paper S are aligned, the toner is conveyed between the transfer charger 10f and the photosensitive drum 10a. The image is recorded on the lower surface side of the recording paper S stacked on the MP cassette 13a.

Further, the recording paper S has its side end face and rear end face restricted by an MP restricting plate 13d mounted so as to be movable according to the size of the recording paper so that skewing and non-feeding will not occur. The size and presence / absence of the recording paper S are detected by the MP cassette sensor 29. The maximum number of recording sheets that can be stacked is 100, and the recording sheets are pulled out to the left side toward the apparatus main body 1 (side loading method). In addition, there are three types of recording paper S size that can be stacked: A4, letter, and legal. In FIG.
d is set to A4 size.

The cassette paper feeding unit 11 is arranged so that the top plate 11h of the cassette paper feeding unit 11 is in contact with the bottom lower surface of the apparatus main body 1, and the top surface of the top plate 11h is the bottom plate of the apparatus main body 1. There is. The recording sheet S loaded in the sheet feeding cassette 11a has an intermediate plate 11e biased upward by an intermediate plate spring 11f, and a semicircular sheet feeding roller 11b and a pair of separating claws 11d.
The recording sheets S are separated one by one by means of the claw separation method, and the separated recording sheets S are conveyed by the cassette conveying roller pair 11c, pass between the MP separation base 30c and the sheet passing guide 28e, and are conveyed by the conveying rollers 28a. , The cover-side U-turn guide 28b arranged on the light cover 28 and the body-side U-turn guide 28c arranged on the apparatus body 1 side are reversed. From this point, it is the same as the sheet feeding from the MP cassette unit 13 described above. The paper path joins immediately before the transport roller 28a. The image is recorded on the lower surface side of the recording paper S stacked on the paper feed cassette 11a.

Although the second-stage cassette paper feeding unit 27 is omitted in FIG. 5, the second-stage cassette paper feeding unit 27 has almost the same structure as the illustrated cassette paper feeding unit 11, and the recording paper S inside the second-stage cassette 27a is a cassette. Paper is fed to the recording unit 4 through the lateral space 11g of the paper feeding unit 11.

Each of the cassettes 11a and 27a is capable of stacking 500 recording sheets, and is configured to be pulled out to the front side of the apparatus main body 1 (front loading system). In addition, the stackable recording paper size is A
There are two types, letter and letter.

The cassette paper feeding unit 11 and the second-stage cassette paper feeding unit 27 can be separately separated and combined as an option, and the total number of sheets of recording paper that can be stacked in the apparatus is 10.
It is possible to change from 0 sheets (when the cassette sheet feeding unit is not provided) to 1100 sheets (when the cassette sheet feeding unit 11 is provided in two stages).

The apparatus body 1 is provided with a cartridge cover 14 that can be opened and closed. By opening the cartridge cover 14, the recording cartridge 10e can be opened.
It can be pulled out and replaced. Further, the cartridge cover 14 is provided with an interlock mechanism so that the recording unit 4 does not operate when the cartridge cover 14 is open or the recording cartridge 10e is not set in the apparatus main body 1. Also,
The drum photosensitive prevention shutter 10i provided on the recording cartridge 10e is designed to interlock with the setting of the recording cartridge 10e to the apparatus main body 1. When the cartridge cover 14 is opened and the recording cartridge 10e is set to the apparatus main body 1, the shutter is released. 10i is opened, and when the recording cartridge 10e is taken out from the apparatus main body 1, the shutter 10i is closed to prevent unnecessary exposure of the photosensitive drum 10a.

When a jam occurs during recording, the cartridge cover 14, the light cover 28, the paper discharge cover 1
By opening either 0j or the jam release cover 11i, the recording paper S retained inside can be taken out.

The paper discharge cover 10j must be opened after the recording paper discharge tray 12 is removed.

The partitioning section 20 is a duct that separates the image reading section 3 and the recording section 4. The image reading section 3 is adversely affected by the heat generated from the recording section 4 by flowing air by a fan (not shown). The vapor which is received or evaporated from the recording paper S is prevented from being condensed and dripping on the recording paper S.

The contact-type image sensor 7 uses L as a light source.
The image information surface of the original D is irradiated with light from the ED array, and the reflected light reflected from the image information surface is imaged on the sensor element by the SELFOC lens to read the image information.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the control system 300 of the facsimile apparatus using the LBP according to the present invention.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 301 denotes a CPU that controls the entire facsimile apparatus, and includes MPU 311 and MPU 3
11, a ROM 312 for storing control programs and the like, a RAM 313 used as a work area for various data processing and a temporary storage unit for image information, an image processing unit 314 for performing image scaling, resolution conversion, and the like. . Further, the CPU 301 is provided with a calendar, a clock function and the like having a known configuration, and the area of the RAM 313 that stores important system setting information such as one-touch key destination information and software switch information is backed up by a battery to prevent an unexpected failure such as a power failure. Protected from. The control system of the facsimile apparatus has a configuration in which the above-mentioned CPU 301 and the following elements 302 to 310 are connected through an interface.

The operation unit 302 is composed of various key switches such as a ten key 314, a function key 315, a one-touch key 316, a start key 317, a stop key 317 and the like. The display unit 303 includes an LCD 318 for displaying various messages and various LEDs 3 for displaying transmission modes and the like.
19, a tally lamp 320 for notifying a distant operator of a communication state and occurrence of a failure. The reading unit 304 includes a driving unit 321 such as a reading motor, a reading sensor 322 for reading an image, an image processing unit 323 for shading and binarizing the read image, and various sensors 324 for detecting a document.
Etc.

The recording unit 305 is a drive unit 32 such as a recording motor.
5, a laser scanner, a recording unit 326 for controlling the electrophotographic process, an image processing unit 327 for smoothing an image to be recorded, and various sensors 328 for detecting the recording paper S and the like. The communication control unit 306 for making a call, receiving a call, encoding image data, and the like has a connection unit 329 including DSU, NCU, and the like, and a communication network 307 and a handset 308 are connected to the connection unit 329.

The CPU external interface 309 is a CPU
It is an interface for directly transmitting and receiving data from 301. For example, the device is used as a scanner printer or the like of an external computer by connecting to a computer external to the device by RS232C, SCSI, LAN or the like.
The HDD 310 is used as a large-capacity non-volatile memory for storing image information and the like.

Next, FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing the basic operation of LBP.
Will be explained.

In FIG. 7, 400 is a semiconductor laser that blinks a laser beam for image data to be recorded, 401 is a polygon motor, 402 is a polygon mirror rotated by the polygon motor 401, 403 is image formation, tilt correction and the like. An optical system, 404 is a photodetector, 405 is a folding mirror, 406 is a photosensitive drum, 407 is a developing device, 4
Reference numeral 08 is a recording sheet S, 409 is a conveyance guide, and 410 is a fixing device.

In the above structure, first the semiconductor laser 4
The laser beam emitted from 00 is deflected by being reflected by the polygon mirror 402, and is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 406 via the optical system 403 and the folding mirror 405 (main scanning). At this time, the photo detector 404 cuees to determine the irradiation position. While this main scan is completed for one line, the photosensitive drum 406 rotates for one line (sub-scan). The image formed on the photosensitive drum 406 as described above is developed by the developing device 407, and the recording sheet S
408. Further, it is conveyed along the conveyance guide 409, fixed by the fixing device 410, and discharged.

The photosensitive drum 406 and the developing device 40 described above are used.
Elements of the sub-scanning system such as 7, the conveyance guide 409, and the fixing device 410 are controlled by a recording motor, a gear, a belt, etc.
It is driven in synchronization.

Next, the MP cassette section 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 14 to 19.

In FIGS. 1, 2, and 14 to 19,
32 is an MP regulation plate, 33 is an MP middle plate, 34 and 35 are curl pressers, 36 is a marking for explaining the operation, 37 is a separation shaft, and 38
Is a middle plate pressing arm, 39 is a middle plate pressing lever, 40 is a middle plate pressing spring, 41 is a middle plate hinge portion, 42 is a middle plate pressing portion, 43 is a middle plate protruding portion, 44, 45 and 46 are restriction plate fixing holes, 47 is a restriction plate positioning part, 48 and 49 are lateral pressure springs, 50 is a rear end restriction part, 51 is a restriction plate removal hole, 52 is a middle plate rear end part, and 53 is a restriction plate movement. Hole, 54 is the recording paper stacking surface,
55 is a moving surface of the regulation plate, 56 is a groove for moving the lateral pressure spring, 60 is a separating roller, 61 is a separating cam, 63 is a bearing support, 64 is a protruding portion of the separating cam, 65 is a separating roller rubber, 66 is an idler roller, and 67 is a middle. A plate tip portion, 68 is a space between the separation cam and the intermediate plate pressing lever, and 69 is a separation shaft bearing.

The MP cassette portion 13 (the material of the cassette pocket: ABS resin) is assembled in the order of the MP regulation plate 32, the MP middle plate 33, and the curl retainers 34, 35. MP control plate 3
Reference numeral 2 is an integrally molded product of a resin mold (material: polycarbonate), and the regulation plate positioning portion 47 is inserted through the regulation plate removing hole 51 and moved along the regulation plate moving hole 53 and the regulation plate moving surface 55 to fix the regulation plate. The fixing pin portion 32a is inserted and fixed in any one of 44, 45, and 46. The restriction plate fixing holes 44, 45, and 46 correspond to letter, A4, and legal sizes, respectively. The side pressure springs 48 and 49 suppress the positional deviation of the recording sheet S in the main scanning direction due to the elasticity of the resin. The trailing edge regulation unit 50 suppresses the positional deviation of the recording paper S in the sub scanning direction. Further, a side pressure spring moving groove is provided so as not to obstruct the movement of the side pressure spring 48.

The MP middle plate 33 is an integrally molded product of resin mold (material: polycarbonate) and is rotatably arranged around the hinge portion 41. The MP middle plate 33 is assembled by vertically arranging the MP middle plate 33 vertically by a combination of a well-known two-way-shaped shaft and a partially cutout hole, and rotating it so as to be horizontal. However, it cannot be removed when it is almost horizontal.

Further, a protrusion 43 is formed on the rear end side of the central portion of the MP middle plate 33 in the width direction (main scanning direction) of the recording paper S, and the tip of the protrusion 43 also extends under the recording paper stacking surface. . This allows the middle plate pressure arm 38 to
Since the MP middle plate 33 is prevented from bending in the main scanning direction when the middle plate 33 is pressed by the pressing portion 42, it is possible to employ a resin mold material having a lower strength than sheet metal.
As described above, by making the MP intermediate plate 33 a non-conductive material, static electricity generated by sliding of the recording sheets S during continuous feeding or the like is discharged to the MP intermediate plate 33 to make the operation of the apparatus unstable. In addition, since it is a non-conductive material, the MP intermediate plate 33 itself does not serve as an antenna.

Further, the hinge portion 41 is arranged at a position higher than the protrusion portion 43, and when the MP intermediate plate 33 is rotated, the position of the front end portion is changed in the conveying direction of the recording paper S (sub scanning direction). It is supposed not to. Curl press 34, 35
(Material: POM resin) suppresses curling of the recording paper S that occurs when the apparatus is placed in a high temperature and low humidity environment. This prevents the recording sheet S from protruding above the MP cassette 13a even when the recording sheet S curls, so that the recording sheet S does not get caught inside the apparatus when it is mounted in the apparatus. In addition, until the curl presses 34 and 35 are removed by controlling the rotation of the MP middle plate 33 by the curl presses 34 and 35,
The P middle plate 33 cannot be removed. The distance L1 between the rear end portion of the MP middle plate 33 and the side pressure spring 48 that is the front end portion of the MP restriction plate 32 is defined by the restriction plate positioning portion 47 as the restriction plate removal hole 51.
Since the distance L2 is less than the distance L2 before reaching, the rear end portion of the MP middle plate 33 contacts the side pressure spring 48 before the restriction plate positioning portion 47 reaches the restriction plate removing hole 51, so that the MP middle plate 33 is removed. The MP regulation plate 32 cannot be removed until it is removed. This can reduce the risk of the operator inadvertently disassembling the MP cassette 13a.

As described above, by making all the constituent MP cassettes entirely non-conductive materials, the entire MP cassette can be made non-conductive, and the problems of electrostatic discharge and antenna formation can be solved. There is no need to ground from the cassette to the ground level.

Next, the paper feed mechanism will be described. The MP separation roller 30a is a separation roller 60 fixed to the central portion of the recording paper S in the width direction of the shaft, a separation cam 61 fixed to the outside of the paper path in the width direction, and both sides of the separation roller 60 freely rotatable with respect to the shaft. It is composed of idler rollers 66 and the like which are arranged as possible. The pressure contact member 13b has a middle shaft pressing arm 38 fixed to the separation shaft 37 at the center in the width direction, and a middle plate pressing lever 39 fixed to a position facing the separation cam 61, with a bearing 69 and a bearing support 63 interposed therebetween. It is arranged on the main body.

The intermediate plate pressure spring 40 is hung on the intermediate plate pressure lever 39 and the bearing support 63 to urge the pressure contact member 13b in the clockwise direction in FIG. In addition, the pressure contact member 13
b can be taken out from the main body as a unit while the intermediate plate pressing spring 40 is still applied together with the bearing support 63.

During standby (FIG. 14), the middle plate pressing lever 39 is restricted from rotating by the protrusion 64 of the separation cam. Further, the middle plate pressing arm 38 is configured to push up the MP middle plate 33 by the pressing portion 42 by about 0.5 mm. Therefore, a slope serving as a guide is provided at the tip of the middle plate pressing arm 38. At the time of paper feeding (FIG. 15), the MP separation roller 30 is controlled by a drive system (not shown).
When a starts to rotate, the pressure contact member 13b is rotated by the rotation of the intermediate plate pressure lever 39 along the separation cam 61, and MP
The middle plate 33 is pushed up by the urging force. At this time, since the middle plate pressing arm 38 is already in contact with the MP middle plate 33, the striking sound generated when separated is not generated. When the tip 67 of the middle plate contacts the separation roller rubber 65, the separation cam 6
1 and a space 68 is formed between the intermediate plate pressure lever 39, and the feeding pressure is generated by the urging force of the intermediate plate pressure spring 40 (FIG. 16).
When the separation cam 61 further rotates and the space 68 disappears, the intermediate plate pressing lever 39 is pushed down along the separation cam 61,
Along with this, the MP middle plate 33 is also lowered by its own weight. When it is further rotated and one rotation is completed, it returns to the standby state (one rotation sheet feeding, FIGS. 17 to 19).

With this structure, since the leading edge 67 of the middle plate comes into contact with the separation roller rubber 65 to generate the feeding pressure, regardless of the angle of the MP middle plate 33 at the time of feeding due to the remaining amount of the recording paper S. A stable paper feed pressure can be obtained. Therefore, even if the angle change of the MP middle plate 33 at the time of feeding due to the remaining amount of the recording paper S is large, the MP medium plate 33 can be fed without any problem. 1/3 of the length of the letter size (about 280 mm) in the conveying direction
You can do the following: For this reason, even in the case of the recording paper S having different lengths such as the letter and legal sizes, the weight applied to the MP intermediate plate 33 becomes equal, which has the advantage of stabilizing the paper feeding pressure. In addition, since the MP sub-plate 33 has a short sub-scanning length, the recording paper stacking surface 54 becomes wide, and it is not possible to increase the expression density of the operation explanation of the cassette performed by pasting the printed sticker as compared with printing. It can be done by stamping on the mold, and no seal is required. Further, since the marking makes the recording paper stacking surface 54 uneven, the sticking of the recording paper S to the recording paper stacking surface 54 at low temperature and low humidity can be prevented without using a rib or the like.

The double feeding of the recording paper S is prevented by the separating roller 60 and the separating pad 73 during the feeding, and by the idler roller 66 and the separating pad 73 during the feeding after the feeding.

Next, the separating section of the MP cassette section 13 and the jam clearance will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 8 to FIG. 13, 70 is a tip projection of the MP cassette, 71 is a separating lever, 72 is a separation spring, 73 is a separation pad, 74 is a claw of the separation pad, and 75 is a tip projection of the MP cassette. The concave portion, 76 is the protrusion of the separation lever, 77 is the spacing regulating claw of the separation lever, 78 is the spacing regulation claw of the separation pad, 79 is the space between the separation roller and the separation base, 80 is the separation lever and the middle plate pressing arm. Contact part of
90 is a conveyance roller, 91 is a conveyance roller, 92 is a space of the inflow portion, 93 is a sheet passing rib of the light cover, 94 is a sheet passing rib of the separation base, 95 is a leading edge of the recording sheet S and a sheet passing rib of the light cover. A contact portion 96 is a contact portion between the leading end of the recording sheet S and the sheet passing rib of the separation base.

FIG. 8 is a view showing the state in which the MP cassette 13a is mounted and the light cover 28 is closed, FIGS. 9 and 10.
The MP cassette 13a is removed, and the light cover 28
Is a state in which the MP cassette 13a is mounted and the light cover 28 is opened, and FIGS. 12 and 13 are a state in which the MP cassette 13a is removed and the light cover 28 is opened. FIG.

The separation pad 73 incorporated in the MP separation base 30c is movably supported by the MP separation base 30c in the diametrical direction of the separation roller 60, and is prevented from coming off from the MP separation base 30c by the claw 74 of the separation pad. ing. The separation lever 71 is rotatably supported by the separation shaft 37. Separation pad 73 and separation lever 71
The distance regulating claw 77 of the separation lever and the distance regulating claw 78 of the separation pad are engaged with each other so that they are not separated by a predetermined distance or more. Further, a separation spring 72, which is a compression spring, is arranged between the two, and the distance between the two is kept constant by urging the two in a direction to separate them. When the MP cassette 13a is attached, the tip projection 70 of the MP cassette pushes up the separation lever 71. At this time, since the distance between the separation pad 73 and the separation lever 71 is smaller than the above-mentioned constant distance, the separation pad 73 is urged against the separation roller 60 by a predetermined separation pressure by the repulsive force of the separation spring 72 (FIG. 8). . At this time, the reaction force received by the tip projection 70 of the MP cassette is M
Since the P cassette 13a is in the normal direction to the mounting direction, the reaction force does not cause the MP cassette 13a to receive a reaction force in the mounting direction, and the position is stabilized.

Next, when the MP cassette 13a is removed, the protrusion 76 of the separation lever, which was contained in the recess 75 of the protrusion of the tip of the MP cassette, changes to the protrusion 7 of the tip of the MP cassette.
Since it is pulled out to 0 and rotates, the separation lever 71 rotates in the direction of separating the separation pad 73 from the separation roller 60. By this rotation, the distance between the separation pad 73 and the separation lever 71 moves in a direction away from the above-mentioned fixed distance, so that the distance between the separation pad 73 and the separation lever 71 moves while maintaining the above-mentioned fixed distance and the separation pad 73 is moved. And separation roller 60
Is released and the separation pressure is released. For this reason, even if the recording paper S is sandwiched between the separation pad 73 and the separation roller 60 during the paper feeding, the separation pressure is released, so that the recording paper S is pulled out together with the MP cassette 13a to the outside of the apparatus, and the remaining paper remains. It does not occur (FIGS. 9 and 10).

A case where the light cover 28 is opened while the MP cassette 13a is still mounted will be described. At this time M
The rotation of the P separation base 30c is restricted by the separation lever 71. Since the rotation of the separation lever 71 is restricted by the MP cassette 13a, the MP separation base 30c stops at a position where it is slightly rotated. With this configuration, it is possible to remove the jam of the inflow space and visually check the vicinity of the separation pad 73 (FIG. 11).

Further, when the light cover 28 is opened with the MP cassette 13a removed, the MP separation base 30c does not restrict the rotation, and the center of gravity is on the light cover 28 side, so that the MP cover 13c cannot be rotated by its own weight. It is rotated and released, and the separation lever 71 and the intermediate plate pressing arm 38 come into contact with each other at the contact portion 80 to stop. At this time, it is possible to jam the space 79 between the separation roller and the separation base.
Further, when the separation pad 73 is pulled in this state, the claw 74 of the separation pad is bent and disengaged, which allows the separation pad 73, which is easily deteriorated due to wear, to be replaced without disassembling the apparatus body (FIG. 12, (Fig. 13). Also, in this state, the surface of the separation pad 73 can be cleaned.

When the MP cassette 13a is mounted with the light cover 28 open, the MP that has been opened
The separation base 30c is rotated by the MP cassette 13a and returns to the state of FIG.

As described above, the MP pressing member 13b is fixed to the single separating shaft 37, and the separating base 30c and the separating lever 7 are attached.
By arranging 1 so as to be independently rotatable, the unit can be formed with high accuracy, and the stability of performance and the assemblability are improved.

Next, the cassette carrying roller pair 11c will be described. The cassette carrying roller pair 11c is the carrying roller 9
0, the transport roller 91, and the transport roller 91 is arranged at a position lower than the transport roller 90. Further, the space 92 of the inflow portion to the main body is composed of the paper passing ribs 93 of the light cover and the paper passing ribs 94 of the separation base, and the bent portion of the ribs to the vertical portion is lowered on the side of the paper passing rib 94 of the separation base. Are arranged as follows. Therefore, the conveyed recording paper S is once conveyed toward the light cover 28 side by the cassette conveying roller pair 11c, and then contacts the contact portion 95 between the leading end of the recording paper S and the sheet passing rib of the light cover.
Proceeding along the paper passing ribs 93 of the light cover, contacting the contact portion 96 of the leading end of the recording paper S and the paper passing rib of the separation base above the bent portion of the paper separating rib 94 of the separation base to the vertical portion. Is conveyed in the direction from the conveyance roller 28a. With this configuration, it is possible to increase the bending radius of the recording sheet S conveyance path, to increase the contact angle between the recording sheet S and the sheet passing rib, and even when the recording sheet S is slightly curled. There is no contact with the separation lever 71, and any of them is effective in reducing defective conveyance of the recording paper S.

[Other Embodiments] In the above embodiment, the recording paper size is described as A4, Letter and Legal.
It is applicable even if there are three or more types of recording paper sizes including 3 and the like.

Further, the image recording section has been described for the LBP,
If a sheet of cut paper is used, it can be applied to other electrophotographic type, thermal transfer type or ink jet type sheet feeding devices.

Further, the separation method of the MP cassette part has been described by the feeding method using the half-moon type separating roller and the idler roller, but it can be applied to another feeding method such as the feeding method using the circular separating roller and the one-way clutch. is there.

Further, there may be a plurality of protrusions provided on the rear end side of the central portion of the recording medium S width direction (main scanning direction) of the MP middle plate, the tip of which extends below the recording medium stacking surface.

The number of paper feed units, the type of recording paper S to be used, and the number of stacked sheets are not particularly limited as long as they do not deviate from the configuration of the present invention.

[0072]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By reducing the length of the middle plate in the paper feed direction to 1/3 or less of the length of the smallest sheet that can be stacked in the paper feed direction, the size of the middle plate can be reduced and the weight can be reduced.

By shortening the intermediate plate and reducing the weight of the sheet applied to the intermediate plate, a non-conductive material (resin or the like) can be used for the intermediate plate, and the sheets are separated from each other during continuous sheet feeding. The static electricity generated by sliding does not discharge the intermediate plate to make the operation of the device unstable, and the intermediate plate itself does not serve as an antenna because it is a non-conductive material. Therefore, it is not necessary to take a ground from a cassette that is difficult to take a stable ground.

Further, when the sheet regulating plate is removed from the sheet stacking device, a part of the sheet regulating plate interferes with the intermediate plate, and when the intermediate plate is incorporated, it cannot be removed.
Do not accidentally remove the sheet restriction plate and lose it when changing sizes.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an MP cassette that is a sheet stacking unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the MP cassette shown in FIG. 1 when a restriction plate is removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a facsimile device provided with the MP cassette shown in FIG.

4 is a front view of the device of FIG.

5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device of FIG.

6 is a block diagram of a control system of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the basic operation of LBP.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a conventional facsimile apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which the MP cassette is mounted and the light cover is closed in the sheet feeding device in which the MP cassette is mounted.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which the MP cassette is removed and the light cover is closed in the apparatus shown in FIG.

11 is a detailed view of the separation unit in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a state in which the MP cassette is mounted and the light cover is opened in the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the MP cassette is removed and the light cover is opened in the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a detailed view of the separation unit in FIG.

15 is a diagram showing a paper feed mechanism provided in the apparatus of FIG.

16 is an operation diagram of the paper feed mechanism shown in FIG.

17 is an operation diagram of the paper feed mechanism shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 is an operation diagram of the paper feeding mechanism shown in FIG.

FIG. 19 is an operation diagram of the paper feed mechanism shown in FIG.

FIG. 20 is a vertical sectional view showing an example of a conventional image recording apparatus in which a paper feed cassette is inserted from the side.

FIG. 21 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional image recording apparatus in which a paper feed cassette is inserted from the front side.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Device Main Body 2 Original Placement Table 3 Image Reading Section for Reading Image Information of Original D 4 Recording Section Consisting of Laser Beam Printer 5 Original Transfer Section 6 Original Pressing Section 7 Contact Image Sensor 8 Original Output Tray 9 Laser Scanner 10 Image Forming Part 11 Cassette paper feed part 12 Recording paper discharge tray 13 MP (multi-recording paper S) cassette part 14 Cartridge cover 15 ADF cover 16 Upper document guide 17 Weight axis 18 Document retainer plate 19 Lower document guide 20 Image reading part and recording Partition unit 21 Control unit of facsimile machine 22 Handset 23 Transport guide 24 Operation unit 25 Display unit 26 Tally lamp 27 Second stage cassette unit 28 Light cover 29 MP cassette sensor 30 MP separation unit 31 MP cassette protrusion 32 MP regulation Plate 33 MP Medium plate 34, 35 Curl Pressing 36 Marking of operation description 37 Separation shaft 38 Middle plate pressure arm 39 Middle plate pressure lever 40 Middle plate pressure spring 41 Middle plate hinge part 42 Middle plate pressure part 43 Middle plate projection part 44, 45, 46 regulating plate fixing hole 47 regulating plate positioning part 48, 49 side pressure spring 50 rear end regulating part 51 regulating plate removing hole 52 middle plate rear end 53 regulating plate moving hole 54 recording sheet stacking surface 55 regulating plate moving surface 56 side pressure spring moving Groove 60 Separation roller 61 Separation cam 63 Bearing support 64 Separation cam protrusion 65 Separation roller rubber 66 Idler roller 67 Middle plate tip 68 Space between separation cam and middle plate pressure lever 69 Separation shaft bearing 70 MP cassette tip projection Part 71 Separation Lever 72 Separation Spring 73 Separation Pad 74 Separation Pad Claw 75 MP Cassette Tip Protrusion Recess 76 76 Separation Lever Protrusion 77 Separation regulating claw 78 for separating lever 78 Separation regulating claw for separating pad 79 Space between separation roller and separation base 80 Contact part between separation lever and middle plate pressing arm 90 Conveying roller 91 Conveying roller 92 Space for inflow part 93 Light cover Paper passing rib 94 Paper separating rib of separation base 95 Contact portion between leading end of recording paper S and paper passing rib of light cover 96 Contact portion between leading end of recording paper S and paper passing rib of separation base 101, 102 Conventional facsimile apparatus 103 , 104 Conventional cassette 105 Small-sized recording sheet 106 Large-sized recording sheet 107 Ejection cover 108 Ejection tray 109 Ejected and stacked recording sheets 300 Facsimile device control system 301 CPU for controlling the entire facsimile device 302 Operation Unit 303 display unit 304 reading unit 305 recording unit 306 communication control unit 307 Communication Network 308 Handset 309 CPU External Bus Interface 310 HDD 400 Semiconductor Laser 401 Polygon Motor 402 Polygon Mirror Rotated by Polygon Motor 403 Optical System for Performing Imaging and Tilt Correction 404 Photodetector 405 Folding Mirror 406 Photosensitive Drum 407 Developer 408 Recording Paper S409 Conveying guide 410 Fixing device

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A sheet stacking device capable of selectively storing a plurality of sizes of sheets, wherein a length of a middle plate for urging the stored sheets in a sheet feeding direction is a minimum that can be stacked. A sheet stacking device, characterized in that the length is set to ⅓ or less of the length of a sheet in the sheet feeding direction. 2. A sheet stacking device capable of selectively storing a plurality of types of sizes of sheets, the intermediate plate for urging the stored sheets to a feeding means, and the movement and snap fit in the sheet stacking surface. It has a sheet regulation plate that can be fixed and regulates one of the side end surface and the rear end surface of the sheet according to a plurality of types of sheet sizes, and when removing the sheet regulation plate from the apparatus main body, A sheet stacking device, wherein a part of the sheet stacking device interferes with the middle plate, and when the middle plate is incorporated, it cannot be removed from the apparatus main body. 3. A leading edge regulating member for regulating the upper surface of the stacked sheets at a corner on the leading edge side in the feeding direction is provided, and when the leading edge regulating member is incorporated, the rotation of the intermediate plate is fixed. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inner plate cannot be removed from the apparatus main body by limiting the sheet. 4. A transfer is formed by forming an indication on the sheet stacking surface of the apparatus body excluding the movement range of the sheet regulating plate and the intermediate plate on an injection mold of the apparatus body on the sheet stacking surface. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1, wherein 5. A sheet stacking device for stacking and storing sheets, wherein an intermediate plate for pressing the stacked sheets against a feeding means is rotatably supported at a lateral upper part of a sheet stacking range in the sheet feeding direction. A sheet stacking device, characterized in that a protrusion is provided at the rear end of the middle plate in the sheet feeding direction so as to dig into the lower side of the sheet stacking surface of the device body. 6. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the protrusion is provided on an extension line of a pressing point by a pressing member that urges the intermediate plate toward the feeding unit. 7. A material of a constituent element of the sheet stacking device is a non-conductive resin material.
The sheet stacking device described in 1. 8. A sheet feeding device for selectively storing sheets of a plurality of sizes and feeding the stored sheets, a feeding means for feeding the sheets, and a feeding means for feeding the stored sheets to the feeding means. A middle plate for urging, and a sheet regulation plate that can be moved within the sheet stacking surface and fixed by snap fit and that regulates either the side end surface or the rear end surface of the sheet according to multiple types of sheet sizes. And, when removing the sheet regulating plate from the apparatus main body, a part of the sheet regulating plate interferes with the intermediate plate, and when the intermediate plate is incorporated, it cannot be removed from the apparatus main body. A sheet feeding device characterized by: 9. A sheet feeding device for storing and feeding sheets, wherein an intermediate plate that presses the loaded and stored sheets against the feeding means is rotatable at a lateral upper portion of the sheet loading range in the feeding direction. A sheet feeding device, which is axially supported, and is provided at a rear end side end portion of the middle plate with a protrusion portion that digs under the sheet stacking surface of the apparatus body.