JPS63331B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention provides a method for bringing a paper feed roller into contact with copy paper,
The present invention relates to a copying apparatus equipped with a paper feed roller unit that sequentially feeds sheets one by one as the paper feed roller rotates.

(Prior art) The paper feed roller shaft of a conventional paper feed roller unit is fixed with respect to the arm, and if the parallelism between the copy paper and the paper feed roller shaft is lost even to a certain degree, the paper feed roller will become unbalanced. It's a hit situation,
There is a problem in that the conveyance force during feeding becomes uneven and the paper is taken out in a skewed state.

On the other hand, in order to prevent uneven contact of the paper feed roller, examples of prior art include Utility Model Publication No. 56-27154 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 47-5135.
No., and Special Publication No. 49-32834.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, such prior art examples have problems such as a complicated structure and troublesome assembly.

The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and the object thereof is to have a simple structure, but even if the parallelism between the paper feed roller shaft and the copy paper is slightly impaired, the paper feed roller shaft is It is an object of the present invention to provide a copying apparatus that tilts in accordance with the paper feed roller so that the paper feed roller can surely come into contact with the copy paper.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention brings a paper feed roller into contact with the copy paper, and feeds the copy paper one sheet at a time as the paper feed roller rotates. In the paper feed roller unit, the paper feed roller unit has a swingable arm having a U-shaped cross section and a long hole in mutually opposing wall portions on the free end side, and a swingable arm having a long hole in the mutually opposing wall portion of the free end side. A paper feed roller shaft that is inserted through the paper feed roller shaft and swings freely about its longitudinal center as a fulcrum; and paper feed rollers that are attached to both ends of the paper feed roller shaft. It is.

(Function) That is, in the present invention, since the paper feed roller shaft with the paper feed rollers attached to both ends is configured to be swingable about the central portion in the longitudinal direction as a fulcrum, the paper feed roller shaft and the copy paper are aligned parallel to each other. Even if the paper feed roller shaft is slightly distorted, the paper feed roller shaft will follow and tilt to ensure that the paper feed roller comes into contact with the copy paper, eliminating the skewed state caused by uneven conveying force due to uneven contact of the paper feed roller. can be reliably prevented.

In addition, by inserting a swingable arm with a U-shaped cross section into a long hole formed in the mutually opposing walls on the free end side, the middle part of the paper feed roller shaft can be used as a fulcrum. Since it is swingably supported, the structure is extremely simple.

(Example) Hereinafter, one example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Figure 1 shows the main body of the copying machine, and this main body 1
A document table 2 is arranged on the right side of the upper surface, and a print button 3, a numeric keypad 4 and An operation panel 6 including a display section 5 and the like is arranged. In addition, there is a paper ejection port 7 on the upper left side of the main body 1.
A paper discharge tray 8 is protruded to receive the copied paper P' discharged from the tray 8, and a box-shaped cover 9 made of a translucent member whose interior can be seen through is attached to the lower part of the paper discharge tray 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cover 9 is pivoted at the rear edge side so that it can be opened and closed freely, and has the appearance of an escalator with a portion protruding through a window 10 formed on the side surface of the main body 1. Parts of the paper feeder 11 and paper support plate push-up type paper feeder 12 can be exposed as necessary.

Then, the paper feed tray 1 of the elevator type paper feed device 11
3, and the paper feed cassette 15 can be freely inserted into and removed from the cassette holder 14 of the paper support plate push-up type paper feed device ₁₂ . Also, on the paper feed tray 13, there are sheets of paper of a size that requires a large number of continuous copies (for example, A4).
Approximately 1,000 sheets of copy paper P ₁ ... (size) are stored in the paper feed cassette 15, and copy paper P _{2 of other sizes (for example, B5 size) that require frequent size changes for small number of copies are stored in the paper feed cassette 15} . It is designed to be able to accommodate around 200 sheets of...

Further, a protrusion 16 is protruded from the lower edge of the cover 9, and a small hole 17 is formed on the main body 1 side opposite to the protrusion 16, the size of which does not allow insertion of fingers. An actuator 18a of a switch 18 for detecting cover opening/closing is opposed to this small hole 17, and the switch 18 is turned ON/OFF in accordance with the opening/closing operation of the cover 9.

The elevator type paper feeder 11 and the paper support plate push-up type paper feeder 12 are combined into a unit with the former on the lower stage and the latter on the upper stage. That is, as shown in FIG.
The cassette holder 14 is installed above the cassette holder 14, and the paper feed tray 13 is arranged below this cassette holder 14.

Guide rails 23, 23 whose upper and lower ends are fixed via brackets 22, 22 are attached to the front end surfaces of the left and right frames 20, 21, respectively. 24 is held so that it can move up and down freely. And these movable blocks 24, 24
Both ends of the base 25 of the paper feed tray 13 are fixed to the paper feed table 13.

Further, the movable blocks 24, 24 are attached to the upper sprocket 2 on the outer wall surfaces of the left and right frames 20, 21 and along the guide rails 23, 23.
6. The lower sprocket 27 and the tension sprocket 28 are connected to endless chains 29 and 30, which are stretched through brackets 31 and 31, respectively. Furthermore, lower sprocket 2 on the left and right
7 and 27 are fitted on both ends of a common rotating shaft 32, and a driven gear 33 is attached to the left end of the rotating shaft 32.
are fitted so that they rotate together. The driven gear 33 is a reversible electric motor 3
The driving force of No. 4 is interlocked with a driving gear 36 through an intermediate gear 37, which is transmitted through a gear box 35.

By rotating the reversible electric motor 34 in the forward or reverse direction, a chain drive mechanism 38 is configured that causes the endless chains 29, 30 to run in the forward direction (in the direction of the solid line arrow) or in the reverse direction (in the direction of the dashed line arrow). ing.

Further, the chain drive mechanism 38 is connected to a lower limit detection mechanism 39 and an upper limit detection mechanism 40, and is a paper feed tray that moves the paper feed tray 13 so that the uppermost copy sheet _P1 is always located within a fixed paper feed range. Actuation mechanism 4
1.

At the rear lower part of the cassette holder 14, there is a paper ejecting mechanism 42 for the lower stage, and at the upper rear part there is a paper ejecting mechanism 43 for the upper stage. A starting paper feed roller 44 is arranged. On the left frame 20 side, there are upper and lower paper ejection mechanisms 42 and 43 and a restart paper feed roller 44.
A paper feed roller drive mechanism 45 is disposed to operate the copy sheets P ₂ and P ₁ in the upper or lower row, and then feed the sheets to an image transfer section (not shown) at the appropriate timing. ing.
That is, sprockets 48, 49, and 50 are disposed corresponding to the left end sides of the drive shafts 46 and 47 of the paper take-out mechanisms 42 and 43, and the left end side of the restart paper feed roller 44, and the endless chain 51 is connected to the sprockets 48, 49, and 50. The endless chain 51 travels endlessly via a drive sprocket 52 disposed within the main body 1, thereby rotating simultaneously. The sprocket 48 is connected to the drive shaft 46 via the first electromagnetic clutch 53, and the sprocket 49 is connected to the drive shaft 47 via the second electromagnetic clutch 54.
The sprocket 50 has gears 55, 5 that mesh with each other.
6 and a third electromagnetic clutch 57, the restart paper feed roller 44 is interlocked with the restart paper feed roller 44, respectively. The first and second electromagnetic clutches 53 and 54 selectively operate in response to the paper feed signal to drive either one of the drive shafts 46 and 47 of the paper take-out mechanisms 42 and 43, and also operate the third electromagnetic clutch. 57 is adapted to operate in accordance with the paper feeding timing.

Further, a press roller 58 rolls into contact with the upper part of the paper feed roller 44 for restarting by its own weight, and the copy sheets P ₁ and P ₂ are sandwiched therebetween and sent out.

Further, a push-up lever 60 as a means for pushing up the paper support plate push-up/release mechanism 59 is arranged above the paper take-out mechanism 42 for the lower stage, and a paper presence/absence detection mechanism is provided near the paper take-out mechanisms 42 and 43. 61 and 62 are arranged.

Note that 63 is a cover installed below the paper feed tray 13 to cover the gearbox 35 of the chain drive mechanism 38, the reversible electric motor 34, etc., and the cover opening/closing detection switch 1 is located on the right side of the front end of the cover.
8 is attached. Further, this cover 63 is attached at the lower limit position of the paper feed table 13 at a position that forms a sufficient gap H so that there is no danger even if fingers are inserted between these mutually opposing surfaces.
64 is a capacitor arranged on a mounting plate 65 attached to the lower surface side of the reversible motor 34. Further, reference numerals 66 and 67 are located on the right side of the upper surface of the cassette holder 14, and are provided on the lower surface side of the paper feed cassette 15, which is displaced in accordance with the movement position of the movable guide plate (not shown) of the paper feed cassette 15. This is a paper size detection switch that is turned on and off by a moving member (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a fixed guide plate 68 is arranged on the left side of the movement path of the paper feed table 13, and a movable guide plate 69 is arranged on the right side, and the sheets are cut in a stacked state on the paper feed table 13. Both end surfaces of the copy paper P ₁ are guided so that the copy paper P ₁ is not disturbed. The movable guide plate 69 is connected to the paper feed roller unit 70 on the right side of the lower sheet take-out mechanism 42 via a connecting member 71,
When the movable guide plate 69 is moved in accordance with the size of the copy paper _P1 to be set, the right paper feed roller unit 70 can be moved together. Then, the distance from the left end of the copy paper P ₁ to the center of the left paper feed roller unit 72, and the distance from the right end of the copy paper P ₁ to the center of the right paper feed roller unit 70.
The distance to the center of is made to be equal.

Further, the paper feed roller units 70 and 72 are constructed as shown in detail in FIG. That is, 73 is an arm with a U-shaped cross section, and this arm 7
The rising walls 73a, 73b of No. 3 have positioning holes 75, 75 consisting of elongated holes that can guide the bushes 74, 74 vertically from the end side in the paper feeding direction, and a hollow hole that can pass through the stopper shaft 76. A bushing holding hole 7 consisting of holes 77, 77 and a slotted hole capable of holding bushes 78, 78 in a fixed manner.
9 and 79 are formed in sequence. Also, arm 7
A driving sprocket 80 is disposed between the rising walls 73a and 73b of No. 3 at a position corresponding to the bushing holding holes 79, 79, and a driven sprocket 81 is disposed at a position corresponding to the bushing holding holes 75, 75. A driving sprocket 80 is attached to the middle of the drive shaft 46 via a one-way clutch 82, a driven sprocket 81 is attached to a paper feed roller shaft 83, and the positional relationship between the arm 73 and the shafts 46, 83 is as follows. This is maintained by the bushes 78, 78, 74, and 74. Further, an endless chain 84 is connected between the driving sprocket 80 and the driven sprocket 81, so that the driving force of the drive shaft 46 can be transmitted to the paper feed roller shaft 83.

Paper feed rollers 85, 85 are fitted onto both ends of the paper feed roller shaft 83, and are fixed to the shaft 83 via setscrews 86, respectively. In addition, 8
7... is a structure 8 formed on the shafts 46, 83.
8, the above-mentioned bushes 78,
This is a retaining ring for holding 78, 74, 74 in place.

Therefore, the paper feed roller units 70 and 72 configured in this manner are such that the arms 73 thereof respectively pivot about the drive shaft 46 in a range until the end surfaces of the positioning holes 77 and 77 come into contact with the stopper shaft 76. The feed roller shaft 83 also has bushings 74, 7 on the upper and lower end surfaces of the bushing holding holes 75, 75, which are long holes.
It is in a state where it can move in the vertical direction within the range until it comes into contact with 4. In addition, as shown in FIG.
The configuration is such that minute gaps G and G are formed between the outer wall surfaces of the rising walls 73a and 73b of No. 3,
As shown in FIG. 6B, the feed roller shaft 83 pivots around the central part in the length direction as a fulcrum so that it can tilt upward to the right, downward to the left, downward to the right, and upward to the left within an angle range of 1/2α. It has a flexible configuration.

Also, a paper feed roller 8 is provided on the left end side of the stopper shaft 76 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, A and B.
A transmission member 90 is attached to transmit the vertical vibration of the switches 5 and 85 to the switch operating lever 89.
The transmission member 90 is made of bent wire, and can be rotated around the axis of the stopper shaft 76 by fitting the circular arc portions 90a, 90a formed in the middle onto the stopper shaft 76. It's summery. Also,
One end 90b of the transmission member 90 is in contact with the circumferential surface of the bush 74 that pivotally supports the paper feed roller shaft 83, and the other end 90c is in contact with the switch operating lever rotatably attached to the left end of the stopper shaft 76. It engages with a long hole 89a at the lower end of 89.
The upper end of the switch operating lever 89 faces an actuator 91a of an upper limit detection switch 91 attached to the left frame 20. However,
As shown in FIG. 7A, the uppermost copy paper P ₁ is away from the paper feed rollers 85, 85, and the bushes 74, 74 that pivotally support the paper feed roller shaft 83 are on the lower end side of the bush holding holes 75, 75. , the actuator 91 of the upper limit detection switch 91
a is pressed by the switch operating lever 89 and is in the ON state. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the paper feed rollers 85, 85 are pushed up by the copy sheet _P1 at the top end, and the bushes 74, 74 are at the upper ends of the bush holding holes 75, 75, This amount of displacement is transmitted to the switch operating lever 89 via the transmission member 90, and the switch operating lever is rotated in a direction away from the actuator 91a of the upper limit switch 91, so that the upper limit switch 91 is turned off. This constitutes the upper limit detection mechanism 40.

The paper feed table 13 also includes a base 25, a spacer guide 92, a presser plate 9, and a
3. A plurality of trays 94, 9 of different sizes are selectively used depending on the size of the copy paper _P1 .
5, and a plurality of mounting screws 96..., 97, 97. At the left end of the base 25, there is a tray support piece 9, which is a tray support part, which is a cut and raised piece cut and raised in an inverted L shape so as to protrude upward.
8 and 98 are formed, and a rectangular movable side plate relief opening window 99 is formed along the longitudinal direction in the width direction center portion on the right end side. Slits 100, 100 for penetrating the threaded portion are formed along the front edge of the opening of the movable side plate escape window 99. Support surface 98 of the tray support pieces 98, 98
Screw holes 102, 102 are formed in the center of each of the trays 94, 98a, into which the threaded portions of the mounting screws 96, 96 inserted through the threaded portion insertion holes 101, 101 formed on the left side of the trays 94, 95 are screwed. ing.

The spacer guide 92 is placed along the lateral direction on the right side of the upper surface of the base 25, and the guide protrusions 103, 103 protruding from the lower surface are brought into contact with the front and rear end surfaces of the movable side plate relief opening window 99. , supported so that it can slide only in the left and right directions. On the upper surface of both longitudinal ends of the spacer guide 92, there is a tray support surface 9 that is at the same height as the tray support surfaces 98a, 98a of the tray mounting pieces 98, 98.
Bosses 104, 104 having 2a, 92a are provided in a protruding manner, and a boss 105 having a lower height than these is provided in a protruding manner between these bosses 104, 104. Support surface 92a of spacer guide 92,
Threaded through holes 106, 106 are formed in the center of the trays 92a, through which the threaded portions of the mounting screws 97, 97 pass through the threaded through holes 101, 101 formed on the left side of the trays 94, 95. There is. The threaded portions of the mounting screws 97, 97 pass through the threaded portion through holes 106, 106 of the spacer guide 92, and then pass through the threaded portion penetration slits 100, 100 of the base 25, and are carved at both ends of the presser plate 93. It is adapted to be screwed into two screw holes 102, 102.
Further, a threaded part insertion hole 107 is bored in the center of the boss 105 of the spacer guide 92, and the threaded part of the mounting screw 96 inserted through this threaded part insertion hole 107 passes through the movable side plate relief opening window 99. The presser plate 9 extends through the base 25 and is located on the lower surface side of the base 25.
3 is adapted to be screwed into a screw hole 102 drilled in the longitudinal center portion of 3. Then, the spacer guide 92 and the holding plate 93 are connected via the mounting screws 96, and they are slid together according to the size of the trays 94 and 95.
4 and 95 are integrally attached to the base 25 via mounting screws 96, 96, 97, and 97.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the trays 94 and 95 are provided with a detection part receiving hole 109 facing the detection part 108a of the detection lever 108 of the paper presence/absence detection mechanism 61 for the lower stage. Friction plates 110, 110 are attached to the upper surface of the end side in the direction in which the copy paper is taken out, where the cut-in hole 109 is formed.

As shown in detail in FIG. 9, the lower paper presence/absence detection mechanism 61 includes a detection lever 108, a detection lever holding member 111, a switch operating lever 112, and a paper presence/absence detection switch 113. The detection lever 108 is formed by bending the bent end of a steel wire, and the integrated support shaft 108' is connected to the support hole 111 of the detection lever holding member 111.
a, 111a, and is held rotatably. The detection lever 108 is formed by once bending the right end of a wire at a right angle, and then further bending this tip into a substantially square shape to form a detection portion 108a.

A switch operating lever 112 is attached to the left end of the support shaft 108', and an actuator pressing surface 112a of this switch operating lever 112
is the actuator 1 of the paper presence/absence detection switch 113.
13a. Note that the arrow shown in FIG. 9 indicates the paper feeding direction of the copy paper _P1 . Therefore, when the paper feed tray ₁₃ is located at the lower position as shown in FIG. is the paper presence/absence detection switch 113
is turned off and a paper out signal is obtained.
Also, the paper feed tray 13 rises and the topmost copy paper
P ₁ contacts and pushes up the detection portion 108a of the detection lever 108, and the detection lever 108 moves to the support shaft portion 108'.
As shown in FIG. 10B, the paper presence detection switch 113 is turned ON and a paper presence signal is obtained just before the copy paper _P1 contacts the paper feed roller 85. Note that the detection lever 108 detects that the uppermost copy paper P ₁ is connected to the paper feed roller 85.
The switch remains turned on until it comes into contact with the paper with an appropriate pressure and becomes ready to feed paper as shown in Figure 10 (c).

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the detection lever 10
The detection section 108a of No. 8 includes a detection lever main body 108.
A stopper portion 10 that is substantially orthogonal to the axial center line of b.
8c is formed. And copy paper P ₁ ...
At the time of setting, the stopper portion 108c of the detection lever receives excess copying paper P1 of a predetermined amount _{h1 or} more and constitutes a replenishment amount limiting stopper 153 that prevents further intrusion. Therefore, a necessary distance of at least _h2 is secured between the paper feed roller 85 and the copy paper _P1 that can be set.

Further, the paper presence/absence detection mechanism 62 for the upper stage is configured to include a detection lever 114, detection lever holding members 115, 115, a switch operating lever 116, and a paper presence/absence detection switch 117, as shown in detail in FIG. ing. The detection lever 114 is made by molding the right end of a rigid wire using the same mold as the detection lever 108 for the lower stage, and is used by inverting it so that the front and back directions are reversed. The integrated support shaft 114' is connected to the support hole 115a of the detection lever holding member 115, 115.
115a, so that it is rotatably held. Detection section 114a of detection lever 114
is configured to be able to move up and down within a certain range by engaging with the drive shaft 47 of the paper take-out mechanism 43 for the upper stage. A switch operating lever 11 is located at the left end of the support shaft 114'.
6 is attached, and the actuator pressing surface 116a of this switch operating lever 116 is in contact with the actuator 117a of the paper presence/absence detection switch 117. As shown in _FIG .
As shown in FIG. 13A, a is at the lower limit position, the paper presence/absence detection switch 117 is turned OFF, and a paper out signal is obtained. Also, if there is copy paper _P2 in the paper cassette 15, the copy paper
P ₂ detects the detection part 114a of the detection lever 114.
is in a pushed-up state as shown in FIG.

Note that the arrow in FIG. 12 indicates the feeding direction of the copy paper _P2 .

In addition, as shown in FIG.
The spring 11 for the lever pushes up the paper support plate 118 that supports the front lower surface of the copy paper P ₂ ... housed in the
It is designed to be pushed up via a push-up lever 60 that is constantly biased by the lever 9. Then, the uppermost copy paper P ₂ is brought into contact with a paper feed roller 120 attached to a drive shaft 47 forming a paper take-out mechanism 42 with an appropriate pressure. The push-up lever 60 is configured to be able to protrude and retract into the upper surface of the bottom plate 15a of the paper feed cassette 15 through an opening 121 formed in the bottom plate 15a.
Note that 122 is a detection part depression hole formed in the upper paper support plate 118 corresponding to the detection lever 114 of the paper presence/absence detection mechanism 62 for the upper stage.

In addition, when the elevator type paper feeding device 11 detects that the cover 9 is opened based on the ON/OFF signal from the cover opening/closing detection switch 18, the paper feeding tray 13 is moved to the paper replenishment position, that is, the lower limit position. When it is detected that the cover 9 is closed, the paper feed tray 13 is raised to a position where paper can be fed.

On the other hand, the mechanism for pushing up the paper support plate 118 of the paper support plate push-up type paper feed device 12 is automatically turned on and off in conjunction with the movement of the paper feed table 13 accompanying the opening and closing of the cover 9. It is becoming. That is, by opening the cover 9, the paper feed tray 13 is
While descending by about mm (approximately 1 second), the push-up lever mounting shaft 123 rotates by a predetermined amount, and the push-up lever 60 rotates from the solid line position to the two-dot chain line position in FIG. 14 to support the paper. Leave the plate 118. Then, the paper feed cassette 15 is made ready for removal. Furthermore, while the paper feed tray 13 is raised by about 12 mm due to the cover 9 being closed, the push-up lever 60 is rotated from the two-dot chain line position to the solid line position, and the push-up lever 60 applies an impact to the paper support plate 118. It seems to be pushing up without any problem. Then, it becomes ready to feed paper.

This paper support plate push-up/release mechanism 59 is shown in FIG.
This will be explained in detail based on FIGS. 16 and 17.
The paper support plate push-up/release mechanism 59 includes a push-up lever 60 as a push-up means, and a push-up lever operating mechanism 124 that rotationally deflects the push-up lever 60. The push-up lever 60 is connected to the left and right frames 2.
The front end side is fixed to the push-up lever mounting shaft 123 which is rotatably horizontally mounted through bushes 125, 125 (only the right side is shown) at 0 and 21, and the free end is connected to and separated from the paper support plate 118 smoothly. A guide roller 126 is rotatably mounted to perform this operation.
The right end of the push-up lever mounting shaft 123 protrudes toward the outer wall surface of the right frame 21, and a gear 129 integrally having a first spring locking lever 127 and a second spring locking lever 128 is fitted in sequence. They are fitted together and are prevented from falling off by the locking ring 130. Shaft fitting portion 127a of the first spring locking lever 127
A pin 133 is inserted through the push-up lever mounting shaft 123 so that its tip engages with a pin engagement groove 132 formed in the push-up lever mounting shaft 123, and the two are integrally constructed. The first spring locking lever 127 is formed in an inverted L shape, and one end of the push-up lever spring 119 is connected to the vertical piece 127b.
In the state shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the push-up lever 60 is biased to rotate clockwise, and the push-up lever 60 is in the first position.
The position is as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 6. Further, the tip of the horizontal piece portion 127c extending rearward of the first spring locking lever 127 is bent outward at right angles, and the pressing force receiving surface 134 consisting of the upper end surface of the horizontal piece portion 127c extends toward the rear of the first spring locking lever 127. Locking lever 128
It comes into contact with a pressing force transmission surface 135 formed by the lower end surface of the free end side.

On the other hand, a vertical movement shaft 136 is provided above the right end of the push-up lever 123 in parallel thereto. This driven shaft 136 is rotatably supported horizontally via bushes 139, 139 fitted in bushing fitting holes 138, 138 drilled in the right frame 21 and a sub-frame 137 mounted parallel thereto. There is. The driven shaft 136 is fitted with the upper sprocket 26, the hub 140, and a variable gear 141 that meshes with the gear 129 in this order. Upper sprocket 26 and hub 140 are connected to pin 13
3 and 133, and a power transmission spring 142 wound into a coil is fitted onto the hub 140. A locking portion 142a at one end of the power transmission spring 142 protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and is attached to the subframe 1.
The other end locking portion 142b, which is designed to be able to lock onto the lower surface of the locking pawl 143 that is integrally molded on the variable gear 141 and protrudes in the axial direction, is connected to the variable gear 141.
It is always engaged with the engagement groove 144 of. In addition, 14
5 is a return spring that always biases the second spring locking lever 128 to return to a predetermined position. In addition, 146 is the spring 119 for the push-up lever.
This is a tension adjustment mechanism that adjusts the tensile force of the This tension adjustment mechanism 146 is fixed to the right frame 21 and serves as a guide shaft 1 that also serves as a mounting shaft for the subframe 137.
47, a guide block 148 slidably attached via the guide shaft 147, a connecting member 149 held by the guide block 148 and to which the other end of the push-up lever spring 119 is locked;
and an adjustment screw 15 which is screwed into the guide block 148 and has its tip surface in contact with the circumferential surface of the guide shaft 147.
It is composed of 0. And adjustment screw 15
By tightening or loosening the lever, the movable block 148 is moved backward or forward, and the tension of the push-up lever spring 119 is adjusted.

Therefore, when the paper feed table 13 is lowered with the opening operation of the cover 9, the sprocket 26,
As the hub 140 and the driven shaft 136 rotate clockwise, the power transmission spring 1
42 tightens the hub 140 by frictional force, and the driving force of the hub 140 is transferred to the power transmission spring 14.
2 to the variable gear 141. The power transmission spring 142 is driven until the one end locking portion 142a comes into contact with the locking pawl 143 and the tightening force is released. The driving force of the variable gear 141 is transmitted to the gear 129 that meshes with the variable gear 141.
The second spring locking lever 128, which is integral with the spring locking lever 9, rotates counterclockwise against the biasing force of the return spring 145. Therefore, the pressing force transmitting surface 135 of the second spring locking lever 128 pushes the pressing force receiving surface 134 of the first spring locking lever 127,
The first spring locking lever 127 rotates counterclockwise against the biasing force of the push-up lever spring 119, changing from the solid line state in FIG. 17 to the two-dot chain line state. And the first spring locking lever 12
The push-up lever 60 which is in an integral relationship with 7 is the 16th
The paper feed cassette 15 is turned into a free state by rotating from the position shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure to the position shown by the solid line, and from the solid line position in FIG. 4 to the position shown by the two-dot chain line. On the other hand, after the tightening force of the power transmission spring 142 is released, the sprocket 2
6. Only the hub 140 and the vertical gear 136 will rotate.

At this time, the other end locking portion 142 of the power transmission spring 142 engaged with the engagement groove 144 of the variable gear 141
b is from the state shown in FIG. 18A to the state shown in FIG. 18B.

Also, as the cover 9 closes, the paper feed tray 13
When the right endless chain 30 moves in the direction of the dashed arrow, the sprocket 26, hub 140, and driven shaft 136 rotate counterclockwise, and with this rotation, the power transmission spring 14
2. The variable gear 141 rotates integrally. When the other end locking portion 142b of the power transmission spring 142 reaches the position shown in FIG.
6. Only the driven shaft 136 rotates, and the variable gear 141 and the gear 129 meshing therewith stop rotating. Accordingly, the second spring locking lever 128 and the first spring locking lever 127, which are integral with the gear 129, are in a state where they are rotated to the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Then, the push-up lever 60, which is in an integral relationship with the first spring locking lever 127, is rotated from the solid line position in FIG. 16 to the two-dot chain line position and from the two-dot solid line position to the solid line position in FIG. , the paper feed cassette 15 is made ready for paper feeding.

The lower limit detection mechanism 39 is connected to a pin 1 protruding from the rear of the left end surface of the paper feed tray 13, as shown in FIG.
51, and a lower limit detection switch 152 with an actuator 152a facing the transfer path of the pin 151.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. First, when the cover 9 is closed, the cover opening/closing detection switch 18 is turned on, and the paper feed tray operating mechanism 41
The reversible electric motor 34 of the chain drive mechanism 38 is driven, the endless chains 29 and 30 run in the forward direction (in the direction of the solid arrow in FIG. 3), and the paper feed table 13 rises. Detection lever 1 of paper presence/absence detection mechanism 61 for lower stage
08 is pushed up by the uppermost copy paper _P1 , the paper presence/absence detection switch 113 is turned on and detects the presence of paper. Furthermore, the paper feed tray 13 is raised, and the paper feed rollers 85 and 85 of the paper feed roller units 70 and 72
85 is pushed up, the upper limit detection switch 91 of the upper limit detection mechanism 40 is turned on, the reversible motor 34 is stopped, the paper feed table 13 stops rising, and the elevator type paper feed device 11 enters a standby state in which paper can be fed. becomes.

On the other hand, in the paper support plate push-up type paper feed device 12 as described above, the paper support plate 118 of the paper feed cassette 15 is moved up by the push-up lever 6 as the paper feed tray 13 is raised.
0 and enters a standby state in which paper can be fed.

Next, when the print button 3 is pressed with paper feeding from the elevator type paper feeding device 11 specified, the first electromagnetic clutch 53 of the paper feeding roller drive mechanism 45 is activated.
ON, the driving force of the endless chain 51 is transmitted to the drive shaft 46 of the lower paper ejecting mechanism 42, and the uppermost copy paper _P1 is transferred to the paper feed roller 85...
The third electromagnetic clutch 5
7 turns on at the right timing and feeds the paper feed roller 44.
The paper is fed by the rotation of the paper.

As the copy sheets _P1 ... are taken out one after another in this way, the paper feed rollers 85... are lowered, and the upper limit detection switch 91 of the upper limit detection mechanism 40 is turned OFF.
The paper feed table 13 rises again.

Then, the intermittent movement of the paper feed table 13 is repeated so that the uppermost copy paper _P1 is located within a certain paper feed range. When all copy paper P ₁ is fed, the detection unit 10 of the detection lever 108 of the paper presence/absence detection mechanism 61
8a falls into the detecting part drop hole 109 of the trays 94 and 95 of the paper feed tray 13, the paper presence/absence detection switch 113 is turned off, and the display part 5 of the operation panel 6 is turned off.
A paper out display (empty display) is displayed.

On the other hand, when the print button is pressed with paper feeding from the paper support plate push-up type paper feeding device 12 specified, the second electromagnetic clutch 54 of the paper feeding roller drive mechanism 45 is activated.
ON, the driving force of the endless chain 51 is transmitted to the drive shaft 47 of the upper paper ejecting mechanism 43, and the uppermost copy paper P ₂ is transferred to the paper feed roller 120.
... is taken out as the paper feed roller 44 rotates, and is guided to the paper feed roller 44 side for restarting, and then the third electromagnetic clutch 57 is turned ON at the appropriate timing, and the paper feed roller 4
4 rotates, the paper is fed.
When the inside of the paper feed cassette 15 becomes empty by sequentially taking out the copy sheets P ₂ . 114
a falls and paper presence/absence detection switch 117 turns OFF
Then, a paper out message is displayed on the display section 5 of the operation panel 6.

In this way, when the display section 5 shows a paper out message, the operator opens the cover 9 and replenishes copy paper P _{1 .} . . or P _{2 .} . . .
First, when the cover 9 is opened, the cover opening/closing detection switch 18 is turned OFF, and the reversible motor 34 of the chain drive mechanism 38 of the paper feed tray operating mechanism 41 rotates in the opposite direction, causing the endless chains 29 and 30 to rotate in the opposite direction (the third The paper feed tray 13 moves in the direction of the broken line arrow in the figure) and descends. Then, the actuator 152a of the lower limit position detection switch 152 is connected to the pin 1 integrated with the paper feed table 13.
51, the reversible electric motor 34 is stopped, and the paper feed table 13 is stopped at the lower limit position. On the other hand, in the paper support plate push-up type paper feed device 12, as described above, as the paper feed table 13 descends,
The push-up lever 60 that pushes up the paper support plate 118 of the paper feed cassette 15 is rotated to the position shown in two-dot chain line in FIG. 14, and the paper feed cassette 15 becomes free.

Therefore, the copy paper P ₁ ... is replenished onto the paper feed table 13 or the copy paper P ₂ is supplied to the paper feed cassette 15.
will be resupplied or replaced. Then, by closing the cover 9 after completing these operations, the above operations will be automatically performed.

Also, when replenishing the copy paper P ₁ to the paper feed table 13, the detection lever 10 of the paper presence/absence detection mechanism 61
The stopper portion 108c of No. 8 physically restricts replenishment of the amount exceeding the upper limit, that is, the amount exceeding _h1 in FIG. 11, thereby reliably preventing problems such as folding of the leading edge of paper due to excessive replenishment.

Further, the paper feed roller units 70 and 72 of the paper take-out mechanism 42 for the lower stage are movable up and down with respect to the arm 73 as shown in FIG. Because it is configured to be able to tilt with the fulcrum at When the final paper feeding state, that is, the state E is reached, all the paper feeding rollers 85
... comes into contact with the copy paper P ₁ with a reliable and uniform force, a constant conveying force is obtained, and the copy paper P ₁ can be taken out extremely well.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention has a structure in which the paper feed roller shaft with the paper feed rollers attached to both ends is swingable about the central portion in the longitudinal direction as a fulcrum. Even if the parallelism between the paper and the copy paper is slightly lost, the paper feed roller shaft will follow this and tilt, allowing the paper feed roller to come into contact with the copy paper in a tilted manner. This has the effect of reliably preventing removal in a skewed state that would otherwise occur.

In addition, by inserting a swingable arm with a U-shaped cross section into a long hole formed in the mutually opposing walls on the free end side, the middle part of the paper feed roller shaft can be used as a fulcrum. Since it is swingably supported, the structure is extremely simple.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the entire copying machine, FIG. 2 is a perspective view with the cover covering the exposed part of the paper feeder opened, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of the paper feeder unit, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure around the paper take-out mechanism of the elevator type paper feeder, FIG. Figures 6A and 6B are partially longitudinal front views for explaining the mounting state of the paper feed roller assembly and the arm, and Figures 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams for explaining the configuration of the detection part of the upper limit detection mechanism. A side view, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the paper feed table, FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the paper presence/absence detection mechanism for the lower stage, and FIGS. 11 is a schematic side view for explaining the state in which the amount of paper replenishment is limited by the paper presence/absence detection lever. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the paper presence/absence detection mechanism for the upper stage. Figures A and B are schematic side views for explaining the detection operation of the paper presence/absence detection mechanism, Figure 14 is a schematic vertical side view showing the relationship between the paper feed cassette and the paper support plate push-up lever, and Figure 15 is a schematic side view for explaining the detection operation of the paper presence/absence detection mechanism. FIG. 16 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the paper support plate push-up/release mechanism; FIG. 17 is a front view of the main parts; Figures 18A and 18B are explanatory diagrams for explaining the relationship between the variable gear and the power transmission spring, which are also the main parts,
FIGS. 19A to 19E are explanatory diagrams for explaining the state of contact between the paper feed roller and copy paper. P ₁ ...Copy paper, 70...Paper feed roller unit (right), 72...Paper feed roller unit (left), 7
3...Arm, 73a, 73b...Rising wall, 7
5...Long hole, 83...Paper feed roller shaft, 85
...Paper feed roller.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Bringing the paper feed roller 85 into contact with the copy paper P ₁ ,
In the paper feed roller unit 70, 72 that sequentially feeds sheets one by one as the paper feed roller 85 rotates, the paper feed roller units 70, 72 have a cross section U.
A swingable arm 73 that is shaped like a letter and has elongated holes 75, 75 in mutually opposing walls 73a, 73b on the free end side.
and a paper feed roller shaft 83 which is inserted into the elongated holes 75, 75 of this arm 73 so as to be swingable about its longitudinal central portion as a fulcrum; A copying apparatus characterized in that it has a structure comprising paper feed rollers 85, 85.