JPH01133835A - Sheet supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To promote the simplification of a structure and its compactness improving a separating means in its switching controllability by retracting a separating means, excepting a separating means selected being suited for the sheet characteristic, out of a sheet supplying route, in the case of a recording device or the like. CONSTITUTION:When right and left guide members 18a are retracted by solenoid action from a surface of a loading plate 18, a supply condition of ordinary paper is obtained, and a loaded sheet 5 is guided by right and left hopper guides 20 through a paper feed roller 11, separated sheet by sheet by right and left separating pawls 20a and fed to a recording part. Next in case of supplying thick a paper 5 of postcard or the like, protruding the guide member 18a from the surface of the loading plate 18 by solenoid excitation and placing the hopper guide 20 and the separating pawl 20a in an unuse condition further protruding a center separator 29 to a sheet supplying route, the paper sheet 5 is separated sheet by sheet by a high friction coefficient member 29a, providing the spring characteristic in the point end, and supplied to the recording part. Thus easily performing a switching control of separating means in accordance with a kind of the sheets, further constitution is simplified.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a method for automatically supplying sheets to a sheet processing device that continuously processes a plurality of sheets, such as a recording device or a sorting/counting device. The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device.

[Conventional technology]

Sheets (recording media such as paper and thin plastic plates) are processed continuously (sheets used in sheet processing equipment such as recording devices (printers) and sorting/counting devices include thin sheets such as airmail paper, green sheets, etc.). Thick sheets such as trading cards, sheets with rough surfaces such as bond paper,
There are a wide variety of sheets with different characteristics, such as hard sheets such as art paper, soft sheets such as tissue paper, and small sheets such as business cards and postcards.

In the case of a sheet feeding device, it is necessary to change the characteristics of the device due to the difference in the characteristics of the sheets.

In particular, the separation means for feeding sheets one by one from the sheet storage section to the sheet processing device is susceptible to the characteristics of the sheets (such as stiffness and coefficient of friction).

For this reason, conventionally, sheet feeding devices have been specialized depending on the characteristics (types) of the sheet, and in some cases, the drive section of the sheet feeding device is shared depending on the type of sheet, and the sheet storage section is There are also types that can handle multiple types of sheets by replacing or adding separation means.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in conventional sheet feeding devices that use multiple types of sheets, parts of the sheet feeding mechanism must be replaced or added, resulting in a complicated and large structure, which reduces the reliability of sheet feeding. There were problems such as insufficient durability, high cost, and poor operability.

Furthermore, regarding parts that may not be used, such as replacement parts or additional parts, there are various problems such as storage of the parts when not in use.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned prior art, and has a structure in which the unused separating means is held in the retracted position without being removed, thereby making it possible to prevent parts from being lost. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding device with excellent switching operability.

The present invention provides a sheet feeding device that feeds a plurality of sheets stored in a sheet storage portion one by one, which has a function of separating and feeding one sheet from a plurality of sheets stored in the sheet storage portion, and storing The above object is achieved by a configuration in which a plurality of separating means are provided that can be selected according to the characteristics of the sheet, and separating means other than the selected separating means are evacuated outside the sheet supply path and held at the retracted position. It is something.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of a main part of a recording apparatus equipped with a sheet feeding device to which the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 1, a sheet feed roller 1 is rotatably supported in a recording device such as a printer, and in front of the sheet feed roller 1 is a guide rail 2 installed parallel to the sheet feed roller 1.
A carriage 3 is provided which reciprocates along the same direction, and a recording head 4 is mounted on the carriage 3.

A pinch roller 6.6 for applying frictional conveyance force to the sheet (recording medium such as paper or a thin plastic plate) 5 is pressed onto the circumferential surface of the sheet feed roller 1, and also,
A paper guide 7 for guiding the sheet is provided around the sheet feeding roller 1.

A sheet feeding device (cut sheet feeder) 8 is removably attached to the upper part of the recording apparatus described above.

The sheet supply device 8 automatically supplies a plurality of sheets stored in the sheet storage portion into the recording apparatus one by one, and automatically discharges the recorded sheets 5.

This sheet feeding device 8 includes a paper feeding roller 11 that is drivably connected to a gear train that is connected to a roller gear (roller gear la in FIG. 7) provided on the shaft of the sheet feeding roller 1 when installed in the recording device. and a paper discharge roller 12 are provided.

In this way, when the sheet feeding device 8 is installed, the sheet feeding motor in the recording device rotates the sheet feeding roller 1, and the power is transmitted to the feeding roller 11 and the paper ejecting roller 12 through the gear train of the sheet feeding device. By transmitting the information to the stacker 9, the sheet 5 is automatically fed and discharged, and the discharged sheets 5 are stacked on the stacker 9.

A clutch is attached to the shaft of the paper feed roller 11, and the clutch is turned on and off by switching the rotational direction of the sheet feed motor, thereby controlling the rotation of the paper feed roller 11. .

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding device 8, FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the sheet storage section when ordinary sheets are loaded in the sheet storage section, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the sheet storage section when stacking cardboard.

2 to 4, a stacking plate 18 is urged by a spring 19 toward the circumferential surface of the paper feed roller 11, and the stacking plate 18 is directly pressed against the paper feed roller 11 when there is no sheet.

Two loading plates 18 are provided on the left and right, and each loading plate 18.
18 is rotatably supported by two left and right hopper guides 20 and 20 which are movable independently along the guide shaft 21 in the width direction of the sheet 5.

A center guide 22 is mounted between the left and right hopper guides 20, 20 and is movable independently in the left-right direction along the guide shaft 21.

A hopper wire 23 extending upward is attached to the center guide 22, and guides and supports the upper half of the sheet 5 pressed and supported between the stacking plate 18 and the paper feed roller 11.

A front cover 24 is removably attached to the front of the sheet feeding device 8, and inside the front cover 24 is a paper ejection pinch roller 24a that is pressed against the circumferential surface of the paper ejection roller 12 by a leaf spring 24b. is installed. This paper discharge pinch roller 24a is arranged corresponding to each paper discharge roller 12 provided at a plurality of positions.

The paper ejection roller 12 is normally driven at approximately the same circumferential speed (usually slightly higher circumferential speed) in conjunction with the sheet feed roller 1 (FIG. 1) of the recording apparatus, and the paper ejection pinch roller 24a is driven by the sheet feed roller 1 (FIG. 1). 12, the recorded sheet 5 sent out from the recording device is reliably pulled up.
It is configured to be deposited into a stacker 9 (FIG. 1).

A stacker wire 25 extending upward is detachably attached to the stacker 9 and guides and supports the sheets 5 stacked on the stacker 9.

Legs 41 and 41 projecting downward are provided on the left and right sides of the front bottom of the sheet feeding device 8, and the tip of each leg 41 engages with the shaft of the sheet feeding roller 1 (FIG. 1) when installed. A front opening type substantially horizontal groove 42 is formed.

Further, a claw member 27 is provided on the right wall portion 26 of the recording device at a position a predetermined distance behind the leg portion 41. This claw member 27 is pivotably mounted around the bin 43 and is biased forward by a spring 44.

When the sheet feeding device 8 is attached to the recording device, the grooves 42.42 of the left and right leg portions 41.41 engage with the shaft of the sheet feeding roller 1 (FIG. 1), and the sheet feeding device 8 is attached to the right wall portion 26. The claw member 27 that is attached to the key part 45 (first
3), the sheet feeding device 8 can be reliably fixed to the recording device.

In FIGS. 2-4, the left and right loading plates 18.18 are rotatably supported around pivots 46.46 provided at the upper ends of the left and right hopper guides 20.20, respectively.

On the other hand, a release lever 28 is swingably supported at one end (the right end in FIG. 2) of the guide shaft 21 that supports each popper guide 20 so as to be movable left and right. A release shaft 28a is connected which engages the loading plate 18.18.

Therefore, by rotating the release lever 28, each loading plate 18.18 is pressed by the pressing spring 19.
19 (FIGS. 3 and 4) and can be separated from the paper feed roller 1.

At the outer lower ends of the left and right hopper guides 20.20 and on the front side of the stacking plate 18.18, there are separating claws for separating a plurality of sheets (ordinary sheets) 5 on the stacking plate 18.18 one by one. (Separation means) 20a, 20a are provided.

On the other hand, in the sheet storage portions (sheet loading surfaces) of the left and right loading plates 18.18, guide members 18a movable in forward and backward directions are provided.
, 18a are attached.

That is, when each guide member 18a, 18a retreats (evacuates) from the sheet storage surface, the entire sheet storage portion of the stacking plate 18.18 is flattened and becomes in a state where normal sheets etc. are fed, and the paper feed roller 11 is When driving and supplying sheets, the stacked sheets are guided by left and right hopper guides 20, 20, separated one by one by the separating claws 20a, 20a, and fed into the recording apparatus.

At this time, the friction type center separator (separation means) 29 attached to the center guide 22 is retracted to the rear.

When each of the guide members 18a, 18a is advanced to protrude from the loading surface, the hopper guide 20.20 and the separating claws 20a, 20a are not used;
By protruding the center separator 29 to the use position, a state suitable for supplying thick sheets of paper towels or the like is achieved.

That is, the guide member 1 on the upper surface of the left and right loading plates 18 and 18
When feeding thick sheets such as postcards stored inside 8a and 18a by driving the paper feed roller 11,
The sheets are guided by the left and right guide members 18a, 18a, separated one by one by the friction type center separator (separation means) 19, and fed into the recording apparatus.

In FIG. 3, in which the separating claws 20a, 20a are used, the plurality of sheets 5 in the sheet storage section are guided by the hopper guides 20, 20 and brought to the top when the feed roller 11 rotates and a feeding force is applied. When the upper sheet passes over the separating claws 20a, 20a, the leading edge of the sheet curls, so that it can be reliably separated and conveyed (supplied) one by one.

On the other hand, the hopper guide 20.20 and the separation claw 20a,
Guide members 18a, 18 standing upright without using 20a
FIG. 4, in which a and a protruding friction type separation means 29 are used, is a suitable state for supplying a stiff sheet 5 such as a postcard.

That is, if the sheets 5 stored in the sheet storage section are thick paper such as postcards, the above-mentioned separation claw 20a method is difficult to curl and makes it difficult to reliably separate only one sheet. Separation claw 20a on 20
, 20a, the cardboard (stiff sheet) 5 is separated using a center separator 29 which is a friction type separation means attached to the center guide 22 so as to be movable back and forth.

The tip of the center separator 29 is given an appropriate angle, and when the cardboard 5 sent out by the paper feed roller 11 passes through the inclined part of the center separator 29, the tip of the top layer closest to the paper feed roller 11 Only sheets can be sent out.

Here, the center separator 29 is provided with a member having a high friction coefficient, such as foamed urethane, having spring properties such as a polyester sheet at its tip, and the cardboard is separated by utilizing the friction with the center separator 29. It can be configured as follows.

FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of the center separator 29 and the guide member 18a.

As mentioned above, the separation claws 20a, 20a and the separator 29 are not used at the same time, but are used alternatively, so when the separation claws 20a, 20a are used, the center separator 29 is retracted out of the sheet conveyance path. There is a need. Conversely, when the center separator 29 is used, it is necessary to operate it so that the separation claws 20a, 20a are not located within the sheet conveyance path.

Therefore, the center separator 29 is made movable,
When the separation claws 20a, 20a are used, the center separator 29 is configured to move away from the sheet conveyance path.

In this case, guide members 18a, 18 supported by the loading plate 18.18 and movable (protruding and retracting) with respect to the loading plate 18.
a, and when the guide members 18a, 18a are projected to the use position and the inner side of the separation claws 20a, 2Qa is set as the sheet conveyance path, the center separator 29 is also moved to the use position (inside the sheet conveyance path) in conjunction with this. It is preferable that the structure is configured to protrude toward.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an interlocking mechanism between the guide members 18a, 18a and the center separator 29.

In FIG. 5, the left and right guide members 18a, 18a and the center separator 29 in the middle are connected by a link mechanism, and by driving the link mechanism using a solenoid 47 provided in the device, the guide members isa, isa are connected. and the center separator 29 are automatically and simultaneously moved to the use position or the retracted position.

In this way, in the sheet feeding device that supplies the plurality of sheets 5 stored in the sheet storage section (on the stacking plate 18) one by one, one sheet is separated and supplied from the plurality of sheets 5 stored in the sheet storage section. A plurality of separation means 20a, 20a, and 29 are provided, which have a mechanism and can be selected according to the characteristics such as the stiffness (thickness) of the stored sheet 5, and separation means other than the selected separation means are provided. It is possible to obtain a sheet feeding device configured to retract the sheet out of the sheet feeding path and hold the sheet at the retracted position.

Further, the selection of the plurality of separating means 20a, 20a, and 29 is performed by moving a guide member 18a provided in the sheet storage section 18.

Furthermore, the selection of the plurality of separating means 20a, 29 is performed by retracting the separating means 29 out of the sheet supply path and moving a guide member 18a provided in the sheet storage section,
The guide member 18a is configured to move in conjunction with the retracting operation of the separating means 29.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view schematically showing the sheet ejecting mechanism with the sheet supply device 8 attached to the recording apparatus, and the sheet ejecting mechanism will be described below with reference to FIG. 6.

In FIG. 6, a paper ejecting roller 24a is attached to the inner surface of a front cover 24 which is removably provided so as to cover the front side of the paper ejecting roller 2 through a leaf spring 24b. Pinch roller 24a (usually multiple)
are pressed against the front side of each corresponding paper discharge roller 12 by the spring force of each leaf spring 24b.

The sheet 5 sent out from the recording device is transported by the paper ejection roller I.
The sheet is conveyed to the stunker 9 by the rotational force of the paper sheet 2 and the pressing force of the sheet discharge pinch roller 24a.

Therefore, the sheet conveyance force of the paper ejection roller 12 is increased by the pressure contact force of the paper ejection pinch roller 24a.
Even after the conveyance force of the sheet feed roller 1 in the recording apparatus is lost, the sheet from the recording apparatus can be reliably fed by the discharge roller 12.

In conventional recording apparatuses, the conveying force (sheet feeding) of the sheet feeding roller 1 is transmitted by the pinch roller 6 (located below the recording head 4).
6), there is an unrecordable area (lower end margin) at the bottom end of the sheet 5 corresponding to the distance between the recording head 4 and the pinch roller 6, resulting in waste of the sheet 5 and constraints on image arrangement. was occurring.

In contrast to 1, in the structure of the embodiment, the paper ejection roller 12 is driven in synchronization with the sheet feed roller 1 at approximately the same circumferential speed, and the paper ejection pinch roller 24a is provided in pressure contact therewith. 12 has a large (reliable) sheet feeding force, even after the conveying force of the sheet feeding roller 1 is lost, the sheet can be fed only by the paper ejection roller 12, and the sheet 5 can be fed without creating a bottom margin. It becomes possible to record up to the bottom end.

Therefore, when the sheet supply device 8 is installed in the recording apparatus, if this is detected and the drive of the paper ejection roller 12 is controlled,
The recordable range for the sheet 5 can be increased as appropriate, and can be increased to the point where there is no bottom margin if necessary.

Further, the circumferential speed of the paper ejection roller 12 is set slightly higher than the circumferential speed of the sheet feed roller 1 (for example, approximately 0.2 to 0.8%), and the sheet 5 is transferred between the paper ejection roller 12 and the sheet feed roller 1. It can be transported reliably without causing any slack.

However, if the rotational speed of the paper ejection roller 12 is faster than the sheet feed roller l, the tension of the sheet 5 between the paper ejection roller 12 and the sheet feed roller 1 increases due to variations in the thickness of the sheet 5, and the sheet is transported. As the load increases, the sheet feeding accuracy may decrease.

Therefore, in the structure of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a friction clutch 15 is provided at the end of the paper ejection roller 12, and when a load of more than a certain level is applied to the paper ejection roller 12, the rotational speed of the paper ejection roller 12 is reduced. A mechanism is provided to slow it down. By doing so, the sheet 5 can always be fed with a constant transport load, and a decrease in sheet feeding accuracy can be prevented.

FIG. 7 shows a gear train that transmits power from the roller gear 1a on the axis of the sheet feed roller 1 to the paper feed roller 11 and the paper discharge roller 12, and FIGS.
This shows the clutch attached to the shaft.

In FIG. 7, a roller gear 1a fixed to the shaft of the sheet feed roller 1 in the recording device is meshed with a gear 13a pivotally supported on the sheet supply device 8, and these gears la, 13
The driving force of the sheet feeding roller 1 is transmitted to the sheet feeding device 8 by the meshing of the sheets H.

On the other hand, a paper feed gear 17, a clutch 16, and a clutch gear 14 are attached to the shaft of the paper feed roller 11, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The clutch 16 and the clutch gear 14 are directly connected to each other, and the clutch 16 and the clutch gear 14 are rotatable about the shaft of the paper feed roller 11 as a support shaft.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a clutch pawl 14a is provided on the flange surface of the clutch gear 14, and when the clutch gear 14 rotates, the clutch pawl 14a moves on the outer circumference of the clutch 16. slide.

Further, the shaft of the paper feed roller 11 is supported by a one-way clutch (not shown), and is rotatable only in the direction of arrow A.

FIG. 8 shows the state where the clutch is ON, and the clutch pawl 14 is inserted through the notch hole 16a formed on the outer periphery of the clutch 16.
a has entered and engaged with the paper feed gear 17. In this state, the rotation of the clutch gear 14 is transmitted to the paper feed gear 17,
Paper feed roller 11 rotates.

In FIG. 7, the driving force of the roller gear 1a is transmitted to the clutch gear 14 via gear trains 13a to 13e provided in the sheet feeding device 8. Therefore, the clutch gear 14 operates regardless of whether or not the paper feed roller 11 rotates.
If the roller gear 1a provided on the shaft of the sheet feed roller 1 in the recording apparatus rotates out of rotation, it will always rotate.

A friction clutch gear 15 is attached to the shaft of the paper ejection roller 12.
(Fig. 7), and as shown in Fig. 7, the clutch gear 14 and the friction clutch gear 15 are meshed and connected by a gear train 13f to 13h, Rotation is paper ejection roller 1
2.

FIG. 10 is a developed view of the peripheral surface of the clutch 16 on which the clutch pawl 14a (FIGS. 8 and 9) slides.

In FIG. 10, the peripheral surface of the clutch 16 has HPl, H
There is a stopper F2, and Sl indicates the notch hole 16a.

There is a boundary line between La and Lb at the boundary between the area 5HP1 on the HPl side and the area 5HP2 on the HF2 side, and the clutch pawl 1
When 4a moves from HPI to HF2, HPI → Lb
→When moving HP2 and moving from HF2 to HPl, HP2-L a-hHPl is moved.

The direction in which the clutch pawl 14a moves from HF2 to HPI is the direction in which the sheet feed roller 1 performs forward feeding (FWD), and the direction in which the clutch pawl 14a moves from HPI to HF2 is in reverse feeding (R
EV).

8 to 10, even if the clutch pawl 14a is in any position, the clutch pawl 14a is inserted into the notch hole 31 (
16a), an initialization operation is performed to ensure that the clutch pawl 14a is inserted into HPl. Since the distance from HPI to 81 is constant, if the clutch pawl 14a is located at HPI, it is easy to reliably move it to 81.

In the initialization operation, the clutch pawl 14a is set to Sl and Sl.
When the clutch pawl 14a is moved in the HP1 direction when the clutch pawl 14a is in the area surrounded by and Lb, the clutch pawl 14a moves to 81
Because it is inserted inside and the clutch is turned on,
In order to avoid this, the clutch pawl 14a is initially moved to HF2.

Since the clutch pawl 14a reliably moves from 5HP2 to HPI, all initialization operations are performed when the clutch pawl 14a moves from 5HP2 to HPI.
This can be done by moving the image a and then moving it to the HPI.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the clutch sequence. Next, clutch control will be explained with reference to FIG. 11.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the recording device is provided with a C3F sensor 31 that detects the presence or absence of the sheet feeding device 8 and a sheet sensor 30 that detects the presence or absence of the sheet 5. When the sheet sensor 30 is OFF, the feeder mode is entered and initialization begins.

In FIG. 11, when the print key is turned on in step F1, the process proceeds to step F2B and the C3F sensor 31 is turned on (
If it is ON, the process proceeds to step F3, where it is determined whether the sheet sensor 30 is ON (sheet present) or not.

If there is no sheet feeding device in step F2, printing 1 is performed.

If there is a sheet in step F3, printing 2 is performed.

If there is no sheet in step F3, proceed to step F4, and use REV (reverse feed) to move 1o rows and FWD (
Rotate the sheet feed roller 1 by 10 lines using advance feed),
The aforementioned clutch pawl 14a is moved to HPl (FIG. 10).

Next, proceed to step F5 and rotate 4 lines in the return direction,
Move the clutch pawl 14a from HPI to the hole SL (FIG. 10) to turn the clutch ON.

Next, in step F6, when the sheet is fed by one line in the feeding direction, the sheet feeding operation starts, and the sheet 5 is fed into the recording apparatus.

Then, in step F7, the sheet sensor 3 in the recording device
0, the sensor 30 is turned on while detecting the presence or absence of the sheet (
The paper feed operation is performed until the paper reaches (sheet present).

After the sheet sensor 30 is turned on, perform the operation of forwarding 3 lines and returning 4 lines in step F8, and then turn off the clutch 16.
state.

Furthermore, the process advances to the next step F9 and the sheet 5 is conveyed to the recording position.

Here, in step F8, the clutch 16 is turned off by returning REV), and the 12th
Return feed (REV) of sheet 5 as shown by X in the diagram
By this, the sheet 5 is separated from the pressure of the pinch roller 6, and the sheet 5 is curled, thereby simultaneously eliminating the problem of the sheet 5 being bitten into the pinch roller 6 by one side in its width direction and being skewed. be able to.

Furthermore, as described above, when the sheet feeding device 8 is installed in a recording device, even after the sheet feeding force of the printing device is lost, the lifting force (carrying force) of the paper ejection roller 12 of the sheet feeding device 8 is used. Sheet feed can be precisely controlled, so
There is no bottom margin (you can print freely to the bottom of the sheet).

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a main part of a recording apparatus equipped with a sheet feeding device 8 according to the present invention.

In FIG. 12, the distance from the sheet sensor 30 to the front pinch roller 6 is defined as line A, and the sheet sensor 3
Assuming that the distance from 0 to the recording head 4 is line B, when the sheet feeding device 8 is not attached, a bottom margin of (B-A) lines is created on the sheet 5.

Therefore, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, control can be performed to change the printing range of the sheet 5 depending on the presence or absence of the sheet feeding device 8.

In FIG. 11, when the sheet supply device 8 (FIG. 12) is not installed, "Print 1" control is performed, and when the sheet supply device 8 is installed, "Print 2" control is performed.

In "Printing 1", the sheet sensor 30 (
12), and after the sheet sensor 30 turns OFF (no sheet), feed the sheet 5 to line A. In "Printing 2", after the sheet sensor 30 turns OFF, The recording head 4 can record on the sheet 5 while controlling the sheet 5 to be fed to the B row.

If such printing control is performed, the printable range of the sheet 5 can be expanded by installing the sheet feeding device 8.

Next, the attachment and detachment of the sheet feeding device 8 to and from the recording apparatus will be explained.

FIG. 13 is a right side view showing a state in which the sheet feeding device 8 is connected to the upper part of the recording device.

In FIG. 13, a groove 42 is formed in the right side plate 26R and left side plate 26L (not shown) of the sheet feeding device 8 to engage with the shaft 48 of the sheet feed roller 1 of the recording device. This groove 42 is formed in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction of the recording device, and its opening faces forward. In the illustrated example, the left and right grooves 42.42 are the left and right side plates 26L, 26.
It is formed in left and right leg portions 41.41 extending downward from R.

When installing, move the sheet feeding device 8 to the sheet feeding roller 1.
lowered from the upper rear of the shaft 48 of the coupling groove 42 (7).
．． After the shaft 48 of the sheet feeding roller 1 is brought into contact with the upper wall of the sheet feeding roller 42, the sheet feeding device 8 is slid toward the front to couple the shaft 48 into the groove 42.

At this time, since the upper wall of the valley groove 42, 42 protrudes forward longer than the lower wall, the shaft 48 of the sheet feed roller 1
can be easily fitted.

As shown in FIG. 13, the right side plate 26R has a pin 4.
A claw member 27 is rotatably pivotally connected to 3 and biased clockwise (with the engaging portion forward) by a spring 44.

In the installed state shown in FIG. 13, the claw member 27 is inserted into an engaging portion 45 provided on the exterior of the recording device, and the spring force of the spring 44 urges the tip claw portion of the claw member 27 forward. This prevents the sheet feeding device 8 from coming off the recording device.

Here, the sheet feeding device 8 receives power from the sheet feeding motor of the recording apparatus through meshing of the gear 13a and the roller gear 1a of the sheet feeding roller 1.

Therefore, when a load is applied when driving the sheet feeding roller 11 or the sheet ejecting roller 12 of the sheet feeding device 8, the gear 13a on the sheet feeding device side tends to move away from the roller gear 1a in the direction of arrow A. do. For this reason, in the conventional sheet feeding apparatus, problems such as insufficient meshing between the gear 13a and the roller gear 1a and tooth skipping occur.

However, the sheet feeding device 8 according to the present invention shown in FIG.
In this case, the gear 13a is installed to be located directly above the roller gear 1a in the vertical direction.
Even if 3a tries to move in the direction of arrow A due to the above load, some displacement in the direction of arrow A occurs, but the displacement is also in the tangential direction and does not result in problems such as tooth skipping.

When removing the sheet feeding device 8 from the recording device, keep the distal end claw portion of the claw member 27 separated from the engaging portion 45 provided on the exterior of the recording device by rotating it in the direction of arrow C. , move the sheet feeding device 8 in the direction of arrow B (backward upward direction)
Remove it from the recording device while rotating it.

At this time, since the releasing direction of the claw member (direction of arrow C) and the direction of removing the sheet feeding device 8 (direction of rotation in the direction of arrow B) are selected to be approximately the same direction, the sheet feeding device 8
can be easily removed from the recording device.

FIG. 14 is a right side view of another embodiment of the structure of the coupling portion between the sheet feeding device 8 and the recording device.

The structure of FIG. 14 replaces the rotatable pawl member 27 and spring 44 in the structure of FIG.
6R is formed with a downward protrusion 26a, and a recess 10a is formed in the upper part of the exterior work 0 of the recording apparatus, and the protrusion 26a is inserted into the recess 10a from above.

The bonding structure shown in FIG. 14 differs from the bonding structure shown in FIG. 13 in the above points, and other parts are substantially the same as those shown in FIG. Detailed explanation will be omitted.

According to the coupling structure of the sheet feeding device 8 shown in FIG. 14,
When a load is applied during sheet conveyance, a force in the direction of arrow A is applied to the sheet feeding device 8 so as to move it in a direction directly opposite to the opening of the coupling groove 42,42.

Therefore, if the coupling groove 42 is formed in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (approximately horizontal direction), the positioning protrusion 26a that engages with the exterior work 0 of the recording device presses against the exterior work 0. Therefore, the sheet feeding device 8 will not come off from this exterior work 0.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheets 5 discharged upward through the sheet conveyance means consisting of the discharge roller 12 and the discharge pinch roller 24a are stacked on the stacker 9. A stacker wire 25 is attached which forms an extended surface for holding the (stacked sheets) 5.

However, on the opposite surface (rear side) of the stacker 9 (specifically, the stacker wire 25) to the sheet stacking surface, the sheets stored in the sheet storage section consisting of the stacking plate 18 and the hopper wire 23 are stored. Protrusions 25a, 25a for guiding and holding 5 are provided.

By providing these projections 25a, 25a, problems such as the seat 5 in the seat storage section buckling as shown by the dotted chain line Y in FIG. It has become possible to accurately convey the sheet by the paper roller 11.

The sheet guide protrusion 25a provided on the back surface of the stunker wire 25 may be integrally formed by bending the wire itself as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
It is also possible to provide the straight stacker wire 25 by fixing a separately molded member of plastic or the like with adhesive or the like.

Figure 15 shows the front cover 24 in Figures 1 and 2.
It is a partial perspective view showing the inside of.

In FIGS. 1, 2, and 15, the front cover 24 has a guide for guiding the sheet 5 to be conveyed to the stacker 9 through a sheet ejecting means consisting of the ejecting roller 12 and the ejecting pinch roller 24a. The inner surface of the front cover 24 is provided with a plurality of longitudinal guide ribs 5 arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the seat.
1 is formed.

However, a suitable number of the plurality of guide ribs 51, for example, two left and right guide ribs (guiding means) 51 located at a predetermined interval, are provided with a suitable number of guide ribs 51, for example, two left and right guide ribs (guiding means) 51 located at a predetermined interval. (deposited) sheet 5
An abutment protrusion 52 is provided to prevent buckling and falling.

By providing the abutting protrusion 52 on the guide means formed by the front cover 24, the stacked sheets 5 on the stacker 9 can be moved as shown by the two-dot chain line Z in FIG. This prevents the defective phenomenon of buckling, and it becomes possible to store the processed sheets 5 on the stacker 9 (including the stunker wire 25) in the correct stacking posture.

As shown in Figure 2, left and right hopper guides 20.20
A center guide 22 that can move left and right along a guide shaft 21 is provided between them, and the center guide 22 has a friction-type roller that is suitable for separating and feeding stiff (thick) sheets 5 such as postcards. Separation means (center separator) 2
9 is attached so that it can move (advance and retreat).

However, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, this separating means 29 has a mechanism that prevents the sheet 5 from buckling forward in the sheet conveyance direction (lower side in FIGS. 4 and 4) from the separating portion 29a. A sheet guide section 55 is integrally provided for this purpose.

The sheet guide section 55 is intended to prevent the sheet 5 from buckling and entering the gap between the paper guide of the recording device and the sheet feeding device 8 as shown by the two-dot chain line W, and is particularly When using thick paper such as postcards, the problem that tends to occur when the sheet 5 is reversely fed to turn off the clutch 16 (FIG. 9) or to correct the skew of the sheet 5, as shown by the two-dot chain line W above. This is effective in preventing bank ring (locus M).

Since the sheet guide section 55 is provided integrally with the central separation means 29, it is effective in preventing the above-mentioned buckling when feeding thick paper such as postcards, and the separation claws 20a,
When feeding a normal sheet using 20a, it can be retracted at the same time as the separating means 29 is retracted.

Therefore, without increasing the number of parts or requiring extra space, the sheet guide can be automatically set in the use position when necessary, such as when using thick paper such as postcards, and can be automatically retracted when not in use. I was able to form a department.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, it has a function to separate and supply one sheet from a plurality of sheets stored in the sheet storage section, and it is possible to select the sheet according to the characteristics of the stored sheet. Since a plurality of separating means are provided and the separating means other than the selected separating means are retracted out of the sheet supply path and held at the retracted position, the type of sheet can be changed as in a conventional cassette type sheet supply device. There is no need to remove and replace it depending on the situation, the separation means has excellent switching operability, and the structure can be simplified and made more compact.
Moreover, a sheet feeding device can be obtained in which there is no risk of losing unused parts.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of a recording device equipped with a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a recording device using a separation claw. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the paper feeding mechanism using a center separator, FIG. 5 is a side view of the interlocking mechanism of the center separator and guide member in FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the power transmission mechanism of the sheet feeding device shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the clutch mechanism of the paper feeding roller in an ON state; 9 is a partial perspective view of FIG. 8 in the OFF state, FIG. 10 is a developed view of the circumferential surface of the clutch of FIG. 8, FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the operation sequence of the clutch of FIG. 8, and FIG. 12 is 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a recording device equipped with a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 13 is a side view of a joint structure between the sheet feeding device and the recording device, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a side view showing another example of the structure of the connecting portion with the recording device, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the inside part of the front cover in FIG. 1. 1-...--- Sheet feed roller, la----
---------1 roller gear, 4.--.---recording head, 5.--11--sheet, 8.--
m=-- Sheet feeding device, 9--
Stacker, 11---------・-Paper feed roller, 12
-・-・・・・Paper ejection roller, 13a to 13h-
−−−−−−−−Gear train, 16−−−−−−−−−−−
Clutch, 18-- Loading plate (seat storage section)
, 18 a----guide member, 20--
-----11--Hopper guide, 20a----
--- Separation claw, 22--- Center guide, 2
3.--- Hopper wire, 24---
−−−−−−−Front cover, 24a・−・−・−
Projection, 27-----------One claw member (locking member), 29-・------Center separator (
Separation means), 42-------Groove for coupling, 48---Sheet feed roller shaft, 51--
---Guiding rib (guiding means), 52--
-----m=・Abutting protrusion. Agent Patent Attorney Yasutake Ooto

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A sheet feeding device that feeds a plurality of sheets stored in a sheet storage section one by one, which has a function of separating and feeding one sheet from the plurality of sheets stored in the sheet storage section and A sheet feeding apparatus characterized in that a plurality of separating means are provided that can be selected according to the characteristics of the sheet, and the separating means other than the selected separating means are retracted out of the sheet supply path and held at the retracted position.