Sheet feeding device, image reading device and image forming device

Abstract

To enable documents different in size to be mounted at the same time, and to enable suppression of the skew of a sheet.SOLUTION: A sheet feeding device comprises: a first support part for supporting a sheet; first restricting means for restricting a position of the sheet supported by the first support part in a sheet width direction orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction; a second support part provided above the first support part; second restricting means for restricting a position of a sheet supported by the second support part in the sheet width direction; and feeding means for feeding the sheet supported by the first support part and the sheet supported by the second support part toward the sheet feeding direction. The second restricting means can move with respect to the second support part in the sheet width direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device that feeds a sheet, an image reading device that reads image information from a sheet, and an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a scanner device that can read small-sized documents such as business cards and other cards that are difficult to read using the main feed tray by attaching an auxiliary feed tray to the main feed tray. Patent Document 2 describes a document transport device that can simultaneously place multiple documents of different widths on a first document table and a second document table that is provided above the first document table and is narrower than the first document table. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-251479 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-108221 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the configurations described in the above documents, the side edges of small-sized documents are guided by a guide portion fixed to the auxiliary paper feed tray or the second document table, so there is a possibility that the sheet will skew when feeding a document smaller than the width of the guide portion.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding device, an image reading device, and an image forming apparatus that are capable of simultaneously placing documents of different sizes and suppressing skew of the sheets. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a sheet feeding device comprising a first support portion that supports a sheet, a first regulating means for regulating a position of the sheet supported by the first support portion in a sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction, a second support portion provided above the first support portion and capable of supporting a sheet that is shorter in length in the sheet width direction than the sheet supported by the first support portion when a sheet is supported by the first support portion, a second regulating means for regulating a position of the sheet supported by the second support portion in the sheet width direction, and a feeding means for feeding the sheet supported by the first support portion and the sheet supported by the second support portion toward the sheet feeding direction, wherein the second regulating means is movable relative to the second support portion in the sheet width direction. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sheet feeding device, an image reading device, and an image forming apparatus that are capable of simultaneously placing documents of different sizes and suppressing skewed transport of the sheets. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image reading device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ADF according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ADF according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ADF according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mixed tray according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a part of the mixed tray according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a document tray and a mixed tray according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the document tray and the mixed tray according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ADF according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a document tray and a mixed tray according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a part of a document tray and a mixed tray according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a part of a document tray and a mixed tray according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an ADF according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Example 1 The configurations of a sheet feeding device, an image reading device, and an image forming device according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming device 100 according to the first embodiment. The image forming device 100 includes an image forming device main body (hereinafter referred to as a printer main body 104) and an image reading device 101 provided above the printer main body 104. The image forming device 100 forms an image on a recording material P based on image data read by the image reading device 101 or image information received from a host device such as a personal computer communicably connected to the image forming device 100. As the recording material (recording medium) P, various sheet materials of different sizes and materials can be used, such as paper such as plain paper and cardboard, sheet materials with surface treatments such as coated paper, sheet materials with special shapes such as envelopes and index paper, plastic films, cloth, etc.

[0011] An electrophotographic image forming section 104A is housed inside the printer body 104 as an example of an image forming means. The image forming section 104A includes four image forming units (process units) 111, 112, 113, and 114, four laser scanners 107, 108, 109, and 110 as exposure means, and an intermediate transfer belt 115 as an intermediate transfer body. The image forming section 104A is a tandem type, intermediate transfer type electrophotographic unit in which the image forming units 111, 112, 113, and 114 are arranged side by side along the intermediate transfer belt 115.

[0012] Each of the image forming units 111-114 has a photosensitive drum as an image carrier, and a charger, a developing unit, and the like that act on the photosensitive drum. The photosensitive drum is a photosensitive member molded into a cylindrical (drum-like) shape. A developer (toner) is contained inside the developing unit. The image forming units 111-114 are arranged along an intermediate transfer belt 115. The intermediate transfer belt 115 is an endless (belt-like) member stretched over a plurality of rollers. A secondary transfer roller 116 is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt 115. A secondary transfer unit is formed as a nip portion between the intermediate transfer belt 115 and the secondary transfer roller 116.

[0013] The printer body 104 also includes at least one feed cassette 105, feed rollers 106 provided in each feed cassette 105, a pre-fixing conveying section 117, a fixing device 118, and a discharge tray 119. The feed cassette 105 is an example of a stacking section (storage section) in which the recording material P is stacked and stored. The feed rollers 106 are an example of a feeding means for feeding the recording material P. The pre-fixing conveying section 117 is a conveying unit for conveying the recording material P from the secondary transfer section to the fixing device 118. The fixing device 118 has a thermal fixing system configuration. For example, the fixing device 118 has a pair of rollers that sandwich and convey the recording material P, and a heating means (heat source) such as a halogen lamp or an induction heating mechanism for heating the image on the recording material P. The discharge tray 119 is a stacking section in which the recording material P on which the image has been formed is stacked.

[0014] When an instruction to perform an image forming operation is given to the image forming apparatus 100, the photosensitive drums and intermediate transfer belt 115 are rotated in the image forming unit 104A. The charger charges the surface of the photosensitive drum. The laser scanners 107-110 irradiate the photosensitive drums of the image forming units 111-114 with laser light based on an image signal obtained by decomposing image information into yellow, magenta, cyan, and black components, and write an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum. This electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image by toner supplied from a developing device. The toner images formed on each photosensitive drum are primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 115. During the primary transfer, the toner images of each color, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, are transferred in a multi-layered manner so as to be superimposed on each other, thereby forming a full-color image on the intermediate transfer belt 115.

[0015] Meanwhile, in parallel with the creation of the toner image in the image forming unit 104A, a recording material P is fed toward the secondary transfer unit. A feed roller 106 comes into contact with the uppermost recording material P of the sheet stack contained in the feed cassette 105, and sends out the recording material P from the feed cassette 105. This recording material P is transported to the secondary transfer unit via a plurality of transport roller pairs at a timing synchronized with the creation of the toner image in the image forming unit 104A. Then, in the secondary transfer unit, an image is secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 115 to the recording material P.

[0016] The recording material P that has passed through the secondary transfer unit is transported to a fixing device 118 via a pre-fixing transport unit 117. While transporting the recording material P, the fixing device 118 applies heat and pressure to the image on the recording material P to fix it to the recording material P. The recording material P that has passed through the fixing device 118 is discharged to the outside of the printer body 104 by a pair of discharge rollers and stacked on a discharge tray 119.

[0017] In the above, the image forming section 104A, which is an intermediate transfer type electrophotographic unit, has been described as an example of the image forming means. However, the image forming means is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a direct transfer type electrophotographic unit or an inkjet type image forming unit.

[0018] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus is not limited to one in which the image reading apparatus 101 and the printer main body 104 shown in Fig. 1 are integrated (a copier, a multifunction machine). The image forming apparatus may be a single-function printer equipped with only an image forming function (printer function). The image forming apparatus may be a small home printer (small multifunction machine) or a large commercial printing machine.

[0019] (Image reader) The following describes the image reading device 101. As shown in Fig. 1, the image reading device 101 has a reader unit 103 fixed to the top surface of a printer body 104, and an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as ADF) 102 supported by the reader unit 103.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the image reading device 101. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the image reading device 101. Note that Figs. 2 and 3 show the image reading device 101 in a state where a mixed tray 400, which will be described later, is not attached.

[0021] In the following description and drawings, the direction in which the ADF 102 feeds the document from the document tray 200 or the mixed tray 400 is referred to as the sheet feeding direction Df. The direction along the surface of the sheet placed on the document tray 200 or the mixed tray 400 and perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction Df is referred to as the sheet width direction Dw. The vertical direction (gravity direction) when the image forming apparatus 100 is installed on a horizontal surface is referred to as the up-down direction. In this embodiment, one side of the sheet width direction Dw (the lower left side in FIG. 2) is the front side (front surface side) of the image forming apparatus 100, and the other side of the sheet width direction Dw (the upper right side in FIG. 2) is the back side (rear surface side) of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0022] 2 and 3, the reader unit 103 includes a platen glass 314 on which a document is placed, a first reading unit 306 disposed below the platen glass 314, and a first flow reading glass 312. The platen glass 314 and the first flow reading glass 312 are both transparent members. The first reading unit 306 is movable between a position facing the first flow reading glass 312 (position in FIG. 3) and a position facing the platen glass 314. The first reading unit 306 is also movable in the sub-scanning direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3) below the platen glass 314.

[0023] The first reading unit 306 is an example of a reading section (first reading section) that reads an image on a sheet. The first reading unit 306 in this embodiment is a CCD type image sensor unit. That is, the first reading unit 306 has a sensor board 309 on which a CCD image sensor is mounted as a light receiving element, a light source 310 that irradiates light onto the original, and a plurality of mirrors 308 that guide reflected light from the original to the imaging surface of the light receiving element. The first reading unit 306 is configured to read image information via a first running reading glass 312 or an original table glass 314.

[0024] The ADF 102 is rotatably supported by the reader unit 103 via a hinge mechanism provided on one side in the sheet width direction Dw (the rear side of the image forming apparatus 100). The ADF 102 can be opened and closed between an open position where the document glass 314 is exposed and a closed position where the document glass 314 is covered.

[0025] 3, the ADF 102 has an original tray 200, a discharge tray 201 arranged below the original tray 200, and a second reading unit 307. The ADF 102 also has an original transport path P1 from the original tray 200 to the discharge tray 201, and a feed roller 300, a separation roller pair 301, transport roller pairs 302, 303, 304, and a discharge roller pair 305 arranged along the original transport path P1. The portion where the original transport path P1 is formed (the portion on the left side of the original tray 200 and the discharge tray 201 in the figure) is defined as the main body of the ADF 102.

[0026] The ADF 102 is an example of a sheet feeding device that feeds a sheet. The ADF 102 of this embodiment feeds a document as a sheet. A first placement section 200a (a support surface that supports a document) on which the document is placed is provided on the upper surface of the document tray 200. The first placement section 200a is an example of a support section (first support section) that supports a sheet. The discharge tray 201 is an example of a discharge section (stacking section) from which a sheet is discharged. The feed roller 300 is an example of a feeding means that feeds a sheet supported by the document tray 200. The separation roller pair 301, the conveying roller pairs 302, 303, 304, and the discharge roller pair 305 are all examples of conveying means that convey a sheet.

[0027] The document tray 200 is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis (not shown) relative to the main body of the ADF 102. A user can easily remove documents on the discharge tray 201 by rotating the document tray 200 upward. In addition, a mixed tray 400 (described later) can be attached to the document tray 200. The document tray 200 can be made rotatable relative to the main body of the ADF 102 even in a state in which the mixed tray 400 is attached.

[0028] The feed roller 300 is configured to feed the document in a sheet feeding direction Df by rotating in contact with the upper surface of the document set on the document tray 200. Note that, as the feeding means, for example, a belt member stretched between rotating rollers may be used.

[0029] The pair of separation rollers 301 includes a conveying roller that conveys the document along the sheet feeding direction Df, and a separation roller that abuts against the conveying roller. The separation roller applies a frictional force to the document in the direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction Df at a nip portion (separation nip) between the conveying roller and the separation roller, thereby allowing only the topmost document in contact with the conveying roller to pass through the separation nip. The separation roller is configured to be supported by a shaft fixed to the frame of the ADF 102 via a torque limiter, for example. Instead of the above-mentioned separation roller, a pad-shaped elastic member that abuts against the feed roller 300 may be used as a separation member that separates the sheets.

[0030] 2, the document tray 200 is provided with a front-side regulating plate 202 and a rear-side regulating plate 203. The front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 are examples of a first regulating means that regulates the position of a sheet supported by the document tray 200 in the sheet width direction Dw.

[0031] The front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 are a pair of regulating members (a pair of first regulating members) facing each other in the sheet width direction Dw. The front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 each have regulating surfaces 202a, 203a (contact surfaces that come into contact with the side edges of the sheet) that protrude upward from the first placement portion 200a of the document tray 200 and extend along the sheet feeding direction Df.

[0032] Each of the front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 is movable relative to the document tray 200 in the sheet width direction Dw. The front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 are configured to move in opposite directions with respect to each other, centered on the transport reference Rf in the sheet width direction Dw. In other words, the front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 move in conjunction with the movement of one of the regulating plates so that the regulating surfaces 202a, 203a maintain a symmetrical positional relationship with the transport reference Rf as an axis of symmetry. When a user sets a document on the document tray 200, after placing the document on the first placement section 200a, the user may hold the front-side regulating plate 202 or the rear-side regulating plate 203 and move it in the sheet width direction Dw to bring the regulating surfaces 202a, 203a into contact with the side ends of the document.

[0033] A rack-and-pinion mechanism can be used as the interlocking mechanism for interlocking the front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203. This rack-and-pinion mechanism is composed of a first rack provided on the front-side regulating plate 202, a second rack provided on the rear-side regulating plate 203, and pinion gears that mesh with the first rack and the second rack, respectively.

[0034] The transport reference Rf is a reference position in the sheet width direction Dw of the document fed by the feed roller 300. In this embodiment, the position of the document placed on the document tray 200 is restricted by the front-side restricting plate 202 and the rear-side restricting plate 203, which are positioned symmetrically with respect to the transport reference Rf, so that the center of the document in the sheet width direction Dw is aligned with the transport reference Rf. In addition, it is preferable that the outer peripheries (contact portions with respect to the document) of the feed roller 300 and each of the other transport roller pairs (301 to 305) are disposed symmetrically with respect to the transport reference Rf in the sheet width direction Dw.

[0035] In addition, in cases where the size of the document to be placed on the document tray 200 is predetermined to be only one type, a configuration may be adopted in which a member (first regulating means) equivalent to the front regulating plate 202 and the rear regulating plate 203 is fixed to the document tray 200.

[0036] The second reading unit 307 is an example of a reading section (second reading section) that reads an image on a sheet. The second reading unit 307 of this embodiment has a contact image sensor (hereinafter, CIS311). The CIS311 includes a sensor board on which light receiving elements are arranged along the sheet width direction Dw, a light source that irradiates light onto the document, and a lens array that guides reflected light from the document to the imaging surface of the light receiving elements. In addition, a second flow reading glass 313 that is a transparent member is disposed in the second reading unit 307. The CIS311 is configured to read image information from the document transported along the document transport path P1 through the second flow reading glass 313.

[0037] The above-described configurations of the first reading unit 306 and the second reading unit 307 are examples of the reading units (first reading unit, second reading unit), and the first reading unit 306 may be, for example, a CIS type image sensor unit.

[0038] The image reading device 101 is capable of reading image information from a stationary original placed on the original platen glass 314 (fixed reading) and reading image information while conveying a sheet as an original by the ADF 102 (skim reading).

[0039] The reading operation of image reading device 101 will be described below with reference to Fig. 3. Note that the operation of image reading device 101 when mixed tray 400 is attached will be described later.

[0040] In the case of fixed reading, the user opens the ADF 102 and places an original on the platen glass 314, then closes the ADF 102 and issues an instruction to start a reading operation by operating the operation unit of the image forming apparatus 100. Then, the first reading unit 306 moves in the sub-scanning direction below the platen glass 314, optically scanning the surface of the original through the platen glass 314 to read image information of the original.

[0041] In the case of skimming, the user places the document on the document tray 200, moves the front-side regulating plate 202 or the back-side regulating plate 203 according to the document size, and then operates the operation unit of the image forming apparatus 100 to instruct the start of the reading operation. Then, the feed roller 300 of the ADF 102 starts to rotate, and sends out the documents set on the document tray 200 in the sheet feeding direction Df, starting from the top document.

[0042] The document that has started to be fed by the feed roller 300 is conveyed inside the main body of the ADF 102 along the document conveying path P1. First, the document sent from the document tray 200 by the feed roller 300 is separated one by one by the separation roller pair 301. Next, the document is conveyed while being transferred in order by the conveying roller pairs 302, 303, and 304. When the document passes through the first moving reading glass 312 of the reader section 103, the first reading unit 306 reads image information of the first side (front side) of the document. Also, when the document passes through the second moving reading glass 313, the second reading unit 307 reads image information of the second side (back side) opposite to the first side of the document. The document from which the image information has been read is discharged to the outside of the ADF 102 by the discharge roller pair 305 and stacked on the discharge tray 201.

[0043] (Mixed tray) The mixed tray 400 included in the ADF 102 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 11. The mixed tray 400 is a member (auxiliary tray, sub-tray) on which documents of different sizes can be placed from those placed on the document tray 200 (main tray).

[0044] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the ADF 102 in a state where the mixed tray 400 is attached. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where the front side regulating plate 202 and the rear side regulating plate 203 of the document tray 200 are moved inward in the sheet width direction Dw from the state shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the ADF 102 in a state where the attachment members 405 and 406 are attached. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the mixed tray 400 in a state where it is not attached to the ADF 102. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an interlocking mechanism (rack and pinion mechanism) provided in the mixed tray 400. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state where the front side regulating plate 402 and the rear side regulating plate 403 of the mixed tray 400 are moved inward in the sheet width direction Dw from the state shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the positional relationship between the front side regulating plate 402 and the rear side regulating plate 403 of the mixed tray 400 and the front side regulating plate 202 and the rear side regulating plate 203 of the document tray 200. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the ADF 102 in a state where documents are placed on both the document tray 200 and the mixed tray 400. As shown in FIG.

[0045] 4 and 11, the ADF 102 of this embodiment can set documents on both the document tray 200 and the mixed tray 400 with the mixed tray 400 attached to the ADF 102. In other words, the ADF 102 can continuously feed documents on the document tray 200 and the mixed tray 400 with documents placed on both the document tray 200 and the mixed tray 400. In this case, the feed roller 300 first comes into contact with the upper surface of the documents (stack) stacked on the mixed tray 400, and feeds the documents in order starting from the top document. When the documents stacked on the mixed tray 400 run out, the feed roller 300 comes into contact with the upper surface of the documents (stack) stacked on the document tray 200, and feeds the documents in order starting from the top document.

[0046] In this way, the ADF 102 can continuously feed documents of different sizes set simultaneously on the document tray 200 and the mixed tray 400 as a series of operation sequences. Also, the image reading device 101 equipped with the ADF 102 can execute an operation (mixed job) of reading image information from documents of different sizes set simultaneously on the document tray 200 and the mixed tray 400 based on an instruction to start a single reading operation.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, mixed tray 400 has a placement section (hereinafter referred to as second placement section 401) on which documents are placed, arm sections 420 and 421, a front restriction plate 402, and a rear restriction plate 403.

[0048] The second placement section 401 is located above the first placement section 200a of the document tray 200 when the mixed tray 400 is attached to the ADF 102. Preferably, the second placement section 401 overlaps with the first placement section 200a when viewed from above. However, when two members "overlap" when viewed in a specific direction, this means that when each member is vertically projected onto a virtual plane perpendicular to that direction, the projection area of ​​one member at least partially overlaps with the projection area of ​​the other member.

[0049] The second placement portion 401 can place an original document having a length in the sheet width direction Dw shorter than that of an original document placed on the original tray 200. In other words, the width of the second placement portion 401 in the sheet width direction Dw is shorter than the width of the first placement portion 200a in the sheet width direction Dw. The second placement portion 401 is an example of a second support portion that is provided above the first support portion and supports a sheet having a length in the sheet width direction shorter than that of a sheet supported by the first support portion.

[0050] The arm portions 420 and 421 extend to both sides in the sheet width direction Dw from the second placement portion 401. The arm portion 420 is connected to an end portion on the front side of the second placement portion 401, and the arm portion 421 is connected to an end portion on the back side of the second placement portion 401.

[0051] Each arm portion 420, 421 includes a first portion 420a, 421a rising upward from the front or rear end of the second placement portion 401, and a second portion 420b, 421b extending from the upper end of the first portion 420a, 421a toward the outside in the sheet width direction Dw. Each arm portion 420, 421 also includes a third portion 420c, 421c extending downward from the outer end of the second portion 420b, 421b in the sheet width direction Dw. That is, each arm portion 420, 421 of this embodiment has a U-shaped shape that opens downward when viewed in the sheet feeding direction Df.

[0052] The second placement portion 401 is fixed to the arm portions 420, 421 in a state where it is sandwiched between the first portions 420a, 421a from both sides in the sheet width direction Dw. The arm portions 420, 421 and the second placement portion 401 may be integrally molded resin parts.

[0053] The mixed tray 400 of this embodiment is configured such that the second placement portion 401 is held in a state separated (floating) above the first placement portion 200a of the document tray 200 by the arm portions 420 and 421 having the above-mentioned shape. This allows documents to be set on the document tray 200 even when the mixed tray 400 is attached.

[0054] The arm portions 420 and 421 are examples of holding means that are supported by the first support portion and hold the second support portion at a position above the first support portion. Instead of the arm portions 420 and 421, the holding means may be, for example, a hook-shaped portion provided at an end of the second placement portion 401 in the sheet feeding direction Df that is engaged with a hole provided in the main body of the ADF 102.

[0055] 4 and 5, the front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 of the document tray 200 can be moved even when the mixed tray 400 is attached. The front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 of this embodiment can be moved inward in the sheet width direction Dw to a position where they abut against the first parts 420a and 421a of the arm parts 420 and 421. Note that, when the mixed tray 400 is attached, the front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 may be allowed to enter under the second placement part 401 so as to be able to move inward in the sheet width direction Dw from the first parts 420a and 421a of the arm parts 420 and 421.

[0056] The front-side regulating plate 202 and the back-side regulating plate 203 of the document tray 200 can move in the sheet width direction Dw even with the mixed tray 400 attached by utilizing the space below the arm portions 420 and 421. Specifically, the front-side regulating plate 202 of this embodiment moves in the sheet width direction Dw in the space below the second portion 420b of the arm portion 420 formed in a U-shape and between the first portion 420a and the third portion 420c in the sheet width direction Dw. The back-side regulating plate 203 moves in the sheet width direction Dw in the space below the second portion 421b of the arm portion 421 formed in a U-shape and between the first portion 421a and the third portion 421c in the sheet width direction Dw.

[0057] When viewed in the sheet width direction Dw, the front regulating plate 202 and the back regulating plate 203 overlap the first portions 420a, 421a and third portions 420c, 421c of the arm portions 420, 421, but do not overlap the second portions 420b, 421b.

[0058] The maximum width of an original that can be set on the first placement section 200a of the original tray 200 is defined as W1 (FIG. 4). With the mixed tray 400 attached, the minimum width of an original that can be restricted by the front restriction plate 202 and the rear restriction plate 203 of the original tray 200 is defined as W2 (FIG. 5). The maximum width of an original that can be set on the second placement section 401 of the mixed tray 400 is defined as W3 (FIG. 7). The minimum width of an original that can be restricted by the front restriction plate 402 and the rear restriction plate 403 of the mixed tray 400 is defined as W4 (FIG. 9).

[0059] In this embodiment, the relationship is W1>W2>W3>W4. When mixed tray 400 is attached, a gap occurs between the minimum width W2 of an original that can be set in document tray 200 and the maximum width W3 of an original that can be set in mixed tray 400. However, the size of second placement section 401 of mixed tray 400 can be changed appropriately depending on the expected size of the original. Also, multiple types of mixed trays 400 with different sizes of second placement section 401 may be prepared, and the type of mixed tray suited to the purpose may be attached.

[0060] As shown in Fig. 6, attachment members 405, 406 can be attached to both ends of the document tray 200 in the sheet width direction Dw. As shown in Fig. 7, bosses b1, b2 held by attachment members 405, 405 are arranged on third parts 420c, 421c of arm parts 420, 421 of the mixed tray 400. The mixed tray 400 can be detachably mounted on the ADF 102 by fitting the bosses b1, b2 into holes 407 (only one of which is shown in Fig. 6) provided in the attachment members 405, 406, respectively. The bosses b1, b2 are examples of engagement parts configured to hold the second support part via the arm part by engaging with an engaged part fixed to the first support part, and the hole part 407 is an example of the engaged part.

[0061] The method of holding mixed tray 400 on mounting members 405 and 406 is not limited to fitting bosses and holes, and may be, for example, screwing or snap fitting. Also, for example, by providing hole 407 in a member integrated with document tray 200, mixed tray 400 may be attached without using mounting members 405 and 406.

[0062] 7, the front-side regulating plate 402 and the rear-side regulating plate 403 are a pair of regulating members (a pair of second regulating members) facing each other in the sheet width direction Dw. The front-side regulating plate 402 and the rear-side regulating plate 403 each have regulating surfaces 402a, 403a (contact surfaces that come into contact with the side edges of the sheets) that protrude upward relative to the second placement portion 401 of the mixed tray 400 and extend along the sheet feeding direction Df.

[0063] Each of the front-side regulating plate 402 and the rear-side regulating plate 403 is movable relative to the second placement portion 401 in the sheet width direction Dw. The front-side regulating plate 402 and the rear-side regulating plate 403 are configured to move in conjunction with each other via an interlocking mechanism. Specifically, when one of the front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 is moved, the other regulating plate also moves so that the regulating surfaces 402a, 403a maintain a symmetrical positional relationship in the sheet width direction Dw across the transport reference Rf (with the transport reference Rf as an axis of symmetry).

[0064] Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a rack-and-pinion mechanism as an example of the interlocking mechanism. The rack-and-pinion mechanism includes rack portions (first rack 402R, second rack 403R) provided on the front-side regulating plate 402 and the back-side regulating plate 403, and pinion gears 404 meshing with the first rack 402R and the second rack 403R, respectively. The rack-and-pinion mechanism is housed inside the second placement portion 401 (Fig. 11).

[0065] When one of the front-side regulating plate 402 or the rear-side regulating plate 403 is moved in the sheet width direction Dw, the first rack 402R and the second rack 403R move in the opposite direction to each other through meshing with the pinion gear 404. As a result, the front-side regulating plate 402 and the rear-side regulating plate 403 always move in conjunction with each other in the sheet width direction Dw. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, the front-side regulating plate 402 and the rear-side regulating plate 403 of the mixed tray 400 can be moved so as to change the interval between the regulating surfaces 402a, 403a from the maximum width W3 to the minimum width W4. When a user sets a document on the mixed tray 400, after placing the document on the second placement section 401, the user only needs to grasp the front-side regulating plate 402 or the rear-side regulating plate 403 and move it in the sheet width direction Dw to bring the regulating surfaces 402a, 403a into contact with the side edges of the document.

[0066] The above-mentioned rack-and-pinion mechanism is one example of an interlocking mechanism for interlocking the front regulating plate 402 and the rear regulating plate 403, and other mechanisms may be used. For example, an interlocking mechanism may be used in which the front regulating plate 402 is connected to one end of a lever that swings around a central axis on the transport reference Rf, and the rear regulating plate 403 is connected to the other end of the lever. Also, an interlocking mechanism may be used in which the front regulating plate 402 and the rear regulating plate 403 are fixed to a belt member stretched in the sheet width direction Dw, and the front regulating plate 402 and the rear regulating plate 403 move in opposite directions due to the rotation of the belt member.

[0067] 10, in the document placement direction, it is preferable that the positions of the front-side regulating plate 402 and the rear-side regulating plate 403 of the mixed tray 400 and the positions of the front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 of the document tray 200 overlap in a partial range 500. The document placement direction is a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the second placement section 401. It is also preferable that the front-side regulating plate 202 and the rear-side regulating plate 203 (first regulating means) of the document tray 200 overlap with the front-side regulating plate 402 and the rear-side regulating plate 403 (second regulating means) of the mixed tray 400 when viewed in the sheet width direction Dw.

[0068] This makes it possible to keep the height of the device lower compared to a configuration in which the front and rear regulating plates 402 and 403 of the mixed tray 400 are disposed higher than the front and rear regulating plates 202 and 203 of the document tray 200. In other words, the distance in the placement direction from the second placement section 401 of the mixed tray 400 to the first placement section 200a of the document tray 200 can be kept small. Therefore, the document 401P placed on the second placement section 401 of the mixed tray 400 and the document 200P placed on the first placement section 200a of the document tray 200 can be fed by the same feed roller 300.

[0069] As described above, in this embodiment, the front side regulating plate 402 and the rear side regulating plate 403 of the mixed tray 400 are configured to be movable in the sheet width direction Dw relative to the second loading section 401. In other words, in this embodiment, the second regulating means is configured to be movable relative to the second support section in the sheet width direction. This makes it possible to suppress skewing of the document placed on the mixed tray 400. By suppressing skewing of the document, it is possible to reduce the possibility of transport failure, skewing of the read image, and the like.

[0070] In particular, in a configuration in which documents can be placed simultaneously on the document tray 200 and the mixed tray 400 provided above the document tray 200, as in this embodiment, there are cases where the documents placed on the mixed tray 400 are skewed. For example, a part of the documents placed on the mixed tray 400 (the area indicated by the dashed circle in FIG. 11) is not in contact with the mixed tray 400 and is in a floating state, making it difficult for the document to be stable, and the document may be tilted even if the user's finger touches it lightly. Also, for example, when a document (small size document) is placed on the mixed tray 400 and then a document (large size document) is placed on the document tray 200, the small size document may be pushed by the large size document and tilted.

[0071] For this reason, for example, in a configuration in which the side edges of the originals are regulated by regulating plates (guide sections) fixed to the second loading section 401, there is a possibility that the originals may skew when feeding an original with a width smaller than the interval between the regulating plates (guide sections). In contrast, the mixed tray 400 of this embodiment is provided with front regulating plate 402 and rear regulating plate 403 that are movable in the sheet width direction Dw, so that even if the width of the originals placed on the mixed tray 400 is small, skew of the originals can be suppressed.

[0072] (Modification) Although it is assumed that the mixed tray 400 of the first embodiment is attached to the ADF 102 in advance before the user starts using it (at the time of shipment from the factory or when installed in the user's environment), the mixed tray 400 may be configured to be attached and detached by the user himself. Also, the mixed tray 400 may be configured to be movable between a use position and a retreat position with respect to the ADF 102, and may be moved to the retreat position when the mixed tray 400 is not in use. The retreat position is, for example, a position where the mixed tray 400 is retreated so as not to overlap the document tray 200 when viewed from above.

[0073] Example 2 A description will be given of Example 2. The ADF of this example uses a mixed tray 400B equipped with a third placement section 409 in addition to a second placement section 401, instead of the mixed tray 400 of Example 1. Hereinafter, elements with common reference symbols to Example 1 have substantially the same configurations and functions as those described in Example 1 unless otherwise specified, and the following description will focus on the parts that differ from Example 1.

[0074] Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing document tray 200 and mixed tray 400B of the ADF according to this embodiment. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing mixed tray 400B attached to the ADF. Fig. 14 is a perspective view for explaining the positional relationship between mixed tray 400B and document tray 200. Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the ADF in a state where documents are placed on first placement portion 200a of document tray 200 and second placement portion 401 and third placement portion 409 of mixed tray 400B.

[0075] 12 and 13, the mixed tray 400B of this embodiment has a third placement section 409 provided above the second placement section 401. The third placement section 409 is configured by a part that is bridged above the second placement section 401 to connect the first parts 420a, 421a of the arm sections 420, 421 to each other in the sheet width direction Dw. The third placement section 409 is a third support section provided above the second support section, and is an example of a third support section that can support a sheet that is shorter in the sheet width direction than the sheet supported by the second support section.

[0076] A front-side regulating plate 410 and a rear-side regulating plate 411 are provided at both ends of the third placement portion 409 in the sheet width direction Dw. The front-side regulating plate 410 and the rear-side regulating plate 411 are wall surfaces that protrude upward from the third placement portion 409 and extend in the sheet feeding direction Df. In this embodiment, the front-side regulating plate 410 and the rear-side regulating plate 411 are fixed to the third placement portion 409. The front-side regulating plate 410 and the rear-side regulating plate 411 are examples of a third regulating means that regulates the position of the sheet supported by the third support portion in the sheet width direction. In addition, the front-side regulating plate 410 and the rear-side regulating plate 411 in this embodiment are integrally molded with the third placement portion 409.

[0077] In this embodiment, by mounting the mixed tray 400B having the third placement section 409, three kinds of documents of different sizes can be set simultaneously on the ADF 102. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the first size document 200P can be placed on the first placement section 200a of the document tray 200, the second size document 401P can be placed on the second placement section 401 of the mixed tray 400B, and the third size document 409P can be set on the third placement section 409 of the mixed tray 400B. The second size document 401P has a shorter length in the sheet width direction Dw than the first size document 200P, and the third size document 409P has an even shorter length in the sheet width direction Dw than the second size document 401P. In addition, the ADF of this embodiment can execute a feeding operation (mixed job) in which the same feeding roller 300 sequentially feeds these three kinds of documents 200P, 401P, and 409P.

[0078] 14, in the document placement direction, it is preferable that the positions of front-side regulating plate 402 and rear-side regulating plate 403 of mixed tray 400 and the positions of front-side regulating plate 202 and rear-side regulating plate 203 of document tray 200 overlap in a partial range 500. The document placement direction is a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of second placement section 401. Also, in the document placement direction, it is preferable that the positions of front-side regulating plate 402 and rear-side regulating plate 403 of mixed tray 400 and the positions of front-side regulating plate 410 and rear-side regulating plate 411 of third placement section 409 overlap in a partial range 501.

[0079] As a result, even though the configuration includes three document placement sections (200a, 401, 409), the distance in the placement direction from the first placement section 200a to the third placement section 409 can be kept small. Therefore, documents 200P, 401P, 409P placed on the first placement section 200a of document tray 200, the second placement section 401 of mixed tray 400, and the third placement section 409 of mixed tray 400, respectively, can be fed by the same feeding roller 300.

[0080] (Other embodiments) In the above-described embodiments, the ADF 102 of the image reading device 101 mounted on the upper part of the image forming device body has been described as an example of a sheet feeding device. The sheet feeding device is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a sheet feeding device (manual feed unit) that feeds sheets as recording materials from a manual feed tray that is provided in an openable and closable manner on the side part of the image forming device body. Also, the sheet feeding device may be a sheet feeding device that feeds sheets as documents in an image reading device independent of the image forming device body.

[0081] Summary of the Disclosure The present disclosure includes at least the following configurations.

[0082] (Configuration 1) A first support portion that supports the seat; a first regulating means for regulating a position of the sheet supported by the first support portion in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction; a second support portion provided above the first support portion, the second support portion being capable of supporting a sheet having a length in the sheet width direction shorter than that of the sheet supported by the first support portion when the sheet is supported by the first support portion; a second regulating means for regulating a position of the sheet supported by the second support portion in the sheet width direction; a feeding means for feeding the sheet supported by the first support portion and the sheet supported by the second support portion in the sheet feeding direction; Equipped with The second regulating means is movable relative to the second support portion in the seat width direction. A sheet feeding device comprising:

[0083] (Configuration 2) The second regulating means has a pair of second regulating members opposed to each other in the sheet width direction, The pair of second regulating members are linked to each other so as to move in opposite directions about a reference position in the sheet width direction. 2. The sheet feeding device according to configuration 1,

[0084] (Configuration 3) The first restricting means has a pair of first restricting members opposed to each other in the sheet width direction, The pair of first regulating members are linked to each other so as to move in opposite directions to each other about the reference position in the sheet width direction. 3. The sheet feeding device according to configuration 2.

[0085] (Configuration 4) a rack portion provided on each of the pair of second restricting members; a pinion gear that meshes with each of the rack portions to interlock the pair of second restricting members; Further comprising: 4. The sheet feeding device according to configuration 2 or 3.

[0086] (Configuration 5) the sheet feeding device is capable of performing an operation of continuously feeding the sheet supported by the first support portion and the sheet supported by the second support portion. 5. The sheet feeding device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4.

[0087] (Configuration 6) Further comprising a holding means supported by the first support portion and holding the second support portion at a position above the first support portion. 6. The sheet feeding device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5.

[0088] (Configuration 7) the holding means includes an arm portion connected to an end portion of the second support portion in the seat width direction and extending toward the outside in the seat width direction, the arm portion being supported by the first support portion at an outer end portion in the seat width direction, The first restricting means is movable in the seat width direction below the arm portion. 7. The sheet feeding device according to configuration 6,

[0089] (Configuration 8) the arm portion has a first portion connected to the end portion of the second support portion in the seat width direction and extending upward from the end portion of the second support portion, and a second portion extending from an upper end of the first portion toward an outer side in the seat width direction, The first regulating means is movable toward the inside in the sheet width direction to a position where it abuts against the first portion. 8. The sheet feeding device according to configuration 7,

[0090] (Configuration 9) The arm portion further includes a third portion extending downward from an outer end of the second portion in the seat width direction, the third portion has an engaging portion configured to engage with an engaged portion fixed to the first support portion so as to hold the second support portion via the arm portion; The first restricting means is movable between the first portion and the second portion of the arm portion in the seat width direction. 9. The sheet feeding device according to configuration 8,

[0091] (Configuration 10) In a direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the second support portion, a position of the first restricting means and a position of the second restricting means partially overlap each other. 10. The sheet feeding device according to any one of configurations 1 to 9.

[0092] (Configuration 11) The seat further includes a third support portion provided above the second support portion and capable of supporting a sheet having a length in the sheet width direction shorter than that of the sheet supported by the second support portion. 11. The sheet feeding device according to any one of configurations 1 to 10.

[0093] (Configuration 12) a third regulating means for regulating a position of the sheet supported by the third support portion in the sheet width direction, In a direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the second support portion, a position of the second restricting means and a position of the third restricting means partially overlap each other. 12. The sheet feeding device according to claim 11,

[0094] (Configuration 13) the second support portion is detachable from the sheet feeding device; 13. The sheet feeding device according to any one of configurations 1 to 12.

[0095] (Configuration 14) A sheet feeding device according to any one of configurations 1 to 13, a reading unit that reads image information from a sheet fed by the sheet feeding device; An image reading device comprising:

[0096] (Configuration 15) An image reading device according to configuration 14, an image forming means for forming an image on a recording material based on the image information read by the image reading device; An image forming apparatus comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 200a...first support portion (first placement portion) / 202, 203...first regulating means (front regulating plate, rear regulating plate) / 300...feeding means (feeding roller) / 401...second support portion (second placement portion) / 402, 403...second regulating means (front regulating plate, rear regulating plate) / 409...third support portion (third placement portion) / 420, 421...holding means (arm portion)

Claims

1. a first support portion that supports the seat; a first restricting means for restricting a position of the sheet supported by the first support portion in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction; a second support portion provided above the first support portion, the second support portion being capable of supporting a sheet having a length in the sheet width direction shorter than that of the sheet supported by the first support portion when the sheet is supported by the first support portion; a second restricting means for restricting a position of the sheet supported by the second support portion in the sheet width direction; an arm portion supported by the first support portion and configured to hold the second support portion above the first support portion; a feeding unit configured to feed the sheet supported by the first support portion and the sheet supported by the second support portion in the sheet feeding direction; Equipped with When viewed in the sheet width direction, the second regulating means is disposed so as to overlap at least a portion of the first regulating means, the arm portion has a first portion connected to an end of the second support portion in the seat width direction and extending upward from the end, and a second portion extending outward in the seat width direction from an upper end of the first portion, the first restricting means is movable below the second portion of the arm portion and is movable toward the inside in the seat width direction to a position where it abuts on the first portion. A sheet feeding device characterized by:

2. the second restricting means has a pair of second restricting members opposed to each other in the sheet width direction, the pair of second regulating members are linked to each other so as to move in opposite directions to each other about a reference position in the sheet width direction; 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

3. The first restricting means has a pair of first restricting members opposed to each other in the sheet width direction, the pair of first restricting members are linked to each other so as to move in opposite directions about the reference position in the sheet width direction; 3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

4. a rack portion provided on each of the pair of second restricting members; a pinion gear that meshes with each of the rack portions to interlock the pair of second restricting members; Further comprising:

3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

5. the sheet feeding device is capable of performing an operation of continuously feeding the sheet supported by the first support portion and the sheet supported by the second support portion.

2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

6. the arm portion further includes a third portion extending downward from an outer end of the second portion in the seat width direction, the third portion has an engaging portion configured to engage with an engaged portion fixed to the first support portion, thereby holding the second support portion via the arm portion; the first restricting means is movable between the first portion and the third portion of the arm portion in the seat width direction.

2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

7. a third support portion provided above the second support portion, the third support portion being capable of supporting a sheet having a length in the sheet width direction shorter than that of the sheet supported by the second support portion; 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

8. a third restricting means for restricting a position of the sheet supported by the third support portion in the sheet width direction; 8. The sheet feeding device according to claim 7, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

9. the second support portion is detachable from the sheet feeding device; 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

10. The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, a reading unit that reads image information from the sheet fed by the sheet feeding device; An image reading device comprising:

11. The image reading device according to claim 10; an image forming means for forming an image on a recording material based on the image information read by the image reading device; An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images