Sheet feeder and image forming device

Abstract

To reduce posture disturbance of a sheet in a handling mode for carrying out an air spraying operation.SOLUTION: This sheet feeder comprises: a support that supports a plurality of hand-inserted sheets; an opening / closing unit that moves in an opening / closing direction with respect to a feeder body; a sheet feeding unit that feeds the sheets supported by the support; an opening / closing movement detection unit that detects movement of the opening / closing unit in the opening / closing direction; a handling unit that sprays air to the sheets supported by the support to handle the sheets; and a control unit that executes a handling mode for performing air-spraying of the handling unit when the sheets are fed by the sheet feeding unit. The control unit stops the spraying operation (S13) when the opening / closing movement detection unit detects the movement of the opening / closing unit in the opening / closing direction (Yes in S12).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device including a handling unit that blows air onto a plurality of sheets that are manually fed and supported by a support unit to handle the sheets, and to an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, image forming devices such as copiers, facsimiles, and printers are provided with a manual feed tray, a paper feed cassette, or the like as a sheet feeding device that feeds sheets to an image forming section that forms an image on the sheets, or a feeding deck, or the like is attached externally. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for forming images on various types of sheets, and sheets with smooth surfaces such as coated paper are sometimes used. When a sheet stack made of such smooth-surfaced sheets is set in the above-mentioned sheet feeding device, there is a risk that the sheets cannot be separated due to the strong adhesion between the sheets, resulting in poor feeding. For this reason, a device that blows air onto the set sheet stack to lift the sheets and separate them has been proposed (see Patent Document 1), which performs so-called air separation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-23747 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In an image forming apparatus, the manual feed tray on which the user manually sets the sheet is opened from the main body of the apparatus to the outside, so there is a possibility that the user may touch it. Therefore, if the user touches the manual feed tray while the sheet is being fed while air handling is being performed, the posture of the sheet that has been floated by air handling may be disturbed. If a sheet that is in such a disturbed posture is fed, it may become skewed, which may cause a paper jam.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding device and an image forming apparatus that are capable of reducing the occurrence of paper jams in a sorting mode in which air is blown. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a sheet feeding device comprising: an opening / closing section having a support section that supports multiple sheets manually inserted and that moves in an opening / closing direction relative to the device body; a feeding section that feeds the sheets supported by the support section; an opening / closing movement detection section that detects that the opening / closing section has moved in the opening / closing direction; a handling section that blows air at the multiple sheets supported by the support section to handle the sheets; and a control section that executes a handling mode in which the handling section blows air when the feeding section feeds the sheets, wherein the control section stops the blowing operation when, in the handling mode, the opening / closing movement detection section detects that the opening / closing section has moved in the opening / closing direction. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the occurrence of paper jams can be reduced in the sorting mode in which air is blown. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a manual feed section according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an air blowing operation is performed in the manual feed section according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the manual feed section in a state where the pickup roller is located at the separated position; FIG. [Figure 6]11 is a side cross-sectional view showing the manual feed section in a state in which the lifting plate detection sensor is turned on. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the manual feed section with the manual feed tray closed; FIG. [Figure 8] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the posture of sheets when the sheet feed tray according to the first embodiment is lifted. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart showing a sheet feeding control in a separation mode according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 5 is a flowchart showing an air blowing stop determination process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control system of an image forming system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] 1A is a schematic side view showing the paper feed tray and the open / close movement detection sensor in a closed state, FIG. 1B is a schematic side view showing the paper feed tray and the open / close movement detection sensor in an open state, and FIG. 1C is a schematic side view showing the paper feed tray and the open / close movement detection sensor in a lifted state. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing a sheet feeding control in a separation mode according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing an air blowing stop determination process according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <First embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. First, an image forming system 600 including an image forming apparatus 201 and a manual feed unit 235 connected thereto as a sheet feeder will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the image forming system according to the first embodiment.

[0010] [Outline of image forming system] 1, the image forming system 600 includes an image forming apparatus 201, a manual feed section 235, and a feed deck 800 connected to the image forming apparatus 201. The feed deck 800 is connected to the right side of the image forming apparatus 201 in FIG. 1, and is configured to be able to feed a sheet S to the image forming apparatus 201. The manual feed section 235 is also configured to be able to feed a sheet S to the image forming apparatus 201.

[0011] [General configuration of image forming device] As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 201 has an apparatus body 201A equipped with an image forming section 201B that forms an image on a sheet. An image reading device 202 that is installed substantially horizontally is disposed above the apparatus body 201A. A discharge space V for discharging sheets is formed between the image reading device 202 and the apparatus body 201A. An operation section 730 that is a UI configured with a touch panel or the like capable of displaying a screen is disposed above the apparatus body 201A.

[0012] The image forming section 201B is a four-drum full-color type. The image forming section 201B includes a laser scanner 210 and four process cartridges 211Y, 211M, 211C, and 211K that form toner images of four colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Each process cartridge 211 includes a photosensitive drum 212, a charger 213 as a charging means, and a developer 214 as a developing means. The image forming section 201B also includes an intermediate transfer unit 201C disposed above the process cartridge 211, and a fixing section 201E. A toner cartridge 215 for supplying toner to the developer 214 is provided above the intermediate transfer unit 201C.

[0013] The intermediate transfer unit 201C includes an intermediate transfer belt 216 wound around a drive roller 216a and a tension roller 216b. A primary transfer roller 219 is provided on the inner side of the intermediate transfer belt 216, and contacts the intermediate transfer belt 216 at a position facing the photosensitive drum 212. The intermediate transfer belt 216 is rotated in the direction of the arrow by a drive roller 216a driven by a drive unit (not shown).

[0014] Then, the negative color toner images on the photosensitive drums are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 216 by the primary transfer roller 219. A secondary transfer roller 217 that transfers the color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt onto the sheet S is provided at a position facing the driving roller 216a of the intermediate transfer unit 201C. A secondary transfer section 201D is formed between the intermediate transfer belt 216 and the secondary transfer roller 217. Furthermore, a fixing section 201E having a pressure roller 220a and a heating roller 220b is provided above the secondary transfer roller 217. Moreover, a first discharge roller pair 225a, a second discharge roller pair 225b, and a double-sided reversing section 201F are provided above the fixing section 201E. The double-sided reversing section 201F is provided with a reversible reversing roller pair 222 and a re-conveying passage R that conveys the sheet with an image formed on one side to the image forming section 201B again.

[0015] A plurality of sheet feeding units 230 that feed set sheets S to the image forming section 201B are provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 201A. Each of the plurality of sheet feeding units 230 includes a feeding cassette 1 that stores a plurality of sheets (a stack of sheets) and a sheet feeding section 6 that serves as a feeding section that feeds the sheets S stored in the feeding cassette 1. The sheet feeding section 6 includes a pickup roller 2, and a feed roller 3 and a retard roller 4 that serve as a separation means that separates the sheets S that have been fed from the pickup roller 2 and fed in a multi-fed state.

[0016] 1 of the apparatus main body 201A, below the manual feed section 235, is provided with a feed deck 800 that feeds the set sheets S to the image forming section 201B. The feed deck 800 has a sheet feed section 806 similar to the sheet feed unit 230. That is, the sheet feed section 806 has a pickup roller 801, and a feed roller 802 and a retard roller 803 as a separation means that separates the sheets S fed from the pickup roller 801 and fed in a multi-ply manner. In addition, a pair of pull-out rollers 804 is provided downstream of the sheet feed section 806 in the sheet conveying direction.

[0017] 1 of the apparatus main body 201A is provided with a manual feed section 235 for feeding sheets S from a plurality of sheets S (sheet stack) set by manual feeding to the image forming section 201B. The manual feed section 235 is a so-called manual feed tray, and has a paper feed tray 236 as an opening / closing section. The paper feed tray 236 is rotatable relative to the apparatus main body 201A and can move in the opening / closing direction, that is, it is arranged so as to be switchable between an open state in which it is opened relative to the apparatus main body 201A and a closed state in which it is closed relative to the apparatus main body 201A. That is, the paper feed tray 236 is configured to be able to support the sheets S when it is in the open state.

[0018] Similarly to the sheet feeding unit 230, the manual feed section 235 includes a sheet feeding section 506. That is, the sheet feeding section 506 includes a pickup roller 501, and a feed roller 502 and a retard roller 503 as a separation unit for separating the sheets S fed from the pickup roller 501 and fed in a multi-ply manner. Also, a pair of pull-out rollers 504 is provided downstream of the sheet feeding section 506 in the sheet conveying direction.

[0019] A media detection sensor 280 is disposed on the conveying path of the apparatus main body 201A as a type detection unit, and reads the conveyed sheet S to detect the basis weight and surface properties of the paper. The media detection sensor 280 will be described later.

[0020] [Operation of image forming device] Next, a description will be given of the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 201. First, when image information of an original is read by the image reading device 202, this image information is subjected to image processing, converted into an electrical signal, and transmitted to the laser scanner 210 of the image forming section 201B. Note that this image information may be transmitted from a host device 1500 (see FIG. 2) such as an external computer via a network.

[0021] In the image forming unit 201B, the surface is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charger 213, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 212 is sequentially exposed to laser light. As a result, electrostatic latent images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are sequentially formed on the photosensitive drum of each process cartridge 211, respectively.

[0022] Thereafter, the electrostatic latent images are developed and visualized with toner of each color, and the toner images of each color on each photoconductor drum are transferred in order onto the intermediate transfer belt 216 in a superimposed manner by a primary transfer bias applied to the primary transfer roller 219. As a result, a toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 216.

[0023] Meanwhile, the sheet S fed from the sheet feeding unit 230 (or the manual feeding section 235, or the feeding deck 800) is conveyed to a pair of registration rollers (hereinafter referred to as the registration roller pair) 240 consisting of a drive roller and a driven roller. At this time, the driving of the registration roller pair 240 is stopped, and the leading edge of the sheet S abuts against the registration roller pair 240. As a result, the leading edge of the sheet S is made to follow the registration roller pair 240.

[0024] Thereafter, the sheet S continues to be conveyed by the feed roller 3 (or the feed roller 502, or the feed roller 802) or the like, so that a flexure (loop) is formed in the sheet S. Thereafter, the pair of registration rollers 240 is driven in synchronization with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 216. As a result, the pair of registration rollers 240 corrects the skew of the sheet S, and the sheet S with the skew corrected is conveyed to the secondary transfer unit 201D by the pair of registration rollers 240.

[0025] Next, in the secondary transfer section 201D, the toner images are transferred all at once onto the sheet S by a secondary transfer bias applied to the secondary transfer roller 217. Then, the sheet S onto which the toner images have been transferred is transported to the fixing section 201E, where the toners of the various colors are melted and mixed by heat and pressure, and are fixed onto the sheet S as a color image.

[0026] Thereafter, the sheet S on which the image has been fixed is discharged to the discharge space V by a first discharge roller pair 225a or a second discharge roller pair 225b provided downstream of the fixing unit 201E, and is stacked on a stacking unit 223 formed on the bottom surface of the discharge space V. When images are formed on both sides of the sheet S, after the images are fixed, the sheet S is transported to a re-conveyance path R by a reversing roller pair 222, and is transported again to the secondary transfer unit 201D.

[0027] [Manual feed section configuration] Next, the manual feed unit 235 as a sheet feeding device will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 and 3. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the manual feed unit according to the first embodiment.

[0028] 1 and 3, the manual feed unit 235 includes a paper feed tray 236 as a support unit, and a sheet feed unit 506 as a feed unit that feeds sheets and separates overlapped sheets. The sheet feed unit 506 also includes a pickup roller 501 as a feed roller that comes into contact with the top sheet of the sheet stack and feeds the top sheet. The sheet feed unit 506 also includes a feed roller 502 and a retard roller 503 as a separation unit that separates the sheet S fed from the pickup roller 501.

[0029] In the manual feed section 235, a pair of pull-out rollers 504 that pulls out the sheet S from the feed roller 502 and feeds it to the image forming apparatus 201 is disposed downstream of the feed roller 502 in the sheet feed direction. Furthermore, a feed sensor 505 serving as a sheet detection section is disposed between the feed roller 502 and the pair of pull-out rollers 504 in the sheet feed direction, that is, downstream of the sheet feed section 506 in the feed direction. The feed sensor 505 detects the passage of the sheet S by outputting a signal depending on the presence or absence of the sheet S.

[0030] 3, the paper feed tray 236 is provided with a manual feed tray stand 515 and a lifter plate 514 as a support section for supporting a stack of sheets S. The lifter plate 514 is provided with a paper presence / absence detection sensor 401 as a sheet detection section for detecting that the sheets S are supported on the paper feed tray 236. The height position of the lifter plate 514 is controlled by a lifting mechanism (not shown) in accordance with the amount of sheets S stacked.

[0031] 3, the sheet feed tray 236 is provided with side end regulating plates 511, 512 that regulate the position of the sheet S supported on the sheet feed tray 236 in the width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction. The side end regulating plates 511, 512 regulate the position of the end (side end of the sheet) in the width direction of the sheet S set on the lifter plate 514. The side end regulating plates 511, 512 are provided with air blowing units 511A, 512A as handling units, respectively. The air blowing unit 511A has a fan 511b driven by a fan motor 511M (see FIG. 2) and a duct 511a that guides the air blown from the fan 511b so as to pass through the inside of the side end regulating plate 511 and blows it from the side of the sheet stack. Similarly, the air blowing section 512A has a fan 512b driven by a fan motor 512M (see FIG. 2), and a duct 512a that guides the air blown from the fan 512b to pass through the inside of the side end regulating plate 512 and blows the air from the side of the sheet stack. In addition, the side end regulating plates 511, 512 are provided with floating suppression plates 511c, 512c near the openings of the ducts 511a, 512a to prevent the sheets S, to which the air is blown, from floating up and climbing over the side end regulating plates 511, 512.

[0032] [Feed tray open / close detection] Next, the configuration of lift plate detection sensor 402 that detects the opening and closing of paper feed tray 236 in manual feed section 235 and its detection operation will be described with reference to Figs. 5, 6, and 7. Fig. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing the manual feed section when the pickup roller is in the separated position. Fig. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing the manual feed section when the lift plate detection sensor is turned ON. Fig. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing the manual feed section when the manual tray is closed.

[0033] First, the configuration of the lift plate that lifts and lowers the pickup roller 501 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The device body 201A of the image forming device 201 rotatably supports the feed roller 502 around the feed roller shaft 509, and the lift plate 508 as a roller support part is supported on the feed roller shaft 509 via a hole 508b so as to be relatively rotatable. A hole 508a is formed at the tip of the lift plate 508, and the pickup roller shaft 501A is rotatably supported in the hole 508a. The pickup roller 501 is rotatably supported on the pickup roller shaft 501A. The feed roller shaft 509 is connected to the feed motor 520 (see FIG. 2) via a drive transmission mechanism (not shown), and a synchronization mechanism (not shown) is disposed inside the lift plate 508 to connect and synchronize the feed roller shaft 509 and the pickup roller shaft 501A. That is, the feed roller 502 and the pickup roller 501 rotate in synchronization with each other by the driving force of the feed motor 520 .

[0034] The lift plate 508 is supported so as to be movable up and down about the feed roller shaft 509 by a lift mechanism (not shown) driven by a lift motor 521 (see FIG. 2). The pickup roller 501 supported at the tip of the lift plate 508 can move between a contact position, a separation position, and a storage position by the lift plate 508 rising and falling. When the pickup roller 501 is located at the contact position, it comes into contact with the sheets S stacked on the lifter plate 514 of the open paper feed tray 236, and feeds the sheets S. When the paper feed tray 236 is opened by the user, the pickup roller 501 is held at a separation position away from the sheets S stacked on the paper feed tray 236. When the paper feed tray 236 is closed by the user, the pickup roller 501 located at the separation position is located at a storage position where it is stored in the device main body 201A, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0035] 5, the multi-frame 242 disposed in the apparatus main body 201A is formed with a holder holding portion 537a for rotatably supporting the rotation shaft 536b of the retard roller holder 536. The retard roller holder 536 is formed with a hole 536a, and the retard roller shaft 535 is rotatably supported in the hole 536a. The retard roller shaft 535 rotatably supports the retard roller 503. The retard roller 503 is biased against the feed roller 502 by a spring (not shown) disposed between the multi-frame 242 and the retard roller holder 536. A torque limiter (not shown) is attached to the retard roller shaft 535, and when two or more sheets S are fed by the pickup roller 501, the torque limiter rotates idly, thereby stopping the retard roller 503. As a result, the sheets S are separated one by one by a separation nip N formed by the feed roller 502 and the retard roller 503.

[0036] [Feed tray movement detection] Above the multi-frame 242, there is disposed an upper frame 241 which forms a transport path 260 together with the multi-frame 242. A lifting plate detection sensor 402 constituted by an on-off sensor such as a photosensor is disposed on the upper frame 241. In this first embodiment, the lifting plate detection sensor 402 is configured as an opening / closing movement detection unit which detects movement of the paper feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction. In this first embodiment, the lifting plate detection sensor 402 is also configured as an opening / closing detection sensor which detects whether the paper feed tray 236 is in a closed position where it is closed or in an open position where it is opened relative to the apparatus main body 201A.

[0037] Specifically, the lift plate detection sensor 402 has a sensor portion 402a as a first signal output portion and a flag portion 402b, and the sensor portion 402a is fixed to the upper frame 241 fixed to the device main body 201A. Also, the flag portion 402b is fixed to the upper surface of the lift plate 508 at a position facing the sensor portion 402a. The flag portion 402b is formed in a substantially arc shape and has a tip surface 402t along a radial direction centered on the feed roller shaft 509, and this tip surface 402t is the portion that is first detected by the sensor portion 402a. It is also possible that the sensor portion 402a is fixed to the lift plate 508 and the flag portion 502b is fixed to the upper frame 241. That is, the sensor portion 402a may be fixed to one of the upper frame 241 (that is, the apparatus body 201A) and the lift-up plate 508, and the flag portion 502b may be fixed to the other of the upper frame 241 and the lift-up plate 508.

[0038] The lifting plate detection sensor 14 is turned on when the flag portion 402b blocks light, and turned off when the flag portion 402b is not present and light is transmitted, thereby changing an output signal to the control unit 100, which will be described later. The ON and OFF of this output signal may be reversed. The lifting plate detection sensor 14 thus configured detects a predetermined opening / closing angle θ (see FIG. 6), which will be described later, of the paper feed tray 236 when it is turned on from an OFF state, in other words, detects that the paper feed tray 236 has moved in the opening / closing direction. The lifting plate detection sensor 14 also detects an open position where the paper feed tray 236 is open and a closed position where the paper feed tray 236 is closed, with the predetermined opening / closing angle θ of the paper feed tray 236 as a boundary.

[0039] 5, when the pickup roller 501 is located at the separated position, the lift plate detection sensor 402 is not shielded from light by the flag portion 402b. At this time, the paper feed tray 236 is opened to the maximum opening degree. When the paper feed tray 236 is closed from this state, the pickup roller 501 is pressed from the separated position toward the stored position by the paper feed tray 236 or the sheets S stacked on the paper feed tray 236. As a result, the pickup roller 501, the lift plate 508, and the flag portion 402b rotate toward the device main body 201A around the feed roller shaft 509.

[0040] 6, when tip surface 402t of flag portion 402b is detected by lift plate detection sensor 402, the opening / closing angle of paper feed tray 236 is angle θ. In this embodiment, the opening / closing angle is the angle between nip line L, which is a tangent line at separation nip N, and sheet placement surface 514a of lifter plate 514 of paper feed tray 236. At this time, height h2 from nip line L to pickup roller shaft 501A is higher than height h1 when pickup roller 501 is located at the standby position shown in FIG.

[0041] If the sheets S stacked on the paper feed tray 236 are fed by the pickup roller 501 from a height h2 that is significantly higher than the height h1 at the standby position, the angle at which the sheets S enter the separation nip N becomes steep, and normal feeding cannot be achieved. For this reason, when the opening / closing angle of the paper feed tray 236 is greater than the angle θ (greater than a predetermined angle), the lift-up plate detection sensor 402 detects the flag portion 402b and is turned ON. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, even when the pickup roller 501 is located at the storage position, the lift-up plate detection sensor 402 detects the flag portion 402b and is turned ON. As described above, the lift-up plate detection sensor 402 is capable of detecting that the paper feed tray 236 has been moved in the closing direction B1 by an angle greater than the predetermined angle θ in the opening / closing direction indicated by the arrow B1-B2 from the open position to the closed position. In addition, the lifting plate detection sensor 402 detects that the paper feed tray 236 is in the open position and in an open state when it is open by more than a predetermined angle θ, and detects that the paper feed tray 236 is in the closed position and in a closed state when it is closed by more than the predetermined angle θ.

[0042] [Configuration of the control system of the image forming system] Next, the configuration of a control system in the image forming system 600 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the control system of the image forming system according to the first embodiment.

[0043] The control unit 100 according to the present embodiment is provided in, for example, the image forming apparatus 201, and is configured to include a CPU 101, a ROM 102, and a RAM 103. The control unit 100 is a control means for controlling the image forming apparatus 201, the feed deck 800, and the manual feed unit 235. The control unit 100 is connected to a host device 1500 and an operation unit 730, and performs signal processing and sequence control for various process devices while exchanging information with them. The host device 1500 is an external device such as a personal computer, an image scanner, or a facsimile. The control unit 100 is also connected to the fan control unit 510, the feed motor 520 as a motor for driving the pickup roller 501, the feed sensor 505, and the like. The control unit 100 is also connected to the paper presence / absence detection sensor 401, the lift plate detection sensor 402, and the like.

[0044] [Air blowing action] Next, the operation when air is blown from the side of the sheet stack by air blowing units 511A and 512A will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an air blowing operation is performed by manual feed unit 235 according to the first embodiment.

[0045] 4, when the control unit 100 starts the air blowing operation, the fans 511b, 512b of the air blowing units 511A, 512A blow air toward the side of the sheet stack as indicated by the arrows A1, A2. Then, several to several tens of sheets S at the top of the sheet stack are separated and floated, while the topmost sheet S abuts against the float suppression plates 511c, 512c, thereby suppressing the floating of the separated sheets S. This reduces the adhesion between the sheets S, and makes it possible to feed the sheets S with a smooth surface such as coated paper by the conveying force of the pickup roller 501.

[0046] [Problems when the paper feed tray 236 is moved in the opening / closing direction] Here, a problem that may occur when, for example, the user moves the paper feed tray 236 from the open position to the closed position after the air blowing operation has started will be described. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the attitude of the sheets when the paper feed tray according to the first embodiment is lifted.

[0047] For example, a user starts feeding (starts a job) with a sheet S set in the paper feed tray 236 in the open position (see FIG. 5). However, after starting feeding, the paper feed tray 236 may be moved to a position greater than a predetermined angle θ in the opening / closing direction by being touched or lifted by the user (see FIG. 6). In such a case, as shown in FIG. 8, air blown from the air blowing units 511A and 512A may flow to the inclined side of the paper feed tray 236 as indicated by the arrow W. Then, the balance of air hitting the upper sheets S1 and S2 changes with respect to the normal position set in the paper feed tray 236. For this reason, the second sheet S2 should remain at the position of the sheet S3 relative to the top sheet S1, but the leading edge of the sheet is sent to the position U. As a result, the sheet S2 advances far beyond the positions of the side end regulating plates 511, 512, and the portion of the sheet S2 that cannot be regulated by the side end regulating plates 511, 512 may tilt on the lifter plate 514, and the sheet may be fed in a skewed manner. Therefore, in this embodiment, an air blowing stop determination process is performed in the sheet feeding control as described below.

[0048] [Sheet Feeding Control and Air Blowing Stop Determination Process According to the First Embodiment] Next, the sheet feeding control according to the first embodiment and the air blowing stop determination process executed during the sheet feeding control will be described with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the sheet feeding control in the separation mode according to the first embodiment. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the air blowing stop determination process according to the first embodiment.

[0049] 9, the sheet feeding control is performed in a separation mode in which air is blown onto the sheet S set in the sheet feed tray 236. That is, in the image forming apparatus 201, the sheet can also be fed in a normal mode in which the sheet is fed without blowing air onto the sheet S set in the sheet feed tray 236. However, since the normal mode is a mode in which air is not blown onto the sheet S, the description of the normal mode is omitted, and the separation mode will be described below. The normal mode is suitable for feeding sheets, such as plain paper or thin paper, with normal (standard) or coarse surface properties and a thickness less than normal. The separation mode is suitable for feeding sheets, such as coated paper, with a surface property finer and smoother than normal (standard) and a thickness greater than normal.

[0050] When the control unit 100 is instructed to start a job for printing a predetermined number of sheets (e.g., 15 sheets) of coated paper or the like from, for example, the operation unit 730 or an external computer (not shown), the control unit 100 starts sheet feeding control executed as a sorting mode shown in Fig. 9 (S1). Then, the control unit 100 first drives the fan motors 511M, 512M (see Fig. 2) of the air blowing units 511A, 512A to start an air blowing operation for blowing air onto the side of the sheet stack (S2). As a result, several to several tens of sheets S above the sheet stack are sorted and floated, and the floating of the sheets S is suppressed by the floating suppression plates 511c, 512c (see Fig. 4), reducing the adhesion force between the sorted sheets.

[0051] Next, the control unit 100 performs an air blowing stop determination process, that is, determines whether or not to stop the air blowing operation (S3). That is, as described in detail later, it determines whether or not the paper feed tray 236 has been lifted by a user or the like and moved in the opening / closing direction, and stops the air blowing operation if the paper feed tray 236 has been moved. Here, the following description will continue assuming that the air blowing operation has not been stopped.

[0052] When the process proceeds to step S4, it is determined whether the air blowing operation has been stopped in the air blowing stop determination process. If the air blowing operation has not been stopped (No in S4), the process waits until a predetermined time, for example, about 10 seconds, has elapsed (No in S5). That is, the predetermined time is set in consideration of the time it takes for the fan motors 511M and 512M to start rotating from a stopped state and reach a desired number of rotations (rotation speed), and the time it takes for the floating of the sheet S to stabilize. During that time, the air blowing stop determination process (S3) is also repeated. Then, when the predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in S5), the sheet S feeding operation is started (S6). The start of this feeding operation refers to the sheet S being fed by the pickup roller 501 (see FIG. 3) being rotated by the feeding motor 520 while in contact with the top sheet S of the sheet stack. Thereafter, if multiple sheets S are fed, they are separated at a separation section consisting of a feed roller 502 and a retard roller 503, and when it is detected that the topmost sheet S has passed through a feed sensor 505, the feeding operation of one sheet is completed.

[0053] When the sheet feeding operation is started (S6), the air blowing stop determination process is performed again (S7), and if the air blowing operation is not stopped (No in S8), it is determined whether the required number of sheets, for example 15 sheets, have been fed (S9). If the feeding of, for example, 15 sheets S has not been completed (No in S9), the sheet feeding operation is continued, and the air blowing stop determination process (S7) is also repeated during that time. Then, when the required number of sheets, for example 15 sheets, have been fed (Yes in S9), the control unit 100 stops the air blowing operation (S10), and the sheet feeding control is then terminated.

[0054] Next, the details of the air blowing stop determination process (S3, S7) will be described. As shown in Fig. 10, the control unit 100 first determines whether air blowing is in progress (S11), and if air blowing is not in progress (No in S11), ends the air blowing stop determination process. If air blowing is in progress (Yes in S11), it determines whether the output signal of the lift-up plate detection sensor 402 described above is ON (S12). If the lift-up plate detection sensor 402 is not ON, that is, OFF (No in S12), it determines that the paper feed tray 236 is in the open position and has not moved, and ends the air blowing stop determination process.

[0055] On the other hand, when the output signal of the lift plate detection sensor 402 is ON (Yes in S12), it means that, for example, the user has lifted the paper feed tray 236 and it has been detected that the paper feed tray 236 is in a closed position where it is closed to a predetermined angle θ or more. In other words, it means that it has been detected that the paper feed tray 236 has been lifted and moved by the user. Therefore, as described above, there is a possibility that the sheet S may tilt and cause a paper jam, so the control unit 100 stops the fan motors 511M, 512M (see FIG. 2) to stop the air blowing operation against the sheet S (S13), and ends the air blowing stop determination process.

[0056] Therefore, in the sheet feeding control in the first embodiment, if the sheet feed tray 236 is moved to the closed position (Yes in S3 and S12) before a predetermined time has elapsed since the air blowing operation started (No in S5), the air blowing operation is stopped (S13). Then, if it is determined that the air blowing operation has been stopped (Yes in S4), that is, it is determined that the sheet feed tray 236 has been closed to the closed position, the sheet feeding control ends without performing the feeding operation (S6). Therefore, if, for example, a user lifts the sheet feed tray 236 and moves it to the closed position during a predetermined time in which the job is started and the sheet S is being prepared to start feeding, the air blowing operation can be stopped before the sheet S starts to be fed, and the feeding operation can also be stopped. This can reduce the occurrence of paper jams caused by the sheet S being distorted in position due to the air blowing, causing the sheet S to skew.

[0057] In the sheet feeding control in the first embodiment, after the feeding operation of the sheet S is started (S6), when the sheet feed tray 236 is moved to the closed position (Yes in S7 and S12), the air blowing operation is stopped (S13). Then, when it is determined that the air blowing operation has been stopped (Yes in S8), that is, it is determined that the sheet feed tray 236 has been closed to the closed position, the sheet feeding control is terminated without performing the feeding operation (S6) at that point. Therefore, when the sheet feeding is started and the sheet S is being fed, for example, if the user lifts the sheet feed tray 236 and moves it to the closed position, the air blowing operation can be stopped even while the sheet S is being fed, and the feeding operation can also be stopped. This can reduce the occurrence of paper jams caused by the sheet S being distorted in position due to the air blowing, which causes the sheet S to skew.

[0058] [Summary of the first embodiment] As described above, according to the sheet feeding control of the first embodiment, a handling mode is executed in which sheets are fed while air is being blown. When the paper feed tray 236 is moved to the closed position during the handling mode, the air blowing operation is stopped, and the occurrence of paper jams can be reduced. In addition, even if the paper feed tray 236 is closed and the feeding operation is stopped, the air blowing operation can be prevented from continuing, and unnecessary power consumption can be reduced.

[0059] In addition, in image forming apparatus 201 according to the first embodiment, movement of paper feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction is detected by lifting / lowering plate detection sensor 402, which is an on / off sensor, so that it is possible to detect the movement of paper feed tray 236 with a simple configuration. Furthermore, since lifting / lowering plate detection sensor 402 is also a sensor that detects the opening / closing of paper feed tray 236, it is possible to detect the movement of paper feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction and the open / closed state of paper feed tray 236 without providing a separate sensor.

[0060] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment, which is a partial modification of the first embodiment, will be described with reference to Figs. 11, 12, 13, and 14. Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing a control system of an image forming system according to the second embodiment. Fig. 12(a) is a side schematic diagram showing a paper feed tray and an opening / closing movement detection sensor in a closed state. Fig. 12(b) is a side schematic diagram showing a paper feed tray and an opening / closing movement detection sensor in an open state. Fig. 12(c) is a side schematic diagram showing a paper feed tray and an opening / closing movement detection sensor in a lifted state. Fig. 13 is a flow chart showing sheet feeding control in a separation mode according to the second embodiment. Fig. 14 is a flow chart showing an air blowing stop determination process according to the second embodiment.

[0061] Image forming apparatus 201 according to the second embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in that it includes opening / closing movement detection sensor 403 as an opening / closing movement detection unit or a displacement detection sensor. That is, lifting / lowering plate detection sensor 402 detects the opening / closing of paper feed tray 236, and opening / closing movement detection sensor 403 detects the movement of paper feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction.

[0062] [Opening / closing movement detection sensor] In detail, as shown in FIG. 11, the opening / closing movement detection sensor 403 is connected to the control unit 100. As shown in FIG. 12(a), FIG. 12(b), and FIG. 12(c), the opening / closing movement detection sensor 403 is a so-called push sensor, and is configured to have a sensor unit 403a as a second signal output unit and a push unit 403b as a movement unit. The push unit 403b is biased by a biasing member (not shown) so as to protrude from the sensor unit 403a and is arranged to be freely stretched and contracted, and when the paper feed tray 236 is opened, it abuts against the paper feed tray 236 and slides. The sensor unit 403a outputs a signal corresponding to the position (displacement) of the push unit 403b to the control unit 100, that is, outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of movement of the paper feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction to the control unit 100.

[0063] [Feed tray movement detection] As shown in Fig. 12(b), the angle of the paper feed tray 236 with respect to the horizontal when the paper feed tray 236 is fully open is angle θa, and as shown in Fig. 12(c), the angle of the paper feed tray 236 with respect to the horizontal when the paper feed tray 236 is lifted is angle θb. In this way, while the paper feed tray 236 is moving from angle θa to angle θb, the push unit 403b slides and moves in position according to the angle of the paper feed tray 236, and the sensor unit 403a outputs a signal to the control unit 100 according to the displacement. This allows the control unit 100 to determine whether the paper feed tray 236 is open or lifted by the signal from the opening / closing movement detection sensor 403.

[0064] The angle θb is also a small angle of the paper feed tray 236 when the lift-down plate detection sensor 402 described in the first embodiment detects the flag portion 402b (see FIG. 6). In other words, the opening / closing movement detection sensor 403 is a sensor that detects that the paper feed tray 236 is moving in the opening / closing direction while the paper feed tray 236 is in the open position. In other words, the lift-down plate detection sensor 402 detects that the paper feed tray 236 is in the closed position when the paper feed tray 236 is closed to an angle larger than the angle θb and the opening / closing movement detection sensor 403 cannot detect the amount of movement of the paper feed tray 236.

[0065] In this embodiment, a so-called push sensor having a push portion 403b is used to detect the movement in the opening and closing direction (i.e., the tilt) of the paper feed tray 236. However, any configuration capable of detecting the tilt of the paper feed tray 236 may be used.

[0066] [Sheet Feeding Control and Air Blowing Stop Determination Process According to the Second Embodiment] Next, the sheet feeding control according to the second embodiment and the air blowing stop determination process executed during the sheet feeding control will be described with reference to Fig. 13 and Fig. 14. In the description of the sheet feeding control and the air blowing stop determination process in the second embodiment, steps different from the first embodiment will be described with the suffix "-1". In other words, the other steps are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0067] When the control unit 100 is instructed to start a job for printing a predetermined number of sheets (e.g., 15 sheets) of coated paper or the like from, for example, the operation unit 730 or an external computer (not shown), the control unit 100 starts sheet feeding control executed as a sorting mode shown in Fig. 13 (S1). Then, the control unit 100 starts an air blowing operation to blow air onto the side of the sheet stack (S2). This separates several to several tens of sheets S above the sheet stack, reducing the adhesion between the separated sheets.

[0068] Next, the control unit 100 performs an air blowing stop determination process, that is, determines whether or not to stop the air blowing operation (S3-1). That is, as described in detail later, it determines whether or not the paper feed tray 236 has been lifted by a user or the like and moved in the opening / closing direction, and if the paper feed tray 236 has been moved, the air blowing operation is stopped. Here, the following description will continue assuming that the air blowing operation has not been stopped.

[0069] In step S4-1, it is determined whether the lift plate detection sensor 402 is ON, and if the lift plate detection sensor 402 is not ON (No in S4-1), the process waits until a predetermined time, for example, about 10 seconds, has elapsed (No in S5). During that time, the air blowing stop determination process (S3-1) is also repeated. Then, when the predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in S5), the feeding operation of the sheet S is started (S6).

[0070] When the sheet feeding operation is started (S6), the air blowing stop determination process is performed again (S7-1), and if the lift plate detection sensor 402 is not ON (No in S8-1), it is determined whether or not the required number of sheets, for example 15 sheets, have been fed (S9). If, for example, 15 sheets S have not been fed (No in S9), the sheet feeding operation is continued, and during that time, the air blowing stop determination process (S7-1) is also repeatedly performed. Then, when the required number of sheets, for example 15 sheets, have been fed (Yes in S9), the control unit 100 stops the air blowing operation (S10), and thus ends the sheet feeding control.

[0071] Next, the details of the air blowing stop determination process (S3-1, S7-1) will be described. As shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 100 first determines whether air blowing is in progress (S11), and if air blowing is not in progress (No in S11), ends the air blowing stop determination process. If air blowing is in progress (Yes in S11), the control unit 100 determines whether the above-mentioned opening / closing movement detection sensor 403 has detected movement of the paper feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction (S12-1). That is, the opening / closing movement detection sensor 403 outputs a signal according to the inclination of the paper feed tray 236, so that the control unit 100 can detect the amount of movement of the paper feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction from the signal. If the amount of movement is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount so as not to detect slight vibrations, for example, it is determined that the paper feed tray 236 has moved in the opening / closing direction. If the opening / closing movement detection sensor 403 does not detect any movement of the paper feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction (No in S12-1), it is determined that the paper feed tray 236 is in the open position and is not moving, and the air blowing stop determination process is terminated.

[0072] On the other hand, when the opening / closing movement detection sensor 403 detects the movement of the paper feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction (Yes in S12-1), this indicates that the paper feed tray 236 has been lifted by a user, for example. Therefore, the control unit 100 stops the fan motors 511M, 512M (see FIG. 2) to stop the air blowing operation against the sheet S (S13), and ends the air blowing stop determination process.

[0073] However, even if the air blowing operation is stopped in this way, there are cases where the lift plate detection sensor 402 is OFF, that is, the paper feed tray 236 is in the open position (No in S4-1, No in S8-1). In this case, in the second embodiment, the feeding operation continues without performing air clearance by blowing air (S6). That is, if the air blowing operation is performed with the paper feed tray 236 raised, there is a risk that the second sheet in particular will be advanced beyond the positions of the side end regulating plates 511 and 512 by the air, and will be tilted, as described above. However, since the air blowing operation is stopped, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of such sheet tilt, reduce the occurrence of skew, and reduce the occurrence of paper jams, while still allowing feeding to continue.

[0074] Therefore, in the sheet feeding control in the second embodiment, it is assumed that the user moves the sheet feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction (Yes in S3-1 and S12-1) before a predetermined time has elapsed since the air blowing operation started (No in S5). Then, the air blowing operation is stopped (S13). Therefore, even if the feeding operation (S6) is continued, the posture of the sheet S is disturbed, and the occurrence of skew of the sheet S is reduced, and the occurrence of paper jams can be reduced.

[0075] Furthermore, in the sheet feeding control in the second embodiment, after the feeding operation of the sheet S is started (S6), if the user moves the sheet feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction (Yes in S7-1 and S12-1), the air blowing operation is stopped (S13). Therefore, even if the feeding operation (S6) is continued, the posture of the sheet S is similarly disturbed, and the occurrence of skewing of the sheet S is reduced, thereby reducing the occurrence of paper jams.

[0076] Then, when the lift plate detection sensor 402 turns ON and detects that the paper feed tray 236 is closed (Yes in S4-1, Yes in S8-1), the sheet feeding control ends without performing the feeding operation (S6) at that point. Therefore, for example, when the user lifts the paper feed tray 236 and moves it to the closed position, the feeding operation of the sheet S also stops. This makes it possible to prevent paper jams from occurring when feeding is performed with the paper feed tray 236 closed.

[0077] [Summary of the second embodiment] As described above, according to the sheet feeding control of the second embodiment, a handling mode is executed in which sheets are fed while air is blown. When the paper feed tray 236 is moved in the opening / closing direction during the handling mode, the air blowing operation is stopped, and the inclination of the sheets S is reduced, and the occurrence of skew is reduced, so that the occurrence of paper jams can be reduced. Furthermore, when the paper feed tray 236 is closed, the feeding operation of the sheets S is stopped, so that the occurrence of paper jams can be reduced. In addition, even if the paper feed tray 236 is closed and the feeding operation is stopped, it is possible to prevent the air blowing operation from continuing, and thus reduce unnecessary power consumption.

[0078] [Possibility of other embodiments] In the first and second embodiments described above, the air blowing operation is stopped when the paper feed tray 236 is lifted by, for example, a user. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the air blowing operation may be stopped when, for example, the paper feed tray 236 is configured to be able to open in stages and the paper feed tray 236 moves in the opening direction by, for example, a user after the start of a job. In this way, even when the paper feed tray 236 is opened in the middle of a job, the sheet may move from the set position and the position may be disturbed by the air blowing operation, but by stopping the air blowing operation, the disturbance of the position of the sheet can be reduced.

[0079] In the first embodiment, the lift plate detection sensor 402 is used as an example of a sensor that detects that the paper feed tray 236 has moved in the opening / closing direction. In the second embodiment, the opening / closing movement detection sensor 403 is used as an example of a sensor that detects that the paper feed tray 236 has moved in the opening / closing direction. However, this is not limiting, and any sensor that can detect that the paper feed tray 236 has moved may be used, such as an encoder that detects the angle of a rotation shaft that rotates in association with the movement of the paper feed tray 236 in the opening / closing direction.

[0080] In the first and second embodiments, the lift plate detection sensor 402 has been described as an example of a sensor that detects whether the paper feed tray 236 is opened or closed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any sensor that can detect whether the paper feed tray 236 is opened or closed relative to the apparatus main body 201A may be used, such as a contact switch. In particular, as in the first embodiment, when one sensor is used to detect both the opening and closing of the paper feed tray 236 and the movement in the opening and closing direction, it is preferable that the output signal change occurs when the paper feed tray 236 moves a certain angle (a predetermined angle).

[0081] In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 201 is described as being equipped with the control unit 100, the manual feed unit 235, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured such that, for example, a sheet feeder such as a scanner having a structure in which a sheet is manually supported and the support unit moves to open and close relative to the apparatus body is equipped with a control unit, etc. In addition, the image forming apparatus is not limited to the image forming apparatus 201 of the present embodiment, and may refer to an image forming system equipped with a feed deck.

[0082] In the present embodiment, the processing mode and the normal mode can be selectively executed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the processing mode alone may be executed.

[0083] The present disclosure can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 100...Control unit / 201...Image forming apparatus / 201B...Image forming unit / 235...Manual feeding unit (sheet feeding device) / 236...Paper feed tray (support unit) / 402...Lift plate detection sensor (opening / closing movement detection unit, opening / closing detection sensor, on / off sensor) / 402a...Sensor unit (first signal output unit) / 402b...Flag unit / 403...Opening / closing movement detection sensor (opening / closing movement detection unit, displacement detection sensor) / 403a...sensor section (second signal output section) / 403b...push section (moving section) / 506...sheet feeding section (feeding section) / 508...lifting plate (roller support section) / 511...side end regulating plate / 511A...air blowing section (handling section) / 511a...duct / 511b...fan / 512...side end regulating plate / 512A...air blowing section (handling section) / 512a...duct / 512b...fan / S...sheet

Claims

1. A device body, a sheet support section that is rotatably provided on a side surface of the device body, has a support surface that supports a sheet, and moves between a closed position where it is closed relative to the device body and a feed position where it is open relative to the device body and where the sheet supported on the support surface is fed; a feeding section that feeds the sheet supported on the support surface; a detection unit that detects the position of the seat support unit; a blowing unit that blows air onto the sheet supported on the support surface; a control unit that executes a mode in which the blowing unit blows air when the sheet is fed by the feeding unit, In the mode, the control unit When the detection unit detects that the sheet support unit has moved from the feeding position to the closed position, the blowing operation is stopped. A sheet feeding device characterized by:

2. In the mode, the control unit After the blowing operation is started by the blowing unit, the feeding operation is started by the feeding unit; After the blowing operation is started, if the detection unit detects that the sheet support unit has moved from the feeding position to the closed position, the blowing operation is stopped.

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

3. In the mode, the control unit the blowing operation is started by the blowing unit, and then the feeding operation is started by the feeding unit; When the detection unit detects that the sheet support unit has moved from the open position to the closed position after the feeding operation has started, the blowing operation is stopped.

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

4. the detection unit is a detection sensor that detects the closed position where the sheet support unit is closed relative to the device body and the feeding position where the sheet support unit is opened from the closed position.

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

5. The feeding section a feeding roller that feeds the sheet supported on the support surface; a roller support section that movably supports the feed roller at an abutment position where the feed roller abuts against the sheet supported on the support surface, a separation position where the feed roller is separated from the sheet supported on the support surface, and a storage position where the feed roller is stored in the device main body by closing the sheet support section, The detection sensor is a sensor having a flag portion fixed to one of the roller support portion and the device main body, and a first signal output portion fixed to the other of the roller support portion and the device main body, which changes an output signal depending on whether the flag portion is detected or not.

5. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4.

6. the detection unit is a displacement detection sensor that changes an output signal in accordance with the amount of movement of the seat support unit, 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

7. the displacement detection sensor is a push sensor having a moving portion that is moved by being pressed against the seat support portion, and a second signal output portion that changes an output signal depending on the position of the moving portion.

7. The sheet feeding device according to claim 6, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

8. a detection sensor for detecting the closed position where the sheet support portion is closed relative to the device body and the feeding position where the sheet support portion is opened from the closed position; 7. The sheet feeding device according to claim 6, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

9. a side edge regulating plate that is movable in a width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction and that regulates the position of the sheet in the width direction supported on the support surface, The blowing unit has a fan and a duct that guides air blown from the fan to pass through the inside of the side end regulating plate and blows the air against the side of the sheet.

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, an image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet fed by the sheet feeding device, An image forming apparatus characterized by:

Images