Sheet transport device and image formation device

Abstract

To achieve both reduction in impact and ease of operation when opening an opening / closing unit.SOLUTION: A sheet transport device includes: a manual feed section 500 having a manual tray 10 that is provided so as to be openable and closable by rotating relative to a housing, is displaceable between a closed position and an open position, and supports a sheet at the open position; a support arm 11 that has one end swingably supported by the housing and the other end engaged with the manual feed section 500; and a feeding section that feeds the sheet supported by the manual tray 10 to a sheet transport section. The manual feed section 500 has a tray rail, and the other end of the support arm 11 has a first moving member 12 that moves while being guided by the tray rail as the manual feed section 500 rotates, and the manual feed section 500 has a damper section 40 that generates a resistance force against the movement when the manual feed section 500 rotates and the first moving member 12 moves relative to the tray rail, thereby attenuating an opening and closing speed of the manual feed section 500.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet transport device that transports a sheet, and an image forming apparatus that uses the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as printers and copiers are widely used that are provided with a manual feed tray (opening / closing unit) on the side of the apparatus body for stacking sheets, and a manual sheet feeding device that supplies sheets one by one to an image forming section. In this type of manual sheet feeding device, for example, the manual feed tray is configured to be opened and closed by rotating relative to the apparatus body. Then, during normal times when manual feeding is not performed, the manual feed tray is stored in the apparatus body, and during manual feeding, the manual feed tray is rotated and opened to allow sheets to be stacked.

[0003] In this manual sheet feeding device, the position of the manual feed tray when it is open is regulated by, for example, an arm member. The arm member is, for example, provided to be swingable on the device body, and the opposite tray side end is guided along a guide groove provided on the manual feed tray. If a large impact is applied to the arm member or the manual feed tray when the manual feed tray is opened to the open position, there is a risk of damage, so a configuration that reduces the impact when the manual feed tray is opened is desired.

[0004] As a configuration for reducing the impact when the manual feed tray is opened, a manual feed sheet feeding device has been developed in which a tension coil spring is attached to the tray side end of the arm member and to the manual feed tray (see Patent Document 1). In this manual feed sheet feeding device, when the manual feed tray is opened, the tension coil spring applies elastic force in the direction opposite to the direction in which the tray side end of the arm member moves, thereby reducing the impact when the manual feed tray is opened. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-24396 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In recent years, there has been a strong demand for diversification of sheet types and sizes in image forming apparatuses, and a manual feed sheet feeding device capable of feeding various sheets is desired, and the manual feed tray tends to become larger. In addition, the weight of the manual feed tray may increase due to an increase in parts caused by the multi-function of the manual feed sheet feeding device. However, in the manual feed sheet feeding device described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since the impact is reduced only by the elastic force of the coil spring, a stronger coil spring must be used when the manual feed tray becomes heavy. Here, the biasing force of the coil spring acts on the manual feed tray even when the manual feed tray is in the open position, so if the biasing force of the coil spring is too large, there is a risk that the operability will deteriorate, such as the manual feed tray being easily closed unintentionally in the open position.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet conveying device and an image forming apparatus that are capable of achieving both reduction in shock when an opening / closing unit is opened and improved operability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a sheet transport device comprising a housing that accommodates a sheet transport section that transports a sheet, an opening / closing unit that is capable of opening and closing by rotating relative to the housing and is displaceable between a closed position and an open position, and has a support section that supports the sheet in the open position, a swinging member having one end swingably supported on the housing and the other end engaged with the opening / closing unit, and a feeding section that feeds the sheet supported on the support section to the sheet transport section, wherein the opening / closing unit has a guiding section, and the other end of the swinging member has a guided section that moves while being guided by the guiding section as the opening / closing unit rotates, and the opening / closing unit has a damper section that generates resistance to movement when the opening / closing unit rotates and the guided section moves relative to the guiding section, thereby attenuating the opening / closing speed of the opening / closing unit.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including the above-mentioned sheet conveying device and an image forming section that forms an image on the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying section. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve both reduction in impact when the opening / closing unit is opened and improved operability. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 11 is a plan view showing a state in which a manual feed section according to the embodiment is located at an open position. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1A and 1B are front views showing a state in which a manual feed unit according to an embodiment is located at an open position, where FIG. 1A includes sheets and the feed unit, and FIG. [Figure 4] 11 is a front view showing a state in which the manual feed section according to the embodiment is located at a closed position. FIG. [Diagram 5]5A and 5B are front views showing a manual feed section according to an embodiment, in which FIG. 5A is in an intermediate position and FIG. [Figure 6] 11 is a cross-sectional view of the manual feed unit according to the embodiment when it is located at a closed position, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to a support surface. FIG. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of the manual feed section according to the embodiment, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the support surface, in which FIG. 5A shows the manual feed section in an intermediate position, and FIG. 5B shows the manual feed section in an open position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is a tandem type intermediate transfer type laser beam printer that utilizes an electrophotographic process. The image forming apparatus 1 can form and output a full-color or monochrome image corresponding to print image data output from a host device (not shown) connected to a control unit 100 on a sheet S, which is a recording medium.

[0013] The control unit 100 is a control means for controlling the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 1, and transmits and receives information to and from the host device and the operation unit 730. The control unit 100 also performs signal processing and sequence control for various process devices. Here, the host device is a personal computer, an image scanner, a facsimile, etc. The control unit 100 has a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM, and controls each part in the image forming apparatus 1. The CPU outputs an output signal to each electric component to operate the electric component at a desired timing and with a required amount of control based on the detection signal input from each sensor and the information stored in the ROM. Therefore, it is the CPU that actually controls the electric components. The ROM and RAM store information data required for controlling each part, and the CPU reads the information data stored in the ROM and writes it to the RAM.

[0014] The image forming apparatus 1 has an apparatus body 201A and an image forming section 201B that forms an image on a sheet S. An image reading device 202 that is installed substantially horizontally is provided above the apparatus body 201A. A discharge space V for discharging a sheet is formed between the image reading device 202 and the apparatus body 201A. In this embodiment, the apparatus body 201A, more specifically, the frame (not shown) that constitutes the apparatus body 201A, is an example of a housing. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is also an example of a sheet conveying apparatus. That is, the image forming apparatus 1 as a sheet conveying apparatus has the apparatus body 201A, a manual feed section 500, a support arm 11, and a feed section 507 (see FIG. 3(a)).

[0015] The cassette feeding section 230 feeds the sheet S from a feeding cassette 5 which is a sheet storage means for storing the sheet S. The cassette feeding section 230 has a pickup roller 2 and a separation roller pair consisting of a feed roller 3 and a retard roller 4 for separating the sheet S sent out from the pickup roller 2.

[0016] Furthermore, the manual feed section 500 feeds the sheet S from a manual feed tray 10 which is a means for holding the sheet S. The manual feed section 500 is an example of an opening and closing unit, is provided so as to be openable and closable by rotating with respect to the apparatus main body 201A, is displaceable between a closed position and an open position, and has the manual feed tray 10. The manual feed tray 10 is an example of a support section, and supports the sheet when the manual feed section 500 is in the open position.

[0017] The feeding section 507 has a pickup roller 502 and a pair of separation rollers for separating the sheet S sent out from the pickup roller 502. The pair of separation rollers is composed of a feed roller 503 and a retard roller 504. The sheets separated one by one by the pair of separation rollers are fed to the pair of registration rollers 240 by the pair of conveying rollers 506. That is, the feeding section 507 feeds the sheet supported by the manual feed tray 10 to the pair of conveying rollers 506. In this embodiment, the pair of conveying rollers 506 is an example of a sheet conveying section that conveys a sheet, and is housed in the apparatus main body 201A.

[0018] The image forming section 201B forms an image on a sheet fed by the cassette feeding section 230 or the manual feeding section 500. That is, the image forming section 201B forms an image on a sheet fed by a pair of conveying rollers 506. The image forming section 201B is of a four-drum full-color type, and has a laser scanner 210 and four process cartridges 211 that form toner images of four colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Here, 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 a secondary transfer section 218 and a fixing section 201E disposed above the process cartridges 211. A toner cartridge 215 supplies toner to the developer 214.

[0019] The secondary transfer unit 218 includes a transfer belt 216 wound around a drive roller 216a and a tension roller 216b. A primary transfer roller 219 is provided on the inside of the transfer belt 216, which contacts the transfer belt 216 at a position facing the photosensitive drum 212. The transfer belt 216 is rotated in the direction of an arrow by a drive roller 216a driven by a drive unit (not shown). A secondary transfer roller 217 that transfers a color image formed on the transfer belt 216 to a sheet S is provided at a position facing the drive roller 216a of the secondary transfer unit 218.

[0020] A fixing section 201E is disposed above the secondary transfer roller 217, and a first discharge roller pair 225a, a second discharge roller pair 225b, and a double-sided reversing section 201F are disposed above the fixing section 201E. The double-sided reversing section 201F is provided with a reversing roller pair 222 that can rotate forward and backward, and a re-conveying path R that conveys the sheet S, on one side of which an image has been formed, back to the image forming section 201B. An operation section 730 that accepts operations from a user is provided on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus 1. A touch panel type having both a display function and an input function is adopted as the operation section 730.

[0021] Next, an image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. First, when the image forming apparatus 1 receives image data of an original to be printed, the image information is subjected to image processing, converted into an electric signal, and transmitted to a laser scanner 210 of the image forming unit 201B. In the image forming unit 201B, the surface of the photosensitive drum 212, the surface of which is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by a charger 213, is sequentially exposed to a laser. 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 photosensitive drum are transferred in order onto the transfer belt 216 in a superimposed manner by a primary transfer bias applied to a primary transfer roller 219. As a result, a toner image is formed on the transfer belt 216.

[0023] In parallel with this toner image forming operation, the sheets S are conveyed one by one by the cassette feeding section 230 or the manual feeding section 500 to the registration roller pair 240, and skew is corrected by the registration roller pair 240. After the skew is corrected, the sheets S are conveyed by the registration roller pair 240 to the secondary transfer section 218, and the toner images are transferred all at once onto the sheets S by a secondary transfer bias applied to the secondary transfer roller 217 in the secondary transfer section 218.

[0024] Next, the sheet S onto which the toner image has been transferred is transported to the fixing section 201E, where the toners of the various colors melt and mix under heat and pressure in a roller nip section formed by the pressure roller 220a and the heating roller 220b, and are fixed as a color image on the sheet S. The sheet S onto which the image has been fixed is discharged into the discharge space V by a first discharge roller pair 225a or a second discharge roller pair 225b provided downstream of the fixing section 201E, and is stacked on a discharge tray 223 protruding from 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 image forming section 201B.

[0025] [Manual feed section] Next, the manual feed section 500 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the manual feed section 500 has a manual tray 10, a pickup roller 502, and a pair of a first side regulating section 70 and a second side regulating section 80. The manual tray 10 is provided on a side surface of the device body 201A so as to be openable and closable by rotation, and when the manual tray 10 is opened from a state where it is stored on the side surface of the device body 201A, it becomes a state where sheets can be stacked. The case where the manual tray 10 is in the open state will be described below.

[0026] The pickup roller 502 feeds the sheet S placed on the manual feed tray 10. The pair of first and second side regulating units 70 and 80 are disposed on both sides of the sheet S in a width direction W intersecting with the feeding direction FD of the sheet S placed on the manual feed tray 10, and regulate the position of the sheet S in the width direction W. The first side regulating unit 70 is an example of a regulating unit, and is provided on the manual feed tray 10 so as to be movable in the width direction W, and regulates the position of the sheet S supported on the manual feed tray 10 in the width direction W. The second side regulating unit 80 is provided so as to be movable in the width direction W in conjunction with the first side regulating unit 70, and abuts against the other end of the sheet S placed on the manual feed tray 10 in the width direction W. In this embodiment, the width direction W is a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction FD of the sheet S.

[0027] The first side regulating portion 70 has a rack 71. Similarly, the second side regulating portion 80 has a rack 81. Each rack 71, 81 is meshed with a pinion gear 90 to be interlocked. As a result, at least one of the first side regulating portion 70 and the second side regulating portion 80 is movable in the width direction W, and in this embodiment, both the first side regulating portion 70 and the second side regulating portion 80 are movable in synchronization with the width direction W of the sheet S. Note that one of the first side regulating portion 70 and the second side regulating portion 80 may be fixed so as not to move. Also, only the first side regulating portion 70 may be provided movably, and the second side regulating portion 80 may not be provided.

[0028] The first side regulating section 70 is provided with a first air handling section 74 having a fan motor 72 and a blowing nozzle 73. When the fan motor 72 is driven, air f1 is blown out from the blowing nozzle 73 and is blown onto the side of the sheet stack placed on the manual feed tray 10. By blowing the air f1 from the fan motor 72 toward the side end of the sheets S as handling air, the sheets S above the sheet stack are lifted, and the adhesion force between the sheets is reduced. In other words, the first air handling section 74 is an example of an air handling section, and blows air in the width direction W from the first side regulating section 70 onto the stack of sheets S supported by the manual feed tray 10 to handle the sheets S.

[0029] Similarly, the second side regulating section 80 is provided with a second air handling section 84 having a fan motor 82 and a blowing nozzle 83. When the fan motor 82 is driven, air f2 is blown out from the blowing nozzle 83 and is blown onto the side of the sheet stack placed on the manual feed tray 10 opposite the first side regulating section 70. By blowing the air f2 from the fan motor 82 toward the side end of the sheets S as handling air, in combination with the air f1 blown from the opposite side, the sheets S above the sheet stack are effectively lifted, and the adhesion force between the sheets is reduced.

[0030] When the user selects the manual feed unit 500 and executes an operation to start image formation, sheet feeding is started from the manual feed unit 500. If the sheet S placed on the manual feed tray 10 is, for example, coated paper, the fan motors 72 and 82 are operated. As a result, air f1 and f2 are blown from the blowing nozzles 73 and 83 to the ends of the sheet stack in the width direction W.

[0031] A predetermined time after the blowing of the air f1 and f2 is started, the uppermost sheet S, in which the adhesive force between the sheets has been reduced, is fed by the rotating pickup roller 502 and sent to a pair of separation rollers consisting of a feed roller 503 and a retard roller 504. The sheet S separated into one sheet by the pair of separation rollers is conveyed to the pair of registration rollers 240 by a pair of conveying rollers 506. Note that the first side regulating section 70, the second side regulating section 80, the first air handling section 74, and the second air handling section 84 are not shown in FIG. 3(a) and subsequent figures. Also, in the present embodiment, the manual feed section 500 is described as having the first air handling section 74 and the second air handling section 84, but the present invention is not limited to this and may not have them.

[0032] [Support configuration for manual feed tray] Next, a configuration for supporting the manual feed tray 10 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 3(a) to Fig. 7(b). Fig. 3(a) is a front view of the manual feed tray 10 of this embodiment in a state where it is fully opened and positioned at the open position, and Fig. 3(b) is a front view showing the configuration of Fig. 3(a) with the sheet S and the feeding unit 507 omitted.

[0033] The position of the manual feed tray 10 when it is opened is regulated by a support arm 11. One end of the support arm 11 is rotatably supported by the device main body 201A, and the other end is rotatably connected to a first moving member 12 on the side of the manual feed tray 10. The first moving member 12 is movable in both upstream and downstream directions in the feeding direction FD inside a tray rail 13 provided inside the manual feed tray 10. The tray rail 13 is an example of a guide portion, and is formed as an opening formed in the frame of the manual feed tray 10, and is formed with the feeding direction FD as its longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the support arm 11, the tray rail 13, etc. are provided at both ends in the width direction W. However, they are not limited to being provided at both ends, and may be provided only at one end.

[0034] The support arm 11 is an example of a swinging member, one end of which is swingably supported by the device main body 201A, and the other end of which is engaged with the manual feed section 500. The first moving member 12 is an example of a guided portion, and moves while being guided by the tray rail 13 as the manual feed section 500 rotates. The support arm 11 has the first moving member 12 at the other end. When the manual feed section 500 is located at the open position, the support arm 11 receives the load of the manual feed section 500 between the tray rail 13. In this embodiment, one end of the support arm 11 is swingably provided on the device main body 201A, but it is not limited to being the end, and it may be swingably supported at a position other than the end. Similarly, the other end of the support arm 11 is connected to the first moving member 12, but it is not limited to being the end, and it may be connected to a position other than the end. In addition, in this embodiment, a case has been described in which the first movable member 12, which is the guided part, is a separate part from the support arm 11, but this is not limited to this, and the guided part may be formed from the same part as the support arm 11.

[0035] Next, the interlocking operation of the support arm 11 and the first moving member 12 when the manual tray 10 is opened or closed will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 6(b). Fig. 4 is a front view of the manual tray 10 when it is closed and located at the closed position. The manual tray 10 can be displaced to an intermediate position between the closed position shown in Fig. 4 and the open position shown in Fig. 5(b), and this state is shown in Fig. 5(a).

[0036] When the manual feed tray 10 is opened to the intermediate position shown in Fig. 5(a), the support arm 11 rotates and the first moving member 12 moves inside the tray rail 13. When the manual feed tray 10 is opened further, the end of the support arm 11 connected to the first moving member 12 comes into contact with the regulating portion 13a of the tray rail 13, as shown in Fig. 5(b), and the sheet S is held in a state in which it can be stacked. The regulating portion 13a here is the end of the tray rail 13 on the downstream side in the feeding direction FD.

[0037] [Damper section] In this embodiment, the manual feed section 500 has a damper section 40. That is, the damper section 40 is disposed in the manual feed section 500. The damper section 40 will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 6 to 7(b). Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the damper section 40 provided inside the manual feed tray 10. The manual feed tray 10 is formed with a groove section 10a along the width direction W. The first moving member 12 rotatably connected to the support arm 11 is connected to the second moving member 16 by a cable 15. The second moving member 16 is provided inside the groove section 10a so as to be movable in the width direction W.

[0038] The direction of the cable 15 is changed by 90° midway by the pulley 19, and the second moving member 16 is movable in conjunction with the first moving member 12. That is, the portion of the cable 15 on the first moving member 12 side from the pulley 19 is disposed so as to extend in the direction along the feeding direction FD in the open position, and the portion of the cable 15 on the second moving member 16 side from the pulley 19 is disposed so as to extend in the direction along the width direction W. The pulley 19 is an example of a winding portion, and is provided in the manual feeding unit 500, and winds and bends the cable 15.

[0039] Inside the groove 10a, a fixed plate 10b fixed to the manual feed tray 10 is provided. A damper section 40 is provided between the second moving member 16 and the fixed plate 10b. The damper section 40 is, for example, a device that generates resistance by the resistance of a fluid, and in this embodiment, is an air damper having an automatic return function. The damper section 40 has a cylinder section 41, which is an example of a moving section, and a rod section 42, which is an example of a fixed section. The rod section 42 is fixed to the fixed plate 10b and is fixed to the manual feed section 500. The cylinder section 41 and the rod section 42 are relatively movable in the axial direction, and here, the cylinder section 41 is movable relative to the rod section 42, and generates resistance by the resistance of the fluid generated when moving. In this embodiment, the damper section 40 is expandable and contractable by the linear movement of the cylinder section 41 relative to the rod section 42, and is arranged so that the expansion and contraction direction of the damper section 40 is along the width direction W.

[0040] The second moving member 16 and the cylinder portion 41 are provided so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from each other. When the second moving member 16 is pulled by the cable 15 and moves to come into contact with the cylinder portion 41, the damper portion 40 generates a damping force. That is, the cable 15 connects the cylinder portion 41 and the first moving member 12 via the second moving member 16 to transmit the resistance force. When the manual feed portion 500 rotates and the first moving member 12 moves relative to the tray rail 13, the damper portion 40 generates a resistance force against the movement and damps the opening and closing speed of the manual feed portion 500. Also, when the rotation of the manual feed portion 500 stops and the first moving member 12 stops relative to the tray rail 13, the damper portion 40 does not generate a resistance force.

[0041] In this embodiment, only one of the support arms 11 is configured to be acted upon by the damper section 40, and no damper section is provided on the other support arm 111. However, this is not limited thereto, and another damper section may be provided on the other support arm 111. A tension coil spring 17 is connected to the second moving member 16, which biases the second moving member 16 in the width direction W in the opposite direction to the damper section 40. A tension coil spring 171 is connected to the third moving member 18, which is connected to the other support arm 111 and movable in the feeding direction FD, and biases the third moving member 18 upstream in the feeding direction FD.

[0042] These tension coil springs 17, 171 are both examples of a biasing portion, and bias the manual feed portion 500 in a direction to displace the manual feed portion 500 from the open position to the closed position. In this embodiment, the tension coil springs 17, 171 bias the manual feed portion 500 in a direction to displace the manual feed portion 500 from the open position to the closed position, regardless of whether the manual feed portion 500 is located at any position in the entire range from the closed position to the open position.

[0043] Next, the operation when opening and closing the manual feed tray 10 will be described. Fig. 6 shows the state in which the manual feed section 500 is in the closed position, Fig. 7(a) shows the state in which it is in the intermediate position, and Fig. 7(b) shows the state in which it is in the open position. When in the closed position shown in Fig. 6, the first moving member 12 is located upstream of the tray rail 13 in the feeding direction FD, and the second moving member 16 is located away from the damper section 40.

[0044] When the manual feed tray 10 is opened and the first moving member 12 moves to the position shown in FIG. 7(a), the second moving member 16 moves in conjunction with the first moving member 12 and abuts against the damper section 40. The manual feed tray 10 opens further from there, and the second moving member 16 presses and compresses the damper section 40, generating a damping force and slowing down the opening speed of the manual feed tray 10. In this embodiment, the damper section 40 is set to generate a resistance force when the manual feed section 500 rotates between the intermediate position and the open position, and not to generate a resistance force when the manual feed section 500 rotates between the closed position and the intermediate position. The position where the damper section 40 and the second moving member 16 abut against each other can be determined arbitrarily by design, and the timing at which the damper section 40 starts to work can be adjusted.

[0045] When the manual feed tray 10 is opened to the open position at the maximum angle, the first moving member 12 and the second moving member 16 move to the position shown in Fig. 7(b). At this time, the damper section 40 operates to the most compressed state, and the opening speed of the manual feed tray 10 is slowed down by the damping force generated by this, thereby reducing the impact force applied to the regulating section 131 of the tray rail 13.

[0046] When the manual feed tray 10 is rotated from the open position to the closed position, the second moving member 16 is pulled by the tension spring 17, so that the cable 15 does not slacken. In addition, since the damper section 40 has an automatic restoration function, when it is released from the pressure of the second moving member 16, it can return to the state shown in FIG.

[0047] As described above, according to the manual feed section 500 of this embodiment, since it has the damper section 40, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of impact when the manual feed tray 10 is rotated to the open position. That is, by providing the damper section 40 and the first moving member 12 and the second moving member 16 that move in the tray in conjunction with the opening and closing of the manual feed tray 10, it is possible to reduce the speed at which the manual feed tray 10 is opened and reduce the impact at the position where the manual feed tray 10 is held. In particular, in this embodiment, the manual feed section 500 is provided with the fan motors 72, 82 of the first air handling section 74 and the second air handling section 84, and the manual feed section 500 is heavy. Therefore, without the damper section 40, a large impact is likely to occur when the manual feed tray 10 reaches the open position, but the damper section 40 can reduce the impact. Moreover, since it has not only the biasing spring but also the damper section 40, it is possible to reduce the force biasing the manual feed tray 10 toward the closed position when the manual feed tray 10 is in the open position, and operability can be improved. This makes it possible to reduce the impact and improve operability at the same time.

[0048] Furthermore, according to the manual feed unit 500 of this embodiment, the damper section 40 is set to generate a resistance force when the manual feed unit 500 rotates between the intermediate position and the open position, but not to generate a resistance force when the manual feed unit 500 rotates between the closed position and the intermediate position. This allows the manual tray 10 to rotate without receiving a resistance force in the early stages of opening from the closed position, thereby avoiding a decrease in operability due to an unnecessarily large resistance at a position far from the occurrence of an impact.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the manual feed unit 500 of this embodiment, the damper unit 40 and the tension coil springs 17, 171 are used in combination, so that an assist force for lifting the manual tray 10 can be obtained when the manual tray 10 is closed from the open position. Moreover, since the tension coil springs 17, 171 act over the entire movable range of the manual tray 10, abrupt rotation can be avoided even when the manual tray 10 is rotated from the closed position to the open position.

[0050] Moreover, according to the manual feed section 500 of this embodiment, the movement direction of the first moving member 12 and the expansion and contraction direction of the damper section 40 are made perpendicular to each other by using the cable 15 and the pulley 19. Here, if the cable 15 and the pulley 19 are not used, the expansion and contraction direction of the damper section 40 is along the feeding direction FD, and the manual feed section 500 may become large in size in order to install the damper section 40 so as not to interfere with the first air handling section 74 and the second air handling section 84. In contrast, in this embodiment, the damper section 40 can be arranged along the width direction W to avoid the first air handling section 74 and the second air handling section 84, so that the manual feed section 500 can be prevented from becoming large.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the load of the manual feed unit 500 is received by the guided portion and the guiding portion, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the load of the manual feed unit 500 may be received by a configuration other than the guided portion and the guiding portion, and the guided portion and the guiding portion may be provided to connect the damper portion 40.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the sheet conveying device is the image forming apparatus 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a sheet supplying device that conveys a sheet without having the image forming unit 201B.

[0053] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a linear damper that operates by being compressed is used as the damper section 40, but this is not limited to this, and a tension-type damper that operates in a pulling direction or a rotary damper may also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1...image forming apparatus (sheet conveying apparatus), 10...manual feed tray (supporting portion), 11...support arm (swinging member), 12...first moving member (guided portion), 13...tray rail (guiding portion), 15...cable, 17...tension coil spring (urging portion), 19...pulley (winding portion), 40...damper portion, 41...cylinder portion (moving portion), 42...rod portion (fixed portion), 70...first side regulating portion (regulating portion), 74...first air handling portion (air handling portion), 171...tension coil spring (urging portion), 201A...apparatus main body (housing), 201B...image forming portion, 500...manual feed feeding portion (opening / closing unit), 506...feeding roller pair (sheet conveying portion), 507...feeding portion, FD...feeding direction, S...sheet, W...width direction

Claims

1. a housing that accommodates a sheet transport unit that transports a sheet; an opening / closing unit that is provided so as to be openable and closable by rotating with respect to the housing, that is displaceable between a closed position and an open position, and that has a support portion that supports the seat in the open position; a swing member having one end supported by the housing so as to be swingable and having the other end engaged with the opening / closing unit; a feeding section that feeds the sheet supported by the supporting section to the sheet conveying section, The opening / closing unit has a guide portion, the other end of the swinging member has a guided portion that moves while being guided by the guide portion in accordance with the rotation of the opening / closing unit, The opening / closing unit has a damper portion which generates resistance to movement when the opening / closing unit rotates and the guided portion moves relative to the guiding portion, thereby attenuating the opening / closing speed of the opening / closing unit. A sheet conveying device comprising:

2. the swing member receives the load of the opening / closing unit between the swing member and the guide portion when the opening / closing unit is located at the open position; 2. The sheet transport device according to claim 1.

3. The opening / closing unit is displaceable to an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position, the damper portion generates the resistance force when the opening / closing unit rotates between the intermediate position and the open position, and does not generate the resistance force when the opening / closing unit rotates between the closed position and the intermediate position.

2. The sheet transport device according to claim 1.

4. The opening / closing unit has a biasing portion that biases the opening / closing unit in a direction in which the opening / closing unit is displaced from the open position to the closed position.

2. The sheet transport device according to claim 1.

5. the biasing portion biases the opening / closing unit in a direction to displace the opening / closing unit from the open position to the closed position when the opening / closing unit is positioned in an entire range from the closed position to the open position.

5. The sheet transport device according to claim 4.

6. the damper portion has a fixed portion fixed to the opening / closing unit and a movable portion movable relative to the fixed portion and generating the resistance force by a resistance of a fluid generated when the movable portion moves, The opening / closing unit has a cable that connects the moving part and the guided part to transmit the resistance force.

2. The sheet transport device according to claim 1.

7. The opening / closing unit has a winding portion around which the cable is wound and bent.

7. The sheet transport device according to claim 6.

8. The damper portion is extendable and contractable by linearly moving the movable portion relative to the fixed portion, and is disposed such that the extension and contraction direction of the damper portion is along a width direction perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction.

8. The sheet transport device according to claim 7.

9. The opening and closing unit includes: a regulating portion that is provided in the support portion so as to be movable in a width direction perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction and that regulates a position in the width direction of the sheet supported by the support portion; an air handling unit that blows air from the regulating unit in the width direction to the stack of sheets supported by the supporting unit to handle the sheets, 2. The sheet transport device according to claim 1.

10. A sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, an image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet transported by the sheet transport unit, 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images