Image forming device

Abstract

To solve a problem that when an extension sheet tray is attached to the tray, the installation area of the image forming device including the tray and the extension tray becomes excessively large.SOLUTION: The image forming device comprises: an image forming unit; a first tray unit on which a sheet is placed; a feeding unit that feeds the sheet toward the image forming unit; and a second tray unit that is detachable upstream of the first tray unit and on which a sheet is placed. The first tray unit has a first tray, and the second tray unit has a housing that is detachable from the first tray unit and a second tray on which a sheet is placed, and an angle formed between the loading surface of the second tray when the second tray is moved upstream in the sheet feeding direction relative to the housing and the loading surface of the second tray when the second tray is moved downstream in the sheet feeding direction is greater than a predetermined angle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copier, printer, or facsimile. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, long sheets with a length of about 1000 mm are used for POPs in stores and the like. When printing images on such long sheets, a manual feed unit provided on a side portion of an image forming apparatus is used. The tray unit of the manual feed unit disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a tray on which a sheet is placed, and in addition, a removable extension tray is attached to the tray when feeding a long sheet. The extension tray is slidable so as to be pulled out in the feeding direction relative to the tray. Furthermore, in order to suppress skewing of the long sheet being fed, the tray and the extension tray are provided with side regulation plates that regulate the position of the side edge of the sheet in the sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-267561 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there are many types of long sheets that can be placed on the above-mentioned tray unit. That is, long sheets come in a variety of different lengths depending on the purpose of use. In this case, in order to accommodate all sheet lengths with one extension sheet tray, the extension sheet tray needs to be large so that it can transport sheets of the maximum length. Therefore, when the extension sheet tray is attached to the tray, the installation area of ​​the image forming apparatus including the tray and the extension tray becomes excessively large.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that has a slidable extension tray that is detachable from a tray and that can accommodate long sheets while reducing the installation area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes an image forming section that forms an image on a sheet, a first tray unit on a side of an apparatus body including the image forming section and on which a sheet is placed, a feeding section that feeds the sheet placed on the first tray unit toward the image forming section, and a second tray unit on which a sheet is placed, the second tray unit being detachable upstream of the first tray unit in a sheet feeding direction, the first tray unit having a first tray on which a sheet is placed, and a sheet feed section that is provided on the first tray and has a sheet feed direction in which the sheet feed direction is perpendicular to the sheet feed direction. and a first regulating portion that regulates the position of a side end of a sheet, and the second tray unit has a housing that is detachable from the first tray unit, a second tray that is provided in the housing and on which sheets are placed, and a second regulating portion that is provided on the second tray and regulates the position of the side end of the sheet in the width direction of the sheet, and is characterized in that an angle formed between a placement surface of the second tray when the second tray is moved upstream in the sheet feeding direction relative to the housing and a placement surface of the second tray when the second tray is moved downstream in the sheet feeding direction is greater than a predetermined angle. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the extension tray that is detachable from the tray and can slide is capable of placing long sheets thereon while reducing the installation area. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a front view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention (when the manual feed tray is open) and a top view of a tray unit. [Diagram 3]FIG. 1 is a front view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention (when an extension tray is attached to the manual feed tray) and a top view of a tray unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a top view of a tray unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a front view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention (when the extension tray of the manual feed tray is slid), and a top view of a tray unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing a holding portion of an extension tray according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an extension tray and a frame according to a first embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front (front surface, near side) of the image forming apparatus means the near side on the plane of FIG. 1, and the back (rear surface, far side) means the opposite side. Left and right mean left and right when the image forming apparatus 100 is viewed from the front. Up and down mean up and down in the direction of gravity. Upstream and downstream mean upstream and downstream in the sheet transport direction.

[0010] <Image forming device> First, the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, 201 is an image forming apparatus, 201A is an image forming apparatus main body, and 201B is an image forming section that forms an image on a sheet. 202 is an image reading device that is installed approximately horizontally above the image forming apparatus main body 201A. Between this image reading device 202 and the image forming apparatus main body 201A, a discharge space V for discharging sheets is formed.

[0011] The image forming apparatus in this embodiment is divided into an image forming process for forming an image on a sheet, and a sheet transport process for transporting a sheet to form an image thereon.

[0012] First, the image forming process will be described. Various components that perform the image forming process are arranged mainly in the center in the vertical direction of the image forming apparatus 201. The image forming section 201B, which is an image forming means, is equipped with 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 is equipped with a photosensitive drum 212, a charger 213 that is a charging means, and a developer 214 that is a developing means. In addition, the image forming section 201B is equipped with an intermediate transfer unit 201C arranged above the process cartridge 211, and a fixing section 220. In addition, 215 is a toner cartridge for supplying toner to the developer 214.

[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. Here, 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] A secondary transfer roller 217 that transfers the color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt onto a sheet S is provided at a position facing the drive roller 216a of the intermediate transfer unit 201C. Furthermore, a fixing section 220 is disposed above the secondary transfer roller 217. The fixing section 220 fixes the color image transferred onto the sheet by the secondary transfer roller 217 onto the sheet.

[0015] Next, the image forming process using the above components for forming an image will be described. First, image information of an original is read by the image reading device 202, and the image information is processed and converted into an electric signal, which is then transmitted to the laser scanner 210 of the image forming section 201B. In the image forming section 201B, the surface of the photosensitive drum 212, the surface of which is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charger 213, 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.

[0016] Thereafter, this electrostatic latent image is developed and visualized with toner of each color, and the toner images of each color on each photoconductor drum are transferred in sequence onto intermediate transfer belt 216 in a superimposed manner by a primary transfer bias applied to primary transfer roller 219. As a result, a toner image is formed on intermediate transfer belt 216. The toner images transferred onto intermediate transfer belt 216 are transferred onto a sheet by secondary transfer roller 217. The sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred is then transported to fixing unit 220, where the toner image is fixed onto the sheet.

[0017] Next, the sheet conveying process will be described. Various components that execute the sheet conveying process are arranged mainly on the right side in the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus 201. A sheet storage unit 28 that stores sheets on which images are formed is provided at the bottom of the image forming apparatus 201. In addition, a double-sided reversing unit 201D is provided at the top of the image forming apparatus 201, and a re-conveying path R through which the sheet passes when conveying both sides is provided.

[0018] In this embodiment, four sheet storage units 28, which are cassettes, are provided, and can store sheets according to the type, size, etc. of the sheets. The sheets stored in the cassettes are separated and fed one by one by the feeding means 230. The feeding means 230 feeds the sheets S loaded in the cassettes by a pickup roller that contacts the upper surface of the sheets S, separates the sheets S one by one at a nip consisting of a feed roller and a retard roller, and conveys the sheets S to the registration roller 240 by a downstream conveying roller. The registration roller 240 corrects the skew of the sheet S that has reached the registration roller 240, and conveys the sheet S to the secondary transfer roller 217 in accordance with the timing of image formation. After this, the sheet S with the image fixed thereon is discharged to the discharge space V by a first discharge roller pair 225a and a second discharge roller pair 225b provided above the fixing section 220, and is stacked on a stacking section 250 that protrudes from the bottom surface of the discharge space V. When forming images on both sides of the sheet S, after an image is printed and fixed on one side of the sheet, the sheet S is conveyed to the reversing roller pair 222, which performs a switchback to invert the leading and trailing ends of the sheet, and conveys it to a re-conveyance path R. Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed again to the registration rollers 240, and conveyed to the image forming unit 201B in accordance with the timing of image formation. The subsequent sheet conveyance is omitted because it is the same as in single-sided printing.

[0019] <Manual feed section> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a manual feed unit 19 for feeding sheets to the image forming unit is provided on the right side surface of the image forming apparatus main body 201A.

[0020] The manual feed section 19 is mainly composed of a tray unit 25 which is a first tray unit on which sheets are placed, and a feed unit 26 which is a feed section that feeds the sheets.

[0021] The feeding unit 26 includes a pickup roller 1 that contacts the upper surface of the sheet S and picks up the sheet, and a feed roller 2 and a retard roller 3 that separate the sheets picked up by the pickup roller one by one.

[0022] The tray unit 25 includes a tray 24, which is a first tray on which sheets are placed, and downstream side regulating plates 6a and 6b, which are first regulating portions that regulate the side ends of the sheets in the width direction of the sheets perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. The tray unit 25 is configured to be rotatable around a rotation center 23 between a closed position shown in FIG. 1 and an open position shown in FIG. 2. That is, when the manual feed section is used, the tray 24 is moved to the open position. The downstream side regulating plates 6a and 6b are each composed of a regulating portion that regulates the sheet end portion and rack portions 21a and 21b. The regulating portion is slidable in the width direction of the sheets on the placement surface of the tray 24, and the rack portions 21a and 21b are movable in the width direction of the sheets inside the tray 24. The rack portions 21a and 21b are engaged with a pinion 22 rotatably supported on the tray 24, and by operating one downstream side regulating plate, the other downstream side regulating plate can be moved in conjunction with it. The tray 24 is used when transporting sheets that are not long in the feeding direction, such as long sheets, or thick sheets that cannot be fed from the cassette 28. The sheets fed from the manual feed unit 19 are transported to the registration rollers 240 in the same manner as the sheets fed from the cassette 28.

[0023] <Manual feed extension tray> Fig. 3 shows a front view (viewed from the front direction of the image forming apparatus main body) and a top view when the extension tray unit 27 is attached to the tray unit 25. Fig. 4 shows the direction in which the extension tray unit 27 is attached to the tray unit 25.

[0024] 4, extension tray unit 27, which is a second tray unit, can be attached in the direction of the arrow (feeding direction) upstream of tray unit 25 in the sheet feeding direction. Regarding the fixing direction of attachment, a snap fit 29 is formed in a part of frame 13, which is the housing of extension tray unit 27. An engagement portion (not shown) that engages with the snap fit is formed in tray 24 of tray unit 25, so that both units can be easily attached by the user.

[0025] The extension tray unit 27 is mainly composed of a frame 13 which is a housing of the extension tray unit 27, and an extension tray 8 which is a second tray on which a sheet is placed near the center upstream in the sheet transport direction D. Furthermore, the extension tray unit 27 is provided with upstream side regulation plates 9a, 9b which are second regulation parts which regulate the position of the side end of the sheet in the width direction.

[0026] The upstream side regulating plates 9a, 9b have the same configuration as the downstream side regulating plates 6a, 6b, and a regulating portion for regulating the sheet is provided on the placement surface of the extension tray 8, and a rack portion is disposed inside the extension tray. The upstream side regulating plates 9a, 9b are engaged with a pinion gear disposed inside the extension tray. This allows the other upstream side regulating plate to be moved in conjunction with the operation of one upstream side regulating plate. The upstream side regulating plates 9a, 9b and the downstream side regulating plates 6a, 6b are configured to be movable in the width direction of the sheet independently of each other.

[0027] 3, a sheet placed on the tray unit 25 and the extension tray unit 27 is placed on both the tray 24 of the tray unit 25 and the extension tray 8 of the extension tray unit 27. Similarly, the side edges of the sheet placed on the tray unit 25 and the extension tray unit 27 are regulated by both the upstream side regulation plates 9a, 9b and the downstream side regulation plates 6a, 6b. In other words, when placing a long sheet that cannot be placed on the tray unit 25 alone, the extension tray unit 27 is attached to the tray unit, and a stable sheet posture can be maintained when the sheet is placed.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the extension tray 8 moved to the drawn-out position with the extension tray unit 27 attached to the tray unit 25. As shown in FIG. 5, in the extension tray unit 27, the upstream side regulating plates 6a and 6b are provided on the extension tray 8, so that the upstream side regulating plates 6a and 6b also move in response to the drawing out of the extension tray 8. Furthermore, the extension tray 8 slides upward in the up-down direction upstream of the sheet feeding direction with respect to the frame 13. In detail, the angle between the placement surface of the extension tray when the extension tray 8 is moved upstream of the sheet feeding direction with respect to the frame 13 and the placement surface of the extension tray when the extension tray 8 is moved downstream of the sheet feeding direction is larger than a predetermined angle. Here, the predetermined angle in the embodiment is set to 30 degrees. This is because, when the predetermined angle is set to 10 degrees or less, an angle error caused by a part tolerance in the attachment of the extension tray 8 and the frame 13 is included. Also, when the predetermined angle is set to 45 degrees or more, there is a risk that the sheet may be buckled depending on the type of sheet to be placed.

[0029] This makes it possible to stably place a long sheet that is longer in the feeding direction on the tray without dropping it from the tray while regulating the upstream end of the sheet, compared to when the extension tray 8 of the extension tray unit 27 is not pulled out as shown in Fig. 3. When using a long sheet, if the extension tray is used in a normal position that is not in the pulled out position, the length of the sheet that protrudes from the upstream end of the extension tray becomes too long, and there is a risk that the sheet will drop due to its own weight or will not be fed.

[0030] <Means for holding the manual feed extension tray in the extended position> Next, a holding means for holding the extension tray 8 in the pulled-out position after being pulled out from the frame 13 will be described. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the AA cross section of Fig. 5, and is a cross-sectional view showing the pull-out mechanism (slide mechanism) for the extension tray 8 to the frame 13 in the extension tray unit 27. Fig. 6(a) shows the extension tray 8 stored in the frame 13, and Fig. 6(b) shows the extension tray 8 pulled out from the frame 13. Fig. 7(a) shows the frame 13 in Fig. 6(a), and Fig. 7(b) shows the extension tray 8 in Fig. 6(a).

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, the frame 13 and the slide portion of the extension tray 8 in the extension tray unit 27 are provided with an extension portion as a part of the frame 13. The inner side of the extension portion has an inner wall 14, and the inner wall 14 is provided with a rail groove 15, which is an arc-shaped slide hole for the extension tray 27 to slide. On the other hand, the extension tray is provided with a protrusion 10 guided by the rail groove 15. The frame 13 is also provided with an arc-shaped support portion 16 that supports the lower surface portion 11 of the extension tray 8 from the inner wall 14 toward the inside in the width direction of the sheet. In addition, the rail groove 15 and the support portion 16 are curved upward so as to approach the tray surface as they move from downstream to upstream in the sheet feeding direction, so that when the extension tray 8 is pulled out, it is moved upward along the rail groove 15 and the support portion 16. That is, when the user pulls out the extension tray 8 from the normal position to the pulled out position, the protrusion 10 moves between the rail groove 15 from position 10A to position 10B, and the support portion 16 and the lower surface portion 11 move in a contact state.

[0032] Furthermore, the inner wall 14 is provided with an engaged portion 17, and the engaging portion 12 of the extension tray 8 engages with the engaged portion 17 to hold the extension tray 8 in the pulled-out position when it is pulled out. As a result, the extension tray 8 pulled out from the frame 13 is held in the pulled-out position as shown in FIG. 6(b). In this way, when using longer long sheets, the extension tray 8 can be made pullable relative to the frame 13, making it possible to reduce the size of the device. Furthermore, by configuring the extension tray 8 to be pullable upward, it is possible to save even more space than if it were pulled out along the sheet feeding direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 6 Downstream side regulating plate (first regulating part) 8 Extension tray (second tray) 9 Upstream side regulation plate (second regulation part) 10 Projection part / 12: Engagement part 13 Frame (chassis) 14 Inner wall 15 Rail groove 17 Engaged part 24 Tray 25 Tray unit (1st tray unit) 27 Extension tray unit (second tray unit)

Claims

1. an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; a first tray unit provided on a side surface of a main body including the image forming unit, on which a sheet is placed; a feeding section that feeds a sheet placed on the first tray unit toward the image forming section; a second tray unit on which sheets are placed, the second tray unit being detachably attached to an upstream side of the first tray unit in a sheet feeding direction, the first tray unit includes a first tray on which a sheet is placed, and a first regulating portion provided on the first tray and regulating a position of a side end of the sheet in a width direction of the sheet perpendicular to a feeding direction of the sheet, the second tray unit has a housing that is detachable from the first tray unit, a second tray that is provided in the housing and on which a sheet is placed, and a second regulating portion that is provided in the second tray and that regulates a position of a side end of the sheet in a width direction of the sheet, an angle formed between a placement surface of the second tray when the second tray is moved upstream in a sheet feeding direction relative to the housing and a placement surface of the second tray when the second tray is moved downstream in the sheet feeding direction is larger than a predetermined angle; 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. the housing has a slide hole through which the second tray can move, and a protrusion of the second tray moves through the slide hole; The slide hole is formed so as to be curved along the sheet feeding direction.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

3. The first and second restricting portions are movable in the width direction of the sheet independently of each other.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

4. the housing includes an engaged portion that is engaged with the second tray at a pull-out position where the second tray is moved upstream, the second tray includes an engaging portion, and the second tray is held at the pull-out position by the engaging portion engaging with the engaged portion.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

5. The predetermined angle is greater than 10 degrees and less than 45 degrees.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

Images