Backend regulation additional member, feeding device, and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide a rear end regulating additional member capable of regulating the rear end of a sheet to a specified position until the last sheet, a feeding device, and an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A rear end regulating additional member such as a tab end fence 110 comprises: a main body such as a main body 111 having a mounting part attached to a rear end regulating member such as an end fence 25 of a feeding device for regulating a position of a rear end in a sheet conveying direction of a sheet bundle stacked on a sheet stacking part such as an elevating sheet placing table 11; and a rear end regulating part 112 for regulating a position of a rear end in a sheet conveying direction of the sheet bundle. The rear end regulating additional member is longer than the rear end regulating member in the width direction of the sheet. The rear end regulating part 112 of the rear end regulating additional member is vertically movably attached to the main body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a rear-end regulation addition member, a feeding device, and an image forming apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a body having an attachment portion attached to a rear-end regulation member of a feeding device that regulates the position of the rear end in the sheet conveyance direction of a sheet bundle stacked on a vertically movable sheet stacking portion, and a rear-end regulation portion that regulates the position of the rear end in the sheet conveyance direction of the sheet bundle. A rear-end regulation addition member that is longer than the rear-end regulation member in the sheet width direction is known.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes, as the above-described rear-end regulation addition member, one in which a rear-end regulation portion is rotatably attached to a main body. When a tab paper bundle composed of a plurality of tab papers having different positions in the sheet width direction of tabs provided at the upstream end portion of the sheet is stacked on the sheet stacking portion, the rear-end regulation addition member is attached to an end fence such as a rear-end regulation member. Thereby, it is described that the rear-end regulation portion of the rear-end regulation addition member can be brought into contact with the tabs of each tab paper, and the rear-end position of each tab paper of the tab paper bundle can be regulated by the rear-end regulation addition member.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, there has been a possibility that the rear-end regulation of the sheet cannot be performed according to the elevation of the sheet stacking portion.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is attached to a rear-end regulation member of a feeding device that regulates the position of the rear end in the sheet conveyance direction of a sheet bundle stacked on a vertically movable sheet stacking portion when the sheet bundle is a tab paper bundle, and is a rear-end regulation addition member that is longer than the rear-end regulation member in the sheet width direction, and has a main body having an attachment portion attached to the rear-end regulation member, and the rear end in the sheet conveyance direction of the tab paper bundle Tabs in A rear-end regulating part that regulates the position, and is characterized in that the rear-end regulating part is vertically movably attached to the main body via a flexible part that elastically deforms in the vertical direction.

Advantages of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, the rear end of the sheet can be regulated according to the raising and lowering of the sheet loading part.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

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Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a sheet feeding device to which the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 1 including a sheet feeding device according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming apparatus main body 100 as an image forming means for forming an image on a sheet, and a sheet feeding device 200 for feeding a sheet to the image forming apparatus main body 100. The sheet feeding device 200 is provided on the side surface of the image forming apparatus main body 100.

[0009] There is no particular limitation on the recording method of the image forming apparatus main body 100, and any method such as an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method can be adopted. On the right side surface of the image forming apparatus main body 100 in FIG. 1, a sheet carrying-in portion from the sheet feeding device 200 is provided. This sheet carrying-in portion is provided with an opening for receiving a sheet and a conveying means for conveying the sheet.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the sheet feeding device 200. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet feeding device 200 includes upper and lower two-stage storage trays 10. Each storage tray 10 includes a sheet placement table 11 as a sheet placement portion for stacking a sheet bundle P. Each storage tray 10 can store, for example, up to about 2500 sheets.

[0011] Examples of the sheet include paper, coated paper, label paper, OHP sheet, film, prepreg, etc. Prepreg is mainly used as a material for laminates and multilayer printed wiring boards. A prepreg is processed into a sheet material by continuously impregnating a long base material such as glass cloth, paper, non-woven fabric, aramid cloth, etc. with a resin varnish mainly composed of a thermosetting resin such as epoxy resin or polyimide resin, heating and drying, and then cutting.

[0012] Above each storage tray 10, a feeding unit 20 for separating and feeding the sheets loaded on the storage tray 10 is arranged respectively. This feeding unit 20 includes an adsorption belt 21 which is a conveying means and a suction device 23.

[0013] The sheets loaded on the lower storage tray 10 are conveyed to the image forming apparatus main body 100 by the outlet roller pair 80 through the lower conveyance path 82. The sheets loaded on the upper storage tray 10 are conveyed to the image forming apparatus main body 100 by the outlet roller pair 80 through the upper conveyance path 81.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of one storage tray 10 of the sheet feeding device 200. For easy understanding, FIG. 3 shows the feeding unit 20 shifted in the direction of arrow A in the figure from its original placement position. The adsorption belt 21 of the feeding unit 20, which is a feeding means, is stretched by two stretching rollers 22a and 22b. The adsorption belt 21 is provided with suction holes penetrating from the front surface side to the back surface side over the entire circumferential direction. Inside the adsorption belt 21, a suction device 23 is provided.

[0015] The suction device 23 is connected to a suction fan that sucks air through an air duct which is an air flow path, and by generating a negative pressure downward by the suction device 23, it acts to suck the sheet to the lower surface of the adsorption belt 21. The air sucked by this suction device 23 is called suction air.

[0016] In addition, the storage tray 10 is provided with a blower device 17 which is a blower means for blowing air against the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle P. This blower device 17 has a front blower 12 and a side blower 14.

[0017] The front blower 12 blows air against the tip (downstream end in the feeding direction) of the uppermost part of the sheet bundle P. This front blower 12 includes a floating nozzle for guiding air in a direction to lift the sheet bundle P, a separation nozzle for guiding and separating air between the uppermost floating sheet and the second floating sheet, and a floating blower 15 for feeding air into the floating nozzle. This front blower 12 also includes a separation blower 16 for feeding air into the separation nozzle.

[0018] Among the nozzles, the air blown from the floating nozzle is called floating air, and the air blown from the separation nozzle is called separation air. The floating air blows out from a location facing the tip (downstream end in the feeding direction) of the uppermost part of the sheet bundle P in the direction of arrow a1 in FIG. 4 and is blown against the tip (downstream end in the feeding direction) of the uppermost part of the sheet bundle P. The separation air blows out from a location facing the tip (downstream end in the feeding direction) of the uppermost part of the sheet bundle P in the direction of arrow a2 in FIG. 4 and is blown between the uppermost sheet adsorbed on the suction belt 21 and the second floating sheet. By blowing the separation air between the uppermost sheet and the second floating sheet, the separation air flows toward the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, separating the uppermost sheet from the second sheet.

[0019] The side blower 14 is provided on a pair of side fences 13 that regulate the position in the width direction of the sheet bundle, and blows air against the side surface of the uppermost part of the sheet bundle P in the direction indicated by arrow b in the figure. This side blower 14 is provided with side floating nozzles for guiding air in a direction to handle and lift the sheet bundle P, and has a side blower 14a for feeding air into these nozzles. The air blown from this side floating nozzle in the direction indicated by arrow b in the figure is called side air.

[0020] The side air is discharged from the discharge port 13a provided at a position facing the upper part of the sheet bundle P of each side fence 13, and is blown onto the side surface of the upper part of the sheet bundle P. The front blower 12 and the air blown from the discharge ports 13a of the pair of side fences 13 cause the sheets at the upper part of the sheet bundle to float.

[0021] In addition, each side fence 13 is provided with a sheet floating suppression member 13b. The sheet floating suppression member 13b is formed so as to extend from the upper part of the side fence 13 toward the center in the width direction by a predetermined length. The sheet floating suppression member 13b regulates so that the floating sheet is not blown away.

[0022] In addition, the storage tray 10 includes an end fence 25 that aligns the rear ends of the sheet bundles P stacked on the sheet placement table 11 which is a sheet placement portion. The sheet placement table 11 is configured to be movable up and down in the direction of arrow B in the figure by a lifting device 19 which is a placement portion moving means.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the storage tray 10. The front end of the sheet bundle P is positioned by the front end regulating plate 41, and the rear end is positioned by the end fence 25. At this time, the floating air and the separating air from the front blower 12 are blown from the front end of the sheet bundle P toward the rear end side as shown by the arrows in the figure. Therefore, the floating sheet receives a force in the retreating direction. The end fence 25 that regulates the rear end of the sheet bundle P prevents the floating sheet from retreating. This is because if the topmost sheet retreats, the front end of the second floating sheet is located downstream of the front end of the topmost sheet in the sheet conveyance direction, and the front end of the second floating sheet may be adsorbed to the adsorption belt 21 together with the topmost sheet. As a result, the topmost sheet and the second sheet may be fed and double feeding may occur.

[0024] In a configuration where the side air blown from the side floating nozzle is blown toward the rear end of the sheet, there is a possibility that the floating sheet may retreat due to this side air.

[0025] Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the air blower 17 may be provided with a suction fan 42 at a position facing the upper part of the sheet bundle P at the upstream end of the sheet conveyance direction of the storage tray 10. By sucking the air in the storage tray 10 by the suction fan 42, the floating air and separation air blown from the front air blower 12 can easily escape from the front end to the rear end of the sheet bundle P. Thereby, the topmost sheet can be reliably separated from the second sheet. However, in the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the floating sheet is likely to retreat.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a view showing a tab paper bundle Pt which is a rear-end irregular sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets having different sheet rear-end shapes set in the storage tray 10. At the rear end in the sheet conveyance direction of each tab paper constituting the tab paper bundle, a tab T for a heading is provided. The tab paper bundle Pt is composed of a plurality of tab papers in which the positions of the tabs T are different from each other in the sheet width direction.

[0027] FIG. 7(a) is a view for explaining the regulation of the tab paper in which the tab T is located at the center in the sheet width direction when the tab paper bundle is set in the storage tray 10, and (b) is a view for explaining the regulation of the tab paper in which the tab T is located at one end in the sheet width direction. As shown in FIG. 7(a), in the tab paper having the tab T at the center in the width direction, the end fence 25 abuts against the tab T. Therefore, for the tab paper having the tab T at the center in the width direction, the position of the rear end is regulated by the end fence 25, and the retreat when floating is suppressed.

[0028] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7(b), in the tab paper having the tab T at one end in the width direction, the end fence 25 does not abut against the tab T. Therefore, for the tab paper having the tab T at one end in the width direction, the position of the rear end is not regulated by the end fence 25, and there is a possibility that it will retreat when floating and double feeding will occur.

[0029] Regarding the tab T provided at one end in the width direction, it is also conceivable to make the end fence 25 longer in the width direction so that the end fence 25 abuts against the tab T. However, if the end fence 25 is made longer in the width direction, when the smallest-size sheet that the present image forming apparatus can transport is set in the accommodation tray 10, it interferes with the side fence 13 and the rear end of the smallest-size sheet cannot be regulated.

[0030] Therefore, when setting the tab paper bundle Pt in the accommodation tray 10, a tab end fence as a rear end regulation addition member is attached to the end fence 25 so that the rear end position of the tab paper can be regulated regardless of the tab position.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a state in which the tab end fence 210 of the reference example is attached to the end fence 25, (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a front view. As shown in FIG. 8, the tab end fence 210 has an upper surface contact portion 210a that contacts the upper surface of the tab paper bundle Pt, a plate-shaped rear end regulation portion 210b that regulates the rear end of the tab paper bundle Pt, and an attachment portion 210c that is attached to the end fence 25. The attachment portion 210c has a through hole 210d through which the end fence 25 passes.

[0032] The rear end regulation portion 210b extends vertically downward from the upstream end portion in the sheet conveyance direction of the upper surface contact portion 210a and is plate-shaped with a width direction length equal to or greater than the width direction length of the tab paper. In this way, since the width direction length of the rear end regulation portion 210b is equal to or greater than the width direction length of the tab paper, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the rear end position of the tab paper can be regulated regardless of the position of the tab T at the upper part of the tab paper bundle.

[0033] FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the attachment of the tab end fence 210 to the end fence 25. When pulling out the storage tray 10 from the apparatus main body to set the tab paper bundle Pt, the sheet placement table 11 is in the lowered position. And when the user sets the tab paper bundle Pt on the sheet placement table 11, as shown in Fig. 9(a), the tab end fence 210 is attached to the end fence 25. Specifically, the user moves the tab end fence 210 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 9(a) to pass the end fence 25 through the through hole 210d of the attachment portion 210c. Thereby, the tab end fence 210 is attached to the end fence 25 so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

[0034] Then, while keeping the tab end fence 210 slid downward with respect to the end fence 25, as shown in Fig. 9(b), the upper surface contact portion 210a of the tab end fence 210 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the tab paper bundle Pt.

[0035] When the upper surface contact portion 210a of the tab end fence 210 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the tab paper bundle Pt, and the storage tray 10 is pushed into the apparatus main body to set the storage tray 10 in the apparatus main body, as shown in Fig. 9(c), the sheet placement table 11 is raised by the elevating device 19. Then, the tab end fence 210 also moves upward together with the sheet placement table 11, and when the uppermost tab sheet of the tab paper bundle reaches the paper feed position, the raising of the sheet placement table 11 is stopped.

[0036] In this way, since the tab end fence 210 has the upper surface contact portion 210a, it can move upward together with the sheet placement table 11. Also, by providing the upper surface contact portion 210a and bringing it into contact with the upper surface of the tab paper bundle Pt, the rear end regulating portion 210b can surely regulate the rear end of the upper part of the tab paper bundle.

[0037] In addition, since the tab end fence 210 is configured to be movable vertically with respect to the end fence 25, when the rear end of the tab sheet floats due to floating air or separation air, the tab end fence 210 moves upward together with the tab sheet. As a result, the floating of the tab sheet is not inhibited by the tab end fence 210, and the rear end of the tab sheet can be satisfactorily handled and separated by the floating air or the separation air.

[0038] In addition, by configuring the tab end fence 210 to be movable vertically with respect to the end fence 25, the tab end fence 210 can be attached to the end fence 25 simply by passing the end fence 25 through the through hole 210d of the attachment portion 210c. Therefore, the tab end fence 210 can be more easily attached to the end fence 25 compared to the case where the tab end fence 210 is immovably attached to the end fence 25 with screws or the like.

[0039] FIG. 10 is a schematic front view for explaining the problems of the tab end fence 210 of the reference example. When feeding the last sheet placed on the sheet placement table 11, the sheet placement table 11 is located at the position of the broken line α in the figure. The tab end fence 210 of the reference example was set the vertical length of the rear end regulating portion 210b so that the sheet placement table 11 can rise to the position of the broken line α in the figure. However, in such a setting, when the number of tab sheets in the tab sheet bundle Pt shown in FIG. 10 is large, the vertical length of the rear end regulating portion 210b becomes shorter than the region β that receives air such as floating air above the tab sheet bundle Pt. As a result, among the tab sheets floated by air such as floating air, the lower tab sheets (the tab sheets in the region γ in the figure) may not be regulated by the rear end regulating portion 210b and may move backward.

[0040] Therefore, it is conceivable to make the vertical length of the rear-end regulating part 210b equal to or greater than the area β that receives air such as the floating air above the tab paper bundle Pt. However, when there is little tab paper left in the tab paper bundle Pt, the sheet mounting table 11 abuts against the rear-end regulating part 210b. When the sheet mounting table 11 rises as the tab paper decreases from this state, as shown in FIG. 11, the upper surface contact part 210a of the tab end fence 210 hits the sheet floating suppression member 13b.

[0041] When the upper surface contact part 210a of the tab end fence 210 hits the sheet floating suppression member 13b, the sheet mounting table 11 cannot rise any further, and the upper surface of the tab paper bundle Pt placed on the sheet mounting table 11 cannot be positioned at the feeding position. As a result, the uppermost tab paper of the tab paper bundle Pt cannot be adsorbed by the adsorption belt 21 until the specified timing, and there is a risk of non-feeding. In addition, there is a risk of deformation and damage to members such as the tab end fence 210, the sheet floating suppression member 13b, and the sheet mounting table 11.

[0042] In FIG. 11, an example in which the tab end fence 210 hits the sheet floating suppression member 13b has been described. However, the member that the tab end fence 210 hits is not limited to the sheet floating suppression member 13b, and depending on the device configuration and the feeding direction length of the tab paper, there is also a risk that the tab end fence 210 will hit a member arranged above the storage tray 10 such as the adsorption belt 21.

[0043] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rear-end regulating part is configured to be movable up and down, and after the tab end fence abuts against the sheet floating suppression member 13b, only this rear-end regulating part is configured to rise together with the sheet mounting table 11. Hereinafter, the tab end fence of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0044] FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a tab end fence 110 which is an additional member for regulating the rear end in the present embodiment, (a) is a schematic perspective view, and (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view. The tab end fence 110 of this embodiment includes a main body 111 having an upper surface abutting portion 111a and an attachment portion 111b, and a plurality of rear end restricting portions 112 configured to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the main body 111.

[0045] Similar to the reference example, the attachment portion 111b has a through hole 111c through which the end fence 25 passes. By passing the end fence 25 through the through hole 111c, the tab end fence 110 is attached to the end fence 25 so as to be movable vertically.

[0046] Note that the attachment portion 111b only needs to be configured such that the tab end fence 110 is attached to the end fence 25 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 12. For example, the attachment portion 111b may be arranged at an interval slightly longer than the length in the width direction of the end fence 25 and may have a pair of hook-shaped portions extending from the upstream end portion in the feeding direction of the upper surface abutting portion 111a. By positioning the claw portions at the tips of the pair of hook-shaped portions upstream of the end fence 25 in the feeding direction and hooking them on the end fence 25, the tab end fence 110 is attached to the end fence 25 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The tab end fence 110 is supported in such a manner that the upper surface abutting portion 111a rides on the upper surface of the tab paper bundle Pt placed on the sheet placing table 11. Therefore, the role of the end fence 25 in guiding the tab end fence 110 vertically is greater than its role in supporting the tab end fence 110. Accordingly, there is no functional problem even with a configuration in which the attachment portion is a pair of hook-shaped portions and the tab end fence 110 is attached to the end fence 25 by hooking it.

[0047] The rear-end regulating part 112 is provided in plurality in the width direction at a predetermined interval upstream in the feeding direction of the upper surface contact part 111a. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 12(b), a plurality of rectangular guide holes 111d are provided at a predetermined interval upstream in the feeding direction of the upper surface contact part 111a. At the upper part of each rear-end regulating part 112, a fall-preventing part 112a that is longer than the inner diameter in the feeding direction of the guide hole 111d is provided. The rear-end regulating part 112 is inserted into the guide hole 111d from above, and is held movably up and down with respect to the main body part 111 when the fall-preventing part 112a abuts against the upper surface of the upper surface contact part 111a.

[0048] The inner diameter of the guide hole 111d in the feeding direction is substantially the same as the thickness of the rear-end regulating part 112, and the rear-end regulating part 112 is held by the main body part 111 without play in the feeding direction with respect to the guide hole 111d. In this way, since the rear-end regulating part 112 is held by the main body part 111 without play in the feeding direction, it is possible to suppress the rear-end regulating part 112 from tilting in the feeding direction, and the rear-end of the tab sheet can be regulated to a good specified position by the rear-end regulating part 112.

[0049] Fig. 13 is a view for explaining the rear-end regulation of the tab sheet bundle of the tab end fence 110 of the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 13(a), when the sheet mounting table 11 is separated from the rear-end regulating part 112, the rear-end regulating part 112 extends downward from the upper surface contact part 111a by an area β or more that receives air such as floating air above the tab sheet bundle Pt. As a result, the position of the rear end of all the tab sheets floated by air such as floating air can be regulated by the rear-end regulating part 112, and it is possible to prevent the floated tab sheets from retreating.

[0050] When the sheet placed on the sheet mounting table 11 is fed and the tab sheets of the tab sheet bundle Pt are about to run out, the sheet mounting table 11 abuts against the rear-end regulating part 112. When the sheet mounting table 11 rises from that state, the tab end fence 110 rises together with the sheet mounting table 11. Then, as shown in Fig. 13(b), the upper surface contact part 111a of the tab end fence 110 abuts against the sheet floating suppression member 13b.

[0051] In this embodiment, the force A required for the rear-end regulating portion 112 to move relatively upward with respect to the main body portion 111 is configured to be weaker than the force B with which the seat mounting table 11 pushes up the rear-end regulating portion 112. Specifically, due to the gap between the guide hole 111d and the rear-end regulating portion 112 and the friction coefficient between the guide hole 111d and the rear-end regulating portion 112, the force A is made weaker than the pushing force B.

[0052] Thus, since the force A is configured to be weaker than the pushing force B (A < B), when the upper surface contact portion 111a comes into contact with the seat floating suppression member 13b, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 13(b), the rear-end regulating portion 112 rises together with the seat mounting table 11 with respect to the main body portion 111. As a result, the last tab sheet on the seat mounting table can be positioned at the feeding position, and feeding can be performed well up to the last sheet. Further, since the rear-end regulating portion 112 rises together with the seat mounting table 11 with respect to the main body portion 111, stress applied to members such as the tab end fence 210, the seat floating suppression member 13b, and the seat mounting table 11 can be suppressed. Thereby, deformation and breakage of members such as the tab end fence 210, the seat floating suppression member 13b, and the seat mounting table 11 can be suppressed.

[0053] Further, the rear-end regulating portion 112 is guided by the guide hole 111d and moves straight upward together with the seat mounting table 11 with respect to the main body portion 111. Thereby, even after the rear-end regulating portion 112 rises together with the seat mounting table 11 with respect to the main body portion 111, the rear end of the tab sheet can be regulated at the same position as before the rise by the rear-end regulating portion 112. As a result, even when the tab sheet on the seat mounting table 11 becomes less, the backward movement of the floating tab sheet can be prevented by this rear-end regulating portion 112. As a result, feeding failures such as double feeding can be suppressed up to the last sheet.

[0054] Further, the frictional force between the rear-end regulating portion 112 and the guide hole 111d may be made smaller than the weight of the main body portion 111. With such a configuration, when the uppermost tab sheet of the tab paper bundle Pt is fed in a state where the sheet placement table 11 abuts against the rear-end regulating portion 112, the main body portion 111 descends with respect to the rear-end regulating portion 112, and the upper surface contact portion 111a abuts against the uppermost tab sheet of the tab paper bundle Pt. Then, the tab end fence 110 rises together with the sheet placement table 11, and the last tab sheet on the sheet placement table 11 can be positioned at the feeding position. Even with such a configuration, the tab sheets can be fed well up to the last one.

[0055] FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the raising of each rear-end regulating portion 112. As can be seen from FIG. 14, an opening 11a is provided at the center in the width direction of the sheet placement table 11 so that the end fence 25 can move in the feeding direction without interfering with the sheet placement table 11.

[0056] The sheet floats from the downstream side in the feeding direction by air from the downstream side in the feeding direction. At that time, the center in the width direction on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the sheet may enter the opening 11a of the sheet placement table 11, and the rear end may be located below the placement surface of the sheet placement table 11.

[0057] In the present embodiment, a plurality of rear-end regulating portions 112 are provided in the width direction, and each is configured to be independently movable up and down. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, the rear-end regulating portion 112 facing the opening 11a of the sheet placement table 11 at the center in the width direction cannot be lifted by the sheet placement table 11. As a result, the lower end of the rear-end regulating portion 112 at the center in the width direction enters the opening 11a and is located below the placement surface of the sheet placement table 11. As a result, even if the center in the width direction on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the tab sheet whose downstream side in the feeding direction has been lifted by air enters the opening 11a of the sheet placement table 11, the center in the width direction of the rear end can be regulated by the rear-end regulating portion 112.

[0058] In this embodiment, the rear end restricting portion 112 facing the opening 11a of the sheet placing table 11 at the center in the width direction is also configured to be vertically movable. However, the rear end restricting portion 112 facing the opening 11a of the sheet placing table 11 at the center in the width direction may be configured to be non-movable vertically.

[0059] FIG. 15 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a modified example of the tab end fence. As shown in FIG. 15, the tab end fence 110A of the modified example has a plurality of elastic deformation members 113 each having an elastically deformable flexible portion 113a and a rear end restricting portion 113b, and the plurality of elastic deformation members 113 are attached to the main body portion 111 at predetermined intervals in the width direction.

[0060] FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the vertical movement of the rear end restricting portion of the tab end fence 110A of the modified example. The flexible portion 113a of the elastic deformation member 113 is plate-shaped extending in the feeding direction, and the downstream end portion in the feeding direction is fixed to the upper surface contact portion 111a of the main body portion 111. The rear end restricting portion 113b extends straight downward from the upstream end portion in the feeding direction of the flexible portion 113a. Further, the rear end restricting portion 113b penetrates through a guide hole 111d provided on the downstream side in the feeding direction of the upper surface contact portion 111a.

[0061] The buckling force of the flexible portion 113a, which is the force required to move the rear end restricting portion 113b upward, is made smaller than the force by which the sheet placing table 11 lifts the rear end restricting portion 113b when the upper surface contact portion 111a abuts against the sheet floating suppressing member 13b and the upward movement is restricted. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16(b), when the rear end restricting portion 113b is pushed upward by the sheet placing table 11, the upstream side in the feeding direction of the flexible portion 113a elastically deforms so as to be separated from the upper surface contact portion 111a. Due to this elastic deformation of the flexible portion 113a, the rear end restricting portion 113b rises together with the sheet placing table 11, and the last sheet of the tab paper on the sheet placing table 11 can be positioned at the feeding position.

[0062] In the above description, the tab end fence is attached to the end fence 25 so as to be movable in the vertical direction and moves up and down together with the sheet mounting table 11. However, the tab end fence may be fixed to the upper part of the end fence 25 so as not to be movable in the vertical direction. Even with such a configuration, the rear end of the lifted tab sheet can be regulated by the rear end regulating portion of the tab end fence, and the lifted tab sheet can be prevented from moving backward.

[0063] When the tab end fence is fixed to the upper part of the end fence 25, if there is the upper surface abutting portion 111a, there is a possibility that the upper surface abutting portion 111a may hinder the lifting of the rear end of the tab sheet. Therefore, when the tab end fence is fixed to the upper part of the end fence 25, the upper surface abutting portion 111a may not be provided.

[0064] What has been described above is an example, and each of the following aspects has specific effects. (Aspect 1) A rear end regulating additional member such as a tab end fence 110 that is attached to a rear end regulating member of a feeding device such as an end fence 25 that regulates the position of the rear end in the sheet conveyance direction of a sheet bundle loaded on a sheet loading portion such as a liftable sheet mounting table 11, and is longer than the rear end regulating member in the width direction of the sheet. The rear end regulating additional member includes a main body such as a main body portion 111 having an attachment portion 111b attached to the rear end regulating member, and a rear end regulating portion 112 that regulates the position of the rear end in the sheet conveyance direction of the sheet bundle. The rear end regulating portion 112 is attached to the main body so as to be vertically movable. In the rear end regulating additional member described in Patent Document 1 above, when the sheet loading portion rises with the sheet loading portion in contact with the rear end regulating portion, the rear end regulating portion rotates so that the lower end of the rear end regulating portion is located upstream of the upper end in the sheet conveyance direction. However, when the rear end regulating portion rotates, the rear end regulating portion tilts with respect to the vertical direction. Therefore, when the feeding position for positioning the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle loaded on the sheet loading portion during feeding is located above the lower end of the rear end regulating portion, when the sheets loaded on the sheet loading portion become fewer, the rear end regulating portion rotates, and the rear end of the sheet cannot be regulated according to the lifting of the sheet loading portion. In contrast, in Embodiment 1, since the rear-end regulating part is attached to the main body so as to be vertically movable, when the sheet loading part rises in a state where the sheet loading part is in contact with the rear-end regulating part, the rear-end regulating part moves straight upward without tilting. As a result, even when the feeding position is located above the lower end of the rear-end regulating part, the rear-end of the sheet can be regulated to a specified position by the rear-end regulating part up to the last sheet, and the rear-end of the sheet can be regulated according to the elevation of the sheet loading part up to the last sheet.

[0065] (Embodiment 2) In Embodiment 1, it is attached to a rear-end regulating member such as the end fence 25 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. According to this, as described in the embodiment, when the rear end of the sheet is lifted by the air of the blowing means such as the blower 17, the rear-end regulating additional member such as the tab end fence 110 can be lifted upward together with the sheet. As a result, the lifting of the sheet is not hindered by the rear-end regulating additional member, and the rear end of the sheet can be properly handled and separated by the air. In addition, compared with the case where the rear-end regulating additional member is attached to a rear-end regulating member such as the end fence 25 in a vertically non-movable manner by screws or the like, the rear-end regulating additional member can be easily attached to the rear-end regulating member.

[0066] (Embodiment 3) In Embodiment 2, when the force for moving the rear-end regulating part 112 upward is A, and the force received by the rear-end regulating part 112 due to the elevation of the sheet loading part such as the sheet mounting table 11 when the upward movement of the rear-end regulating additional member such as the tab end fence 110 is restricted is B, A < B holds. According to this, as described in the embodiment, the rear-end regulating part 112 can be moved upward by the elevation of the sheet loading part such as the sheet mounting table 11.

[0067] (Embodiment 4) In Embodiment 2 or 3, it has an upper surface abutting part 111a that abuts against the upper surface of the sheet bundle loaded on the sheet loading part such as the sheet mounting table 11. According to this, as described in the embodiment, a rear-end regulation addition member such as the tab end fence 110 can be positioned in the vertical direction with respect to the stack of sheets placed on the sheet placement table 11. Thereby, the rear end of the sheet in the region β that receives air at the upper part of the stack of sheets can be well regulated by the rear-end regulation part 112, and it is possible to well suppress the lifted sheet from retreating. Also, with a simple configuration, the rear-end regulation addition member can be moved up and down following the elevation of the sheet loading part.

[0068] (Aspect 5) In any one of Aspects 1 to 4, it has a plurality of rear-end regulation parts in the sheet width direction. According to this, as described with reference to FIG. 14, the rear-end regulation part facing the opening 11a of the sheet placement part such as the sheet placement table 11 does not move upward with the elevation of the sheet loading part, but enters the opening 11a. Thereby, even if the rear end of the last sheet that is placed on the sheet loading part and lifted by the air of the air blowing means such as the air blower 17 enters the opening of the sheet loading part with little sheet remaining, the rear end can be regulated by the rear-end regulation part 112. Thereby, until the last sheet, it is possible to well regulate so that the sheet does not retreat by the rear-end regulation part 112.

[0069] (Aspect 6) In any one of Aspects 1 to 5, the rear-end regulation part is attached to a main body such as the main body part 111 via a flexible part 113a that elastically deforms in the vertical direction. According to this, as described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16, when the rear-end regulation part 113b is pushed up by a sheet loading part such as the sheet placement table 11, the flexible part 113a elastically deforms and the rear-end regulation part 113b moves upward.

[0070] (Aspect 7) In any one of Aspects 1 to 6, the main body such as the main body part 111 has a guide part such as a guide hole 111d that guides the rear-end regulation part 112 in the vertical direction. According to this, the rear-end regulation part 112 can be moved straight in the vertical direction.

[0071] (Aspect 8) A sheet loading unit such as a sheet mounting table 11 that is provided to be movable up and down and mounts sheets, a blowing means such as a blower 17 that blows air onto a stack of sheets mounted on the sheet loading unit, and an end fence 25 that regulates the position of the rear end of the stack of sheets in the sheet conveyance direction. In a feeding device in which an additional rear end regulating member such as a tab end fence 110 can be attached to the rear end regulating portion, any one of the additional rear end regulating members according to Aspects 1 to 7 is used as the additional rear end regulating member. According to this, the rear end of the tab paper that has floated up to the last sheet can be regulated, and the backward movement of the tab paper can be suppressed well. Thereby, the tab paper can be fed well up to the last sheet.

[0072] (Aspect 9) In Aspect 8, the sheet mounting table 11 is provided with a blowing means such as a blower that blows air such as air onto the stack of sheets mounted on the sheet loading unit, and the rear end regulating portion 112 regulates at least the rear end of the sheet floated by the blowing means. According to this, as described in the embodiment, the rear end regulating portion 112 can prevent the sheet floated by the air blown onto the stack of sheets by the blowing means such as the blower 17 from moving backward.

[0073] (Aspect 10) In Aspect 9, the blowing means such as the blower 17 blows air such as air from the downstream side to the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. According to this, the floated sheets can be well handled and separated by air such as air.

[0074] (Aspect 11) In Aspect 10, the blowing means is provided with a suction portion such as a suction fan 42 that sucks air upstream of the stack of sheets in the sheet conveyance direction. According to this, as described with reference to FIG. 5, by sucking air with the suction portion such as the suction fan 42, air such as air can be caused to flow from the downstream side to the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction.

[0075] (Aspect 12) In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet fed by a feeding device, any one of the feeding devices according to Aspects 8 to 11 was used as the feeding device. According to this, the tab paper can be fed well until the last sheet.

Explanation of Signs

[0076] 10: Storage tray 11: Sheet placement table 11a: Opening 12: Front blower 13: Side fence 14: Side blower 14a: Side blower 15: Levitating blower 16: Separating blower 17: Blower 19: Lifting device 25: End fence 41: Tip regulating plate 42: Suction fan 110: Tab end fence 110A: Tab end fence 111: Main body 111a: Upper surface contact part 111b: Attachment part 111c: Through hole 111d: Guide hole 112: Rear end regulating part 112a: Fall prevention part 113: Elastic deformation member 113a: Flexible part 113b: Rear end regulating part 200: Sheet feeding device 210: Tab end fence 210a: Upper surface contact part 210b: Rear end regulating part 210c: Attachment part 210d: Through hole P: Sheet bundle Pt: Tab paper bundle T: Tab α: Feeding position β: Region receiving air

Prior art documents

Patent documents

[0077]

Patent Document 1

Claims

1. When the stack of sheets loaded on the vertically movable sheet loading section is a stack of tab sheets, it is attached to the rear end regulating member of the feeding device that regulates the position of the rear end of the stack of sheets in the sheet conveying direction, and is a rear end regulating additional member that is longer than the rear end regulating member in the sheet width direction. It includes a main body having an attachment portion attached to the rear end regulating member. It is provided with a rear end regulating portion that regulates the position of the tabs at the rear end of the stack of tab sheets in the sheet conveying direction. The rear end regulating additional member is characterized in that the rear end regulating portion is vertically movably attached to the main body via a flexible portion that elastically deforms in the vertical direction.

2. In the rear end regulating additional member according to Claim 1, The rear end regulating additional member is characterized in that the main body has a guide portion that guides the rear end regulating portion in the vertical direction.

3. When the stack of sheets loaded on the vertically movable sheet loading section is a stack of tab sheets, it is attached to the rear end regulating member of the feeding device that regulates the position of the rear end of the stack of sheets in the sheet conveying direction, and is a rear end regulating additional member that is longer than the rear end regulating member in the sheet width direction. It includes a main body having an attachment portion attached to the rear end regulating member. It is provided with a rear end regulating portion that regulates the position of the tabs at the rear end of the stack of tab sheets in the sheet conveying direction. The main body has a guide portion that guides the rear end regulating portion in the vertical direction. The rear end regulating additional member is characterized in that the rear end regulating portion is vertically movably attached to the main body.

4. In the rear end regulating additional member according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, The rear end regulating additional member is characterized in that it is attached to the rear end regulating member so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

5. In the rear end regulating additional member according to Claim 4, When the force required to move the rear end regulating portion upward is A, and the force received by the rear end regulating portion due to the upward movement of the sheet loading section when the upward movement of the rear end regulating additional member is restricted is B, the rear end regulating additional member is characterized in that A < B holds.

6. In the rear end regulating additional member according to Claim 4 or 5, The rear end regulating additional member is characterized in that it has an upper surface contact portion that contacts the upper surface of the stack of tab sheets loaded on the sheet loading section.

7. In the rear end regulating additional member according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, The rear end regulating additional member is characterized in that it has a plurality of rear end regulating portions in the sheet width direction.

8. A sheet loading section that is provided so as to be movable up and down and on which sheets are loaded. and a rear-end regulating member that regulates the position of the rear end of the sheet bundle in the sheet conveyance direction. In a feeding device in which a rear-end regulating additional member can be attached to the rear-end regulating member, a feeding device characterized in that the rear-end regulating additional member according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is used as the rear-end regulating additional member.

9. In the feeding device according to claim 8, a blowing means for blowing air onto the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking portion is provided, the rear-end regulating portion regulates at least the rear end of the sheet lifted by the blowing means. A feeding device characterized by this.

10. In the feeding device according to claim 9, the blowing means blows air from the downstream side to the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. A feeding device characterized by this.

11. In the feeding device according to claim 10, the blowing means is provided with a suction portion that sucks air upstream of the sheet bundle in the sheet conveyance direction. A feeding device characterized by this.

12. In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet fed by a feeding device, an image forming apparatus characterized in that the feeding device according to any one of claims 8 to 11 is used as the feeding device.

Images