Sheet feeding device and image forming system

Abstract

To provide a sheet feeder that can easily perform positional adjustment of a movable-side-end guide member.SOLUTION: In a sheet feeder 1B, a bottom plate member 15 capable of stacking sheets comprises: a fixing bottom plate 15b fixed between a pair of movable side end guide members 23; a pair of movable bottom plates 15a movable with each of the movable side end guide members 23 in a state of being individually connected to the pair of movable side end guide members 23; and a storage groove (inner space of a gateway 15d) formed on both sides of the fixing bottom plate 15b. The movable bottom plates 15a is constituted of a plurality of slender members extending in a sheet conveying direction, the slender members mutually connected to each other so as to be bendable; and one end side in the mutually connecting direction is connected to each of the movable side end guide members 23, and the other end side is inserted in the storage groove while being bent.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6B

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device and an image forming system.

Background Art

[0002] In order to cope with mass printing of sheets of various sizes, an image forming system in which a large capacity tray (LCT) is connected to an image forming apparatus is known. The large capacity tray includes a plurality of paper feed trays, and sheets (cut sheets) as recording media are stacked on the bottom plate members of each paper feed tray. The sheets on the bottom plate member are positionally regulated by a pair of left and right movable side end guide members and a movable rear end guide member. In addition to plain paper, thin paper, thick paper, etc., the sheets include OHP sheets, label papers, and those with uneven thickness such as envelopes, bags, and medicine bags.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] The movable side end guide member and the movable rear end guide member are adjusted in position corresponding to the sheet size. In order to adjust the width of the bottom plate member corresponding to the position adjustment of the movable side end guide member, there is a type in which a plurality of elongated members (slats) constituting the bottom plate member are detachable. When the bottom plate member is constituted by such detachable elongated members, it is necessary to detach and attach the elongated members every time the position of the movable side end guide member is adjusted, and there is a problem that it takes time to adjust the position of the movable side end guide member.

[0004] Also known is a sheet feeding device in which the bottom plate member is constituted by a plurality of slidable shutter members as in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-145434). In this type of feeding device, the shutter member slides in the sheet width direction in conjunction with the position adjustment of the movable side end guide member.

[0005] However, because the feeding device uses multiple shutter members stacked in a slidable manner, steps are created between the shutter members. These steps cause deformation of the stacked sheets, leading to problems such as double feeding or non-feeding during the paper feeding operation by the paper feed rollers, etc.

[0006] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding device in which there is no step in the bottom plate member and the position of the movable side end guide member can be easily adjusted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a sheet feeding device comprising a bottom plate member capable of stacking multiple sheets, a pair of movable side end guide members that restrict the positions of both sides of the sheet in the width direction, a movable rear end guide member that restricts the position of the rear end of the sheet, and a sheet separation and conveying mechanism that separates and conveys the top sheet one by one from the sheets stacked on the bottom plate member, wherein the bottom plate member comprises a fixed bottom plate fixed between the pair of movable side end guide members, a pair of movable bottom plates individually connected to the pair of movable side end guide members and movable together with each movable side end guide member, and receiving grooves formed on both sides of the fixed bottom plate, wherein the movable bottom plate is composed of a plurality of elongated members extending in the sheet conveying direction, the elongated members are bendably interconnected, one end in the direction of interconnection is connected to the movable side end guide member, and the other end is bent and inserted into the receiving groove. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention makes it possible to realize a sheet feeding device in which there are no steps in the bottom plate member and the position of the movable side end guide member can be easily adjusted. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of an image forming system in which a sheet feeding device is connected to an image forming apparatus. [Figure 2] This is a schematic side view of a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of the lifting and lowering mechanism for the bottom plate member of the sheet feeding device. [Figure 4] This is a schematic perspective view of the sheet separation and transport mechanism. [Figure 5] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sheet separation and transport mechanism. [Figure 6A] This is a perspective view of the paper feed tray of a sheet feeding device. [Figure 6B] (a) is a cross-sectional view of the movable end guide member of the paper feed tray in an enlarged state, and (b) is a cross-sectional view in a reduced state. [Figure 7A] This is a perspective view of a conventional paper feed tray. [Figure 7B] (a) is a cross-sectional view of the movable end guide member of the paper feed tray in an enlarged state, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of it in a reduced state. [Figure 8] This is an enlarged side view of the elongated member of the movable base plate. [Figure 9A] (a) and (b) are diagrams showing the raised and lowered states of the lifting base. [Figure 9B] This figure shows the raising and lowering state of the lifting base when an engagement structure using elongated holes is not employed. [Figure 10] (a) A plan view of a sheet feeding device having an expansion / contraction interlocking mechanism for a movable side end guide member, and (b) an enlarged plan view and (c) a reduced plan view of the interlocking mechanism. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] (●Image forming system) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the image forming system 1 comprises an image forming apparatus 1A and a sheet feeding device 1B for feeding paper to the image forming apparatus 1A. The sheet feeding device 1B is provided on the side of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1A.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a paper feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet feeding device 1B includes upper and lower two-stage feeding trays 13. Each feeding tray 13 includes a bottom plate member 15 that moves up and down. When using paper as the sheet, a stack of paper P is loaded on the bottom plate member 15, and when using an envelope as the sheet, a stack of envelopes is loaded on the bottom plate member 15. In this embodiment, each feeding tray 13 can store up to about 2,500 sheets of paper or envelopes.

[0012] Also, above each feeding tray 13, a feeding unit 20 for separating and feeding the stack of paper P loaded on the feeding tray 13 is disposed respectively. The feeding unit 20 includes a suction belt 10 which is a suction conveying means and a suction blower device 40.

[0013] In addition, each feeding tray 13 is provided with a paper detection sensor 14 for controlling the lifting and lowering of the bottom plate member 15. The paper P loaded on the lower feeding tray 13 is conveyed to the image forming apparatus 1A through the lower conveyance path 12 by the outlet roller pair 80.

[0014] The paper P loaded on the upper feeding tray 13 is conveyed to the image forming apparatus 1A through the upper conveyance path 11 by the outlet roller pair 80. Note that the feeding unit 20 is not limited to the suction conveying means, and may be a system in which a roller contacts the paper and the paper is fed by the rotation of the roller.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the lifting means of the bottom plate member 15 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom plate member 15 is connected to a wire 33, and when the pulley 34 rotates and the wire 33 is wound up, the bottom plate member 15 rises. The pulley 34 is connected to the drive shaft of the motor 19, and the wire 33 is wound up when the drive shaft of the motor 19 rotates.

[0016] The lifting means of the bottom plate member 15 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 3. For example, the bottom plate member 15 may be attached to a rotating belt that moves on the surface in the vertical direction, and the bottom plate member 15 may be lifted and lowered in the vertical direction by rotating the rotating belt by a motor or the like.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a sheet separation and conveyance mechanism provided in a sheet feeding device 1B according to an embodiment of the present invention. This sheet separation and conveyance mechanism includes a feeding unit 20 and a blower device 22.

[0018] The suction belt 10 of the feeding unit 20 is provided with suction holes 10a penetrating from the belt surface side to the back surface side over the entire circumferential direction, and is stretched by two stretching rollers 7a and 7b. Inside the suction belt 10, the suction blower device 40 of FIG. 2 is provided.

[0019] Further, the feeding tray 13 includes a side fence 23 as a movable side end guide member that aligns and holds the paper P bundle in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction, and an end fence 25 as a movable rear end guide member that aligns and holds the paper P bundle in the feeding direction. That is, the side fence 23 abuts against an end portion in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the paper P and regulates the position of the end portion. Also, the end fence 25 abuts against the rear end portion in the feeding direction of the paper P and regulates the position of the rear end portion.

[0020] The blower device 22 is a lifting means for blowing air onto the upper paper of the paper P bundle to lift it. The blower device 22 includes a blower fan 35, a front duct 21, and a pair of side ducts 36 provided in the side fence 23. The blower device 22 feeds air into the front duct 21 and the pair of side ducts 36 by the blower fan 35.

[0021] Air supplied to the front duct 21 is blown out from an outlet 37 facing the upper tip of the paper stack (the downstream end in the feeding direction) and blown onto the upper tip of the paper stack. Similarly, air supplied to the side ducts 36 is blown out from outlets 38 located on each side fence 23 facing the upper part of the paper stack and blown onto the upper side of the paper stack. The air blown from the front duct 21 and the pair of side ducts 36 causes the paper at the top of the paper stack to float.

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the supply tray 13. The suction and blowing device 40 comprises a duct 41 which is an air passage and a suction and blowing fan 42 which sucks or blows air through the duct 41.

[0023] The suction and air blower 40 generates a positive downward pressure, which can push down any floating sheets of paper P on the underside of the suction belt 10. Conversely, the suction and air blower 40 generates a negative downward pressure, which can cause the paper P on the underside of the suction belt 10 to adhere to it.

[0024] A pair of transport rollers 8, which are downstream transport members, are positioned downstream of the suction belt 10 in the transport direction. These rollers transport the paper P that has been carried by the suction belt 10 and reached the space between the two rollers, further downstream. The transport force of this pair of transport rollers 8 is set to be greater than the transport force of the suction belt 10. In addition, a feed sensor 9 is provided downstream of the pair of transport rollers 8 in the transport direction to detect the passage of the paper P.

[0025] (●Details of the sheet feeding device) Figure 6A is a perspective view of the paper feed tray used in the sheet feeding device 1B, viewed from the downstream side in the sheet transport direction. The side fences 23, end fences 25, and bottom plate member 15 of the sheet feeding device 1B are arranged on the paper feed tray base 16 as shown in Figure 6A. The end fences 25 are arranged to be movable and adjustable in the front-to-back direction (paper feeding direction) of the paper feed tray base 16, although this will not be described in detail here.

[0026] The base plate member 15 consists of a fixed base plate 15b in the center of the width direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction) of the paper feed tray base 16, and movable base plates 15a on both the left and right sides. The fixed base plate 15b is fixed in the center of the width direction of the paper feed tray base 16, as shown in Figure 6B. Paper P, such as cut sheets, is stacked on the base plate member 15.

[0027] On both sides of the fixed base plate 15b, arc-shaped guides 15c are formed, which extend into the interior of the paper feed tray base 16. These arc-shaped guides 15c are located at both ends of the fixed base plate 15b in the longitudinal direction. The arc-shaped guides 15c consist of two arc-shaped or U-shaped metal fittings, one on the inside and one on the outside, fixed to the paper feed tray base 16 with a gap equivalent to the thickness of the movable base plate 15a.

[0028] The entrance / exit 15d of this arc guide 15c opens in a slit shape on both sides of the short side of the fixed base plate 15b, allowing the movable base plate 15a to be inserted into and removed from the arc guide 15c through this entrance / exit 15d. Therefore, the inner space of the entrance / exit 15d functions as a accommodating groove for the movable base plate 15a.

[0029] If you want to increase the maximum width of the movable base plate 15a (the number of connected elongated members), you can change the shape and structure of the arc guide 15c to suit that purpose. For example, you can form the arc guide 15c in a spiral shape and store the movable base plate 15a in a spiral shape.

[0030] Alternatively, a winding shaft can be installed instead of the arc guide 15c. By rotating this winding shaft in forward and reverse directions using a motor or the like, the movable bottom plate 15a can be wound up and unwound (fed out) through the inlet / outlet 15d.

[0031] The winding shaft may be made to wind naturally using a spring instead of being driven by a motor or the like. Alternatively, multiple arc guides 15c may be arranged in a staggered pattern on the left and right as shown in Figure 6B, and the movable bottom plate 15a may be stored in a meandering manner inside the entrance / exit 15d.

[0032] As detailed in Figure 8, the movable bottom plate 15a is made up of multiple elongated plate-like members (slats) connected together like a slat conveyor. One end of the movable bottom plate 15a in the connection direction is connected to the lower end of the side fence 23. The other end of the movable bottom plate 15a in the connection direction is inserted into the inside of the arc guide 15c from the entrance 15d.

[0033] The lower ends of the side fences 23 are slidably positioned in the left-right direction relative to the paper feed tray base 16 as shown in Figure 6B. The sliding mechanism (expansion / contraction linkage mechanism) of the side fences 23 utilizes a known rack-and-pinion mechanism, as detailed in Figure 10. This rack-and-pinion mechanism is configured to allow the left and right pair of side fences 23 to expand and contract symmetrically with respect to the central pinion 50.

[0034] Therefore, when the left and right side fences 23 are slid in the direction toward each other as shown in Figure 6B(a)⇒(b), the central end of the movable bottom plate 15a is accommodated in the storage groove inside the entrance 15d along the arc guide 15c. During this storage, the central end of the movable bottom plate 15a is folded back to the opposite side of the movable bottom plate 15a along the arc guide 15c. As a result, the movable bottom plate 15a can be compactly housed within the paper feed tray base 16, which also makes it possible to increase the number of connected elongated members of the movable bottom plate 15a, enabling support for a wide range of paper types (paper sizes).

[0035] Furthermore, each time the left and right side fences 23 are slid to adjust in the left-right direction, it is not necessary to attach or detach each of the multiple elongated members that make up the movable base plate 15a. Therefore, adjusting the position of the side fences 23 does not take much time.

[0036] On the other hand, if the bottom plate member 15 is constructed by detachably arranging the elongated members 15e on the paper feed tray base 16 as shown in Figures 7A and 7B, as in the conventional method, then each time the left and right side fences 23 are slid in the left-right direction, one elongated member 15e must be attached and detached at a time. Therefore, adjusting the position of the side fences 23 takes time.

[0037] As shown in Figure 8, sliding sheets 15a2 can be attached to the upper surfaces of the multiple elongated members that make up the movable base plate 15a as low-friction members, if necessary. These sliding sheets 15a2 can be made by coating one side of an adhesive sheet with a low-friction fluororesin or the like.

[0038] The entire weight of the stack of paper P acts on the bottom sheet of paper P. Therefore, when the left and right side fences 23 are slid to adjust while the stack of paper P is mounted on the bottom plate member 15, the movable bottom plate 15a rubs against the bottom sheet of paper. For this reason, if there is no sliding sheet 15a2 on the upper surface of the movable bottom plate 15a, it may be difficult to smoothly slide the side fences 23.

[0039] Therefore, in this embodiment, the side fence 23 can be smoothly slid and adjusted by attaching sliding sheets 15a2 to the upper surfaces of the multiple elongated members that make up the movable bottom plate 15a. In addition, the sliding sheets 15a2 prevent the lowest sheet of paper from being damaged by friction with the movable bottom plate 15a.

[0040] Multiple elongated members constituting the movable base plate 15a are interconnected by connecting pins 15a1. When the movable base plate 15a moves in and out of the arc guide 15c, adjacent elongated members bend around the connecting pins 15a1, allowing the movable base plate 15a to move smoothly in and out of the arc guide 15c.

[0041] Furthermore, since the movable bottom plate 15a is constructed by connecting multiple elongated plate-shaped members, the entire bottom plate member 15, including the fixed bottom plate 15b, can be constructed as a completely flat surface without any steps. For this reason, unlike Patent Document 1 (where multiple shutter members are used as the bottom plate), there is no risk of the paper deforming due to the weight of the paper stack, and adverse effects such as double feeding or non-feeding on the paper feeding operation by the paper feed rollers, etc., can be suppressed.

[0042] (● Lifting base) In the embodiments described above, the paper feed tray base 16 was described as not being able to move up or down, but the actual paper feed tray base 16 has a lifting base 16a as shown in Figure 9A. The lifting base 16a is arranged on the paper feed tray base 16 so as to be able to move up and down while being guided by a vertical guide portion.

[0043] A lifting belt 17, driven by a motor M2, is vertically arranged on both the left and right sides of the lifting base 16a. The upper and lower ends of this lifting belt 17 are wrapped around lifting pulleys 18 and 19, and the lower lifting pulley 18 is driven by the motor M2.

[0044] The left and right ends of the lifting base 16a are connected to the lifting belt 17. The lifting base 16a can be raised and lowered by rotating the motor M2 in forward and reverse directions.

[0045] In the embodiment shown in Figure 9A, the aforementioned bottom plate member 15 is mounted on the lifting base 16a. The side fences 23 and end fences 25 are mounted on a fixed paper feed tray base 16, rather than on the lifting base 16a.

[0046] When the side fences 23 and end fences 25 are also placed on the lifting base 16a, the side fences 23 protrude upward as shown in Figure 9B(a)⇒(b). The end fences 25, although not shown, also protrude upward in a similar manner. This results in a larger sheet feeding device 1B.

[0047] Therefore, in this embodiment, the side fences 23 and end fences 25 are mounted on a fixed paper feed tray base 16, and only the bottom plate member 15 is mounted on the lifting base 16a. One end of the movable bottom plate 15a is engaged with the elongated hole 23a of the side fence 23 so as to be able to move up and down, as shown in the enlarged view of Figure 9A.

[0048] The side fence 23 is typically installed on a fixed surface of the paper feed tray base 16, separate from the lifting base 16a. In such a configuration, the movable bottom plate 15a must be configured to follow the side fence 23 in the left-right direction but not in the up-down direction.

[0049] In other words, a sliding pin 15a3 at one end of the movable bottom plate 15a is engaged with an elongated hole 23a extending vertically in the side fence 23 so as to be able to move up and down. As a result, when the motor M2 is rotated to raise and lower the lifting base 16a and the bottom plate member 15, the sliding pin 15a3 at one end of the movable bottom plate 15a slides along the elongated hole 23a of the side fence 23.

[0050] Since the heights of the side fences 23 and end fences 25 do not change, the sheet feeding device 1B can be made compact. In addition, by raising the bottom plate member 15 in accordance with the amount of paper P being transported, the paper P can be transported at a constant height, enabling stable transport regardless of the amount of paper loaded.

[0051] (●Side fence expansion / contraction interlocking mechanism) Finally, the expansion and contraction interlocking mechanism of the side fence 23 will be explained with reference to Figure 10. As shown in Figure 10, a pinion 50 is positioned at the center of the front end of the paper feed tray base 16. Meanwhile, racks 51 extending horizontally toward the pinion 50 are positioned on the inner surface of the lower end of the front end of the pair of left and right side fences 23.

[0052] The racks 51 of the pair of side fences 23 engage with both sides of the pinion 50, allowing the expansion and contraction of the side fences 23 to be symmetrical around the pinion 50. Therefore, by adjusting the movement of only one side fence 23, the movable bottom plate members 15a on both sides and the other side fence 23 can be adjusted symmetrically at the same time, thereby reducing adjustment time.

[0053] Furthermore, the pair of side fences 23 can be automatically adjusted by driving the pinion 50 with a motor or the like. In this case, a paper size detection signal is sent to the motor control unit. The paper size can be specified using the paper size selection button on the operation panel of the image forming system 1, or it can be automatically detected by a paper size detection sensor installed on the paper feed tray base.

[0054] Although the present invention has been specifically described above based on embodiments, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. For example, the separation and conveying mechanism described above separates and conveys sheets using air, but a friction pad type or an FRR (feed roller-reverse roller) type separation and conveying mechanism can also be used.

[0055] <Note> Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below. <First aspect> The first embodiment is a sheet feeding device having a base plate member capable of stacking multiple sheets, a pair of movable side end guide members that restrict the positions of both sides of the sheet in the width direction, a movable rear end guide member that restricts the position of the rear end of the sheet, and a sheet separation and conveying mechanism that separates and conveys the top sheet one by one from the sheets stacked on the base plate member, wherein the base plate member has a fixed base plate fixed between the pair of movable side end guide members, a pair of movable base plates individually connected to the pair of movable side end guide members and movable together with each movable side end guide member, and receiving grooves formed on both sides of the fixed base plate, the movable base plate is composed of a plurality of elongated members extending in the sheet conveying direction, the elongated members are bendably interconnected, one end in the direction of interconnection is connected to the movable side end guide member, and the other end is bent and inserted into the receiving groove. <Second aspect> The second embodiment is a sheet feeding device of the first embodiment, characterized in that an arc-shaped guide portion is formed inside the receiving groove, and the other end of the elongated member is folded back to the one end of the elongated member along the guide portion. <Third aspect> The third embodiment is a sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment, characterized in that the plurality of elongated members are interconnected by connecting pins. <Fourth aspect> The fourth embodiment is a sheet feeding device according to any one of the first to third embodiments, characterized in that the bottom plate member is arranged to be able to move up and down. <Fifth aspect> The fifth embodiment is a sheet feeding device according to the fourth embodiment, characterized in that an elongated hole extending in the vertical direction is formed in the movable side end guide member, and one end of the movable bottom plate is slidably engaged with the elongated hole. <Sixth aspect> The sixth embodiment is a sheet feeding device according to any one of the first to fifth embodiments, characterized in that a low-friction member is disposed on the upper surface of the movable bottom plate. <Seventh aspect> The seventh embodiment is an image forming system characterized by comprising a sheet feeding device according to any one embodiment of the first to sixth embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1: Image forming system 1A: Image forming apparatus 1B: Sheet feeding device 7a, 7b: Stretching roller 8: Conveyor roller pair 9: Feeding sensor 10: Suction belt 10a: Suction port 11: Upper transport path 12: Lower transport path 13: Paper feed tray 14: Paper detection sensor 15: Bottom plate member 15a: Movable bottom plate 15a1: Connecting pin 15a2: Sliding sheet (low friction member) 15a3: Sliding pin 15b: Fixed base plate 15c: Arc guide (guide section) 15d: Entrance / Exit 15e: Long and slender component 16: Paper feed tray base 16a: Lifting base 17: Lifting belt 18, 19: Lifting pulley 20: Feeding unit 21: Front duct 22: Blower 23: Side fence (movable side end guide member) 23a: Elongated hole 25: End fence (movable rear end guide member) 33: Wire 34: Pulley 35: Blower fan 36: Side duct 37: Air outlet 38: Air outlet 40: Suction blower device 41: Duct 42: Suction fan 50: Pinion 51: Rack 80: Exit roller pair 100: Image forming apparatus 200:Feeding device P:Paper M1, M2: Motor [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0057] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-145434

Claims

1. A sheet feeding device having a base plate member capable of stacking multiple sheets, a pair of movable side end guide members that restrict the position of both sides of the sheet in the width direction, a movable rear end guide member that restricts the position of the rear end of the sheet, and a sheet separation and conveying mechanism that separates and conveys the top sheet one by one from the sheets stacked on the base plate member, The bottom plate member comprises a fixed bottom plate fixed between the pair of movable end guide members, a pair of movable bottom plates individually connected to the pair of movable end guide members and movable together with each movable end guide member, and receiving grooves formed on both sides of the fixed bottom plate. The movable bottom plate is composed of a plurality of elongated members extending in the direction of sheet transport, and these elongated members are interconnected in a bendable manner, with one end in the direction of interconnection connected to the movable side end guide member and the other end bent and inserted into the receiving groove. A sheet feeding device characterized in that an arc-shaped guide portion is formed inside the receiving groove, and the other end of the elongated member is folded back towards one end of the elongated member along the guide portion.

2. A sheet feeding device comprising a base plate member capable of stacking multiple sheets, a pair of movable side end guide members that restrict the positions of both sides of the sheet in the width direction, a movable rear end guide member that restricts the rear end position of the sheet, and a sheet separation and conveying mechanism that separates and conveys the top sheet one by one from the sheets stacked on the base plate member, The bottom plate member comprises a fixed bottom plate fixed between the pair of movable end guide members, a pair of movable bottom plates individually connected to the pair of movable end guide members and movable together with each movable end guide member, and receiving grooves formed on both sides of the fixed bottom plate. The movable bottom plate is composed of a plurality of elongated members extending in the direction of sheet transport, and these elongated members are interconnected in a bendable manner, with one end in the direction of interconnection connected to the movable side end guide member and the other end bent and inserted into the receiving groove. A sheet feeding device characterized in that a low-friction member is provided on the upper surface of the movable bottom plate.

3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plurality of elongated members are interconnected by connecting pins.

4. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bottom plate member is arranged to be able to move up and down.

5. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4, characterized in that an elongated hole extending in the vertical direction is formed in the movable side end guide member, and one end of the movable bottom plate is slidably engaged with the elongated hole.

6. An image forming system characterized by comprising the sheet feeding device of claim 5.

Images