Sheet Conveying Device and Image Forming Apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018282084-A1
Application number	US-201815927176-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 21, 2018
Priority date	Mar 30, 2017
Publication date	Oct 4, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sheet conveying device includes: a sheet cassette including a first housing, a pressing plate, a raising plate, a first resilient member, and a second resilient member; a second housing; a sheet-cassette accommodating portion; a first electrode; a second electrode; a sheet conveyor; a driver; a first output device that outputs a first signal and a second signal; a second output device that outputs a rotation pulse signal; and a controller that receives the first signal, the second signal, and the rotation pulse signal. The controller counts pulses of the rotation pulse signal received from the second output device, determines the number of pulses of the rotation pulse signal, and determines an amount of upward movement of the pressing plate based on the number of pulses of the rotation pulse signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A sheet conveying device, comprising:
a sheet cassette including:
(i) a first housing configured to accommodate sheets;
(ii) a pressing plate formed of a conductive material, provided at the first housing, and movable between a first position and a second position while supporting the sheets, the first position being a lowest position of the pressing plate, the second position being located above the first position;
(iii) a raising plate formed of a conductive material, provided at the first housing, and configured to move the pressing plate between the first position and the second position while being in constant contact with the pressing plate;
(iv) a first resilient member formed of a conductive material and provided at the first housing, the first resilient member including a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being configured to contact the pressing plate when the pressing plate is located above the first position, the second end portion being partially located outside the first housing; and
(v) a second resilient member provided at the first housing, the second resilient member including a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being in contact with the raising plate during movement of the raising plate, the second end portion being partially exposed to an outside of the first housing;
a second housing; a sheet-cassette accommodating portion provided at the second housing and configured to accommodate the sheet cassette; a first electrode provided at the sheet-cassette accommodating portion and configured to be in contact with the second end portion of the first resilient member when the sheet cassette is accommodated in the sheet-cassette accommodating portion; a second electrode provided at the sheet-cassette accommodating portion and configured to be in contact with the second end portion of the second resilient member when the sheet cassette is accommodated in the sheet-cassette accommodating portion; a sheet conveyor provided at the second housing and configured to convey the sheets from the pressing plate; a driver provided at the second housing and configured to move the raising plate, the driver including (a) a motor configured to supply a driving force and (b) a transmission mechanism configured to transmit the driving force supplied from the motor to the raising plate when the sheet cassette is accommodated in the sheet-cassette accommodating portion; a first output device including a detector configured to detect that an uppermost sheet of the sheets supported on the pressing plate reaches a particular position by upward movement of the pressing plate, the first output device being configured to:
output a first signal when the first electrode and the second electrode are electrically connected to each other by contact between the pressing plate and the first end portion of the first resilient member and the detector does not detect that the uppermost sheet reaches the particular position;
output a second signal when the first electrode and the second electrode are electrically connected to each other by contact between the pressing plate and the first end portion of the first resilient member and the detector detects that the uppermost sheet reaches the particular position; and
output the second signal when the first electrode and the second electrode are not electrically connected to each other by separation between the pressing plate and the first end portion of the first resilient member;
a second output device configured to output a rotation pulse signal indicating an amount of rotation of the motor; and a controller configured to receive the first signal, the second signal, and the rotation pulse signal, wherein the controller is configured to:
start counting pulses of the rotation pulse signal received from the second output device at a first timing when a signal received from the first output device is switched from the second signal to the first signal;
end counting pulses of the rotation pulse signal received from the second output device at a second timing when the signal received from the first output device is switched from the first signal to the second signal;
determine the number of pulses of the rotation pulse signal counted between the first timing and the second timing; and
determine an amount of upward movement of the pressing plate based on the number of pulses of the rotation pulse signal.

2 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sheet cassette is movable between an accommodated position at which the sheet cassette is accommodated in the second housing and a separated position at which the sheet cassette is separated from the second housing, and wherein, when the sheet cassette is located at the separated position, the pressing plate is located at the first position.

3 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the second end portion of the first resilient member is configured to contact the first electrode slidably in a direction of movement of the sheet cassette, and wherein the second end portion of the second resilient member is configured to contact the second electrode slidably in the direction of movement of the sheet cassette.

4 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sheet-cassette accommodating portion includes a rail configured to guide the sheet cassette, wherein the first electrode is plate-shaped and disposed on the rail, and wherein the second electrode is a frame disposed at a lower portion of the sheet-cassette accommodating portion.

5 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the first end portion of the first resilient member is configured to contact an edge portion of the pressing plate.

6 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pressing plate is coated with conductive grease, and wherein the raising plate is configured to contact a portion of the pressing plate which is coated with the conductive grease.

7 . A sheet conveying device, comprising:
a sheet cassette including:
(i) a first housing configured to accommodate sheets;
(ii) a pressing plate formed of a conductive material, provided at the first housing, and movable between a first position and a second position while supporting the sheets, the first position being a lowest position of the pressing plate, the second position being located above the first position;
(iii) a raising plate formed of a conductive material, provided at the first housing, and configured to move the pressing plate between the first position and the second position while being in constant contact with the pressing plate;
(iv) a first resilient member formed of a conductive material and provided at the first housing, the first resilient member including a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being configured to contact the pressing plate when the pressing plate is located above the first position, the second end portion being partially located outside the first housing; and
(v) a second resilient member provided at the first housing, the second resilient member including a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being in contact with the raising plate during movement of the raising plate, the second end portion being partially exposed to an outside of the first housing;
a second housing; a sheet-cassette accommodating portion provided at the second housing and configured to accommodate the sheet cassette; a first electrode provided at the sheet-cassette accommodating portion and configured to be in contact with the second end portion of the first resilient member when the sheet cas

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Inoue Masafumi
• Tsujimoto Yoshiyuki

Classifications

• B65H7/14

  by photoelectric feelers or detectors · CPC title

• B65H3/0661

  for separating inclined-stacked articles with separator rollers above the stack · CPC title

• B65H7/04 Primary

  responsive to absence of articles, e.g. exhaustion of pile (B65H7/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H1/18 Primary

  controlled by height of pile · CPC title

• B65H1/12

  comprising spring {(B65H1/022 takes precedence)} · CPC title