Conveying roller unit, sheet conveying device, and image processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9079716-B2
Application number	US-201414497217-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2014
Priority date	Sep 30, 2013
Publication date	Jul 14, 2015
Grant date	Jul 14, 2015

Abstract

A manual sheet feeder that is an example of a sheet conveying device includes a roller unit in which a rubber roller is mounted on a support member. A separation wall is formed in an internal space of the support member, and a rotation shaft is formed at the separation wall. A slide shaft is provided such that a coil spring is interposed between the rotation shaft and the slide shaft in a compressed state. Movement of the slide shaft from an opening outward in an axial direction is restricted by an elastic engagement piece of a movement restriction mechanism. The elastic engagement piece is formed at a spring holding portion of the slide shaft. In a state where the coil spring is stored in the spring holding portion, a back surface of the elastic engagement piece is supported by the coil spring.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A conveying roller unit comprising:
a support member formed in a cylindrical shape having an internal space, and including an outer peripheral portion on which a roller member is provided;
a first rotation shaft portion provided at a first side surface of the support member at one side in an axial direction thereof and having a cylindrical shape including a tubular space therein forming a part of the internal space;
a second rotation shaft portion having one end portion inserted from a second side surface of the support member at another side in the axial direction through the internal space of the support member into the tubular space of the first rotation shaft portion, and another end portion protruding from the second side surface of the support member, the second rotation shaft portion being supported by the support member so as to be slidable in the axial direction; and
a biasing member provided from the one end portion side to the tubular space side in the internal space and configured to bias the second rotation shaft portion along the axial direction toward the other end side, wherein
the one end portion of the second rotation shaft portion includes a tubular storage portion configured to be able to store the biasing member therein,
the tubular storage portion includes, at a part of a circumferential surface thereof, an engagement piece extending in the axial direction,
the engagement piece includes, at a leading end thereof, a claw portion protruding outward from the circumferential surface, and is configured to be elastically deformable in a retraction direction in which the claw portion is retracted from the circumferential surface toward an inner side,
the first rotation shaft portion has, in a circumferential surface thereof, a slit which extends in the axial direction and with which the claw portion is engageable, and
the engagement piece is configured to be brought into contact with a side surface of the biasing member at an engagement position where the claw portion is engaged with an end portion of the slit at the base end portion side, by a biasing force of the biasing member, whereby elastic deformation of the engagement piece in the retraction direction is prevented.

2. The conveying roller unit according to claim 1 , wherein the biasing member is a coil spring.

3. The conveying roller unit according to claim 2 , wherein the coil spring permits the engagement piece to be elastically deformed in the retraction direction in a state where the claw portion is not inserted into the slit, and prevents the engagement piece from being elastically deformed in the retraction direction in a state where the claw portion is inserted into the slit.

4. The conveying roller unit according to claim 3 , wherein the coil spring is compressed in the state where the claw portion is inserted into the slit.

5. A sheet conveying device configured such that the conveying roller unit according to claim 1 is mountable thereon and dismountable therefrom, the sheet conveying device comprising:
a drive transfer mechanism configured to transfer a rotational driving force to the conveying roller unit in a state where the conveying roller unit is mounted.

6. The sheet conveying device according to claim 5 , wherein the drive transfer mechanism includes:
a drive shaft configured to transfer the rotational driving force to the conveying roller unit;
a drive-side coupling provided at a leading end of the drive shaft; and
a roller-side coupling provided at a leading end of the first rotation shaft portion and connectable to the drive-side coupling.

7. An image processing apparatus comprising the sheet conveying device according to claim 5 .

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Kawashima Tetsuro

Classifications

• G03G15/6514 Primary

  Manual supply devices · CPC title

• B65H2402/60

  Coupling, adapter or locking means · CPC title

• B65H2402/51

  Joints, e.g. riveted or magnetic joints · CPC title

• B41J2/00

  Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed (mounting, arrangement or disposition of types or dies B41J1/00) · CPC title

• B65G13/04 Primary

  all rollers driven · CPC title