Paper feeding device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9533844-B2
Application number	US-201615086599-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2016
Priority date	Apr 7, 2015
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

A gear engagement mechanism of a life device includes a lifting member interlocking with a lifting tray to linearly move in a vertical direction, and a gear train having a pinion engaged with the rack to transmit a rotary motion to the rack and transmitting the rotation torque of a lift motor M to the pinion. When the lifting member has over-run an upper limit stop position and a lower limit stop position, engagement of the pinion and the rack is released.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A paper feeding device comprising:
a paper feeding tray on which paper to be fed is placed;
a lifting tray having one end connected to the paper feeding tray so as to be rotatable and holding the paper from below; and
a lift device provided corresponding to another end side of the lifting tray and lifting up and down the lifting tray via a gear engagement mechanism driven by rotation torque of a lift motor,
wherein the gear engagement mechanism comprises:
a lifting member having a rack and a slider interlocking with the lifting tray to linearly move in a vertical direction;
a gear train having a pinion engaged with the rack to transmit a rotary motion to the rack and transmit the rotation torque of the lift motor to the pinion;
a cover plate having a slide rail vertically extending and covering the gear train; and
an urging part pushing up the lifting tray to an upper side, wherein
an abutting piece abutting an upper surface of the lifting tray pushed up to the upper side by the urging part protrudes from one surface of the slider,
a large groove and a small groove that extend vertically are formed on a surface opposite to an abutting piece side of the slider,
the slider is configured so as to be vertically and linearly movable with the slide rail of the cover plate being inserted in the small groove, and
when the lifting member has over-run an upper limit stop position or a lower limit stop position, engagement of the pinion and the rack is released.

2. The paper feeding device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of detection parts that detect a remaining amount of paper on the paper feeding tray by a rising position of the lifting tray,
wherein the detection parts are vertically provided while being spaced apart from each other.

3. The paper feeding device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a receiving case that opens to one side to receive the gear train, wherein
the cover plate is arranged to cover an open side of the receiving case,
a pressing piece protrudes from the large groove of the lifting member,
an inclination part inclined downwardly to a bottom wall part of the large groove is formed at a protruding end of the pressing piece, and
the plurality of detection parts are a plurality of push switches that abut the inclination part by a vertical movement of the slider in a position corresponding to the large groove in the receiving case.

4. An image forming apparatus including the paper feeding device of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Doyo Hideaki

Classifications

• B65H1/266

  Support fully or partially removable from the handling machine, e.g. cassette, drawer (B65H1/027 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H2403/41

  Rack-and-pinion, cogwheel in cog railway · CPC title

• B65H7/00

  Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles · CPC title

• B65H2405/1116

  with means for changing geometry · CPC title

• B65H2405/1117

  pivotable, e.g. around an axis perpendicular to transport direction, e.g. arranged at rear side of sheet support · CPC title