Paper feeder, image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9617093-B2
Application number	US-201615011559-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2016
Priority date	Jan 30, 2015
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A paper feeder includes a housing, a driving unit, a sheet loading portion, a paper feeding unit, and a lock mechanism. The lock mechanism is located in the housing. The paper feeding unit includes a pickup roller, a second shaft portion, a feed roller, a holder, and a stopper. The stopper is swingably supported in the holder, and is configured to change states between a regulation state and a permission state. The regulation state is a state that regulates entrance of the sheet to be loaded in the sheet loading portion into a side of the feed roller side corresponding to the second position of the holder. The permission state is a state that permits entrance of the sheet into the feed roller side corresponding to the first position of the holder. The lock mechanism locks the holder in the second position at a time of non-paper feeding.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A paper feeder, comprising:
a housing;
a driving unit;
a sheet loading portion located in the housing, for loading sheets;
a paper feeding unit supported by the housing and feeding the sheet to be loaded in the sheet loading portion in a predetermined conveyance direction;
a lock mechanism located in the housing, and including a locking shaft rotatably and pivotally supported by the housing, and a locking piece provided extending from the locking shaft, the lock mechanism being rotatably driven around the locking shaft; and
an interlocking mechanism; wherein
the paper feeding unit includes
a pickup roller including a first shaft portion, the pickup roller being configured to change positions between a paper feeding position and a non-paper feeding position, the paper feeding position being a position in which the pickup roller is in contact with the sheet to be loaded in the sheet loading portion, the non-paper feeding position being a position in which the pickup roller is separated from the sheet, the pickup roller being rotatably driven around the first shaft portion, and sending out the sheet in the conveyance direction,
a second shaft portion connected to the driving unit and rotatably driven forward and reversely,
a feed roller that is located in a downstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to the pickup roller, and is rotatably driven forward around the second shaft portion, and conveys the sheet sent out from the pickup roller to the downstream side of the conveyance direction,
a holder including a pair of sidewalls that pivotally support the first shaft portion and are pivotally supported by the second shaft portion, a top surface portion that intersects the pair of sidewalls and covers an upper region over the feed roller, and an engagement projection provided projecting upward from the top surface portion, the holder therein rotatably supporting the pickup roller through the first shaft portion, and being configured to change positions between a first position and a second position, the holder rotatably driven forward around the second shaft portion changing the position to the first position, the first position causing the pickup roller to be located in the paper feeding position, the holder rotatably driven reversely around the second shaft portion changing the position to the second position, the second position being a position that causes the pickup roller to be located in the non-paper feeding position, and
a stopper that is swingably supported in the holder and configured to change states between a regulation state and a permission state, the regulation state being a state that regulates entrance of the sheet to be loaded in the sheet loading portion into a side of the feed roller side corresponding to the second position of the holder, the permission state being a state that permits entrance of the sheet into the feed roller side corresponding to the first position of the holder;
the holder is locked in the second position by engagement of the locking piece with the engagement projection when the holder moves from the first position to the second position;
the housing includes a contacted portion provided projecting toward the paper feeding unit;
the stopper includes
a fulcrum portion rotatably and pivotally supported by one sidewall of the pair of sidewalls of the holder,
a regulating portion that is provided extending downward from the fulcrum portion and configured to regulate the sheet, and
a contact portion that is provided extending upward from the fulcrum portion, and
when the holder is moved to the second position, the contact portion is brought in contact with the contacted portion, so as to regulate rotation of the stopper around the fulcrum portion and put the stopper in the regulation state;

the interlocking mechanism includes
a cam member that includes a projection and is rotatable by the second shaft portion,
a pushed-up piece that is provided projecting from the locking shaft, at intervals in an axial direction of the locking shaft with respect to the locking piece, and has one end portion supported by the locking shaft and another end portion in contact with the cam member, the pushed-up piece being swingable around the locking shaft,
a wall portion provided projecting downward from the top surface portion in the holder, and
a coil spring that has one end and another end, the one end being fixed to the cam and configured to contact one sidewall of the wall portion, the other end being configured to contact another sidewall of the wall portion, the other sidewall being a backside of the one sidewall, the coil spring being wound around the second shaft portion a plurality of times, and disposed to be rotatable unitarily with the second shaft portion,
the interlocking mechanism interlocking with rotation of the feed roller by the forward rotation of the second shaft portion;

when the second shaft portion is rotatably driven forward, the projection of the cam member pushes the pushed-up piece upward to rotatably drive the lock mechanism around the locking shaft, so as to release engagement of the locking piece and the engagement projection, and release a lock state of the holder by the lock mechanism, and the other end of the coil spring presses the one sidewall of the wall portion, so as to move the holder from the second position to the first position while the holder is rotatably driven around the second shaft portion; and

the lock mechanism locks the holder in the second position at a time of non-paper feeding.

2. The paper feeder according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a clutch that is located between the driving unit and the second shaft portion, and switches transmission of the driving power to the second shaft portion and release of the transmission.

3. An image reading apparatus, comprising:
the paper feeder according to claim 1 that conveys the sheet as a document; and
a reading unit that reads a document image of the sheet.

4. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
the image reading apparatus according to claim 3 ; and
an image forming unit that forms an image onto a sheet, corresponding to the document image read by the reading unit.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Okada Seiji

Classifications

• B65H2403/512

  involving radial plate cam · CPC title

• B65H2402/64

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B65H3/34

  Article-retaining devices controlling the release of the articles to the separators · CPC title

• B65H3/0684 Primary

  on moving support, e.g. pivoting, for bringing the roller or like rotary separator into contact with the pile · CPC title

• B65H5/068

  between one or more rollers or balls and stationary pressing, supporting or guiding elements · CPC title