SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS AND RECORDING APPARATUS

Abstract

A sheet feeding apparatus to which a cassette accommodating a sheet is detachably mountable includes supplying means for supplying the sheet from the cassette; a reference member having a reference surface for regulating a position of a lateral edge of the sheet being fed in a predetermined feeding direction by the supplying means; feeding means for feeding the sheet in a direction inclined relative to the feeding direction toward the reference surface to abut the lateral edge of the sheet to the reference surface; and moving means for selectively moving the reference member in response to mounting of the cassette such that reference member is placed at a position corresponding to a width of the sheet accommodated in the cassette.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a recording apparatus which is suitably used with a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cassette for accommodating recording sheets.

FIG. 3 is a sectional front view of the cassette of FIG. 2 as seen in the direction of arrow V1 in FIG. 1, wherein (a) illustrates a cassette accommodating the recording sheets having a first width (small), and (b) illustrates a cassette accommodating the recording sheets having second width (large).

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a direction in which the recording sheet is picked up and fed from a cassette mounted to the recording apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a schematic top plan view of the sheet feeding apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along a line D-D in FIG. 5, wherein (a) shows a state in which the cassette is not mounted, and (b) shows a state in which the cassette accommodating the recording sheets having the first width is mounted.

FIG. 7 is a schematic top plan view showing a state when the inclination of the recording sheet having the first width is being corrected in the sheet feeding apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along a line D-D in FIG. 5, wherein (a) shows a state in which the cassette is not mounted, and (b) shows a state in which the cassette accommodating the recording sheets having the second width is mounted.

FIG. 9 is a schematic top plan view showing a state in which the inclination of the recording sheet having the second width is being corrected in the sheet feeding apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a substantial top plan view showing a state in which the cassette is not mounted in the sheet feeding apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along a line D-D in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a schematic top plan view of the sheet feeding apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the inclination of the recording sheet having the first width is being corrected.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along a line D-D in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a schematic top plan view showing a state in which the recording sheet having the first is being corrected in the apparatus of the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a schematic top plan view showing a state in which the recording sheet having the first is being corrected in the apparatus of the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a schematic top plan view showing a state in which the recording sheet having the first is being corrected in the apparatus of the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a schematic top plan view showing a state in which the inclination of the recording sheet having the second (large) width is being corrected in the sheet feeding apparatus according to the second embodiment the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along a line D-D in FIG. 14.

FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective view illustrating rotating means for rotating the recording sheet toward left and right, wherein (a) shows a state when the recording sheet is rotated, and (b) shows a state when the recording sheet is translated.

FIG. 20 is a schematic top plan view of a conventional inclination correcting mechanism.

FIG. 21 is a schematic top plan view showing a state when the inclinations of the recording sheets having different widths are being corrected.

FIG. 22 is a schematic top plan view of a conventional inclination correcting mechanism capable of inclination correction with the center line alignment.

Claims

1. A sheet feeding apparatus to which a cassette accommodating a sheet is detachably mountable, said sheet feeding device comprising: supplying means for supplying the sheet from said cassette;a reference member having a reference surface for regulating a position of a lateral edge of the sheet being fed in a predetermined feeding direction by said supplying means;feeding means for feeding the sheet in a direction inclined relative to the feeding direction toward the reference surface to abut the lateral edge of the sheet to the reference surface; andmoving means for selectively moving said reference member in response to mounting of said cassette such that reference member is placed at a position corresponding to a width of the sheet accommodated in said cassette.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cassette is mounted in a widthwise direction of the sheet being fed, and said reference member is abutted by said cassette to move in the widthwise direction of the sheet.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said cassette is one of different types of cassettes accommodating different width sheets, respectively, wherein said moving means includes a pressing surface which is provided on each type of cassette to move said reference member to the position corresponding to the width of the sheet in the cassette by abutment to said reference member when the cassette is mounted to said sheet feeding device.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cassette is selected from different types of cassettes accommodating different width sheets, respectively.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said moving means moves said reference member to a position corresponding to the width of the sheet such that center line, with respect to the widthwise direction, of the sheet guided by said reference surface passes a predetermined position irrespective of the width of the sheet.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said moving means does not move said reference member when the mounted cassette contains the sheet having a predetermined width.

7. A sheet feeding apparatus to which a cassette accommodating a sheet is detachably mountable, said sheet feeding device comprising: supplying means for supplying the sheet from said cassette;a reference member having a reference surface for regulating a position of a lateral edge of the sheet being fed in a predetermined feeding direction by said supplying means;feeding means for feeding the sheet such that lateral edge of the sheet abuts the reference surface; andmoving means for selectively moving said reference member in response to mounting of said cassette.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising orientation control means for controlling an orientation of the sheet so as to incline the sheet to make a trailing end of the sheet closer to the regulating member than a leading end of the sheet, thus abutting the lateral edge of the sheet to said reference member, before said feeding means feeds the sheet.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the orientation of the sheet changes such that lateral edge thereof moves along the reference surface of said reference member by the sheet being fed in the feeding direction by said feeding means in a state in which the lateral edge is contacted to said reference member.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said orientation control means controls an orientation of the sheet by rotating the sheet about an axis extending in a direction of thickness of the sheet.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said orientation control means includes two rollers which are contactable to the same surface of the sheet and which are rotatable in opposite directions.

12. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said reference member includes a first reference member for regulating a position of the lateral edge of the sheet having a first width, and a second reference member for regulating a position of the lateral edge of the sheet having a second width which is larger than the first width, wherein said moving means moves said first reference member to a position not regulating the lateral edge of the sheet when said cassette accommodating the sheet having the second width is mounted.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said first reference member and said second reference member regulate the lateral edges at opposite sides.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising orientation control means for controlling an orientation of the sheet to abut the lateral edge of the sheet to said first or second reference member, before said feeding means feeds the sheet, wherein when the sheet having the first width is fed, said orientation control means controls the orientation of the sheet so as to incline the sheet to make a trailing end of the sheet closer to the first regulating member than a leading end of the sheet, and when the sheet having the second width is fed, said orientation control means controls the orientation of the sheet so as to incline the sheet to make a trailing end of the sheet closer to the second regulating member than a leading end of the sheet.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the orientation of the sheet changes such that lateral edge thereof moves along the reference surface of said first or second reference member by the sheet being fed in the feeding direction by said feeding means in a state in which the lateral edge is contacted to said first or second reference member.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said orientation control means controls an orientation of the sheet by rotating the sheet about an axis extending in a direction of thickness of the sheet.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a center line, with respect to the widthwise direction, of the sheet guided by said reference surface of said first or second reference member passes a predetermined position irrespective of the width of the sheet.

18. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said moving means includes a cam member for moving said reference member by being pushed by said cassette when said cassette is mounted to said apparatus.

19. A recording apparatus to which a cassette accommodating a sheet is detachably mountable, said recording apparatus comprising: supplying means for supplying the sheet from said cassette;a reference member having a reference surface for regulating a position of a lateral edge of the sheet being fed in a predetermined feeding direction by said supplying means;feeding means for feeding the sheet in a direction inclined relative to the feeding direction toward the reference surface to abut the lateral edge of the sheet to the reference surface;moving means for selectively moving said reference member in response to mounting of said cassette such that reference member is placed at a position corresponding to a width of the sheet accommodated in said cassette; andan image forming station for forming an image on the sheet fed by said feeding means.

20. A recording apparatus to which a cassette accommodating a sheet is detachably mountable, said recording apparatus comprising: supplying means for supplying the sheet from said cassette;a reference member having a reference surface for regulating a position of a lateral edge of the sheet being fed in a predetermined feeding direction by said supplying means;feeding means for feeding the sheet such that lateral edge of the sheet abuts the reference surface;moving means for selectively moving said reference member in response to mounting of said cassette; andan image forming station for forming an image on the sheet fed by said feeding means.