JP2001042578A - Automatic document feeder, picture reader provided with it and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an automatic document feeder where operation is made convenient by having visibility of an ejected document improved, a picture reader provided with it and an image forming device. SOLUTION: In this feeder, a document setting table 10, separating carrying means such as a separating paper feeding part 2 and a resist part 3, an ejected paper carrying means such as a 1st reading carrying part 5 carrying the read document to a waste paper stacker 90, a reverse carrying part 8 carrying the read document upstream or downstream on a switchback path 8a above the paper stacker and a switching means such as a reverse switching claw 80 switching a carrying direction of the document are provided. Furthermore, a small sized document is ejected from the switchback path 8a based on detected information from sensors 12, 14, 32 or the like.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder mounted on an image reading apparatus or an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Copiers, printers, facsimile machines,
In an automatic document feeder mounted on an image forming apparatus or an image reading apparatus, a set document is called by a calling means such as a pickup roller, and separated one by one by a separation mechanism arranged downstream of the feeding direction. In general, documents separated one by one are conveyed to a reading position on a contact glass and read by scanning of a main body device with a scanner.

In such a reading method, a time loss occurs while the scanner carriage returns to the reading start position, and the CPM (the number of copies ejected per minute) is reduced as compared with the case where only the printing function is used. There is. Further, in order to discharge the original on the contact glass in the order of the pages, the original is inverted inside the main body and then discharged to an external tray mounted outside the main unit, so that it is difficult to save space.

On the other hand, in the sheet-through system in which the scanner carriage is fixed and the document is read while moving the document thereon, the CPM equivalent to the print function is maintained while controlling the conveyance so as to reduce the interval between the read documents. By discharging the discharged documents to a discharge stacker provided below the document set table, an external tray or the like becomes unnecessary.

[0005] Related devices of this type include Japanese Patent Publication No. 2803109, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2521733, JP-A-10-129912, and JP-A-5-158306.
Gazette, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-106473, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-5
No. 5665 is known.

[0006]

However, in the sheet-through system, the document discharged to the discharge stacker is hidden by a document set table above the discharge stacker. There is a problem that is difficult to take out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve such problems, improve the visibility of a discharged document, and provide an easy-to-use automatic document feeder, an image reading apparatus having the same, and an image forming apparatus. It is to provide a device.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
Document setting means for placing the document bundle, separation / conveyance means for separating the document bundles placed on the document set one by one and transporting them to the reading position, and downstream of the read document from the reading position A sheet discharge conveying means for conveying the sheet to a discharge stacker of
A switchback conveying means for conveying the read original document upstream or downstream on a switchback path above the discharge stacker and the discharge stacker side being opened; and a switch for switching the document conveyance direction from the discharge stacker side. Switching means for switching to the back path side. The read original is dropped from the open side of the switch back path onto the discharge stacker.
It is characterized by being discharged.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising a document size detecting means for detecting the size of the document before reading the document. It is characterized in that the paper is dropped and discharged from a paper stacker onto a paper discharge stacker.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mixed mode setting means for setting a mixed mode for conveying and discharging originals of different sizes mixed in the original setting means according to the second aspect. It is characterized in that the read original is dropped and discharged from the open side of the switchback path onto the discharge stacker, or is transported and discharged from the reading position to the discharge stacker.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the sheet is rotatably mounted on the sheet discharge stacker, is stored in a state of being folded on the sheet discharge stacker when not in use, and is placed in a document conveying direction when used. An original size detected by the original size detection means, comprising: a plate member forming a fence substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the discharge stacker; and a rotation unit for rotating the plate member from the storage position to the fence formation position. The plate member is turned by the turning means to form a fence on the discharge stacker, and the read original is dropped and discharged from the open side of the switchback path to the downstream of the fence on the discharge stacker. There are features.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, there is provided a document detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a document near the fence on the sheet discharge stacker, and when the document detecting means detects the absence of the document, It is characterized in that the plate member is rotated by the rotation means and accommodated in the paper discharge stacker, and the fence is released.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, there is provided a document bundle size detecting means for detecting that the document bundle placed on the document setting means has a predetermined size,
If it is not detected that the bundle of originals has a predetermined size, the read originals are dropped and discharged onto the discharge stacker from the open side of the switchback path.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, the apparatus is rotatably mounted on the sheet discharge stacker, is stored in a state of being folded on the sheet discharge stacker when not in use, and is arranged in a document conveying direction when used. A plate member that forms a fence substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the discharge stacker; and a rotating unit that rotates the plate member from the storage position to the fence formation position. If the size is not detected, the plate member is turned by the turning means to form a fence on the discharge stacker, and the read document is placed on the fence on the discharge stacker from the open side of the switchback path. It is characterized by being dropped and discharged downstream.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the seventh aspect, there is provided a document detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a document near the fence on the sheet discharge stacker, and when the document detecting means detects the absence of a document, It is characterized in that the plate member is rotated by the rotation means and accommodated in the paper discharge stacker, and the fence is released.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an original set detecting means for detecting that an original bundle is placed on the original setting means, and the original set detecting means is provided with the original set. If it is detected that the bundle is placed and the document detection means detects the presence of the document,
It is characterized in that the conveyance of the document bundle is prohibited.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, a step is formed on the discharge stacker toward a downstream side in a discharge direction.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the tenth aspect, the switching means includes a branching claw and a suction / holding of the branching claw.
A solenoid for releasing the drive is provided. The solenoid is suction-driven to switch the document conveyance direction from the discharge stacker side to the switchback path side, and then the solenoid is released after a predetermined time has elapsed.

The invention according to claim 12 is the invention according to claims 1 to 11
The automatic document feeder according to any one of the above is mounted.

The invention according to claim 13 is the invention according to claims 9 to 11
The automatic document feeder described in any one of (1) to (3), wherein the document set detecting means detects that a bundle of documents is placed on the document setting means, and the document detecting means detects the presence of a document. Is characterized by having a display means for displaying that a document remains on the discharge stacker.

The invention according to claim 14 is the invention according to claims 1 to 3,
A mixed loading mode in which the automatic document feeder described in any one of items 10 and 11 is mounted, mixed documents of different sizes are mixed in the document setting means, and recording paper is selected and fed according to the document size of each sheet. It is characterized by having.

[0022]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an entire configuration of an automatic document feeder mounted on an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a control unit thereof.

The automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as A
DF) 120 is provided in an image reading apparatus (or image forming apparatus) (not shown), and A
While the document is transported from the DF 120 at a predetermined speed, the reading unit reads the image.

The document setting section 1 includes a document setting table 1
0, side guide 11, first document length sensor 12, second document
A document length sensor 14, a document stopper 25, a document set sensor 28, and the like are provided to set a single-sided or double-sided document bundle s. The document set table 10 is configured to be rotatable and retractable upward around a rotation fulcrum (not shown), thereby facilitating removal of stacked documents.

The separation sheet feeding section 2 includes a pickup roller 2
0, a paper feed belt 23, a separation roller 26, etc., and a document bundle s set on the document set table 10.
The original is separated and fed for each sheet.

The registration unit 3 includes a butting sensor 29, a registration roller 30, a size sensor group 32, and the like. The registration unit 3 primarily abuts and matches the fed document, and pulls out the aligned document. Performs the action of transport.

The reversing section 4 comprises a reading and conveying roller 43, a pressure roller 35, a registration sensor 40, and the like.
The conveyed document is reversed and the document surface is conveyed toward the reading side (downward).

The first reading / transporting section 5 is composed of a reading / transporting roller 43, a pressure roller 41, a white background plate 51, a contact glass 54, and the like, and reads an image on the surface of the document from below the contact glass 54.

The second reading / conveying section 6 comprises a close contact image sensor 61, a pressing member 60, and the like, and reads the back side image of the original after the front side reading.

The paper discharge section 7 is composed of a paper discharge drive roller 71, a paper discharge pressure roller 72, a paper discharge sensor 70, and the like, and conveys the original whose front and back have been read to the outside or the reverse conveyance section 8. .

The reversing conveyance section 8 is composed of a reversing switching claw 80, a pair of reversing discharge rollers 81, 82, and the like, and performs reversal for re-reading after reading the front side. The switchback path 8a forms an intermediate stack.

The stack section 9 is composed of a paper discharge stacker 90 and the like, and stacks and holds originals after reading is completed.

These transport operations are performed by driving a drive unit not shown in FIG.

Here, the configuration of the control section of the image reading apparatus of the present embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ADF 120 mounted on the main body of the apparatus has a controller 100 for controlling the operation of the ADF 120. The controller 100 controls the sensors 12, 14, 15, 19, 28, and 29. , 32, 3
Detection signals from 4, 40, 70, 84, etc.
1 to 104, status signals from the reversing switching solenoid 105, the completed stamp 73, and the like, and control signals (such as a sheet through start signal) transmitted via communication means (serial communication line) with the main body control unit 111, or A cover open signal indicating that the cover is open is input.

The controller 100 transmits the information indicated by the signals from the sensors to the main body control unit 111, and based on the control signals transmitted from the main body control unit 111, controls the motors 101 to 104 to perform the reverse switching. The drive of the solenoid 105, the completed stamp 73, and the like is controlled. For example, the document set sensor 28 is
Is detected, the detection information is transmitted by the controller 100 to the main body control unit 111 as a document set signal via the communication unit.
Alternatively, when the table opening / closing sensor 15 detects that the document set table 10 of the ADF 120 has been lifted, the detection information is transmitted to the controller 1.
00 is transmitted to the main body control unit 111 as a lift-up signal via the communication means.

The RAM 112 stores an operation mode input and set from an operation unit (not shown) of the main body.
The stored contents are updated each time the operation mode is changed.
In particular, a mixed mode in which documents of different sizes are mixed on the document set table 10 and the discharge path after reading is changed according to the size, an intermediate stack in which all the read documents are discharged from the intermediate stack unit to the discharge stacker 90 Part discharge mode. The RAM 112 also stores a document determined in combination with the document size in the transport direction calculated based on the detection information of the document length sensors 12 and 14 and the document size in the width direction detected by the size sensor group 32. The size, etc. are stored.

On the other hand, the main body control section 111 controls the entire apparatus, and outputs detection information signals from various sensors (not shown) on the main body side and input / output sections (not shown, various loads such as drive motors and clutches). A state signal, various signals from an operation unit (not shown), a signal transmitted from the ADF 120 via the communication unit, an information signal such as a document jam or a serviceman call, and image data from the close contact image sensor 61. Receive.

The main body control section 111 performs drive control of the input / output section, display control in the operation section, and the like based on the information indicated by the signal thus received and input.
For the ADF 120, a signal indicating the operation mode, or the driving of the pickup roller 20 to rotate the paper feed operation,
Various control signals including a sheet-through start signal for starting the reading operation by the close contact image sensor 61 are transmitted in accordance with the transport timing of the DF 120, and the controller 100 is instructed to control the sheet feeding operation of the ADF 120.

The operation unit includes various button keys such as a start button and ten keys (not shown),
It has a D display and the like, and is configured such that setting of each operation mode such as the mixed loading mode, the intermediate stack section discharge mode, and the like, and an operation start / stop instruction can be performed by a user operation. Further, when the start button is pressed after the document set is detected in the main body control unit 111, the press information is stored in a predetermined memory area in the main body control unit 111, and a paper feed start signal is transmitted to the ADF 120 based on the press information. I do. By doing so, the ADF 120 automatically drives and rotates the pickup roller 20 to start the sheet feeding operation, and the first transport reading unit 5 and the second transport reading unit 6 on the main body perform the reading operation.

Next, a description will be given of the operation of transporting a bundle of originals s of the same size in this embodiment.

First, the original bundle s to be read is set on the original table 10 with its leading end abutting on the dotted line position of the original stopper 25, and the width direction of the original bundle s is adjusted by the side guide 11 in the transport direction. Performs positioning in orthogonal directions.

In this state, the original set detection filler 21 is displaced from the dotted line position to the solid line position, whereby the light shielding of the original set sensor 28 is released, and the original set is detected. Further, a document length sensor 12 or 14 (comprising an optical reflective sensor or an actuator type sensor capable of detecting even one document) provided on the surface of the document set table 10 reduces the length of the document in the transport direction. An outline is determined (at least, a sensor arrangement capable of determining whether the document size is vertical or horizontal).

Thereafter, the document stopper 25 is retracted to the position indicated by the solid line by the driving device (such as the sheet feeding motor 102 comprising a stepping motor) in response to a start signal (instruction signal input from the operation section), and the leading end of the document is opened. Thereafter, the pickup roller 20 is moved from the dotted line position to the upper surface of the original document indicated by the solid line position by a driving device (such as a calling motor 101 composed of a stepping motor) and pressed against the document at a predetermined pressure.

During the pressing operation of the pickup roller 20, if the number of documents is small, the drop height must be large.
Further, since the cushioning effect of the document between the document table 10 and the pickup roller 20 is small, a problem that the drop impact noise of the pickup roller 20 becomes large occurs. As a countermeasure, a concave roller escape groove (not shown) is formed at the point of contact with the pickup roller 20 on the document table 10 so that the pickup roller 2
0 does not directly collide with the document table 10.

Thereafter, after a predetermined time, a drive source (feed motor) 102 for driving the separation feed unit 2 and the registration unit 3
Is operated, and the pickup roller 20 is rotated clockwise to convey the uppermost document of the document bundle s toward the separation section such as the feed belt 23 and the separation roller 26. At this time, the paper feed belt 23 is stretched around the belt pulleys 22 and 24 with a predetermined tension, and the separation roller 26 provided opposite thereto is provided.
It is pressed so that it can be wound around. Separation roller 26
Is driven in a frictional manner via a torque limiter having a torque of a predetermined magnitude, is rotated counterclockwise with the rotation of the paper feed belt 23, and if two or more documents are When the paper enters between the roller and the separation roller 26, the co-rotating force is set so as to be lower than the torque of the torque limiter. , So that double feeding is prevented.

The document separated one by one is further conveyed by the feed belt 23 by the action of the feed belt 23 and the separation roller 26, and the leading edge is detected by the abutting sensor 29 in the process of moving into the feed path 27. It is detected, further conveyed, and hits the stopped registration roller 30. Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed by a predetermined distance from the detection of the abutting sensor 29, and as a result, the registration roller 30
The driving of the sheet feeding belt 23 is stopped in a state where the sheet feeding belt 23 is pressed with a predetermined amount of deflection. At this time, the leading edge of the original enters the nip portion between the pair of upper and lower rollers of the registration roller 30, and the leading edge is aligned at the nip line (abutment skew correction).
Is performed.

After that, the registration roller 30 is driven,
The original is conveyed in the direction of the reversing section 4. Here, in order to recover the delay of the time stopped by the original abutting operation, the transport speed is increased to transport to the leading edge sensor 34 at this high speed,
Upon detection of the leading edge sensor 34, the reading speed is reduced to the reading speed (the transport speed of the read transport roller 43). By performing this operation between successive documents, a predetermined document interval can be maintained.

The width of the leading edge of the document past the registration roller 30 is detected by the size sensor group 32 in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction. The width signal and the original length sensor 1
An accurate document size is determined by a combination of the length signal according to 2 or 14 and the length signal. Thereafter, the original is sent to a nip portion between the reading / conveying roller 43 and the pressing roller 35, stopped by the detection of the registration sensor 40, and receives an input of an image alignment signal from an image forming side (a reading unit side not shown). wait.

Thereafter, the conveyance is started again by the input of the image alignment signal from the image forming side, and is conveyed to the first reading / conveying section 5 by the reading / conveying roller 43 and the pressing roller 41. In the first reading / transporting section 5, an image is read by the reading section while the document passes between the contact glass 54 and the white background plate 51 arranged at a predetermined interval on the upper surface thereof, and the image is read through the CCD. Photoelectrically converted,
It is stored in a memory (not shown).

The first reading / conveying section 5 is configured so that the conveying gap is made as small as possible to minimize the degree of freedom of the original. For example, a method of extending a flexible guide member from the inner surface of the reading entrance guide 42 toward the white background plate 51 to fill the gap is effective. Further, the white background plate 51 is provided with a gap of about 0.5 mm ± 0.2 mm on the contact glass 54 and is pressed against with a predetermined elasticity to suppress an error in the reading direction.

The surface of the contact glass 54 is treated with a surfactant (silicon-based activator) so that ink or the like hardly adheres or adheres. Further, the flexible guide member is extended to the vicinity of the reading position. At the reading position, the document surface does not actively contact the contact glass 54, and the leading edge of the document is wiped near the reading position of the contact glass 54 (with the leading edge). (A function of scraping off foreign substances on the glass surface).

Thereafter, the original is conveyed to the intermediate conveying pressure roller 53 via the pickup guide 52 while reading the image surface. Since the intermediate conveyance pressure roller 53 and the pressure roller 41 are driven in common by the reading conveyance roller 43, the feeding and drawing speeds are the same, and the occurrence of a transfer shock can be reduced.

In this manner, the original sent from the first reading / conveying unit 5 by the intermediate conveying / pressing roller 53 is sent to the second reading / conveying unit 6. The contact image sensor 61 is disposed above the back side of the document with its reading surface facing downward, and the contact image sensor 61
And passes between a pressing member 60 arranged at a predetermined pressure and a predetermined distance in opposition to the reading surface. At this time, an image on the upper surface corresponding to the back surface of the document is read, photoelectrically converted similarly to the front surface (lower surface), and stored in the memory. At this time, the pressing member 61 acts as a reference for shading and is also used as a white background plate.
Note that the pressing member 61 may be configured by the plate-shaped guide member shown in FIG. 1 or may be configured by a rotating body.

Thereafter, the original is discharged to the stack section 9 by the discharge drive roller 71 and the discharge pressure roller 72.
The discharge stacker 90 in the stack section 9 is provided with an inclined surface so that the downstream side is higher than the upstream side, so that the discharge document is prevented from jumping out and the alignment accuracy of the stack document is improved. .

Next, the operation of conveying / reading one-sided / two-sided originals when originals of different sizes are mixedly loaded in the mixed loading mode will be described.

In the mixed mode, since originals of different lengths are mixed, the original length sensors 12 and 1 on the original table are arranged.
4, the document size cannot be determined only after the documents are separated one by one and then separated from the document stack s and become completely independent. Therefore, when it is desired to determine the original size before reading, the length from the first original trailing edge detection position after separation to the position of the registration sensor 40 before reading is equal to or more than の of the maximum original length. To set the transport route. In order to satisfy this condition, it is necessary to largely separate the document set position from the reading position, and the portion including the document set table 10 and the transport path becomes large, and the entire apparatus becomes wide.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, if the original size cannot be determined in the mixed mode before the reading is started, the reading is not performed at all in the first conveyance, and the paper is passed only for the reading of the size. A method of simultaneously reading the front and back surfaces at the time of the second reading pass described above is adopted to reduce the size of the apparatus.

In this case, except that no reading is performed in the transport operation up to the first paper discharge, the operation is the same as the transport operation of the original bundle s of the same size, or the processing after the paper discharge unit 7 is different. When the sheet is discharged after passing through the first reading / transporting unit 5 or the second reading / conveying unit 6, the leading end of the document is discharged by a pair of discharge rollers 71
Before the sheet 2 passes, the reversing switching claw 80 moves in the dotted line direction, and conveys the document to the switchback path 8a side. Thereafter, the document is conveyed by the pair of reverse discharge rollers 81 and 82 until the rear end of the document passes through the pair of discharge rollers 71 and 72. This control is performed by a pulse count from the paper discharge sensor 70.

After the document is stopped, the reversing switching claw 80 moves in the direction of the solid line, and the rear end of the document is directed toward the nip of the pair of reversing transport rollers 71 and 83. Thereafter, the reversing discharge drive roller 81 rotates counterclockwise to abut the nip portion of the reversing conveyance roller pair 71, 83 which is stopped against the original end (the rear end when viewed from the initial state). A skew alignment operation is performed, and then, the reverse transport roller pairs 71 and 83 start transporting, and are transported again to the first reading transport unit 5 and the second reading transport unit 6 via the reversing unit 4 so that the reading of the front and back surfaces is performed. Done.

At this time, since the original is in a reversed state, the reading order is the reverse side and the front side is read later, and it is necessary to change the page order on the image processing unit (not shown). This completes the reading operation, but if the sheet is ejected as it is, the page order is disturbed, so the sheet is ejected after reversing the operation again.

The transport for only reading the size and the transport for only the page alignment are performed at the highest transport speed of the apparatus because of the transport operation without image reading. Time can be reduced.

Next, a description will be given of the transport / read operation in a configuration without the second reading / transporting section 6 (or when the second reading / transporting section 6 is provided but cannot be used).

FIG. 1 shows a first example of a double-sided original.
Although the configuration having the reading and conveying unit 5 and the second reading and conveying unit 6 is described, the second reading and conveying unit 6 is used to reduce costs.
Is not provided (or when the device cannot be used due to a device failure or the like), the inversion path 4 and the switchback path 8
, It is possible to perform double-sided reading.

The original whose front surface has been read by the reading operation of the first reading / conveying section 5 is conveyed again to the first reading / conveying section 5 via the switchback path 8a of the reverse conveying section 8, and the back side thereof is read. Thereafter, the sheet is discharged onto the sheet discharge stacker 90 through a reverse discharge operation for page alignment.

As described above, in the apparatus without the second reading / transporting section 6, the productivity in performing double-sided copying from a double-sided document is reduced. As a countermeasure, a method has been adopted in which a plurality of documents are transported into a unit, and image reading and document reversal and discharge are alternately combined to reduce a sheet gap during document transport. Note that this method can be used only for a document having a length that can fit between the pair of reverse discharge rollers 81 and 82 and the registration sensor 40.

In this method, the first document is transported, the first reading and transporting unit 5 reads the image of the first page (front side), and the document is transported to the reverse transporting unit 8, and the reverse transporting is performed. The sheet is again conveyed to the first reading / conveying section 5 through the operation of abutting against the pair of rollers 71 and 83, reading the second page (back side), and conveyed to the reverse conveying section 8. Around this, the second document is conveyed, and the first reading / conveying unit 5 reads the third page (front side). Subsequently, the reading of the fourth page (back side) of the second document is executed. Thereafter, the second document is transported to the reversing transport section 8, and before and after this, the third document is transported, and reading of the fifth page (front side) is executed. Subsequently, the reverse discharge operation of the second document is performed. In this way, by interposing the reversal discharge operation of the already read original between the front surface reading and the back surface reading, it is possible to minimize the inter-document loss time of the reverse discharging operation without performing the reading. .

Next, the transport / discharge operation in the intermediate stack section discharge mode according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In this case, it is assumed that the intermediate stack ejection mode is previously input and set by the key operation of the operation unit as described above, and is stored in the RAM 112 of the controller 100.

In step 1001, the main body control unit 111
Transmits a sheet-through start signal (command signal) to the ADF 120, and the reading motor 103 starts driving under the control of the controller 100. Along with this, the document which has been separated and fed from the document set table 10 at the registration standby position as described above is
Is transported to the reading position (first reading / transporting unit 5, second reading / transporting unit 6), and the image is read.

In step 1002, the controller 10
0 checks whether the mixed loading mode is set by referring to the RAM 112. As a result, the mixed loading mode is not set, so that the process proceeds to step 1003.

In step 1003, the controller 10
0 checks whether the intermediate stack section discharge mode is set by referring to the RAM 112. As a result, since the intermediate stack section discharge mode is set, the process proceeds to step 1005.

In step 1005, the controller 10
By turning on the inversion switching solenoid 105 under the control of 0, the inversion switching claw 80 is moved to the dotted line position.

In step 1007, the controller 10
By driving the reversing motor 104 under the control of 0 to rotate the paper discharge drive roller 71 in the document transport direction, the read document is transported to the reverse transport unit 8 and guided to the switchback path 8a.

At step 1008, the controller 10
A value of 0 determines whether the registration of the next document has been stopped before the paper ejection sensor 70 is turned off. As a result, if the resist stop has occurred, the process proceeds to step 1009. If the resist stop has not occurred, the process proceeds to step 1009.
Go to 010.

In step 1009, the controller 10
The drive of the inversion motor 104 is stopped by the control of 0. this is,
This is to avoid rubbing with the next document waiting on the switchback path 8a. Thereafter, the process returns to step 1001 for reading the next original.

In step 1010, the controller 10
A value of 0 determines whether the trailing edge of the document has passed the paper ejection sensor 70 (off state). As a result, if the paper discharge sensor 70 is off, the process proceeds to step 1011; if it is on, the process returns to step 1008 to detect the registration stop of the next document.

In step 1011, the reading motor 1
A buffer (RAM 112) stores a pulse counter value (predetermined value) which is counted up each time 03 is driven by one pulse.
Move to

At step 1012, the buffer value (predetermined value) is compared with the current pulse counter value, and it is determined whether the document after passing the paper discharge sensor 70 has been transported by the predetermined value. Specifically, it is assumed that one pulse is conveyed by 0.17 mm, and it is determined whether 177 pulses are conveyed by 30 mm. As a result, when the paper is conveyed by 30 mm, the process proceeds to step 1013.

In step 1013, the controller 10
By turning off the inversion switching solenoid 105 under the control of 0, the inversion switching claw 80 is returned to the solid line position. This is to reduce the power consumption of the inversion switching solenoid 105.

In step 1014, it is determined whether or not the document after passing the paper ejection sensor 70 has been conveyed by a predetermined value as described above. Specifically, it is determined whether or not 750 pulses have been conveyed by 125 mm. As a result, when the paper is conveyed by 125 mm, the process proceeds to step 1015.

At step 1015, the controller 10
The drive of the inversion motor 104 is stopped by the control of 0.

According to the present embodiment, even if the original is not of small size (shown in FIG. 5) and the original is of small size (shown in FIG. 6) in the intermediate stack section discharge mode, the read original is switched back. The paper discharge stacker 90 from the path 8a
Discharged up.

Note that, except for the last original or one original, the interval between the originals is set smaller in order to maximize the processing capacity, and registration of the next original is stopped before the discharge of the previous original is completed. However, since the registration of the next original is not stopped for the last original or one original, the read original =
It becomes a discharged document, and only the trailing edge detection output check by the discharge sensor 70 is performed.

In the present embodiment, the intermediate stack section discharge mode is set by operating the keys of the operation section.
The intermediate stack discharge mode may be set as a default value, and if the mixed mode is not set, all documents may be transported / discharged in the intermediate stack discharge mode.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a description will be given of the transport / discharge operation when the mixed loading mode and the intermediate stack section discharge mode are not set. This is a mode in which the discharging operation is changed according to the document size when it is determined in step 1002 that the mixed mode is not set and that in step 1003 the intermediate stack portion discharging mode is not set.

In step 1004, it is determined whether or not the document is of a small size (for example, A4 horizontal size or less) before the start of reading after the separation and feeding. This depends on the combination of the document width (width signal) and the document length (length signal) as described above.
This is because the size of the document is determined before the reading is started, and the controller 100 can recognize whether the document is small or not.

As a result, when the original is small,
As described above, the discharging operation is performed in the same manner as in the intermediate stack section discharging mode (steps 1005 and 1007 to 1015).
The small-size document is discharged onto the discharge stacker 90 from the switchback path 8a. On the other hand, when the document is not of a small size, a normal discharge operation is performed. That is, the sheet is discharged onto the sheet discharge stacker 90 through the first reading and conveying unit 5 and the second reading and conveying unit 6.

Next, the transport / discharge operation in the mixed loading mode will be described with reference to FIGS. In this case, as described above, the mixed mode is previously input and set by operating the keys of the operation unit, and the RAM 1
12 is stored.

In step 1002, the controller 10
0 checks whether the mixed loading mode is set by referring to the RAM 112. As a result, since the mixed loading mode is set, the process proceeds to step 1016.

In step 1016, it is determined whether or not the original is small (for example, A4 horizontal size or less) before the start of reading after the separation and feeding. As a result, if the document is of a small size, the process proceeds to step 1018; otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1017.

At step 1017, a normal discharging operation is performed. That is, the first reading and conveying unit 5 and the second reading and conveying unit 6
Through the discharge stacker 90.

In step 1018, the controller 10
By turning on the inversion switching solenoid 105 under the control of 0, the inversion switching claw 80 is moved to the dotted line position.

In step 1019, the controller 10
By driving the reversing motor 104 under the control of 0 to rotate the paper discharge drive roller 71 in the document transport direction, the read document is transported to the reverse transport unit 8 and guided to the switchback path 8a.

In step 1020, the controller 10
A value of 0 determines whether the trailing edge of the document has passed the paper ejection sensor 70 (off state). When the discharge sensor 70 is turned on, the process proceeds to step 1021.

In step 1021, the pulse counter value (predetermined value) is moved to the buffer (RAM 112).

In step 1022, the buffer value (predetermined value) is compared with the current pulse counter value, and it is determined whether or not the document after passing the paper discharge sensor 70 has been transported by the predetermined value (30 mm). Then, after being conveyed by 30 mm, the process proceeds to step 1023.

At step 1023, the controller 10
By turning off the inversion switching solenoid 105 under the control of 0, the inversion switching claw 80 is returned to the solid line position.

In step 1024, it is determined whether or not the document that has passed the paper ejection sensor 70 has been conveyed by a predetermined value (125 mm) as described above. When the paper is conveyed by 125 mm, the process proceeds to step 1025.

In step 1025, the controller 10
The drive of the inversion motor 104 is stopped by the control of 0.

According to the present embodiment, when the intermediate stack section discharge mode is not set and the document is not small, a normal discharge operation is performed, and when the document is small,
The read original is discharged from the switchback path 8a onto the discharge stacker 90. In this manner, in the mixed mode, the small-sized documents discharged as shown in FIG. 7 drop to the rear side (right side in FIG. 7) of the discharge stacker 10 and the documents other than the small size are moved from the front to the rear. 7 from the left side to the right side in FIG.

In this embodiment, step 1 before the original is discharged
At 004 or 1016, it is determined whether the original is a small size. However, when it is not detected that the original bundle s is the predetermined size when the original bundle s is set on the original set table 10, for example, the original length sensor If the document 12 detects "no document" (shown in FIG. 8), it is determined that all the documents in the document bundle s on the document set table 10 are of small size, and the sheet is set regardless of the operation mode setting. Reversing switching solenoid 1 by through start command
05 and the reversing motor 104 may be driven to discharge the paper from the switchback path 8a to the paper discharge stacker 90.

Further, in order to make it easier to take out the original discharged to the paper discharge stacker 90, the paper discharge stacker 90 may be provided with a concave small stacker section 91 dedicated to the small size as shown in FIG. The small stacker section 91 includes a discharge stacker 90.
The step is formed in the sheet discharging direction so as to be lower than the first half (the left side in FIG. 9), and the front and rear sides thereof are formed to have a slope. By doing so, the stackability of small-size discharged documents is improved, and when the leading end of a small-sized discharged document protrudes from the front slope of the small stacker 91 (not shown), Easy to take out.

The present embodiment is applied to a copying machine, and A
The DF 120 waits for the next document to be fed, determines the document size for each sheet, and sends the size information to the main body control unit 111.
, And the main body selects and feeds the recording paper based on the size information, thereby realizing multi-size mixed copy.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a discharge fence (hedge-shaped plate member) 94 which can be stored and retracted on the discharge stacker 90 is provided to make it easier to take out the original discharged to the discharge stacker 90. It may be provided. This paper output fence 9
Reference numeral 4 includes a shaft serving as a rotation fulcrum 95 (shown in FIGS. 11 and 12) and a flat plate serving as a fence, and the shaft is rotatably driven by a drive motor (or solenoid) (not shown). I have. The rotation of the drive motor causes the flat plate portion to rise substantially perpendicularly to the discharge surface of the discharge stacker 90 and the document transport direction, or the flat plate portion is stored so as to be folded on the discharge surface of the discharge stacker 90, Retract from the discharge path of the document after reading. Further, on the upper surface of the discharge stacker 90, there is provided a remaining document sensor 93 for detecting the presence or absence of a discharged document.

The controller 100 drives the drive motor when the above-described intermediate stack discharge mode is set, or when the intermediate stack discharge mode is not set and a small-size document such as A5 is discharged. Then, when the paper discharge fence 94 is raised and the paper discharge fence 94 is raised and the remaining document sensor 93 detects that there is no document, the drive motor is reversely driven to store and retract the paper discharge fence 94. Further, the controller 100 sets the original bundle s to be read on the original set table 10 (the original set sensor 28 detects that the original bundle s is set on the original set table 10), and outputs the remaining original sensor When a document is detected on the sheet discharge stacker 90 by 93, the fact is displayed on the display of the operation unit, and the feeding of the document bundle s on the document set table 10 is prohibited. As described above, regardless of the setting content of the operation mode, if the document length sensor 12 detects "no document" when the document is set on the document set table 10, the document of the document bundle s Control may be performed such that all sheets are determined to be of small size, the sheet is discharged from the switchback path 8a, and the discharge fence 94 is started up.

Here, FIG. 11 shows a case where a small-size original such as A5 is ejected by setting up the ejection fence 94 and ejecting the original through the switchback path 8a as described above. In this case, the paper discharge fence 94 is rotated about the rotation fulcrum 95 from the dotted line position to the solid line position by the driving of the driving motor, and when the original is discharged, the remaining original sensor 93 detects the original. In FIG. 12, since the original is removed from the paper output stacker 90 and the original is not detected by the remaining original sensor 93, the paper output fence 94 is rotated from the dotted line position to the solid line position by the reverse drive of the drive motor. When the paper discharge fence 94 is stored so as to form a part of the upper surface of the paper discharge stacker 90 (or the intermediate stack unit discharge mode is not set, and the paper discharge fence 94 is not the small size). (A case where a document is ejected through the first reading and conveying unit 5 and the second reading and conveying unit 6 or a standby state).

The above-mentioned document setting table 10 and the like constitute document setting means, the pickup roller 20, the separation sheet feeding section 2, the registration section 3, the reversing section 4 and the like constitute separation and conveyance means, and the first reading and conveying section. 5, a second reading / conveying unit 6, a paper discharging unit 7, etc. constitute a paper discharging / conveying unit, a reversing conveying unit 8 constitutes a switchback conveying unit, and a reversing switching solenoid 10
5, the reversing switching claw 80, and the like constitute switching means, the first original length sensor 12, the second original length sensor 14, the size sensor 32, and the like constitute original size detecting means, and an operation unit (not shown) Controller 110, body control unit 111, RA
M112 and the like constitute a mixed mode setting means, the first original length sensor 12 constitutes an original bundle size detecting means, the inversion switching solenoid 105 constitutes a solenoid, and the inversion switching claw 80 constitutes a branch claw. The discharge fence 94 and the like constitute a plate member, the remaining original sensor 93 and the like constitute original detection means, a shaft serving as a rotation fulcrum 95, a drive motor (or solenoid) in the drawing, and the like constitute rotation means, The document set sensor 28 and the like constitute document set detection means, and the operation unit and the like (not shown) constitute display means.

[0108]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the read original is dropped and discharged from the open side of the switchback path onto the discharge stacker. Therefore, if there is a sufficient interval between the originals, the switchback transport is performed even during the reading. By means (including a reversing motor), a stable discharge operation can be performed, and the stackability of a small-size discharged document can be greatly improved. Therefore, the user can easily take out the bundle of documents discharged and aligned on the discharge stacker, instead of the user putting his hand out of the intermediate stack unit to take out the document as in the related art.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, according to the first aspect, the read original is dropped and discharged onto the discharge stacker from the open side of the switchback path according to the original size. Even when the documents are discharged and stacked, they are not hidden by the document set table, so that the visibility is improved and the documents can be easily taken out.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, according to the second aspect, the read original is dropped or discharged from the open side of the switchback path onto the discharge stacker or from the read position according to the size of the original. Since the paper is conveyed and discharged to the paper discharge stacker, even when documents of different sizes are mixed and conveyed / discharged, the edges of all the documents converge on the side closer to the take-out port, so the small-sized discharged document Only the document is not hidden by the document set table, the visibility is improved, and the document can be easily taken out.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the plate member is rotated by the rotating means according to the original size detected by the original size detecting means in the second aspect to form a fence on the discharge stacker. Since the read original is dropped and discharged from the open side of the switchback path to the downstream of the fence on the discharge stacker, the stackability and visibility of small-size originals are particularly improved, and the document is easily taken out.

According to the fifth and eighth aspects of the present invention, when the document detecting means detects the absence of a document near the fence on the sheet discharge stacker in the fourth and seventh aspects, the plate member is rotated by the rotating means. Then, the sheet is stored in the sheet discharge stacker and the fence is released, so that the document of the next document bundle discharged without passing through the switchback path collides with the fence formed on the sheet discharge stacker to cause a sheet discharge jam. Can be avoided.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, if the original bundle set on the original set unit is not detected by the original bundle size detecting unit to have the predetermined size, the read after the reading is performed. Documents are dropped and ejected onto the output stacker from the open side of the switchback path. By recognizing that there is no document, the document can be ejected and stacked, so that the visibility of the small-size document is improved and the document can be easily taken out.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the original bundle size detecting means does not detect that the original bundle has the predetermined size, the plate member on the discharge stacker is rotated. A fence is formed on the output stacker, and the read original is dropped and discharged from the open side of the switchback path to the downstream of the fence on the output stacker. It will be easier.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the original set detecting means detects the bundle of originals placed on the original setting means and the original detecting means detects the presence of the original, Since the conveyance of the document bundle is prohibited, the document of the next document bundle and the remaining document are prevented from being mixed,
Alternatively, it is possible to prevent the original of the next original bundle discharged without passing through the switchback path from colliding with the fence formed on the discharge stacker.

According to the tenth aspect, the first aspect is provided.
9, a step is formed on the paper discharge stacker toward the downstream side in the paper discharge direction, so that small-sized documents are improved in stackability and visibility at the time of paper discharge, and are easy to take out. Become. Also, some documents other than the small size document can be easily taken out due to the steps.

According to the eleventh aspect, the first aspect is provided.
At 0, the solenoid of the switching means (reversing switching solenoid, reversing switching claw, etc.) is attracted and driven to switch the document conveyance direction from the discharge stacker side to the switchback path side, and then, after a predetermined time elapses, the solenoid is released. Therefore, power consumption of the solenoid can be reduced in addition to the above-described effects.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the automatic document feeder according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects is mounted on the image reading apparatus. (Including reverse motor)
As a result, a stable discharging operation can be performed, the stackability of a small-sized discharged document is greatly improved, and the operability of the user is also improved.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the image reading apparatus is provided with the automatic document feeder according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, and is mounted on the original setting means by the original bundle size detecting means. If the detected document bundle is detected to be a predetermined size and the document detection means detects the presence of a document, a message indicating that the document remains on the discharge stacker is displayed. It is possible to prevent the original of the next original bundle discharged without colliding with the fence formed on the paper output stacker, or to prevent the remaining originals from being mixed with the original of the next original bundle discharged through the switchback path. Further, it is possible to prevent the user from leaving the residual document.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus is equipped with the automatic document feeder according to any one of the first to third, tenth, and eleventh aspects, and originals of different sizes are stored in the original setting means. There is a mixed loading mode that selects and feeds recording paper according to the document size of each sheet, so that the switchback path and other transport paths can be used properly according to the document size to achieve a state close to the time of mixed setting. The aligned document bundle can be collected at the time of paper ejection.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use automatic document feeder with improved visibility of a discharged document, an image reading device including the same, and an image forming apparatus. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an automatic document feeder mounted on an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the copying machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a part of a flowchart illustrating a conveyance / discharge operation in the automatic document feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a part of a flowchart illustrating a conveyance / discharge operation in the automatic document feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a sheet discharging operation (large size) in an intermediate stack section discharging mode in the automatic document feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a sheet discharging operation (small size) in an intermediate stack section discharging mode in the automatic document feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a sheet discharging operation in the mixed mode in the automatic document feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a sheet discharging operation when a small-size document bundle is detected by the automatic document feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a shape of a discharge stacker in the automatic document feeder according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a paper discharge stacker in an automatic document feeder according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a discharge fence position in an intermediate stack portion discharge mode (small size) or small size discharge in the automatic document feeder according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a discharge fence position in an intermediate stack portion discharge mode (large size) or large size discharge in the automatic document feeder according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Document setting part 2 Separation feeding part 3 Registration part 4 Inversion part 5 1st reading conveyance part 6 2nd reading conveyance part 7 Paper discharge part 8 Reverse conveyance part 8a Switchback path 9 Stack part 10 Document setting table 12 1st original Length sensor 14 Second document length sensor 28 Document set sensor 32 Size sensor 70 Discharge sensor 80 Reversing switching claw 90 Discharge stacker 91 Small stacker section 93 Remaining document sensor 94 Discharge fence 95 Rotating fulcrum 100 Controller 104 Reversing motor 105 Reverse switching solenoid 111 Main body control unit 112 RAM 120 Automatic document feeder (ADF) s Document bundle (document)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Akira Hirose 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Toshiaki Kameyama 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stock Inside Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Motoya Sano 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stock Company Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Hideki Tonaga 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stock Company Ricoh Company ( 72) Inventor Shinji Imoto 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Hiroshi Fukano 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company

Claims (14)

[Claims] An original setting unit for placing the original bundle; a separating and conveying unit for separating the original bundle placed on the original setting unit one by one and conveying the original bundle to a reading position; A sheet discharging and conveying means for conveying the document after reading from the reading position to a downstream sheet discharging stacker on the switchback path above the sheet discharging stacker and opening the sheet discharging stacker side to the upstream or downstream side; A switchback transport unit for transporting the document, and a switching unit for switching a document transport direction from the discharge stacker side to the switchback path side. The read document is dropped and discharged onto the discharge stacker from the open side of the switchback path. An automatic document feeder, characterized in that: 2. An original size detecting means for detecting an original size before reading the original, wherein the original after reading is dropped and discharged onto the discharge stacker from the open side of the switchback path in accordance with the size of the original. 2. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A mixed mode setting means for setting a mixed mode for conveying and discharging originals of different sizes mixedly loaded on the original setting means, wherein the read original is switched along a switchback path according to the original size. 3. The automatic document feeder according to claim 2, wherein the document is dropped and discharged from an open side onto a discharge stacker, or is conveyed and discharged from a reading position to a discharge stacker. 4. A fence which is rotatably mounted on the paper discharge stacker, is stored in a state of being folded on the paper discharge stacker when not in use, and is substantially perpendicular to a document conveying direction and an upper surface of the paper discharge stacker when used. And a rotating means for rotating the plate member from the storage position to the fence forming position. The plate member is rotated by the rotating means in accordance with the document size detected by the document size detecting means. 3. The automatic document feeder according to claim 2, wherein the fence is formed on the discharge stacker to move the read document from the open side of the switchback path to the fence downstream of the discharge stacker. apparatus. 5. A document detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a document near a fence on the discharge stacker. When the document detecting means detects the absence of a document, the plate member is turned by a turning means. 5. The automatic document feeder according to claim 4, wherein the fence is released by being accommodated in a discharge stacker. 6. A document bundle size detecting means for detecting that a document bundle placed on said document setting means has a predetermined size, and when the document bundle is not detected to have a predetermined size, reading is performed. 2. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein a subsequent document is dropped and discharged from the open side of the switchback path onto a discharge stacker. 7. A fence which is rotatably mounted on the paper discharge stacker, is stored in a state of being folded on the paper discharge stacker when not in use, and is substantially perpendicular to the document conveying direction and the upper surface of the paper discharge stacker when in use. And a rotating means for rotating the plate member from the storage position to the fence forming position. If the document bundle size detecting means does not detect that the document bundle has a predetermined size, A fence is formed on the paper discharge stacker by rotating the plate member by the rotation means, and the read original is dropped and discharged from the open side of the switchback path to the downstream of the fence on the paper discharge stacker. The automatic document feeder according to claim 6. 8. A document detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a document near a fence on the discharge stacker, wherein when the document detecting means detects the absence of a document, the plate member is rotated by a rotating means. 8. The automatic document feeder according to claim 7, wherein the fence is released by being accommodated in a paper discharge stacker. 9. An original set detecting means for detecting that an original bundle is placed on the original setting means, wherein the original set detecting means detects that an original bundle is placed on the original setting means, 9. The automatic document feeder according to claim 8, wherein when the document detection means detects the presence of the document, the conveyance of the document bundle is prohibited. 10. A step is formed on the discharge stacker toward the downstream side in the discharge direction.
10. The automatic document feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 9. 11. The switching means includes a branch claw and a solenoid for driving the suction and release of the branch claw. The solenoid is suction-driven to switch the document transport direction from the sheet discharge stacker side to the switchback path side. 11. The automatic document feeder according to claim 10, wherein the drive of the solenoid is released after a lapse of a predetermined time. 12. An image reading apparatus equipped with the automatic document feeder according to claim 1. 13. An automatic document feeder according to claim 9, wherein said document set detection means detects that a bundle of documents has been placed on said document set means, and detects said document. An image reading apparatus, comprising: display means for displaying that a document remains on a discharge stacker when the presence of a document is detected by the means. 14. An automatic document feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 10, 10 and 11, wherein different sizes of originals are mixed on said original setting means, and the originals are set according to the size of each original. An image forming apparatus having a mixed loading mode for selecting and feeding recording paper.