JP2001278493A - Image reading device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure an excellent operation state in the portion, for carrying a document, and reduce a manufacturing cost in an image reading device or an image forming device having the image reading device. SOLUTION: An image reading device 2 forming a part of a facsimile device is provided with a separation roller 3a, a paper feed roller 3d, and a paper discharge roller 3f, which are situated along a document feed passage. A separation roller shaft 3a1, a paper feed roller shaft 3d1, a paper discharge roller shaft 3f1, and driven roller shaft 3d1, which are functioned as the rotary shafts of the respective rollers, are formed as an integrally molded product by using resin (glass-contained PET), and designed such that static electricity at the internal part of a carriage passage under carriage of a document is prevented from generation. Thereby, an earth member from a shaft is not needed at all unlike a metallic shaft, constitution is also simplified, and a manufacturing cost is reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for an image reading apparatus such as a facsimile and an image forming apparatus having such an image reading apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image reading apparatus of this type or an image forming apparatus having such an image reading apparatus as one mechanism, a pair of rotating shafts functioning as a transport mechanism for transporting a document, that is, A metal shaft is used for at least one of a shaft of a roller for separating and conveying a document and a rotation shaft of a driven roller.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, the internal static electricity caused by the conveyance of the original document is apt to fly, and it is necessary to add a ground member, so that the cost is increased.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus,
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the manufacturing cost while securing a favorable operation mode for a portion related to document conveyance in an image forming apparatus including the same.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document mounting table on which a plurality of sheet-shaped documents can be stacked, and a sheet-shaped document mounted on the document mounting table. Document feeding means for feeding one sheet at a time from the lowermost layer, reading means provided along a feeding path of the fed sheet-shaped document, and reading image information of the document, and the feeding path A separation roller that is provided along the paper feeder and separates and conveys the document; a conveyance roller that is disposed between the reading unit and the separation roller and conveys the sheet-shaped document along the feeding path; A discharge roller provided downstream of the reading unit on a path and discharging a document with image information read out of the feeding path, the separation roller, the transport roller, and the discharge roller Less of The rotation axis of one roller and summarized in that formed by integrally molded by resin.

However, it is preferable that the rotation shafts of all the rollers among the separation roller, the transport roller, and the discharge roller are integrally formed of resin.

[0007] According to the above configuration, since all the rotating shafts of the document conveying roller are formed of a resin-integrated product, it is not necessary to provide a ground, so that the number of parts is reduced and the cost is easily reduced.

A first driven roller pressed by the transport roller across the feed path; and a second driven roller pressed by the discharge roller across the feed path; The rotation shaft of at least one of the first and second driven rollers may be integrally formed of resin. However, it is preferable that the rotating shaft of any one of the first and second driven rollers is integrally formed of resin.

According to this structure, since the rotating shaft of each driven roller is formed of a resin-integrated product, it is not necessary to provide a ground from a metal shaft, and the number of parts is reduced, thereby facilitating cost reduction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet material, comprising the image reading device having the above-described configuration, and forming an image on the sheet material based on the read image information of the document. The point is to do.

[0011] According to this structure, it is not necessary to provide a ground to each component member as a rotating body, so that the number of parts is reduced and the cost is easily reduced.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which an image reading apparatus of the present invention and an image forming apparatus provided with the same are applied to a facsimile apparatus will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As a sequence of the description, first, the schematic configuration of the facsimile apparatus will be described, and then the configuration and operation of the image reading apparatus (image reading section) attached to the facsimile apparatus will be described.

First, a schematic configuration of a facsimile machine will be described with reference to FIGS.

1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of the apparatus, which is an image reading apparatus (image reading section) 2 for reading an image of a document S as an object to be read, and which records an image on a recording sheet P as a recording object. And an image recording unit 10.

The image reading section 2 includes an upper cover 8 having a document table 8a on which a plurality of documents S can be placed, a contact type image sensor 4 as reading means for reading image information of the document, Document pressing means 5 for pressing the document S against the contact image sensor 4, and document conveyance for sequentially feeding the documents placed on the document mounting table 8 a one by one and carrying out the document via the contact image sensor 4 The unit 3 includes an upper document guide 6 and a lower document guide 7 that form a conveyance path for the document.

The upper cover having the document mounting table 8a is attached to the apparatus main body 1 so as to be openable and closable so that a later-described cartridge exchange and jam clearance can be easily performed.

A slider 8b slidable in the width direction orthogonal to the direction of transport of the document S is provided on the document table 8a.
Is provided, and both ends of the document S placed on the document placing table can be aligned by the slider 8b.

The contact type image sensor 4 as reading means irradiates the image information surface of the document with light from an LED array as a light source, and reflects light reflected from the image information surface into a lens (for example, a selfoc lens; The image information is read by forming an image on the sensor element by using a trademark.

The image reading section 2 as an image reading apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described later in detail.

The image recording section 10 includes a loading section 23 for loading a recording sheet P as a recording target, and a recording sheet loading section 23.
Paper feeding section 12 for sequentially feeding recording paper P one by one from
An image forming unit 11 for recording and forming an image on the fed recording paper P; a laser scanner 13 for irradiating the image forming unit 11 with laser light as image information; A common discharge tray 19 for loading and holding the recording paper P, a recording paper discharge table 18 for loading and holding the recording paper P discharged in a U-turn after recording, and a transport guide 17 for guiding and supporting the recording paper P to be transported. .

When the feeding is started, the separation / conveyance section 12 separates the recording paper P pressed against the separation roller 12b one by one by the separation roller 12b and the separation pad 12a pressed against the separation roller 12b. After that, the timing is adjusted so that the leading end of the image (toner image) formed by the image forming unit 11 and the leading end of the recording paper P coincide with each other by the conveying roller 12c and the conveying roller 12d which is pressed against and rotated by the conveying roller 12c. hand,
The photosensitive drum 11a of the image forming unit 11 and the transfer unit 11
f.

The recording paper stacking section 23 is provided with a plurality of recording papers P.
Can be loaded, and the number of sheets that can be set
It is about 00 sheets. Further, there are three types of recording paper that can be stacked and set: A4 size, letter size, and legal size. However, the number of recording sheets that can be set and the size of recording paper that can be stacked and set are not limited to those described above, and the configuration may be appropriately changed as necessary.

The cassette section 20 is provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 1. The recording paper P loaded on the cassette 13a is pressed against the separation roller 14b by rotating the middle plate 20c upward by the pressing member 20b, and is separated one by one by the separation pad 14a (a friction piece separation method).
The sheet is conveyed along the separation pad guide 14e, and is further conveyed by a conveying roller 14c, a cover-side U-turn guide 14f disposed on the rear cover, and a main unit U disposed on the apparatus main body side.
The transport roller 12c is inverted by the turn guide 14g.
Reach After that, the operation is the same as that of the image recording unit 10 described above. The selection of the recording stacking unit 23 and the cassette sheet feeding unit 20 can be arbitrarily selected.

In the image forming section 11, first, a laser beam, which is an image signal, is emitted from a laser beam oscillator of the laser scanner 13 based on the image signal. The laser light is irradiated on the photosensitive drum 11a of the image forming unit 11 by the polygon mirror 13b, the lens 13a, and the return mirror 13c, and an image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11a. In the image forming section 11, the photosensitive drum 11a is incorporated in a frame together with a charging means 11b, a developing means 11c, and a cleaning means 11d as process means acting thereon, and a process cartridge 11e is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 1. It is freely configured.

Therefore, at the time of the above-described image formation, the surface of the photosensitive drum 11a uniformly charged by the charging means 11b is irradiated with laser light from the laser scanner 13 to form a latent image, and the latent image is formed by the developing means 11c. A visualized image (toner image) is formed by the supplied toner.

In the image forming section 11, a transfer means 11f for transferring the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11a to the recording paper P is arranged around the photosensitive drum 11a. A fixing unit 14 for fixing the transferred toner image to the recording paper is arranged on the recording paper transport path downstream of the body drum 11a. Also,
In the figure, reference numerals 15 and 16 denote discharge roller pairs.

Therefore, the recording paper fed from the recording paper stacking unit 23 to the image forming unit 11 at a proper timing is transferred to the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11a by the transfer unit 11f. The toner image is conveyed along a conveyance guide 17, the toner image is fixed by the fixing unit 14, and discharged to a common discharge tray 19 by a discharge roller pair 15 or to a recording paper discharge table 18 by a discharge roller pair 16 via a U-turn path. It is configured to be.

If a jam occurs during recording,
By opening the open / close bar of the upper cover 8 having the document placing table 8a, the recording paper P staying inside the apparatus can be easily taken out.

Next, the configuration inside the facsimile apparatus of the present embodiment, that is, the configuration of the image reading apparatus, particularly the configuration related to the conveyance of the original and the operation thereof will be described.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are a side sectional view showing a main internal structure of the facsimile apparatus (image reading apparatus) according to the present embodiment and a plan view (top view) of the same structure viewed from above.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the image reading section 2, when the original S is stacked on the original placing table 8a (see FIG. 2), the leading end of the original comes into pressure contact with the separation roller 3a. It is sandwiched between the preliminary press-contact arms 3h. When the conveyance of the original is started after the original is set, the original S
Is a separation roller 3a and a preliminary pressure contact arm 3 pressed against the separation roller 3a.
h to the friction piece 3b. Then, the sheet is separated and fed one by one by the separation roller 3a and the friction piece 3b pressed against the separation roller 3a. The originals separated one by one are further conveyed to a close contact type image sensor 4 by a paper feed roller 3d pressed against a paper feed roller 3c pressed by a pressing spring 3i, and are brought into close contact image sensor 4 by a document pressing means 5 described later. The image information can be read while the document is sequentially fed while being brought into close contact with the sensor 4. Thereafter, the original is pressed by a paper discharge roller 3f and a pressing spring 3i, and the paper discharge roller 3f
And between the paper discharge roller 3e and the paper discharge roller 3e which is in pressure contact with, and is nipped and conveyed by these two members 3f and 3e.
The paper is discharged to the common paper discharge tray 19 (see FIG. 2).

During this time, the conveyance path and the conveyance posture of the document S are
Guided by an upper document guide 6 and a lower document guide 7.

The separation roller shaft 3a1, the paper feed roller shaft 3d1, the paper discharge roller shaft 3f1, the driven roller shaft 3c in the above configuration
Each of 1 and 3e1 is formed as an integrally molded product made of resin (PET with glass), and is designed to prevent static electricity in the transport path during document conveyance. Therefore, unlike the metal shaft, no ground member is required from the shaft, so that the document transport system can be configured with a simple configuration.

However, these separation roller shaft 3a1, paper feed roller shaft 3d1, paper discharge roller shaft 3f1, and driven roller shaft 3c
The resin material constituting 1, 3e1 is not limited to PET with glass. The driven rollers 3c, 3e
May be integrally formed with the driven roller shafts 3c1, 3e1.

The upper document guide 6 is provided with a preliminary press-contact arm 3h, a friction piece 3b, a paper feed roller 3c, a paper discharge roller 3e, a document pressing means 5, and the like. Separation roller 3a, paper feed roller 3d, paper discharge roller 3f,
A contact image sensor 4 and the like are provided. And
The upper document guide 6 side can be opened and closed with respect to the lower document guide 7 side in the arrow direction in FIG.

Therefore, when a jam or the like occurs, the document conveying path is opened by opening the upper document guide 6 so that the jam can be easily removed.

(Other Embodiments) In the above embodiment, the image reading apparatus of the present invention and the image forming apparatus provided with the same are applied to a facsimile apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Even when the present invention is applied to other image forming apparatuses such as a scanner and an image reading apparatus (mechanism) attached to these apparatuses, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the electrophotographic method is applied as the recording method. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention is applied to an apparatus of another recording method such as an ink jet method. It can also be applied.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is now possible to eliminate the ground member from the transport roller shaft and driven roller shaft, which were difficult to connect and dispose the ground because of the rotating operation, simplifying the device configuration and significantly increasing manufacturing costs. Can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a main internal structure of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing a main internal structure of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

 P Recording paper S Document 1 Main body of facsimile device (image forming device) 2 Image reading unit (image reading device) 3 Document transport unit 3a Separation roller 3a1 Separation roller shaft 3b Friction piece 3c Feeding driven roller 3c1 Feeding driven roller shaft 3d Feeding Paper roller 3d1 Paper feed roller shaft 3e Paper discharge driven roller (second driven roller) 3e1 Paper discharge driven roller shaft 3f Paper discharge roller 3f1 Paper discharge roller shaft 3g Stopper 3h Pre-pressing arm 4 Close contact image sensor 5 Original pressing means 6 Upper document guide 7 Lower document guide 8 Top cover 8a Document mounting table 8b Slider 10 Image recording unit 11 Image forming unit 11a Photoconductor drum 11b Charging unit 11c Developing unit 11d Cleaning unit 11e Process cartridge 11f Transfer unit 12 Recording paper feeding unit 12a Separation pad 12b Separation roller 12c Transport row 12d Conveyance roller (first driven roller) 13 Laser scanner 13a Lens 13b Polygon mirror 13c Folding mirror 14 Fixing means 15, 16 Discharge roller pair 17 Transport guide 18 Recording paper discharge table 19 Common discharge tray 21 Slider 23 Recording paper loading section

Claims (3)

[Claims] An original placing table on which a plurality of sheet-like originals can be stacked; sheet feeding means for feeding sheet-like originals placed on the original placing table one by one from a lowermost layer; A reading unit that is provided along the feeding path of the sheet-shaped document to be fed and reads image information of the document, and a separation roller that is also provided along the feeding path and separates and transports the document.
A conveying roller disposed between the reading unit and the separation roller and configured to convey the sheet-like document along the feeding path; provided on the feeding path downstream of the reading unit to read image information; And a discharge roller for discharging the original document out of the feeding path, wherein a rotation shaft of at least one of the separation roller, the conveyance roller, and the discharge roller is integrally formed of resin. An image reading apparatus, comprising: 2. A first driven roller pressed by the transport roller across the feed path, and a second driven roller pressed by the discharge roller across the feed path.
2. The driven roller according to claim 1, wherein a rotating shaft of at least one of the first driven roller and the second driven roller is formed integrally with a resin. Image reading device. 3. An image forming apparatus comprising the image reading device according to claim 1, wherein an image is formed on a sheet material based on image information of the read original.