JP2002108025A - Automatic document feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the distortion of a bone structural member 65 from affecting the attached state of a carrying unit 24 even in the case the bone structural member 65 is distorted. SOLUTION: As for the automatic document feeder, the carrying unit 24 (including a forward feeding roller 25, a paper feeding roller 26, a resist roller 27, a reading part 28 and a ejection roller 29, etc.), is not fixedly attached to the skeleton member 65 (a stay 66, a front plate 67 and a rear plate 68, etc.), but, attached to the bone structural member 65 so that at least the rear side of the carrying unit 24 may be shifted in the vertical direction with reference to the skeleton member 65.

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, and more particularly to an automatic document feeder improved to stabilize the state of document transport at a document reading position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional automatic document feeder in a digital copying machine will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a document transport path in the automatic document feeder, FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view showing a skeleton of the automatic document feeder, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the automatic document feeder. There are, respectively, schematic diagrams. Referring to FIG. 1, a document table (not shown) is disposed above a horizontal stay 1, and the document placed on the document table is sent out by a forward feed roller 2 and fed by a paper feed roller 3. The sheet is conveyed to the registration roller 4. The document once stopped by the registration roller 4 is further sent from the registration roller 4, passes through the reading unit 5, and is discharged by the discharge roller 6 as indicated by an arrow.

[0005] The forward feed roller 2, paper feed roller 3, registration roller 4 and discharge roller 6 are provided in a transport unit 7 shown by a broken line. That is, the automatic document feeder includes the transport unit 7 which is unitized for convenience of manufacture and assembly. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a front side plate 8 is fixed to the front side of the stay 1, and a rear side plate 9 is fixed to the rear side of the stay 1. The stay 1, the front side plate 8, and the rear side plate 9 are fixed. Thus, a skeleton of the automatic document feeder is formed.

A first motor 10 for driving the forward feed roller 2 and the paper feed roller 3 and a second motor 11 for driving the registration roller 4 and the discharge roller 6 are mounted on the rear side plate 9. ing.

[0005]

With such a configuration, in the automatic document feeder, the load is biased rearward due to the two heavy motors 10, 11 being biased rearward. I have. Therefore, in the reading unit 5, an imbalance in the load applied to the document in the front-rear direction is caused. Reading unit 5
The imbalance in the load on the document in the document may distort the document feed.

On the other hand, when a document is manually set on a reading table to perform copying without automatically feeding the document, the operator opens and closes the automatic document feeder. Since the automatic document feeder has a considerable weight as a whole, a spring for biasing the automatic document feeder in the opening direction is incorporated in the hinge 12 provided at the rear so that the operator can operate the document lightly. Due to the urging force of the spring, the automatic document feeder receives a force that always opens. Therefore, there is a possibility that the stay 1 may be bent due to aging. Transport unit 7
Is fixed to the stay 1, so that when the stay 1 is bent, the position of the transport unit 7 also shifts. As a result, there is a problem that a shift occurs in the direction in which the document is transported by the transport unit 7.

Further, when the stay 1 is bent and it becomes difficult for the transport unit 7 to come into close contact with the reading table, the front side of the automatic document feeder is moved so that the transport unit 7 comes into close contact with the reading table. Must be pressed. For this reason, a magnet that gives a force for bringing the front side of the automatic document feeder into close contact with the reading table may be attached below the conventional automatic document feeder.
Although the attracting force of the magnet contributes to bringing the transport unit 7 into close contact with the reading table, a large force must be applied when the automatic document feeder is opened by an operator, and the operability is deteriorated. I was invited.

The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and a main object of the present invention is to provide an automatic document feeder in which a document is conveyed favorably. Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic document feeder improved so that an even load is applied to a conveyed document. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic document feeder with good operability, particularly easy opening and closing operations.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a skeleton forming member (a stay, a front plate, a rear plate, etc.) in an automatic document feeder. A unit including a roller, a reading unit, a discharge roller, etc.) is fixedly mounted, but at least the rear side of the transport unit is displaceably mounted in a vertical direction (a direction approaching to and away from the reading table) with respect to the skeleton forming member. It is characterized by having.

An automatic document feeder attached to a copying machine or the like is frequently opened and closed with respect to a main body housing of the copying machine or the like. That is, the automatic document feeder does not always operate in the automatic document feed mode, and the document is often set manually, so that the automatic document feeder is frequently opened and closed. For this reason,
When the skeleton forming member of the automatic document feeder is bent, the position of the transport unit on the reading table slightly changes when the automatic document feeder is closed. A change in the position of the transport unit on the reading table adversely affects document feeding and document reading.

According to the structure of the present invention, even if the skeleton forming member is bent, the transfer unit is mounted so as to be displaceable with respect to the skeleton forming member. Does not affect the mounting condition. Therefore, the transport unit is always positioned at a predetermined position, and satisfactorily transports the document. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transport unit is attached so that its rear side is vertically displaceable with respect to the skeleton forming member,
The front side is attached to the skeleton forming member so as to be displaceable in the front-rear direction. For this reason, the rear side of the transport unit is always at a fixed position in the front-rear direction with respect to the skeleton forming member, and even if the skeleton forming member bends in the front-rear direction, it is not affected by the bending, and the fixed unit is fixed. Maintain state. Therefore, the document can be satisfactorily conveyed.

The more specific structure of the present invention is as follows. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a skeleton forming member that forms a skeleton of the apparatus, a forward feed roller, a paper feed roller,
Including a transport unit in which a roller for document transport such as a registration roller and a discharge roller is incorporated and unitized, and coupling means for displaceably coupling the transport unit to a skeleton forming member within a predetermined range. The automatic document feeder is characterized in that:

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the skeleton forming member is
A stay extending in the front-rear direction of the device, a front plate fixed to the front end of the stay and projecting in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the stay extends, and a rear plate fixed to the rear end of the stay and projecting in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the stay extends. 2. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, comprising: Claim 3
In the described invention, the axis of each roller incorporated in the transport unit extends in the direction in which the stay extends (front-back direction),
The connecting means includes a front connecting means and a rear connecting means, wherein the front end and the rear end of the transport unit are connected to the skeleton forming member by the front connecting means and the rear connecting means, respectively. 2. The automatic document feeder according to item 2.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the front connecting means connects the front end of the transport unit to the skeleton forming member so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction, and the rear connecting means connects the rear end of the transport unit to the skeleton forming member. 4. The automatic document feeder according to claim 3, wherein the ends are connected to be vertically displaceable.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the rear connection means elastically urges the rear end of the transport unit downward, and connects the rear end of the transport unit upwardly displaceably against the elastic force. 5. The automatic document feeder according to claim 4, wherein:

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the front connection means includes a fine adjustment mechanism for finely adjusting the connection position of the front end of the connection unit to the skeleton forming member to the left and right. Automatic document feeder. Claim 7
The invention according to claim 1, wherein a hinge mechanism is further provided at a rear portion of the skeleton forming member, and the apparatus can be attached to the image forming apparatus or the scanner via the hinge mechanism so as to be openable and closable. The automatic document feeder described in the above.

The invention according to claim 8 is a metal skeleton forming member extending in the front-rear direction of the device and forming a skeleton of the device.
A transport unit integrated with rollers for document transport such as a forward feed roller having a shaft extending in the front-rear direction, a paper feed roller, a registration roller, a discharge roller, and the like, and a skeleton forming member at least a rear end side of the transport unit And a connecting means for resiliently connecting to the automatic document feeder. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the front end of the transport unit is connected to the skeleton forming member so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction, and the rear end of the transport unit is connected to the skeleton forming member elastically in the vertical direction. 9. The automatic document feeder according to claim 8, further comprising means.

[0017]

FIG. 4 shows a digital copying machine 2 having an automatic document feeder 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an illustrative sectional view viewed from the front side of FIG. In the digital copier 21, the upper surface 23 of the main body housing 22 has a reading table (a platen glass plate for setting an original to be copied).
It has become. The automatic document feeder 20 is placed on the reading table 23.
Is installed so that it can be opened and closed. As shown, when the automatic document feeder 20 is in contact with the reading table 23, the document is automatically conveyed by the automatic document feeder 20. On the other hand, when the automatic document feeder 20 is opened, the operator can set a document on the reading table 23.

The automatic document feeder 20 has a transport unit 2
4 are included. The transport unit 24 includes a forward feed roller 25 for feeding out documents one by one, and a pair of paper feed rollers 2.
6, a registration roller pair 27, a reading unit 28, a discharge roller pair 29, and the like. An optical system 30 is disposed above the main body housing 22. When a document is sent by the transport unit 24, a document passing below the reading unit 28 is illuminated, and its contents are read. The optical system 30 includes
It includes a lamp 31 for illumination, reflectors 32, 33, and 34 for guiding light illuminated by the lamp 31 and reflected by the original, a lens 35 for converging the reflected light, and a CCD 36. After the read data of the CCD 36 is signal-processed, it is irradiated from a laser 37 onto a photosensitive drum 38. Around the photoreceptor drum 38, a charger 3 is provided.
9, a developing device 40, a transfer roller 41, and a cleaner 42 are provided, and a toner image is formed by an electrophotographic method.

Sheet feed trays 43 and 44 are provided below the main body housing 22 so as to be able to be pulled out. The paper in the paper feed trays 43 and 44 is fed by
The sheet is fed out sheet by sheet, and is supplied to the photosensitive drum 38 via a pair of conveying rollers 47 and a pair of registration rollers 48. The transfer roller 41 transfers the toner image formed on the photoreceptor drum 38 to a sheet, the toner image transferred to the sheet is fixed by a fixing roller pair 49, and a discharge tray 50.
Is discharged to

The automatic document feeder 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a scanner 51 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 52 denotes a scanner 51.
The main body housing 52 is provided with an optical system 53. The configuration of the optical system 53 is as follows.
The configuration is substantially the same as that of the optical system 30 in the digital copying machine 21 described with reference to FIG. Body housing 5
The upper surface 54 of the document 2 is a document reading table (platen glass plate), to which the automatic document feeder 20 is attached so as to be openable and closable. The configuration of the automatic document feeder 20 is the same as that of the document feeder mounted on the digital copying machine 21 described with reference to FIG. That is, the automatic document feeder 20 includes the transport unit 24.

As described above, the automatic document feeder according to the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a digital copying machine, and can also be applied to a scanner. 6 and 7 are external perspective views of a digital copying machine 21 having an automatic document feeder 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 shows a state in which the automatic document feeder 20 is closed, and FIG. 7 shows a state in which the automatic document feeder 20 is open. The automatic document feeder 20 includes a transport unit 24 on the left side when viewed from the front. The upper right surface is a document discharge table 62, on which a document set table 61 is disposed. The originals set on the original set table 61 are taken into the transport unit 24 one by one, and the contents thereof are read, and then discharged to the original discharge table 62.

As shown in FIG. 7, the automatic document feeder 20
When the is opened, the reading unit 28 included in the transport unit 24 can be visually recognized. Elastic bosses 63 and 64 are protruded from the rear end and the front end of the reading unit 28, respectively. When the automatic document feeder 20 is closed, these bosses 63 and 64
, And stably positions the reading section 28 at a predetermined position with respect to the reading table 23.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the structure of the skeleton member 65 of the automatic document feeder 20. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the automatic document feeder 20 as viewed from the rear, in which the transport unit 24 is removed.
The automatic document feeder 20 has a stay 6 extending in the front-rear direction.
6, a front plate 67 fixed to the front end of the stay 66, and a rear plate 68 fixed to the rear end of the stay 66. A main hinge mechanism 69 and a sub hinge mechanism 70 are attached to the rear side plate 68, and the automatic document feeder 20 can be attached to the digital copier 21 or the like so as to be openable and closable by these two hinge mechanisms 69 and 70. ing.

As described above, the transport unit 24 is provided with various rollers and a reading unit, and motors 71 and 72 for driving the various rollers are also incorporated on the rear side. When assembled, the transport unit 24 is elastically displaceably connected to the skeletal member 65 as described later. 9 and 10 are views showing a connection state between the rear end side of the transport unit 24 and the skeleton member 65. FIG. 9 is a view from the left side, and FIG. 10 is a view from the front side.

The stay 66 is a metal member extending in the front-back direction in the horizontal direction. A metal rear plate 68 projecting upward in the direction perpendicular to the stay 66 is fixed to the rear end of the stay 66. Further, metal supporting ribs 73 and 74 are provided. The support ribs 73 and 74 protrude rearward of the rear plate 68. The support ribs 73 and 74 support a metal column 75 extending vertically. The support 75 has a lower part supported by the support rib 73 and an upper part supported by the support rib 74.

Further, a movable plate 76 made of metal is provided. The movable plate 76 has a main portion 77 extending in the vertical direction, a connecting piece 78 extending forward from the upper end, a connecting piece 79 extending forward from the central portion in the vertical direction, and a mounting portion 80 extending forward from the lower end. ing. Connecting pieces 78, 79
Is provided with a hole, and a column 75 penetrates the hole. That is, the movable plate 76 can be displaced in the vertical direction while being guided by the support columns 75. The support rib 74 and the connecting piece 7
9, a coil spring 81 is fitted into the support 75. Therefore, the movable plate 76 is constantly urged downward by the coil spring 81, and the movable plate 76 can be displaced upward against the elasticity of the coil spring 81.

As shown in FIG. 10, two sets of the structure having the column 75 and the coil spring 81 are provided in the left-right direction. The transport unit 24 shown by a broken line has its rear portion screwed to the mounting portion 80. Therefore, the transport unit 24 is moved with respect to the frame member 65 including the stay 66 and the rear side plate 68.
The rear end side is attached via a movable plate 76 so as to be vertically displaceable. FIG. 11 and FIG.
FIG. 11 is a view showing a connection structure for connecting the front side of No. 4 to the skeleton member 65, FIG. 11 is a view seen from the rear side, and FIG. 12 is a view seen from the right side. The stay 66 extends horizontally in the front-rear direction,
At the front end, a metal front plate 67 extending in the left-right direction, which is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the stay 66, is fixed. The front side plate 67 is provided with a pair of support pieces 82 projecting forward at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction.
A shaft 84 extending horizontally in the left-right direction is formed so as to penetrate the space. The metal swing plate 85 is held by the shaft 84. The lower portion of the swing plate 85 can swing in the front-rear direction around the shaft 84. A mounting portion 86 is provided at a lower end of the swing plate 85, and a front end portion of the transport unit 24 is screwed to the mounting portion 86. Therefore, the front end of the transport unit 24 fixed to the rocking plate 85 is
It can be displaced within a predetermined range in the front-rear direction.

The swinging plate 85 is also provided with a mounting position adjusting screw 87. The screw 87 penetrates a pair of support pieces 88 projecting forward from the rocking plate 85.
On the other hand, a connecting L fitting 90 is
Is fixed. The L fitting 90 is provided with a receiving piece 91 protruding forward. A long hole 9 in the left and right direction necessary for screwing to the mounting portion 86 is formed in the L bracket 90.
2 are formed. A screw 93 is fitted from below so as to penetrate the elongated hole 92, and the screw 93 is screwed into the attachment portion 86, so that the L bracket 90, that is, the front end of the transport unit 24 is attached to the rocking plate 85. . that time,
With the screw 93 slightly loosened, the mounting position adjusting screw 87
, The tip of the screw 87 pushes the receiving piece 91. Thereby, the position in the left-right direction between the L bracket 90 and the swing plate 85 can be finely adjusted.

FIGS. 13 and 14 are illustrative views for explaining the operation and effect of the mounting structure of the transport unit 24 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 13, the rear portion of the transport unit 24 can be elastically displaced up and down with respect to the skeleton member 65. The front part of the transport unit 24 can be displaced in the front-rear direction. Therefore, even if the skeleton member 65 is bent, the positional relationship between the transport unit 24 and the upper surface 23 serving as the document reading table does not shift.

In particular, when the automatic document feeder 20 is
Since the transport unit is positioned on the contact glass with respect to the rear end of the transport unit 24 when closed, the transport unit 24 should always be located at a fixed front-back position with respect to the reading table 23. Can be. Further, by adjusting the mounting position adjusting screw 87 (see FIGS. 11 and 12), the position of the front part of the transport unit 24 can be adjusted in the left-right direction as shown in FIG. Therefore, since the position of the transport unit 24 can be adjusted after the transport unit 24 is attached to the skeleton member 65, the transport unit 24 can always be maintained at an optimal position for transporting the original.

FIG. 15 shows the skeleton member 65 and the transport unit 2.
4 is a plan view showing the relationship with FIG. In FIG. 15, 6
Reference numeral 6 denotes a stay, 67 denotes a front side plate, and 68 denotes a rear side plate. 2 shown by a broken line
4 is a transport unit, 75 is a support, 84 is a shaft, 85
Represents a rocking plate, and 87 represents a mounting position adjusting screw. In the above embodiment, the transport unit 24 for the skeleton member
In the above mounting structure, an example is shown in which the rear part of the transport unit extending in the front-rear direction is connected to the frame member so as to be elastically displaceable in the vertical direction, and the front part is mounted so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, both the rear part and the front part of the transport unit may be attached to the skeletal member in a vertically elastically displaceable state.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a document conveyance path in an automatic document feeder.

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view showing a skeleton of the automatic document feeder of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the automatic document feeder of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an illustrative sectional view seen from the front side of a digital copying machine having an automatic document feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an illustrative sectional view showing the configuration of a scanner to which the automatic document feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a digital copying machine having an automatic document feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the appearance of a digital copying machine having an automatic document feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a skeleton member of the automatic document feeder according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a connection state between a rear end side of the transport unit and a skeleton member.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a connection state between a rear end side of the transport unit and a skeleton member.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a connection structure for connecting the front side of the transport unit to a skeletal member.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a connection structure for connecting the front side of the transport unit to a skeleton member.

FIG. 13 is an illustrative view for explaining the function and effect of the mounting structure of the transport unit according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is an illustrative view for explaining an operation and effect of the mounting structure of the transport unit according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a relationship between a skeleton member and a transport unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Automatic document feeder 21 Digital copier 23, 54 Upper surface (reading table) 24 Transport unit 25 Forward feed roller 26 Feed roller pair 27 Register roller pair 28 Reading unit 29 Discharge roller pair 51 Scanner 65 Skeletal member 66 Stay 67 Front side plate 68 Rear side plate 69 Main hinge mechanism 70 Secondary hinge mechanism 75 Prop 76 Movable plate 78 Connecting piece 79 Mounting part 81 Coil spring 84 Shaft 85 Oscillating plate 87 Mounting position adjusting screw

Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Hideki Kitagawa 1-2-28 Tamazo, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka F-term in Kyocera Mita Corporation (reference) 2H076 AA02 AA07 AA58 BA15 BA24 BA47 BA51 BA95 EA24 3F049 AA10 DA05 DB02 LA02 LB02

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A skeleton forming member for forming a skeleton of an apparatus, a transport unit integrated with rollers for document transport such as a forward feed roller, a paper feed roller, a registration roller, and a discharge roller, and a skeleton formation. Connecting means for connecting the transport unit to the member so as to be displaceable within a predetermined range. 2. A skeleton forming member, a stay extending in the front-rear direction of the device, a front plate fixed to a front end of the stay and projecting in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the stay extends, and fixed to a rear end of the stay. 2. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, further comprising a rear side plate extending in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction. 3. The shaft of each roller incorporated in the transport unit extends in the direction in which the stay extends (front-rear direction). The connecting means includes front connecting means and rear connecting means, and includes a front end and a rear end of the transport unit. 3. The automatic document feeder according to claim 2, wherein the ends are connected to the skeleton forming member by front connection means and rear connection means, respectively. 4. The front connecting means connects the front end of the transport unit to the skeleton forming member so as to swing back and forth, and the rear connecting means vertically displaces the rear end of the transport unit with respect to the skeleton forming member. 4. The automatic document feeder according to claim 3, wherein the automatic document feeder is connected as much as possible. 5. The rear connecting means resiliently urges the rear end of the transport unit downward, and connects the rear end of the transport unit upwardly displaceably against the elastic force. The automatic document feeder according to claim 4. 6. The automatic document feeder according to claim 5, wherein the front connection means includes a fine adjustment mechanism for finely adjusting the connection position of the front end of the connection unit to the skeleton forming member in the left and right directions. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a hinge mechanism is further provided at a rear portion of the skeleton forming member, and the apparatus can be attached to the image forming apparatus or the scanner via the hinge mechanism so as to be openable and closable. Automatic document feeder as described. 8. A metal skeleton forming member that extends in the front-rear direction of the apparatus and forms a skeleton of the apparatus, and a document feeder such as a forward feed roller, a paper feed roller, a registration roller, and a discharge roller having a shaft extending in the front-rear direction. An automatic document feeder comprising: a transport unit in which a unit roller is incorporated into a unit; and a connecting means for elastically connecting at least a rear end side of the transport unit to a skeleton forming member. 9. A front end of the transport unit is connected to the skeleton forming member so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction, and a rear end of the transport unit has a connecting means for elastically connecting the skeleton forming member to the vertical direction. 9. The automatic document feeder according to claim 8, wherein: