JP2002179276A - Sheet feeding mechanism of automatic document conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet feeding mechanism of an automatic document conveying device capable of preventing a drive shaft from falling off a device body by surely limiting the axial movement of the drive shaft. SOLUTION: This sheet feeding mechanism 130 comprises a paper feed unit 114 having a paper feed belt 112 and a discharge roller 113 and the drive shaft 115 for transmitting a drive force to the paper feed unit 114, and detachably supported on a front plate 131 by axially moving the drive shaft 115. The limiting part 144 of the paper feed guide 141 rotatably supported on the drive shaft 115 is locked to the front plate 131 to limit the movement of the drive shaft 115 in the axial direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feed mechanism of an automatic document feeder, and more particularly, to an automatic document that is detachably supported on an apparatus body of the automatic document feeder by moving a drive shaft in an axial direction. The present invention relates to a sheet feeding mechanism of a transport device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an automatic document feeder applied to a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a scanner, and the like,
Some documents are separated from a document placed on a platen one by one, conveyed to an image reading unit along a document conveying path, and then the document whose image reading is completed is discharged to a paper discharge tray. . Recently, this type of automatic document feeder has been required to have more functions and higher speed, and to further save space.

In order to satisfy such demands, an automatic document feeder separates documents placed on a document table one by one, and then feeds the document to an image reading unit via a transport path. In such a configuration, space saving in the document conveying direction of the apparatus is realized.

In such a turn feeding, since a document whose document surface faces upward is placed on a document table, a feeding roller as a paper feeding means for feeding the document and a paper feeding belt are transported by the document feeding belt. The paper feed belt is provided above the paper feed path, and after feeding out the original by the feed-out roller, moves around in the paper feed direction, and is provided below the paper feed path and slides on the paper feed belt. Documents are separated one by one by a separation roller that rotates in the separation direction in contact with the document.

[0005] Since the feeding roller and the paper feed belt need to be replaced periodically due to dirt or wear, they can be easily attached to and detached from the automatic document feeder so that the replacement operation can be performed efficiently. It has a configuration that can be used. As a sheet feeding mechanism of such an automatic document feeder, a sheet feeding mechanism 200 which is detachably supported on an apparatus body of the automatic document feeder by moving a drive shaft in an axial direction as shown in FIG. Are known.

In FIG. 9, a paper feed mechanism 200 includes a drive mechanism 20 provided in an apparatus body 201 of the automatic document feeder.
2 has a drive shaft 203 connected thereto. At one end of the drive shaft 203, an engagement portion 205 that engages with the pin 204 of the drive mechanism 202 is provided.
5, a driving force is transmitted from the driving mechanism 202 to the driving shaft 203.

A bracket 206 rotatably supported by the drive shaft 203 is provided on the drive shaft 203. Inside the bracket 206, a paper feed belt 207 and a feed roller 208 are provided. I have. Paper feed belt 2
Reference numeral 07 is stretched between a drive roller attached to the drive shaft 203 and a driven roller that rotates with the orbital movement of the paper feed belt 207. Feeding roller 208
Drive shaft 2 via a driving member such as a gear, a belt, etc.
03, and rotates in the same direction in conjunction with the drive roller.

The other end of the drive shaft 203 has
1 that engages with opening 209 formed in
Are movably provided on the drive shaft 203. The bearing 210 is driven by a spring 211 by a drive shaft 203.
And is locked by an E-ring (not shown) provided at the other end of the drive shaft 203 so as not to fall out of the drive shaft 203.

On both sides of the drive shaft 203 across the bracket 206, paper feed guides 212 and 213 rotatably supported by the drive shaft 203 are provided. The paper feed guides 212 and 213 form a part of a document conveyance path,
The document is guided between a lower guide plate (not shown) provided on the apparatus main body 201.

The paper feed mechanism 200 having the above configuration
First, the bearing 210 is inserted obliquely from above into the opening 209, and the drive shaft 2 is mounted against the urging force of the spring 211.
03 is moved to the other end side which is the axial direction. At this time,
Since the drive shaft 203 enters the opening 209 by a predetermined length, a certain distance is secured between the drive mechanism 202 and one end of the drive shaft 203. Next, the drive shaft 203 is made horizontal with the bearing portion 210 as a fulcrum, and the drive shaft 203 is moved to one axial end side. And the drive shaft 20
The sheet feeding mechanism 200 is attached to the apparatus main body 201 by engaging the third engaging portion 205 with the pin 204 of the driving mechanism 202. At this time, the bearing 210 is
The drive shaft 203 is reliably connected to the drive mechanism 202 by being urged by 1.

When removing the paper feed mechanism 200 from the apparatus main body 201 of the automatic document feeder, first, the drive shaft 203 is moved toward the other end in the axial direction against the urging force of the spring 211. At this time, since the drive shaft 203 enters the opening 209 by a predetermined length, a certain distance is secured between the drive mechanism 202 and one end of the drive shaft 203, and the engaging portion of the drive shaft 203 205 is the driving mechanism 2
02 comes out of the pin 204. And the bearing part 210
The drive shaft 203 is directed obliquely upward with respect to
The sheet feeding mechanism 200 is removed from the apparatus main body 201 by extracting the sheet 10 from the opening 209.

By the way, this type of paper feeding mechanism 200 is configured to be supported by the apparatus main body 201 only by the urging force of the spring 211 so that it can be easily attached to and detached from the automatic document feeder. , During transportation or operation,
It was easy to fall off from the apparatus main body 201 by an unexpected external force. Therefore, in the conventional paper feed mechanism 200, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, a stopper member 214 for restricting the axial movement of the drive shaft 203 is provided. Of the apparatus main body 2 by being mounted between the bearing 210 of the
01 is prevented from falling off.

[0013]

However, in the conventional paper feed mechanism of the automatic document feeder, the stopper member is provided separately from the paper feed mechanism and is attached to the paper feed mechanism. There has been a problem that members are easily forgotten or lost. Further, when the stopper member is not mounted, there has been a problem that the stopper member cannot be prevented from dropping from the apparatus main body.

According to the present invention, in order to solve such a problem, the movement of the automatic document feeder in which the movement of the drive shaft in the axial direction can be surely restricted and the dropping from the apparatus main body can be prevented is prevented. It is an object to provide a paper mechanism.

[0015]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a paper feed mechanism of an automatic document feeder according to the present invention includes a paper feed means for feeding a document placed on a document table, A drive shaft for transmitting a driving force to the paper means, the drive shaft being disposed above the document transport path, and being attached to and detached from the apparatus body of the automatic document transport apparatus by moving the drive shaft in the axial direction. In the paper feed mechanism of the automatic document feeder that is freely supported, the paper feed mechanism is rotatably supported by the drive shaft and rotates between a restriction position for restricting the axial movement of the drive shaft and a release position for releasing the restriction. It is characterized by comprising a regulating means for moving. In the paper feed mechanism of this automatic document feeder, the regulating means rotatably supported by the drive shaft regulates the axial movement of the drive shaft, so that the axial movement of the drive shaft can be reliably achieved with a simple mechanism. Thus, the paper feed mechanism can be prevented from falling off from the apparatus main body.

Further, in the paper feed mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to the present invention, by closing a cover member that is openably and closably mounted on the apparatus main body, the restricting means is rotated to the restricting position. It is characterized by the following. In this paper feed mechanism of the automatic document feeder, the restricting means is reliably rotated to the restricting position in accordance with the closing movement of the cover member, so that the mounting failure of the paper feed mechanism can be prevented.

[0017]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 7 are views showing a sheet feeding mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, an embodiment in which the automatic document feeder according to the present invention is applied to a copying machine is shown. However, in addition to the copying machine, an image reading unit having an image reading unit such as a facsimile machine and a scanner is provided. Applicable to the device.

First, the configuration of a copying machine having the automatic document feeder according to the present embodiment will be described.

In FIG. 1, an automatic document feeder 101 provided above a copying machine 100 separates documents 103 placed on a document table 102 one by one, and
After the document 103 is conveyed to the image reading unit 105 along the path, the document 103 for which the reading of the image has been completed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 106.

The automatic document feeder 101 includes an apparatus main body 110 composed of a housing and the like, a cover member 111 openably and closably mounted on the apparatus main body 110, and an original on which the original 103 is placed with the original surface facing upward. A sheet feeding unit 114 serving as a sheet feeding means having a table 102, a sheet feeding belt 112 and a feeding roller 113 for feeding the document 103 placed on the document table 102, and transmitting a driving force to the sheet feeding unit 114 Drive shaft 115, which slides in contact with a paper feed belt 112 provided below the document conveyance path 104 to move the document 103
A separation roller 116 for separating sheets one by one, and a leading edge detection sensor 117, 118, 119, 1 for detecting the passage of the document 103;
20, the position of the document 103 is corrected, and
Transport roller pair 121 for nipping and transporting in a predetermined direction
And an image reading unit 105 including a scanner for reading an image of the document 103 fed to the reading position A, a transport drum 122 for feeding and discharging the document 103 to and from the image reading unit 105, and pressure rollers 123, 124, and 125. And a discharge roller pair 126 for nipping the document 103 for which the image reading has been completed and discharging the same to the outside of the apparatus, a document reversing unit 127 for performing a document reversing operation, and a paper discharge tray 1 for loading the discharged document 103
06. The paper feed unit 114 and the drive shaft 115 constitute a paper feed mechanism 130 according to the present invention. The paper feed mechanism 130 is disposed above the document conveying path 104 and has a drive shaft 115. Is moved in the axial direction to be detachably supported by the apparatus main body 110 of the automatic document feeder 101.

As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed mechanism 130 has a drive shaft 115 connected to a drive mechanism 132 provided on a front plate 131 which is the apparatus main body 110 of the automatic document feeder 101. . One end of the drive shaft 115 has an engagement portion 13 that engages with the pin 133 of the drive mechanism 132.
4 is provided, and a driving force is transmitted from the driving mechanism 132 to the driving shaft 115 via the engaging portion 134.

The drive shaft 115 is provided with a bracket 135 rotatably supported by the drive shaft 115. Inside the bracket 135, a paper feed belt 112 and a feeding roller 113 are provided. I have. Paper feed belt 1
As shown in FIG. 3, reference numeral 12 is stretched between a driving roller 136 attached to the driving shaft 115 and a driven roller 137 that rotates with the orbiting movement of the sheet feeding belt 112. The feeding roller 113 is connected to the driving shaft 115 via a driving member including a gear, a belt, and the like, and rotates in the same direction in conjunction with the driving roller 136.

The other end of the drive shaft 115 is attached to the apparatus main body 11.
A bearing 139 that engages with an opening 138 formed in the front side plate 131 that is 0 is movably provided on the drive shaft 115. The bearing 139 is urged by a spring 140 toward the other end of the drive shaft 115 and is locked by an E-ring (not shown) provided at the other end of the drive shaft 115 so that the bearing 139 does not come off the drive shaft 115. Is configured.

On both sides of the bracket 135 of the drive shaft 115, paper feed guides 141 and 142 rotatably supported by the drive shaft 115 are provided. The paper feed guides 141 and 142 are, as shown in FIG.
4, and guides the document 103 between itself and a lower guide plate 143 provided on the apparatus main body 110. In addition, at the outer end of the paper feed guide 141 disposed on the other end side of the drive shaft 115, as shown in FIG. The movement of the drive shaft 115 in the axial direction is regulated by the regulation portion 144 being locked to the front side plate 131. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the paper feed guide 141 has a regulating position X in which the regulating portion 144 is locked to the front side plate 131 to regulate the axial movement of the drive shaft 115, and as shown in FIG. The restricting portion 144 is separated from the front side plate 131 and rotates to a release position Y where the restriction on the movement of the drive shaft 115 is released. Note that the paper feed guide 141 is
This constitutes a regulating means in the present invention.

Further, the sheet feeding guide 141 is changed from a state in which the cover member 111 is opened as shown in FIG. 6 to a state in which the cover member 111 is closed as shown in FIG. The rib 145 is pressed by the formed rib 145, and rotates from the release position Y to the restriction position X.

Next, the attachment / detachment operation of the paper feed mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to the present embodiment will be described.

When attaching the paper feeding mechanism 130 to the apparatus main body 110, first, the cover member 111 is opened, and then,
The bearing 139 is inserted into the opening 138 from obliquely above while the regulating portion 144 faces upward on the document setting surface, and the drive shaft 115 is moved toward the other axial end in the axial direction against the urging force of the spring 140. . At this time, since the drive shaft 115 enters the opening 138 by a predetermined length, a certain distance is secured between the drive mechanism 132 and one end of the drive shaft 115. Next, using the bearing 139 as a fulcrum, the drive shaft 1
15 is made horizontal, and the drive shaft 115 is moved to the one end side which is the axial direction. Next, the paper feed mechanism 130 is attached to the apparatus main body 110 by engaging the engaging portion 134 of the drive shaft 115 with the pin 133 of the drive mechanism 132. At this time, the drive shaft 115 is securely connected to the drive mechanism 132 by the biasing of the bearing portion 139 by the spring 140. Next, by rotating the paper feed guide 141 from the release position Y to the regulation position X, the regulation portion 144 is locked to the front side plate 131 to regulate the movement of the drive shaft 115 in the axial direction. Then, the cover member 111 is closed. At this time,
Even if the operator forgets to rotate the paper feed guide 141 to the regulation position X, by closing the cover member 111, the paper feed guide 141 is pressed down by the rib 145 formed on the cover member 111, and the release position Y From regulation position X
To rotate.

When removing the paper feeding mechanism 130 from the apparatus main body 110, first, the cover member 111 is opened,
Next, by rotating the paper feed guide 141 from the restriction position X to the release position Y, the restriction part 144 is separated from the front side plate 131 and the restriction on the movement of the drive shaft 115 is released. next,
The drive shaft 115 is moved toward the other end in the axial direction against the urging force of the spring 140. At this time, the drive shaft 11
5 enters the opening 138 by a predetermined length, a certain distance is secured between the drive mechanism 132 and one end of the drive shaft 115, and the engaging portion 134 of the drive shaft 115 Out of the pin 133 of FIG. Then, the drive shaft 115 is directed obliquely upward with the bearing 139 as a fulcrum,
By extracting the bearing 139 from the opening 138,
The paper feed mechanism 130 is removed from the apparatus main body 110.

As described above, in this embodiment, the drive shaft 11
The paper feed guide 141 rotatably supported by the front side plate 1
31 and restricts the movement of the drive shaft 115 in the axial direction, the movement of the drive shaft 115 in the axial direction can be reliably restricted by a simple mechanism. Dropout can be prevented.

Further, in this embodiment, since the paper feed guide 141 serving as the restricting means is provided in the paper feed mechanism 130 itself, it is possible to prevent the forgetting or loss of the restricting means when the paper feed mechanism 130 is attached or detached. Can be.

In this embodiment, even if the operator forgets to rotate the paper feed guide 141 to the regulation position X when replacing the paper feed mechanism 130, the paper feed guide
Since the cover 41 is surely rotated to the regulation position X in accordance with the closing movement of the cover member 111, it is possible to prevent the mounting failure of the sheet feeding mechanism 130.

In this embodiment, the sheet feeding mechanism 130
Is applied to a so-called sheet-through type automatic document feeder in which the image reading unit 105 reads an image of the document 103 passing through the contact glass at a fixed position. The present invention may be applied to an automatic document feeder of a type that reads an image while the image reading unit moves.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a sheet feeding mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, only the configuration of the restricting means is different from that of the first embodiment, and the other configurations are the same. Therefore, the same members are given the same numbers and only the characteristic portions of the configuration will be described.

In FIG. 8, the outer end 150 of the paper feed guide 141 disposed on the other end of the drive shaft 115 is engaged with an L-shaped projection 151 formed on the front plate 131. And the outer end 150 is a projection 151
, The movement of the drive shaft 115 in the axial direction is restricted. Also, the paper feed guide 141
The outer end 150 is locked to the projection 151 so that the drive shaft 1
15 and a release position Y in which the outer end 150 is separated from the protrusion 151 to release the restriction on the movement of the drive shaft 115.

As described above, in the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the paper feed guide 141 rotatably supported by the drive shaft 115 is locked to the front side plate 131 and the axial direction of the drive shaft 115 is Since the movement is regulated, the movement of the drive shaft 115 in the axial direction can be reliably regulated by a simple mechanism, and the paper feed mechanism 130 can be prevented from falling off from the apparatus main body 110.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide a paper feed mechanism of an automatic document feeder that can reliably restrict the movement of the drive shaft in the axial direction and can prevent the drive shaft from falling off from the apparatus main body.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a copier including an automatic document feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sheet feeding mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a sheet feeding mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of a sheet feeding mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of a sheet feeding mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a sheet feeding mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a paper feed mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a main part of a sheet feeding mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a paper feed mechanism of a conventional automatic document feeder.

FIG. 10A is a perspective view of a conventional stopper member,
(B) is a side view of a main part of a paper feed mechanism equipped with a conventional stopper member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Automatic document feeder 104 Document feed path 110 Main body 111 Cover member 112 Feed belt 113 Feeding roller 114 Feed unit (feeding means) 115 Drive shaft 130 Feed mechanism 131 Front side plate 134 Engagement part 135 Bracket 136 Drive roller 137 Followed roller 139 Bearing 140 Spring 141, 142 Feeding guide (restriction means) 144 Restriction 145 Rib 150 Outer end 151 Projection X Restriction position Y Release position

Claims (2)

[Claims] A sheet feeding means for feeding a document placed on a document table; and a drive shaft for transmitting a driving force to the sheet feeding means. In addition, in the paper feed mechanism of the automatic document feeder detachably supported by the apparatus body of the automatic document feeder by moving the drive shaft in the axial direction, the paper feed mechanism is rotatably supported by the drive shaft, A sheet feeding mechanism for an automatic document feeder, comprising: a regulating unit that pivots between a regulating position that regulates the axial movement of the drive shaft and a release position that releases the regulation. 2. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein said restricting means is rotated to said restricting position by closing a cover member which is openably and closably mounted on said apparatus main body. Paper feed mechanism.