JP2002347986A - Sheet supplying device, image reading device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the generation of malfunction such as a deformation of a sheet and a carrying failure due to a hindrance to alignment of the loaded sheet by a detecting means provided with an actuator having a part projecting toward a sheet loading surface of a sheet loading stand. SOLUTION: The detecting means is arranged so that a plate surface of the plate-like actuator crosses the sheet supplying direction. An actuator having a spherical head part is used.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device used for a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, and the like, and an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus having the sheet feeding device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In copying machines, facsimile machines, printers, and the like, sheets such as originals and recording paper are handled, and a sheet supply device for supplying the sheets is used. Such a sheet supply device is used in an automatic document feeder of an image reading device or a paper supply unit that supplies recording paper to an image forming unit.

In a sheet feeder of an automatic document feeder or a sheet feeder of a manual feeder, a sheet adjusting means for regulating a side edge of the sheet is used as a means for regulating a side edge of the sheet so that sheets of various sizes can be fed. Alignment means movable in a direction intersecting the supply direction is used, and detection means for detecting a sheet is used.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the conventional sheet feeding apparatus having the aligning means and the detecting means.

[0005] The sheet is placed on the sheet placing table A, and is conveyed in the sheet supply direction as indicated by an arrow W1.

[0006] Sheets of various sizes can be placed on the sheet. The regulating plate B as the aligning means is movable within the range of the arrow W2, and the regulating plate C as the aligning means is the arrow W3. It is movable within the range indicated by. The sheet P1, which is placed in an inclined position, moves the regulating plates B and C toward the positions b and c shown by the dotted lines, whereby the sheet P1 is moved.
As shown in the figure, the side edges are arranged parallel to the sheet supply direction W1. When a plurality of sheets are placed, sheets in various directions are aligned by operating the regulating plates B and C.
Further, the sheet mounting table A is inclined in the sheet supply direction W1, and the leading end of the sheet is aligned forward in the sheet supply direction.

An actuator D, which is a detecting means for detecting a sheet, is provided to detect the sheet. The detecting means detects that the sheet is placed on the sheet placing table A and detects the length of the sheet in the sheet supply direction W1. The width of the sheet placed on the sheet placing table A is detected by the regulating plates B and C. That is, the positions of the regulating plates B and C are converted into voltage values, and the width of the sheet is detected. As described above, the sheet size is detected from the information on the width of the sheet from the regulating plates B and C and the information on the length of the detecting unit.

[0008]

In FIG. 1, the sheet P1 does not rest on the actuator D of the detecting means. By aligning the sheets by operating the regulating plates B and C, the sheet P2 is placed on the actuator D. However, since the actuator D protrudes from the sheet mounting table A as shown in FIG. 2, it becomes an obstacle to the movement of the sheet. For example, a state in which the end is bent by the actuator D like the sheet P3. It may be. For this reason, the sheet may be skewed or conveyed while being skewed or jammed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems caused by the actuator of the detecting means, to stabilize the operation, and to provide a highly reliable sheet feeding apparatus, an image reading apparatus equipped with the sheet feeding apparatus, and An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus.

[0010]

The above objects of the present invention are attained by the following inventions.

1. A sheet mounting table on which a sheet is mounted, a sheet aligning unit that regulates a sheet side edge parallel to the sheet feeding direction, and is movable in a direction intersecting the sheet feeding direction, and a sheet mounted on the sheet mounting table In the sheet feeding apparatus having a detecting unit for detecting the position of the sheet, the detecting unit includes an actuator which operates by the sheet placed on the sheet placing table and a sensor which detects the operation of the actuator. A sheet feeding device having a working edge or a working surface inclined with respect to the alignment direction by the means.

2. 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is formed of a plate-like member arranged so that a plate surface crosses the sheet feeding direction.

3. 3. The sheet feeding device according to 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the detecting units are provided at a plurality of positions in the sheet feeding direction.

4. 4. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one sheet aligning unit is provided. 5.

[0015] 5. Wherein the two sheet aligning means moving in opposite directions are provided.
5. The sheet feeding device according to any one of 4.

6. 3. The sheet feeding device according to the item 2, wherein the actuator is provided at an angle of 30 to 150 with respect to the sheet feeding direction.

[7] 2. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator includes a movable member having a spherical head protruding from the sheet mounting table.

[8] An image reading apparatus comprising: an automatic document feeder having the sheet supply device according to any one of the above items 1 to 7.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising the automatic document feeder according to the above item 8.

[10] An image forming apparatus, comprising: a manual sheet feeding device including the sheet feeding device according to any one of the above items 1 to 7.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS <Image Forming Apparatus> FIG.

Reference numeral 101 denotes an automatic document feeder, which feeds a document, which is an example of a sheet, to an image reading position one by one.
The automatic document feeder 101 has a duplex reading function.

Reference numeral 102 denotes an image reading unit which has an image pickup device composed of a CCD and reads an original conveyed by the automatic original conveying device 101 or an original placed on an original platen glass 102A to generate image data.

An image forming unit 103 forms an image by an electrophotographic method. That is, the image forming unit 103 forms a toner image on the photoconductor by charging, exposing, and developing,
The image is transferred onto a recording sheet P, which is an example of a sheet. Image forming unit 1
Numeral 03 forms a toner image on the recording paper P based on image data generated by the image reading unit 102 or image data transmitted from the outside.

Recording paper storage units 104A, 104B, 104
In the image forming unit 103, a toner image is transferred to C or the recording paper P supplied from the manual paper feeding device 105, and the transferred toner image is fixed to the recording paper P in the fixing device. The recording paper P on which the toner image has been fixed is placed on the paper output tray 1
07. Reference numeral 108 denotes a reverse transport unit that reverses and transports the recording paper P when forming a rear image in double-sided image formation.

<Automatic Document Conveying Apparatus> FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an automatic document conveying apparatus which automatically conveys an example of a sheet to an image reading position one sheet at a time, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of a document placing table. .

The automatic original plate method apparatus 101 has an original placing table 1 as an example of a sheet placing table, a feed roller 3, a separation / conveyance roller 4, and a separating roller 5, and a registration roller 6
And a sheet supply device for supplying a document G as a sheet.

The original placing table 1 is arranged to be inclined forward in the sheet supply direction W1.
Are aligned at their tips. If the alignment is insufficient, the alignment in the sheet supply direction W1 can be easily performed by pressing the rear end (right end in the figure) of the document G.

The original G on the original mounting table 1 is pressed against the sending-out roller 3 by the push-up plate 2, and is conveyed from above by the rotation of the sending-out roller 3. The document G is separated into one sheet by the separation conveyance roller 4 and the separation roller 5. The document G is temporarily stopped at the registration roller 6 at its leading end, and after a loop of the document G is formed between the separation roller 4 and the registration roller 6, the document G is conveyed by the registration roller 6, and the conveyance rollers 7, 8 and the platen roller Then, the sheet P is conveyed by the printer 9, passes through the image reading position RE, and is discharged to a sheet discharge tray 15 via a sheet discharge roller 13. The image of the document passing through the image reading position RE is read by the image reading unit 102.

In the double-sided reading, the front side image of the original G is read at the time of passing the image reading position RE in the original transporting step. The original G after the front surface reading is guided to the reversing conveyance roller 12 by the switching guide member K1, is switch-back conveyed by the reversing conveyance roller 12, is turned over, and then is conveyed by the conveyance roller 14, the conveyance roller 7, the conveyance roller 8 and the platen roller 9. Image reading position RE
And the back side image is read when passing through the image reading position RE.

After passing through the image reading position RE, the original G is transported to the reverse transport roller 12 by the switching guide member K1.
The image is read by switchback conveyance by the reverse conveyance roller 12, and after being turned upside down, is conveyed by the conveyance roller 14 and the platen roller 9, guided by the switching guide member K <b> 2, and conveyed by the conveyance roller 7, the conveyance roller 8, and the platen roller 9. Passes through position RE. After passing through the image reading position RE, the document G is guided to the paper discharge roller 13 by the switching guide members K1 and K2, and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 15 by the paper discharge roller 13.

As described above, the original G placed on the original placing table 1 is guided by the guide member H in the sheet feeding direction W1.
To be aligned.

In the direction perpendicular to the sheet supply direction W1, that is, in the width direction W4, regulating plates 20, 21 as sheet aligning means for regulating both side edges of the document in the width direction W4 are formed in the grooves 2.
It is aligned by moving along 2,23. By operating one of the regulating plates 20 and 21 by a well-known interlocking mechanism, the other is moved by the same amount in the opposite direction, and the original is aligned around the center line L.
In addition, only one of the restriction plates 20 or 21 is movable,
The other may be fixed and one-sided reference may be matched.

The positions of the regulating plates 20 and 21 are detected by position detecting means (not shown) such as a sliding variable resistor, and the width of the document is detected.

Numerals 30 and 31 denote actuators.
Reference numerals 2 and 33 denote optical sensors each including a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit. The actuator 30 and the optical sensor 32 and the actuator 31 and the optical sensor 33 constitute a detecting unit for detecting a document. These detecting means detect the placement of the document G and the length of the document in the document supply direction.

The document size is detected by the position detecting means and the detecting means of the regulating plates 20 and 21.

The actuators 30, 31 are shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 6A, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line Y-Y in FIG. 6, a plate-shaped member provided at an angle of 90 ° with respect to the sheet supply direction W1. Actuator 3
The originals 0 and 31 protrude from the original placing surface of the original placing table 1 as shown in the drawing, but the original G is in the width direction of FIG. Alignment direction W
As shown at 4, the actuators 30 and 31 move along the inclined working edges 30B and 31B. Therefore, the document G does not catch on the actuators 30 and 31 during alignment, and the actuators 30 and 31 do not hinder the alignment.

In the example shown in the figure, the arrangement angle of the actuators 30 and 31 which does not hinder the alignment of the document G is 90 ° clockwise with respect to the sheet supply direction W1.
(Shown in FIG. 7) is set. However, the arrangement angle of the actuators 30 and 31 is not limited to 90 °, but may be any angle other than 0 °. A desirable arrangement angle is 30 ° to 150 °. In addition, when following the display of FIG.
A range of 0 °, that is, an angle range that is line-symmetric with respect to the sheet feeding direction W1 is included in the range of 30 ° to 150 °.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, by making the shape of the portion R of the actuators 30 and 31 that comes into contact with the document into an arc shape, the document G can be more smoothly aligned.
Even thin documents can be easily aligned.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show another example. In this example, a movable member having a button shape with a spherical head is used as an actuator. Actuators 40, 41
As shown, the head is partially spherical, and the foot 40A,
41A. The feet 40A and 41A are supported and guided by a support portion 45 integrated with the document table 1, and are urged upward by a coil-shaped compression spring 46. When the document is not placed, as shown in FIG. 9B, and descends as shown in FIG. 9B by the placed document. Then, at the time of alignment by the regulating plates 20 and 21, the sheet moves along the action surfaces 40B and 41B inclined with respect to the alignment direction of the actuators 40 and 41.

The optical sensors 32 and 33 are turned on / off upon detecting the lowering of the foot 40A. In this example, the heads of the actuators 40 and 41 are made spherical, so that the document alignment operation is performed smoothly.

<Manual Sheet Feeding Table> FIG. 10 is a plan view of a sheet feeding table 50 which is an example of a sheet mounting table of the manual sheet feeding apparatus 105 which is an example of a sheet feeding apparatus. Manual feed tray 50
The recording paper of various sizes, which is an example of a sheet, is placed on the sheet, and is fed to the image forming unit 103 (shown in FIG. 3).
At both ends of the manual sheet feeding table 50 in the recording sheet width direction W4, regulating plates 51 and 52 as sheet aligning means are respectively provided in the guide grooves 5.
3 and 54 are provided so as to be movable, and when one of the regulating plates 51 and 52 is moved by a well-known mechanism, the other moves by the same amount in the opposite direction. Manual feed tray 50
, An auxiliary table 60 is movably provided at a position indicated by a dotted line in the sheet feeding direction, and the auxiliary table 60 stably feeds large-size recording paper P such as B4 size or A3 size. It is placed on a paper table 50. The manual sheet feeding table 50 is provided with a hole 50A for detecting means so as to avoid the position of the auxiliary table 60 as shown, and an actuator 55 of a detecting means for detecting a sheet is provided in the hole 50A. As shown in FIG. 6, the actuator 55 is rotatably attached to the shaft 55A, and a state where a part of the actuator 55 projects from the sheet supply table 50 is a normal state. The actuator 55 made of a plate-shaped member is installed such that the plate surface of the plate-shaped actuator 55 is at 90 ° to the sheet supply direction W1.

Accordingly, the actuator 55 does not become an obstacle when the recording paper P is aligned. The auxiliary table 60 is arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line L of the manual paper feed table 50. In the configuration in which the auxiliary table 60 is arranged in this manner, the actuator 55 is arranged at the end of the manual sheet feeding table 50 in the sheet width direction, avoiding the auxiliary table 60. In this arrangement, the direction of the plate surface of the plate-shaped actuator 55 is changed to the sheet supply direction W1.
It is particularly effective to arrange them so that they cross each other.

[0044]

According to any one of the first, third to ninth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the actuator of the detection means for detecting the sheet from being an obstacle to the sheet alignment, so that the sheet alignment can be performed smoothly. In addition, problems such as defective sheet conveyance due to sheet deformation occurring during sheet alignment are eliminated.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a sheet conveying apparatus, an image reading apparatus, or an image forming apparatus having a sheet size detecting means which does not hinder sheet alignment is realized.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus having a manual sheet feeding device capable of smoothly aligning sheets is realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional sheet feeding apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an automatic document feeder having a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a document table in the automatic document feeder shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an actuator.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an installation angle of an actuator.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a sheet mounting table in another example of the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the actuator.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a paper feed tray of a manual paper feeder in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Document placement table 20, 21, 51, 52 Regulatory plate 30, 31, 40, 41, 55 Actuator 50, Manual paper feed table 32, 33 Optical sensor 101 Automatic document feeder 105 Manual paper feeder G Document P Recording paper W1 Sheet supply W4 width direction

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2H072 AA09 AA12 AA23 AB18 BA13 BB04 CA01 HB09 JA02 2H076 AA04 BA17 BA24 BA35 BA36 BA39 BA42 BB02 BB04 3F048 AA02 AA04 AA05 AB01 AB02 BA05 BA07 BA14 BA20 BB10 CB05 DB01 DC02 AB01 BA02 BA04 BC01 BC04 CA06 CD07 3F343 FA01 FA03 FB02 FB03 FC04 FC12 GA02 GB01 GC01 GD01 HA33 HE03 HE20 HE22 KB03 LA03 MA03 MA12 MA26

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A sheet mounting table on which a sheet is mounted, a sheet aligning means which regulates a sheet side edge parallel to a sheet supply direction and is movable in a direction intersecting the sheet supply direction. In a sheet feeding apparatus having a detecting unit for detecting a placed sheet, the detecting unit includes an actuator operated by a sheet mounted on the sheet mounting table and a sensor for detecting the operation of the actuator, the actuator comprising: Is
A sheet feeding device having a working edge or a working surface inclined with respect to a direction of alignment by the sheet aligning means. 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is formed of a plate-like member arranged so that a plate surface intersects the sheet feeding direction. 3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the detecting units are provided at a plurality of positions in the sheet feeding direction. 4. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one sheet aligning means is provided. 5. The sheet aligning means according to claim 1, further comprising two sheet aligning means which move in opposite directions.
5. The sheet feeding device according to any one of 4. 6. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the actuator is provided at an angle of 30 to 150 ° with respect to the sheet feeding direction. 7. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises a movable member having a spherical head projecting from the sheet mounting table. 8. An image reading apparatus, comprising: an automatic document feeder having the sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1. Description: 9. An image forming apparatus comprising the automatic document feeder according to claim 8. 10. An image forming apparatus comprising a manual sheet feeder comprising the sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1. Description: