JP2003040477A - Paper feeding device, and image forming device and image reader provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeding device, and an image forming device and an image reader provided with the same capable of adequately feeding a sheet easily at a low cost. SOLUTION: A guiding member 23 is provided above a sheet feeding path R which a sheet S discharged from a sheet feeding means for discharging the sheet loaded on a sheet loading table passes, and the guiding member 23 guides the sheet discharged by the sheet feeding means. The guiding member 23 is mounted on a shaft 26 provided above the sheet feeding path R and extending in an orthogonal direction to a sheet feeding direction so that the guiding member 23 is securely positioned.

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, an image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding device, and an image reading device, and more particularly to a sheet feeding device including a guide member for guiding a sheet fed by a sheet feeding unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile, or an image reading apparatus, an original placed on an original placing table is sent out by an original feeding means and then separated one by one by a separating section. Some include a document feeding device that separates and feeds the image to the image reading unit. As such a document feeding device, there is one having a paper feeding device including a document feeding means for feeding a document which is, for example, a sheet, and a separation roller forming a separation unit.

Here, FIG. 8 shows the structure of a conventional paper feeding device provided in such a document feeding device.
A guide member 52 formed of Mylar or the like is provided above the document feeding path R through which the document 53 fed from a document feeding unit (not shown) passes.

By providing the guide member 52 above the document feeding path R as described above, even when the document 53 having the leading edge portion 53a curled upward is fed by the document feeding means, the leading edge of the leading edge portion 53a is fixed. Wall surface 51a of cover member 51
The original 53 can be directed to the separating section and the downstream side of the separating section without being caught by the sheet and causing a feeding failure or a corner break.

[0005]

By the way, in such a conventional paper feeding device, for example, when jamming is performed, the cover member 51 is rotated in the direction of arrow A with the rotation shaft 51b as a fulcrum. I try to open and close it. Here, when the cover member 51 is opened in this manner, the guide member 52 first comes into contact with the shaft 54 of the separation roller, and thereafter, while being bent downward, passes through the shaft 54 and moves above the shaft 54. become.

However, when the guide member 52 is moving above the shaft 54 in this manner, the cover member 51 is formed.
Is closed, the shaft 54 of the separation roller is fixed to the main body of the apparatus.
Has a problem that it is caught on the shaft 54 of the separation roller as shown by the broken line.

When the guide member 52 is caught in this way, the leading end portion 53a of the document cannot be guided. Therefore, the caught guide member 52 is returned to the original state, in other words, the guide member. A separate means for properly positioning 52 is required, which complicates the configuration and increases the cost.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a simple and low-cost sheet feeding apparatus capable of appropriately feeding sheets, and an image forming apparatus including the same. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image reading device.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a sheet feeding device for feeding a sheet placed on a sheet placing table by a sheet feeding means and then separating and feeding the sheets one by one by a separating section. A guide member, which is provided above the sheet feeding path through which the sheet sent by the sheet feeding means passes, and which is provided above the sheet feeding path, which guides the sheet sent by the sheet feeding means, A shaft extending in a direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction, and the guide member is attached to the shaft.

According to the present invention, the guide member has a main body portion that abuts on the sheet and guides the sheet, and locking portions that are vertically provided at both ends of the main body portion and that lock with the shaft. It is characterized by that.

According to the present invention, the main body of the guide member is
A first guide surface that is inclined downward toward the sheet feeding path, and a second guide surface that extends from the lower end of the first guide surface in the sheet feeding direction and that is substantially parallel to the sheet feeding path. It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, the engaging portion of the guide member is
It is characterized in that it has a locking hole that is partially cut out to elastically lock the shaft.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a separating roller which constitutes the separating portion, and the shaft to which the guide member is attached is the shaft of the separating roller.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a holding member which is rotatably supported above the sheet placing table and holds the sheet feeding means so that the sheet feeding means can come into contact with and separate from the sheet placed on the sheet placing table. The axis of the separation roller is coaxial with the axis of the holding member.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the guide members are arranged on both sides of the holding member.

The present invention also provides an image reading apparatus including an image reading section and a document feeding apparatus having a sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a document to the image reading section, the sheet feeding apparatus of the document feeding apparatus. Is characterized in that it is described in any of the above.

Further, according to the present invention, an image reading unit, a document feeding device having a paper feeding device for feeding a document to the image reading unit, and an image is formed based on the document information read by the image reading unit. In the image forming apparatus including the image forming unit, the paper feeding device of the document feeding device is one of the above.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image reading apparatus equipped with a document feeding apparatus having a sheet feeding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure thereof.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 60 is an image reading device, and 1 is a document feeding device mounted on the top of the image reading device 60. Here, the document feeding device 1 is attached to the upper part of the image reading device 60 so as to be openable and closable so that when the document is placed on the platen glass 22 and the document is read, the document is pressed. ing.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a document feeder 1 when bound.
The apparatus main body 40 serves as a pressure plate for pressing the original, and inside the apparatus main body 40, a substantially U-shaped original conveying path (hereinafter referred to as U turn path) 12 is provided.
A document placing tray 14 which is a sheet placing table is provided so as to be connected to the upstream end side of the U-turn path 12.
The document discharge tray 1 formed by a part of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 40 so as to be connected to the downstream end side of the U-turn path 12.
8 are provided.

An upstream side of the U-turn path 12 is a pickup roller 3 which is a document feeding means for abutting the uppermost document S1 of the documents S which are sheets stacked on the document placing tray 14 and feeding it. A separating pad 4 that constitutes a separating portion that separates the originals S1 sent out by the pickup roller 3 one by one, a separating roller 5 that comes into pressure contact with the separating pad 4, and the originals S stacked on the original placing tray 14. 1A is provided with a document stopper 20 that regulates the leading end position of the document and a document presence sensor 16 that detects the presence or absence of the document S.

Further, on the downstream end side of the U-turn path 12, a pair of document discharge rollers 9 for discharging the document S to the document discharge tray 18, and a document edge sensor for detecting the front end and the rear end of the document S. 17 are provided.

In the figure, reference numerals 6 and 7 denote first and second portions provided on the U-turn path 12 so as to convey the document S.
A pair of conveyance rollers, 18a is provided on the base end side of the document discharge tray 18, a document holding surface for holding the rear end of the document S to be discharged, and 50 is a cover provided on the apparatus main body 40 so as to be openable and closable. An upper cover, which is a member, is opened to remove the jammed document when the document is jammed, for example.

Reference numeral 10 is rotatably supported above the document placing tray 14 to hold the pickup roller 3 rotatably and in contact with and away from the document S loaded on the document placing tray 14. A pickup arm which is a holding member, and is used when the document is sent out.
Is rotated downward to bring the pickup roller 3 into contact with the document S.

On the other hand, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 2 denotes an image reading unit for reading a document placed on the platen glass 22, and the image reading unit 2 is provided below the platen glass 22 so as to be movable left and right. A contact image sensor 30 is provided.

Here, the contact type image sensor 30
Is to read light by irradiating the image information surface of the document S with light from an LED array as a light source, and forming the reflected light reflected by the image information surface on a sensor element with a SELFOC lens (trademark) to read the image information. When reading a fixed original, the original image is read while moving in the left-right direction, and when reading the original conveyed from the original feeding device 1, the original is read while stopped at the position shown in FIG. Has become.

In the document feeder 1, when the operator places the document S on the document placing tray 14 and sets it,
The document is set from the left side to the right side in the left-right direction of the document feeder 1 and with the image surface facing upward. At the time of setting the document, the front end position of the document S is set at the document stopper. It is regulated by 20 and the presence / absence of a document is detected by the document presence / absence sensor 16.

Then, in such an image reading apparatus 60, when the operator gives an instruction to start reading from an operation unit (not shown), first, the drive unit (not shown) rotates to rotate the pickup arm 10 downward, whereby The document stopper 20 is pushed down by the pickup arm 10. Thereafter, the pickup roller 3 comes into contact with the uppermost original S1 of the originals S stacked on the original placing tray 14, and sends out the uppermost original S1.

Next, the uppermost original S1 passes through the original stopper 20, is separated from other originals by the separating roller 5 and the separating pad 4, and is fed into the U-turn path 12. Further, the document S1 fed into the U-turn path 12 in this way is fed by the first conveying roller pair 6
Is conveyed along the U-turn path 12 and further conveyed to the reading position where the contact type image sensor 30 reads the image information by the second conveying roller pair 7.

After that, when the leading edge of the document S1 is detected by the document edge sensor 17, the contact type image sensor 30 starts reading the image information when the document S1 is conveyed by a predetermined amount from that position. At this time,
The document S1 is pressed against the reading white background plate 8. After the reading is started, the original S1 is picked up by the transparent scooping sheet 19 and moves toward the original discharge roller pair 9.

Next, the document S is detected by the document edge sensor 17.
When the rear end portion of No. 1 is detected, when the predetermined amount is conveyed from that position, the reading of the image information by the contact image sensor 30 ends. The document S1 thus read is conveyed toward the document discharge tray 18 by the document discharge roller pair 9, and the document discharge tray 18 is conveyed.
Is discharged to.

The discharged document S1 falls freely when its rear end passes through the document discharge roller pair 9, moves along the inclined document discharge tray 18, and eventually reaches the document holding surface 18a at the rear end. The documents are accommodated in the document discharge tray 18 while the parts are held. In this way, the image reading device 60 repeats the above-described reading operation until the document presence sensor 16 detects the absence of the document.

By the way, FIG. 3 is a view showing the structure of the sheet feeding device 1A provided in the document feeding device 1. In FIG. 3, 26 is the shaft of the separation roller 5. Reference numeral 23 is provided above a document feeding path R, which is a sheet feeding path through which the document sent by the pickup roller 3 passes, and the document S sent by the pickup roller 3 is passed through the separation section to make a U-turn path 12. The sheet guide 23 is a guide member that guides the sheet to the separation roller 5
Is attached to a shaft 26 (hereinafter, referred to as a separation roller shaft).

In the present embodiment, the separation roller shaft 26 is coaxial with the shaft of the pickup arm 10. The sheet guides 23 are arranged on both sides of the pickup arm 10 as shown in FIG.

Since the separating roller shaft 26 is fixed to the apparatus main body 40, the upper cover 50 and the upper cover opening / closing shaft 50c as shown in FIG. Even when the sheet guide 23 is rotated to the center, the sheet guide 23 does not move.

In other words, by mounting the sheet guide 23 on the separation roller shaft (the shaft of the pickup arm 10) 26, the sheet guide 23 can be reliably positioned. As a result, the document S curled upward can be reliably guided to the U-turn path 12 through the separating portion without the tip being caught.

Incidentally, FIG. 6 shows such a sheet guide 2
3 is a perspective view, and FIG. 7 is a three-sided view (bottom surface, side surface, back surface) of the sheet guide 23.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sheet guide 23 includes a main body 23A and the guide main body 23A.
And a locking portion 23B vertically provided at both ends of the. Here, when the front end of the document sent out by the pickup roller 3 is curved upward, the main body 23A is
The first guide surface 23a inclined toward the document feeding path R that first comes into contact with the front end of the curved document, and the first guide surface 23a.
It has a second guide surface 23b which is substantially parallel to the document feeding path R extending from the lower end of the guide surface 23a in the document feeding direction.

The locking portion 23B is the sheet guide 23.
To the separation roller shaft 26 and a locking hole 23c that is partially cut away, and a locking hole (not shown) recessed in the side surface of the upper cover 50 when the sheet guide 23 is mounted to the separation roller shaft 26. A rotation restricting portion 23d that engages with the groove and restricts the rotation of the sheet guide 23 is provided. In the present embodiment, the sheet guide 23 is made of Mylar or the like, and the separation roller shaft 26 has
It is adapted to be elastically locked through the locking hole 23c.

Then, the sheet guide 2 having such a configuration
In the sheet feeding device 1A using the sheet feeding device 3A, when the pickup roller 3 feeds the original S with the leading end portion 25a curled upward, the leading end of the curled original S is first fed to the sheet guide as shown in FIG. 23A of the main body 23A
Contact the first guide surface 23a provided on the
The sheet is guided along a second guide surface 23b that is substantially parallel to the document feeding path R extending from the guide surface 23a in the document feeding direction. Further, thereafter, it is fed into the U-turn path 12 while being guided by the guide surface 50b formed on the upper cover 50.

Here, since the sheet guide 23 is reliably positioned, even if the tip 25a is bent upward, the tip does not get caught on the separation roller shaft (the shaft of the pickup arm 10) 26, etc. The document S is conveyed along the sheet guide 23.

As described above, the upper curled document S can be reliably fed with a simple and low-cost structure in which the sheet guide 23 is attached to the separation roller shaft (the shaft of the pickup arm 10) 26.

In the above description, the case where the paper feeding device according to the present invention is used as the document feeding device of the image reading device has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an image reading portion is provided. A document feeding device (or a document feeding device, comprising: a document feeding device that feeds a document to an image reading unit; and an image forming unit that forms an image based on document information read by the image reading unit. May be used as a sheet feeding unit for feeding sheets to the image forming unit).

Although the case where the sheet guide 23 is provided on the separation roller shaft (the shaft of the pickup arm 10) 26 has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sheet guide 23 can be reliably positioned. If you can do it and you can surely guide the sheet (original),
For example, the device body 40 may be provided with a shaft for a sheet guide.

[0046]

As described above, as in the present invention, the guide member for guiding the sheet fed by the sheet feeding means is mounted on the shaft extending in the direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction for reliable positioning. This makes it possible to reliably and easily feed the sheet at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image reading apparatus including a document feeding device having a paper feeding device according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a configuration of the image reading apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing the configuration of the document feeding device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an attached state of a sheet guide of a sheet feeding device provided in the document feeding device.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an upper cover of the document feeding device is opened.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the sheet guide.

7A is a bottom view, FIG. 7B is a side view, and FIG. 7C is a rear view.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional paper feeding device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Document feeder 1A paper feeder 2 Document reading section 3 pickup rollers 4 Separation pads 5 Separation roller 10 pickup arm 12 U turn pass 14 Document loading tray 23 Sheet guide 23A main body 23a First guide surface 23b Second guide surface 23B locking part 23c Locking hole 23d Rotation restriction part 50 Top cover R document feeding path S manuscript

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yasushi Ishida             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Takano             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation (72) Inventor Masakatsu Yamada             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation (72) Inventor Nakano Nakano             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation F-term (reference) 3F101 FA01 FB01 FD02 LA07 LB02                 3F343 FA03 FB02 FB03 GA01 GB01                       GC01 GD01 HA12 KA02 KA13                       KB05

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A sheet feeding device in which a sheet placed on a sheet placing table is fed out by a sheet feeding means, and then separated one by one by a separating portion to be fed, and is fed out by the sheet feeding means. A guide member which is provided above the sheet feeding path through which the sheet passes, and which guides the sheet fed by the sheet feeding means, and a direction which is provided above the sheet feeding path and is orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction. And a guide member attached to the shaft. 2. The guide member has a main body portion that abuts on the sheet and guides the sheet, and locking portions that are vertically provided at both ends of the main body portion and that lock with the shaft. The paper feeding device according to claim 1. 3. The main body of the guide member includes a first guide surface inclined downward toward the sheet feeding path, and the first guide surface.
The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, further comprising a second guide surface that extends from the lower end of the guide surface in the sheet feeding direction and is substantially parallel to the sheet feeding path. 4. The locking portion of the guide member has a locking hole, which is partially cut out so as to elastically lock with the shaft, according to claim 2 or 3. Paper feeder. 5. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a separating roller that constitutes the separating portion, and a shaft to which the guide member is attached is the shaft of the separating roller. apparatus. 6. A separation member, which is rotatably supported above the sheet mounting table and holds the sheet feeding means so as to be capable of coming into contact with and separating from a sheet mounted on the sheet mounting table, and the separation member. The sheet feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the axis of the roller is coaxial with the axis of the holding member. 7. The sheet feeding device according to claim 6, wherein the guide member is provided on both sides of the holding member. 8. An image reading apparatus comprising an image reading section and a document feeding apparatus having a sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a document to the image reading section, wherein the sheet feeding apparatus of the document feeding apparatus is a paper feeding apparatus. An image reading apparatus, which is the sheet feeding apparatus according to any one of 1 to 7. 9. An image reading unit, a document feeding device having a paper feeding device for feeding a document to the image reading unit, and image formation for forming an image based on document information read by the image reading unit. An image forming apparatus having a sheet feeding unit, wherein the sheet feeding device of the document feeding device is the sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.