JP2003066657A - Document reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a document reader which can decrease the number of rollers in use. SOLUTION: This document reader is equipped with a separation roller 31 which separates stacked documents, sheet by sheet, conveyor rollers 41 and 42 which are arranged on the downstream side of the separation roller 31 and convey the documents, a read part which reads the documents conveyed by the conveyor rollers 41 and 42, ejection rollers 61 and 62 which are arranged on the downstream side of the read part and eject the documents from the read part, and a document pressing part 5 which puts the document along read glass 102 of the read part; a conveyance path 81 for the documents is formed almost linearly between the separation roller 31 and conveyor rollers 41 and 42 and bent between the conveyor rollers 41 and 42 and ejection rollers 61 and 62, and a gap is formed between the document pressing part 5 and the read glass 102 of the read part.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document reading device for reading characters on a document while the document is being conveyed by rollers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is known a device that separates stacked originals one by one, conveys the separated originals by rollers, and reads the passing originals at a fixed reading unit. For example, in a copying machine or the like, such a device is provided in a lid provided above a reading glass on which an original is placed, and the original is conveyed one by one from an original tray provided on the upper surface of the lid. The document arrives at the reading unit after passing through a conveyance path (U-turn path) that bends so as to change its direction by approximately 180 degrees. The document is read through the reading glass while being conveyed.

[0003]

In the method of reading the original document being conveyed as described above, it is necessary to stabilize the conveying speed in order to read the original document without distortion. In particular, when the transport path is bent as described above, it is difficult to stably transport the document, and the document is transported by a large number of rollers provided along the route. However, providing a large number of rollers causes a problem of increasing the cost of the device. Further, a space for accommodating a large number of rollers is required, and it is difficult to make the apparatus compact.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an original reading device capable of reducing the number of rollers used.

[0005]

A document reading apparatus of the present invention includes a separation roller for separating stacked documents one by one,
A conveyance roller which is arranged downstream of the separation roller and conveys the original separated by the separation roller, a reading unit which is arranged downstream of the conveyance roller and which reads the original conveyed by the conveyance roller, and a downstream of the reading unit A discharge roller for discharging the document from the reading unit and a document retainer for aligning the document on the reading surface of the reading unit, and the document transport path is substantially between the separation roller and the transport roller. It is characterized in that it is formed in a straight line, and the conveyance path of the original is bent between the conveyance roller and the discharge roller, and a gap is formed between the original pressing and the reading surface.

According to this document reading apparatus, since the document transport path is formed in a substantially straight line between the separation roller and the transport roller, the roller is not disposed between the separation roller and the transport roller. However, the original can be stably conveyed during this period. Further, since a gap is formed between the document retainer and the reading surface, even if the document transport path is bent between the transport roller and the discharge roller, the document is stabilized at this part. Can be transported.
Therefore, the number of rollers can be reduced in the entire device.

The document may be substantially horizontal at the position read by the reading unit.

In this case, the original can be read using the reading glass surface or the like which is provided substantially horizontally.

The transport speed of the transport roller may be higher than the transport speed of the discharge roller.

In this case, the transport speed of the transport roller is
Since it is possible to match the actual transport speed of the document transported by the transport roller and the separation roller, the document can be stably transported without damaging the document.

A load switching means for switching the separation load of the separation roller may be provided.

In this case, since the separation load of the separation roller can be set to an appropriate value in accordance with the original paper or the like, for example, when reading an original made of plain paper or the like, a high separation load should be set. By this, even when a large number of originals are set, they can be reliably separated and conveyed one by one, and when an original made of glossy paper (coated paper with a glossy surface) is read. By setting a low separation load, a strong back tension is not given to the document fed by the transport rollers, so that even if the document is transported while being bent along the subsequent transport path, It is possible to reduce the conveyance resistance applied to the sheet as much as possible, and the document can be stably conveyed by the conveyance rollers.

Further, a switching means for applying or not applying a separation load to the separation roller may be provided.

In this case, the separation load can be applied or not applied depending on the paper of the original document. For example, in the case of an original made of plain paper or the like, the operating position, that is, the separation load is applied. By switching to the giving position, even when a large number of originals are set, they can be reliably separated and conveyed one by one, and are made of glossy paper (coated paper with a glossy surface). When reading a document, by switching to the inoperative position, that is, the position where the separation load is not applied, back tension is not applied to the document sent by the transport rollers, so the document is fed along the subsequent transport path. Even when the sheet is conveyed while being bent, it is possible to reliably reduce the conveying resistance applied to the document.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIGS.
An embodiment of the document reading apparatus of the present invention will be described.
In the present embodiment, a document reading apparatus applied to a printing apparatus 200 with a communication function (facsimile function) whose overall appearance is shown in FIG. 20 will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a printing device 20 having a document reading device.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of FIG.
2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 2, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 8 is a view of the lid portion of the printer viewed from below, FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line HH of FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a load switching mechanism, and FIG. 10 is load switching in a state where the separation roller 31 is removed. 11 is a plan view showing the mechanism, FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the load switching mechanism in a state in which the follower is removed, and FIG. 12 is FIG.
1 is a sectional view taken along line FF of FIG. 1, FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG.
14 is a plan view showing the load switching mechanism with the follower removed, FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along the line GG of FIG. 14, and FIG.
6 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 13 in the state of FIG. It should be noted that the printing apparatus 200 is configured by attaching a portion having a printing function and the like below the portion shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 and 20, the printing apparatus 200 has a lid portion 10 which is opened and closed by a hinge mechanism 101.
Equipped with 0. On the lower surface side of the lid portion 100, a reading glass 102 on which a document is placed when the document is read by scanning with a reading device.
(FIG. 1) and a reading device 103 (FIG. 1) that optically reads an original through the reading glass 102 are provided.

The lid portion 100 includes a sheet tray portion 1 on which sheets are placed and a separating portion 3 for separating stacked sheets one by one.
An LF roller unit 4 that conveys the sheets separated by the separation unit 3, a document pressing unit 5 that presses the conveyed sheets toward the surface of the reading glass 102 (FIG. 1), and a discharge sheet that discharges the document. And a roller portion 6.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the separating section 3 is provided with a separating roller 31 and a separating piece 32, and operates so that the uppermost sheet of the stacked sheets is fed in order. The detailed configuration of the separation unit 3 will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the LF roller unit 4
Includes a roller pair including a roller 41 and a roller 42.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the document pressing portion 5
Includes a contact portion 51 for contacting the original and a support portion 52 (FIG. 8) for elastically supporting the contact portion 51. Abutment 5
A contact member 51a that comes into contact with the original is attached to the surface of the sheet 1. Further, the contact portion 51 is urged downward by the pressing spring 53, and is elastically movable in the vertical direction as shown by an arrow P in FIG. Further, small protrusions 54 are formed at both end portions of the contact portion 51, whereby a slight gap is formed between the contact portion 51 and the reading glass surface.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the discharge roller unit 6
Includes a roller pair including a roller 61 and a roller 62. The roller 62 is biased upward by the pressing spring 63, and the roller 61 and the roller 62 are pressed against each other.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a front sensor member 71 (FIG. 5) for detecting the leading edge of the sheet is provided in the vicinity of the separating section 3, and a leading edge and a trailing edge of the sheet are provided in the vicinity of the document pressing section 5. A sensor member 72 (FIG. 6) for detecting the is provided. The sensor member 71 and the sensor member 72 are rotatably attached, and those rotations are detected by the photosensor 71a and the photosensor 72a (FIG. 5) mounted on the circuit board 73, respectively.

Next, the operation of the document reading device will be described.

When a stack of originals or one original is accommodated in the paper tray 1, the rotation of the sensor member 71 detects the setting of the originals. Then, the panel 300 (see FIG.
When a predetermined operation is performed from (see 0) or the like, the separation roller 31 rotates. As the separating roller 31 rotates, only one original is separated based on the difference in the friction coefficient between the separating piece 32 and the original, the separating roller 31 and the original, and the originals.
It is transported according to the rotation of.

When the leading edge of the original reaches the LF roller section 4, the original is conveyed along the conveying path 81 by the roller pair of the LF roller section 4. The document is conveyed along the reading glass surface facing the document pressing portion 5, and at this time, the reading device 103 optically reads the document through the reading glass 102. After that, the document is conveyed upward so as to be flipped up along the inclined surface provided on the downstream side of the reading glass, and reaches the paper discharge roller unit 6 via the conveyance path 82. Further, the document is discharged by the rollers 61 and 62 via the discharge section 83 and a discharge tray 84 (FIGS. 1 and 2).
Discharged on top.

The conveying speed of the LF roller unit 4 is the same as that of the separating roller 3.
The transport speed is set to be slightly higher than the transport speed of 1, and the document is transported while being tensioned by the LF roller unit 4. However, in this embodiment, L
The F roller unit 4 is arranged immediately after the separating unit 3, and the conveying path of the document is formed in a substantially straight line between the separating unit 3 and the LF roller unit 4. For this reason, even if tension is applied to the document, the document is not rubbed against the wall surface of the transport path, and therefore the document is not damaged.

The original is conveyed by the LF roller unit 4, and while the original has not reached the discharge roller unit 6, the original is conveyed only by being pushed by the LF roller unit 4. If an original is to be conveyed only by pushing it into the curved conveyance path 81, the conveyance of the original tends to be unstable. However, in the present embodiment, since the resistance to the original document is suppressed as much as possible by forming a slight gap between the original document pressing portion 51 and the reading glass surface, the original document can be smoothly conveyed.

Further, in this embodiment, the paper discharge roller section 6
Is set to be slightly lower than the transport speed of the LF roller section. This is because while the document is being conveyed by the separation roller 31 together with the LF roller unit 4, the roller 4
This is because it is considered that the actual transport speed of the original document is slightly lower than the transport speed of the LF roller unit 4 due to slight slippage with respect to 1 and the roller 42. Therefore, wrinkles do not occur on the document in the transport path 81. In addition, the LF roller unit 41 and the discharge roller unit 6
No excessive tension is applied to the document between and. F
A transport path 81 between the roller unit 41 and the discharge roller unit 6
Is bent at an angle close to 180 degrees, and if an excessive tension is applied to the document during this period, the document is conveyed in the conveyance path 81.
It may be rubbed against the wall of the document and damage the original. However, as described above, in the present embodiment, since the tension on the original document during this period is suppressed to be sufficiently small, there is no risk of damaging the original document.

As described above, in this embodiment, by optimizing the arrangement of the rollers, the number of rollers can be minimized, and the original can be smoothly conveyed without damaging the original. . In this embodiment, the cost of the device can be reduced by reducing the number of rollers.

Next, the structure of the separating section 3 will be described.
The separation unit 3 separates the paper by so-called friction separation, but when the structure of the separation unit is fixed according to normal paper, when the coated paper is used, the friction resistance between the separation piece 32 and the coated paper is large. Since it acts too much and acts as a strong back tension on the LF roller unit 4, there is a problem that the sheet conveying operation becomes unstable. Particularly, in this embodiment, since the original can be conveyed while being bent only by the LF roller unit 4, the frictional force between the separating piece 32 and the paper is appropriately adjusted so that a strong back tension does not work. Need to manage.

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 13, the separating unit 3 is
For example, a metal plate-shaped spring 3 that urges a separation piece 32 made of an elastic material such as silicon rubber toward the separation roller 31.
3, a holding member 34 that holds the separation piece 32 and the spring 33 via screws 34a, and a separation roller 31 by urging (contacting) the document on both sides of the separation piece 32 to the separation roller 31. When the leading edge of the document does not reach the nip point with the separation piece 32, a metal leaf spring 21 for assisting the suction of the document, and an adhesive or the like on the lower side of the separation piece 32 (the side opposite to the separation roller 31) It consists of a plastic thin film adhered by
Of the frame frame 22
A vibration preventing piece 23 for effectively suppressing the vibration of the separating piece 32 and a lever member 35 for adjusting the angle of the holding member 34 are provided. The lever member 35 is attached so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 35a.

The lever member 35 is formed with a surface cam 36 that abuts on an abutting portion 34b formed so as to project from the holding member 34. The surface cam 36 is provided along the circumferential direction around the rotating shaft 35a, and has an inclined portion 36b inclined along the circumferential direction, a flat portion 36a continuous from the start point (high side) of the inclined portion 36b, and an inclined portion. The flat portion 36c (see FIG. 16) is continuous from the end point (lower side) of the portion 36b. Figure 1
FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the shape of the surface cam 36.

In the state shown in FIGS. 9 to 13, the holding member 3
The contact portion 34b of No. 4 contacts the flat portion 36a of the lever member 35. At this time, the holding member 34 is pushed up in the clockwise direction in FIG. 12 about the rotation shaft 34c, the separation piece 32 is strongly pressed against the separation roller 31, and the separation load is large. When using normal paper, friction separation is performed in this state.

As shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, by operating the operating portion 37 (see FIG. 2) of the lever member 35,
When the lever member 35 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 14, the contact portion 34b of the holding member 34 slides down the inclined portion 36b and reaches the flat portion 36c. At this time, the holding member 34 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 15 about the rotation shaft 34c, so that the separation piece 32 is separated from the separation roller 31 or the separation load is small. For example, when using a paper such as coated paper having a large friction coefficient with the separating piece 32, whether the friction separation is performed in this state,
Alternatively, prevent the separation action.

In FIG. 15, when the holding member 34 rotates counterclockwise, the separating piece 32 does not separate from the separating roller 31 but still contacts the separating roller 31, that is, the separating load. In the case where the load switching means is configured to switch between, for example, when reading a document made of plain paper or the like, by setting a high separation load, even when a large number of documents are set, one by one It can be reliably separated and transported.

When reading an original made of glossy paper (coated paper having a glossy surface) or the like, the pair of rollers (conveying rollers) 41, 42 of the LF roller unit 4 is set by setting a low separation load. Since a strong back tension is not applied to the document fed by the following method, the conveyance resistance applied to the document can be reduced as much as possible even in the state where the document is conveyed while being bent along the conveyance path 81 thereafter. The original can be stably conveyed by the pair of rollers (conveying rollers) 41 and 42 of the LF roller unit 4.

On the other hand, in FIG. 15, when the separating member 32 is configured to separate from the separating roller 31 when the holding member 34 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, that is, the separating member 32 is placed in the working / non-working position. When configured as a switching mechanism that applies or does not apply the separation load by switching, the separation piece 32 is switched to the operating position, that is, the position where the separation load is applied, for example, when reading a document such as plain paper. Thus, even when a large number of originals are set, the originals can be reliably separated and conveyed one by one.

When reading an original made of glossy paper (coated paper having a glossy surface) or the like, the pair of LF roller units 4 can be operated by switching to an inoperative position, that is, a position where no separation load is applied. Roller (conveying roller) 4
Since the back tension is not applied to the originals sent by 1 and 42, it is possible to reliably reduce the conveyance resistance applied to the originals even when the originals are conveyed while being bent along the conveyance path thereafter. Therefore, the original can be stably conveyed by the pair of rollers (conveying rollers) 41 and 42 of the LF roller unit 4.

Therefore, in the case of reading an original made of glossy paper (coated paper having a glossy surface) or the like, it becomes impossible to set and read a plurality of originals at one time, but the pair of LF roller units 4 cannot be read. Roller (conveying roller) 4
By pushing one original document to the position where it is nipped with 1, 42, the original document can be reliably conveyed in an extremely stable state thereafter.

In this embodiment, on the lower surface side of the operating portion 37 of the lever member 35, the projection 39 provided on the apparatus main body side.
Protrusions (not shown) that engage with (FIG. 14) are formed. For this reason, when the lever member 35 is in the state of FIGS. 9 to 13, when it is rotated to another position, it will move over the protrusion and move, so that the lever member 35 is inadvertently moved to the state of FIG. The rotation from the clockwise direction is prevented. In addition, a click feeling when operating the lever member 35 can be obtained. Instead of providing such a protrusion, the shape of the surface cam may be changed as shown in FIG. In this surface cam 36A, by providing the protrusion 36e, the lever member 35 is prevented from rotating and a click feeling is obtained.

In this embodiment, the surface cam 36 has a step 36d between the flat portion 36c and the inclined portion 36b.
Is provided. Therefore, from the state shown in FIG. 14 to FIG. 16, the contact portion 34b passes over the step 36d and the inclined portion 36b.
Since b cannot be easily reached, there is no risk that the lever member 35 will inadvertently rotate counterclockwise in FIG.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the tip end portions 21a (FIG. 10) of the leaf springs 21 located on both sides of the separating piece 32 are not bifurcated, and are integrally connected at a position below the separating piece 32. Has been done. Therefore, the leaf spring 21
Accidents such as deformation of the tip of the can be prevented.

In addition, since the tip end portion 21a of the leaf spring 21 is provided with the projecting portion 21b which projects toward the base end side substantially in parallel with the separating piece 32, the tip end portion of the leaf spring 33 is formed. However, it is surely prevented from accidentally diving under the tip end portion 21a of the leaf spring 21 and the discharge portion 21b.

In the separating portion 3, the parts other than the separating roller 31, that is, the leaf spring 21, the separating piece 32 with the vibration preventing piece 23, the spring 33, and the holding member 34 are combined into one screw 34.
Since it is integrally assembled as a unit by a, after the assembly, a pair of rotation shafts (swing shafts) 34c provided on both sides of the holding member 34 are provided on both sides of the holding member 34. It has the advantage that it can be easily attached by fitting it into each bearing part, and that the parts can be replaced extremely easily for each unit, and that no troublesome adjustment work is required. .

In this embodiment, a plurality of plastic guide members 64 are attached to and detached from the shaft 61c of the roller 61 in order to guide the document conveyed along the conveyance path 82 onto the discharge tray 84. It is possible. That is, in FIG. 19, a plurality (for example, four) of paper discharge guide members 64 are integrally formed with an arcuate portion 64a having an opening, a guide portion 64b curved in an arc shape, and a U for preventing separation.
And a small-diameter portion 61 in which a circular arc-shaped portion 64a is formed on the roller shaft 61a at appropriate intervals.
It is rotatably attached to b by pushing it against its own elastic action. Since the center of gravity thereof is on the guide portion 64b side, it is always arranged at the position shown in FIG. 5, but it comes into contact with the leading end portion of the document portion projecting from the conveyance path 82 and is positioned below the document. Avoiding upward while giving a tendency to move in the direction (rotate in the P5 direction in FIG. 5). Then, when the trailing edge of the document completely projects, the document returns to the position shown in FIG.

If a force is applied to the tip end portion of the guide portion 64a in the direction opposite to the P direction in FIG. 5 by an erroneous operation by the user, one of the discharge trays 84 provided in the vicinity of the roller 62 will be described. The guide portion 64b contacts the portion 84a. When a further force is applied, the arcuate portion 64a tries to move in the direction of coming off from the small diameter portion 61b against its elasticity, but before coming off, it hits the separation preventing rib 89a and moves further. Is regulated.

Therefore, although the guide member 64 can be easily attached, there is an effect that it is possible to reliably prevent disengagement due to an erroneous operation by the user.
It is needless to say that the paper discharge guide member 64 is fitted into the roller shaft 61a without the main body member 89.

[0049]

According to the document reading apparatus of the present invention, since the document conveyance path is formed in a substantially straight line between the separation roller and the conveyance roller, a roller is provided between the separation roller and the conveyance roller. Even without arranging, the original can be stably conveyed during this period. Further, since a gap is formed between the document retainer and the reading surface, even if the document transport path is bent between the transport roller and the discharge roller, the document is stabilized at this part. Can be transported. Therefore, the number of rollers can be reduced in the entire device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a printing device including a document reading device.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the printing apparatus.

3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

5 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view of the lid portion of the printing apparatus as seen from below.

8 is a sectional view taken along line HH of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a load switching mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a load switching mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the load switching mechanism with the follower removed.

12 is a sectional view taken along line FF of FIG.

13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a load switching mechanism with a follower removed.

15 is a sectional view taken along line GG of FIG.

16 is a sectional view of a portion corresponding to FIG.

17A and 17B are views showing the shape of the surface cam, FIG. 17A is a view showing the shape of the surface cam of the present embodiment, and FIG. 17B is a view showing the shape of another surface cam.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a separation piece or the like that constitutes the separation unit.

FIG. 19 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a paper discharge guide member and the like.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the entire printing apparatus with a communication function (facsimile function).

[Explanation of symbols]

5 Document holder (document holder) 31 Separation roller 35 Lever member (load switching means) 41 Conveyor roller 42 Conveyor roller 61 roller (discharge roller) 62 roller (discharge roller) 102 Reading glass (reading surface)

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hiroshi Tokuda             15-1 Naedai-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Prefecture             Within Lazer Industry Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2H076 AA02 AA58 BA17 BA24 BA47                       BA68                 5C062 AA02 AA05 AB17 AB32 BA01                 5C072 AA01 BA02 BA13 NA01 NA04                       XA01

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A separation roller for separating the stacked originals one by one, a conveyance roller arranged downstream of the separation roller for conveying the originals separated by the separation roller, and a downstream of the conveyance roller. A reading unit for reading the original document conveyed by the conveying roller, a discharge roller arranged downstream of the reading unit for discharging the original document from the reading unit, and a reading surface of the original document for the reading unit. And a document retainer for causing the document to move along the line, the document transport path is formed in a substantially straight line between the separation roller and the transport roller, and the transport path between the transport roller and the discharge roller is The document reading device, wherein a document feeding path is formed in a bent shape, and a gap is formed between the document pressing member and the reading surface of the reading unit. 2. The document reading device according to claim 1, wherein the document is substantially horizontal at a position where it is read by the reading unit. 3. The document reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport speed of the transport roller is higher than the transport speed of the discharge roller. 4. The document reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a load switching unit that switches a separation load of the separation roller. 5. The document reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising switching means for applying or not applying a separation load to the separation roller. 6. The document reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document separated by the separation roller is conveyed only by the conveyance roller and the discharge roller.