JP2003069788A - Original feeder and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of parts and costs and further improve assembly precision. SOLUTION: In the original feeder, with which an original (d) is fed by an original feeding part 400 and read by a reading part 422, this device has slit glass 830 arranged on the reading part 422, a reading guide member 831 arranged at a position facing this slit glass 830 and a positioning member 840 for determining an interval D10 between this reading guide member 831 and the slit glass 830, and the reading guide member 831 and the positioning member 840 are integrated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention conveys an original document for forming an image by an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and a multifunction peripheral or a printing machine having a plurality of functions of these. The present invention relates to a document conveying device and an image forming device that can read an image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a document feeder provided in such a digital image forming apparatus, the documents stacked on a sheet feeding tray are separated one by one and conveyed by a document conveying section, and the document is read by a reading section. Some are readable.

In such a document feeder, as shown in FIG. 11, a slit glass 101 is arranged in the reading section 100, and a reading guide member 102 is arranged at a position facing the slit glass 101, and the slit glass 101 is arranged. 10
A conveyance path is formed at an interval 103 between the No. 1 and the reading guide member 102, and a document conveyed on this conveyance path is read.

Slit glass 101 and reading guide member 1
The interval 103 with respect to 02 is made by bringing the positioning member 104 into contact with the slit glass 101, and the positioning member 104 and the reading guide member 102 are configured as separate parts. Further, the reading guide member 102 is a sheet metal painted white.

[0005]

As described above, since the reading guide member arranged in the reading unit and the positioning member are composed of separate parts, there are problems that the number of parts increases and the cost increases. . Further, in the reading unit, the accuracy of the conveying path formed at the interval between the slit glass and the reading guide member is required so that the document is not displaced, but the positioning of the slit glass is performed by positioning the member different from the reading guide member. Since it is performed by a member, an assembly error may occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a document feeder and an image forming apparatus which can reduce the number of parts and costs and improve the assembling accuracy. Has an aim.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and to achieve the object, the present invention has the following constitution.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a slit glass arranged in the reading section and a slit glass arranged in the reading section in a document transporting apparatus for transporting an original by the original transport section and reading the original by the reading section. An original document having a reading guide member arranged at a position facing each other and a positioning member for determining a distance between the reading guide member and the slit glass, and the reading guide member and the positioning member being integrated with each other. Transport device. ].

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced by integrating the reading guide member and the positioning member. Further, by positioning the slit glass by the positioning member integrated with the reading guide member, an assembly error can be reduced, and the accuracy of the transport path formed at the interval between the slit glass and the reading guide member is improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, "the positioning members are projections located on both sides of a conveyance path for conveying a document and abutting the slit glass. The document feeder described. ].

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the positioning member is a projection that is located on both sides of the transport path for transporting the document and is in contact with the slit glass. The positioning member can be easily integrated with the reading guide member. Can be formed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the document feeder according to the first or second aspect, wherein the reading guide member is made of resin. ].

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the reading guide member is made of resin, and the reading guide member and the positioning member are integrally formed of resin, whereby the cost can be further reduced.

The invention according to claim 4 provides the "claim 1
An image forming apparatus comprising the document conveying device according to claim 3. ].

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the reading guide member and the positioning member are integrally formed, so that the number of parts and the cost can be reduced.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus equipped with a document feeder of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 1 equipped with a sheet post-processing device FS, a document feeding device DF, and an image reading device (scanner) SC.

The illustrated image forming apparatus main body 1A includes an image processing section 2, an image writing section 3, an image forming section 4, a high voltage power source section 5, a cassette sheet feeding section 6, a fixing device 7, a sheet discharging section 8 and an automatic two-sided copy. Re-transporting means (ADU) 9 for

An image reading device SC and a document feeding device DF are mounted on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus main body 1A.
A sheet post-processing device FS is connected to the sheet discharge unit 8 side in the upper left portion of the image forming apparatus body 1A shown in the figure.

A document d placed on the document table of the document feeding device DF with the first side facing upward is fed in the direction of the arrow and one side or both sides of the document are read by the optical system of the image reading device SC. And is read by the CCD image sensor C1.

The analog signal photoelectrically converted by the CCD image sensor C1 is subjected to analog processing, A / D conversion, shading correction, image compression processing, etc. in the image processing section 2 and then sent to the image writing section 3. .

In the image writing section 3, the output light from the semiconductor laser is applied to the photosensitive drum 4A of the image forming section 4 to form a latent image. In the image forming section 4, processing such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, separation and cleaning is performed, and the image is transferred onto the sheet S conveyed from the cassette sheet feeding section 6. The sheet S carrying the image is fixed by the fixing device 7, and is sent from the paper output unit 8 to the sheet post-processing device FS. Alternatively, the single-sided image-processed sheet S sent to the re-conveying unit 9 by the sheet discharge path switching plate 8A is subjected to double-sided image processing again in the image forming section 4, and then the sheet discharge section 8 is formed.
It is sent to the sheet post-processing device FS by the sheet discharge roller 8B.

The sheet post-processing device FS is detachably attached to the upper left portion of the image forming apparatus body 1A. The sheet post-processing device FS includes a sheet conveying unit 10, a sheet discharging unit 20, a post-processing unit 30, and an elevating and discharging unit 40, which are arranged in the sheet post-processing device body 45.

In FIG. 1, on the right side in the main body 1A of the image forming apparatus, with the image forming section 4 as a center, a cassette sheet feeding section 6 is provided below the image forming apparatus main body 1A in the height direction, and a fixing device is provided above. 7 and a paper discharge unit 8 are provided. With this vertical arrangement, a substantially vertical sheet conveyance path is formed. The paper S delivered from the cassette paper supply unit 6 is conveyed along the vertically upper paper conveyance path and is discharged to the outside of the image forming apparatus main body 1A.

A sheet conveying path by the re-conveying means 9 is formed substantially parallel to the vertical sheet conveying path.

By forming the above-described vertical paper transport path, the shortest paper transport path from the cassette paper feed unit 6 to the paper discharge unit 8 is formed.

The sheet conveying means 10 of the sheet post-processing apparatus FS is housed in the space above the image forming apparatus main body 1A shown in the figure. The sheet entrance portion 11 of the sheet conveying means 10 is connected to the sheet ejection roller 8B of the sheet ejection section 8 of the image forming apparatus main body 1A. Further, in this mounted state, the sheet discharging unit 20 of the sheet post-processing apparatus FS is provided in the space portion on the upper left side of the image forming apparatus body 1A in the figure.
And the post-processing means 30 is accommodated. The elevating and ejecting means 40 including a plurality of ejection trays (also referred to as bins) 41 and elevating and lowering drive means 42 is located on the left side of the post-processing means 30 in the figure.

Next, the document feeder will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the document feeder, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the document feeder, FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of the document feeder, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a switching unit, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a double-sided sheet passing path.

The document feeder DF includes a document feeder 20.
0, a document discharge unit 300, and a document transport unit 400 are arranged.

The document feeding section 200 has a sheet feeding tray 201 on which a plurality of documents can be set, and a pair of regulating plates 202 for positioning the document in the sheet width direction are movable in the sheet width direction. It is provided in. Further, the paper feed tray 201 has a length direction detecting means S1 for detecting the length direction of the document.
The sensors that configure 1, S12 are arranged at two locations.

The document discharge section 300 has a discharge tray 301, and this discharge tray 301 is arranged below the document feed section 200. The document transport unit 400 is placed on the discharge tray 301.
The document that has been conveyed so that one side can be read or that has been conveyed so that both sides can be read is ejected.

The original conveying section 400 includes a first conveying path 410 on the upstream side, a second conveying path 420 and a third conveying path branched on the downstream side.
It has a transport path 430 and a discharge section 440. In the first conveyance path 410, the movable pressing plate 411, the pickup roller 412, the separation conveyance roller 413, the double feed prevention roller 41.
4 are arranged. The movable pressing plate 411 rises at every sheet feeding and presses the original document against the pickup roller 412 to press the original document against the separation / conveyance roller 413.
The document is separated and conveyed one by one by the 3 and the double feed prevention roller 414. Further, on the downstream side of the separation / conveyance roller 413 and the double feed prevention roller 414, the document length detecting means S2 is provided.
The sensors that make up No. 1 are arranged.

In the second conveying path 420, the registration rollers 4
21, a reading unit 422, a reading pressing roller 423, and a conveying roller 424 are arranged. A sensor forming the document leading edge detecting means S31 is arranged on the downstream side of the registration roller 421. The registration roller 421, the reading and pressing roller 423, and the conveying roller 424 can rotate in the forward and reverse directions.

A transport roller 431 is provided in the third transport path 430.
And the reversing unit 432 is arranged. The reversing unit 432 is
It has a reversing roller 433. The transport roller 431 and the reversing roller 433 can rotate forward and backward. Ejection unit 440
A paper discharge roller 441 is disposed in the printer.

In addition, in the first transport path 410, the second transport path 420 and the third transport path 43 on the downstream side of the first transport path 410.
A first switching member 450 that can be switched to 0 is provided. The first switching member 450 is rotatably provided integrally with the support shaft 453. An arm 453a is provided at one end of the support shaft 453, and an arm 453 is provided at the other end.
b is provided, the arm 453a is biased by the spring 451, the first switching member 450 opens the second transport path 420,
The third transport path 430 is closed. Further, the arm 453b is operated by the solenoid 452 against the spring 451. When the solenoid 452 is operated, the second conveyance path 420 is closed and the third conveyance path 430 is opened.

Further, a second switching member 460 and a third switching member 470 which are integrally formed are rotatably supported on the support shaft 453. The second switching member 460 and the third switching member 470 are biased by the spring 471, the second switching member 460 opens the second transport path 420, and the third switching member 470.
Closes the third transport path 430.

The second transport path 420 includes the first transport path 410.
And a second switching member 460 that is urged in one direction to enable conveyance from both sides of the third conveyance path 430.
The switching member 460 is biased by the spring 471 so as to allow the conveyance from the first conveyance path 410 and regulate the conveyance from the third conveyance path 430, but the document is conveyed from the third conveyance path 430. When the original is conveyed, it can be automatically opened and conveyed.

A third switching member 470, which is urged in one direction to enable conveyance from both sides of the first conveyance path 410 and the second conveyance path 420, is arranged in the third conveyance path 430. The 3 switching member 470 uses the spring 471 to move the first transfer path 4
The first transport path 410 is urged so that the transport from the third transport path 430 is regulated and the transport from the third transport path 430 is permitted.
When an original is conveyed from the original, the original can be automatically opened and conveyed by the conveyance of the original.

First switching member 450 and second switching member 460
The third switching member 470 can be opened and closed with the support shaft 453 of the same shaft arranged at the confluence of the first conveyance path 410, the second conveyance path 420, and the third conveyance path 430 as a fulcrum.
It is easy to secure the installation space at one place and can be downsized.

Further, on the downstream side of the reading section 422, a fourth switching member 490 capable of switching between the reversing section 432 and the discharging section 440 is provided so as to be rotatable integrally with the support shaft 493. An arm 493a is provided at one end of the support shaft 493, and an arm 493b is provided at the other end.
3a is urged by a spring 491 to open the inlet 440a of the discharge portion 440 and close the inlet 432a of the reversing portion 432. Further, the arm 493b is operated against the spring 491 by the solenoid 492, and
When 92 is operated, the inlet 440a of the discharge part 440 is closed,
The inlet 432a of the reversing unit 432 is opened.

When reading one side of the document d in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the one side of the document d is conveyed by the one-sided paper feed path P1 for reading and discharging the one side by the reading unit 422.

That is, the documents d stacked on the paper feed tray 201
Are conveyed one by one, and the first switching member 450
Since the conveyance path 430 is closed, the document d is stored in the first conveyance path 4
The sheet is conveyed to the second conveyance path 420 from 10, and the reading unit 422 reads one side of the document d. The read document d is discharged onto the discharge tray 301 through the discharge unit 440 because the fourth switching member 490 closes the inlet 432a of the reversing unit 432 and opens the inlet 440a of the discharge unit 440. To be paper.

When reading both sides of the original document d, as shown in FIG. 7, one side of the original document d is guided to the reversing unit 432 to be reversed and conveyed, and the reading unit 422 causes the reading reversing unit 4 to read.
32, and the reversing unit 432 inverts the sheet again and conveys it.
The other side of the original document d is read by the reading unit 422 and is conveyed through the double-sided paper feed path P2.

That is, the documents d stacked on the paper feed tray 201
Are separated and conveyed one by one, the solenoid 452 operates, the first switching member 450 opens the third conveyance path 430, and the document d is conveyed from the first conveyance path 410 to the third conveyance path 430. . The third switching member 470 arranged in the third transport path 430 closes the third transport path 430, but is pushed by the document d to be transported and opens against the spring 471.
It closes when the document d passes.

In the third transport path 430, the transport roller 43
1 and the reversing roller 433 of the reversing unit 432 rotate in the forward direction to carry the document d, and the conveying roller 431 and the reversing roller 43.
3 reverses and switches back the document d and conveys it.
It is conveyed from the third conveyance path 430 to the second conveyance path 420 via the switching member 460 and the third switching member 470, and the reading unit 4
22 reads one side of document d.

When the document d is switched back and conveyed, the second switching member 460 and the third switching member 470 are used.
Is in the initial position by the spring 471, and the document d transported by being switched back is guided by the third switching member 470 and pushes the second switching member 460. Second switching member 460
Is opened by being pushed by the conveyed document d, and is closed when the document d passes.

In the read document d, the solenoid 492 is actuated and the fourth switching member 490 causes the reversing section 4 to move.
32 inlet 432a is opened, and outlet 440 inlet 440
Since a is closed, it is sent to the reversing unit 432 through the inlet 432a of the reversing unit 432. Then, the transport roller 43
1 and the reversing roller 433 reversely rotate to switch back the document d and convey it. From the third conveyance path 430 to the second conveyance path 420 via the second switching member 460 and the third switching member 470.
Then, the reading section 422 reads the other side of the document d.

The original document d that has been read is the fourth
The switching member 490 closes the inlet 432a of the reversing section 432.
Since the inlet 440a of the discharge unit 440 is opened, the sheet is discharged onto the discharge tray 301 through the discharge unit 440.

The document conveying apparatus capable of reading one side of the document d and both sides of the document d has a pair of rollers arranged upstream of the reading unit 422 and downstream of the reversing unit 432, and aligns the originals by abutting them. It has a registration mechanism A, and this document registration mechanism A is composed of a registration roller 421. The document registration mechanism A is arranged upstream of the reading unit 422 and downstream of the reversing unit 432, and the pair of rollers of the document registration mechanism A align the ends of the document to align them, so that one side and both sides of the document d are bent. Corrections can be processed in one place.

A resist loop forming space SP1 for allowing a loop of the originals d generated when aligning the originals d by the original document registration mechanism A is formed in the single-sided sheet passing path P1, and a resist loop forming space SP2 is formed in the double-sided sheet passing path P2. Then, the loop of the original document d generated when aligning the original documents by the original document registration mechanism A is set in the registration loop forming spaces SP1, SP
By allowing 2 for the original d, it is possible to surely correct the bending of both one side and both sides of the original document d.

Further, a document position detecting means S41 is arranged on the upstream side of the document registration mechanism A, and a document position detecting means for detecting the position of the document immediately after the confluence of the single-sided sheet passing path P1 and the double-sided sheet passing path P2. By disposing S41, it is possible to detect the position of the document d on one side or both sides of the document d.

In this embodiment, the reading unit 422 is shown in FIG.
8 is an enlarged side view of the reading unit, FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view showing the configurations of the slit glass, the reading guide member and the positioning member, and FIG. 10 is a view in the direction of arrow a in FIG. It is a figure.

A slit glass 830 is arranged in the reading section 422 of this embodiment, and the slit glass 83
A reading guide member 831 is arranged so as to face 0.

The reading guide member 831 is integrally formed of resin into a plate shape, and the central portion 831a has a flat surface and the slit glass 8 is provided.
It faces 30. Front end portion 8 of reading guide member 831
31b extends to the position of the registration roller 421, and a cutout portion 831b1 in which the registration roller 421 is located is formed in the front end portion 831b. Further, the rear end portion 831c of the reading guide member 831 is provided at the conveyance roller 4
24, a notch portion 831c1 in which the transport roller 424 is located is formed in the rear end portion 831c.

As shown in FIG. 10, the reading guide member 831 is formed with a pair of mounting portions 831d, and the pair of mounting portions 831d are mounted on the original conveying portion 400 by a fastening means 880 such as a screw.

The reading guide member 831 is provided with a positioning member 840 which determines the distance between the reading guide member 831 and the slit glass 830. As shown in FIG. 10, the positioning member 840 of this embodiment is composed of a pair of protrusions 840a that abut the slit glass 830. The pair of protrusions 840a are provided on the reading guide member 83.
1 and is integrally formed with the sheet No. 1 and is located on both sides of the conveyance path for conveying the document d formed by the gap D10 between the central portion 831a and the slit glass 830.

In this way, the reading guide member 831 and the projection 840a of the positioning member 840 are integrated,
The number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. In addition, the slit glass 830 is positioned by the reading guide member 83.
By using the projection 840a of the positioning member 840 that is integral with the unit 1, the assembly error can be reduced, and the slit glass 83
0 and the distance D between the central portion 831a of the reading guide member 831
The accuracy of the transport path formed by 10 is improved.

Further, since the reading guide member 831 is made of resin and the projection 840a of the positioning member 840 is integrally formed of the resin with the reading guide member 831, further cost reduction becomes possible.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the document conveying device connected to the copying machine is shown. However, an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a facsimile, a multifunctional machine having a plurality of these functions, a light printing machine, or the like. The present invention can also be applied to a document feeder used by connecting with

[0060]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced by integrating the reading guide member and the positioning member. Further, by positioning the slit glass by the positioning member integrated with the reading guide member, an assembly error can be reduced, and the accuracy of the transport path formed at the interval between the slit glass and the reading guide member is improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the positioning member is a projection that is located on both sides of the transport path for transporting the document and is in contact with the slit glass, and the positioning member is easily formed integrally with the reading guide member. be able to.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the reading guide member is made of resin, and the reading guide member and the positioning member are integrally formed of resin, so that the cost can be further reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the document feeding device according to any one of the first to third aspects is provided, and the reading guide member and the positioning member are integrally formed. It is possible to reduce the number of parts and costs.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet post-processing device, a document conveying device, and an image reading device.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a document feeder.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a document feeder.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of the document feeder.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a switching unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a single-sided sheet passing path.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a double-sided sheet passing path.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view of a reading unit.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view showing configurations of a slit glass, a reading guide member, and a positioning member.

10 is a view on arrow A in FIG.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged side view of a conventional reading unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

DF document feeder 1 Image forming device 1A Image forming apparatus main body 400 Document feeder 422 Reader 830 slit glass 840 Positioning member d manuscript

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme Coat (reference) H04N 1/04 H04N 1/12 Z 5C072 (72) Inventor Qin Yin 2970 Ishikawa-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo Konica Stocks Meeting (72) Inventor Nobutaka Kato 1-7 Minami-cho, Higashi-Kurume City, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Part 1-510 Room (72) Inventor Osamu Kato 3-1-2, Sakaemachi, Higashimurayama-shi, Tokyo Room 309 Kumegawa Mansion Room F Term (reference) 2H076 AA04 BA17 BA21 BA24 BA35 BA36 BA58 3F101 FA01 FB17 FC07 FC11 FD02 LA02 LA05 LA07 LA11 LB02 5B047 AA01 BA01 BB02 BC18 5C051 AA01 BA03 DA03 DB01 DC04 DC07 EA00 FA01 5C062 A01 AB02 AB32 AB02 AB02 AB03 AB02 AB02 AB02 AB02 AB03 AB02 AB03 AB03 AB02 AB03 AB02 AB03 AB03 BA01 BA04 EA05 LA18 NA01 XA01

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A document transporting device in which a document is transported by a document transporting part and a document is read by a reading part, and a slit glass arranged in the reading part and a reading arranged at a position facing the slit glass. An original conveying apparatus comprising a guide member and a positioning member that determines a distance between the reading guide member and the slit glass, and the reading guide member and the positioning member are integrated with each other. 2. The document feeder according to claim 1, wherein the positioning members are protrusions located on both sides of a feed path for feeding a document and are in contact with the slit glass. 3. The document feeder according to claim 1, wherein the reading guide member is made of resin. 4. An image forming apparatus comprising the document feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.