JP2005035791A - Paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeder with less constraint in installation posture in spite of having a compact and simple structure, capable of surely feeding a paper sheet even when edges of a plurality of the paper sheets are somewhat irregular in alignment. <P>SOLUTION: The paper feeder M is provided with a paper insertion part 11 accepting and holding a plurality of checks S, a paper feeding roller 20 formed in a fan shape having a circular arc part 23 and a chord part 24 and driven to rotate, a pressing member 30 elastically energizing the check S to an outer peripheral surface of the paper feeding roller 20, a pressing member control mechanism 37 displacing the pressing member 30 to a position away from the paper feeding roller 20 when the chord part 24 faces the pressing member 30, a friction separation pad 40 allowed to freely rotate so as to change a contact angle to the edge of the check S, having a rotating end being elastically energized in a rear end direction of the paper sheet, and a pad control mechanism 47 displacing a friction separation pad 40 to the position for positioning the edge of the check S when the chord part 24 faces the pressing member 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper feeding device that supplies a plurality of sheets one by one to a processing unit in a data reading device, a printer device, or the like.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a paper feeding device, a roller-type paper feeding device used for a printer, a facsimile machine, a copier, or the like is generally known.
In this type of roller-type paper feeding device, a cylindrical paper feeding roller and a pressing member that urges the paper against the paper feeding roller by using an elastic force such as a spring are arranged at the front end in the paper feeding direction. In many cases, the vicinity of the tip of the paper is drawn by a paper feed roller and sent out.

  This is because the paper feeding operation is more stable when the paper is fed while being held near the leading edge of the paper, regardless of the stiffness (rigidity) of the paper. Further, in the case of a paper feeding device of a type in which a friction separation pad that separates paper one by one using friction when the leading edge of the paper slides is arranged on the downstream side of the paper feeding roller, the friction separation pad and the paper feeding This is because it is advantageous to increase the separability of a plurality of sheets by arranging the rollers close to each other.

  However, when the paper feed roller is arranged at the leading edge in the paper feeding direction, if the paper leading edge is not aligned, there may be a paper that does not reach the position in contact with the paper feeding roller. The paper roller may not be able to feed out without pulling the leading edge of the paper.

Therefore, a normal paper feeding device usually takes measures for aligning the leading edge of the paper, and the countermeasures are roughly divided as follows.
One is a method often found in laser printers, copiers, and the like, in which paper is placed horizontally in a paper feed cassette, and the paper is reliably positioned vertically and horizontally (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The other is a method often found in inkjet printers, etc., in which the paper orientation is set downward (vertically placed), and the tip of the paper is dropped to the lower pad using gravity (for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-8-277044 JP-A-62-153033

However, in the case of a system in which the paper is placed horizontally and the paper is surely positioned vertically and horizontally, a paper feed cassette is required, so it is difficult to reduce the size of the paper feeder.
Also, when the paper orientation is set downward and the tip of the paper is dropped to the lower pad using gravity, the paper feeder can be reduced in size, but the paper must be fed only when the paper is set in the up / down direction. Because it is not possible, there are restrictions on the installation posture.
Further, in the conventional roller-type paper feeding device, one of the plurality of papers loaded in the paper feeding device is closest to the paper feeding roller by a conveying force generated by a spring that biases the paper to the paper feeding roller. Only carry. For this reason, when the force of the spring is strong, two or more sheets are conveyed (so-called double feeding), and conversely, when the force of the spring is weak, the sheet is not conveyed, and an appropriate spring force ( There is a problem that it is difficult to set the conveyance force.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is small and simple in structure, but there are few restrictions on the installation posture, and even if the leading edges of a plurality of sheets are somewhat uneven, it is possible to reliably transfer the sheets 1 It is to provide a sheet feeding device that can feed sheets one by one.

  The above object of the present invention is to provide a sheet insertion portion that accommodates and holds a plurality of sheets of paper, a paper feed roller that has an outer peripheral surface formed in a fan shape having an arc portion and a string portion, and is driven to rotate, and the sheet insertion portion. A pressing member that is disposed at a position opposite to the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller and that elastically biases the paper toward the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller, and a chord portion of the paper feed roller is the paper insertion portion And a pressing member control mechanism for displacing the pressing member to a position away from the paper feeding roller when facing the pressing member across the sheet.

The outer peripheral surface of the arc portion is an arc surface concentric with the rotation center axis of the paper feed roller, and the outer peripheral surface of the chord portion is a curved surface or a substantially flat surface recessed inward from the arc surface.
According to the sheet feeding device configured as described above, in a standby state where the chord portion of the sheet feeding roller faces the pressing member with the sheet insertion portion interposed therebetween, the pressing member is positioned away from the sheet feeding roller by the pressing member control mechanism. It is displaced. Then, while the paper feeding roller is rotated and the arc portion of the paper feeding roller is in a paper feeding state facing the pressing member, the pressing member elastically applies the paper toward the outer peripheral surface of the paper feeding roller. To force.

  Therefore, the feed roller in the standby state in which the string portion is opposed to the pressing member is rotated by a predetermined amount, and the pressing member that has been displaced to the position away from the feeding roller by the pressing member control mechanism is regulated. When released, the pressing member elastically biases the paper stored and held in the paper insertion portion toward the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller.

Then, the sheet first comes into contact with the starting end of the arc portion on the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller (the portion where the outer peripheral surface of the rotated paper feed roller is switched from the chord portion to the arc portion).
That is, the position at which the paper feed roller starts to contact the paper (the position at which the paper feed roller pulls in the paper) can be set to a position on the rear end side of the paper from the position at which the cylindrical paper feed roller contacts.
As a result, even when the paper is uneven and the leading edge is located on the rear edge side, the paper can be reliably pulled in and sent out by the paper feed roller. In other words, it is possible to stably feed the paper even if the leading edges are not evenly aligned.

  Further, in the standby state where the chord portion is opposed to the pressing member, the pressing member is displaced to a position away from the paper feed roller by the pressing member control mechanism, and the chord portion is located inside the arc portion. Since it is retracted, a sufficient paper insertion space can be secured between the paper feed roller and the pressing member, and the paper can be easily set in the paper insertion portion.

  The paper feeding device is arranged downstream of the pressing member in the paper insertion portion, and is displaceable so that the contact angle with respect to the front end of the paper can be changed. And a pad control mechanism for displacing the frictional separation pad to a position where the leading end of the paper can be positioned when the chord portion of the roller faces the pressing member with the paper insertion portion interposed therebetween. .

  According to the paper feeding device having this configuration, in a standby state where the chord portion of the paper feeding roller faces the pressing member with the paper insertion portion interposed therebetween, the friction separation pad is in a standby position where the leading edge of the paper can be positioned. It is displaced. Then, while the paper feed roller is rotated and the arc portion of the paper feed roller is in a paper feed state opposite to the pressing member, the friction separation pad contacts the front end of the paper at a predetermined angle. Displaced to position.

  Therefore, when the paper is set in the paper insertion portion in the standby state where the string portion faces the pressing member, the friction separation pad is disposed at a position substantially perpendicular to the front end of the paper. Thus, the leading edge of the sheet can be positioned. That is, the paper set in the paper insertion portion does not enter the downstream paper conveyance path inadvertently, for example.

Further, when the plurality of sheets are sequentially fed by rotating the sheet feeding roller, the frictional separation pad contacts the leading end of the sheet at a predetermined angle each time the chord portion faces the pressing member. After being displaced in this manner, it returns again to a position that is substantially perpendicular to the leading edge of the paper. As a result, after separating and transporting the uppermost sheet (feed roller side) from a plurality of sheets, the leading edge of the remaining sheet is pushed back by the friction separation pad, thereby aligning the leading edge of the sheet. . At this time, since the pressing member is displaced to a position away from the paper feed roller, the paper can move relatively freely, and the leading edge of the paper can be reasonably aligned by the friction separation pad.
Preferably, the pressing member control mechanism and the pad control mechanism are provided with two types of cam surfaces, a disc cam that rotates integrally with the paper feed roller, and the pressing member and the friction so as to be in sliding contact with each cam surface. It consists of a cam follower provided on each separation pad.
In this way, the pressing member and the friction separation pad are driven by the cam surface provided on the disc cam that rotates integrally with the paper feed roller and the cam follower provided on each of the pressing member and the friction separation pad. In this case, the structure of the paper feeding device can be simplified.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet insertion portion that accommodates and holds a plurality of sheets, a paper feed roller that is formed in a fan shape with an outer peripheral surface having an arc portion and a chord portion, and is driven to rotate. A pressing member disposed at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the roller and supported movably by the paper insertion portion; and a first elastic member for biasing the pressing member toward the arc portion of the paper feed roller; A friction separating pad disposed downstream of the pressing member from the pressing member so as to come into contact with the front end of the sheet and supported movably by the sheet inserting part, and the friction separating pad being supplied to the sheet feeding part. And a second elastic member biased toward the arc portion of the paper roller. When the paper feed roller rotates and the arc portion thereof faces the pressing member, the pressing member is urged by the first elastic member to the arc portion of the paper feed roller. Of these, a force for conveying the uppermost sheet acts by the frictional force generated between the uppermost sheet (the sheet feeding roller side) and the arcuate portion of the sheet feeding roller. At the same time, a frictional force is generated between the sheets sandwiched there between, and a force for conveying the sheets toward the frictional separation pad side acts on all the sheets by the frictional force generated between the sheets. On the other hand, the leading edge of each sheet comes into contact with the friction separation pad at a predetermined angle, and a force that impedes the conveyance of the sheet is generated by the friction separation pad. The force that hinders the conveyance of the paper is larger than the frictional force generated between the papers and smaller than the frictional force generated between the uppermost sheet and the paper feed roller. One sheet on the paper roller side is separated and conveyed, and the remaining sheets remain in the sheet insertion portion.
Further, when the paper feed roller rotates, the friction separation pad is urged by the second elastic member to the arc portion of the paper feed roller, so that the separated paper is sandwiched between the friction separation pad and the arc portion of the paper feed roller. Is transported.

  That is, according to the sheet feeding device having this configuration, when the sheet is sandwiched between the arc portion of the sheet feeding roller and the pressing member, the sheet is determined by the urging force generated by the first elastic member. When a conveyance force is applied and the sheet is sandwiched between the arc portion of the paper feed roller and the friction separation pad, a conveyance force determined by the urging force generated by the second elastic member acts on the sheet. To do.

  In the sheet feeding device having the above-described configuration, the force that urges the frictional separation pad to the arc portion of the sheet feeding roller by the second elastic member causes the pressing member to be fed by the first elastic member. It is preferable that it is larger than the force urging | biasing the circular arc part of a roller.

  The urging force of the pressing member acts on all of the plurality of sheets housed and held in the sheet insertion portion, so that the sheets are not double-fed and the uppermost sheet can be separated from the plurality of sheets. Should be set. On the other hand, since the sheet sandwiched between the friction separation pad and the sheet feeding roller is only one separated sheet, the urging force can be made stronger than that of the pressing member. The paper roller can be fed downstream while being securely clamped with the arc portion of the paper roller.

  According to the paper feeding device of the present invention, a position in which the paper feeding roller in the standby state in which the string portion faces the pressing member across the paper insertion portion is rotated by a predetermined amount and separated from the paper feeding roller by the pressing member control mechanism. When the restriction of the pressing member that has been displaced is released, the pressing member elastically biases the paper stored and held in the paper insertion portion toward the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller.

Therefore, the sheet first comes into contact with the starting end of the arc portion on the outer peripheral surface of the sheet feeding roller. That is, the position at which the paper feed roller begins to contact the paper can be set to a position on the paper rear end side relative to the position at which the cylindrical paper feed roller contacts.
As a result, even if the paper is not aligned and the leading edge is located on the rear edge side, the paper can be reliably pulled in and fed out by the paper feed roller, and even if the leading edge is not evenly aligned, the paper is stable. Paper can be fed.

Further, in the standby state where the chord portion is opposed to the pressing member, the pressing member is displaced to a position away from the paper feed roller by the pressing member control mechanism, and the chord portion is located inside the arc portion. Since it is retracted, a sufficient paper insertion space can be secured between the paper feed roller and the pressing member, and the paper can be easily inserted into the paper insertion portion.
Further, according to the sheet feeding device of the present invention, the conveyance force determined by the urging force generated by the first elastic member is applied to the sheet sandwiched between the arc portion of the sheet feeding roller and the pressing member. The uppermost sheet is separated from a plurality of sheets. The separated paper is sandwiched between the arc portion of the paper feed roller and the friction separation pad, and the paper is further subjected to the conveying force determined by the urging force generated by the second elastic member to the downstream side. It is possible to provide a paper feeding device that can feed out paper and reliably feed paper one by one without causing double feeding / feeding errors.

Hereinafter, a paper feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 1 to 3 are explanatory views for explaining the operation of the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a plan view showing the entire configuration, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the main components shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are a front view and a side view showing the overall configuration of the sheet feeding device shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the sheet feeding device M according to the present embodiment sets the check (paper) S in a standing posture and sets the leading end (right end in the drawing) in the horizontal direction in the paper holder 10, and the posture. It is sent out in the horizontal direction (arrow Y1 direction). A paper holder 10 attached to a frame (not shown) includes a pair of side walls 12A and 12B that form a paper insertion portion 11 into which a plurality of checks S can be inserted and set in a bundle, and a bottom wall on which the lower ends of the checks S are placed. 12C.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet feeding device M includes a sheet feeding roller 20, a pressing member 30, and a friction separation pad as main components for sequentially feeding the checks S set on the sheet holder 10 one by one. 40.
The paper feed roller 20 is disposed on the side of the one side wall 12 </ b> A of the paper holder 10, and the pressing member 30 is disposed on the side of the other side wall 12 </ b> B across the paper insertion portion 11. The friction separation pad 40 is disposed downstream of the pressing member 30 in the check S feeding direction (arrow Y1 direction).

  The paper feed roller 20 is fixed to a roller shaft 21 rotatably supported by a frame (not shown), and is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow Y2 by a motor (drive means) (not shown). The check S is fed to the downstream paper transport path. The roller shaft 21 is arranged in a direction (vertical direction in the illustrated example) perpendicular to the paper feeding direction in order to rotate the paper feeding roller 20 in the paper feeding direction.

The paper feed roller 20 is formed in a fan shape having an outer circumferential surface having an arc portion 23 and a chord portion 24. The outer peripheral surface of the arc portion 23 is an arc surface located on the virtual cylindrical surface 22 concentric with the rotation center axis O of the paper feed roller 20, and the outer peripheral surface of the chord portion 24 is on the inner side of the virtual cylindrical surface 22. It is a gentle curved surface.
Further, the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 20 is lined with a high friction member such as rubber. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, in the paper feed roller 20, the rotating arc portion 23 can protrude into the space inside the paper insertion portion 11 through the opening 13 formed in one side wall 12 </ b> A of the paper holder 10. It is provided as follows.

  A pressing member (also called a hopper) 30 is disposed at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 20 with the paper insertion portion 11 interposed therebetween, and is pressed against the paper feed roller 20 by a compression coil spring (first elastic member) 31. The check S is elastically biased toward the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 20 by being biased toward the outer periphery.

  The pressing member 30 is disposed substantially parallel to the side wall 12B in an opening (not shown) provided on the other side wall 12B of the paper holder 10, and a base end portion 32 positioned on the upstream side in the feeding direction is a frame. Is supported by a support shaft 33 fixed to the support shaft 33 so that the free end side can swing around the support shaft 33 parallel to the rotation center axis O of the paper feed roller 20.

The portion of the pressing member 30 that contacts the check S protrudes more toward the paper feed roller 20 than the other portions, and is a pressing surface 34 provided with a high friction material such as a cork sheet. The upper side and the base end portion 32 side of the pressing surface 34 are configured with inclined surfaces that do not hinder the check S when the check S is dropped into the paper insertion portion 11.
Further, the proximal end of the compression coil spring 31 that urges the pressing member 30 toward the paper feed roller 20 is held by a spring receiver 35 disposed behind the pressing member 30.

The friction separation pad 40 has a plurality of sheets set in a state of being overlapped in the paper insertion portion 11 by the tip of the check S being fed while being sandwiched between the paper feed roller 20 and the pressing member 30 being in sliding contact with the pad surface 41. The checks S are separated one by one.
The friction separating pad 40 is supported so as to be rotatable about a support shaft 42 disposed in the vicinity of the free end of the pressing member 30, and the tip of the rotation is supported by a torsion coil spring 43 (second elastic member). The paper S is elastically biased toward the rear end.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the friction separation pad 40 is displaced to a position (standby position) substantially orthogonal to the paper insertion portion 11 when there is no interfering object (the arc portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20) in the middle. . When the frictional separation pad 40 is in the standby position, the tip of the check S can be positioned. The rotational displacement of the friction separating pad 40 is regulated by the cam follower 48 coming into contact with a pad driving cam 27 described later.

  Note that the frictional separation pad does not have to be elastically biased so as to be freely rotatable. For example, it is also possible to make a configuration in which the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 20 is elastically biased so as to slide back and forth. At that time, the contact surface of the friction separation pad with respect to the check S is in an inclined state as shown in FIG. 2, for example, and the friction separation pad slides in a direction substantially perpendicular to the contact surface. In this case, when the frictional separation pad does not face the arc portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20, the tip of the check S is positioned in a contact state inclined with respect to the tip of the check S.

Further, the sheet feeding device M of the present embodiment includes a pressing member control mechanism 37 and a pad control mechanism 47 for displacing the pressing member 30 and the friction separation pad 40 according to the rotation position of the sheet feeding roller 20.
The pressing member control mechanism 37 is attached to a roller shaft (rotating shaft) 21 of the paper feed roller 20, thereby allowing a pressing member driving cam (cam surface) 26 of a disk cam 25 that rotates integrally with the paper feeding roller 20. The cam follower 38 is provided on the pressing member 30 side so as to be in sliding contact with the pressing member driving cam 26.

Further, the pad control mechanism 47 is attached to the roller shaft 21 of the paper feed roller 20 so that the pad drive cam (cam surface) 27 of the disc cam 25 that rotates integrally with the paper feed roller 20 and the pad drive. The cam follower 48 is attached to the frictional separation pad 40 so as to be in sliding contact with the cam 27.
The friction separation pad 40 and the cam follower 48 are fitted and fixed to a support shaft 42 that is rotatably supported by the frame so as to rotate integrally.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, at the lower end of the roller shaft 21 of the paper feed roller 20, a transmission gear for transmitting the rotation of a motor (not shown) to the paper feed roller 20 and the disk cam 25 via the roller shaft 21. 28 is attached.
As described above, the disk cam 25 having the pressing member driving cams 26 and 27 for respectively driving the cam followers 38 and 48 is attached to the roller shaft 21, so that the pressing member 30 and the friction separation pad 40 are connected to the sheet feeding roller. Driven in conjunction with 20 rotations.

  In this case, the cam profile of the pressing member driving cam 26 constituting the pressing member control mechanism 37 regulates the position of the pressing member 30 with respect to the paper feed roller 20 against the urging force of the compression coil spring 31. As shown in FIG. 1, in a standby state in which the string portion 24 of the paper feed roller 20 faces the pressing member 30 across the paper insertion portion 11, the pressing member 30 is positioned away from the paper feeding roller 20. Displace to (standby position).

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the starting end of the arc portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20 (the portion where the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 20 to be rotated is switched from the chord portion 24 to the arc portion 23) is pressed. While the circular arc portion 23 is in a position facing the pressing member 30 from the time when the member 30 starts to approach, the restriction that holds the pressing member 30 in the standby position is released, so that the pressing member 30 The pressing member 30 is set to be displaced to a position (urging position) where the pressing member 30 is elastically biased toward the arc portion 23 of the paper feeding roller 20 by the biasing force.

  Further, the cam profile of the pad driving cam 27 constituting the pad control mechanism 47 is the check S as shown in FIG. 2 from the time when the starting end 23A of the arc portion 23 of the paper feeding roller 20 begins to approach the pressing member 30. Until the frictional separation pad 40 comes into contact with the tip of the check S at a predetermined angle (for example, approximately 45 degrees) against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 43 from the standby position until it is pressed against It is set to be displaced to the transport position).

  Further, in the sheet feeding device M of the present embodiment, when the check S is conveyed by the rotation of the sheet feeding roller 20, the pressing member 30 and the friction separation pad 40 are placed against the arc portion 23 of the sheet feeding roller 20. Each is elastically biased. In order to separate only the uppermost sheet from the plurality of checks S and reliably convey the sheet while preventing double feeding of the checks S, the biasing force of the friction separation pad 40 is larger than the biasing force of the pressing member 30. It is set to be. The urging force of the pressing member 30 is set to a weak force that can securely contact the arc portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20 without strongly pinching the check S. On the other hand, the biasing force of the frictional separation pad 40 is set to a strong force that can surely hold the check S between the arcuate portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20. For example, in this embodiment, the urging force of the pressing member 30 is 20 gf, and the urging force of the friction separation pad 40 is 200 gf.

Next, the operation of the paper feeding device M according to this embodiment will be described.
When a plurality of checks S are fed by the feeding device M according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the tips are horizontally oriented in a standing posture while the plurality of checks S are bundled (see FIG. 1). Set the paper holder 10 in the right direction.

  At this stage, the maximum radius cam portion 26 a of the pressing member driving cam 26 abuts against the cam follower 38 of the pressing member 30, so that the pressing member 30 resists the urging force of the compression coil spring 31. Is held at the most distant standby position. Further, since the string portion 24 of the paper feed roller 20 is located at a position facing the pressing member 30 substantially in parallel, the substantial width H of the paper insertion portion 11 is kept in the maximum open state. The check S can be easily inserted.

Further, the friction separating pad 40 has a position where the leading edge of the paper S can be positioned substantially downstream of the paper insertion portion 11 (downstream from the paper insertion portion 11) when the cam follower 48 falls into the recess 27 a of the pad driving cam 27. The paper transport path is blocked (standby position).
Therefore, when the check S is set in the paper insertion portion 11 in the standby state where the string portion 24 of the paper feed roller 20 faces the pressing member 30, the friction separation pad 40 positions the tip of the check S. can do. That is, the check S set in the paper insertion unit 11 does not enter the downstream paper conveyance path inadvertently.

In this state, when rotation of a motor (not shown) is transmitted to the paper feed roller 20 via the transmission gear 28, the paper feed roller 20 rotates in the direction of the arrow Y2, and as shown in FIG. The starting end 23A of 23 gradually approaches the pressing member 30 side.
At this stage, when the cam follower 38 of the pressing member 30 falls into the recess 26b of the pressing member driving cam 26, the restriction to the standby position is released, and the pressing member 30 moves from the standby position to the biasing position. The check S is elastically biased toward the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 20.

  At this time, on the paper feed roller 20 side, the starting end 23A of the arc portion 23 is close to the pressing member 30 on the front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the rotation center axis O of the paper feed roller 20 in the feeding direction. Therefore, the check S first comes into contact with the starting end 23A of the arc portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20 at a position in front of the rotation center axis O in the feeding direction. This position is on the front side in the feed direction by a dimension K that is about ½ of the radius of the paper feed roller 20 relative to the rotation center axis O of the paper feed roller 20, so that the leading end of the check S is the rotation center axis O. Even if the distance K is shifted to the near side, the tip end of the check S can be reliably captured by the arc portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20.

When the rotation of the sheet feeding roller 20 further proceeds from this state, the pressing member 30 is pushed back to the standby position side by the rotation of the arc portion 23, and as shown in FIG. The uppermost check S is fed out in the paper feeding direction (arrow Y1 direction) while being sandwiched.
At that time, since the pressing member 30 is urged by the compression coil spring 31 to the arc portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20, the uppermost (feeding) of the plurality of checks S sandwiched between the pressing member 30 and the arc portion 23. Due to the frictional force generated between one sheet on the paper roller side) and the arc portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20, a force for conveying the uppermost sheet acts. At the same time, a frictional force is generated between the sheets sandwiched there between, and a force to convey to the friction separation pad 40 side also acts on all the checks S due to the frictional force generated between the sheets.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the friction separating pad 40 is displaced from the standby position to the paper feeding position against the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 43 by the action of the pad driving cam 27 as shown in FIG. Inclined at a predetermined contact angle with respect to the tip of the check S. That is, a force that inhibits the conveyance of the check S is generated by the frictional separation pad that contacts the tip of each check S at a predetermined angle.

  The compression coil spring 31, so that the force hindering the conveyance of the check S is larger than the friction force generated between the checks S and smaller than the friction force generated between the uppermost sheet and the sheet feeding roller. Since the urging force of the torsion coil spring 43 and the angle at which the tip of the check S contacts the friction separation pad are set, one of the uppermost (feed roller side) of the plurality of checks S is separated and conveyed. The remaining check S remains in the paper insert. That is, the uppermost check S and the lower check S are separated by the balance of these forces.

  Further, when the paper feed roller 20 rotates, the arc portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20 presses against the friction separation pad 40 via the check S, as shown in FIG. It is in a state of being sandwiched between the parts 23. Accordingly, only one check S sent out from the paper insertion portion 11 by the arc portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20 is separated while the tip is slidably in contact with the pad surface 41, and the paper feeding device M is accompanied with the rotation of the arc portion 23. The paper is smoothly fed out (for example, downstream paper transport path). At that time, as described above, the biasing force of the frictional separation pad 40 against the arc portion 23 is stronger than that of the pressing member 30 and is set so that the check S is securely clamped between the arc portion 23. One check S can be reliably sent downstream.

When the feeding of one check S is completed by the rotation of the arc portion 23 of the paper feed roller 20, the pressing member driving cam 26 is adjusted to the timing when the terminal end 23 </ b> B of the arc portion 23 passes the position facing the pressing member 30. By the action, the pressing member 30 is pushed back to the standby position.
At almost the same time, the circular arc portion 23 that has been in contact with the frictional separation pad 40 passes through the frictional separation pad 40, and the frictional separation pad 40 reaches a position corresponding to the string portion 24. Since there is no interference in the swing range and the cam follower 48 falls into the recess 27a of the pad driving cam 27 and the friction separation pad 40 is deregulated, the friction separation pad 40 is urged by the torsion coil spring 43 to force the paper insertion portion 11 Is returned to a standby position that is substantially orthogonal.

When the uppermost sheet (feeding roller side) is separated and conveyed from a plurality of checks S, the lower check S may move slightly toward the friction separation pad 40 due to the frictional force generated between the checks S. However, the check S moved in this way is also pushed back by the frictional separation pad 40, so that the tip of the check S is aligned. At this time, since the pressing member 30 is displaced to a standby position separated from the paper supply roller 20, the check S can move relatively freely, and the leading edge of the check S is aligned with the friction separation pad 40 without difficulty. .
That is, every time the paper feed roller 20 rotates once and the chord 24 of the paper feed roller 20 faces the pressing member 30, the friction separation pad 40 is in a standby position substantially orthogonal to the paper insertion portion 11, the leading edge of the check S, and a predetermined amount. It has the effect | action which rocks | fluctuates between the conveyance positions which contact at this angle, and aligns the front-end | tip of the check S.

As described above, according to the paper feeding device M of the present embodiment, the check S whose front end is in front of the paper feeding portion 11 in the paper insertion unit 11 is reliably pulled in by the single paper feeding roller 20. Will be able to send out. That is, the check S can be stably fed even if the leading edges are not evenly aligned.
Therefore, the mechanism can be simplified and downsized as compared with the case of using a plurality of rollers. Further, since the tips of the checks S are not aligned using gravity, it is easy to cope with standing the checks S with the tips of the checks S oriented horizontally, and the installation posture is not particularly selected. In addition, it can be mounted on various devices such as a printer and a data reading device.

Further, in the sheet feeding device M of the present embodiment, the pressing member control mechanism 37 and the pad control mechanism 47 are in sliding contact with the pressing member driving cam 26 and the pad driving cam 27 and the respective cam surfaces. 30 and cam followers 38 and 48 provided on the friction separating pad 40, respectively.
Therefore, the structure in which the pressing member 30 and the friction separation pad 40 are driven in conjunction with the rotation of the paper feed roller 20 can be simplified.

FIG. 7 is a plan layout view of the data reading device P when the paper feeding device M of the above embodiment is incorporated.
In this data reading device P, the paper feeding device M of the above-described embodiment is disposed at the entrance portion of the first transport path 101 laid out in a U shape, and the paper feed roller 102 is disposed at an appropriate position in the middle of the first transport path 101. , 103, 104 are disposed, and a discharge roller 105 is disposed at the exit portion. In addition, reading processing units (scanners) 110 and 120 are arranged on the intermediate straight line portion 101A of the U-shaped first conveyance path 101. Further, on the extended line of the intermediate straight line portion 101A, a straight conveyance path 112A that constitutes a straight second conveyance path 112 by using the intermediate straight line portion 101A is connected.

  In this data reading device P, when the check S is sent out from the feeding device M, the check S moves along the U-shaped transport path 101 in an upright position, and the reading processing unit (scanner) 110, At 120, the data recorded on the check S is read. When reading a rigid card such as a license or ID card, the reading processing units 110 and 120 can read the data on the card by moving the card using the second transport path 112. it can.

  As shown in this example, when a plurality of checks S are set in a standing posture and the checks S are sent out in the horizontal direction in the posture, the tip position of the checks S often varies. According to the sheet feeding device M of the embodiment, the check S can be reliably sent out. Therefore, although it is a simple mechanism, the reliability of paper feed can be ensured without selecting the installation posture.

The configurations of the paper insertion portion, the paper feed roller, the pressing member, the pressing member control mechanism, the friction separation pad, the pad control mechanism, the disc cam, and the like in the paper feeding device of the present invention are limited to the configurations of the above embodiments. However, it goes without saying that various forms can be adopted based on the gist of the present invention.
For example, the pressing member 30 in the above embodiment is configured such that the free end side can swing around a support shaft 33 parallel to the rotation center axis O of the paper feed roller 20. The pressing surface can be configured to advance and retract in parallel.

4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation of the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is a plan view showing the overall configuration, and FIG. . 2A and 2B are explanatory views for explaining a next operation stage of the sheet feeding device shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2A is a plan view showing an overall configuration, and FIG. . FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a next operation stage of the sheet feeding device illustrated in FIG. 2, in which FIG. 3A is a plan view illustrating an entire configuration, and FIG. . It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the main components shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the whole structure of the paper feeding apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the whole structure of the paper feeder shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the planar layout of the data reading apparatus carrying the paper feeder shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  11..Paper insertion part, 20..Feed roller, 23..Arc part, 23A..Start end, 24..Notch part, 26..Pressing member driving cam (cam surface), 27..Pad driving Cam (cam surface), 30 ... Pressing member, 37 ... Pressing member control mechanism, 38, 48 ... Cam follower, 40 ... Friction separation pad, 47 ... Pad control mechanism, M ... Feeding device, S ...・ Check (paper).

Claims (6)

A paper insertion section for accommodating and holding a plurality of sheets;
A paper feed roller that is formed in a fan shape with an outer peripheral surface having an arc portion and a chord portion and is driven to rotate;
A pressing member that is disposed at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller across the paper insertion portion and elastically biases the paper toward the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller;
A pressing member control mechanism for displacing the pressing member to a position away from the paper feeding roller when a string portion of the paper feeding roller faces the pressing member across the paper insertion portion;
A paper feeder equipped with. A friction separating pad that is disposed downstream of the pressing member in the paper insertion portion and is displaceable so as to change a contact angle with respect to the leading edge of the paper;
A pad control mechanism for displacing the friction separation pad to a position where the leading edge of the paper can be positioned when the string portion of the paper feed roller faces the pressing member across the paper insertion portion;
The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising:   3. The friction separating pad is configured to be rotatable so that a contact angle with respect to the leading edge of the sheet can be changed, and the rotating leading end is elastically biased toward the trailing end of the sheet. The paper feeder described in 1.   The pressing member control mechanism and the pad control mechanism are provided with a disc cam having two types of cam surfaces and rotating integrally with the paper feed roller, and the pressing member and the friction separation pad so as to be in sliding contact with the cam surfaces, respectively. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, comprising a cam follower provided. A paper insertion section for accommodating and holding a plurality of sheets;
A paper feed roller that is formed in a fan shape with an outer peripheral surface having an arc portion and a chord portion and is driven to rotate;
A pressing member disposed at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller and supported by the paper insertion portion so as to be movable;
A first elastic member that urges the pressing member toward the arc portion of the paper feed roller;
A friction separating pad that is disposed downstream of the pressing member so as to contact the leading edge of the paper and is movably supported by the paper insertion portion;
A second elastic member for urging the friction separation pad toward the arc portion of the paper feed roller;
A paper feeder equipped with.   The force that urges the friction separation pad to the arc portion of the paper feed roller by the second elastic member is greater than the force that urges the pressing member to the arc portion of the paper feed roller by the first elastic member. The sheet feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the sheet feeding device is also larger.

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