JP2007068023A - Document feeder, document feeding and reading unit and copier using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic document feeder (ADF) in which a belt unit held by an opening/closing upper cover can be easily removed. <P>SOLUTION: An automatic document feeder comprises: a first bearing 102 which supports a shaft member 82a at one terminal side so as to revolve the shaft member while being held so as to be slid and moved at that one terminal side of the shaft member 82a of a driving roller 82; a second bearing 103 which supports the shaft member at another terminal side so as to revolve the shaft member; a coil spring 105 which is held by the shaft member 82a so as to energize the first bearing 102 toward that one terminal side; a first shaft supporting plate 107 which supports the first bearing 102 while engaging it into a through-hole; and a second shaft supporting plate 108 which supports the second bearing 103 while engaging it into a through-hole. By energizing the first bearing 102 using the coil spring 105, the first bearing 102 is locked at an engaging position with the through-hole of the first shaft supporting plate 107, and the second bearing 103 is locked at an engaging position with the through-hole of the second shaft supporting plate 108. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an original conveying apparatus such as an ADF (automatic paper feeder) that allows an original conveyed by a conveying means to pass through a reading position by an original reading apparatus such as a scanner to read an image of the original. The present invention also relates to a document conveyance reading unit having such a document conveyance device and a document reading device, and a copying machine using the document conveyance reading unit.

  Conventionally, as this type of document conveying device, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. This document conveying device has a document placing table on which a document is placed, and a cover that opens and closes by swinging around a swing shaft so as to cover or expose one end portion in the horizontal direction. ing. This cover holds a belt unit that moves the separation belt as a belt member endlessly while being stretched by two rollers on the surface facing the document placement table. Further, the document table supports the separation roller on the surface facing the cover so as to be rotatable. In a state where the cover is rocked at a position where the lower surface of the cover faces the document table (closed state), a conveyance path for conveying the document toward the document reading device is formed in the facing region of both. The Further, the front surface of the separation belt held by the cover and the separation roller supported by the document table are brought into contact with each other to form a nip. The document in the transport path is transported toward the document reading device while passing through the nip. On the other hand, in a state where the cover is rocked (opened) at a position where the cover is largely retracted from the position facing the document placement table (open state), a separation belt held by the cover and a separation roller supported by the document placement table And the inside of the conveyance path are exposed to the outside. By this exposure, the document jammed in the conveyance path can be easily removed.

Japanese Patent No. 3403305

  In the document conveying apparatus having such a configuration, it is desired to improve the maintainability of the belt unit by easily removing the belt unit exposed by opening the cover. However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, there is no mention of a specific configuration for removing the belt unit. Note that it is desirable to improve the maintainability of the roller member so that the roller member can be easily removed even in a configuration in which the roller member to be rotationally driven is held by the cover instead of the belt unit.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object of the present invention is to provide an original conveying apparatus that can easily remove a roller member and a belt member held by an oscillating body. Another object of the present invention is to provide a document transport reading unit and a copying machine using such a document transport device.

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is directed to a document placing portion for placing a document, and a document on the document placing portion through a reading position by a document reading device while being transported to a transport destination. Conveying means for causing the original reading apparatus to read an image of the original, and between a first position facing the support that supports the swing shaft and a second position that is further away from the support. An oscillating body that holds a rotatable roller member while being oscillatingly supported by the oscillating shaft, and an endless belt member that allows the surface of the oscillating member to move endlessly while being stretched by the roller member. An abutting member that moves the surface endlessly while abutting against the front surface to form a nip, the oscillating body having the conveying means and oscillating at the first position; In the area facing the support that supports the swing shaft and the abutting member, Along with forming the transport path for transporting the document, the document in the transport path is sandwiched and transported in the nip, and the oscillator is moved from the first position to the second position. In the document conveying apparatus that separates the roller member or the belt member from the contact member and exposes the inside of the conveying path to the outside, the roller member includes a shaft member and a shaft on the surface of the central portion in the axial direction thereof. A first bearing that is capable of sliding on the shaft member in the axial direction while receiving the shaft member rotatably on the one end side, and A second bearing that rotatably receives the shaft member on the other end side in the axial direction, and a biasing means that is held by the shaft member so as to bias the first bearing toward the shaft end on the one end side And the first bearing on its engaging portion A first shaft support member that supports the shaft member while being engaged, and a second shaft support member that supports the shaft member while engaging the second bearing with its engagement portion, and the biasing The first bearing is pressed against and engaged with the engaging portion of the first shaft support member by the biasing force of the first bearing by means, and the second bearing is engaged with the engaging portion of the second shaft support member. It is characterized by being configured to be pressed and locked.
The invention according to claim 2 is the document conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the first shaft support member and the second shaft support member respectively penetrate the base material in the axial direction of the shaft member. It has the through-opening provided as the engaging part, and has a notch that extends from one end of the base material to the through-opening, and holds the notch in the posture toward the transport path. It is what is made.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the document conveying device according to the second aspect, the plate constituting the wall of the conveying path while being positioned at a position between the central portion of the shaft member and the second bearing. It is characterized in that the shaped member is detachably attached to the rocking body.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the document conveying device of the third aspect, the second bearing is held by the shaft member so as not to be slidable in the axial direction, and as the first bearing slides. The movement of the shaft member in the axial direction is regulated by abutting the second bearing held by the shaft member about to move in the axial direction against the plate member. Is.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the document conveying device according to the third or fourth aspect, the driven roller is rotatably supported by the roller member, at least one driven roller member other than the roller member, and the shaft member. A swing unit that supports the member so as to be driven and rotated at both ends thereof, and a belt unit having the roller member and the belt member that is endlessly moved while being stretched by the driven roller member are held by the rocking body. And the rotating bracket that rotates about the shaft member as the belt member and the contact member are separated by the movement of the rocking body from the first position to the second position. This is characterized in that it abuts against the plate-like member.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document reading device that reads an image of a document while exposing the document, and the document reading device in the middle of transporting a document placed on a document placing portion toward a transportation destination. 6. A document transport reading unit comprising a document transport device that causes the document reading device to read an image of the document through a reading position by the document transport device, wherein the document transport device according to claim 1 is used as the document transport device. It is characterized by the fact that
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, and a document conveying / reading unit that reads an image of the document while conveying the document, an image read by the document conveying / reading unit is provided. In the copying machine for copying the original by being formed on the recording material by the image forming apparatus, the original conveying / reading unit according to claim 6 is used as the original conveying / reading means.

  In these inventions, the engagement between the first bearing locked to the engagement position with the engagement portion of the first shaft support member and the engagement portion of the second shaft support member by the urging force of the urging means. The second bearings locked at the mating positions are retracted from the engaging positions by the following operations. That is, the first bearing is slid in the direction opposite to the urging direction by the urging means. The roller member can be easily removed from the rocking body together with the first bearing and the second bearing by retracting the first bearing and the second bearing from the engaged positions by such work. Further, the belt member stretched by the roller member can be easily detached from the swinging body together with the roller member.

A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electrophotographic copying machine (hereinafter simply referred to as a copying machine) will be described below.
First, the basic configuration of the copier according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the copying machine. The copying machine includes an image forming apparatus 1, a blank paper supply device 40, and a document conveyance reading unit 50. The document conveying / reading unit 50 includes a scanner 150 serving as a document reading device fixed on the image forming apparatus 1 and an ADF 51 serving as a document conveying device supported by the scanner 150.

  The blank paper supply device 40 includes two paper feed cassettes 42 arranged in multiple stages in the paper bank 41, a feed roller 43 that feeds transfer paper from the paper feed cassette, and separates the sent transfer paper into a paper feed path 44. A separation roller 45 to be supplied is provided. The image forming apparatus 1 also includes a plurality of transport rollers 47 that transport the transfer paper to the paper feed path 37. Then, the transfer paper in the paper feed cassette is fed into the paper feed path 37 in the image forming apparatus 1.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial configuration diagram illustrating a part of the internal configuration of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus 1 includes an optical writing device 2, four process units 3K, Y, M, and C that form toner images of K, Y, M, and C, a transfer unit 24, a paper transport unit 28, and a registration roller. A pair 33, a fixing device 34, a switchback device 36, a paper feed path 37, and the like are provided. Then, a light source such as a laser diode or LED (not shown) disposed in the optical writing device 2 is driven to irradiate the four drum-shaped photosensitive members 4K, Y, M, and C with the laser light L. . By this irradiation, electrostatic latent images are formed on the surfaces of the photoreceptors 4K, Y, M, and C, and the latent images are developed into toner images via a predetermined development process. Note that the subscripts K, Y, M, and C added after the reference numerals indicate specifications for black, yellow, magenta, and cyan.

  The process units 3K, Y, M, and C each support the photosensitive member and various devices disposed around it as a single unit on a common support, and the image forming apparatus 1 main body. Detachable. Taking the process unit 3K for black as an example, this has a developing device 6K for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member 4K into a black toner image in addition to the photoreceptor 4K. Further, it also includes a drum cleaning device 15 that cleans transfer residual toner adhering to the surface of the photoreceptor 4K after passing through a K primary transfer nip described later. This copying machine has a so-called tandem configuration in which four process units 3K, Y, M, and C are arranged so as to face each other along an endless movement direction with respect to an intermediate transfer belt 25 described later. .

  FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing a part of a tandem part composed of four process units 3K, Y, M, and C. Since the four process units 3K, Y, M, and C have substantially the same configuration except that the colors of the toners to be used are different from each other, K, Y, M, and C attached to the respective reference numerals in FIG. The subscript is omitted. As shown in the figure, the process unit 3 includes a charging device 23, a developing device 6, a drum cleaning device 15, a charge removal lamp 22, and the like around the photoreceptor 4.

  As the photoreceptor 4, a drum-shaped member is used in which a photosensitive layer is formed by applying a photosensitive organic photosensitive material to a base tube made of aluminum or the like. However, an endless belt may be used.

  The developing device 6 develops the latent image using a two-component developer containing a magnetic carrier and a nonmagnetic toner (not shown). In order to transfer the toner in the two-component developer carried on the developing sleeve 12 to the photosensitive member 4, the agitating unit 7 that conveys the two-component developer accommodated in the inside and supplies the developing sleeve 12 with stirring. Development section 11.

  The stirring unit 7 is provided at a position lower than the developing unit 11, and is provided on the bottom surface of the developing case 9, two conveying screws 8 arranged in parallel to each other, a partition plate provided between these screws. The toner density sensor 10 is included.

  The developing unit 11 includes a developing sleeve 12 that faces the photosensitive member 4 through the opening of the developing case 9, a magnet roller 13 that is non-rotatably provided inside the developing sleeve 12, a doctor blade 14 that approaches the developing sleeve 12, and the like. ing. The developing sleeve 12 has a non-magnetic rotatable cylindrical shape. The magnet roller 12 has a plurality of magnetic poles that are sequentially arranged from the position facing the doctor blade 14 in the rotational direction of the sleeve. Each of these magnetic poles applies a magnetic force to the two-component developer on the sleeve at a predetermined position in the rotation direction. As a result, the two-component developer sent from the stirring unit 7 is attracted and carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 13 and a magnetic brush is formed along the magnetic field lines on the sleeve surface.

  The magnetic brush is regulated to an appropriate layer thickness when passing through the position facing the doctor blade 14 as the developing sleeve 12 rotates, and then conveyed to the developing region facing the photoconductor 4. Then, the toner is transferred onto the electrostatic latent image by the potential difference between the developing bias applied to the developing sleeve 12 and the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 4, thereby contributing to development. Further, as the developing sleeve 12 rotates, the developing sleeve 12 is returned to the developing portion 11 again, and after being separated from the sleeve surface by the influence of the repulsive magnetic field formed between the magnetic poles of the magnet roller 13, the developing sleeve 12 is returned to the stirring portion 7. An appropriate amount of toner is supplied to the two-component developer in the stirring unit 7 based on the detection result of the toner density sensor 10. The developing device 6 may employ a one-component developer that does not include a magnetic carrier, instead of one that uses a two-component developer.

  As the drum cleaning device 15, a system in which a polyurethane rubber cleaning blade 16 is pressed against the photosensitive member 4 is used, but another system may be used. For the purpose of enhancing the cleaning property, this example employs a system having a contact conductive fur brush 17 whose outer peripheral surface is in contact with the photoreceptor 4 so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The fur brush 17 also serves to apply the lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive member 4 while scraping the lubricant from a solid lubricant (not shown) into a fine powder. A metal electric field roller 18 for applying a bias to the fur brush 17 is rotatably provided in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and the tip of the scraper 19 is pressed against it. The toner attached to the fur brush 17 is transferred to the electric field roller 18 to which a bias is applied while rotating in contact with the fur brush 17 in the counter direction. Then, after being scraped from the electric field roller 18 by the scraper 19, it falls onto the recovery screw 20. The collection screw 20 conveys the collected toner toward the end of the drum cleaning device 15 in the direction orthogonal to the drawing sheet surface, and transfers it to the external recycling conveyance device 21. The recycle conveyance device 21 sends the delivered toner to the developing device 15 for recycling.

  The neutralization lamp 22 neutralizes the photoreceptor 4 by light irradiation. The surface of the photoreceptor 4 that has been neutralized is uniformly charged by the charging device 23 and then subjected to optical writing processing by the optical writing device 2. As the charging device 23, a charging device that rotates a charging roller to which a charging bias is applied while contacting the photosensitive member 4 is used. A scorotron charger or the like that performs a non-contact charging process on the photoreceptor 4 may be used.

  In FIG. 2 described above, K, Y, M, and C toner images are formed on the photoreceptors 4K, Y, M, and C of the four process units 3K, Y, M, and C by the processes described above. Is done.

  A transfer unit 24 is disposed below the four process units 3K, Y, M, and C. The transfer unit 24 moves the intermediate transfer belt 25 stretched by a plurality of rollers endlessly in the clockwise direction in the drawing while contacting the photoreceptors 4K, Y, M, and C. As a result, primary transfer nips for K, Y, M, and C in which the photoreceptors 4K, Y, M, and C contact the intermediate transfer belt 25 are formed. In the vicinity of the primary transfer nips for K, Y, M, and C, the intermediate transfer belt 25 is moved to the photoreceptors 4K, Y, M, and C by primary transfer rollers 26K, Y, M, and C disposed inside the belt loop. Pressing toward C. A primary transfer bias is applied to the primary transfer rollers 26K, Y, M, and C by a power source (not shown). As a result, a primary transfer electric field for electrostatically moving the toner images on the photoreceptors 4K, Y, M, and C toward the intermediate transfer belt 25 is formed in the primary transfer nips for K, Y, M, and C. Has been. In the drawing, a toner image is formed on each of the primary transfer nips on the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 25 that sequentially passes through the primary transfer nips for K, Y, M, and C with endless movement in the clockwise direction. Are sequentially superimposed and primarily transferred. By this primary transfer of superposition, a four-color superposed toner image (hereinafter referred to as a four-color toner image) is formed on the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 25.

  Below the transfer unit 24 in the figure, a paper transport unit 28 is provided between the drive roller 30 and the secondary transfer roller 31 to endlessly move the endless paper transport belt 29. The intermediate transfer belt 25 and the paper transport belt 29 are sandwiched between the secondary transfer roller 31 and the lower stretching roller 27 of the transfer unit 24. As a result, a secondary transfer nip is formed in which the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 25 and the front surface of the paper transport belt 29 come into contact with each other. A secondary transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 31 by a power source (not shown). On the other hand, the lower stretching roller 27 of the transfer unit 24 is grounded. Thereby, a secondary transfer electric field is formed in the secondary transfer nip.

  A registration roller pair 33 is disposed on the right side of the secondary transfer nip in the drawing, and the secondary transfer nip 33 is arranged at a timing at which the transfer paper sandwiched between the rollers can be synchronized with the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 25. Send to transfer nip. Within the secondary transfer nip, the four-color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 25 are collectively transferred to the transfer paper due to the influence of the secondary transfer electric field and nip pressure, and become a full-color image combined with the white color of the transfer paper. The transfer paper that has passed through the secondary transfer nip is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 25 and is conveyed to the fixing device 34 along with its endless movement while being held on the front surface of the paper conveyance belt 29.

  The transfer residual toner that has not been transferred to the transfer paper at the secondary transfer nip adheres to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 25 that has passed through the secondary transfer nip. This transfer residual toner is scraped off and removed by a belt cleaning device in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 25.

  The transfer paper conveyed to the fixing device 34 is fixed to a full color image by pressurization and heating in the fixing device 34, and then sent from the fixing device 34 to the paper discharge roller pair 35, and then to the outside of the apparatus. Discharged.

  In FIG. 1 described above, a switchback device 36 is disposed under the paper transport unit 22 and the fixing device 34. As a result, the transfer paper that has undergone the image fixing process on one side is switched by the switching claw to the transfer paper path to the transfer paper reversing device side, where it is reversed and enters the secondary transfer transfer nip again. Then, after the secondary transfer process and the fixing process of the image are performed on the other side, the sheet is discharged onto a discharge tray.

  The scanner 150 fixed on the image forming apparatus 1 includes a fixed reading unit 151 and a moving reading unit 152 as reading means for reading an image of the document MS. A fixed reading unit 151 having a light source, a reflection mirror, an image reading sensor such as a CCD, etc. is disposed immediately below a first contact glass (not shown) fixed to the upper wall of the casing of the scanner 150 so as to contact the document MS. Yes. Then, when a document MS conveyed by the ADF 51 described later passes over the first contact glass, the light emitted from the light source is sequentially reflected on the document surface and received by the image reading sensor via a plurality of reflecting mirrors. To do. Thereby, the document MS is scanned without moving the optical system including the light source and the reflection mirror. Hereinafter, control for reading the image of the document MS by the fixed reading unit 151 while conveying the document by the ADF 51 is referred to as through-reading control.

  On the other hand, the moving reading unit 152 is disposed directly below the second contact glass (not shown) fixed to the upper wall of the casing of the scanner 150 so as to come into contact with the document MS, and is disposed on the right side of the fixed reading unit 151 in the drawing. The optical system including the light source and the reflection mirror can be moved in the left-right direction in the figure. Then, in the process of moving the optical system from the left side to the right side in the figure, the light emitted from the light source is reflected by a document (not shown) placed on the second contact glass and then passed through a plurality of reflecting mirrors. The light is received by an image reading sensor 153 fixed to the scanner body. Accordingly, the original is scanned while moving the optical system.

  An ADF 51 disposed on the scanner 150 includes a document placing table 53 for placing a document MS before reading on a main body cover 52, a transport unit 54 for transporting the document MS, and a document MS after reading. A document stack base 55 for stacking is held. As shown in FIG. 4, it is supported by a hinge 159 fixed to the scanner 150 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. Then, by swinging, it moves like an open / close door, and the first contact glass 154 and the second contact glass 155 on the upper surface of the scanner 150 are exposed in the opened state. In the case of a single-sided original such as a book in which one corner of the original bundle is bound, the originals cannot be separated one by one and cannot be transported by ADF. Therefore, in the case of a single-sided original, the ADF 51 is opened as shown in FIG. 4, and then the single-sided original with the page to be read open is placed face down on the second contact glass 154, and then the ADF is close. Then, the image of the page is read by the moving reading unit 152 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, in the case of a bundle of documents obtained by simply stacking a plurality of independent documents MS, the documents MS can be sequentially read by the fixed reading unit 151 of the scanner 150 while being automatically conveyed one by one by the ADF. . In this case, after setting the document bundle on the document placing table 53, a copy start button (not shown) is pressed. Then, the ADF 51 sends the originals MS of the original bundle placed on the original placement table 53 into the conveyance unit 54 in order from the top, and conveys the original MS toward the original stack table 55 while inverting it. In the course of this conveyance, immediately after the document MS is reversed, the original MS is passed directly above the fixed reading unit 151 of the scanner 150. At this time, the image of the document MS is read by the fixed reading unit 151 of the scanner 150.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing the main configuration of the ADF 51 together with the upper portion of the scanner 150. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a part of the electric circuit of the ADF 51 and the scanner 150. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the first stage of the automatic conveyance control performed by the conveyance reading control unit (200) of the scanner 150. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the second stage of the automatic conveyance control. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the third stage of the automatic conveyance control. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control flow of a first stage of through reading control performed by the conveyance reading control unit (200). FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the second stage of the through reading control. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the third stage of the through-reading control. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the fourth stage of the through-reading control. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the fifth stage of the through-reading control. Hereinafter, the through reading control performed by the document conveyance reading unit (50) which is a combination of the ADF 51 and the scanner 150 will be described with reference to these drawings.

  In the ADF 51 of FIG. 5, a document stacking base 55 for stacking the document MS after being read is fixed to the lower part of the main body cover 52 of the ADF, and the document MS before being read is placed directly above this. A document placing table 53 is fixed to the main body cover 52. The document stacking table 55 and the document mounting table 53 are arranged so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction. On the left side of the table, a conveyance unit 54 as conveyance means for conveying the document MS is fixed to the main body cover 52, and a document conveyance path 56 for passing paper is formed inside. Yes. The document transport path 56 is curved in the shape of the letter “C” in the drawing, and after the document MS received from the document placing table 53 is transported from the right side to the left in the drawing, Invert at the bend. By this reversal, the reading surface of the document MS, which has the reading surface directed upward in the document mounting table 53, is directed downward in the vertical direction. Next, the document MS is conveyed from the left side to the right side in the drawing.

  Most of the document transport path 56 of the ADF 51 is formed between two guide plates that are curved in a complicated manner while facing each other with a predetermined gap therebetween, and the document MS is transported between these two guide plates. . However, in all the steps of the document conveyance path 56, the document conveyance path 56 is connected between the ADF 51 and the scanner 150 in the process of crossing directly above the document exposure position by a fixed reading unit (151 in FIG. 1) of the scanner 150. It is formed between. Specifically, it is formed between the fixed reading guide member 60 provided at the lower part of the document conveyance path 56 and the first contact glass 154 of the scanner 150.

  The original MS that is reversed from the leftmost curved portion in the drawing in the original conveying path 56 of the ADF 51 and then conveyed from the left to the right in the drawing is the first contact glass that is the exposure position of the fixed reading portion. Cross over 154. At this time, the image on the reading surface of the document MS is read by the fixed reading unit. After being read, the document MS is guided by the guide protrusion 156 disposed between the first contact glass 154 and the second contact glass 155 of the scanner 150 and again enters the transport unit 54 of the ADF 51. Then, it is sent onto the document stack table 55.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the ADF 51 has a controller 64 made up of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like, and can control various devices and sensors. The controller 64 includes a registration sensor 65, a document setting sensor 63, a reading outlet sensor 66, a reading inlet sensor 67, a first document length sensor 57, a second document length sensor 58, a third document length sensor 59, and a separation. A sensor 68, an abutment home position sensor 69, a pickup home position sensor 70, a paper feed cover open / close sensor 71, an abutment sensor 72, a document width sensor 73, a switchback sensor 74, and the like are connected. A call motor 75, a paper feed motor 76, a reading motor 77, a switchback motor 78, a switchback solenoid 79, and the like are also connected.

  The scanner 150 includes a transport reading control unit 200 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like (not shown), thereby controlling various devices and sensors (not shown) inside the scanner 150. Can do. Moreover, it is connected to the controller 64 of the ADF 51 by a harness (157 in FIG. 4), and various devices and sensors in the ADF 51 can be indirectly controlled via the controller 64.

  In FIG. 5, the document table 53 is provided with a first document length sensor 57, a second document length sensor 58, and a third document length sensor 59, which are formed of a reflective photosensor, in order from the left side to the right side in the drawing. They are arranged side by side. Based on the detection result of the document MS on the document table 53 by the three length sensors, the length of the document MS in the transport direction can be grasped.

  The document placing table 53 is fixed so as to have an inclination from the upper right to the lower left in the figure, and the document bundle placed on the document placing table 53 slides down on the table toward the transport unit 54 due to gravity. Go. Further, the lever member 62 supported so as to be swingable at a position facing the upper surface of the document placing table 53 with a predetermined gap is tilted (falls from the position of the two-dot chain line in the figure to the position of the solid line) and further slips. It will fall. At this time, the fallen lever member 62 is detected by the document set sensor 63. Thereafter, the document MS abuts against a stopper member 61 disposed on the left side of the document placing table 53 in the drawing and stops. The position of the document MS in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the drawing sheet) is adjusted by a side fence (not shown).

  When the copy start button (158 in FIG. 4) provided on the scanner 150 is pressed in a state where the document bundle is set on the document placing table 53 in this way, the signal is sent to the controller 64 of the ADF 51. Then, the calling motor 75 is driven to rotate forward (Step 2: FIG. 7: Step is hereinafter referred to as S). Then, by this forward rotation driving, the stopper member 61 is retracted to a position below the position detected by the stopper home position sensor 69 (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 5) (S3 in FIG. 7). Next, the pickup roller 80 is lowered to a position detected by the pickup home position sensor 70 by the reverse rotation of the calling motor 75, and the document bundle is pressed from above by the pickup roller 80 (S4 to S6 in FIG. 7). Based on the detection results of the three document length sensors (57 to 59) fixed to the document table 53, the length of the document MS in the transport direction is determined (S7 in FIG. 7).

  Thereafter, the pickup roller 80 is rotationally driven in a direction in which the document MS is transported toward the receiving port of the transport unit 54 by the normal rotation of the paper feed motor 76. As a result, the upper few (ideally one) originals MS in the original bundle on the original placement table 53 are entered into the transport unit 54 and sent to the belt unit 81 (S8 in FIG. 7). In this belt unit 81, an endless sheet feeding belt 84 is stretched by a driving roller 82 and a driven roller 83, and the sheet feeding belt 84 is illustrated by the rotation of the driving roller 82 accompanying the normal rotation of the sheet feeding motor 76. Move endlessly in the clockwise direction. A reverse roller 85 which is driven to rotate clockwise in the drawing by the forward rotation of the paper feed motor 76 is in contact with the lower tension surface of the paper feed belt 84. At the contact portion, the surface of the paper feeding belt 84 moves in the paper feeding direction, whereas the surface of the reverse roller 85 moves in the direction opposite to the paper feeding. Several originals MS sent toward the belt unit 81 are sandwiched between the contact portions, and a moving force in the paper feeding direction is applied to the uppermost original MS contacting the paper feeding belt 84. Further, a moving force in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction is applied to the document MS below the topmost position by the reverse roller 85. As a result, only the uppermost document MS is separated from several documents.

  On the left side of the belt unit 81 in the figure, a separation sensor 68, a butting sensor 72, a pull-out driven roller 86, and a paper width detection lever group 73 are arranged in order from the right side to the left side. A pull-out drive roller 87 is in contact with the pull-out driven roller 86 from below, and the pull-out driven roller 86 is rotated by this rotational drive.

  The document MS separated by the belt unit 81 is sequentially detected by the separation sensor 68 and the abutment sensor 72 while being fed by the paper feed belt 84 toward the left side in the paper feed conveyance path 56. The controller 64 starts counting when the leading edge of the document MS is detected by the abutting sensor 72 (S9 and S12 in FIG. 7). Then, the pickup roller 80 is retracted from the original bundle by the reverse rotation and reverse rotation stop of the calling motor 75, and the original MS is sent only by the surface movement of the paper feed belt 84 (S14 to S16 in FIG. 8). After that, when the count reaches a predetermined value, the paper feed motor 76 is driven in reverse (S18 in FIG. 8). If the document sensor MS is not detected by the abutting sensor 72 even after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of driving of the paper feeding belt 84, all the driving systems are stopped and the user is informed that an abutting failure has occurred. After the abutting unachieved jam processing for notification is performed, a series of control flows is returned (S10 to S11 in FIG. 7).

  A one-way clutch (not shown) is provided in the drive transmission system from the paper feed motor 76 to the drive roller 82, so that only the forward rotation drive of the paper feed motor 76 is transmitted to the drive roller 82. Yes. The paper feed motor 76 also serves as a drive source for the pull-out drive roller 87, and a one-way clutch is also provided in the drive transmission system from the paper feed motor 76 to the pull-out drive roller 87. Only the reverse rotation drive of the paper feed motor 76 is transmitted to the pull-out drive roller 87. Therefore, when the rotation driving direction of the paper feed motor 76 is repeated from forward rotation to reverse rotation in S18 described above, the drive of the paper feed belt 84 is stopped and the pull-out drive roller 87 and the pull-out driven roller 86 are driven. Start.

  The count-up value by the controller 64 is longer than the time required from when the leading edge of the document MS is detected until the document MS is conveyed to the nip entrance of the pull-out roller pair (pair of 86 and 87) by the paper feed belt 84. A little longer. For this reason, the original MS abuts the front end of the original MS against the nip of the pull-out roller pair, and is further fed by the paper feeding belt 84 to bend the central portion and then stops. Due to such a stop, the document MS is corrected for the skew (skew) in the width direction of the document generated during the separation feeding.

  The pull-out driving roller 87 is a roller for correcting the skew of the document MS and conveying the corrected document MS to a pair of reading entrance rollers (a pair of 89 and 90) described later. When the pull-out drive roller 87 starts to rotate by the reverse rotation of the paper feed motor 76, the document MS is sandwiched between the nips of the pair of pull-out rollers (86, 87) and is further conveyed leftward in the paper feed conveyance path 56. The Eventually, it approaches the contact position with the paper width detection lever group 73.

  The paper width detection lever group 73 is composed of a plurality of paper detection levers arranged in a direction orthogonal to the drawing surface, and these are supported individually and swingably. The document MS that has reached the contact position with the paper width detection lever group 73 is further conveyed to the left in the figure while tilting the plurality of paper detection levers by the number corresponding to the paper width. At this time, the paper width of the document MS is grasped based on the number of paper detection levers that have fallen (S19 to S20 in FIG. 8). The controller 64 sends the length information of the document MS acquired in S7 and the width dimension information of the document MS acquired in S20 to the transport reading control unit 200 of the scanner 150 (S22 in FIG. 8). The exact length of the document MS in the conveyance direction is calculated based on the count value from when the leading edge of the document MS is detected by the abutment sensor 72 until the trailing edge is not detected.

  The conveying speed of the document MS by driving the pull-out driving roller 87 is set to be higher than the feeding speed by the feeding belt 84. As a result, particularly in the second and subsequent originals, it is possible to increase the reading speed by closing the space between the preceding originals.

  The document MS that has passed through the contact position with the paper width detection lever group 73 enters a curved portion provided at the left end of the paper feed conveyance path 56 in the drawing, and the arc of “C” from the upper side to the lower side in the vertical direction. It is reversed by a path that draws. At this time, it is detected by the reading inlet sensor 67 in the middle of the reversal, and the controller 64 decelerates the conveyance by the pull-out drive roller 87 based on the detection result and starts the correction count (S23 to S24 in FIG. 9). Then, after performing the correction count for a predetermined time, the paper feed motor 76 is stopped (S25 to S26 in FIG. 9).

  A reading inlet driving roller 89 and a reading inlet driven roller 90 that abuts on the left side in the drawing in the vicinity of the conveyance direction end of the curved portion provided at the left end of the sheet feeding conveyance path 56 in the drawing. An inlet roller pair is disposed.

  The count-up value of the correction count by the controller 64 is that the document MS is conveyed to the nip inlet of the pair of reading inlet rollers (89, 90) by the pull-out driving roller 87 from the time when the leading edge of the original MS is detected by the reading inlet sensor 67. It is a little longer than the time required. For this reason, after the leading edge of the original MS abuts against the nip of the reading entrance roller pair, the original MS is further fed by the pull-out driving roller 87 and is bent after the central portion is bent. By such a stop, the document MS is set at a registration position immediately before being read by the fixed reading unit of the scanner 150 after correcting the skew generated when the document is conveyed by the pull-out roller 87. Immediately thereafter, the controller 64 transmits a registration completion signal to the conveyance reading control unit 200 of the scanner 150 (S27 in FIG. 9). If the document MS is not detected by the reading inlet sensor 67 even after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of driving of the pull-out driving roller 87, all the driving systems are stopped and the user is informed that the leading end inlet jam has occurred. After the front end inlet failure jam processing for notification is performed, a series of control flow is returned (S28 to S29 in FIG. 9).

  When the conveyance reading control unit 200 of the scanner 151 receives a registration completion signal from the controller 64 of the ADF 51, it performs the following through reading control in cooperation with the controller 64. That is, first, the controller 64 of the ADF 51 determines whether the reading mode is set by the user's key operation, which is the single-sided mode or the double-sided mode (S1 in FIG. 10). The control flow from S2 to S12 of 10 and S13 to S23 of FIG. 11 is executed. If the duplex mode is selected, the control flow from S24 in FIG. 12 to S66 in FIG. 14 is executed.

  Regardless of the single-sided or double-sided mode, the reading motor 77 is driven to rotate forward and the reading entrance driving roller 89 is rotationally driven at a conveying speed corresponding to the reading magnification (S2-3 in FIG. 10 or FIG. 12). S25). As a result, the document MS is sent out from the nip of the reading entrance roller pair (89, 90), and is transported from the left end of the paper feed transport path 56 toward the right side in the drawing. Then, after being detected by a registration sensor 65 arranged on the right side of the pair of reading entrance rollers in the drawing, it is passed through the exposure position of the fixed reading portion (151) of the scanner 151. This exposure position is a document reading position by the fixed reading unit (151), and specifically, is a position where the fixed reading guide member 60 of the ADF 51 and the first contact glass 154 of the scanner 151 face each other. When the document MS is passed between the two, the document image on the lower surface of the document MS is read.

  When the rest sensor 65 detects the leading edge of the document MS, the controller 64 starts counting pulses (S4 to S5 in FIG. 10 or S25 in FIG. 12). Then, a gate signal indicating an effective image area in the sub-scanning direction is sent to the conveyance reading control unit 200 of the scanner 150 at a timing when the leading edge of the document MS reaches the exposure position by the fixed reading unit (151) of the scanner 150 (FIG. 10 S6 to S8, or S26 to S28 of FIG. This gate signal is output until the trailing edge of the document MS passes through the exposure position (S19 in FIG. 11 or S43 in FIG. 13). Further, immediately after outputting the gate signal, the controller 64 starts the gate count (S9 in FIG. 10 or S29 in FIG. 12).

  The document MS that has passed through the exposure position by the fixed reading unit (151) is guided into the transport unit 54 of the ADF 51 by a guide protrusion 156 disposed on the right side of the first contact glass 154 of the scanner 151. Then, after passing through the nip of the reading outlet roller pair by the reading outlet driving roller 91 and the reading inlet driven roller 92 in contact with the reading outlet driving roller 91 in the transport unit 54, it is detected by the reading outlet sensor 66 (S10 in FIG. 10). Or, S30 in FIG.

  If the document MS is not detected by the reading exit sensor 66 even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the above gate count was started (S9 in FIG. 10 or S29 in FIG. 12), a jam generation process is performed ( S11 to S12 in FIG. 10 or S35 to S36 in FIG. Further, when the registration sensor 65 continues to detect the trailing edge of the document MS even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the gate count was started, a jam generation process is performed (S13 to S15 in FIG. 11). Or S37 to S39 in FIG.

  The original MS after being detected by the reading exit sensor 66 passes through a nip of a pair of paper discharge rollers including a paper discharge driving roller 93 and a paper discharge driven roller 94 in contact therewith.

  Thereafter, different control is performed in the single-side mode and the double-side mode. In the single-sided mode, the original MS that has passed through the nip of the pair of paper discharge rollers (93, 94) hits the lower surface of the switching claw 95 in the state shown by the solid line in FIG. It is guided (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5) and stacked there. Prior to the completion of stacking, the registration sensor 65 no longer detects the trailing edge of the document MS (Y in S13), and the trailing edge is conveyed from the controller 64 at a timing when the trailing edge is completely out of the exposure position by the fixed reading unit (151). The output of the gate signal to the reading control unit 200 is stopped (S16 to S19 in FIG. 11).

  On the other hand, in the duplex mode, the switchback solenoid 79 is driven when the leading edge of the document MS is detected by the reading exit sensor 66 (33 in FIG. 12), and the switching claw 95 is located at the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. To the position indicated by the two-dot chain line. Then, the document MS that has passed through the nip of the pair of paper discharge rollers (93, 94) is conveyed along the upper surface of the switching claw 95 in the direction of arrow B in the figure and detected by the switchback sensor 74 (FIG. 12). S34) and sent to the switchback standby path. In this switchback standby path, a switchback roller pair including a switchback drive roller 96 and a switchback driven roller 97 in contact therewith is disposed. The document MS is sandwiched between the nips of the switchback roller pair and proceeds in the switchback standby path (in the direction of arrow B in the figure).

  When a predetermined time elapses after the reading exit sensor 66 no longer detects the trailing edge of the document MS (S44 to S47 in FIG. 13), the trailing edge of the document MS conveyed in the direction of arrow B in the figure on the switchback standby path is It is determined that the pair of paper discharge rollers has passed. Then, the driving of the switchback solenoid 79 is stopped, and the switching claw 95 rotates from the position of the two-dot chain line in the figure to the position of the solid line. Thereafter, the switchback motor 78 is driven in reverse (S48 in FIG. 13). As a result, the switchback roller pair and the paper discharge roller pair rotate for the first time, and the original MS is now directed to the butting sensor 72 in the re-feeding path directly below the reverse roller 85 with the trailing edge facing the front. Re-carry toward. At this time, the switchback drive motor 96 and the reading motor 77 rotate at a high speed in order to shorten the conveyance time. Further, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the document MS started to switch back, the paper feed motor 76 rotates in the reverse direction at high speed (S49 to S50 in FIG. 13).

  Eventually, when the document MS is no longer detected by the switchback sensor 74, the switchback motor 78 stops, and the document MS strikes the nip of the pull-out roller pair and temporarily stops (S51 to S52 in FIG. 14). Thereafter, the back side image of the document MS is read by the same control as the previous reading, and then the document MS is stacked on the document stacking table 55 through the pair of paper discharge rollers (S53 to S58 in FIG. 14). However, since it is not necessary to convey at a speed corresponding to the reading magnification at the time of switchback, the reading position (exposure position) is allowed to pass while maintaining high-speed conveyance, and when the trailing edge of the document is detected by the reading exit sensor 66, the speed is reduced. It is possible to prevent the document from being ejected when the document is discharged and to shorten the processing time.

  In FIG. 5 shown above, the main body cover 52 supports the swing shaft 52c at the left end in the drawing, and the swing shaft 52c swings the upper cover 98, which is a swing body, in the vertical direction in the drawing. I support it as possible. In the state shown in the drawing, the upper cover 98 is locked to swing at a first position where the lower surface of the upper cover 98 faces the upper surface of the main body cover 52 as a support. The upper cover 98 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure around the swing shaft 52c by the operator, and moves to a second position away from the main body cover 52 as shown in FIG. It is locked to. In the present copying machine, the upper cover 98 can swing between the first position and the second position in this way.

  The upper cover 98 holds the lever member 62, the document set sensor 63, the reading inlet sensor 67, the separation sensor 68, the abutment sensor 72, the pickup roller 80, the belt unit 81, the pullout drive roller 86, and the paper width detection lever group 88. ing. And these are moved with the rocking | fluctuation centering on the rocking | fluctuation shaft 52c. In the state where the upper cover 98 is rocked at the second position as shown in FIG. 15, the region from the document receiving port to the first half of the curved portion at the left end in the drawing is largely exposed in the document transport path 56. To do. Further, the paper feed belt 84 of the belt unit 81 held by the upper cover 98 and the reverse roller 85 supported by the main body cover 52 are greatly separated. Further, the pull-out driving roller 86 held by the upper cover 98 and the pull-out driven roller 87 supported by the main body cover 52 are greatly separated from each other. The reverse roller 85 abuts the front surface of the paper feed belt 84 as an endless belt member that is endlessly moved while being stretched over a driving roller 82 that is a rotatable roller member. It functions as an abutting member that moves the surface endlessly while forming a nip.

Next, a characteristic configuration of the copying machine will be described.
FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the upper cover 98 from the lower surface side. The upper cover is a top plate 98a that serves as an upper wall of the entire ADF (51), and a first guide plate 98b and a second guide plate that are opposed to the top plate 98a from below (upward in the figure) with a predetermined gap. 98c and the like. The first guide plate 98b and the second guide plate 98c constitute the upper wall of the paper feed conveyance path (56 in FIG. 5) when the upper cover 98 is closed, and are arranged in the document conveyance direction. It is arranged. However, both guide plates are in contact with each other with a predetermined interval. A belt unit 81 is disposed at this interval, and the lower stretched surface of the paper feed belt 84 protrudes from the surfaces of both guide plates.

  A face plate 101, which is a plate-like member, is disposed on the side of the belt unit 81 and bridges between the first guide plate 98b and the second guide plate 98c. Similar to the two guide plates, the face plate 101 also constitutes the upper wall of the sheet feed conveyance path when the upper cover 98 is closed. Unlike the both guide plates, the face plate 101 can be removed with a single touch, as indicated by the dotted line in the figure. The claw 101b of the flexible bracket 101a provided so as to be cantilevered at both ends in the transport direction is engaged with an engaging portion (not shown) of the upper cover 98, thereby being fixed to the upper cover 98. Yes. The flexible bracket 101a is bent so that the claw 101b is retracted from the engaging portion, and is removed from the upper cover 98 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 18 is a front view showing the driving roller 82 of the belt unit (81) together with its peripheral configuration. The driving roller 82 which is a roller member has a shaft member 82a and a roller portion 82b covered over the entire circumference of the shaft on the surface of the central portion in the axial direction thereof. The length of the roller portion 82b is considerably shorter than the total length of the shaft member 82a. The shaft member 82a is attached to the shaft member 82a so as to rotate around the shaft member 82a. The rotating bracket 81a is shaped to position the support plate on both sides of the roller portion 82b in the axial direction. . This rotating bracket 81a is for supporting the driven roller (83 in FIG. 5) of the belt unit (81).

  One end side in the axial direction of the shaft member 82a holds the first bearing 102 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. The first bearing 102 rotatably receives the shaft member 82a on a first shaft support plate 107 provided on the upper cover (98). On the right side of the first bearing 102 in the figure, a ring spacer 104 is held by a shaft member 82a so as to be idle, and an E ring 106 is fixed to the shaft member 82a on the further right side. Between the first bearing 102 and the ring spacer 104, a coil spring 105 as an urging means is held by penetration of the shaft member 82a. The coil spring 105 urges the first bearing 102 that is slidable in the axial direction from the right side to the left side in the drawing.

  The other end side in the axial direction of the shaft member 82a holds a second bearing 103 for rotatably receiving the shaft member 82a on the other end side in the axial direction. The second bearing 103 is incapable of sliding in the axial direction due to the presence of the E-rings 106 fixed to the shaft members 82a on both sides in the axial direction.

  In FIG. 16, the first shaft support plate 107 and the second shaft support plate 108 that are opposed to each other with a considerable distance in the document width direction are fixed to the top plate 98a of the upper cover 98. As shown in FIG. 19, the first shaft support plate 107 and the second shaft support plate 108 include through holes 107a and 108a penetrating in the thickness direction, and notches 107b extending from the end in the plate surface direction to the through holes. , 108b. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, the first bearing 102 and the second bearing 103 are engaged with these through holes. In other words, the first shaft support plate 107 functions as a first shaft support member that supports the first bearing 102 while engaging the through-hole 107a serving as an engaging portion of the first shaft support plate 107a. In addition, the second shaft support plate 108 functions as a second shaft support member that supports the second bearing 103 while engaging the through-hole 108a serving as the engagement portion thereof.

  The first bearing 102 and the second bearing 103 are held by the shaft member 82a in such a posture that the flange portions having a diameter larger than that of the main body portion face each other. The first bearing 102 is urged toward the right side in the figure by the coil spring 105, so that the flange portion of the first bearing 102 is pressed against the side surface of the first shaft support plate 107 and the second bearing 103. The flange portion is pressed against the side surface of the second shaft support plate 108. By these pressings, the first bearing 102 is locked at the engagement position with the through hole 107a of the first shaft support plate 107, and the second bearing 103 is engaged with the through hole 108a of the second shaft support plate 108. The shaft member 82a is held in the upper cover (98) by being locked in the engagement position.

  As described above, the first shaft support plate 107 and the second shaft support plate 108 are provided in addition to the through holes 107a and 108a that are through openings provided so as to penetrate the plate material as the base material in the axial direction of the shaft member 82a. , Notches 107b and 108b are provided. These notches 107b and 108b are fixed to the upper cover (98) as a swinging body in a posture toward the above-described original conveying path (56 in FIG. 5).

  In such a configuration, the drive roller 82 and, consequently, the entire belt unit (81) can be easily removed from the upper cover (98) by the following operation. That is, first, as shown in FIG. 20, the end of the shaft member 82a on the second bearing 103 side is gripped and pushed to the first bearing 103 side as indicated by an arrow F in the figure. As a result, the coil spring 105 is contracted in the direction of arrow G in the figure, and the first bearing 102 is moved in the direction of arrow G in the figure. Then, the engagement between the second bearing 103 and the through hole of the second shaft support plate 108 can be released on the second bearing 103 side. Then, by pulling the end of the shaft member 82a on the second bearing 103 side toward the document conveyance path side, the second shaft support plate is passed through the notch (108b in FIG. 19) of the second shaft support plate 108. Leave from 108. Next, the end of the shaft member 82a on the first bearing 102 side is similarly pulled toward the document conveyance path side, thereby passing through the notch (107b in FIG. 19) of the first shaft support plate 107. The first shaft support plate 107 is detached. Thereby, the whole belt unit 81 can be easily removed simultaneously by removing the drive roller 82 from the upper cover (98).

  In the present invention, the “notch portion” means a portion where there is a portion missing from the end of the base material toward the center side, and is not necessarily formed by notching. For example, it may be formed by punching or molding.

  In FIG. 18 described above, a protrusion 101c is provided in the vicinity of the end on the second bearing 103 side on the back surface of the face plate 101 (the surface facing upward in the drawing). During operation, the shaft member 82a tends to move in the axial direction due to the reaction of the rotational drive of the shaft member 82a. If the shaft member 82a is moved in the axial direction by this force, the entire belt unit 81 is moved in the axial direction, and the conveyance of the document becomes unstable. Therefore, in this copying machine, when the shaft member 82a is about to move in the axial direction, the flange portion of the second bearing 103 that is held slidably movable by the shaft member 82a in the region indicated by R1 in the drawing. It hits against the protrusion 101c of 101. Thereby, the movement to the axial direction of the shaft member 82a is controlled.

  In FIG. 5 described above, the rotation bracket 81a is rotatable about the shaft member 82a of the drive roller 82, whereby the entire belt unit 81 is rotated about the shaft member 82a. . However, when the upper cover 98 is closed as shown in the figure, the belt unit 81 makes the paper feed belt 84 abut against the reverse roller 85 by its own weight, so that a nip is stably formed.

  When the upper cover 98 is opened, the belt unit 81 is greatly rotated clockwise in the drawing as the paper feed belt 84 and the reverse roller 85 are separated, and the belt unit 81 and the upper cover 98 are damaged by the impact. There is a fear. Therefore, in the present copying machine, the rotation bracket 81a that attempts to rotate around the shaft member 82a as the paper feed belt 84 and the reverse roller 85 are separated by opening the upper cover 98 is indicated by an area indicated by R2 in FIG. Therefore, the rotation is made against the face plate 101 to prevent the rotation.

  As described above, in the present copying machine, the first shaft support plate 107 as the first shaft support member and the second shaft support plate 108 as the second shaft support member each penetrate the base material in the axial direction of the shaft member 82a. Through holes 107 a and 108 a serving as through openings provided so as to be engaged are provided as engaging portions that engage with the first bearing 102 and the second bearing 103. Further, the substrate has notches 107b and 108b extending from one end of the base material to the through-holes 107a and 108a, and is held by the upper cover 98 serving as an oscillating body in a posture toward the document conveying path 56. In such a configuration, the end of the shaft member 82a on the second bearing 103 side is retracted together with the second bearing 103 from the through hole 108a of the second shaft support plate 108 through the notch 108b, or the first end of the shaft member 82a. The end portion on the bearing 102 side, together with the first bearing 102, can be retracted from the through hole 107a of the first shaft support plate 107 through the cutout portion 107b. As a result, the drive roller 82, and thus the entire belt unit 81, can be easily removed from the surface of the upper cover 98 exposed by opening the upper cover 98 facing the main body cover 52, that is, from the document conveyance path 56 side. .

  In the copying machine according to the embodiment, the face plate serving as a plate-like member constituting the wall of the document transport path 56 while being positioned between the axial center of the shaft member 82 a and the second bearing 103. 101 is detachably attached to an upper cover 98 which is a rocking body. In such a configuration, the document in the document transport path 56 can be guided in the transport direction by the face plate 101.

  Further, in the copying machine according to the embodiment, the second bearing 103 is held by the shaft member 82a so as not to be slidable in the axial direction, and the shaft that is intended to move in the axial direction as the first bearing 102 slides. The second bearing 103 held by the member 82a is abutted against the face plate 101, thereby restricting the movement of the shaft member 82a in the axial direction. In such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the movement of the shaft member 82a in the axial direction during driving, and hence the movement of the paper feeding belt 84 in the axial direction, and to stably convey the document. Further, it is possible to prevent the drive roller 82 from falling off the upper cover 98 due to excessive movement of the shaft member 82a in the axial direction.

  In the copier according to the embodiment, the driving roller 82 as a roller member, the driven roller 83 as at least one other driven roller member, and the driven roller 83 are rotatably supported by a shaft member 82a. A belt unit 81 having a pivot bracket 81a that is supported so as to be driven and rotated at both ends, and a paper feeding belt 84 that is a belt member that is endlessly moved while being stretched around the driving roller 82 and the driven roller 83 is an oscillating body. The upper cover 98 is held. Furthermore, when the upper cover 98 is moved from the first position to the second position, that is, when the paper feed belt 84 is separated from the reverse roller 85 as a contact member, the upper cover 98 tries to rotate around the shaft member 82a. The rotating bracket 81a is abutted against the face plate 101 which is a plate-like member. In such a configuration, the rotation bracket 81a is rotated by the weight of the belt unit 81 with the upper cover 98 closed, thereby pressing the paper feeding belt 84 against the reverse roller 85 to form a stable nip. Can do. Further, when the upper cover 98 is opened, the rotation of the belt unit 81 is prevented by abutting the rotating bracket 91a to be further rotated by its own weight against the back surface of the face plate 101. Thereby, it is possible to avoid damage to the belt unit 81 and the upper cover 98 due to the belt unit 81 rotating vigorously when the upper cover 98 is opened.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a copier according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged configuration diagram illustrating an enlarged part of an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus in the copier. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing a part of a tandem portion of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a document conveying / reading unit of the copier. FIG. 3 is an enlarged configuration diagram illustrating a main configuration of an ADF of the document conveyance reading unit together with an upper portion of the scanner. The block diagram which shows a part of electric circuit of the same ADF and a scanner. 6 is a flowchart showing a control flow of a first stage of automatic conveyance control performed by a conveyance reading control unit of the scanner. The flowchart which shows the control flow of the 2nd step of the same automatic conveyance control. The flowchart which shows the control flow of the 3rd step of the same automatic conveyance control. 6 is a flowchart showing a control flow of a first stage of through reading control performed by the conveyance reading control unit. The flowchart which shows the control flow of the 2nd step of the through reading control. The flowchart which shows the control flow of the 3rd step of the through reading control. The flowchart which shows the control flow of the 4th step of the through reading control. The flowchart which shows the control flow of the 5th step of the through reading control. FIG. 3 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing the main configuration of an ADF with an upper cover open together with the upper portion of the scanner. The perspective view which shows an upper cover from the lower surface side. The enlarged block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the state which has removed the face plate from the cover same as the above with the upper part of a scanner. The front view which shows the drive roller of the belt unit of the same ADF with the surrounding structure. The side view which shows the 1st axis | shaft support member and 2nd axis | shaft support member which are fixed to an upper cover. FIG. 3 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing both end portions of a shaft member of a drive roller.

Explanation of symbols

MS: Document 1: Image forming apparatus 50: Document conveyance reading unit 51: ADF (Document conveyance apparatus)
52: Body cover (support)
52c: Oscillating shaft 53: Document placement table (document placement unit)
54: Conveyance unit (conveyance means)
55: Document stacking table (destination)
56: Document transport path (transport path)
81: Belt unit 81a: Rotating bracket 82: Drive roller (roller member)
82a: shaft member 82b: roller portion 83: driven roller (driven roller member)
84: Paper feed belt (belt member)
85: Reverse roller (contact member)
98: Upper cover (oscillator)
101: Face plate (plate-like member)
102: First bearing 103: Second bearing 105: Coil spring (biasing means)
107: First shaft support plate (first shaft support member)
107a: Through hole (engagement part, through opening)
107b: Notch 108: Second shaft support plate (second shaft support member)
108a: Through hole (engagement portion, through opening)
108b: Notch 150: Scanner (original reading device)

Claims (7)

A document placing unit for placing a document, and a conveying unit that causes the document reading device to read an image of the document through a reading position by a document reading device while the document on the document placing unit is being conveyed to a conveyance destination. It is possible to rotate between a first position facing the support body that supports the swing shaft and a second position that is further away from the support body while being swingably supported by the swing shaft. An oscillating body that holds a roller member and the surface of the roller member or an endless belt member that is endlessly moved while being stretched by the roller member, while forming a nip A contact member that moves the surface endlessly in the conveying means, the rocking body that is rocked at the first position, and the support body that supports the rocking shaft and the contact member. While forming a conveyance path for conveying the document in the facing area with The original in the conveyance path is nipped in the nip and conveyed, and the roller member or the belt member is separated from the corresponding contact member as the oscillator is moved from the first position to the second position. And a document conveying device that exposes the inside of the conveying path to the outside,
As the roller member, a member having a shaft member and a roller portion coated over the entire circumference of the shaft in the central surface in the axial direction thereof is used.
A first bearing that is slidably movable on the shaft member in the axial direction while rotatably receiving the shaft member on the one end side, and a second bearing that rotatably receives the shaft member on the other end side in the axial direction And an urging means held by the shaft member so as to urge the first bearing toward the shaft end on the one end side, while engaging the first bearing with its engaging portion. A first shaft support member that supports the shaft member, and a second shaft support member that supports the shaft member while engaging the second bearing with its engaging portion;
The first bearing is pressed against and engaged with the engaging portion of the first shaft support member by the biasing force of the first bearing by the biasing means, and the second bearing is engaged with the second shaft support member. An original conveying apparatus configured to be pressed and locked to a joint portion. The document feeder according to claim 1,
The first shaft support member and the second shaft support member each have a through opening provided so as to penetrate the base material in the axial direction of the shaft member as the engaging portion, and from one end of the base material. An original conveying apparatus having a notch portion following the through-opening and being held by the swinging body in a posture in which the notch portion is directed to the conveying path. The document conveying device according to claim 2.
A plate-like member constituting the wall of the transport path is detachably attached to the rocking body while being located at a position between the central portion of the shaft member and the second bearing. Document transport device. The document feeder according to claim 3.
The second bearing is held by the shaft member so as not to be slidable in the axial direction, and is held by the shaft member that is about to move in the axial direction as the first bearing slides. An original conveying apparatus characterized in that movement of the shaft member in the axial direction is restricted by abutting the bearing against the plate member. The document feeder according to claim 3 or 4,
The roller member, at least one driven roller member other than the roller member, a rotating bracket for rotatably supporting the driven roller member at both ends thereof while being rotatably supported by the shaft member, and the roller A belt unit having the member and the belt member that is endlessly moved while being stretched by the driven roller member, and the rocking body holds the belt unit, and the rocking body is moved by the movement from the first position to the second position. An original conveying apparatus characterized in that the rotating bracket, which attempts to rotate about the shaft member as the belt member and the contact member are separated from each other, abuts against the plate-like member. A document reading device that reads an image of the document while exposing the document, and passes the document placed on the document placement unit toward the transport destination through a reading position by the document reading device. In a document conveyance reading unit including a document conveyance device that causes the document reading device to read an image,
6. A document transport reading unit using the document transport device according to claim 1 as the document transport device. An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material, and a document conveying / reading unit that reads an image of the document while conveying the document, and the image read by the document conveying / reading unit is applied to the recording material by the image forming apparatus. In the copying machine for copying the original,
A copying machine using the document conveyance reading unit according to claim 6 as the document conveyance reading means.

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