JP2012197130A - Image processing apparatus and sheet feed mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet feed mechanism without the need for a reciprocating mechanism of a sheet pressing member, the mechanism being independent of a pickup roller, and to provide an image processing apparatus.SOLUTION: The image processing apparatus includes: a hopper 4 that houses a sheet to be stacked between a first guide surface 12 and a second guide surface 13; a feed-out path 21 that feeds out the sheet in the hopper 4; and a pickup mechanism 15 that feeds out the sheet in the hopper 4 into the feed-out path. The pickup mechanism 15 has a pickup lever 18 that is turnably provided, a pickup roller 19 that is turnably supported by the pickup lever 18 and is provided to reach the hopper 4 from the first guide surface 12, and a drive mechanism that turns the pickup lever 18 so that at least part of the pickup roller 19 can appear and disappear into/from the hopper 4 from the first guide surface 12.

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for performing at least one of image formation on a sheet such as a check and reading of an image on the sheet, and in particular, a sheet feeding mechanism for feeding stacked sheets for image processing. About.

  As a sheet feeding mechanism used in this type of image processing apparatus, the one shown in Patent Document 1 is known. In the sheet feeding mechanism of Patent Document 1, a space between the first guide surface and the second guide surface arranged in parallel with each other is formed as a hopper for inserting the stacked sheets in an upright state, A pickup roller is provided on the first guide surface side, and a paper pressing member is provided on the second guide surface side so as to be able to advance and retract. When the sheet is sent out from the hopper for image processing, the sheet pressing member protrudes from the second guide surface side to the first guide surface side and presses the sheet inside the hopper against the pickup roller. By driving the pickup roller in this state, the sheet is separated and sent out.

JP 2009-184777 A

  However, in order to configure the sheet feeding mechanism as shown in Patent Document 1, a mechanism for allowing the sheet pressing member to advance and retract in accordance with the sheet pickup timing is required in addition to the pickup roller. And a space for providing such a structure is required in the apparatus.

  In view of these problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding mechanism that does not require an advance / retreat mechanism for a paper pressing member independently of a pickup roller, and an image processing apparatus using the same.

  In order to solve at least a part of the above problems, the present invention can be realized as the following application examples.

Application Example 1 An image processing apparatus for performing at least one of image formation on a sheet and reading of an image on the sheet, the image processing apparatus having a first guide surface and a second guide surface, And a sheet accommodating portion for accommodating the sheets in a stacked state between the second guide surfaces, a delivery path for delivering the sheet in the sheet accommodating portion, and delivering the sheet in the sheet accommodation portion to the delivery path. A pickup mechanism, the pickup mechanism is rotatably supported by the pickup lever, and is rotatably supported by the pickup lever, and is exposed to the sheet storage portion from the first guide surface side. Further, the pickup roller provided and at least a part of the pickup roller can be projected and retracted from the first guide surface into the sheet storage portion. And a drive mechanism for turning the pickup lever.
With such a configuration, the pickup lever provided with the pickup roller advances into the sheet storage portion, so that the sheet can be separated and sent out in contact with the sheet in the sheet storage portion.

Application Example 2 In the image processing apparatus according to Application Example 1, the drive mechanism includes a drive motor and a biasing unit that biases the pickup lever in a direction in which the pickup roller protrudes from the first guide surface. The pickup lever is retracted from the sheet accommodating portion to the first guide surface side against the urging force of the urging means by the rotational force of the drive motor.
With such a configuration, regarding the movement of the pickup lever, it is only necessary to supply the driving force by the driving motor only when the pickup lever is retracted from the sheet accommodating portion.

Application Example 3 In the image processing apparatus of Application Example 2, the pickup roller is rotationally driven by the drive motor.
With such a configuration, the pickup roller can be driven using the pickup lever drive source.

Application Example 4 In the image processing apparatus of Application Example 2 or 3, the pickup lever is provided with a turning shaft, and the drive mechanism connects the drive motor, the pickup roller, and the turning shaft. A transmission mechanism that regulates transmission of the rotational force to the swivel shaft while transmitting the rotational force of the drive motor to the pickup roller when the drive motor rotates forward. A one-way clutch mechanism is provided that transmits the rotational force of the drive motor to the turning shaft when the motor rotates in reverse.
With such a configuration, when picking up a sheet, the pickup lever is advanced to the sheet storage portion by the biasing means while moving the pickup roller, and in other cases, the pickup lever is driven by driving the pivot shaft. Can be evacuated.

Application Example 5 In the image processing apparatus according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 4, the image processing apparatus further includes a conveyance roller that is provided facing the sending path and conveys the sheet, and the pickup mechanism and the conveyance Both rollers are provided on the first guide surface side of the sheet accommodating portion.
With such a configuration, both of the parts driven as the sheet is conveyed can be disposed on the first guide surface side.

Application Example 6 In the image processing apparatus of Application Example 5, the transport roller is rotationally driven by the drive mechanism.
With this configuration, the pickup mechanism and the conveyance roller can be driven by the same drive source.

(Application Example 7) A sheet feeding mechanism provided for a hopper that accommodates a sheet between a first guide surface and a second guide surface, and for feeding the sheet from the hopper, A pickup roller that can be pressed against a sheet in the hopper by projecting from the guide surface side toward the second guide surface side, and the pickup roller that is outside the first guide surface when viewed from the hopper And a drive unit that drives the storage mechanism and supplies rotational force to the pickup roller.
With such a configuration, a drive source for retracting the pickup roller to the outside of the hopper and a drive source for rotating the pickup roller itself can be made common.

Application Example 8 In the sheet feeding mechanism according to Application Example 7, the storage mechanism transmits a rotational force in a first direction from the pickup lever that rotatably supports the pickup roller and the drive unit. The pickup lever is rotated so that the pickup roller is stored outside the first guide surface, and a rotational force in a second direction opposite to the first direction is transmitted from the drive unit. And a gear mechanism for rotating the pickup roller.
With such a configuration, the pickup lever can be turned by the rotational force from the drive unit, and the pickup lever can be stored outside the first guide surface. When the pickup lever is not retracted, the pickup roller can be driven to rotate by the transmission force of the drive unit.

Application Example 9 In the sheet feeding mechanism according to Application Example 8, the gear mechanism includes a one-way clutch that restricts relative rotation in the first direction and allows relative rotation in the second direction.
With this configuration, the gear mechanism can be easily configured using general parts.

Application Example 10 The sheet feeding mechanism according to Application Example 8 or 9, wherein the storage mechanism is configured such that the pickup roller protrudes from the first guide surface side toward the second guide surface side. An urging means for urging the pickup lever is provided.
With such a configuration, when the pickup lever is not stored, the pickup lever can be protruded into the hopper by the biasing means.

It is an appearance perspective view showing a check processing device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a top view inside the check processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a portion related to a sheet feeding structure in the check processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sheet feeding mechanism shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a perspective sectional view of the sheet feeding mechanism illustrated in FIG. 4 when viewed along line VV. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the pickup mechanism shown in FIG. 5. It is a perspective view which isolate | separates and shows the drive mechanism in the pick-up mechanism shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a check processing device (image processing device) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The check processing device 1 has a hopper (sheet storage portion) 4 for stacking and storing sheets 3 such as checks and the like, and a transport path 5 for transporting the sheet 3 sent from the hopper 4. The processing unit 6 that performs image printing, data reading, scanning, or the like on the sheet 3 conveyed along the conveyance path 5, and the sheet 3 discharged through the conveyance path 5 after the processing in the processing unit 6 ends. Etc., and a discharge section 7 for receiving the same from the conveyance path 5.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inside of the apparatus main body 2 of the check processing apparatus 1. As shown in these drawings, the periphery of the portion of the apparatus main body 2 where the hopper 4 is provided is formed as a sheet feeding structure 10 for feeding the sheet 3 to the conveyance path 5.

  In the sheet feeding structure 10, a hopper 4 is formed between a first guide surface 12 and a second guide surface 13 that are arranged substantially parallel to each other, and the sheet 3 stored in the hopper 4 is separated. And a feed roller (conveying roller) 16 and a retard roller 17 for delivering the separated sheet 3 to the conveying path 5.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing the sheet feeding structure 10, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding structure 10 as viewed from the IV direction in FIG. 3. As shown in these drawings, the pickup mechanism 15 includes a pickup lever 18 and a pickup roller 19 supported by the pickup lever 18.

  The pick-up lever 18 is supported from the sheet feeding structure 10 so as to be rotatable about a turning shaft 18a. The pickup roller 19 is rotatably supported at the tip end portion 18 b of the pickup lever 18 and is attached so as to face the inside of the hopper 4 through the opening portion 12 a provided in the first guide surface 12.

  A pressing spring (biasing means) 20 is provided between the pickup lever 18 and the sheet feeding structure 10. One end 20 a of the presser spring 20 is attached to the sheet feeding structure 10, and the other end 20 b is attached to a rib 18 c provided on the pickup lever 18. When the elastic force of the holding spring 20 acts on the rib 18 c, the pickup lever 18 turns around the turning shaft 18 a, and the pickup roller 19 moves from the opening 12 a of the first guide surface 12 to the second guide surface 13. It is urged so as to protrude to the side.

  The hopper 4 is configured such that the width dimension of the end portion on the conveyance path 5 side is gradually reduced, and the leading end on the conveyance path 5 side is a sending path 21 for sending the sheet 3 in the hopper 4 to the conveyance path 5. Is formed. The feed roller 16 and the retard roller 17 are provided so as to be in pressure contact with each other across the delivery path 21. The feed roller 16 is provided on the first guide surface 12 side as viewed from the hopper 4, that is, on the same side as the pickup mechanism 15.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective sectional view of the sheet feeding structure 10 when viewed along the line VV in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, a drive mechanism 24 for driving the pickup mechanism 15 and the feed roller 16 is provided below the bottom plate 23 of the sheet feeding structure 10. The drive mechanism 24 includes a motor (drive motor, drive unit) 26 serving as a drive source, and a transmission mechanism 27 for transmitting the rotational force of the motor 26 to the pickup roller 19. The transmission mechanism 27 includes a first gear 29 connected to the rotation shaft 26 a of the motor 26, a second gear 30 connected to the first gear 29, and a third gear connected to the second gear 30. 31, a one-way clutch mechanism 32 coaxially connected to the third gear 31, a fourth gear 33 connected to the one-way clutch mechanism 32, a fourth gear 33, and the pickup roller 19 The rotary shaft 19a is provided with a fifth gear 34 having the rotary shaft 34a coaxially connected thereto. The one-way clutch mechanism 32 is also connected to a sixth gear 36 and a seventh gear 37, and the seventh gear 37 is connected to the feed roller 16 coaxially.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the bottom plate 23, the first guide surface 12, and the pickup mechanism 15 including the drive mechanism 24 in the sheet feeding structure 10, and FIG. 7 is shown in FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the structure of the drive mechanism 24 separated from other structures. FIG.

  As shown in these drawings, the one-way clutch mechanism 32 includes a gear portion 32a and a rotation shaft 32b. The gear portion 32a is integrated with the third gear 31, and the rotation shaft 32b is a pickup. The lever 18 is connected to the turning shaft 18a. The one-way clutch mechanism 32 allows the gear portion 32a to rotate relative to the rotation shaft 32b in a predetermined direction (A direction in FIG. 7) and relative rotation in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction (B direction in FIG. 7). To regulate.

  The fourth gear 33 and the fifth gear 34 are supported by the pickup lever 18 and move together with the pickup lever 18 when the pickup lever 18 turns. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the bottom plate 23 has a length for allowing movement of the rotation shaft 19 a (fourth gear rotation shaft 34 a) of the pickup roller 19 and the rotation shaft 33 a of the fourth gear 33. Holes 39 and 40 are provided, respectively.

  Further, since the gear portion 32a of the one-way clutch mechanism 32 is connected to the feed roller 16 via the sixth gear 36 and the seventh gear 37, the gear portion 32a and the feed roller 16 are in the same direction. It is designed to rotate.

  The motor 26 is connected to a control unit (not shown), and based on control from the control unit, the rotation direction is set to forward rotation (R2 in FIG. 7) and reverse rotation (R1 in FIG. 7) at a predetermined timing. The switching control is possible.

Next, the operation of the sheet feeding mechanism (pickup mechanism) 15 in the check processing apparatus 1 described above will be described.
As described above, the pickup lever 18 of the pickup mechanism 15 is urged by the pressing spring 20 in the direction in which the pickup roller 19 protrudes into the hopper 4. Therefore, in the state where the drive mechanism 24 is not driven, FIG. As shown, the pickup lever 18 turns and the pickup roller 19 protrudes into the hopper 4.

  When the check processing apparatus 1 is turned on and the motor 26 is driven, the motor 26 is first rotationally driven in the R1 direction in FIG. The rotational force of the motor 26 in the R1 direction is transmitted to the gear portion 32a of the one-way clutch mechanism 32 via the first gear 29, the second gear 30, and the third gear 31, but the one-way clutch mechanism 32 is Since the gear portion 32a is formed so as not to move relative to the rotation shaft 32b in the direction B in FIG. 7, when the third gear 31 rotates in the R1 direction, the rotation shaft 32b also rotates in the same direction (B direction). As a result, the turning shaft 18a of the pickup lever 18 connected to the turning shaft 32b also turns in the B direction.

  When the turning shaft 18a rotates in the direction B, the pickup lever 18 also turns, and accordingly, the pickup roller 19 provided at the tip end portion 18b of the pickup lever 18 is moved in the direction C in FIG. It becomes. In this way, the pickup roller 19 is stored at a position outside the first guide surface 12 when viewed from the hopper 4 through the opening 12 a provided in the first guide surface 12.

  When any image processing is performed on the sheet 3 stored in the hopper 4, the motor 26 is rotationally driven in the R2 direction opposite to the R1 direction in FIG. 7 based on a control signal from a control unit (not shown). The In this case, the rotational force in the R2 direction of the motor 26 is transmitted to the gear portion 32a of the one-way clutch mechanism 32 via the first gear 29, the second gear 30, and the third gear 31, but the one-way Since the clutch mechanism 32 is configured to allow relative movement in the direction A in FIG. 7 with respect to the rotation shaft 32b of the gear portion 32a, the gear portion 32a is not restrained by the rotation shaft 32b, and FIG. It rotates in the middle A direction. As a result, the fourth gear 33 and the fifth gear 34 engaged with the gear portion 32a of the one-way clutch mechanism 32 are also rotated in the R2 direction in the drawing, and are further connected coaxially to the fifth gear 34. The pickup roller 19 also rotates in the direction R2 in FIG.

  On the other hand, in this state, since the gear portion 32a rotates regardless of the rotation shaft 32b, the rotation shaft 18a of the pickup lever 18 connected to the rotation shaft 32b receives the rotational force from the motor 26. Not affected. Therefore, the pickup lever 18 moves in the direction D in FIG. 7 by the urging force of the holding spring 20 connected to the rib 18c of the pickup lever 18. As a result, the pickup roller 19 attached to the tip end portion 18 b of the pickup lever 18 protrudes into the hopper 4 through the opening 12 a of the first guide surface 12 and abuts against the sheet 3 accommodated in the hopper 4. It will be. At this time, since the pickup roller 19 is rotated in the R2 direction in FIG. 7, the sheet 3 in contact with the pickup roller 19 is conveyed by the pickup roller 19, and the feed roller 16 is provided through the delivery path 21. It is supplied to the position where it is.

  At this time, the feed roller 16 is also connected to the gear portion 32a of the one-way clutch mechanism 32 via the sixth gear 36 and the seventh gear 37, so that it is in the same direction as the gear portion 32a and the pickup roller 19. Since the sheet 3 is rotated, the sheet 3 sent to the sending path 21 is further transported to the transport path 5 by the feed roller 16 and sent to the processing unit 6 for image processing.

  As described above, in the check processing device 1 of the present embodiment, the pickup lever 18 provided with the pickup roller 19 advances into the hopper 4 and comes into contact with the sheet 3 inside the hopper 4, so that the sheet 3 Can be separated. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for moving the paper pressing member forward and backward in accordance with the sheet pick-up timing separately from the pick-up roller, unlike the conventional case, which simplifies the structure of the device and effectively utilizes the space in the device. Thus, it is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus.

  Further, since the pickup lever 18 is configured to retreat from the hopper 4 to the first guide surface 12 side against the urging force of the holding spring 20 by the rotational force of the motor 26, the movement of the pickup lever 18 At this time, the driving force by the motor 26 may be supplied only when the hopper 4 is retracted. Thus, when the pickup roller 19 is protruded into the hopper 4, it is not necessary to use the driving force of the motor 26 for moving the pickup lever 18, and the driving force of the motor 26 can be effectively used.

  In this case, in particular, since the pickup roller 19 is also rotationally driven by the motor 26, the driving force of the motor 26 when the pickup lever 18 is not retracted can be used effectively. At this time, since the timing of retracting the pickup lever 18 and the rotation of the pickup roller 19 do not overlap, the load on the motor 26 does not become excessive.

  Further, the drive mechanism 24 is provided with a transmission mechanism 27 that connects the motor 26, the pickup roller 19 and the turning shaft 18a, and the one-way clutch mechanism 32 provided in the transmission mechanism 27 causes the motor 26 to rotate forward (in the R2 direction). The rotation force of the motor 26 is transmitted to the pickup roller 19 while the rotation of the motor 26 is restricted, and the transmission of the rotation force to the turning shaft 18a is restricted. Since the force is transmitted to the turning shaft 18a, when the sheet 3 is picked up, the pickup roller 19 is moved to the hopper 4 by the pressing spring 20 while the pickup roller 19 is moved. The pickup lever 18 can be retracted from the hopper 4 by driving the shaft 18a. Thus, by using the one-way clutch mechanism 32, the pickup mechanism 15 can be realized with a simple structure with a small number of parts.

  The pickup mechanism 15 and the feed roller 16 are both provided on the first guide surface 12 side when viewed from the hopper 4. In this case, since the feed roller 16 is driven by the drive mechanism 24, it is possible to arrange both the parts driven by the sheet conveyance on the first guide surface 12 side, thereby driving. The force transmission mechanism 27 can be arranged well. Further, since the drive source for retracting the pickup roller 19 and the drive source for rotating the pickup roller 19 itself are made common to the outside of the hopper 4 in this way, separate motors are used to drive them. Etc., and the number of parts and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  The pickup lever 18, the holding spring 20 and the transmission mechanism 27 constitute a storage mechanism for the pickup roller 19, and the transmission mechanism 27 is connected to the first to fifth gears 29, 30, 31, 33 and 34 and the one-way. Since the clutch mechanism 32 is used, the storage mechanism of the pickup roller 19 can be configured using general parts. In particular, since the pressing spring 20 is used to cause the pickup lever 18 to protrude into the hopper 4, a simple configuration can be realized.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and other configurations can be employed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Check processing apparatus (image processing apparatus), 3 ... Sheet, 4 ... Hopper (sheet accommodating part), 5 ... Conveyance path, 12 ... 1st guide surface, 13 ... 2nd guide surface, 15 ... Pick-up mechanism ( (Sheet feeding mechanism), 16 ... feed roller conveying roller, 17 ... retard roller, 18 ... pickup lever, 18a ... swing shaft, 19 ... pickup roller, 20 ... pressing spring (biasing means), 21 ... feeding path, 24 ... drive Mechanism, 26 ... motor (drive motor, drive unit), 27 ... transmission mechanism (gear mechanism), 32 ... one-way clutch mechanism

Claims (10)

An image processing apparatus for performing at least one of image formation on a sheet and reading of an image on the sheet,
A sheet accommodating portion that has a first guide surface and a second guide surface, and accommodates the sheets in a stacked state between the first and second guide surfaces;
A delivery path for delivering the sheet in the sheet accommodating portion;
A pickup mechanism that sends out the sheet in the sheet storage portion to the delivery path,
The pickup mechanism includes a pickup lever that is rotatably provided, and a pickup roller that is rotatably supported by the pickup lever and that is provided facing the sheet storage portion from the first guide surface side. And a drive mechanism for rotating the pickup lever so that at least a part of the pickup roller can be projected and retracted from the first guide surface into the sheet storage portion. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The drive mechanism includes a drive motor and biasing means for biasing the pickup lever in a direction in which the pickup roller protrudes from the first guide surface,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pickup lever is retracted from the inside of the sheet accommodating portion to the first guide surface side against the urging force of the urging means by the rotational force of the driving motor. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2,
An image processing apparatus, wherein the pickup roller is rotationally driven by the drive motor. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The pickup lever is provided with a turning shaft,
The drive mechanism includes a transmission mechanism that connects the drive motor, the pickup roller, and the pivot shaft;
The transmission mechanism restricts transmission of the rotational force to the pivot shaft while transmitting the rotational force of the drive motor to the pickup roller when the drive motor rotates forward, and the drive motor rotates in the reverse direction. An image processing apparatus comprising a one-way clutch mechanism for transmitting the rotational force of the drive motor to the turning shaft. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A transport roller provided to face the delivery path for transporting the sheet;
The pick-up mechanism and the conveying roller are both provided on the first guide surface side of the sheet storage unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
The image processing apparatus, wherein the transport roller is rotationally driven by the drive mechanism. A sheet feeding mechanism provided for a hopper that accommodates a sheet between the first guide surface and the second guide surface, and for feeding the sheet from the hopper;
A pick-up roller capable of being pressed against a sheet in the hopper by projecting from the first guide surface side toward the second guide surface side;
A storage mechanism for storing the pickup roller outside the first guide surface when viewed from the hopper;
And a drive unit that drives the storage mechanism and supplies a rotational force to the pickup roller. The sheet feeding mechanism according to claim 7,
The storage mechanism includes a pickup lever that rotatably supports the pickup roller;
The rotational force in the first direction is transmitted from the drive unit, and the pickup lever is turned so that the pickup roller is stored outside the first guide surface. And a gear mechanism for transmitting the rotational force in the second direction opposite to the direction to rotate the pickup roller. The sheet feeding mechanism according to claim 8, wherein
The gear mechanism includes a one-way clutch that restricts relative rotation in the first direction and allows relative rotation in the second direction. The sheet feeding mechanism according to claim 8 or 9,
The storage mechanism includes an urging unit that urges the pickup lever so that the pickup roller protrudes from the first guide surface side toward the second guide surface side. Sheet feeding mechanism.

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