JP2012246098A - Sheet transfer device, and information reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for improving the alignment of sheets at the discharge of the sheet while making the device smaller.SOLUTION: The sheet transfer device of transferring a sheet comprise a device body having a transfer path for transferring the sheet, and a transfer means of transferring the sheet along the transfer path. The transfer path has a route inclined from a sheet introduction port which is formed at the upper end of the device body toward the lower end of the device, and reaches a sheet discharge port opened in the upward direction of the device body while being bent at the lower end of the device body. Between the sheet discharge port and the device body, there are formed a sheet-end receiving face for receiving the end of sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port perpendicularly from below, and an inclined face inclined from the peripheral edge of the opening of the sheet discharge port toward the sheet receiving face.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus and an information reading apparatus such as a scanner provided with such a sheet conveying apparatus.

  Conventionally, an information reading apparatus such as a scanner includes a sheet conveying apparatus that conveys a sheet whose information has been read by an information reading unit. The information reading unit is a part provided with a sensor that reads image information or magnetic information on a sheet such as an image sensor. The sheet conveying apparatus has a conveying roller pair including a driving roller and a driven roller for nipping and conveying the sheet.

  As such a sheet conveying device, for example, a device that U-turns a fed sheet and discharges it to a sheet discharge tray on the front side of the sheet feed tray is known (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-113411

  In the case of the paper discharge device disclosed in Patent Document 1 as described above, since the paper feed port is disposed at a position higher than the paper discharge port and the paper discharge tray is disposed in front of the device, the paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray. The sheet is easy to tilt and easily out of balance. That is, it is necessary to consider a configuration in which the discharged paper does not fall from the paper discharge tray because it falls to the front of the apparatus. However, if a cover is provided so as to cover the front side of the paper discharge tray so that the sheet does not fall, access when taking out a relatively small size sheet (for example, a business card) from the paper discharge tray becomes worse. Conversely, if the front surface of the apparatus (discharge tray) is tilted so that the sheet does not fall from the discharge tray, the installation area of the apparatus increases. In the paper discharge device as in Patent Document 1, the front surface (tray surface) of the device is inclined to the extent that the discharged paper does not fall forward, and there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the device.

  Accordingly, in view of the above-described circumstances, the present invention provides a technique for improving the paper discharge alignment during sheet discharge while reducing the size of the apparatus.

  The present invention is a sheet conveying apparatus that conveys a sheet, comprising: an apparatus main body provided with a conveying path that conveys a sheet; and a conveying unit that conveys the sheet along the conveying path. Is a sheet that is provided to be inclined from the sheet inlet on the upper end side of the apparatus main body to the lower end side of the apparatus main body and bends on the lower end side of the apparatus main body to open to the upper side of the apparatus main body. A sheet end receiving surface for receiving an end of a sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port from a vertically lower side, and a sheet discharge surface between the sheet discharge port and the apparatus main body. The sheet conveying apparatus is provided with an inclined surface inclined from the opening peripheral edge of the outlet toward the sheet end receiving surface. An information reading apparatus according to the present invention includes the sheet conveying apparatus and an information reading unit that is provided in a conveying path of the sheet conveying apparatus and reads sheet information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the paper discharge alignment during sheet discharge while reducing the size of the apparatus.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a document information reading apparatus including a sheet conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view which extracts and shows a part of conveyance guide member. 1 is a schematic configuration cross-sectional view of a document information reading apparatus. The perspective view which extracts and shows the discharge roller pair. The top view which expands and shows the part which provided the paddle of the driven roller. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram relating to a posture of a sheet in a sheet discharge unit. The top view which shows the modification of a paddle.

<First Embodiment>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Original information reader]
First, the overall configuration of an information reading apparatus for a document (sheet) that is an object of the present invention will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 1, a document information reading device (hereinafter referred to as a scanner) 1 includes a paper feeding unit 2 that feeds a sheet S, an information reading unit 3 that reads information on the sheet S, and a discharge that discharges the sheet S. Part 4. Then, image information on the sheet S fed from the sheet feeding unit 2 is read by the information reading unit 3, and the sheet S on which the information is read is discharged from the discharge unit 4 which is a sheet conveying device.

[Paper Feeder]
The sheet feeding unit 2 is disposed on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 11 of the scanner 1 and is disposed opposite to the conveying roller 22 that is a conveying member, the tray 21 on which the sheet S is placed, and a separating member. And a certain separation roller 23.

  The tray 21 has an intermediate plate 21 b that is rotatably supported with respect to the main body 11 a of the apparatus main body 11. The intermediate plate 21b is urged toward the transport roller 22 by a spring (not shown). The transport roller 22 is provided on the cover portion 11b of the apparatus main body 11, and is rotationally driven by a motor that is a drive source (not shown). Then, the sheet S comes into contact with the sheet S on the intermediate plate 21 b and is conveyed toward the information reading unit 3. In the case of this embodiment, the conveyance roller 22 is disposed at a position facing the central portion in the width direction of the tray 21.

  Further, a separation roller 23 is provided at a position facing the conveyance roller 22 downstream of the tray 21 in the sheet conveyance direction by the conveyance roller 22. The separation roller 23 is supported so as to be movable in a direction in which the separation roller 23 moves far and away, and is urged in a direction toward the conveyance roller 22 by a spring (not shown). In addition, a motor which is a driving unit (not shown) is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the transport roller 22. When the sheet is conveyed by the conveyance roller 22, the sheet is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the conveyance roller 22, thereby generating a sheet resistance acting in the direction opposite to the sheet conveyance direction, and separating the sheet S to be conveyed from other sheets. It is easy to do. The separation roller 23 is provided with a torque limiter so that power transmission from the motor can be cut off when a torque exceeding a predetermined value is applied.

  The positional relationship between the conveyance roller 22 and the separation roller 23 in the sheet conveyance direction is such that the conveyance roller 22 is shifted to the upstream in the sheet conveyance direction by the conveyance roller 22 relative to the separation roller 23. This makes it easy to pick up the sheet S on the tray 21.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the apparatus main body 11 is separable into a main body part 11a and a cover part 11b with a conveyance path 13 through which the sheet S is conveyed in the apparatus main body 11 as a boundary. Of these, the main body 11a is provided with the tray 21 and the separation roller 23 described above, and the transport roller 22 is supported by the cover 11b. The cover part 11b is rotatable with respect to the main body part 11a around the lower end portion of the main body part 11a. When the cover portion 11b is rotated, the conveyance path 13 is exposed (opened), and a sheet jammed in the conveyance path 13 can be removed. That is, the scanner 1 of the present embodiment has an apparatus main body 11 provided with a conveyance path 13 for conveying the sheet S. The apparatus main body 11 is connected to the main body 11a and the main body 11a so as to be opened and closed. Cover portion 11b. Further, a conveyance path 13 is formed between the main body portion 11a and the cover portion 11b constituting the apparatus main body 11. The scanner 1 according to the present embodiment is provided so as to be inclined from the feeding unit (sheet intake port) 2 on the upper end side of the apparatus main body 11 to the lower end side of the apparatus main body 11 in the installed state. The conveyance path 13 is formed of a path to a discharge portion (sheet discharge port) 4 that is bent at the lower end portion side and opens to the upper side of the apparatus body 11. In addition, the conveyance path 13 of the present embodiment is provided in a U-turn shape (substantially J-shape) in which the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction is bent in the apparatus installation state. Although details will be described later, the scanner 1 according to the present embodiment can switch between a J path (U-turn path) and a straight path.

  When the cover portion 11b is closed, the transport roller 22 contacts the separation roller 23, and the separation roller 23 sinks in a direction opposite to the spring biasing direction (moves away from the transport roller 22). As a result, the conveyance roller 22 and the separation roller 23 are in elastic contact with each other.

  Further, the intermediate plate 21b rotates around the rotation support portion in a direction against the elastic force of the spring by a driving force transmitted from a motor (not shown) via a power transmission mechanism such as a gear. To do. A gap between the transfer roller 22 and the conveying roller 22 is provided.

  That is, when the intermediate plate 21b is urged toward the conveying roller 22, when the sheet (or sheet bundle) S is placed on the tray 21, the leading edge of the sheet S is conveyed with the intermediate plate 21b. It is difficult to enter between the rollers 22. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, the intermediate plate 21b is rotated in the direction opposite to the spring urging direction so that a gap is formed between the intermediate plate 21b and the conveying roller 22. Accordingly, when the sheet (or sheet bundle) S is placed on the tray 21, the leading edge of the sheet S can easily enter between the intermediate plate 21 b and the conveyance roller 22, and the conveyance of the sheet S by the conveyance roller 22 is facilitated. It can be done smoothly.

[Information reading unit]
As shown in FIG. 1, the information reading unit 3 is disposed in an intermediate portion of the apparatus main body 11 in the sheet conveyance direction, and includes a roller pair 31, a registration sensor 32, and image sensors 33a and 33b. The roller pair 31 includes a driving roller 31a and a driven roller 31b. Of these, the driving roller 31a is provided on the main body 11a, and the driven roller 31b is provided on the cover 11b. The driving roller 31a is rotationally driven by a motor which is a driving source (not shown), and the driven roller 31b rotates following the driving roller 31a. Such a roller pair 31 conveys the sheet S conveyed from the sheet feeding unit 2 in the same direction as the conveying direction by the conveying roller 22.

  The registration sensor 32 detects the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet S conveyed by the roller pair 31. Examples of such a registration sensor 32 include a photo sensor provided with a light emitting part and a light receiving part, and a sensor that detects the operation of a lever. The photo sensor detects the passage of the sheet S when the sheet S blocks the light, and the detection by the lever detects that the sheet S tilts the lever. In this embodiment, a photo sensor is used.

  Each of the image sensors 33a and 33b is a CIS (contact image sensor), and reads information on the front and back surfaces of the sheet S. That is, one image sensor 33a is provided on the main body 11a side, and the other image sensor 33b is provided on the cover 11b side. The surface from which the information of each image sensor 33a, 33b is read is the conveyance path 13 side, and information on both sides of the sheet S passing through the conveyance path 13 is read by the image sensors 33a, 33b. The information read in the present embodiment is information on an image formed on the front surface or the back surface of the sheet S.

[Discharge unit (sheet transport device)]
The discharge unit 4 is disposed downstream of the apparatus main body 11 in the sheet conveyance direction, and has a U-shaped conveyance path 41 continuous with the conveyance path 13, a conveyance roller pair 42, a discharge roller pair 43, a discharge tray 44, and a sheet. Holding member 45. Of these, the U-shaped conveyance path 41 is a sheet conveyance path that guides the sheet conveyed from above in the installed state upward through a curved path (formed in a U-shape). Such a U-shaped conveyance path 41 is located on the outer periphery of a U-shaped curved surface portion 41a formed on the lower surface of the cover portion 11b, and is covered with a U-shaped curved cover 41b. The curved cover 41 b is rotatably connected to the apparatus main body 11 by a hinge 46. Therefore, when the sheet that has been conveyed jams in the U-shaped conveyance path 41, the curved cover 41b is rotated to expose the U-shaped conveyance path 41, so that the jam processing can be performed.

  Further, the curved cover 41 b includes a U-shaped curved member 41 c that is a conveyance guide member that rotates about the rotation shaft 47. As shown in FIG. 2, the bending member 41 c rotates together with the rotation shaft 47 by rotating a lever 52 provided at one end of the rotation shaft 47. In addition, a spring member 53 is provided at the other end portion of the rotation shaft 47 and urges the bending member 41 c in the direction of the arrow 54 together with the rotation shaft 47. When the bending member 41c is in the state shown in FIG. 1, the engaging protrusion 52a provided on the lever 52 and the engaged portion (not shown) provided on the bending cover 41b are engaged to prevent the bending member 41c from rotating. Yes. Further, this engagement is prevented from being inadvertently released due to the urging of the spring member 53. That is, the U-shaped discharge path 41 that is a discharge path on the downstream side of the transport path 13 is a curved member 41c that is a discharge path forming member that is mounted on the front side of the apparatus body 11 and at the lower end, and the lower surface of the cover portion 11b. And the outer periphery of the U-shaped curved surface portion 41a.

  The bending member 41c constitutes the U-shaped conveying path 41 in the state of FIG. 1, and by rotating from this state, a part of the U-shaped conveying path 41 is opened so that the conveying path can be switched. Yes. When rotating the bending member 41c, the lever 52 is pulled in the direction opposite to the arrow 54, and the engagement protrusion 52a provided on the lever 52 and the engaged portion (not shown) provided on the bending cover 41b are engaged. Remove. Then, the lever 52 is rotated clockwise from the state of FIG. 1 to a predetermined position. Thereby, a part of the U-shaped conveyance path 41 is opened, and another conveyance path for discharging the sheet conveyed from the conveyance path 13 by the conveyance roller pair 42 is formed.

  Thus, the scanner 1 of the present embodiment can change the sheet discharge method (discharge direction). For example, normally, if the sheet is discharged in the state shown in FIG. 1, it is compact and the installation space can be reduced. On the other hand, if the curved member 41c is rotated to form another conveyance path so that the sheet can be discharged straight, it is not necessary to pass the U-shaped conveyance path 41 when discharging a thick sheet that is difficult to bend, for example. The sheet can be discharged well.

  The pair of conveying rollers 42 is an inlet that enters the U-shaped conveying path 41 from the conveying path 13 of the apparatus main body 11 and is disposed upstream of the hinge 46 in the sheet conveying direction. Similarly to the roller pair 31 described above, such a pair of conveying rollers 42 includes a driving roller and a driven roller, and one roller is provided on the main body portion 11a and the other roller is provided on the cover portion 11b. Then, the sheet conveyed from the information reading unit 3 is conveyed to the U-shaped conveyance path 41.

  The paper discharge roller pair 43 is a discharge unit, and is provided at the outlet of the U-shaped conveyance path 41 to discharge the sheet upward from the U-shaped conveyance path 41 in an installed state. Such a pair of paper discharge rollers 43 is also composed of a drive roller 43a and a driven roller 43b. The drive roller 43a is provided at the distal end portion of the curved cover 41b and is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). Then, the sheet is conveyed by rotating in contact with the sheet.

  The driven roller 43b is provided at a position facing the driving roller 43a of the cover portion 11b, and forms a nip portion N with the driving roller 43a. Therefore, the driven roller 43b is urged toward the drive roller 43a by an urging member such as a spring (not shown). Then, it comes into contact with the driving roller 43a in a pressurized state (via a sheet when there is a sheet), and rotates following the rotation of the driving roller 43a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of such driving rollers 43a and driven rollers 43b are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 43a-1 or 43b-1 (in the illustrated example, two locations). A cylindrical member). That is, the drive roller 43a and the driven roller 43b exist in pairs and are disposed so as to face each other. The shape and number of the driving roller 43a and the driven roller 43b are not limited to the illustrated example as long as the driving roller 43a and the driven roller 43b are arranged to face each other. For example, each may be a single long roller, or may be a plurality of three or more, or a plurality of short rollers may be opposed to a single long roller.

  4 and 5, the rotating shaft 43b-1 of the driven roller 43b abuts on a sheet sandwiched between the driving roller 43a and the driven roller 43b, and this sheet is removed from the nip portion N. An extruding unit 49 for extruding in the sheet conveying direction is fixed. The pushing portion 49 is a fixed portion 480 fixed to the rotating shaft 43b-1, and a paddle 48 that is a plurality of protruding members provided so as to protrude from the fixing portion 480 outward in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 43b-1. And have. Accordingly, the pushing portion 49 rotates integrally with the driven roller 43b. That is, the plurality of paddles 48 rotate the same amount in the same direction as the driven roller 43b. In the case of the present embodiment, the paddles 48 are arranged on the inner side in the axial direction of the pair of driven rollers 43b (between a plurality of driven rollers 43b adjacent in the axial direction) and at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the rotating shaft 43b-1. A plurality (4) of each is fixed. In the illustrated example, a plurality of paddles 48 are arranged in parallel in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 43b-1 at predetermined intervals.

  Note that such an arrangement of the paddle 48 is not limited to the present embodiment. For example, the circumferential distance (interval) between the leading end portions of the adjacent paddles 48 is set to be equal to or slightly narrower than the sheet interval between the preceding sheet and the succeeding sheet when a plurality of sheets are sequentially conveyed one by one. It may be made to become. As a result, the paddle part is sandwiched once or more times between the front and back sheets, and the sheet material is pushed out in the transport direction. In addition, the sheet material can be conveyed with minimum contact between the huddle portion and the sheet material, and at the same time, the conveyance noise can be significantly reduced.

  Further, the axial position of the paddle 48 corresponds to the minimum size of the sheet to be conveyed. In the case of the illustrated example, the driven roller 43b is positioned at both ends in the width direction of the minimum size sheet, and the paddle 48 is disposed inside the driven roller 43b. Abut.

  The length in the radial direction of the paddle 48 is not particularly limited as long as the leading end of the paddle 48 is in contact with the sheet (sliding contact). For example, it is preferable to extend at least until reaching the nip portion N as viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft 43b-1, or beyond the nip portion N to some extent. Thereby, since it can be made to slidably contact with the sheet | seat pinched | interposed into the nip part N, the extrusion effect of a sheet | seat can be improved effectively. In the present embodiment, the distal end of the paddle 48 in the radial direction protrudes outward in the radial direction from the driven roller 43b. In other words, the circumscribed circle of the four paddles 48 is made larger than the outer diameter of the driven roller 43b.

  Each of these paddles 48 is a plate-like elastic member, and its side surface is disposed substantially parallel to the axial direction of the rotation shaft 43b-1. That is, it arrange | positions so that the width | variety may become large in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 43b-1. Further, it is provided at a position away from the drive roller 43a to prevent contact with the drive roller 43a. The sheet is held between the driving roller 43a and the driven roller 43b, and the sheet is pushed out from the nip portion N.

  That is, as the driven roller 43b rotates following the rotation of the driving roller 43a, the paddle 48 is also driven to rotate. As described above, the leading end of the paddle 48 protrudes radially outward from the driven roller 43b, and thus comes into contact with the sheet existing in the nip portion N. Therefore, when the paddle 48 is rotationally driven together with the driven roller 43b, the leading end comes into contact with the sheet and pushes out (kicks out) the sheet from the nip portion N.

  In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the paddle 48 has an inclined portion 48 a that is inclined inward in the radial direction toward the one axial direction of the rotation shaft 43 b-1 at the tip that contacts the sheet. is doing. In the case of the illustrated example, the inclined portion 48a is inclined inward in the radial direction as the tip of the paddle 48 goes outward in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 43b-1. That is, the inclined portion 48a is inclined radially inward from the proximal end 51 on the axial center side of the rotating shaft 43b-1 toward the distal end 50 on the axial end portion side. Note that this inclination direction may be reversed. In addition, the term “tilt” as used in this specification includes straight and curved ones. Therefore, the inclined portion of the present invention includes a configuration in which the tip that contacts the sheet is curved inward in the radial direction as it goes to one axial direction of the rotation shaft 43b-1.

  Further, the paddle 48 protrudes outward in the radial direction from the driven roller 43b even at the tip 50 portion having the shortest radial length. In other words, the amount of protrusion of the paddle 48 from the driven roller 43 b increases as the distance from the distal end 50 toward the proximal end 51 increases. Therefore, the leading end of the paddle 48 protrudes radially outward from the driven roller 43b at any portion, and abuts against the sheet existing in the nip portion N.

  Thus, the paddle 48 that abuts against the sheet is formed of an elastic material having an elastic coefficient that bends when abuts against the sheet sandwiched between the driving roller 43a and the driven roller 43b. For example, the sheet is bent when it comes into contact with the sheet so that the sheet has flexibility so as not to prevent the sheet from passing through the nip portion N. However, it should be ensured that the paddle 48 can sufficiently kick the seat.

  The discharge unit 4 is provided at the upper end of the apparatus main body 11, that is, at a position lower than the paper feed unit 2. Specifically, the upper end portion of the curved cover 41b is provided lower than the upper end portion of the cover portion 11b. The discharge part 4 is arrange | positioned inside this curved cover 41b. For this reason, the paper discharge tray 44 is exposed on the front surface of the apparatus and constitutes a stacking surface on which discharged sheets are stacked. Specifically, the paper discharge tray 44 is formed on the surface of the cover portion 11 b opposite to the main body portion 11 a and stacks the sheets discharged from the paper discharge roller pair 43. That is, the front surface of the cover portion 11b (device main body 11) serves as a discharge tray surface that receives sheets discharged from the discharge portion 4. The paper discharge tray 44 includes a first tray surface 44a, which is a first surface inclined by a predetermined amount from the upper end of the cover portion 11b (device main body 11) to a substantially horizontal direction, and the first tray surface 44a to the first tray. And a second tray surface 44b that is a second surface inclined downward in the vertical direction with respect to the tray surface 44a. As described above, the discharge tray 44 is divided into the first tray surface 44a and the second tray surface 44b, and the second tray surface 44b is inclined toward the main body portion 11a, so that a sufficient space for storing the discharge portion 4 can be secured. . Further, even if the discharge tray 44 is not inclined, a relatively large document can be received on the first tray surface 44a, and a relatively small document can be received on the second tray surface 44b. The apparatus can be reduced in size as compared with the case of tilting.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the sheet kicked up by the paddle 48 described above naturally falls to the bottom side of the paper discharge tray 44 by its own weight. Therefore, in this embodiment, the sheet discharge unit 4 (sheet discharge tray 44) has a sheet end receiving surface (bottom surface) that receives the end of the discharged sheet (the lower end side of the apparatus main body 11) from the lower side in the vertical direction. 44c and an inclined surface 44d inclined from the peripheral edge of the discharge portion 4 toward the sheet end receiving surface 44c. In the present embodiment, the inclined surface 44d exists in the vicinity of the exit of the paper discharge roller pair 43, and the sheet end receiving surface 44c is provided as a substantially horizontal plane continuously to the inclined surface 44d.

  Thus, the sheet discharged from the discharge unit 4 is first kicked up by the paddle 48 described above, and then falls to the sheet end receiving surface 44c and the inclined surface 44d by its own weight. At this time, the rear end portion of the discharged sheet first lands on the inclined surface 44d, slides down, and moves to the sheet end receiving surface 44c. For this reason, the sheet end receiving surface 44c and the inclined surface 44d can be surfaces for aligning the ends of a plurality of sheets discharged from the discharge unit 4.

  In addition, when the sheets are continuously discharged, the sheets are discharged one after another on the sheet slipped on the sheet end receiving surface 44c, so that the stacked sheets are sequentially pushed out to the discharge tray 44 side, As a result, the sheet is aligned (aligned) while being in sliding contact with the sheet end receiving surface 44c.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6A as a reference diagram, when the sheet S is received by the sheet discharge tray 440 and the inclined surface 440d, the sheet S tries to balance the inclined surface 440d. However, it is substantially difficult to balance the sheet S at the portion where the paper discharge tray 440 and the inclined surface 440d intersect (V-groove portion), and there is a high possibility that the sheet S will fall forward.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the sheet end receiving surface 44c serving as the first receiving surface is provided, and the discharged sheet is landed on the inclined surface 44d serving as the second receiving surface to be formed on the sheet end receiving surface 44c. Since the sheet is moved, the sheet discharge alignment can be improved while keeping the balance of the sheet S moderate (see FIG. 6B).

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the angle formed by the sheet end receiving surface 44c and the second tray surface 44b is an obtuse angle (an angle greater than 90 degrees), and the angle formed by the sheet end receiving surface 44c and the inclined surface 44d is an obtuse angle (90 The angle is larger than degrees. Therefore, the sheet dropped on the inclined surface 44d can be easily moved to the sheet end receiving surface 44c, and the sheet moved to the sheet end receiving surface 44c can be easily tilted to the sheet discharge tray 44 side. Therefore, the alignment of the discharge sheet can be further improved. Further, since the alignment of the discharge sheets can be improved in this way, there is no need to separately provide a member for covering the discharge tray 44 to the upper part of the cover portion 11b, and there is an advantage that the apparatus structure is simplified. Thereby, the bending member 41c can be made to the minimum height, the user can easily access the discharged sheet (particularly a small sheet), and the workability of taking out the sheet can be improved.

  The sheet holding member 45 holds the sheets stacked on the paper discharge tray 44 so that the sheets do not fall from the paper discharge tray 44 due to the influence of disturbance or the like. Such a sheet restraining member 45 is provided so as to be able to be extended so as to extend almost tangentially from the tip of the curved cover 41b, and with the curved cover 41b closed as shown in FIG. 44a. As a result, the sheet discharged to the sheet discharge tray 44 is sandwiched between the inclined surface 44a and the sheet holding member 45, and is prevented from inadvertently dropping. When the sheet holding member 45 is provided in the end portion of the curved cover 41b so as to be accommodated in this way, when a relatively small sheet (for example, a business card or a card size sheet) is discharged to the discharge tray 44, When the sheet holding member 45 is in the protruding state, it may be difficult to take out the sheet. In the present embodiment, assuming such a case, the sheet pressing member 45 is provided in the end portion of the curved cover 41b so as to be housed. Thereby, when taking out a small sheet from the paper discharge unit, the sheet holding member 45 can be stored. In the present invention, since the sheet can be reliably received in the paper discharge tray 44, such a sheet pressing member 45 may not be provided.

[Scanner operation]
In the case of this embodiment, first, a sheet (or sheet bundle) for reading information is placed on the tray 21. When the sheet is placed on the tray 21, the middle plate 21 b is sunk as described above, and the leading edge of the sheet enters between the middle plate 21 b and the conveyance roller 22. In this state, for example, when the operation is started by the user pressing a reading start button provided in the apparatus, the intermediate plate 21b is urged by the spring, and the leading edge of the sheet is moved to the intermediate plate 21b and the conveyance roller. 22.

  From this state, the conveyance roller 22 is driven to rotate, and the separation roller 23 rotates in the reverse direction. Thus, in the case of a sheet bundle, the sheets are separated one by one and conveyed to the conveyance path 13. On the other hand, when the number of sheets is one, the torque limiter provided on the separation roller 23 is operated, and the power transmission to the separation roller 23 is cut off. The separation roller 23 is rotated by the rotation of the conveying roller 22. To do. As a result, one sheet is conveyed to the conveyance path 13.

  The sheet conveyed to the conveyance path 13 is nipped by the roller pair 31 and further conveyed. Then, the leading edge of the sheet is detected by the registration sensor 32, and information on both sides (or any side) of the sheet is read by the image sensors 33a and 33b. That is, reading by the image sensors 33a and 33b is started a predetermined time after the registration sensor 32 detects the leading edge of the sheet, and the image sensors 33a and 33b are started after a predetermined time has elapsed since the registration sensor 32 detected the trailing edge of the sheet. End reading by. Information read by the image sensors 33a and 33b is stored in a storage means (memory) provided in the apparatus or sent to an external terminal (not shown) (such as a personal computer).

  The sheet that has passed through the image sensors 33 a and 33 b is nipped by the conveyance roller pair 42 and conveyed to the U-shaped conveyance path 41. The sheet conveyed to the U-shaped conveyance path 41 is further nipped by the discharge roller pair 43 and discharged to the discharge tray 44. At this time, the paddle 48 rotates together with the driven roller 43 b constituting the paper discharge roller pair 43, thereby pushing the sheet present in the nip portion N of the paper discharge roller pair 43 toward the paper discharge tray 44. Thus, the sheet is pushed out by the paddle 48 so that the trailing edge of the sheet does not remain in the nip portion. Further, the sheet discharge alignment property can be improved.

  In the case of this embodiment configured and acting as described above, since the inclined portion 48a is provided at the tip of the paddle 48 that comes into contact with the sheet, the paddle 48 gradually comes into contact with the sheet, and noise caused by the hitting sound can be reduced. That is, if the tip of the paddle 48 is parallel to the rotating shaft 43b-1, the area at the moment when the paddle 48 abuts against the sheet is large, so that the energy generated at that time increases and the hitting sound generated also increases. Further, the paddle 48 itself is not easily bent at the moment of contact of the sheet, and the energy at the time of contact is increased, and the hitting sound is increased.

  On the other hand, as in this embodiment, by tilting the tip of the paddle 48 that contacts the sheet, the area at the moment when the paddle 48 contacts the sheet can be reduced, and the contact area can be gradually increased. As a result, the energy generated at the time of contact can be dispersed, and the generated tapping sound can be reduced. Further, since the tip of the paddle 48 is inclined, the width of the paddle 48 becomes narrower toward the tip. Therefore, it is easy to bend at the time of contact, and the energy at the time of contact can be further dispersed to reduce the hitting sound.

  In addition, since the end of the paddle 48 is finally brought into contact with the sheet, the ability to push out the sheet can be sufficiently secured. That is, if the paddle width is narrowed to reduce the contact area with the sheet, the hitting sound may be reduced, but the force for pushing out the sheet is not sufficiently transmitted. Increasing the stiffness of the paddle may be able to transmit this force, but if the stiffness of the paddle is too high, the paddle may interfere with sheet transport or damage the sheet.

  On the other hand, in the case of the present embodiment, the final contact area between the paddle 48 and the sheet is ensured so that the sheet can be pushed out reliably, and the paddle 48 is gradually brought into contact with the sheet to generate a hitting sound. Can be small. In other words, it is possible to achieve both the securing of the sheet pushing ability and the reduction of the hitting sound. If the sheet tapping noise can be reduced, noise during sheet conveyance (discharge) can be reduced.

  In the scanner 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the paper feed unit 2 is disposed on the upper part of the apparatus main body 11 of the scanner 1, and the discharge unit 4 is disposed downstream of the apparatus main body 11 in the sheet conveyance direction. is doing. The discharge unit 4 is provided with a U-shaped conveyance path 41 that is continuous with the conveyance path 13 so that the sheet can be discharged upward in the installed state. In this embodiment, since the paddle 48 is provided corresponding to the discharge roller pair 43 on the discharge side of the U-shaped conveyance path 41, the paddle 48 kicks the sheet upward or the discharge assisting member. It becomes a member. In order to discharge the sheet from the U-shaped conveyance path 41 satisfactorily, it is effective to push out each paddle 48 together with the discharge roller pair 43 while rubbing against the sheet. At this time, in particular, in the present embodiment, since the tip of each paddle 48 that rotates together with the paper discharge roller pair 43 is inclined, it is possible to reduce noise during sheet discharge while performing sheet discharge well.

  In the present embodiment, the front ends of all the paddles 48 are inclined. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Even when the paddles 48 are provided on at least one of the plurality of paddles 48, the above-described sheet conveyance (discharge) is performed. Noise can be reduced.

  The shape of the paddle 48 described above is not particularly limited to that described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the paddle 48 </ b> A that constitutes the pushing portion 49 </ b> A is configured such that the tip that comes into contact with the sheet is inclined radially inward from the axial direction intermediate portion of the rotating shaft 43 b-1 toward both ends. Also good. That is, in this case, the paddle 48A has a pair of inclined portions 48a and 48b inclined in opposite directions at the tip. In the case of the illustrated example, the central portion in the axial direction of the paddle 48A is projected most, and the protruding amount is reduced toward the both ends in the axial direction.

  The inclination of the tip of the paddle 48 from the center in the axial direction to both sides (respective inclinations of the inclined portions 48a and 48b) is the same angle, but may be different from each other. Further, the most protruding position may be off the center in the axial direction. Alternatively, the paddle 48 may be curved from the center in the axial direction to both sides. For example, the tip of the paddle 48 may be a convex curved surface formed by a single arc.

  The paddle 48 configured as described above gradually comes into contact with the sheet from the axially intermediate portion, and finally comes into contact with both ends to push out the sheet from the nip portion N. For this reason, the sheet can be reliably pushed out and the hitting sound can be reduced. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the paddle is provided on the driven roller side of the paper discharge roller pair of the discharge unit has been described. However, the paddle may be provided on the drive roller side. That is, the paddle may be provided on at least one of the rotation shafts of the driving roller and the driven roller. Moreover, the structure of this invention is applicable not only to a discharge part but to the conveyance part which needs to provide a paddle.

  In the above-described embodiment, the discharge unit is the sheet conveying apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the apparatus main body provided with a conveying path for conveying the sheet and the sheet is conveyed along the conveying path. An apparatus provided with a conveying means that performs the above may be used as a sheet apparatus. Even in this case, as described above, the conveying path is inclined from the sheet intake port on the upper end side of the apparatus main body to the lower end side of the apparatus main body, and is bent on the lower end side of the apparatus main body. It has a path to a sheet discharge opening that opens on the upper side of the main body. Between the sheet discharge port and the apparatus main body, a sheet end receiving surface that receives the end of the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port from the lower side in the vertical direction, and an opening peripheral edge of the sheet discharge port to the sheet end receiving surface. And an inclined surface inclined toward the surface. Thereby, the effect similar to embodiment mentioned above can be acquired.

1 Document information reader (scanner)
3 Information reading unit 4 Ejecting unit (sheet conveying device)
43 discharge roller pair 43a driving roller 43a-1 rotating shaft 43b driven roller 43b-1 rotating shaft 44a first tray surface 44b second tray surface 44c sheet end receiving surface 44d inclined surface 48 paddle (protruding member)
N nip S sheet

Claims (9)

A sheet conveying apparatus for conveying a sheet,
An apparatus main body provided with a conveyance path for conveying a sheet;
A conveying means for conveying the sheet along the conveying path,
The conveyance path is provided so as to be inclined from the sheet intake port on the upper end portion side of the apparatus main body to the lower end portion side of the apparatus main body, and is bent on the lower end portion side of the apparatus main body to be above the apparatus main body. Has a route to the open sheet outlet,
Between the sheet discharge port and the apparatus main body, a sheet end receiving surface for receiving an end of the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port from the lower side in the vertical direction, and an opening peripheral edge of the sheet discharge port from the sheet edge. A sheet conveying apparatus comprising an inclined surface inclined toward the receiving surface.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface and the sheet end receiving surface are surfaces for aligning ends of a plurality of sheets discharged from the sheet discharge port.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet end receiving surface is provided at a position lower than the sheet discharge port. The sheet discharge port is located at a position lower than the upper end of the apparatus main body and on the front side of the apparatus main body,
The front surface of the apparatus main body extends from the first surface to a first surface inclined by a predetermined amount from the upper end of the apparatus main body to a substantially horizontal direction side, and extends from the first surface to the sheet end receiving surface. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second surface inclined downward in the vertical direction.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an angle formed by the sheet end receiving surface and the second surface is an obtuse angle.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an angle formed by the sheet end receiving surface and the inclined surface is an obtuse angle.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a front surface of the apparatus main body is a discharge tray surface that receives a sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port. A discharge path on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction of the conveyance path is formed between the discharge path forming member mounted on the front side and the lower end of the apparatus main body and the apparatus main body,
The upper end portion of the discharge path forming member is provided at a position lower than the upper end portion of the apparatus main body,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet discharge port is provided at a position lower than an upper end portion of the discharge path forming member. An information reading apparatus comprising: the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1; and an information reading unit that is provided in a conveying path of the sheet conveying apparatus and reads sheet information.

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