JP2013129509A - Document feed device, image reading device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a document feed device which suppresses a malfunction caused by the hang-down of ends of a large-sized document and a sheet at the end of a document table without impairing visibility and access performance at setting a small-sized sheet and a document and also without causing an increase of cost, in the notching of the large sized sheet an a document.SOLUTION: The document feed device 51 includes: a document stacking means 52 which stacks the document and partially has a notch 54 at an upstream side end in the document feed direction; and a guide member 53 which aligns the documents stacked by the document stacking means 52 in a width direction of the documents. The guide member 53 includes a protrusion member 58 integrally formed and covering the notch 54.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a scanner, a facsimile machine, and a printer, and more particularly to an original conveying apparatus that conveys an original.

  When conveying a small-sized recording sheet in a document conveying apparatus mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a scanner, facsimile, or copying machine, the sheet is not obstructed when the sheet is regulated by a guide member, and skew is prevented. The technique is disclosed in, for example, “Patent Document 1”. Such a document transport device is provided with a discharge stack position for the document read under the document table, so that the readability and visibility of the document that has been read by cutting the edge of the document table are improved. I am letting.

However, in the above-described technique, by providing a notch at the edge of the document table, the accessibility of the document that has been read and is stacked on the paper output stack unit is improved, but a large-size document or sheet is placed on the document table. When placed, the edge of the document or sheet hangs down from the notch, and the document or sheet skews or interferes with the sheet in the sheet discharge stack at the lower part of the document table, resulting in a stack failure. In addition, when trying to read a long document or sheet, the document or sheet hangs down from the end of the document table regardless of the presence or absence of a notch, and the same problem occurs.
The present invention solves the above-described problems, suppresses problems caused by a large-size sheet or document notched, and a long document or sheet drooping at the end of the document table, and having a small size. It is an object of the present invention to provide a document transport device that can reduce the size of the device without impairing the visibility and accessibility even when a sheet or document is set, and without increasing the cost.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, document stacking means for stacking documents and having a notch at a part of the upstream end in the document transport direction, and a guide member for aligning documents stacked in the document stacking means in the width direction The guide member has a protruding member that is integrally formed and covers the notch.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document stacking unit for stacking a document, and a guide member for aligning the document stacked on the document stacking unit in the width direction, and is a long sheet protruding from the document stacking unit as a document. In the document conveying apparatus using a document, the guide member is integrally formed and has a protruding member on which an end of a long document protruding from the document stacking unit is placed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent an end of a large-size document or sheet from hanging from the notch of the document stacking unit, and the document or sheet is skewed or a sheet on a sheet discharge tray provided below the document stacking unit. The problem of stack failure due to interference with the printer can be reliably prevented, and visibility and accessibility are not impaired even when a small-size sheet or document is set, further increasing costs. Thus, it is possible to provide a document conveying device capable of reducing the size of the device without any problem.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a long document or sheet from drooping from the end of the document table, and the document or sheet is skewed or interferes with a sheet on a discharge tray provided at a lower portion of the document stacking unit. This prevents the occurrence of problems such as stack failures, and does not impair visibility and accessibility when setting small-size sheets and documents, and without increasing costs. It is possible to provide a document conveying device that can be reduced in size.

1 is a schematic diagram of a document conveying apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of an original conveying apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of an original conveying apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. It is the schematic explaining the problem of the conventional document conveying apparatus. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a document conveying device used in a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic of the guide member used for the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) Schematic explaining the problems of the conventional document conveying device (c) Schematic explaining the document conveying device used in the second embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic of the guide member used for the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic of the guide member used for the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

  FIG. 1 shows a document reading apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. FIGS. 2 and 3 are control block diagrams of the document reading apparatus, respectively. This document reading apparatus includes a document setting unit A for setting a document bundle to be read, a separation feeding unit B for separating and feeding one document from the set document bundle, and temporarily aligning the fed document The registration unit C that transports the aligned document, the turn unit D that turns the transported document and transports the image surface toward the reading side, and the first reading transport unit that reads the surface image of the document from below the contact glass E, a second reading / conveying unit F that reads the back side image of the original, a paper discharge unit G that discharges the original that has been read, a stack unit H that stacks the discharged originals, and a driving unit 101 that drives these conveying operations. To 108, and a controller unit 100 for controlling a series of operations.

  On a document table 2 as a document stacking means including a movable document table 3, a document bundle 1 to be read is set with an image surface facing upward. Further, the document bundle 1 is conveyed in a conveyance direction by a side guide as a guide member described later. Positioning in the width direction orthogonal to is performed. The set of the document bundle 1 is detected by the set filler 4 and the set sensor 5 and transmitted to the main body control unit 111 by the I / F 107. Further, an outline of the length of the document bundle 1 in the conveyance direction is determined by document length detection sensors 30 and 31 (reflection type sensor or actuator type sensor) provided on the document table 2 (at least the same document size in length or width) Need a sensor that can determine whether or not).

  The movable document table 3 is moved up and down in the directions a and b by the bottom plate raising motor 105, and when the set filler 4 and the set sensor 5 detect that the document bundle 1 is set, the bottom plate raising motor 105 is rotated forward. The movable document table 3 is raised so that the uppermost surface of the document bundle 1 is in contact with the pickup roller 7. The pickup roller 7 is operated in the c and d directions by the pickup motor 101, the movable table 3 is lifted and pushed by the upper surface of the document on the movable table 3 and lifted in the c direction, and the upper limit is set by the table lift detection sensor 8. Detected. When the print key is pressed from the main body operation unit 108 and a document feeding signal is transmitted from the main body control unit 111 to the controller unit 100 via the I / F 107, the pickup roller 7 is rotated by the operation of the pickup conveyance motor 115. Then, several originals on the original table 2 are picked up. The rotation direction is a direction in which the uppermost document is conveyed to the sheet feeding port. In the present embodiment, both the document table raising / lowering means and the pickup raising / lowering means are provided, but only one of the means for separating or pressing the pickup roller 7 may be used.

  The paper feeding belt 9 is driven in the paper feeding direction by the normal rotation of the paper feeding motor 102, and the reverse roller 10 is driven to rotate in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction by the normal rotation of the paper feeding motor 102, thereby Separates the lower document and feeds only the top document. More specifically, the reverse roller 10 is in contact with the paper feeding belt 9 at a predetermined pressure, and when the paper is in direct contact with the paper feeding belt 9 or through one original, the reverse roller 10 rotates. The follower rotates in the counterclockwise direction so that when two or more documents enter between the sheet feeding belt 9 and the reverse roller 10, the follower force is set to be lower than the torque of the built-in torque limiter. Thus, the reverse roller 10 rotates in the clockwise direction, which is the original driving direction, and pushes back an excess document to prevent double feeding.

  The original separated into one sheet by the action of the paper feeding belt 9 and the reverse roller 10 is further fed by the paper feeding belt 9 and the leading edge thereof is detected by the abutting sensor 11, and then further fed and stopped. It is abutted against the pull-out roller 12. Thereafter, the sheet feeding motor 102 is stopped in a state where a predetermined amount determined from the detection of the abutting sensor 11 and a predetermined amount of bending is formed between the pull-out roller 12 and the operation of the sheet feeding belt 9 is stopped. To do. At this time, by rotating the pickup motor 101, the pickup roller 7 is retracted from the upper surface of the document, and the document is fed only by the conveying force of the paper feed belt 9, so that the leading edge of the document enters the nip of the pull-out roller 12. Matching (skew correction) is performed.

  The pull-out roller 12 has a skew correction function and is a roller for conveying the skew-corrected document after separation to the intermediate roller 14 and is driven by the reverse rotation of the pull-out motor 113. At this time, the pull-out roller 12 is driven by the pull-out motor 113 which is an independent drive, so that the start-up time and the down-time of the motor can be shortened, and the productivity is improved. A plurality of document width sensors 13 are arranged in the depth direction and detect the size in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the document transported by the pull-out roller 12. The length of the document in the conveyance direction is detected from the motor pulse by reading the leading edge and the trailing edge of the document with the butting sensor 11. When the document is transported from the resist section C to the turn section D by driving the pull-out roller 12 and the intermediate roller 14, the transport speed at the resist section C is set to be higher than the transport speed at the first reading transport section E. Thus, the processing time for sending the document to the reading unit is shortened.

  When the leading edge of the document is detected by the reading inlet sensor 15, before the leading edge of the document enters the nip of the reading inlet roller 16, the document feeding speed starts to be a predetermined speed, and at the same time, the reading inlet motor 114 is adjusted. The roller is rotated to drive the reading inlet roller 16, and the reading motor 103 is rotated forward to drive the reading outlet roller 23 and the CIS outlet roller 27, respectively. When the leading edge of the document is detected by the registration sensor 17, the document is decelerated over a predetermined conveyance distance, temporarily stopped before the reading position 20, and a registration stop signal is transmitted to the main body control unit 111 via the I / F 107. Subsequently, when a reading start signal is received from the main body control unit 111, the stopped document is accelerated and conveyed so as to rise to a predetermined conveying speed until the leading edge of the document reaches the reading position 20. At the timing when the leading edge of the document detected by the pulse count of the reading entrance motor 114 reaches the reading unit, a gate signal indicating an effective image area in the sub-scanning direction on the first surface is sent to the main body control unit 111 from the first reading unit to the document. Sent until the trailing edge is removed. In order to increase productivity, the reading entrance roller 16 is decelerated so as to reach a predetermined speed, and is controlled so as to reach a predetermined reading speed before reaching the reading position 20 without being temporarily stopped before the reading position 20. . At this time, a linear velocity difference is generated in the reading entrance roller 16, so that the document is bent at the reading entrance roller 16 and upstream thereof, and the skew can be corrected.

  In the case of single-sided document reading, the document that has passed through the first reading and conveying unit E is conveyed to the paper discharge unit G through the second reading and conveying unit F. At this time, when the leading edge of the document is detected by the paper discharge sensor 24, the paper discharge motor 104 rotates forward and the paper discharge roller 28 rotates counterclockwise. Further, based on the pulse count of the paper discharge motor 104 from the detection of the leading edge of the document by the paper discharge sensor 24, the drive speed of the paper discharge motor 104 is reduced immediately before the trailing edge of the document comes out of the nip of the paper discharge roller 28, thereby discharging the paper. Control is performed so that the document discharged onto the tray 29 does not jump out.

  In the case of double-sided document reading, after the leading edge of the document is detected by the paper discharge sensor 24, the second reading unit 25 is detected at the timing when the leading edge of the document reaches the second reading unit 25 based on the pulse count of the reading motor 103. Then, a gate signal indicating an effective image area in the sub-scanning direction is transmitted from the controller unit 100 until the trailing edge of the document passes through the reading unit. The second reading roller 26 serves as a reference white portion for acquiring shading data in the second reading unit 25 as well as suppressing the floating of the original in the second reading unit 25. In the present embodiment, there may be a configuration in which the second reading unit 25 is not provided and the back surface is read by returning to the first reading conveyance unit E using a reverse or switchback path.

  FIG. 4 shows an end-face-based document conveying device 51 used for a document reading device (not shown) attached to an image forming device (not shown). The document conveying device 51 is openably and closably connected to a document reading device (not shown). Has been. The image forming apparatus (not shown) is a color copying machine having a plurality of photosensitive drums (not shown) and capable of forming a full color image on transfer paper. The document conveying device 51 is a document based on the end face on the back side of the device. This is a method of reading an image.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the document conveying device 51 has a document tray 52 as document loading means similar to the document table 2 described above, and alignment in the width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the documents stacked on the document tray 52. And a calling roller 55 for feeding out the original. Also, below the document tray 52, a paper discharge tray (not shown) for discharging the read original is provided in the same manner as the paper discharge tray 29 described above. Since a paper discharge tray (not shown) is arranged below the document tray 52 as described above, a cutout 54 is provided in the document tray 52 in order to ensure the visibility of the discharged document and to improve the take-out property. It has been. The document tray 52 is provided with two restricting members 56, and the guide member 53 is integrally provided with a rail member 57 between the restricting members 56. The guide member 53 is provided with the rail member 57 by the restricting members 56. By being guided, it is configured to move downward and to the right in FIG. 4 (a).

  Since the notch 54 is provided in this way, there is no problem when a small-size document is placed on the document tray 52 as shown in FIG. 4A, but FIG. As shown in the drawing, when a large-size document is placed on the document tray 52, the corner of the document hangs down on the notch 54, which hinders normal conveyance of the document. .

  FIG. 5 shows a first embodiment of the present invention that solves the problems of the prior art described above. In the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the protruding member 58 is integrally provided on the guide member 53. As shown in FIG. 6, the projecting member 58 is a position where the end of the guide member 53 is aligned with the upstream end of the document transport direction, and is slidable with respect to the upper surface of the document tray 52. As shown in FIG. 5B, when a large-size document is placed on the document tray 52, the cutout 54 is covered.

  With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the end portion of a large-size document or sheet from dripping from the notch 54 of the document tray 52, and the document or sheet skews or interferes with the sheet on the sheet discharge tray below the document tray 52. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of a stacking defect, and the visibility and accessibility are not impaired even when a small-sized sheet or document is set, and the cost of the apparatus is not increased. It is possible to provide a document conveying device that can be reduced in size.

  FIGS. 7A and 7B show a central reference document transport device 59 used in a document reading device (not shown) attached to an image forming device (not shown). The document transport device 59 is a document reading device (not shown). Is openably and closably connected.

  7A and 7B, the document feeder 59 includes a document tray 52 serving as a document stacking unit, a pair of guide members 60 that function in the same manner as the guide member 53, and a calling roller 55. Have. In this configuration, there is no problem when a small-size document is placed on the document tray 52 as shown in FIG. 7A. However, as shown in FIG. When a document of a scale is placed, there is a problem that the end of the document protrudes from the document tray 52 and hangs down, thereby hindering normal conveyance of the document. In order to prevent this, the extension member 61 must be provided separately, which increases the number of parts and increases the cost.

  FIG. 7C shows a second embodiment of the present invention that solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. In the configuration shown in FIG. 7C, each guide member 60 is integrally provided with a protruding member 62. Similar to the projecting member 58, the projecting member 62 is a position where the end of the guide member 60 is aligned with the upstream end of the document transport direction, and is slidable with respect to the upper surface of the document tray 52. As shown in FIG. 7 (c), when a long document is placed on the document tray 52, it is configured to receive an end portion of the document.

  With this configuration, the end of a long document or sheet can be prevented from hanging from the end of the document tray 52, and the document or sheet can be skewed or interfere with the sheet on the discharge tray below the document tray 52. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of the problem of stacking failure and to provide a document conveying device capable of reducing the size of the device without increasing the cost.

  FIG. 8 shows a guide member 63 used in the third embodiment of the present invention. This guide member 63 differs from the guide member 53 shown in the first embodiment only in that it has an auxiliary member 64 that is slidable in the document conveying direction with respect to the protruding member 58. Other configurations are the same. The guide member 63 is used in place of the guide members 53 and 60. By using the guide member 63, it is possible to prevent the end portion of the long sheet from sagging in addition to the effects in the first and second embodiments. The document transportability can be further improved.

  FIG. 9 shows a guide member 65 used in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the guide member 53 shown in the first embodiment, the guide member 65 is different only in that it has an auxiliary member 66 provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the protruding member 58. Is the same. The guide member 65 is used in place of the guide members 53 and 60. By using the guide member 65, it is possible to obtain the same effects as when the guide member 63 is used.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a color copying machine having a plurality of photosensitive drums is used as the image forming apparatus. However, the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to this, and may be a printer, a plotter, a facsimile, The present invention can also be applied to other image forming apparatuses such as multifunction peripherals and monochrome copying machines having only one photosensitive drum.

51 Document Transport Device 52 Document Loading Unit (Document Tray)
53, 60, 63, 65 Guide member 54 Notch 58, 62 Protruding member 64, 66 Auxiliary member

JP 2007-246188 A

Claims (7)

In a document transport device having a document stacking unit that stacks a document and has a notch at a part of the upstream end in the document transport direction, and a guide member that aligns the width of the document stacked on the document stacking unit,
The document conveying device, wherein the guide member is integrally formed and has a projecting member that covers the notch. In a document conveying apparatus having a document stacking unit for stacking a document and a guide member for aligning the document stacked on the document stacking unit in the width direction, and using a long document protruding from the document stacking unit as a document ,
The document conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member has a projecting member on which an end portion of a long document protruding from the document stacking unit is placed. In the document conveying device according to claim 1 or 2,
The document conveying apparatus, wherein the protruding member has an auxiliary member that can extend toward the upstream side in the document conveying direction. The document conveying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
The document conveying apparatus, wherein the auxiliary member is slidably provided with respect to the protruding member. The document conveying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
The document conveying apparatus, wherein the auxiliary member is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the protruding member.   An image reading apparatus comprising the document conveying device according to claim 1.   An image forming apparatus comprising the document conveying device according to claim 1.

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