JP2023112809A - Medium feeding device, and image reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: an attempt to insert a book-like documents results in a situation where the documents bump against an outer peripheral surface of a separation roller and may not be fed.SOLUTION: A medium feeding device comprises: a medium support unit that supports a medium; a feeding roller that is in contact with a top face of the medium supported by the medium support unit; a separation unit that is arranged opposite to the feeding roller, and can advance and retreat with respect to the feeding roller; a path forming member that is located upstream in a medium feeding direction of a contact position of the feeding roller and the separation unit, can advance and retreat with respect to the feeding roller according to the thickness of the medium, and advances with respect to the feeding roller to narrow a medium feeding path extending toward the contact position; and a first pressing unit that presses the path forming member toward the feeding roller. The path forming member can be engaged with the separation unit, and when pushed down by a medium with a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness in a direction in which it retreats from the feeding roller, the path forming member displaces the separation unit in a direction in which it separates from the feeding roller.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 33

Description

The present invention relates to a medium feeding device for feeding a medium and an image reading device having the same.

An example of an image reading apparatus is a sheet feed type scanner, and such an image reading apparatus may adopt a configuration in which a medium is nipped and separated by a separation roller and a feeding roller. The scanner described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200000 has a separation roller that is movable forward and backward with respect to the paper feed roller. A paper feed roller guide is provided upstream of the contact position between the separation roller and the paper feed roller, and this paper feed roller guide prevents the leading edge of the set document from being caught by the paper feed roller. there is

WO2017/209174

In some scanners, not only sheet-shaped originals but also booklet-shaped originals are conveyed. A booklet document is thick, and even if you try to insert a booklet document toward the contact position between the separation roller and the feed roller, it may hit the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller and be unable to be fed. .

In order to solve the above-described problems, the medium feeding device of the present invention includes a medium supporting portion that supports a medium, a feeding roller that is in contact with the upper surface of the medium supported by the medium supporting portion, and faces the feeding roller. A separation unit disposed and capable of advancing and retracting with respect to the feeding roller, and a member located upstream in the medium feeding direction with respect to a contact position between the feeding roller and the separation unit, a path forming member that can move forwards and backwards with respect to the feeding roller according to the thickness of the medium, and narrows a medium feeding path toward the contact position by advancing with respect to the feeding roller; and the path forming member. toward the feeding roller, and the path forming member is capable of engaging with the separating section, and the feeding roller is pressed by a medium having a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness. The separation unit is displaced in the direction away from the feeding roller when the separation unit is pushed down in the direction of retracting from the feeding roller.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reading apparatus comprising the medium feeding device and a reading section for reading the medium fed by the medium feeding device.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the scanner in which the device main body is in a normal reading posture; FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the scanner in which the device main body is in a normal reading posture; FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the scanner in which the device main body is in the normal reading posture and the third unit is opened; FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the scanner viewed from above with the apparatus main body in the normal reading posture and the second unit opened; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a document conveying path of a scanner in which the main body of the apparatus is in a normal reading posture, viewed from the width direction; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the document transport path of the scanner in which the device main body is in a booklet reading posture, viewed from the width direction. 4 is a rear perspective view of the scanner with the back cover of the first unit removed; FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a posture switching motor and rotation conversion means; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the configuration of the attitude switching motor and the rotation converting means when the apparatus main body is in the normal reading attitude, viewed from the width direction; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the configuration of the attitude switching motor and the rotation converting means when the apparatus main body is in the booklet reading attitude, viewed from the width direction. The figure which shows a 2nd attitude|position detection sensor. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control system of the scanner; The perspective view which shows the attitude|position holding means which concerns on other embodiment. The perspective view which looked at the 1st frame and the separation switching means (1st Embodiment) from the back. Side view of the roller holder. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a separation roller, roller holder, and torque limiter; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the separation switching means (first embodiment) in the separated state; FIG. 3 is a side view of the separation switching means (first embodiment) in the separated state; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the separation switching means (first embodiment) in the non-separation state; The side view of the separation switching means (first embodiment) in the non-separation state. The perspective view of the separation switching means (2nd Embodiment) in a separated state. FIG. 11 is a side view of the main part of the separation switching means (second embodiment) in the separated state; The perspective view of the separation switching means (2nd Embodiment) in a non-separation state. FIG. 11 is a side view of the main part of the separation switching means (second embodiment) in the non-separation state; 4 is a flow chart showing control when the posture of the device body is switched. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the edge guide, in which (A) shows a state in which the drawer portion is accommodated, and (B) shows a state in which the drawer portion is pulled out; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration around a separation roller; The figure which shows the state which removed the guide member from the state of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the guide member, the set guide, and the pressing lever as viewed from below; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration around a separation roller; The perspective view of a set guide. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing part of a set flap and a mechanism for driving the set flap; FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration around the separation roller; 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the set guide, in which (A) is a diagram showing a state of waiting for feeding, and (B) is a diagram showing a state in which the separation roller is displaced; 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the set guide, in which (A) shows a state when a plurality of sheet-shaped documents are fed, and (B) shows a state when a booklet-shaped document is fed; figure. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another embodiment of a configuration in which the set guide pushes down the separation roller; 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the pressing lever, FIG. The figure which shows the state which came out. FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of the arrangement of pressing levers when a plurality of feeding rollers are provided; The figure which shows other embodiment of a pressing part.

The present invention will be briefly described below.
A medium feeding device according to a first aspect includes a medium supporting section that supports a medium, a feeding roller that is in contact with the upper surface of the medium supported by the medium supporting section, and a separating section that is arranged to face the feeding roller. and a separating portion that can advance and retreat with respect to the feeding roller, and a member positioned upstream in the medium feeding direction with respect to a contact position between the feeding roller and the separating portion, and a path forming member that can move forward and backward with respect to the feeding roller in response to the feeding roller, and advances with respect to the feeding roller to narrow a medium feeding path toward the contact position; and a first pressing portion that presses toward the direction, wherein the path forming member is capable of engaging with the separating portion, and is retracted from the feeding roller by a medium having a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness. The separation unit is displaced in a direction away from the feeding roller when being pushed down in the direction of pulling.

According to this aspect, the path forming member is capable of engaging with the separation section, and when the medium having a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness is pushed down in the direction away from the feeding roller, the separation section is displaced in a direction away from the feeding roller. Therefore, in the case of feeding a medium having a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness, before the medium enters between the separating section and the feeding roller, the separation section is spaced from the feed roller. As a result, it is possible to prevent a medium having a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness from colliding with the separating section and being unable to be fed.
The relationship between the path forming member and the separating section is not limited to the direct relationship between the path forming member and the separating section. Including cases of indirect involvement.

According to a second aspect, in the first aspect, when a plurality of sheet-like media are supported by the medium support portion, the upper surface of the path forming member imparts a separating action to the leading edge of the media. Characterized by
According to this aspect, when a plurality of sheet-like media are supported by the medium support portion, the upper surface of the path forming member imparts a separating action to the leading edge of the media. By performing the separation by the path forming member prior to the separation of the medium by the separating section, the medium can be separated more reliably.

According to a third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the path forming member has a plurality of ribs extending in the medium feeding direction, and the plurality of ribs extend in a direction intersecting the medium feeding direction. In a certain width direction, they are arranged so as to be symmetrical with respect to a straight line passing through the center of the medium and parallel to the medium feeding direction.

According to this aspect, the plurality of ribs are arranged symmetrically with respect to a straight line passing through the center of the medium and parallel to the medium feeding direction. The frictional force imparted to the medium becomes equal to the right and left sides of the straight line in the width direction, thereby suppressing skew of the medium.

According to a fourth aspect, in the third aspect, the straight line in the width direction passes through the center position of the feeding roller and the center position of the separating portion, and the plurality of ribs are along the straight line in the width direction. The two ribs that are close to each other are positioned across the separating portion in the width direction and are positioned within the region of the feeding roller.

According to this aspect, of the plurality of ribs, two ribs that are close to the straight line in the width direction are positioned across the separating portion in the width direction and are positioned within the region of the feeding roller. , the medium feeding path toward the contact position can be narrowed appropriately, and the number of media toward the contact position can be appropriately regulated. As a result, the separating action of the separating portion can be appropriately obtained.

A fifth aspect is the first or second aspect, wherein the separation section is composed of a rotatable separation roller, and the path forming member contacts a cylindrical portion centered on the rotation center of the separation roller. When the thickness of the medium is less than the predetermined thickness, there is a gap between the path forming member and the cylindrical portion, and when the thickness of the medium exceeds the predetermined thickness, and the path forming member abuts against the cylindrical portion to displace the separating roller in a direction away from the feeding roller.
According to this aspect, since the path forming member contacts the cylindrical portion and displaces the separation roller in a direction away from the feeding roller, the separation roller is reliably separated from the feeding roller. be able to.

According to a sixth aspect, in the first or second aspect, the separation section is composed of a rotatable separation roller, and the path forming member contacts the rotation shaft of the separation roller to cause the separation section to rotate. When the thickness of the medium is less than the predetermined thickness, there is a gap between the path forming member and the rotating shaft, and when the thickness of the medium exceeds the predetermined thickness, the path forming member The separating roller is displaced away from the feeding roller by coming into contact with the rotating shaft.
According to this aspect, since the path forming member abuts against the rotation shaft and displaces the separation roller in a direction away from the feeding roller, the separation roller is reliably separated from the feeding roller. be able to.

A seventh aspect is the first or second aspect, wherein the separation section is held by a holding member that can move forward and backward with respect to the feeding roller, and the path forming member is formed in the holding member. When the thickness of the medium is equal to or less than the predetermined thickness, there is a gap between the path forming member and the contact portion, and the thickness of the medium is less than or equal to the predetermined thickness. When the predetermined thickness is exceeded, the path forming member abuts against the abutting portion and displaces the separating portion in a direction away from the feeding roller.
According to this aspect, the path forming member abuts against the abutting portion to displace the separating portion in a direction away from the feeding roller. Here, since the contact portion is formed on the holding member, the position of the contact portion has a high degree of freedom in arrangement, and the degree of freedom in design can be improved.

According to an eighth aspect, in the fifth aspect, a member that can move forward and backward with respect to the feeding roller upstream in the medium feeding direction with respect to the contact position between the feeding roller and the separating roller, a pressing portion capable of pressing the medium supported by the medium support portion toward the feeding roller after the trailing end of the medium has passed through the contact position, and pressing the pressing portion toward the feeding roller; and a pressing portion.

According to this aspect, after the trailing edge of the medium to be fed leaves the contact position, the pressing section is provided that can press the medium supported by the medium support section toward the feeding roller. In the configuration in which the medium is fed from the highest one among the loaded media, it is possible to suppress the phenomenon that the medium is returned upstream due to the reverse rotation of the feeding roller.

A ninth aspect is any one of the first to eighth aspects, comprising a main body supporting portion placed on a placement surface of the apparatus, and an apparatus main body supported by the main body supporting portion, wherein the separation The unit is composed of a rotatable separation roller, and the apparatus main body is rotatably attached to the main body support section. Separation switching means capable of switching between a second posture in which the angle is smaller than the first posture, and switching between a separation state in which the separation roller separates the medium and a non-separation state in which the separation roller does not separate the medium. wherein the separation switching means places the separation roller in the separated state when the apparatus main body is in the first posture, and places the separation roller in the non-separated state when the device main body is in the second posture. It is characterized by

According to this aspect, the separation switching means switches the separation roller to the separation state when the apparatus main body is in the first posture, and switches the separation roller to the separation state when the device main body is in the second posture. The non-separating state eliminates the need for the user to perform a dedicated operation for switching the separating roller between the separating state and the non-separating state, thus improving usability of the apparatus.

An image reading apparatus according to a tenth aspect comprises the medium feeding device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, and a reading section for reading the medium fed by the medium feeding device. characterized by
According to this aspect, in the image reading apparatus, the effects of any one of the above-described first to eighth aspects can be obtained.

The present invention will be specifically described below.
In the following, as an example of an image reading apparatus, a scanner 1 capable of reading at least one of the first side and the opposite second side of a document will be taken as an example. The scanner 1 is a so-called sheet feed type scanner that reads a document while moving it to a reading unit, which will be described later.
In this specification, the document includes not only a sheet-shaped document but also a card-shaped document and a booklet-shaped document. A manuscript is an example of a medium.

In the XYZ coordinate system shown in each drawing, the X-axis direction is the width direction of the apparatus and the width direction of the document. The Y-axis direction is the depth direction of the device, and the Z-axis direction is the direction along the vertical direction.
In this embodiment, the +Y direction is the direction from the rear surface to the front surface of the device, and the -Y direction is the direction from the front surface to the rear surface of the device. Also, the left direction as viewed from the front of the device is the +X direction, and the right direction is the -X direction.
Also, hereinafter, the direction in which the document is conveyed may be referred to as "downstream", and the opposite direction may be referred to as "upstream".

1 and 2, the scanner 1 includes a document feeding device 150, which is an example of a medium feeding device. In the present embodiment, the document feeding device 150 has a configuration in which the first reading section 32 and the second reading section 33, which will be described later, are removed from the scanner 1. FIG. However, from the viewpoint of document feeding, the entire scanner 1 including the first reading section 32 and the second reading section 33 may be used as the document feeding device 150 .
A scanner 1 according to this embodiment includes an apparatus body 2 and a body support section 6 that rotatably supports the apparatus body 2 .
The device main body 2 is configured with a first unit 3 , a second unit 4 and a third unit 5 .

The second unit 4 and the third unit 5 are rotatably provided around a frame rotating shaft 64a (see FIG. 3). The frame rotating shaft 64a is a rotating shaft having a rotating shaft center parallel to the X-axis direction.
The second unit 4 and the third unit 5 can rotate integrally around the frame rotating shaft 64a with respect to the first unit 3 (see FIG. 4). By rotating the second unit 4 and the third unit 5 with respect to the first unit 3, a part of the document transport path can be exposed as shown in FIG. In particular, it is possible to expose a document feed path R1 and a reading transport path R2, which will be described later. The user can unlock the second unit 4 from the first unit 3 and open the second unit 4 by sliding the unlocking portion 8a in the -X direction.

Also, the third unit 5 can rotate around the frame rotating shaft 64a with respect to the first unit 3 and the second unit 4 (see FIG. 3). By rotating the third unit 5 with respect to the first unit 3 and the second unit 4, a part of the document transport path can be exposed as shown in FIG. In particular, it is possible to expose a reversing transport path R3, which will be described later.

The device main body 2 is rotatable with respect to the main body support portion 6 around a main body rotating shaft 6c (see FIGS. 7 and 8), and in this embodiment, the device main body 2 can hold two postures by rotating. be. Two postures of the apparatus main body 2 are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Hereinafter, the posture of FIG. 5 will be referred to as the normal reading posture, and the posture of FIG. 6 will be referred to as the booklet reading posture. The normal reading posture is an example of a first posture of the device body 2 , and the booklet reading posture is an example of a second posture of the device body 2 .

An angle .alpha.1 shown in FIG. 5 and an angle .alpha.2 shown in FIG. 6 are angles formed between a reading transport path R2 and a placement surface G of the apparatus, which will be described later. The angle α2 in the booklet reading posture is smaller than the angle α1 in the normal reading posture.
In the normal reading posture, the projection area of the device main body 2 onto the placement surface G on which the scanner 1 is placed is the smallest, that is, the posture of the device main body 2 is the smallest footprint.
The footprint in this specification is the area occupied by the device main body 2 in the XY plane when the device main body 2 is viewed from above.
The normal reading posture is suitable for reading a sheet-like document, that is, a document having low rigidity and being easily bent. The booklet reading posture is suitable for reading documents such as plastic cards and booklets that are highly rigid and difficult to bend.

An operation unit 7 composed of a plurality of operation buttons including a power button is provided on the front surface of the device.
2, a first connection portion 71, a second connection portion 72, and a third connection portion 73 are provided on the +X direction side surface among the side surfaces forming the periphery of the device. The first connection portion 71 is a connection portion to which a USB Type-A plug (not shown), which is an example of a connection target, is connected. The second connection portion 72 is a connection portion to which a USB Type-C plug (not shown), which is an example of a connection target, is connected. The third connection portion 73 is a connection portion to which a power plug (not shown) for supplying power to the apparatus body 2 is connected.
Note that USB is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus, and Type-A and Type-C are each one of a plurality of types defined in the USB standard.

An external device can be connected to the first connection unit 71 via a USB cable (not shown), and a storage medium such as a USB memory (not shown) can be connected. The control unit 80 (see FIG. 12) can store the read data in the storage medium connected to the first connection unit 71 .
An external device can be connected to the second connection section 72 via a USB cable (not shown).
The first connection portion 71, the second connection portion 72, and the third connection portion 73 are provided on a circuit board 79 (see FIG. 7) located on the back side of the device.
In this embodiment, the device main body 2 is configured to be able to receive power supply from an external device connected to the second connection portion 72 .

Next, the configuration of the document transport path in the scanner 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. The document to be fed is supported in a tilted posture by the document support section 11 . The reference P indicates the document to be supported. When a plurality of documents are supported by the document supporting portion 11, the uppermost document is sent downstream by the feeding roller 14. FIG. The feed roller 14 contacts the upper surface of the document supported by the document support section 11 .
A document support portion 11 is formed in the upper opening/closing portion 10 . The upper opening/closing part 10 is rotatable around a rotation shaft (not shown), and opens and closes the feeding port 13 by rotating. 1 shows the state in which the upper opening/closing part 10 is closed, and FIG. 2 shows the state in which the upper opening/closing part 10 is opened. The upper opening/closing part 10 constitutes the first unit 3 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the document supporting portion 11 is provided with a pair of edge guides 12A and 12B for guiding the side edges of the document. A pair of edge guides 12A and 12B are provided so as to be slidable in the document width direction (X-axis direction). The pair of edge guides 12A and 12B are interlocked by a rack and pinion mechanism (not shown) so as to be separated from each other or to approach each other across the center position in the document width direction. That is, the scanner 1 employs a so-called center feeding system.

As shown in FIG. 26, the edge guides 12A and 12B are provided with drawer portions 12c and 12d, respectively. The drawer portion 12c is provided with a projecting portion 12e that projects outward (+X direction) in a state of being housed in the edge guide 12A. , the drawer portion 12c can be pulled out downstream in the feeding direction. Similarly, the drawer portion 12d has a projecting portion 12f that projects outward (-X direction) in a state of being housed in the edge guide 12B. As shown by the change to , the drawer portion 12d can be pulled out downstream in the feeding direction.

As described above, the edge guides 12A and 12B are provided with drawer portions 12c and 12d that can be pulled out downstream in the feeding direction, so that the area for guiding the side edge of the document can be extended downstream in the feeding direction. As a result, the side edge of the document can be guided in a wider area in the feeding direction, and the document having a small size in the feeding direction can also be properly guided, so that skewing during feeding can be suppressed satisfactorily.
Incidentally, when the upper opening/closing portion 10 is closed as shown in FIG. 1 frame 63 (see FIG. 4) to be accommodated. That is, there is no need for a dedicated operation for storing the drawer portions 12c and 12d, and usability is improved.

A feeding roller 14 is provided in the second unit 4 . When the second unit 4 is closed with respect to the first unit 3, the feed roller 14 comes into contact with the separation roller 15, which will be described later. When the second unit 4 is opened with respect to the first unit 3 , the feed roller 14 is separated from the separation roller 15 .
The feed roller 14 is rotated by receiving power from a transport motor 50, which will be described later. A separation roller 15 is provided at a position facing the feeding roller 14 in the first unit 3 . The separation roller 15 is given a rotational torque by a torque limiter (not shown) to suppress double feeding of documents. A separation pad may be employed instead of the separation roller 15 .
The feeding roller 14 and the separation roller 15 are provided at the center position in the document width direction (see FIG. 4).

The separation roller 15, which is an example of the separation section arranged to face the feeding roller 14, is movable forward and backward with respect to the feeding roller 14, and is in a separation state in which rotational torque is generated by the action of the torque limiter 98 (see FIG. 16). and a non-separating state in which the torque limiter 98 does not act. Separation switching means 100 (see FIGS. 14 and 17), which will be described later, switches between a separation state in which the separation roller 15 separates the document and a non-separation state in which the separation roller 15 does not separate the document. The separation switching means 100 brings the separation roller 15 into the separated state when the device main body 2 is in the normal reading posture, and brings the separation roller 15 into the non-separated state when the device main body 2 is in the booklet reading posture.
The separation switching means 100 will be described later in detail.

A first conveying roller pair 16 is provided downstream of the feeding roller 14 and the separation roller 15 . The first conveying roller pair 16 is composed of a first lower roller 17 provided in the first unit 3 and a first upper roller 18 provided in the second unit 4 . The first upper roller 18 is provided to move back and forth with respect to the first lower roller 17 and is pressed toward the first lower roller 17 by a pressing member (not shown) such as a coil spring.
Both the first lower roller 17 and the first upper roller 18 are powered by a transport motor 50, which will be described later, to rotate. Two first lower rollers 17 and two first upper rollers 18 are provided so as to sandwich the central position in the document width direction (see FIG. 4).
When the second unit 4 is closed with respect to the first unit 3, the first lower roller 17 and the first upper roller 18 come into contact. When the second unit 4 is opened with respect to the first unit 3 , the first upper roller 18 is separated from the first lower roller 17 .

A first reading section 32 and a second reading section 33 are arranged downstream of the first conveying roller pair 16 so as to face each other. The first reading section 32 is provided in the first unit 3 and the second reading section 33 is provided in the second unit 4 . The first reading unit 32 reads the lower surface (first surface) of the document supported by the document support unit 11, and the second reading unit 33 reads the upper surface (second surface) of the document supported by the document support unit 11. read. The second reading section 33 is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward with respect to the first reading section 32, and is pressed toward the first reading section 32 by a pressing member (not shown) such as a coil spring.
In the present embodiment, the first reading unit 32 and the second reading unit 33 are composed of contact image sensor modules (CISM). Reference numeral 32 a denotes contact glass that constitutes the first reading section 32 , and reference numeral 33 a denotes contact glass that constitutes the second reading section 33 .

A second conveying roller pair 20 is provided downstream of the first reading section 32 and the second reading section 33 . The second conveying roller pair 20 is composed of a second lower roller 21 provided in the first unit 3 and a second upper roller 22 provided in the second unit 4 . The second upper roller 22 is provided to move back and forth with respect to the second lower roller 21 and is pressed toward the second lower roller 21 by a pressing member (not shown) such as a coil spring.
Both the second lower roller 21 and the second upper roller 22 are powered by a transport motor 50, which will be described later, to rotate. Two second lower rollers 21 and two second upper rollers 22 are provided so as to sandwich the central position in the document width direction (see FIG. 4).
When the second unit 4 is closed with respect to the first unit 3, the second lower roller 21 and the second upper roller 22 come into contact. When the second unit 4 is opened with respect to the first unit 3 , the second upper roller 22 is separated from the second lower roller 21 .

5 and 6, the one-dotted chain line denoted by symbol R1 is the document feed path, and the document feed path R1 extends from the nip position between the feed roller 14 and the separation roller 15 to the nip position between the first conveying roller pair 16. and 5 and 6, a broken line indicated by reference numeral R2 is a reading transport path, and the reading transport path R2 extends from the nip position of the first transport roller pair 16 to the nip position of the second transport roller pair 20. FIG. The reading transport path R<b>2 is a document transport path facing the first reading section 32 and the second reading section 33 .

When the apparatus main body 2 is in the normal reading posture shown in FIG. 5, a reversing transport path R3 is formed downstream of the reading transport path R2 for discharging the read document after it is reversed upward. The reverse transport path R3 is a document transport path downstream from the nip position of the second transport roller pair 20, and bends and reverses the document transported obliquely downward as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. This is a document conveying path for discharging the document obliquely upward from the discharge port 37 .
When the apparatus body 2 is in the booklet reading posture shown in FIG. 6, a non-reversing transport path R4 is formed downstream of the reading transport path R2 for discharging the read document without reversing it. The non-reversing conveying path R4 is a document conveying path downstream from the nip position of the second conveying roller pair 20, and as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. This is a document conveying path for discharging the document obliquely downward from the second discharge port 38 without curving and reversing it.
The second conveying roller pair 20 functions as a discharge roller pair for discharging the document from the non-reversing conveying path R4.

Switching between the reversing transport path R3 and the non-reversing transport path R4 is performed by a flap 35 as a flap member that constitutes transport path switching means. The flap 35 is rotatable around a flap rotating shaft 35a, and by rotating, connects the reading conveying path R2 to the reversing conveying path R3 or connects the reading conveying path R2 to the non-reversing conveying path R4. Connecting the reversing transport path R3 to the reading transport path R2 means making the reversing transport path R3 available and making the non-reversing transport path R4 unusable. Similarly, connecting the non-reversing transport path R4 to the reading transport path R2 means making the non-reversing transport path R4 available and making the reversing transport path R3 unusable.

In this embodiment, the flap 35 is configured to rotate in conjunction with the switching of the posture of the apparatus main body 2 . In the present embodiment, a first solenoid 86 (see FIG. 12) is employed as a configuration for rotating the flap 35 in conjunction with the switching of the attitude of the device main body 2 . A control unit 80 (see FIG. 12) that performs various controls detects the orientation of the device main body 2 based on a detection signal from a first orientation detection sensor 87 or a second orientation detection sensor 88, which will be described later, and based on that, performs a first orientation detection. The solenoid 86 is driven to rotate the flap 35 . Incidentally, the means for rotating the flap 35 is not limited to the first solenoid 86, and may be another actuator such as a motor. Alternatively, the flap 35 may be configured to be mechanically rotated in conjunction with the attitude of the apparatus body 2 .

A third transport roller pair 24 and a fourth transport roller pair 28 are provided on the reverse transport path R3.
The third transport roller pair 24 is composed of a third drive roller 25 provided in the third unit 5 and a third driven roller 26 provided in the second unit 4 . The third driven roller 26 is provided to move back and forth with respect to the third driving roller 25 and is pressed toward the third driving roller 25 by a pressing member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The third drive roller 25 is driven by the transport motor 50 . The third driven roller 26 is a roller driven to rotate.

The fourth transport roller pair 28 is composed of a fourth drive roller 29 provided in the third unit 5 and a fourth driven roller 30 provided in the second unit 4 . The fourth driven roller 30 is provided to move back and forth with respect to the fourth driving roller 29 and is pressed toward the fourth driving roller 29 by a pressing member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The fourth drive roller 29 is driven by a transport motor 50 . The fourth driven roller 30 is a roller driven to rotate.

Two of the third drive roller 25, the third driven roller 26, the fourth drive roller 29, and the fourth driven roller 30 are provided so as to sandwich the center position in the document width direction (see FIG. 3).
When the third unit 5 is closed with respect to the second unit 4, the third drive roller 25 and the third driven roller 26 are in contact, and the fourth drive roller 29 and the fourth driven roller 30 are also in contact. When the third unit 5 is opened with respect to the second unit 4, the third driving roller 25 and the third driven roller 26 are separated, and the fourth driving roller 29 and the fourth driven roller 30 are also separated.

The document conveyed on the reverse conveying path R3 is discharged obliquely upward including the -Y direction component by the fourth conveying roller pair 28, and is supported by the upper surface 4a of the second unit 4 in an inclined posture.

Next, a configuration for rotating the device main body 2 will be described. In this embodiment, the apparatus main body 2 rotates under the control of the control unit 80 and is powered by the attitude switching motor 40 (see FIGS. 7 to 10) to switch the attitude. The controller 80 controls the posture switching motor 40 based on input information from the external device 500 connected to the scanner 1 .

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the rear cover 66 (see FIG. 2) that constitutes the appearance of the back of the device is removed. A reference numeral 41 denotes a rotation converting means for converting the rotation of the posture switching motor 40 into the rotation of the apparatus main body 2 . The posture switching motor 40 and the rotation converting means 41 are provided near the side in the -X direction in the device width direction. Toward the side in the -X direction in the device width direction means to be located in the -X direction from the center position of the device in the X-axis direction.

A first frame 63 forming a base of the first unit 3 is provided with two supported portions 63b spaced apart in the X-axis direction. The main body support portion 6 is provided with two main body rotating shafts 6c spaced apart in the X-axis direction. The first frame 63, that is, the device main body 2 is rotatable about the main body rotating shaft 6c by passing the main body rotating shaft 6c through the supported portion 63b. The main body rotating shaft 6c is a rotating shaft having a rotating shaft center parallel to the X-axis direction.

The posture switching motor 40 is provided on the first frame 63 . The first frame 63 has a shape along the reading transport path R2. The posture switching motor 40 is provided on the back side of the first frame 63 provided in the tilted posture.
In FIG. 8, the rotation converting means 41 is a gear provided rotatably in the first unit 3, and is composed of a gear 47b rotated by the power of the posture switching motor 40 and a tooth portion fixed to the main body support portion 6. and has a toothed portion 6b that meshes with the gear 47b.
The toothed portion 6b is a toothed portion formed around the main body rotating shaft 6c in the standing wall portion 6a. The standing wall portion 6 a is a member that constitutes the main body support portion 6 .

More specifically, a worm gear 42 is provided on the rotating shaft of the posture switching motor 40 , and power is transmitted from the worm gear 42 to the gear 43 . The gear 43 is integrated with the gear 45 via the shaft 44 . Gear 45 transfers power to first compound gear 46 , and first compound gear 46 transfers power to second compound gear 47 . The gear 47b forms part of the second compound gear 47. As shown in FIG.

The configuration of the posture switching motor 40 and the configuration of the above-described rotation conversion means 41, except for the tooth portion 6b, is provided in the first unit 3, that is, the apparatus main body 2. As shown in FIG. Therefore, when the gear 47b is rotated by the power of the posture switching motor 40, the apparatus body 2 rotates as shown by the change from FIG. 9 to FIG. 10 or from FIG. 10 to FIG. 9, and the posture is switched.
In the present embodiment, the configuration of the posture switching motor 40 and the configuration of the above-described rotation converting means 41 except for the tooth portion 6b is provided in the first unit 3, that is, the apparatus main body 2, and the tooth portion 6b is provided in the main body support portion 6. However, instead of this, a configuration other than the tooth portion 6b among the configurations of the posture switching motor 40 and the above-described rotation conversion means 41 is provided on the main body support portion 6, and the tooth portion 6b is provided on the apparatus main body 2 You can set it.

A first contact portion 6e as a first rotation restricting means and a second contact portion 6f as a second rotation restricting means are formed on the standing wall portion 6a. A boss 63a provided on the first frame 63 is inserted between the first contact portion 6e and the second contact portion 6f. When the device main body 2 rotates from the booklet reading posture shown in FIG. 10 toward the normal reading posture shown in FIG. 9, the boss 63a comes into contact with the first contact portion 6e, thereby defining the normal reading posture of the device main body 2. be done. When the device main body 2 rotates from the normal reading posture shown in FIG. 9 toward the booklet reading posture shown in FIG. Defined.

When the boss 63a contacts the first contact portion 6e or when the boss 63a contacts the second contact portion 6f, the drive current value of the posture switching motor 40 increases. Therefore, the controller 80 (see FIG. 12) can detect the attitude of the apparatus main body 2 based on the rotation direction of the attitude switching motor 40 and the increase in the drive current value. However, in this embodiment, a first attitude detection sensor 87 and a second attitude detection sensor 88, which will be described later, are provided, and the control section 80 can also detect the attitude of the apparatus main body 2 based on the detection signals of these sensors. .
The normal reading posture and the booklet reading posture of the apparatus main body 2 are maintained by supplying power to the stopped posture switching motor 40 to put it in a hold state.

The first attitude detection sensor 87 is an optical sensor and is provided on the first frame 63 , that is, the device main body 2 . When the device main body 2 is in the normal reading posture, the projection 6d provided on the main body support portion 6 blocks the optical axis of the first posture detection sensor 87 as shown in FIG. When the apparatus main body 2 rotates from this state toward the booklet reading attitude, the projection 6 d deviates from the optical axis of the first attitude detection sensor 87 .

Also, as shown in FIG. 11 , the second attitude detection sensor 88 is provided in the second unit 4 . A detected portion 35b is formed on the flap 35, and when the apparatus main body 2 is in the normal reading posture, the detected portion 35b deviates from the optical axis of the second posture detection sensor 88 as shown in FIG. 11(a). ing. When the apparatus main body 2 rotates from this state toward the booklet reading posture, the detected portion 35b blocks the optical axis of the second posture detection sensor 88 as shown in FIG. 11(b).
As described above, the controller 80 can detect the orientation of the device body 2 based on the detection signal from the first orientation detection sensor 87 and the detection signal from the second orientation detection sensor 88 .

In the above-described embodiment, the posture of the device body 2 is switched by the power of the posture switching motor 40, but instead of or in addition to this, the device body 2 can be changed by the user applying force to the device body 2. It is good also as a structure which changes an attitude|position.
FIG. 13 shows a configuration for switching the posture of the device main body 2 by user's operation, and reference numeral 6a-1 indicates an upright wall portion provided on the main body support portion 6. As shown in FIG. A first contact portion 6e and a second contact portion 6f are formed on the standing wall portion 6a-1, and the normal reading posture of the apparatus body 2 is defined by the boss 63a coming into contact with the first contact portion 6e. In addition, the booklet reading posture of the device main body 2 is defined by the boss 63a coming into contact with the second contact portion 6f.

A projection 61 is provided on the standing wall portion 6a-1. A concave portion 62 is formed in the first frame 63 , and the projection 61 enters the concave portion 62 to hold the posture of the apparatus main body 2 . Note that FIG. 13 shows the normal reading posture, in which the protrusion 61 is inserted into the hidden concave portion, and the normal reading posture is maintained. The concave portion (not shown), the concave portion 62 and the protrusion 61 constitute posture holding means 60 for holding the posture of the apparatus main body 2 .
In addition, in a configuration in which the posture of the device main body 2 is switched by user operation, it is also preferable to provide the device main body 2 with a hand portion for the user to put his or her hand on.

Next, a control system in the scanner 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The control unit 80 performs various other controls of the scanner 1 including document feed, transport, discharge control and reading control. A signal from the operation unit 7 is input to the control unit 80 .

The controller 80 controls the transport motor 50 and the orientation switching motor 40 . In this embodiment each motor is a DC motor.
Read data from the first reading section 32 and the second reading section 33 are input to the control section 80, and a signal for controlling each reading section is transmitted from the control section 80 to each reading section.
The control unit 80 includes a placement detection unit 92, a multi-feed detection unit 91, a first document detection unit 93, a second document detection unit 94, a first orientation detection sensor 87, a second orientation detection sensor 88, and a first rotation detection unit. Signals from these detection means of the portion 89 and the second rotation detection portion 90 are also input.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first rotation detector 89 is provided at the end of the apparatus main body 2 in the -X direction. By detecting this, the amount of rotation of each roller provided in the document transport path can be grasped.
The first rotation detector 89 is a rotary encoder that includes a rotary disk 89a and a detector 89b.

As shown in FIG. 8, the second rotation detector 90 is a rotary encoder including a rotary disk 90a provided on the rotary shaft 40a of the posture switching motor 40 and a detector 89b. By detecting the amount of rotation of the posture switching motor 40 by the second rotation detection unit 90, the control unit 80 can grasp the rotation direction and the amount of rotation of the posture switching motor 40. FIG.

Returning to FIG. 12, the control unit 80 includes a CPU 81, a flash ROM 82, and a RAM 83. The CPU 81 performs various arithmetic processing according to programs stored in the flash ROM 82 and controls the overall operation of the scanner 1 . A flash ROM 82, which is an example of storage means, is a readable and writable non-volatile memory. Various types of information are temporarily stored in the RAM 83, which is an example of storage means.
The interface 84 provided in the control unit 80 is composed of the first connection unit 71 and the second connection unit 72 described with reference to FIG. The control unit 80 transmits and receives data to and from the external device 500 via this interface 84 .

Next, other detection units will be described.
The placement detection unit 92 is a detection unit provided upstream of the feeding roller 14 . The control section 80 can detect the presence or absence of the document on the document support section 11 based on the signal transmitted from the placement detection section 92 .
The first document detection section 93 is a detection section provided between the feed roller 14 and the first transport roller pair 16 . The control unit 80 can detect passage of the leading edge or the trailing edge of the document at the detection position based on the signal transmitted from the first document detection unit 93 .

The double feed detection unit 91 is a detection unit provided between the feed roller 14 and the first transport roller pair 16, and includes an ultrasonic wave transmitter and an ultrasonic wave receiver that are arranged opposite to each other with the document feeding path R1 interposed therebetween. consists of a part. The control unit 80 can detect double feeding of the originals based on a signal transmitted from the double feeding detection unit 91 .
The second document detection section 94 is a detection section provided between the first conveying roller pair 16 and the first reading section 32 and the second reading section 33 . It is possible to detect the passage of the leading edge or the trailing edge of the document at the detection position by the signal transmitted from the .

Next, an example of processing performed by the control unit 80 will be described with reference to FIG. 25 . FIG. 25 is a flow chart showing the processing of the control unit 80 when the orientation of the apparatus body 2 is switched. In FIG. 25, when receiving the document reading instruction (Yes in step S101), the control unit 80 determines whether or not it is necessary to switch the posture of the apparatus body 2 (step S102). Here, as an example, it is assumed that the document reading instruction is received from the external device 500 (see FIG. 12). In the external device 500, the type of document to be read can be set, and when the type of document to be read is a card-shaped document or a booklet-shaped document, the controller 80 sets the attitude of the apparatus body 2 to the booklet reading attitude. When the document to be read is a sheet-like document, the attitude of the apparatus body 2 is set to the normal reading attitude.

In step S102, the obtained document type is compared with the current orientation of the apparatus main body 2, and it is determined whether or not to switch the orientation of the apparatus main body 2. FIG. As a result, if posture switching is unnecessary (No in step S102), the document is read without performing posture switching control (step S106). If posture switching is required (Yes in step S102), the control unit 80 switches the posture of the apparatus main body 2 to the booklet reading posture based on the target posture (step S103) if the target posture is the booklet reading posture (step S104). ), and the document transport path is switched to the non-reversing transport path R4 (step S105). Note that steps S104 and S105 may be executed simultaneously. Then, the document is read (step S106).

Based on the target posture (step S103), if the target posture is the normal reading posture, the control unit 80 switches the posture of the apparatus body 2 to the normal reading posture (step S107), and switches the document transport path to the reverse transport path R3. (Step S108). Note that steps S107 and S108 may be executed simultaneously. Then, the document is read (step S106).
It is also possible to validate the detection information of the multi-feed detection unit 91 when the apparatus main body 2 is in the normal reading posture, and invalidate the detection information of the multi-feed detection unit 91 when the device main body 2 is in the booklet reading posture. preferred.

As described above, the scanner 1 includes the body support portion 6 placed on the mounting surface G of the device, and the device body 2 supported by the body support portion 6 . The apparatus main body 2 has a document transport path for transporting documents, including a reading transport path R2 facing the first reading section 32 and the second reading section 33 for reading the document, and a document transport path downstream from the reading transport path R2. a reversing transport path R3 for reversing a read document upward and discharging it, and a document transport path downstream from the reading transport path R2, in which the read document is not reversed. and a non-reversing transport path R4 for discharging. It also has a flap 35 for switching the document transport path connected to the reading transport path R2 to either the reversing transport path R3 or the non-reversing transport path R4.
The apparatus main body 2 is rotatably attached to the main body support portion 6, and by rotating the booklet, the normal reading posture (FIG. 5) and the angle formed by the reading transport path R2 and the mounting surface G become smaller than the normal reading posture. It is possible to switch to the reading posture (FIG. 6). The flap 35 connects the reading conveying path R2 to the reversing conveying path R3 when the apparatus main body 2 assumes the normal reading posture, and connects the reading conveying path R2 to the non-reversing conveying path R4 when the apparatus main body 2 assumes the booklet reading posture. Connecting.

The scanner 1 can satisfactorily convey a document that is difficult to bend by using the non-reversing conveyance path R4. Documents that are difficult to bend include booklets and cards. The flap 35 connects the reading conveying path R2 to the reversing conveying path R3 when the apparatus main body 2 takes the normal reading posture, and connects the reading conveying path R2 to the non-reversing conveying path R4 when the apparatus main body 2 takes the booklet reading posture. connect to. As a result, the document can be discharged in the direction along the placement surface G rather than using the non-reversing transport path R4 when taking the normal reading posture. As a result, it is possible to discharge a document having a large size compared to the mode in which the document is discharged using the non-reversing transport path R4 when taking the normal reading posture.
Further, by setting the device body 2 in the normal reading posture, the angle formed by the reading transport path R2 and the mounting surface G can be made larger than in the booklet reading posture, and the footprint of the device body 2 can be suppressed.

Alternatively, the orientation of the apparatus main body 2 may be switched by a button forming the operation section 7 . For example, if one of the buttons constituting the operation unit 7 is assigned to the posture switching button, and the posture switching button is pressed by the user when the current posture is the normal reading posture, the control unit 80 performs steps S104 and S105. Execute. Further, when the posture switching button is pressed by the user when the current posture is the booklet reading posture, the control section 80 controls the posture switching motor 40 to execute steps S107 and S108.

Of course, as described above, the orientation of the device main body 2 may be switched by the user applying force to the device main body 2 . In this case, when the controller 80 detects that the posture of the apparatus main body 2 has been switched from the normal reading posture to the booklet reading posture, steps S104 and S105 are executed. Alternatively, when the controller 80 detects that the attitude of the apparatus main body 2 has been switched from the booklet reading attitude to the normal reading attitude, it executes steps S107 and S108.

Next, the separation switching means 100 for switching between the separation state and the non-separation state of the separation roller 15 will be described.
The separation switching means 100 is provided in the -Y direction with respect to the first frame 63, that is, on the rear surface of the first frame 63, as shown in FIGS. The separation switching means 100 does not protrude in the −Y direction from the top of the first frame 63 in the +Z direction, regardless of the attitude of the device main body 2, and is contained within the area formed on the back surface of the first frame 63. .
The separation switching means 100 is positioned between the separation roller 15 and the rotation conversion means 41 in the X-axis direction. A part of the separation switching means 100 and a part of the rotation conversion means 41 are at the same position in the Y-axis direction.

The separation roller 15 is rotatably provided in a roller holder 97 as shown in FIG. A shaft portion 97a is formed integrally with the roller holder 97 as shown in FIG. The shaft portion 97a is a shaft whose centerline is parallel to the X-axis direction. The shaft portion 97a is supported by a bearing portion 63g formed in the first frame 63. As shown in FIG. As a result, the roller holder 97 can swing around the shaft portion 97 a , that is, the separation roller 15 can advance and retreat with respect to the feeding roller 14 . The roller holder 97 is pressed in the direction in which the separation roller 15 advances toward the feeding roller 14 by a pressing means (not shown) such as a torsion spring.

As shown in FIG. 16 , the roller holder 97 is rotatably provided with a torque limiter 98 that is an example of a resistance imparting portion that imparts rotational resistance to the separation roller 15 . The rotational axis centerline of the torque limiter 98 is parallel to the X-axis direction. The separation roller 15 is provided with respect to the torque limiter 98, and the separation roller 15 receives rotational torque from the torque limiter 98 when the rotation of the torque limiter 98 is restricted. That is, the separation state for separating the originals is entered.
When the rotation of the torque limiter 98 is not restricted, the separation roller 15 rotates together with the torque limiter 98 and receives no rotational torque from the torque limiter 98 . That is, a non-separation state is established in which the document is not separated.
The separation switching unit 100 according to the present embodiment switches the separation roller 15 between the separated state and the non-separated state by switching between a state in which the rotation of the torque limiter 98 in the roller holder 97 is restricted and a state in which the rotation is not restricted.

A shaft portion 98a is formed in the torque limiter 98, and a first gear 99 is fixedly provided on the shaft portion 98a. That is, the first gear 99 and the torque limiter 98 do not rotate relatively.
A shaft portion 97b is formed on the roller holder 97, and a second gear 107 is provided on the shaft portion 97b. The second gear 107 is rotatable with respect to the shaft portion 97b. This second gear 107 meshes with the first gear 99 .

As shown in FIG. 17, the separation switching means 100 has a connecting shaft 106 . The connecting shaft 106 is a shaft whose center line is parallel to the X-axis direction, and is provided rotatably with respect to a bearing portion (not shown) formed in the first frame 63 . A third gear 108 is fixedly provided at the X-direction end of the connecting shaft 106 . That is, the third gear 108 and the connecting shaft 106 do not rotate relatively.
The second gear 107 and the third gear 108 constitute the second mechanism section 102 .

A fourth gear 109 is fixedly provided at the end of the connecting shaft 106 in the -X direction. That is, the fourth gear 109 and the connecting shaft 106 do not rotate relatively.
A rotation restricting member 110 is provided below the fourth gear 109 . The rotation restricting member 110 is provided rotatably with respect to the shaft portion 105 b formed on the guide member 105 .
The guide member 105 is a member fixed to the first frame 63 by fixing means (not shown).

A tooth portion 110 a is formed on the rotation restricting member 110 . As the rotation restricting member 110 rotates, the tooth portion 110a switches between a state of meshing with the fourth gear 109 (FIGS. 17 and 18) and a state of being separated from the fourth gear 109 (FIGS. 19 and 20).
The rotation restricting member 110 is formed with a boss 110b projecting in the -X direction. The boss 110b is loosely inserted into a hole 103a formed in the link member 103. As shown in FIG.

The link member 103 is a rod-shaped member provided slidably with respect to the guide member 105, and has a lower end in contact with the cam portion 6h formed on the main body support portion 6. As shown in FIG. The link member 103 is pressed toward the cam portion 6h by a compression coil spring 104, which is an example of a pressing member. Reference numeral 105a denotes a spring holding portion formed in the guide member 105. As shown in FIG.
Since the link member 103 slides with respect to the guide member 105 , the rotation restricting member 110 rotates due to the sliding motion of the link member 103 . In other words, the linear motion of the link member 103 is converted into the rotational motion of the rotation restricting member 110 .
The fourth gear 109, the rotation restricting member 110, the guide member 105, the link member 103, the compression coil spring 104, and the cam portion 6h constitute the first mechanism portion 101. As shown in FIG.

When the device main body 2 is in the normal reading posture, the toothed portion 110a of the rotation restricting member 110 meshes with the fourth gear 109 as shown in FIGS. As a result, the rotation of the fourth gear 109 is restricted, which in turn restricts the rotation of the connecting shaft 106, the third gear 108, the second gear 107, and the first gear 99, and the rotation of the torque limiter 98 is restricted. It is In other words, the separation roller 15 is in the separation state.

When the device main body 2 switches from this state to the booklet reading posture, the lower end portion of the link member 103 switches the contact position with the cam portion 6h. The cam portion 6h is formed so that the +Y direction is higher than the -Y direction, and when the device main body 2 switches the posture toward the booklet reading posture, the lower end portion of the link member 103 is +Y with respect to the cam portion 6h. direction (see FIG. 20). As a result, the link member 103 slides upward, the rotation restricting member 110 rotates, and the tooth portion 110 a separates from the fourth gear 109 . As a result, the rotation of the fourth gear 109 is allowed, which in turn allows the connection shaft 106, the third gear 108, the second gear 107, and the first gear 99 to rotate, and the torque limiter 98 to rotate. That is, the separation roller 15 is in a non-separation state.

When the device main body 2 is in the booklet reading posture and the separation roller 15 is in the non-separating state (FIGS. 19 and 20), when the device main body 2 is switched to the normal reading posture, the lower end of the link member 103 is moved to the cam position. It moves in the -Y direction with respect to the part 6h. As a result, the link member 103 slides downward, the rotation restricting member 110 rotates, and the tooth portion 110 a meshes with the fourth gear 109 . As a result, rotation of the fourth gear 109 is restricted, which in turn restricts rotation of the connecting shaft 106, third gear 108, second gear 107, and first gear 99, and rotation of the torque limiter 98 is restricted. In other words, the separation roller 15 is in the separation state.

As described above, the device main body 2 of the scanner 1 is rotatably attached to the main body support portion 6. By rotating, the normal reading posture and the angle formed by the reading transport path R2 and the mounting surface G are changed from the normal reading posture. It is possible to switch to a smaller booklet reading posture. A separation switching unit 100 is provided for switching between a separation state in which the separation roller 15 separates the document and a non-separation state in which the separation roller 15 does not separate the document. The separation switching means 100 brings the separation roller 15 into the separated state when the device main body 2 is in the normal reading posture, and brings the separation roller 15 into the non-separated state when the device main body 2 is in the booklet reading posture.
This eliminates the need for the user to perform a dedicated operation for switching the separation roller 15 between the separation state and the non-separation state, improving usability of the apparatus.

Further, the scanner 1 is provided with a torque limiter 98 that imparts rotational resistance to the separation roller 15, and the separation switching means 100 regulates the rotation of the torque limiter 98 and regulates the co-rotation of the separation roller 15 and the torque limiter 98. to form a separate state. Further, by allowing the torque limiter 98 to rotate and allowing the separation roller 15 and the torque limiter 98 to rotate together, a non-separated state is formed. Thereby, the separating state and the non-separating state of the separation roller 15 can be easily switched.

The separation switching means 100 is a member that engages with the cam portion 6h formed in the main body support portion 6, and is a link member 103 that is slidable in the apparatus main body 2 and presses the link member 103 toward the cam portion 6h. A compression coil spring 104 is provided. The cam portion 6h has a shape that allows the link member 103 to slide as the apparatus main body 2 rotates. The link member 103 slides as the device main body 2 rotates, thereby switching between a separated state in which rotation of the torque limiter 98 is restricted and a non-separated state in which rotation of the torque limiter 98 is permitted.
Thereby, the separation switching means 100 can be realized with a simple configuration.

Further, the torque limiter 98 is provided with a first gear 99, and the separation switching means 100 includes a first mechanism portion 101 including a link member 103, a second mechanism portion 102 related to the first gear 99, and a rotation of the torque limiter 98. A connecting shaft 106 which is a rotatable shaft extending along the axial direction and which connects the first mechanism section 101 and the second mechanism section 102 is provided. Since the first mechanism section 101 and the second mechanism section 102 are connected by the connection shaft 106 in this manner, the first mechanism section 101 and the second mechanism section 102 can be arranged apart from each other. The degree of freedom in device design is improved.

The second mechanism section 102 also includes a second gear 107 that meshes with the first gear 99 and a third gear 108 that meshes with the second gear 107 and is provided at one end of the connecting shaft 106 . The first mechanism portion 101 is a member having a fourth gear 109 provided at the other end of the connecting shaft 106 and a tooth portion 110a that can mesh with the fourth gear 109. and a rotation restricting member 110 in which the tooth portion 110a advances and retreats with respect to the fourth gear 109 by rotating along with the slide of the gear.
When the tooth portion 110a meshes with the fourth gear 109, the rotation of the torque limiter 98 is restricted and becomes a separated state. state.

The first frame 63 constituting the base of the apparatus main body 2 has a shape along the direction in which the reading transport path R2 extends, and the separation switching means 100 is arranged in a region formed below the first frame 63. be done. Accordingly, by disposing the separation switching means 100 using the area formed on the lower side of the first frame 63, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the apparatus.

The separation switching means 100 described above can also be modified as follows. The separation switching means 100A according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 21 to 24. FIG. 21 to 24, the same components as those already described are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be avoided below.
The separation switching means 100A has a first mechanism portion 101A and a second mechanism portion 102A, and the first mechanism portion 101A and the second mechanism portion 102A are connected by a connecting shaft 106. As shown in FIG.
The second mechanism portion 102A includes a rotation restricting member 113 and a rotating cam 112. As shown in FIG. The first mechanism portion 101A includes a first rotating member 115, a second rotating member 116, a guide member 105, a link member 103, a compression coil spring 104, and a cam portion 6h.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, a rotation restricting member 113 is provided below the first gear 99 . The rotation restricting member 113 is provided so as to be displaceable along a guide groove 63h formed in the first frame 63, and advances and retreats with respect to the first gear 99 by being displaced along the guide groove 63h.
A tooth portion 113 a is formed on the rotation restricting member 113 , and by displacing the rotation restricting member 113 , the tooth portion 113 a can switch between a state in which the tooth portion 113 a meshes with the first gear 99 and a state in which the tooth portion 113 a separates from the first gear 99 . .
When the tooth portion 113a meshes with the first gear 99, the rotation of the first gear 99 is restricted, so that the separation roller 15 is in the separated state. When the tooth portion 113a is separated from the first gear 99, the separation roller 15 is in the non-separation state because the first gear 99 is allowed to rotate.

An elongated hole 113b is formed in the rotation restricting member 113 along the displacement direction of the rotation restricting member 113, and the connecting shaft 106 is passed through the elongated hole 113b. As shown in FIG. 22, a first cam follower 113c and a second cam follower 113d are formed on the +X direction surface of the rotation restricting member 113, and the rotating cam 112 faces these cam followers.

Rotating cam 112 is fixed to one end of connecting shaft 106 . That is, the rotating cam 112 and the connecting shaft 106 do not rotate relatively. The rotating cam 112 has a radially projecting first cam portion 112a and a second cam portion 112b.

A first rotating member 115 is fixedly provided at the end of the connecting shaft 106 in the -X direction. That is, the first rotating member 115 and the connecting shaft 106 do not rotate relatively. A second rotating member 116 is rotatably provided on the shaft portion 105 b of the guide member 105 . A boss 116 b is formed on the second rotating member 116 and is loosely inserted into a hole 103 a formed in the link member 103 . Therefore, the sliding motion of the link member 103 causes the second rotating member 116 to rotate.

A toothed portion 116 a is formed on the second rotating member 116 , and the toothed portion 116 a meshes with a toothed portion 115 a formed on the first rotating member 115 .
With such a configuration, when the second rotating member 116 rotates due to the sliding of the link member 103, the first rotating member 115, the connecting shaft 106, and the rotating cam 112 rotate.

When the apparatus main body 2 is in the normal reading posture, the toothed portion 113a of the rotation restricting member 113 meshes with the first gear 99 as shown in FIGS. This state is maintained by the first cam portion 112 a of the rotating cam 112 pushing up the first cam follower 113 c of the rotation restricting member 113 .
As a result, the rotation of the torque limiter 98 is restricted, and the separation roller 15 is placed in the separation state.

When the device main body 2 switches from this state to the booklet reading posture, the link member 103 is pushed up by the cam portion 6h as in the first embodiment described above. As a result, the second rotating member 116, the first rotating member 115, the connecting shaft 106, and the rotating cam 112 rotate from the states shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 to the states shown in FIGS. The rotating direction of the rotating cam 112 at this time is the counterclockwise direction in FIG.
When the rotating cam 112 rotates counterclockwise from the state of FIG. 22, the second cam portion 112b pushes down the second cam follower 113d as shown by the change from FIG. 22 to FIG. As a result, the rotation restricting member 113 is separated from the first gear 99, that is, the engagement between the tooth portion 113a and the first gear 99 is released, and the torque limiter 98 is allowed to rotate. That is, the separation roller 15 is in a non-separation state.

When the device main body 2 is in the booklet reading posture and the separation roller 15 is in the non-separating state, the link member 103 slides downward, and the rotating cam 112 moves downward. 24 , the first cam portion 112 a pushes up the rotation restricting member 113 and the tooth portion 113 a meshes with the first gear 99 . As a result, the rotation of the torque limiter 98 is restricted, and the separation roller 15 is in a separated state.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the second mechanism portion 102A includes the rotation restricting member 113, which is a member having a tooth portion 113a that meshes with the first gear 99 and is capable of advancing and retreating with respect to the first gear 99, and the connecting shaft 106. A rotating cam 112 provided at one end that rotates to switch between a state in which the rotation restricting member 113 is advanced toward the first gear 99 and a state in which the rotation restricting member 113 is retracted from the first gear 99. and The first mechanism portion 101A is configured to rotate the connecting shaft 106 by rotating as the link member 103 slides.
In the first embodiment, since the rotation restricting member 113 directly restricts the rotation of the first gear 99, it is possible to suppress backlash in meshing of the gears. can be properly formed.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the display means provided in the external device 500 (see FIG. 12), or if the scanner 1 is provided with a display means, indicates whether the separation roller 15 is in the separated state or the non-separated state. It is also possible to display whether the At that time, whether the device body 2 is in the normal reading posture or the booklet reading posture may also be displayed.

Next, the configuration around the feeding roller 14 and the separation roller 15 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 27 onwards and other drawings as necessary.
Around the separation roller 15, a guide member 151, a set guide 153, a set flap 155, and a pressing lever 157 are provided as shown in FIG. The set guide 153 is an example of a path forming member. Also, the pressing lever 157 is an example of a pressing member.

A recess 63m (see FIG. 28) is formed in the first frame 63 upstream in the feeding direction and in the center in the X-axis direction. 155 and a push lever 157 are provided.
The guide member 151 is a frame-shaped member, inside which the separation roller 15, the set guide 153, the set flap 155, and the pressing lever 157 are arranged. The guide member 151 is detachably attached to the first frame 63 by a snap-fit structure (not shown), and forms a part of the document feeding path when mounted.

As shown in FIG. 31, the set guide 153 has rotating shafts 153a on both sides in the X-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 29, the guide member 151 is formed with bearings 151a on both sides in the X-axis direction, and a rotating shaft 153a of the set guide 153 is rotatably supported by the bearings 151a. As shown in FIG. 28, the concave portion 63m of the first frame 63 is provided with restricting portions 63j on both sides in the X-axis direction. The movement of the rotating shaft 153a in the feeding direction is restricted by the restricting portion 63j.

A first spring 161, which is an example of a first pressing portion, is provided on both sides of the set guide 153 in the X-axis direction. The first spring 161 is a torsion coil spring in this embodiment and generates a pressing force between the guide member 151 and the set guide 153 . The set guide 153 is pressed by the first spring 161 in the rotational direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 33) in which the downstream portion in the feeding direction is directed toward the feeding roller 14 about the rotating shaft 153a.

As shown in FIGS. 29 and 31, contact portions 153j are formed on both side surfaces of the set guide 153 in the X-axis direction. Rotation of the guide 153 (clockwise rotation in FIG. 33) is restricted.
4, the contact portion 153j contacts the lower side of the guide member 151 when the second unit 4 is opened with respect to the first unit 3. As shown in FIG. When the second unit 4 is closed with respect to the first unit 3 from this state, the feed roller 14 abuts against the long ribs 153c and 153d of the set guide 153, thereby rotating the set guide 153 counterclockwise in FIG. Fixed rotation. In this state, the contact portion 153j is separated from the lower side of the guide member 151. As shown in FIG.

A plurality of ribs extending in the document feeding direction are formed on the set guide 153 at predetermined intervals in the X-axis direction. The plurality of ribs are composed of long ribs 153b, 153c, 153d, and 153e and four short ribs 153f shorter in the document feeding direction than the long ribs.
Two short ribs 153f are formed between the long rib 153b and the long rib 153c and between the long rib 153d and the long rib 153e.

In FIG. 30, a straight line CL is a straight line that passes through the center of the document in the X-axis direction and is parallel to the document feeding direction. . Specifically, the long ribs 153b and 153e are arranged symmetrically with respect to the straight line CL, and the long ribs 153c and 153d are arranged symmetrically with respect to the straight line CL. . Two short ribs 153f positioned in the +X direction and two short ribs 153f positioned in the -X direction with respect to the straight line CL are arranged so as to be symmetrical with respect to the straight line CL.
Incidentally, the ribs do not necessarily have to be arranged symmetrically with respect to the straight line CL.

The long rib 153c and the long rib 153d are formed at positions where they can come into contact with the cylindrical portion 98b forming the outer circumference of the torque limiter 98 (see FIG. 16), and the set guide 153 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. The long ribs 153c and 153d are configured to abut on the cylindrical portion 98b when they are closed.

As shown in FIG. 31, the set guide 153 is formed with two shafts 153h, and the shafts 153h support a pressing lever 157 as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 157a denotes a shaft fitting portion that fits the shaft portion 153h of the pressing lever 157. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the rotation center position of the pressing lever 157 and the rotation center position of the set guide 153 match.
The rotation center position of the pressing lever 157 and the rotation center position of the set guide 153 may be different.
A second spring 162 , which is an example of a second pressing portion, is provided at a position adjacent to the pressing lever 157 . The second spring 162 is a torsion coil spring in this embodiment and generates a pressing force between the pressing lever 157 and the set guide 153 . The pressing lever 157 is pressed by the second spring 162 in the rotation direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 33) in which the downstream side in the feeding direction is directed toward the feeding roller 14 about the shaft portion 153h. That is, the pressing lever 157 is pressed by the second spring 162 in the direction in which the tip portion 157 b faces the feeding roller 14 .

As shown in FIG. 33, the set guide 153 is formed with a regulating portion 153k. When the pressing lever 157 comes into contact with the regulating portion 153k, the rotation of the pressing lever 157 (clockwise rotation in FIG. 33) is restricted. be done.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the second unit 4 is opened with respect to the first unit 3, the pressing lever 157 abuts on the restricting portion 153k. When the second unit 4 is closed with respect to the first unit 3 from this state, the feeding roller 14 comes into contact with the pressing lever 157, thereby rotating the pressing lever 157 counterclockwise in FIG. 33 by a predetermined amount. By restricting the rotation limit of the pressing lever 157 when the second unit 4 is open by the restricting portion 153k, the pressing lever 157 can be rotated appropriately when the second unit 4 is closed. In this state, as shown in FIG. 33, the pressing lever 157 is slightly separated from the restricting portion 153k.

28, 29, and 30, one of the two pressing levers 157 is located between the long rib 153c of the set guide 153 and the short rib 153f located in the +X direction with respect to the long rib 153c. protrudes toward the document feeding path from the The other of the two pressing levers 157 protrudes toward the document feeding path from between the long rib 153d of the set guide 153 and the short rib 153f positioned in the -X direction with respect to the long rib 153d.
Also, the two pressing levers 157 are arranged at positions symmetrical with respect to the straight line CL as shown in FIG. Also, the two pressing levers 157 are independently rotatable. The two pressing levers 157 are also in the area of the feed roller 14 in the X-axis direction and located at both ends of the feed roller 14 .

Set flaps 155 are arranged between the long rib 153b of the set guide 153 and the short rib 153f adjacent to the long rib 153b, and between the long rib 153e and the short rib 153f adjacent to the long rib 153e. be done.
As shown in FIG. 32, the two set flaps 155 are provided on a substantially shaft-shaped base portion 155a extending in the X-axis direction, and rotate together.
A shaft portion 155 b is formed on both sides of the base portion 155 a in the X-axis direction, and the shaft portion 155 b serves as a rotation shaft of the set flap 155 . The shaft portion 155b is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 63k formed in a recess 63m of the first frame 63 as shown in FIG.

A cam follower portion 155c is formed in the +X direction with respect to the shaft portion 155b in the +X direction in FIG. A set flap cam 163 is provided in contact with the cam follower portion 155c. The set flap cam 163 is fixed to the −X direction end of the shaft 165 , and the +X direction end of the shaft 165 is provided with a gear 166 via a one-way clutch 167 . The driving force of the transport motor 50 (see FIG. 12) is transmitted to the gear 166, and the gear 166 rotates as the transport motor 50 rotates. The power of the transport motor 50 is transmitted to the shaft 165 via the gear 166 and the one-way clutch 167 .

A spring 164 is provided on the set flap cam 163 . The spring 164 applies a pressing force to a spring hooking portion (not shown) and the set flap cam 163 , thereby applying a pressing force to the set flap cam 163 , that is, to the shaft 165 in the direction of arrow Rc.
FIG. 32 shows the state of FIG. 33, that is, the feeding standby state. In this state, the cam follower portion 155c abuts against the set flap cam 163, and the set flap 155 closes the document feed path as shown in FIG. It has become. In this state, the leading edge of the document to be set abuts against the set flap 155 and is restricted from entering between the feed roller 14 and the separation roller 15 .
In this state, the set flap cam 163, that is, the shaft 165 is restricted from rotating in the direction of the arrow Rc by the action of the one-way clutch 167. As shown in FIG. Also, the gear 166 is stopped due to the load in the power transmission path between it and the transport motor 50 .

When the transport motor 50 rotates forward from this state and the gear 166 rotates in the direction of the arrow Ra, the shaft 165 rotates in the direction of the arrow Rc due to the pressing force of the spring 164, that is, the set flap cam 163 rotates in the direction of the arrow Rc. As a result, the set flap cam 163 is disengaged from the cam follower portion 155c, and the set flap 155 rotates in the direction of the arrow Rf so that the set flap 155 is withdrawn from the document feeding path as indicated by reference numeral 155-1 in FIG. When the set flap 155 is retracted from the document feed path, the set document can be directed between the feed roller 14 and the separation roller 15 .
By forward rotation of the transport motor 50, each roller provided in the document transport path rotates in a direction in which the document is transported downstream. At this time, the gear 166 in FIG. 32 continues to rotate in the direction of arrow Ra, but the torque of the transport motor 50 is not transmitted to the shaft 165 due to the action of the one-way clutch 167 .

When the transport motor 50 reverses while the set flap 155 is retracted from the document transport path, the gear 166 rotates in the direction of arrow Rb in FIG. When the gear 166 rotates in the direction of arrow Rb, torque is transmitted to the shaft 165 in the direction of arrow Rd by the action of the one-way clutch 167 . As a result, the shaft 165, i.e., the set flap cam 163, rotates in the direction of arrow Rd against the pressing force of the spring 164, pushing up the cam follower portion 155c, and the set flap 155 rotates in the direction of arrow Re, resulting in the state shown in FIG. return.

The configuration around the separation roller 15 has been described above, and the set guide 153 will be further described below.
As described above, FIG. 33 shows the feeding standby state and the state in which no document is set. Symbol T1 is the contact position between the feeding roller 14 and the separation roller 15, which is the contact position when it is assumed that both rollers are not elastically deformed. T2 is the contact position between the set guide 153 and the feed roller 14, and T3 is the contact position between the tip 157b of the pressing lever 157 and the feed roller 14. FIG. As shown, the contact position T2 is upstream in the feed direction from the contact position T1, and the contact position T3 is upstream in the feed direction from the contact position T2.
Reference character Sa denotes a path forming surface formed by the upper surface of the first frame 63. As shown in FIG.

34 and 35 omit illustration of the set flap 155 and the pressing lever 157 in order to avoid complication of the drawings. FIG. 34A is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 33, and in this feeding standby state, a gap d is formed between the long ribs 153c and 153d of the set guide 153 and the cylindrical portion 98b. Further, since the set guide 153 is advanced with respect to the feeding roller 14, the document feeding path R1 toward the contact position T1 is narrowed.
When the thickness of the set document exceeds a predetermined thickness, the set guide 153 has no gap d, and the long rib 153d pushes down the cylindrical portion 98b, that is, the separation roller 15, as shown in FIG. 34(B). As a result, the separating roller 15 is separated from the feeding roller 14 . The relationship between the set guide 153 and the separation roller 15 has been described above.

FIG. 35A shows a state in which a plurality of sheet-like originals Pt are placed. In this state, the long ribs 153c and 153d are separated from the cylindrical portion 98b and do not push down the separation roller 15. FIG. As an example, when the thickness of the document stack of sheet-like documents Pt is less than 2 mm, the long ribs 153c and 153d do not contact the cylindrical portion 98b. In this state, the upper surface 153p of the set guide 153 provides a pre-separation action to the leading edge of the document Pt. The upper surface 153p of the set guide 153 is formed by the upper surface of the entire set guide 153 including the long ribs 153b, 153c, 153d, 153e and the short rib 153f.

FIG. 35B shows a state in which the booklet-shaped document Pb is placed and then fed. In the process of reaching this state, the set guide 153 is pushed down by the booklet-shaped document Pb, the long ribs 153c and 153d come into contact with the cylindrical portion 98b, push down the separation roller 15, and the space between the feeding roller 14 and the separation roller 15 is pushed down. A gap is formed in the As an example, when the booklet-shaped document Pb has a thickness of 2 mm or more, the long ribs 153c and 153d come into contact with the cylindrical portion 98b.
When the booklet-shaped document Pb is conveyed by the feeding roller 14, the separation roller 15 is pushed down by the booklet-shaped document Pb. When the booklet-shaped document Pb is nipped and conveyed by the feeding roller 14 and the separation roller 15, it is preferable that the long ribs 153c and 153d are separated from the cylindrical portion 98b as shown in FIG. 35(B). . Since the separation roller 15 is not pushed down by the set guide 153, the separation roller 15 and the feed roller 14 can stably nip the booklet-shaped document Pb.

As described above, the scanner 1 or the document feeding device 150 includes the set guide 153 upstream of the contact position T1 between the feeding roller 14 and the separating roller 15 in the document feeding direction. The set guide 153 can advance and retreat with respect to the feed roller 14 according to the thickness of the document, and narrows the document feed path R1 toward the contact position T1 by advancing with respect to the feed roller 14 . The set guide 153 is capable of engaging with the separation roller 15, and separates the separation roller 15 from the feeding roller 14 when it is pushed down in the direction away from the feeding roller 14 by a document having a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness. direction.
In this way, when a document having a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness is fed, the separation roller 15 is separated from the feeding roller 14 in advance before the document enters between the separation roller 15 and the feeding roller 14. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a document having a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness from hitting the separation roller 15 and being unable to be fed.

35A, when a plurality of sheet-like originals Pt are supported by the original supporting portion 11, the upper surface of the set guide 153 imparts a separation action to the leading edge of the originals Pt. As a result, separation by the set guide 153 is performed prior to the separation of the document Pt by the feeding roller 14 and the separation roller 15, so that the document Pt can be separated more reliably.

28 to 30, the set guide 153 has a plurality of ribs (153b, 153c, 153d, 153e, 153f) extending in the document feeding direction. In the width direction (X-axis direction) intersecting with , they are arranged so as to be symmetrical with respect to a straight line CL passing through the center of the document and parallel to the document feeding direction. As a result, the frictional force applied to the document by the set guide 153 becomes equal to the left and right of the straight line CL in the width direction, thereby suppressing the skew of the document.

A straight line CL passes through the center position of the feeding roller 14 and the center position of the separation roller 15 in the width direction. 15 and within the area of the feeding roller 14 . As a result, the document feeding path toward the contact position T1 can be narrowed appropriately, and the number of document sheets toward the contact position T1 can be appropriately regulated. As a result, the separation action by the separation roller 15 can be appropriately obtained.

Also, in this embodiment, the separating section arranged to face the feeding roller 14 is composed of the rotatable separating roller 15, and the set guide 153 is in contact with the cylindrical portion 98b around the rotation center of the separating roller 15. , and the separation roller 15. As described with reference to FIG. 34, when the thickness of the document is less than the predetermined thickness, there is a gap d between the set guide 153 and the cylindrical portion 98b. The set guide 153 contacts the cylindrical portion 98 b to displace the separating roller 15 away from the feeding roller 14 . Thereby, the separating roller 15 can be reliably separated from the feeding roller 14 .
In the present embodiment, the set guide 153 pushes down the cylindrical portion 98 b forming the outer circumference of the torque limiter 98 . In either case, the set guide 153 indirectly pushes down the separation roller 15 via another member, but the set guide 153 may directly push down the separation roller 15 .

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 36, the set guide may engage with the separation roller 15 by contacting a contact portion 97c formed in a roller holder 97 that holds the separation roller 15. good. In FIG. 36, reference numeral 153A denotes a set guide according to another embodiment, and the set guide 153A includes a guide portion 153m for guiding a document and a contact portion 153n.
FIG. 36(A) shows a state in which the document is not set and is waiting for feeding. In this state, a gap d is formed between the contact portion 153n and the contact portion 97c. The guide portion 153m narrows the document feeding path R1 toward the contact position T1.
Since the set guide 153A is pushed down by the set document, the gap d disappears when the thickness of the document exceeds a predetermined thickness, and the contact portion 97c is pushed down by the contact portion 153n as shown in FIG. , the roller holder 97 swings and the separation roller 15 is pushed down. As a result, the separating roller 15 is separated from the feeding roller 14 .
Since the contact portion 97c is formed on the roller holder 97 in this way, the position of the contact portion 97c is highly flexible, and the degree of freedom in design can be improved.

Next, the movement of the pressing lever 157 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that illustration of the set flap 155 is omitted in FIG.
In FIG. 37, the reference P1 is the document to be fed, the reference Pd is the document bundle below the document P1, and the reference P2 is the uppermost medium in the document bundle Pd, which is the document to be fed following the document P1. be.
FIG. 37A shows a state in which the document P1 is in the middle of being fed. In this state, the forward rotation of the feeding roller 14 (in the direction of the arrow Rg) moves the feeding roller 14 downstream of the document P1 in the document feeding direction. , and along with this, the document bundle Pd also tries to move downstream in the document feeding direction. Therefore, the bundle of documents Pd pushes down the pressing lever 157 against the spring force of the second spring 162 (see FIG. 29), and the pressing lever 157 does not protrude upward from the set guide 153 .

In this state, the pressing lever 157 does not come into contact with the cylindrical portion 98b, and the pressing lever 157 does not push the separation roller 15 downward. As a result, it is possible to prevent the separation roller 15 from being separated from the feeding roller 14 at an inappropriate timing.

Next, when the trailing edge of the document P1 passes the contact position T1 between the feed roller 14 and the separation roller 15 from the state of FIG. Back occurs, and the separation roller 15 reverses (in the direction of arrow Rj).
In the present embodiment, since the feeding roller 14 is not provided with a one-way clutch, the feeding roller 14 is also reversed (in the direction of the arrow Rh) as the separation roller 15 is reversed.

Here, if the feed roller 14 is freely reversible, the reversal of the feed roller 14 causes the bundle of documents Pd including the document P2 to be vigorously returned upstream in the document feeding direction. may occur.
However, a pressing lever 157 is provided, and after the rear end of the fed document P1 passes through the contact position T1, the leading edge 157b of the pressing lever 157 presses the bundle of documents Pd toward the feeding roller . As a result, the phenomenon in which the bundle of documents Pd is vigorously returned upstream in the document feeding direction can be suppressed, and feeding failures such as skewing and non-feeding can be suppressed.
In particular, in this embodiment, since the document supported by the document supporting portion 11 is fed from the uppermost document, the reverse rotation of the feeding roller 14 causes the uppermost document to be returned upstream in the document feeding direction. The document P2 is likely to be skewed and is likely to be returned upstream in the document feeding direction. However, due to the action of the pressing lever 157 described above, the phenomenon that the document P2 is vigorously returned upstream in the document feeding direction can be suppressed, thereby suppressing feeding failures such as skewing and non-feeding.

In this embodiment, the pressing lever 157 rotates around a shaft portion 153h, which serves as a rotation axis, so that the tip portion 157b advances and retreats with respect to the feeding roller 14, and the shaft portion 153h feeds the document with respect to the tip portion 157b. Located upstream in the direction. Here, when the document is about to be returned upstream in the document feeding direction by the reverse rotation of the feeding roller 14, if the pressing lever 157 in contact with the document tends to rotate clockwise in FIG. It becomes easy to be returned to the upstream of the feed direction. However, since the shaft portion 153h is positioned upstream in the document feeding direction with respect to the leading end portion 157b, the pressing lever 157, which contacts the document, is difficult to rotate. can be effectively suppressed.

The set guide 153 is also provided with a restricting portion 153 k that restricts the rotation limit of the pressing lever 157 in the direction in which the tip portion 157 b of the pressing lever 157 advances toward the feeding roller 14 . As a result, the clockwise rotation of the pressing lever 157 in FIG. 37 is more reliably suppressed, and the phenomenon in which the document is returned upstream due to the reverse rotation of the feeding roller 14 can be effectively suppressed.

In this embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 30, the pressing lever 157 is provided within the area of the feeding roller 14 in the X-axis direction, that is, the width direction that intersects the document feeding direction. As a result, the pressing lever 157 can reliably press the document against the feed roller 14, and the phenomenon of the medium being returned upstream due to the reverse rotation of the feed roller 14 can be more reliably suppressed.

Further, in this embodiment, the pressing levers 157 are provided at both ends in the width direction of one feeding roller 14 . As a result, the skew when the document is about to be returned upstream by the reverse rotation of the feeding roller 14 can be suppressed.
If a plurality of feeding rollers 14 are provided in the X-axis direction as shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to suppress the skew when the document is about to be returned upstream.
Further, instead of providing a plurality of pressing levers 157, for example, one may be provided at the central position in the X-axis direction.

Also, in this embodiment, the plurality of pressing levers 157 can move forward and backward with respect to the feed roller 14 independently. Here, if a plurality of pressing levers 157 are configured to advance and retract integrally, there is a possibility that the document is pressed differently by each of the plurality of pressing levers 157 and the document is skewed. For example, if one of the pressing levers 157 contacts the document and the other pressing lever 157 does not contact the document, skewing of the document occurs. However, in this embodiment, the plurality of pressing levers 157 can independently move forward and backward with respect to the feed roller 14, so that each of the plurality of pressing levers 157 can appropriately press the document and suppress the above skew.

In this embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 33, the contact position T3 where the pressing lever 157 contacts the feed roller 14 is located upstream of the contact position T2 where the set guide 153 contacts the feed roller 14. Therefore, when the document is about to be returned upstream by the reverse rotation of the feeding roller 14, the document can be pressed for a longer period of time, and the phenomenon of the document being returned upstream by the reverse rotation of the feeding roller 14 can be more reliably prevented. can be suppressed.

Further, since the pressing force with which the second spring 162 presses the pressing lever 157 is smaller than the pressing force with which the first spring 161 presses the set guide 153, the pressing lever 157 is retracted from the document feeding path when the document is fed. This makes it possible to prevent the pressing lever 157 from interfering with the feeding of the document.

Incidentally, the pressing portion capable of pressing the original against the feeding roller 14 can also be configured as shown in FIG. 39, an arm portion 171 is provided slidably in the direction of arrow Sd with respect to a support portion 170, and a driven roller 172 is provided at the tip of the arm portion 171. As shown in FIG. The arm portion 171 is pressed in a direction toward the document by a spring (not shown), and the driven roller 172 presses against the document. This suppresses the phenomenon that the bundle of documents Pd is vigorously returned upstream in the document feeding direction when the feeding roller 14 reverses (in the direction of the arrow Rh), thereby suppressing feeding failures such as skew and non-feeding. Further, the driven roller 172 reduces the feeding load applied to the fed document.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims, which are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of application to an image reading apparatus typified by a scanner has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to a recording apparatus typified by a printer. That is, by using the document in the above-described embodiment as a recording medium and using the reading section as a recording section for recording on the recording medium, the same effects as those in the above-described embodiment can be obtained in the recording apparatus. An example of the recording device is an inkjet printer, and an example of the recording unit is an inkjet recording head.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Scanner 2... Apparatus main body 3... First unit 4... Second unit 4a... Upper surface 5... Third unit 6... Main body support part 6a, 6a-1... Standing wall part 6b... Teeth part , 6c...Main body rotating shaft 6d...Protrusion 6e...First contact part 6f...Second contact part 6h...Cam part 7...Operation part 8a...Unlock part 10...Upper opening/closing part 11 Document supporting portion 12A, 12B Edge guide 12c, 12d Drawer 13 Feed port 14 Feed roller 15 Separation roller 16 First conveying roller pair 17 First lower roller , 18... First upper roller, 20... Second conveying roller pair, 21... Second lower roller, 22... Second upper roller, 24... Third conveying roller pair, 25... Third drive roller, 26... Third driven roller Rollers 28 Fourth conveying roller pair 29 Fourth driving roller 30 Fourth driven roller 32 First reading section 32a Contact glass 33 Second reading section 33a Contact glass 35 Flap 35a Flap rotating shaft 35b Detected portion 37 First discharge port 38 Second discharge port 40 Posture switching motor 41 Rotation conversion means 42 Worm gear 43 Gear 44 Axle 45 Gear 46 First compound gear 47 Second compound gear 50 Conveying motor 51 Drive pulley 52 Belt 53 Driven pulley 60 Attitude holding means 61 Protrusion 62 Recess 63 First frame 63a Boss 63b Supported portion 63g Bearing 63h Guide groove 63j Regulating portion 63k Bearing 63m Recess 64 Second frame 64a ... frame rotation axis, 65 ... third frame, 66 ... rear cover, 71 ... first connection section (USB Type-A), 72 ... second connection section (USB Type-C), 73 ... third connection section (DC Jack), 79... Circuit board, 80... Control unit, 81... CPU, 82... Flash ROM, 83... RAM, 84... Interface, 86... First solenoid, 87... First attitude detection sensor, 88... Second attitude detection Sensor 89 First rotation detector 89a Rotating disk 89b Detecting part 90 Second rotation detecting part 90a Rotating disk 90b Detecting part 91 Double feeding detector 92 Mounting Position detector 93 First document detector 94 Second document detector 97 Roller holder 97a Shaft 97b Shaft 97c Contact portion 98 Torque limiter 98a Shaft , 98b... Cylindrical part 99... First gear 100... Separation switching means 101... First mechanism part 102... Second mechanism part 103... Link member 103a... Hole 104... Compression coil spring 105... Guide Member 105a Spring holding portion 105b Shaft 106 Connecting shaft 107 Second gear 108 Third gear 109 Fourth gear 110 Rotation restricting member 110a Tooth 110b Boss , 112... Rotating cam 112a... First cam part 112b... Second cam part 113... Rotation restricting member 113a... Tooth part 113b... Elongated hole 113c... First cam follower 113d... Second cam follower 115... First rotating member 115a tooth portion 116 second rotating member 116a tooth portion 116b boss
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 150... Document feeder 151... Guide member 151a... Bearing part 153, 153A... Set guide 153a... Rotary shaft 153b, 153c, 153d, 153e... Long rib, 153f... Short rib, 153h... Shaft part, 153j... abutment part 153k... regulation part 153m... guide part 153n... abutment part 153p... upper surface 155... set flap 155a... base part 155b... shaft part 155c... cam follower part 157... pressing lever, 157a...Shaft fitting part 157b...Tip part 161...First spring 162...Second spring 163...Set flap cam 164...Spring 165...Shaft 166...Gear 167...One-way clutch 170...Support Section 171 Arm section 172 Driven roller 500 External device
R1... document feeding path, R2... reading conveying path, R3... reversing conveying path, R4... non-reversing conveying path

Claims (10)

a medium support that supports the medium;
a feeding roller in contact with the upper surface of the medium supported by the medium support;
a separation unit arranged to face the feeding roller and capable of advancing and retreating with respect to the feeding roller;
A member located upstream in a medium feeding direction with respect to a contact position between the feeding roller and the separation unit, the member being capable of advancing and retreating with respect to the feeding roller according to the thickness of the medium, and a path forming member that narrows the medium feeding path toward the contact position by advancing with respect to the roller;
a first pressing portion that presses the path forming member toward the feeding roller;
The path forming member is capable of engaging with the separating section, and when pushed down in a direction away from the feeding roller by a medium having a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness, the separating section moves away from the feeding roller. displace away,
A medium feeding device characterized by: 2. The medium feeding device according to claim 1, wherein when a plurality of sheet-like media are supported by the medium support portion, the upper surface of the path forming member imparts a separating action to the leading edge of the medium.
A medium feeding device characterized by: 3. The medium feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the path forming member includes a plurality of ribs extending in the medium feeding direction,
The plurality of ribs are arranged so as to be symmetrical with respect to a straight line passing through the center of the medium and parallel to the medium feeding direction in the width direction that intersects the medium feeding direction. ing,
A medium feeding device characterized by: 4. The medium feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the straight line in the width direction passes through the center position of the feeding roller and the center position of the separating section,
Two of the plurality of ribs that are close to the straight line in the width direction are positioned across the separating portion in the width direction and are positioned within the area of the feeding roller,
A medium feeding device characterized by: 3. The medium feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the separation unit comprises a rotatable separation roller,
The path forming member engages with the separation section by contacting a cylindrical section centered around the center of rotation of the separation roller,
when the thickness of the medium is equal to or less than the predetermined thickness, there is a gap between the path forming member and the cylindrical portion;
when the thickness of the medium exceeds the predetermined thickness, the path forming member contacts the cylindrical portion and displaces the separation roller in a direction away from the feeding roller;
A medium feeding device characterized by: 3. The medium feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the separation unit comprises a rotatable separation roller,
the path forming member engages with the separation section by contacting the rotating shaft of the separation roller;
when the thickness of the medium is equal to or less than the predetermined thickness, there is a gap between the path forming member and the rotating shaft;
when the thickness of the medium exceeds the predetermined thickness, the path forming member abuts against the rotation shaft and displaces the separation roller in a direction away from the feeding roller;
A medium feeding device characterized by: 3. The medium feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the separating section is held by a holding member that can advance and retreat with respect to the feeding roller,
the path forming member engages with the separation portion by coming into contact with a contact portion formed on the holding member;
when the thickness of the medium is equal to or less than the predetermined thickness, there is a gap between the path forming member and the contact portion;
when the thickness of the medium exceeds the predetermined thickness, the path forming member abuts against the abutting portion and displaces the separating portion in a direction away from the feeding roller;
A medium feeding device characterized by: 6. The medium feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the member is movable forward and backward with respect to the feeding roller upstream in the medium feeding direction with respect to the contact position between the feeding roller and the separation roller. a pressing portion capable of pressing the medium supported by the medium support portion toward the feeding roller after the trailing edge of the medium has passed through the contact position;
a pressing portion that presses the pressing portion toward the feeding roller;
A medium feeding device characterized by: 9. The medium feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a main body supporting portion mounted on a mounting surface of the device;
a device main body supported by the main body support,
The separation unit is composed of a rotatable separation roller,
The apparatus main body is rotatably attached to the main body support portion, and by rotating, a first posture and a second posture make an angle formed between the medium feeding path and the mounting surface smaller than the first posture. and can be switched to
Separation switching means capable of switching between a separation state in which the separation roller separates the medium and a non-separation state in which the separation roller does not separate the medium,
The separation switching means sets the separation roller to the separated state when the apparatus main body is in the first posture, and sets the separation roller to the non-separated state when the device main body is in the second posture.
A medium feeding device characterized by: the medium feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9;
a reading unit that reads the medium fed by the medium feeding device;
image reader.

Images