JP3166100B2 - Automatic document feeder - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder provided in a document processor such as an electrostatic copying machine or an image reader.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, copiers have come to use an automatic document feeder which automatically and automatically supplies a plurality of documents to a document set position on the upper surface of a transparent plate with the speeding up and automation of copying processing. I have. An automatic document feeder for automatically feeding a plurality of documents sequentially to a document processor such as a facsimile or an image reader has been widely and practically used. This type of automatic document feeder includes a document table on which a document is placed, positioning means for positioning the document placed on the document table at a predetermined position, and feeding of the document placed on the document table to a transport path. And a feeding means for performing the operation. The positioning means includes a pair of width regulating members at least one of which is reciprocally mounted in the width direction of the document table, and if a document is placed on the document table between the pair of width regulating members, The width regulating member is moved inward, and its inner surface is brought into contact with both side edges of the document to be positioned at a predetermined position. The pair of width regulating members are configured to guide the document positioned at a predetermined position by the inner surfaces thereof.

[0003]

However, a curved or curled document or an extremely thin document may not be fed along the pair of width regulating members, and as a result,
There is a problem that a so-called oblique sheet feeding or a center shift of the document occurs.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned facts, and the main technical problem is that even a curved (curled) document or an extremely thin document is positioned at a predetermined position on a document table. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic document feeder capable of reliably feeding a document along a pair of width regulating members.

[0005]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above technical object, a document table on which a document is placed, and positioning means for positioning the document placed on the document table at a predetermined position. And a feeding means for feeding a document placed on the document table to a feeding path, wherein the positioning means includes at least one of the document table and the document table in the width direction of the document table. Comprises a pair of width regulating members which are reciprocally mounted, and a pair of elastic pressing members which are respectively disposed at the distal ends of the pair of width regulating members and press the original placed on the original table. The pair of elastic pressing members are formed of a thin plate member, one end of which is attached to the tip of the width regulating member, and the other end of which is formed to be inclined downward in the transport direction, and is opposed to each other. The inner edge Is formed to be inclined outward toward the other end portion side from the one end, an automatic document feeder is provided, characterized in that.

[0006]

[0007]

[0008]

In the automatic document feeder constructed according to the present invention, if a document is placed on the document table between the pair of width regulating members constituting the positioning means, the width regulating member is moved inward. The inner side surface is positioned at a predetermined position by abutting on both side edges of the document. The original positioned at a predetermined position on the original table is pressed on both sides of the front end by elastic pressing members provided at the distal ends of the pair of width regulating members. Therefore, even if the document is curled, the document is pressed in close contact with the document table, so that both sides are fed while being reliably guided along the inner surface of the width regulating member.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of an automatic document feeder constructed according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an upper end portion of the electrostatic copying machine 2 and an automatic document feeder 4 mounted thereon. The electrostatic copying machine 2 has a housing 6, and on the upper surface of the housing 6, a transparent plate 8 (FIG. 2), which may be a glass plate, is provided. On one side (left side in FIG. 2) of the transparent plate 8, a document regulating member 1 for defining a document set reference position G is provided.
0 is disposed, and a stationary mounting member 12 is disposed on the other side (the right side in FIG. 2). The automatic document feeder 4 configured in accordance with the present invention includes a housing 6 of the electrostatic copying machine 2.
1 is pivotally mounted between a closed position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1 and an open position indicated by a two-dot chain line around a pivot axis extending along the rear edge of the transparent plate 8. Electrostatic copier 2
When the original is manually placed on the transparent plate 8, the automatic document feeder 4 is opened to expose the transparent plate 8, the original is placed at a required position on the transparent plate 8, and With the document feeder 4 closed, the transparent plate 8 and the document placed thereon are covered. When placing a document on the transparent plate 8, the document is placed in a desired position by contacting one edge of the document with the leading edge of the document regulating member 10 and positioning the one edge of the document at the document setting reference position G. Position. When the document is automatically loaded onto the transparent plate 8 using the automatic document feeder 4 and is automatically output from the transparent plate 8, the automatic document feeder 4 is positioned at the closed position.

Continuing the description with reference to FIG. 1, the illustrated automatic document feeder 4 includes a front cover 14 and a rear cover which are disposed at an interval in the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2). 16 is included. The front cover 14 and the rear cover 16 can be formed from an appropriate synthetic resin. A rear support substrate (not shown) is provided in the rear cover 16, and such a rear support substrate is connected via a mounting mechanism (not shown) which may itself be a known form. Thus, it is mounted on the upper surface of the housing 6 of the electrostatic copying machine 2 so as to be pivotable. Various components of the automatic document feeder 4 are directly or indirectly supported by the rear support substrate. A document placing means 18 and a document discharge tray 20 are provided between the front cover 14 and the rear cover 16.

The document placing means 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. The document placing means 18 includes a document table 22 which extends upward at a predetermined angle (mounting angle) from a left end to a right rear end in FIG. The auxiliary table 24 is rotatably mounted. The document table 22 is provided with positioning means 26 for positioning a document placed on the document table 22 at a predetermined position. The positioning means 26 is provided on the original table 22.
A pair of width regulating members 2 mounted reciprocally in the width direction of
60 and 260 are provided. The pair of width regulating members 26
Numerals 0 and 260 are formed of synthetic resin, and have pad mounting recesses 261 and 261 formed substantially in the center of opposing inner surfaces, respectively.
The friction pads 27, 27 are respectively attached to the side wall surfaces 261a, 261a constituting the base member 1 by an adhesive or the like. The friction pads 27, 27 are formed such that their opposing side surfaces project approximately 1 mm from the inner side surfaces of the width regulating members 260, 260. The friction pads 27, 27
It is important that the rubber has elasticity and its side surface has a predetermined coefficient of friction. The friction pads 27, 27
In the illustrated embodiment, it is formed by a rubber sponge made of an ethylene-propylene diene rubber-based material. And the friction pad 2 made of this rubber sponge
The coefficient of friction (μ) of the papers 7 and 27 against the paper is 500
The g load is preferably from 0.7 to 1.6, and more preferably from 1.0 to 1.3. The elastic performance of the friction pads 27, 27 made of a rubber sponge has a hardness of about 15 in JIS K 6301 (C type of a spring-type hardness tester) and a 25% compression load of 300.
About 600 g / cm ² is preferable.

Continuing the description with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4,
At the distal ends of the pair of width regulating members 260, a pair of elastic pressing members 28, 28 for pressing a document placed on the document table 22 are disposed, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the pair of elastic pressing members 28, 28 are formed of a thin plate member made of a synthetic resin such as Lumira, and one end of the pair of elastic pressing members 28, 28
60 are respectively attached to the tip portions. The elastic pressing member 28,
28, a pair of width regulating members 260, 260
The document table 2 is protruded inward from the inner side surface and is directed downward (the original table 2) in the transport direction (left side in FIG. 4).
(Document mounting surface side 2) are provided with inclined guide portions 268, 268, respectively. One end of each of the elastic pressing members 28 is attached to the lower surface (mounting surface) of each of the guides 268 and 268 by a fixing means such as an adhesive. As described above, the elastic pressing members 28, 28 having one ends attached to the guides 268, 268 provided at the distal ends of the width regulating members 260, 260 have the other ends bent upward at substantially right angles, The bent portion 281 is configured to abut on the document placing surface of the document table 22. Further, the elastic pressing members 28, 28 are formed as inclined edges 282, 282 whose inner edges facing each other are inclined outward from one end side toward the other end side.

Sliding pieces 262 and 262 are provided on the lower surfaces of the pair of width regulating members 260 and 260, respectively. The sliding pieces 262 and 262 extend in the document table 22 in the width direction. The guide grooves 221 and 221 are fitted into the guide grooves 221 and 221, respectively, and can reciprocate along the guide grooves 221 and 221. The sliding pieces 262, 262
The outer ends of a pair of racks 263 and 263 are connected to the lower surfaces of the racks 263 and 263, respectively. This pair of racks 263, 26
Numeral 3 meshes with a pinion 264 rotatably mounted on the document table 22 between the guide grooves 241 and 241. Therefore, the pair of width regulating members 260, 260
Is moved inward (or outward), the other width regulating member 260 is also moved inward (or outward) via the one rack 263, the pinion 264, and the other rack 263. Positioning means 2 configured in this way
6 is the width regulating member 2 if the document is placed on the document table 22 between the pair of width regulating members 260;
The friction pads 27, 2
7 abuts against both side edges of the document, and is positioned at a predetermined position by slightly applying pressure. In order to position the document placed on the document table 22 at a predetermined position, when the width regulating members 260, 260 are moved inward, both side edges of the document are moved by the width regulating members 260, 26.
The inner edges of the elastic pressing members 28, 28 are in contact with the inner edges of the elastic pressing members 28, 28 attached to the distal ends of the respective elastic members. Since the slanted edges 282 are formed as slanted edges, the upper surface of the uppermost document can be moved smoothly without interference. Then, both sides of the front end of the document positioned at a predetermined position on the document table 22 are pressed by the bent portions 281 of the elastic pressing members 28, 28. Therefore, even if the document is curled, the document table 22
Since it is pressed in a state of being in close contact with the upper side, the sheet is fed while the both side edges are reliably guided along the inner side surfaces of the width regulating members 260, 260. Further, as described above, the friction pads 27, 27 hold the both sides of the document by applying a small amount of pressure, so that the friction pads 27, 27 are slightly elastically deformed. And is held at a predetermined frictional force. In this manner, the frictional force (F1) generated between the originals of the plurality of originals positioned at the predetermined positions on the original table 22 and the frictional force (F1) generated between the friction pads 27, 27 and both side edges of the originals. F2) and the frictional force (F3) generated between the advance roller 40 and the document described later are (F1) <(F2) <(F
It is necessary that the relationship of 3) is satisfied.

Due to the backlash of the teeth constituting the racks 263 and 263 and the pinion 264 and the play caused by manufacturing, etc., if the hand is released from the width regulating members 260 and 260 after the original is positioned at a predetermined position, the width regulation is performed. Member 26
0, 260 may move slightly outward, and the pressing force of the friction pads 27, 27 on the both sides of the document decreases, and a predetermined force is applied between the friction pads 27, 27 and both sides of the document. Frictional force may not be obtained. Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, the racks 263, 26
3 and the document table 22, racks 263, 263
Braking member 26 for applying a braking force to the movement of
5, 265 and 266, 266 are provided. The friction braking members 265, 265 and 266, 266 are made of a brushed fiber material such as an acrylic pile seal, and in the illustrated embodiment, the friction braking members 26
5 and 265 are respectively attached to the outer end side surfaces of the racks 263 and 263 by an adhesive. The friction braking members 265 and 265 are attached to the rack 2 on the bottom of the document table 22.
The ribs 222, 222 formed in parallel with the ribs 63, 263 are pressed against the ribs 222 in an appropriately compressed state. Also,
The friction braking members 266 and 266 are connected to the ribs 222 and 22.
Each of the racks 263 and 263 is pressed against the side surface of the racks 263 and 263 in an appropriately compressed state. Thus, the racks 263, 2
63 and ribs 222 formed on the document table 22
2, the friction braking members 266 and 266 disposed between
Braking force (frictional force) against movement of racks 263 and 263
Is given. Therefore, after the width regulating members 260, 260 are moved inward and the document is pressed and sandwiched between the friction pads 27, 27 and positioned at a predetermined position, the width regulating members 260, 260 are moved.
Even when the user releases his / her hand, the width regulating members 260, 260 are held at the position where the document is positioned at the predetermined position by the braking force. Therefore, the document has the friction pads 27, 2 on both side edges.
7 is held in a state of being clamped by a predetermined pressing force. In the illustrated embodiment, an example of the positioning means by the center alignment method in which the pair of width regulating members 260 and 260 is configured to be movable is shown, but the positioning means of the method in which one width regulating member is fixed is used. It is also possible to apply. Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, the racks 263 and 263 and the ribs 222 and 222 formed on the document table 22 serve as friction braking means for applying a braking force (frictional force) to the movement of the width regulating members 260 and 260. Although the example in which the friction braking members 265, 265 and 266, 266 are disposed between the width regulating members 260, 266 is shown in the positioning means of the type in which one width regulating member is fixed.
A friction braking member may be provided between the document table 22 and the document table 22.

The document discharge tray 20 is disposed below the document placing means 18 and has a document placing surface 28 formed in a mountain shape when viewed from the front-back direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2).
Are formed. A left end cover 30 is provided between the left ends of the front cover 14 and the rear cover 16, and a right end cover 32 is provided between the right ends. In addition,
Inside the front cover 14, a safety switch SW1 for detecting the open / close state of the automatic document feeder 4 and a left end cover 3
0, and a safety switch SW for detecting the open / closed state of the right end cover 32.
The switches are arranged in series, and when the covers are located at the closed position and all the switches are closed, an ON signal is output to the control means described later.

Continuing the description with reference to FIGS.
On the downstream side of the document table 22, a document carrying means 33 having a pre-feed means 38 and a document separating mechanism 60 constituting a feeding means is provided. The original loading means 33
Includes a lower guide plate 34 extending to the downstream side of the document table 22 and an upper guide plate 36 disposed above the lower guide plate 34 at a predetermined interval. The upper guide plate 36 is disposed downstream from the downstream end of the forward feed means 38 in the transport direction. Below the lower guide plate 34, a forward roller 40 made of a rubber material having a predetermined coefficient of friction, which constitutes a forward member 38, is arranged. Is arranged to protrude slightly upward from an opening 42 formed on the upstream side. Above the forward feed roller 40, a forward feed pressing means 44 constituting the forward feed means 38 is provided. The forward feed pressurizing means 4
4 is a front feed roller 40 above the front feed roller 40.
A rotation shaft 46 disposed in parallel with the rotation shaft 46, and a document 50 which has an upper end fixed to the rotation shaft 46 and a lower end mounted on the document table 22 and inserted on the lower guide plate 34. And a pressurizing plate 48 to be used. The pressing plate 48 is formed of an elastic thin plate made of a stainless steel plate in the illustrated embodiment, and the upper end thereof is fixed to the rotating shaft 46 by a fixing means such as a screw. Acts on the upper surface of the uppermost document 50 placed on the document table 22 at an upper position of the feed roller 40,
The document 50 is configured to be pressed against the forward feed roller 40. The rotating shaft 46 that constitutes the forward feed pressurizing means 44
Support substrate 51 disposed above forward feed roller 40
Side plate 51a provided at the front and rear ends of the rear side plate 5 (FIG.
(Only 1a is shown). The rotating shaft 46 is connected to a solenoid SL1 via a link mechanism 52. When the solenoid SL1 is urged, the rotating shaft 46 is rotated in a direction shown by an arrow 56 against the spring force of a return spring 54. When the solenoid SL1 is deenergized, the solenoid SL1 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 58 by the spring force of the return spring 54. Therefore, the pressing plate 48 attached to the rotating shaft 46 is turned on by the solenoid SL1 and
6 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 56 and the stationary plate 34 is rotated.
The document 50 inserted above is pressed, the solenoid SL1 is deenergized, and the rotating shaft 46 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 58 by the spring force of the return spring 54, and is separated from the document 50. Advancing means 38 constructed in this way
The document 50 inserted in the stationary plate 34 by the pressing plate 48 by urging the solenoid SL1 of
Is pressed, and the forward feed roller 40 is driven, so that the lowermost original 50 can be sent out by a frictional driving force generated at a contact portion between the forward feed roller 40 and the lower surface of the lowermost original 50. At this time, as described above, the frictional force (F1) generated between the originals, the frictional force (F2) generated between the friction pads 27, 27 and both side edges of the original, and the friction between the forward feed roller 40 and the original. Is the frictional force (F3)
Since there is a relationship of (F1) <(F2) <(F3), a document separation function is generated, and only the lowest document can be sent out. The support substrate 51 is provided with a document set switch SW4 as document detection means. The document set switch SW4 is placed on the document table 22 and placed on the lower guide plate 34 on the lower guide plate 34. Is inserted as the first signal when the document table 2 is inserted.
When the document 50 is not placed on the document 2, an OFF signal as a second signal is output to the control means described later.

The document separating means 60 disposed downstream of the forward feed means 38 projects upward through an opening 62 formed below the lower guide plate 34 and formed in the stationary guide plate 34. A paper feed roller 64 having a plurality of rollers, the upper guide plate 36, and the upper guide plate 36
And a separation belt mechanism 66 protruding downward through an opening 77 formed at the bottom. An inclined portion 361 is formed at the upstream end (the right end in FIG. 5) of the upper guide plate 36 so as to extend slightly upstream from a right angle. A document regulating plate 59 is mounted on the rear surface of the inclined portion 361 at a position facing the pressure plate 48 by a fixing means such as an adhesive. This document regulating plate 59
Is formed so that its lower end protrudes below the lower surface of the upper guide plate 36. Therefore, the document regulating plate 59 regulates that most of the document 50 placed on the document table 22 and inserted on the lower guide plate 34 moves to the document separating mechanism 60 side, Only one or several lower sheets are allowed to move to the separation belt mechanism 66 side. The separation belt mechanism 66 is disposed above the upper guide plate 36, and includes a driving roller 67, a driven roller 68,
A plurality of separation belts 69 wound around a driving roller 67 and a driven roller 68 and alternately disposed with the plurality of paper supply rollers 64, and each separation belt 69 is formed on the upper guide plate 36. It is projected downward through the opening 74 formed. The feed roller 40 and the feed roller 6
4 and the separation belt mechanism 66 are driven to rotate in directions indicated by arrows 79, 80 and 82, respectively, by a driving means 78 including an electric motor M1 and a transmission mechanism 76 such as a gear mechanism or an electric belt mechanism. The electric motor M1 has a rotation amount detecting means FG1 such as a rotary encoder or a frequency generator which constitutes a document conveying amount detecting means.
And outputs a pulse signal, which is a detection signal, to control means described later. The document separating means 60 configured as described above prevents two or more documents from being fed from the document layer placed on the document table 22, and only the lowermost document is loaded into a document loading unit to be described later. The paper is fed to the road 98.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a document 50 placed on the document table 22 and inserted on the lower stationary guide plate 34 is provided between the forward feed means 38 and the document separating mechanism 60. A document stopper 84 operable between an operation position for restricting insertion of the document separation mechanism 60 into the document separation mechanism 60 and a retracting position allowing movement toward the document separation mechanism 60 is disposed. The document stopper 84 is disposed below the lower guide plate 34, and its base end is arranged at a position upstream of the forward feed roller 40 in parallel with the axis of the forward feed roller 40 with a space therebetween. The lower guide plate 3
4 is arranged through the opening formed therein. The rotation shaft 86 to which the document stopper 84 is attached is operated by stopper driving means 87. The stopper driving means 87 includes a latch type solenoid SL2, and a link mechanism 88 connecting the plunger 90 of the latch type solenoid SL2 and the rotation shaft 86. The latch type solenoid SL2 may be a well-known type, and includes a permanent magnet, a suction coil and a separation coil therein. When the suction coil is energized, the plunger 90 is attracted, and in this state, the plunger is attracted by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet. Even if the suction coil is de-energized by sucking the 90, the plunger 90 is held in the suction state. When the plunger 90 is separated from the attracted state, the separated coil is biased to separate the plunger 90 against the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, and then the plunger 90 is maintained in the separated state even when the separated coil is deenergized. It is supposed to be.
Accordingly, when the plunger 90 is sucked by urging the suction coil of the latch type solenoid SL2, the rotating shaft 86 moves to the direction indicated by the arrow 9.
The document stopper 84 which is rotated in the direction shown in FIG. 2 and attached to the rotation shaft 86 is positioned at the retreat position shown by a solid line in FIG. Also, the latch type solenoid SL2
When the plunger 90 is separated by urging the separation coil of
The rotation shaft 86 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 94, and the original stopper 84 attached to the rotation shaft 86 is positioned at the operation position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
6 is held by the spring force. The original stopper 8
4, a shield plate 85 is attached, and on the other hand, a stopper position detecting means SW5 is provided at a position facing the original stopper 84 when the original stopper 84 is located at the retreat position shown by a solid line. The stopper position detecting means SW5 includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element. When the document stopper 84 is positioned at the operation position indicated by the two-dot chain line, an ON signal as the first signal is received, and the document stopper 84 is retracted indicated by the solid line. When the shielding plate 85 is positioned between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, the OFF signal as the second signal is output to the control means described later.

Continuing the description with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG.
Are arranged. The transport belt mechanism 100 that constitutes the transport unit includes a driving roller 102 and a driven roller 10 that are disposed at intervals in the transport direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 2).
4, an endless belt 106 wound around them, and rolling rollers 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d disposed between the driving roller 102 and the driven roller 104.
105e. The lower running portion of the endless belt 106 extends along the transparent plate 8 of the electrostatic copying machine 2, and a document conveying path 108 is defined between the two. A document carrying path 98 is formed between the document carrying path 108 and the document separating unit 60. The document carrying path 98 is defined between the inner guide plate 110 and the outer guide plate 112. A registration roller pair 114 is provided in the document carrying path 98. The registration roller pair 114
Is composed of a driving roller 116 and a driven roller 118. A reflection-type optical original detector SW6 including a light emitting element and a light receiving element is disposed upstream of the registration roller pair 114 in the original introduction path 98, and the original detector SW6 is connected to the original introduction path 98. The passing document 50 is detected, and a detection signal is sent to a control unit described later. The drive roller 102 of the transport belt mechanism 100 and the drive roller 116 of the registration roller pair 114 are driven to rotate by a drive unit 120 including a forward / reverse rotation electric motor M2 and a transmission mechanism 118 such as a gear mechanism or a belt mechanism. . The driving roller 116 of the registration roller pair 114 is connected to the transmission mechanism 118 and the electromagnetic clutch C.
They are connected via L1. The electric motor M
A rotation amount detection means FG2 such as a rotary encoder or a frequency generator constituting the document conveyance amount detection means is attached to 2, and outputs a pulse signal as a detection signal to a control means described later.

A document reversing / discharging means 128 is provided on the right side of the document conveying path 108. The document reversing / discharging means 128 has a first document discharging path 130, and the first document discharging path 130 is provided between the reversing roller 134 and the outer guide plates 136, 138 constituting the document reversing and conveying means. Stipulated. Note that three driven rollers 135a, 135b, and 135c are disposed on the outer periphery of the reversing roller 134 in a pressed state. The first document discharge path 130
Downstream of the second document discharge path 140 and the document reversal path 1
42 is provided in a branched manner, and a branch control plate 144 is provided in this branched portion. Second document output path 140
Is defined between the branch control plate 144 and the outer guide plate 146. At the downstream end of the second document discharge path 140,
A discharge roller pair 152 including a driving roller 148 and a driven roller 150 is provided. A reflection type optical document detector SW7 including a light emitting element and a light receiving element is disposed in the second document discharge path 140.
Detects the document 50 passing through the second document discharge path 140 and sends a detection signal to a control unit described later. The reversing path 142 includes a reversing roller 134 and a branch control plate 144.
And the outer guide plate 154, the downstream end of which is formed facing the downstream end of the document conveying path 108. The document reversing path 142 is provided with a reflective optical document detector SW8 including a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the detector SW8 detects the document 50 passing through the document reversing path 142, The detection signal is sent to control means described later. The branch control plate 144 has a shaft 15
6 and is operated by a solenoid SL3. When the solenoid SL3 is deenergized, the solenoid SL3 is positioned at a position shown by a solid line in FIG.
Is biased, it is positioned at a position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 against the spring force of the return spring 158. Therefore, the document conveyed through the first document discharge path 130 is sent to the second document discharge path 140 when the solenoid SL3 is deenergized, and is transmitted to the document reversal path when the solenoid SL3 is biased. 142. The reversing roller 134 and the discharge roller pair 152
Are driven by driving means 162 comprising an electric motor M3 and a transmission mechanism 160 such as a gear mechanism or an electric belt mechanism, as indicated by arrows 164 and 166, respectively.
Is rotated in the direction indicated by. The electric motor M3 has a rotation amount detecting means FG such as a rotary encoder or a frequency generator which constitutes a document conveying amount detecting means.
3 is attached, and outputs a pulse signal as a detection signal to control means described later.

The automatic document feeder provided with the paper feed mechanism according to the present invention has a control means 200 shown in FIG. The control means 200 is configured by a microcomputer, and includes a central processing unit (CPU) 201 for performing arithmetic processing according to a control program, a read-on memory (ROM) 202 for storing a control program and a control map, and storing arithmetic results and the like. A read / write random access memory (RAM) 203, a timer 204, an input interface 205 and an output interface 206 are provided. The safety switch S is provided at the input interface 205 of the control means 200 thus configured.
W1, SW1, SW3, document set switch SW4, stopper position detecting means SW5, reflection type optical detector SW
6, SW7, SW8 and rotation amount detecting means FG1, FG
2, a detection signal is input from FG3 and the like, and a control signal is output from the output interface 206 to the electric motors M1, M2, M3, the solenoids SL1, SL3, the latch type solenoid SL2, and the electromagnetic clutch CL1. The control means 200 is connected to the control means 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2, and exchanges control signals between the two. An operation unit 220 and a display unit 230 are connected to the control unit 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2. The operation means 220 is arranged on the front upper surface of the electrostatic copying machine 2 as shown in FIG. 1, and includes copy operation keys such as a copy start key, a copy number designation key, a duplex copy designation key, and a copy operation stop key. The copy information is input to the control unit 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2. The display means 230 is arranged on the upper surface of the front portion of the electrostatic copying machine 2 adjacent to the operation means 220 like the operation means 220, and displays copy information, failure information, and the like.

The automatic document feeder equipped with the paper feed mechanism according to the illustrated embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation procedure will be described below with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 show a main routine, FIG. 12 shows a subroutine for primary paper feed, FIG. 13 shows a subroutine for secondary paper feed, and FIG. 14 shows a subroutine for reverse paper feed.

In the main routine shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the control means 200 first checks in step S1 whether all of the safety switches SW1, SW2 and SW3 are ON. That is, the automatic document feeder 4, the left end cover 30, and the right end cover 32
It is dangerous to operate the automatic document feeder 4 in a state where the document is opened, and if any one of them is opened, it is a check to prohibit the operation of the automatic document feeder 4. Therefore, in step S1, the safety switch SW
1. If any one of the switches SW2 and SW3 is OFF, wait until the cover is positioned at the closed position. If all the switches are ON, proceed to Step S2, and if the document set switch SW4 is ON, Whether or not there is, that is, whether or not a document is placed on the document table 22 is checked. Original set switch SW4 is ON
If not, it is determined that the document is not placed on the document table 22, and the process returns to step S1. If the document set switch SW4 is turned on in step S2, it is determined that a document is placed on the document table 22, and the process proceeds to step S3.
A value of 0 checks whether or not a copy start signal has been sent from the control means 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2. This copy start signal is sent from the control means 210 to the control means 200 when the operator inputs the copy start signal with the copy start key of the operation means 220. Therefore, if the copy start signal has not been sent, there is no need to copy, and the process returns to step S1. If the copy start signal has been sent in step S3, the process proceeds to step S4, and the control unit 200 determines whether or not the stopper position detection unit SW5 is ON, that is, the document stopper 84 is at the operation position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Check if it is positioned. This is because when the original 50 is placed on the original placing means 18 and inserted on the stationary plate 34 in a state where the original stopper 84 is not located at the operation position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. It reaches the document separating mechanism 60 beyond the lower end of the document regulating plate 59,
The document stopper 84 is positioned at the operation position to check whether the document 50 is set at the predetermined insertion position because there is a possibility that the document is double fed. If the stopper position detecting means SW5 is not ON in step S4, the document 50 may reach the document separating mechanism 60 and may be double fed. Therefore, the control means 200 does not shift to the document loading operation and the control means 200 proceeds to step S5. A jam alarm is displayed on the display unit 230 via the control unit 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2. As a result, it is possible to prevent a double feed of documents caused by placing the document 50 on the document table 18 and inserting it on the stationary plate 34 in a state where the document stopper 84 is not positioned at the operation position.

If the stopper position detecting means SW5 is ON in step S4, that is, if the document stopper 84 is positioned at the operation position, the control means 200 proceeds to step S6, in which the electric motor M2 is driven to rotate forward to convey. In addition to the operation of the belt mechanism 100, the electric motor M3 is driven to operate the reversing roller 134 and the discharge roller 148, and the operation of discharging any misplaced originals on the transparent plate 8 is performed. Further, the control means 200 determines in step S6
Then, the latch type solenoid SL2 is turned on (the latch type solenoid energizes the suction coil when sucking the plunger, and energizes the separation coil when separating the plunger. However, in the following description, the plunger is used for convenience. Is turned on when suction is performed, and turned off when the plunger is separated.) That is, the latch type solenoid SL2
And the original stopper 84 is positioned at the retreat position indicated by the solid line in FIG. Thus, the electric motor M2, the electric motor M3 and the latch type solenoid S
While activating L2, the control means 200 sets the timer T to T1. The set time T1 is, for example, 100
msec. Next, the control means 200 checks whether or not the elapsed time T0 from when the timer T was set to T1 has reached the set time T1 (step S1).
7) If the elapsed time T0 has not reached the set time T1, the process proceeds to step S8, where the stopper position detecting means SW
It is confirmed whether or not 5 is OFF, that is, whether or not the document stopper 84 is positioned at the retreat position indicated by a solid line in FIG. In step S8, the stopper position detecting means S
If W5 does not turn OFF, the process returns to step S7, and checks until the elapsed time T0 reaches the set time T1. If the stopper position detection means SW5 does not turn OFF even after the set time T1, the control means 200 returns to step S7. The operation of the document carrying means 33 is prohibited, and the process proceeds to step S9, where the document stopper 8 is controlled via the control means 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2.
4 is displayed on the display means 230 indicating that it is abnormal. From this abnormal display, the operator can know that the latch type solenoid SL2 or the link mechanism 88 constituting the stopper driving means 87 has failed. If the stopper position detecting means SW5 is turned off in step S8, the process proceeds to step S10 shown in FIG. 10 to clear the timer, and further proceeds to step P0 to execute a subroutine for primary paper feeding.

Next, a subroutine for primary paper feeding shown in FIG. 12 will be described. In step P1, the control means 200 turns on and drives the electric motor M1 of the document carrying means, energizes the solenoid SL1 and places the pressing plate 48 on the document table 22 and inserts it on the lower guide plate 34. The document 50 is pressed on the upper surface of the document 50.
For this reason, when the electric motor M1 is driven to rotate the forward roller 40, the forward roller 40
The original 50 is sent out by a frictional conveyance force generated at a contact portion between the lowermost original 50 and the lowermost original 50. When the document is fed by the forward feed roller 40, the document placed on the document table 22 and positioned at a predetermined position by the width regulating members 261 and 261 has both side edges on the width regulating member 261,
261, and are pressed by the elastic force of the friction pads 27, 27 compressed at that time. As described above, the width regulating members 261 and 261 that position the document placed on the document table 22 at a predetermined position are formed on the document table 22 and the racks 263 and 263 connected to the width regulating members 261 and 261. The original is always positioned at a predetermined position, and both edges are pressed, since the original is always held at a predetermined position by the friction braking members 266, 266 and 267, 267 disposed between the ribs 222, 222. Is held. Then, as described above, the frictional force (F1) generated between the originals, the frictional force (F2) generated between the friction pads 27, 27 and both side edges of the original, and the friction between the advance roller 40 and the original. The resulting friction force (F3) is (F1) <
Since the relationship of (F2) <(F3) is satisfied, a document separation function is generated, and only the lowest document can be sent out. As described above, the width regulating member 26
1, 261 are pressed and held on both side edges by the elastic force of the friction pads 27, 27, and the frictional force (F2) generated between the friction pads 27, 27 and both side edges of the document is separated from the document. Therefore, since the force with which the documents rub against each other is small, it is possible to prevent the document from being stained when the documents strongly rub against each other. Further, both sides of the front end of the document positioned at a predetermined position on the document table 22 are provided with elastic pressing members 2.
Since it is pressed by the bent portions 281 of 8, 28,
Even a curled document can be fed while being tightly pressed onto the document table 22 while being guided along the inner surfaces of the width regulating members 260, 260 on both sides thereof. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the document from being skewed and to prevent the document from being decentered. Also, as in the illustrated embodiment, the width regulating members 261, 2
When the friction pads 27, 27 are mounted on 61, both sides are pressed and held by the elastic force of the friction pads 27, 27, so if the holding force is large, the original is Although it is pressurized, there are cases where both side edges are not uniformly lowered and inclined, which causes a conveyance failure. However, in the illustrated embodiment, since both sides of the front end of the document are pressed by the bent portions 281 of the elastic pressing members 28, 28, both sides of the document can be always kept in close contact with the document table 22. it can. When the electric motor M1 is driven, the forward feed roller 4
0 and a paper feed roller 64 constituting the document separating mechanism 60
And the drive roller 67 of the separation belt mechanism 66 is rotated, so that if a plurality of documents are fed by the forward feed roller 40, the lowest document among them is fed to the document feed path 98. Will be sent. When the document on the document table 22 has been fed to the document feed-in path 98 in this way, the control means 200 determines whether or not the detector SW6 has been turned ON, that is, the leading end of the document fed to the document feed-in path 98 is detected by the detector. It is checked whether or not SW6 has been reached (step P2). If the detector SW6 is not turned on in Step P2, the process waits. If the detector SW6 is turned on, the control means 200 sets the timer T to T2 (Step P3). The set time T2 is set to, for example, 25 msec. Next, the control means 200 checks whether or not the elapsed time T0 after setting the timer T to T2 has reached the set time T2 (step P4).
If the elapsed time T0 has reached the set time T2, the process proceeds to Step P.
In step 5, the electric motor M1 and the solenoid SL1 are turned off to stop the document feeding operation. The original fed to the original feed path 98 by the advance roller 40 and the original separating mechanism 60 by this primary feeding operation is in a state where the front end thereof is brought into contact with the nip portion of the registration roller pair 114 in the inactive state. , And the primary paper feeding ends.

Returning again to the main routine shown in FIG. 10, when the primary paper feeding is completed as described above, the control means 200 proceeds to step Q0 and executes a secondary paper feeding subroutine. The subroutine for secondary paper feeding will be described with reference to FIG. The control means 200 turns on and energizes the electromagnetic clutch CL1 attached to the drive roller 116 of the registration roller pair 114 in step Q1. When the electromagnetic clutch CL1 is energized, the driving roller 116 of the registration roller pair 114 is rotationally driven because the electric motor M2 has already been driven to rotate forward. Therefore, the document fed to the nip portion of the pair of registration rollers 114 in the primary paper feeding is conveyed to a document conveying path 108 extending along the transparent plate 8 of the electrostatic copying machine 2, and further, The sheet is conveyed on the transparent plate 8 from the left side (one end) to the right side (the other end) in FIG. 2 by the conveyance belt mechanism 100 constituting the conveyance means. Next, the control means 200 controls the detector S provided in the original carrying path 98 in step Q2.
Whether or not W6 is turned off, that is, the trailing end of the original is detected by the detector SW
6 is checked, and the detector SW6 is turned off.
If the detector SW6 is turned off, it is determined that the rear end of the document has passed the detector SW6, and the process proceeds to step Q3, where a double-sided copy signal is transmitted from the control unit 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2. Check whether it has been done. This double-sided copy signal is input to the control unit 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2 by the operator using the double-sided copy designation key of the operation unit 220, and is sent from the control unit 210 to the control unit 200 based on the input signal. If there is a double-sided copy signal in step Q3, the flow advances to step R0 to execute a reverse paper feed subroutine. The reversal sheet feeding subroutine will be described later. If there is no double-sided copy signal in step Q3, the flow advances to step Q4 to start counting the pulse signal PSB from the rotation amount detecting means FG2 mounted on the electric motor M2 of the transport belt mechanism 100. Step Q
When the counting of the pulse signal PSB is started in step 4, the process proceeds to step Q5, where the control means 200 checks whether or not the pulse signal PSB has reached the set pulse number PS1. This set pulse number PS1 is a pulse number corresponding to the rotation amount of the electric motor M2 corresponding to the document conveyance amount from the detector SW6 to the document set reference position G in FIG. If the pulse signal PSB does not reach the set number of pulses PS1 in step Q5, the transport is continued after waiting,
If the pulse signal PSB has reached the set number of pulses PS1, it is determined that the rear end of the document has reached the document setting reference position G, and the flow advances to step Q6 to turn the electric motor M2 off.
F to stop the operation of the transport belt mechanism 100. At the same time, the electromagnetic clutch CL1 is turned off, and the count of the pulse signal PSB from the rotation amount detection means FG2 is cleared. Next, in step Q7, the control means 200 again outputs the pulse signal P from the rotation amount detection means FG2.
Start counting SB. This is because even if the electric motor M2 is turned off, the drive shaft of the electric motor M2 does not stop immediately but slightly rotates due to inertia. Therefore, the trailing end of the document is rotated by the inertia force and conveyed to the position overrunning the document set reference position G and moved forward, that is, to the right side of the document set reference position G in FIG. This transport amount (overrun amount)
This is for detecting If the counting of the pulse signal PSB from the rotation amount detection means FG2 is started in step Q7, the control means 200 sets the rotation angle detection means FG2
It is confirmed whether or not the pulse signal PSB from the controller has become zero (0), that is, whether or not the electric motor M2 has stopped reliably (step Q8). If it is confirmed in step Q8 that the pulse signal PSB from the rotation amount detecting means FG2 has become zero (0), the process proceeds to step Q9, where the control means 20
0 indicates the number of pulses P from the rotation amount detecting means FG2 until the electric motor M2 stops without fail, that is, until the pulse signal PSB from the rotation amount detecting means FG2 becomes zero (0).
S2 is stored in the random access memory (RAM) 203 as an overrun amount, and the count of the pulse signal PSB from the rotation amount detection means FG2 is cleared. Next, the control means 200 determines in step Q10
The electric motor M2 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction to reversely operate the transport belt mechanism 100, and starts counting the pulse signal PSB from the rotation amount detection means FG2 mounted on the electric motor M2. If the counting of the pulse signal PSB from the rotation amount detecting means FG2 is started in step Q10, the process proceeds to step Q11, and the control means 200 determines whether or not the pulse signal PSB has reached the pulse number PS2 corresponding to the overrun amount. Check. Step Q11
If the pulse signal PSB does not reach the pulse number PS2 corresponding to the overrun amount at, the transport is continued after waiting,
If the pulse signal PSB has reached the pulse number PS2 corresponding to the overrun amount, it is determined that the rear end of the document has reached the document set reference position G, and the process proceeds to step Q12.
The electric motor M2 is turned off to stop the operation of the transport belt mechanism 100. The control means 200 outputs a print signal, that is, an exposure start preparation completion signal, to the control means 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2.

Next, the reverse sheet feeding operation will be described based on the reverse sheet feeding subroutine shown in FIG. Control means 20
In step R1, in step R1, the electric motor M3 is turned on to rotationally drive the reversing roller 134, and the solenoid SL3 for controlling the operation of the branch control plate 144 is turned on and energized. When the solenoid SL3 is energized, the branch control plate 1
Since the document 44 is positioned at a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, the document conveyed by the conveyance belt mechanism 100 and the reversing roller 134 passes through the document conveyance path 108 formed on the transparent plate 8 to the left (one end) in FIG. ) To the right side (the other end), and further to the document reversing path 142 through the first document discharge path 130. When the electric motor M3 and the solenoid SL3 are operated to convey a document to the document reversing path 142 in this manner, the control means 200 causes the document detector S disposed in the reversing path 142 to operate.
W8 is ON or not, that is, the front end of the original is detected by the original detector S
It is checked whether or not W8 has been reached (step R2). If the document detector SW8 is not turned on, the process waits. If the document detector SW8 is turned on, the process proceeds to step R3, in which the electric motor M2 of the transport belt mechanism 100 is rotated in reverse. The rotation amount detecting means FG3 attached to the electric motor M3 for driving the conveyance belt mechanism 100 in the reverse direction and for driving the reversing roller 134.
The counting of the pulse signal PSC is started. If the counting of the pulse signal PSC from the rotation amount detecting means FG3 is started in step R3, the process proceeds to step R4, where the control means 200 determines that the pulse signal PSC is equal to the set pulse number P.
It is checked whether or not S3 (the first predetermined transport amount) has been reached. The set pulse number PS3 is determined by
Is set to the document conveyance amount (the number of pulses) by the reversing roller 134, which corresponds to the time from when the electric motor M2 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction until the rotation speed is stabilized. The document conveyed by the reversing roller 134 is introduced to the right side (the other end) of the document conveyance path 108 in FIG. 2 and is conveyed leftward (one end) by the conveyance belt mechanism 100. If the pulse signal PSC does not reach the set pulse number PS3 in step R4, the process waits until the pulse signal PS
If C reaches the set pulse number PS3, step R5
To start the positioning control of the electric motor M2 of the transport belt mechanism 100, and the pulse signal PS from the rotation amount detecting means FG2 mounted on the electric motor M2.
B count starts counting. The positioning control means that when the front end of the document conveyed by the conveyance belt mechanism 100 approaches the document set reference position G in FIG. 2, the rotation speed of the electric motor M2 is reduced and the pulse signal PSB is set to the set pulse number PS4 (second When the electric motor M2 is turned off after reaching the predetermined conveyance amount, control is performed so that the original does not overrun the original set reference position G due to the inertial force. If the pulse signal PSB has begun to be counted, the process proceeds to step R6, where the control means 200 determines that the pulse signal PSB has reached the set pulse number PS4 (second pulse).
(The predetermined transport amount) is checked. The set number of pulses PS4 is the number of pulses corresponding to the document transport amount for transporting the front end of the document sent to the transport belt mechanism 100 to the document set reference position G by the transport belt mechanism 100 at the start of the counting of the pulse signal PSB. It is. If the pulse signal PSB does not reach the set pulse number PS4 in step R6, the conveyance is continued after waiting. If the pulse signal PSB reaches the set pulse number PS4, the front end of the document has reached the document set reference position G. Then, the process proceeds to step R7, in which the electric motor M2 is turned off to stop the operation of the transport belt mechanism 100. At the same time, the electric motor M3 is turned off to stop the operation of the reversing roller 134 and the discharge roller 148, and the solenoid SL3 is turned off to deenergize the branch control plate 144.
At the position indicated by the solid line. The control means 200 outputs a print signal, that is, an exposure start preparation completion signal, to the control means 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2.

Next, the description returns to the main flow of FIG. If the primary paper feed subroutine P0, the secondary paper feed subroutine Q0, and the reverse paper feed subroutine R0 are executed as described above, the control unit 200 determines in step S11 whether the document set switch SW4 is ON, that is, the document table 22. Check if there are any documents left on top. If the document set switch SW4 is ON, the control means 200 sets a document flag (step S1).
2) The primary paper feed subroutine P0 is executed again. The primary paper feed subroutine P0 is performed while the original previously conveyed on the transparent plate 8 is being exposed. When the primary paper feed subroutine P0 is executed again in this way, the control means 200 proceeds to step S13 as shown in FIG. 11, and determines whether or not a document exchange signal is sent from the control means 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2. Confirm. This document exchange signal is sent from the control unit 210 of the electrostatic copying machine 2 to the control unit 200 when the exposure of the document previously conveyed on the transparent plate 8 is completed.
Sent to If there is a document exchange signal in step S13, the process proceeds to step S14, in which the electric motor M2 is driven to rotate forward to operate the transport belt mechanism 100, and the electric motor M3 is driven to drive the reversing roller 134 and the discharge roller 148. The document is rotated and driven to discharge the original on the transparent plate 8 that has been exposed. The original on the transparent plate 8 which has been exposed by this discharge operation is conveyed rightward in FIG.
The document is conveyed to the second document carry-out path 140 through 0. When the electric motor M2 and the electric motor M3 are driven to start the discharge operation of the original, the control means 200 proceeds to step S15, and the original detector S disposed in the second original discharge path 140
Whether W7 has been turned on once and then turned off, that is, whether the rear end of the document conveyed to the second document output path 140 is the detector SW
7 is turned on, the document detector SW7 is turned on once and waits if it is not turned off. If the document detector SW7 is turned on and then turned off, the trailing end of the document is detected. Upon determining that the signal has passed SW7, the control means 200 proceeds to step S16 and sets the timer T to T3. The set time T3 is a time from when the rear end of the document passes through the document detector SW7 to when the document passes through the discharge roller 148, and is set to, for example, 100 msec.
If the timer T is set to T3 in step S16, the control means 200 proceeds to step S17, and the elapsed time T0 after the trailing edge of the document has passed the document detector SW7.
Checks whether the time has reached the set time T3. If the elapsed time T0 has not reached the set time T3, the document discharge operation is continued. If the elapsed time T0 has reached the set time T3, the trailing edge of the document is Since it is determined that the sheet has passed the discharge roller 148, the process proceeds to step S18, and the electric motor M3 is turned off to stop the operation of the reversing roller 134 and the discharge roller 148. The exposed document discharged from the discharge roller 148 in this manner is discharged onto the document discharge tray 20. Next, the control means 200 proceeds to step S19 to check whether or not the document flag is set. If the document flag is set, the control unit 200 determines that the next document has already completed primary feeding. Then, the process proceeds to the secondary paper feed subroutine Q0. If the document flag is not set in step S19, the process proceeds to step S20, where it is determined that there is no document that has been primarily fed, and the electric motor M2 is turned off to stop the operation of the transport belt mechanism 100. After that, the control means 200 returns to the step S1 and executes the respective steps. If there is no original exchange signal in step S13, the flow advances to step S21 to check whether a double-sided copy signal has been sent. If no double-sided copy signal has been sent, the process returns to step S13.
If the double-sided copy signal has been sent, the process proceeds to step S22, in which the electric motor M2 of the transport belt mechanism 100 is driven to rotate forward, the electric motor M3 for driving the reversing roller 134 is turned on, and the reversing sheet feeding subroutine R0 is further performed. Move to

The step S11 in FIG.
If the document set switch SW4 is not turned on, it is determined that there is no document to be copied on the document table 22 and the process proceeds to step S23, where the document flag is cleared and the latch type solenoid SL2 is turned off. Then, the plunger is operated in the separating direction to position the document stopper 84 at the operation position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. At the same time, the control means 200 sets a timer T to T4 in order to diagnose a failure of the latch solenoid SL2 and the link mechanism 88 constituting the stopper driving means 87. The set time T4 is set to, for example, 100 msec. Next, the control means 200 checks whether or not the elapsed time T0 after setting the timer T has reached the set time T4 (step S24).
If has not reached the set time T4, step S2
5 to determine whether the stopper position detecting means SW5 is ON or not.
That is, it is checked whether or not the document stopper 84 is positioned at the operation position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. If the stopper position detecting means SW5 is not turned on in step S25, the process returns to step S24, and a check is performed until the elapsed time T0 reaches the set time T4. Even after the set time T4, the stopper position detecting means SW5 is turned on.
If not, the process proceeds to step S26 to display on the display means 230 that the document stopper 84 is abnormal.
From this abnormal display, the operator can know that the latch type solenoid SL2 or the link mechanism 88 constituting the stopper driving means 87 has failed.

[0031]

The automatic document feeder according to the present invention is constructed as described above, and the positioning means for positioning the document placed on the document table on which the document is placed at a predetermined position is provided on the document table in the width direction of the document table. A pair of width regulating members, at least one of which is reciprocally mounted, and a pair of elastic pressing members for pressing a document placed on a document table are provided at the distal ends of the pair of width regulating members. As a result, the original placed on the original table and positioned at a predetermined position by the pair of width regulating members is pressed on both sides of the front end by the elastic pressing members provided respectively at the distal ends of the pair of width regulating members. . Therefore, even if the document is curled, the document is pressed in close contact with the document table, so that both sides of the document are fed while being reliably guided along the inner surface of the width regulating member, and the document is fed obliquely. Paper can be prevented, and center deviation can be prevented.

Further, according to the present invention, the pair of elastic pressing members are made of a thin plate member, one end of which is attached to the tip of the width regulating member, and the other end of which is inclined downward in the conveying direction. Since it has a very simple configuration formed in this manner, an inexpensive automatic document feeder can be obtained.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the thin plate members constituting the pair of elastic pressing members are formed such that the inner edges facing each other are inclined outward from one end to the other end. Therefore, when the width regulating member is moved inward to position the document placed on the document table at a predetermined position, both side edges of the document are inside the thin plate member constituting the elastic pressing member. Although it contacts the edge, it can move smoothly without interference along the slope of the inner edge of the thin plate member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an automatic document feeder configured according to the present invention is mounted on an electrostatic copying machine.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the automatic document feeder shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded plan view showing a main part of a document table and a positioning means configured according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a loading unit of the automatic document feeder shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

6 is an exploded perspective view of the carrying-in means shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a transport belt mechanism and a document reversing / discharging unit of the automatic document transport device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit provided in the automatic document feeder shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

9 shows a processing procedure of the control means shown in FIG. 8,
9 is a flowchart showing a part of a main routine.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the control means shown in FIG. 8, and showing a part of a main routine.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the control means shown in FIG. 8, and showing a part of a main routine.

12 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a control unit shown in FIG. 8, and showing a subroutine for primary paper feeding.

13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the control means shown in FIG. 8, and showing a subroutine for secondary paper feeding.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a control unit shown in FIG. 8, and showing a subroutine of reverse sheet feeding.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2: Electrostatic copying machine 4: Automatic document feeder 6: Housing of electrostatic copying machine 8: Transparent plate 10: Document regulating member 18: Document placing means 20: Document discharge tray 22: Document table 24: Auxiliary table 26: Positioning means 27: friction pad 28: elastic pressing member 33: document loading means 34: lower guide plate 36: upper guide plate 38: forward feed means 40: forward feed roller 44: forward feed pressing means 48: pressing plate 59: Document regulating plate 60: Document separating mechanism 64: Paper feed roller 66: Separation belt mechanism 67: Driving roller 68: Follower roller 69: Separation belt 78: Driving means 84: Document stopper 87: Stopper driving means 98: Document carrying path 100: Conveying belt mechanism 102: drive roller 104: driven roller 106: endless belt 108: document conveying path 114: registration roller pair 116 Driving roller 118: driven roller 120: driving means 128: document reversing / discharging means 130: first document carrying path 134: reversing roller 135a, 135b, 135c: driven roller 140: second document carrying path 142: reversing path 144 : Branch control plate 148: drive roller 150: driven roller 152: discharge roller pair 162: drive means 200: control means 210: control means of electrostatic copying machine 2 220: operation means 260: width regulating member 261: pad mounting recess 262 : Sliding piece 263: Rack 264: Pinion 265: Friction braking member 266: Friction braking member 281: Inclined edge M1, M2, M3: Electric motor FG1, FG2, FG3: Rotation amount detection means SL1: Solenoid SL1: Latch type Solenoid SL3: Solenoid CL1: Electromagnetic clutch SW1, SW2 SW3: safety switch SW4: document setting switch SW5: stopper position detecting means SW6, SW7, SW8: reflective optical document detector

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Hiroshi Wada, Inventor Hiroshi Wada 1-2-28, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi Inside Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masayuki Kakuda 1-2-28, Tamazuki, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi Mita Kogyo Incorporation (56) References JP-A 2-147433 (JP, U) JP-A 3-74531 (JP, U) JP-A 60-193333 (JP, U) JP-A 61-92642 (JP, U.S.A.) U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/00 107 G03B 27/62-27/64 B65H 1/00-3/68

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An original table on which an original is placed, and the original
The position where the document placed on the table is positioned at the specified position.
Attaching means, and a transport diameter of the original placed on the original table.
Automatic document feeder comprising:
In the above, the positioning means may be provided on the original table.
A pair of which at least one is reciprocally mounted in the width direction
Width control memberAnd a pair of width regulating members,
And presses an original placed on the original table.
A pair of elastic pressing members, The pair of elastic pressing members are formed of a thin plate member and one end thereof is
Attached to the end of the width regulating member, the other end is in the transport direction
Are formed to incline downward toward
Inner edge is outward from the one end side toward the other end side.
It is formed inclined toward,  An automatic document feeder, characterized in that: