JP3262457B2 - 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 for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, and more particularly, to a method for automatically supplying a document to a document table of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder for discharging the original after the end.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, when a plurality of original sheets are copied by an image forming apparatus, an automatic document feeder for automatically feeding a document to a document table in advance is provided to the image forming apparatus in order to increase the efficiency of the copying operation. Use only the equipment that is provided.

An image forming apparatus and an automatic document feeder for configuring an automatic document feeder to be attachable to the image forming apparatus later in order to improve work efficiency for a user who has purchased only the image forming apparatus. Devices are known.

[0004]

However, when a user who owns the image forming apparatus beforehand uses the automatic document feeder by attaching it to the image forming apparatus later,
When a repairer (hereinafter referred to as a service person) assembles the image forming apparatus and the automatic document feeder and uses it by a user, the thick document such as a dictionary can be reliably opened and closed by the automatic document feeder. The hinge foot of the opening / closing section of the automatic document feeder is a mechanism that floats (hereinafter, floats) in the image forming apparatus main body so as to be pressed and fixed by the section. It is necessary to take measures to prevent the part from slipping out.

[0005] A spring for reducing the opening / closing force of the automatic document feeder is incorporated as a role of a hinge foot, and a moment by the spring is applied in a direction in which the hinge foot is turned in the horizontal direction ( When the hinge foot floats and separates from the engaging portion (hinge foot holder) of the image forming apparatus, the hinge force causes the hinge foot to rotate horizontally from 90 ° to a horizontal impact by the spring force. Is very dangerous for

Further, when the automatic document feeder is to be mounted later, the rear cover of the image forming apparatus must be removed in order to prevent the hinge feet from coming off, and in some cases, the mounting components inside the apparatus must also be removed. This has the disadvantage that the efficiency of the operation is significantly reduced.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A document according to the present invention is provided.
The automatic feeder is provided on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus so as to be openable and closable, automatically feeds a document to a document table provided on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body when closing, and a hinge foot when pressing a thick document such as a dictionary. Are configured to float and to be surely pressed, and furthermore, to have a function of preventing the hinge foot from coming off.

As a configuration for this purpose, the image forming apparatus main body has a protruding engaging portion for positioning the automatic document feeder, and a protruding portion for preventing the protruding engaging portion from coming off.
The automatic document feeder itself is characterized in that a moment acts on the engaging portion in the use state, the engagement does not come off, and the moment does not act on insertion / removal, so that the engagement can be released.

[0009]

The automatic document feeder according to the present invention can be smoothly attached / detached by having the above-described structure, the automatic document feeder can be positioned vertically in the open state to eliminate the moment acting on the hinge foot, thereby eliminating the moment. When the document is set thick, an automatic document feeder can be prevented from popping out even when a thick document is set.

Thus, even when a service person or the like assembles and arranges the apparatus, it is not necessary to adjust the image forming apparatus main body in particular, and the time and labor required for the installation work can be reduced.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An automatic document feeder according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows an automatic document feeder 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, a support member 110 attached to the automatic document feeder 100, and an image forming apparatus 20.
0 is a sectional view.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view of the hinge foot of the present invention.

The automatic document feeder 100 with the support member 110 attached thereto inserts the hinge foot (leg) 1 of the support member 110 with the hinge roller 30 into a hinge foot holder 205 formed on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 200. It is held detachably.

That is, the automatic document feeder 100 is substantially 90 ° away from the image forming apparatus 200 via the support member 110.
Is rotated within the range of the angle. Therefore,
The automatic document feeder 100 automatically closes the platen glass 201 of the image forming apparatus 200 in the closed state when performing continuous copying and copying, and when copying a book or a thick original, etc. Then, the automatic document feeder 100 is once opened from the platen glass 201, the document is set, and then the automatic feeder 100 is closed again to read and copy the document.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a document conveying belt, 102 denotes a rotating pulley shaft for supporting the belt,
0 is a sheet discharge roller of the copying machine, 220 is a discharge tray,
Numeral 12 is before the touchdown and 13 is after the touchdown.

Next, a structure around a hinge foot according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The support member 110 includes a hinge foot 1, a hinge foot bracket 2, an inner metal plate 3, an outer metal plate 4, elastic members (springs) 5 and 6, a spring holder 7, and a hinge roller 3.
0, an elastic member (rubber) 40, a shaft 8 for locking the inner metal plate 3 and the outer metal plate 4, a shaft 9 for locking the hinge foot bracket 2 and the inner metal plate 3, the hinge leg 1 and the hinge roller 30. A cam groove 4a is formed in the outer metal plate 4 so as to correspond to the cam shaft 10, and includes a cam shaft 10 for regulating movement of the inner metal plate 3 and the outer metal plate 4. An elastic elastic member (rubber) 40 is attached to the hinge foot 1.

The position of the automatic document feeder 100 is determined by the hinge roller 30 provided on the hinge foot 1 of the hinge foot holder 205 provided in the image forming apparatus 200.

More specifically, the image forming apparatus 20
0 and the automatic document feeder 100, the image forming apparatus 200 is usually used to perform a stable reading operation.
The four feet of the automatic document feeder 100 (the front feet 12a and 12b and the back feet 13a and 13b) need to be in uniform contact with the platen glass 201 or the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 200. There is. Otherwise, when the original is transported from the automatic document feeder 100 onto the platen glass 201 of the image forming apparatus 200, a transport failure due to skew may occur.

However, when a thick original is set, the grounding foot floats from the platen glass 201, and if the thick original cannot be pressed vertically against the platen glass 201,
The platen glass 201 may be displaced from the regular position, or one side of the document may float.

To prevent this, the hinge foot 1 is formed with a projection for preventing the hinge from coming off. this is,
When the automatic document feeder 100 is closed during copying of a thick document, the hinge foot 1 starts to float vertically in the hinge foot holder 205 (see FIG. 3), and the maximum floating amount is A (see FIG. 2). This is the amount by which the convex portion of the hinge foot 1 is brought into contact with the hinge foot holder 205 via the shock absorbing member (rubber) 40.

As a result, a thick original can be pressed vertically, and the prevention of slipping out can be realized.

An original is automatically fed to the image forming apparatus 200.
Assembling device 100Waswhen,Mohme on hinge foot 1
Figure MAs shown in the hinge
For the inner width X of the foot holder 205, the automatic document feeder
Hinge foot and hinge roller when closed30Width includingY
Is X <YIn the hinge foot holder 205.
Foot1, The hinge foot 1 does not come off.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, since the width Z including the convex portion of the hinge foot and the hinge roller 30 is X> Z , it can be inserted into the hinge foot holder 205, and the automatic document
Since the moment is not applied to the hinge foot 1 when the feeder 100 is opened, the feeder 100 can be easily pulled out.

As described above, the hinge foot 1 is prevented from coming off.
When the automatic document feeder 100 is inserted into the image forming apparatus 200 by providing a stopper convex portion, the automatic document feeder 100 is easily opened into the hinge foot holder 205 by opening the automatic document feeder 100 by 90 ° or more with respect to the platen glass. When the automatic document feeder 100 is closed to a certain extent, the convex portion provided on the hinge foot 1 can move the hinge foot holder 20 even when floating.
5 can be prevented from falling off.

With the above-described configuration, when the service man or the like mounts the automatic document feeder 100 on the image forming apparatus 200, the automatic document feeder 100 can be installed without any special adjustment work. And time and labor can be reduced.

The shock absorbing elastic member 40 is not limited to rubber, but may be a spring, sponge, or the like.

[0029]

[0030]

( Second Embodiment) FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment.

In the above-described first embodiment, the protrusion for preventing the detachment is formed by the member of the hinge foot. In the third embodiment, the detachment preventing effect is provided by applying a screw.

( Third Embodiment) FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment.

In the first embodiment, the protrusion for preventing the detachment is formed in a tapered shape by the member of the hinge foot.
In the embodiment, the tapered detachment preventing projection is made swingable by using the swinging member 51, and is easily inserted by the hinge foot holder 205.

( Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment.

In the first embodiment, the protrusion for preventing the detachment is formed by the member of the hinge foot. In the fifth embodiment, the other separate member 52 is screwed. .

[0037]

As described above, according to the automatic document feeder according to the present invention, the automatic document feeder can be easily attached / detached when it is assembled and mounted on the image reading apparatus, and the automatic document feeder can be floated when a thick original is mounted. In this case, it is possible to prevent jumping out and to reduce the time and labor required for installation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a left side view of an image forming apparatus provided with an automatic document feeder according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged left side sectional view showing a hinge portion of the automatic document feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged left side sectional view of a hinge portion of the automatic document feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention when floating;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged left side sectional view showing a hinge portion when the automatic document feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention is inserted into the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged left side sectional view showing a hinge portion of the automatic document feeder according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged left side sectional view showing a hinge portion of the automatic document feeder according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged left side sectional view showing a hinge portion of an automatic document feeder according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hinge foot 2 Hinge foot bracket 30 Hinge roller 40 Shock absorbing member 100 Automatic document feeder 200 Image forming apparatus 201 Platen gas 205 Hinge foot holder

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03B 27/62 G03B 27/14 G03G 15/00 107

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] An automatic document feeder is provided on an upper surface of an image forming apparatus so as to be openable and closable, and automatically feeds a document to a document table provided on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus when the document is closed. A projection-shaped engaging portion for positioning the automatic document feeder main body, which detachably holds the automatic document feeder main body by being inserted into the formed holding hole; A holding leg having a projection for preventing the holding leg from being removed from the hole, wherein a width of the holding leg including a projection of the holding leg is set to be smaller than a width of the holding hole ; The automatic document feeder body can be rotated freely.
A supporting member connected to the automatic document feeder includes an elastic member for applying a moment between the holding leg portion and the automatic document feeder main body. A moment acts, and the protrusion of the holding leg does not come off due to the prevention of disengagement, the moment does not work in the open state, and the protrusion of the holding leg disengages without preventing the removal. An automatic document feeder characterized by being able to do so. 2. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is set so as to reduce the opening / closing force of the automatic document feeder main body. 3. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein said projecting engagement portion is a rotatable roller member. 4. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein the projection of the holding leg has the same member and a disengagement prevention mechanism. 5. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion of the holding leg portion functions as a disengagement prevention mechanism by adding a separate member. 6. The projection of the holding leg, wherein the projection of the holding leg is
2. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein the automatic document feeder has a tapered shape from a convex portion toward a tip of the holding leg . 7. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a spring.