JP3544083B2 - Automatic document feeder - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a facsimile machine, and more particularly, to an automatic document feeder having a separation mechanism for separating an uppermost document from a bundle of documents.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine has become digitized and multifunctional, the demand for an automatic document feeder that separates and feeds a document from the top due to the system configuration has been increasing. On the other hand, in an automatic document feeder mounted on a low-speed to medium-speed copying machine, the document is inverted to one position in a document feeder and conveyed to an image reading unit for space-saving or cost reasons. In order to feed a document in page order in such a device, the document is set on a document table provided on an upper surface of the device (hereinafter, referred to as a document feeder). This method is referred to as original feeding).
[0003]
In this method, since the originals are separated one by one from the top, there is a merit that the driving load can be reduced because the original weight is not affected when the originals are transported.
The paper feeding means used in this method is provided so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from a document bundle composed of a plurality of documents placed on a document placing table, and when it comes into contact with the document bundle, an upper layer is formed from the document bundle. , And a feed roller and a separation prevention roller for separating the uppermost document from the upper-layer document fed by the call roller. At the time of paper feeding, the posture of the document is regulated because the document is loaded by a page roller, a sheet feeding roller, or the like.
[0004]
However, between the time when the separated document passes between the feeding roller and the separation preventing roller and the time when the subsequent document is fed by the recall roller, there is no means for regulating the following document, The influence of the separation of the document or a slight disturbance easily causes the posture of the subsequent document to be disturbed, which causes the skew of the document.
In the case of the automatic document feeder based on the end face, such a problem is not always caused by the separation means such as the above-described paper feed roller and separation prevention roller being arranged at the center of the document in the transport direction. The cause of the disturbance due to is larger than that of the central reference, and the occurrence of skew is larger than that of the central reference.
[0005]
Therefore, in order to stabilize the orientation of the original, as shown in FIG. 11, guide plates 2 and 3 that can support the upper and lower surfaces of the original on the original placing table are provided, and the change in the orientation of the original is kept within a predetermined range. I try to hold it down.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such a conventional automatic document feeder, the guide plates 2 and 3 face the upper and lower surfaces of the document P as shown in FIG. Since the supporting portions 2a, 2b, 3a, and 3b are provided and a constant gap is provided between the supporting portions 2a to 3b, the change in the posture of the document P can be suppressed only within a predetermined range. In addition to the fact that the skew of the P cannot be sufficiently prevented, there is also a problem that when the document P is curled as shown in FIG. have done.
[0007]
That is, in FIG. 12, reference numeral 4 denotes a call roller which can contact and separate a document, reference numeral 5 denotes a paper feed roller for separating the uppermost document from the document bundle, and reference numeral 6 denotes separation of a subsequent document from the document bundle. The separation preventing rollers which rotate in the directions rotate in the directions of the arrows. When the original is separated and fed, the call roller 4 contacts the original and feeds the original toward the paper feed roller 5, and the uppermost original is separated from the original bundle by the paper feed roller 5 and the separation preventing roller 6. Then, in order to prevent the subsequent document from being separated after separation, the call roller 4 moves in a direction away from the document bundle.
[0008]
Therefore, a load is applied to the document bundle by the paper feed rollers 4 and 5 only when the document bundle is separated, and at other times, the document bundle is supported only by the guide plates 2 and 3. Such a problem occurs.
Therefore, the present invention can always hold the original bundle other than at the start of feeding of the original placed on the original placing table, and can prevent the posture of the original from being disturbed by disturbance or the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic document feeder capable of preventing occurrence of skew.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is provided so as to be able to abut and separate from a document bundle composed of a plurality of documents placed on a document table and to contact the document bundle. A sheet feeding member for feeding an upper layer original from the original bundle, a separating member for separating the uppermost original from the upper layer original fed by the sheet feeding member, A pressing member provided on the upstream side in the document conveying direction and movable between a separation position separating from the document bundle and a pressing position for pressing the document bundle from above, and a rear end of the document separated by the separating member. Detecting means for detecting that the sheet has passed through the separating member, and control means for controlling driving of the pressing member, wherein the control means separates an upper-layer document after the sheet feeding member comes into contact with the document bundle. Presser just before it is driven to feed the member The sheet is moved to the separation position, and is located at the pressing position after the trailing end of the document is detected by the detecting means and before the sheet feeding operation is performed after the sheet feeding member comes into contact with the sheet bundle. It is characterized by having
[0010]
In this case, after the uppermost document is separated, the trailing edge of the document is detected from the document bundle placed on the document mounting table, and then the sheet feeding member contacts the document bundle again to perform a subsequent document feeding operation. The document bundle can be held at all times even when the document feeding is not started, preventing the original from being disturbed by disturbance or the like, thereby causing skew of the original. Can be prevented.
[0011]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 2 is provided so as to be able to abut and separate from an original bundle made up of a plurality of originals placed on an original mounting table, and to make contact with the original bundle. A sheet feeding member for feeding an upper layer original from the original bundle, a separating member for separating the uppermost original from the upper layer original fed by the sheet feeding member, Between the regulating position, which is provided on the upstream side in the document conveying direction and abuts against the leading end of the document bundle to regulate the movement of the document bundle toward the separating member, and the separation position which is separated from the leading end of the document bundle. A control member for detecting that a trailing end of the document separated by the separation member has passed through the separation member, and a control device for controlling the drive of the restriction member; After the sheet feeding member contacts the original bundle, the upper layer Immediately before the document is driven to feed the document to the separation member, the regulating member is moved to the separated position, and after the trailing end of the document is detected by the detecting means, the sheet feeding member abuts on the document bundle. It is characterized in that it is positioned at the regulation position before the feeding operation of the original to be performed.
[0012]
In this case, after the uppermost document is separated, the trailing edge of the document is detected from the document bundle placed on the document mounting table, and then the sheet feeding member contacts the document bundle again to perform a subsequent document feeding operation. Is held down by the regulating member during this period, so that the original bundle can always be held even when the original is not fed, preventing the original from being disturbed by disturbance or the like, thereby causing the original to be skewed. Can be prevented.
[0013]
In addition, as a regulating member movable between a regulating position that abuts on the leading end of the document bundle and restricts the movement of the document bundle toward the separating member and a separation position that is separated from the leading end of the document bundle, existing regulating members include: Since a stopper claw or the like can be used, the mechanism of the apparatus can be simplified, and the cost of the automatic document feeder can be prevented from increasing.
[0014]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, the document stack is provided so as to be able to abut on and separate from a document bundle composed of a plurality of documents placed on a document mounting table, and to contact the document bundle. A sheet feeding member for feeding an upper layer original from the original bundle, a separating member for separating the uppermost original from the upper layer original fed by the sheet feeding member, A pressing member provided on the upstream side in the document conveying direction and movable between a separation position separating from the document bundle and a pressing position for pressing the document bundle from above, and a rear end of the document separated by the separating member. Detecting means for detecting that the sheet has passed through the separating member, and control means for controlling driving of the pressing member, wherein the control means separates an upper-layer document after the sheet feeding member comes into contact with the document bundle. Presser just before it is driven to feed the member Moving the timber to a distant position, the sheet feeding member from being detected trailing edge of the document is characterized in that is positioned in a position pressing until just before contact with the document stack by said detecting means.
[0015]
In this case, the bundle of originals placed on the platen is separated from the top edge of the original by detecting the trailing edge of the original, and then immediately before the paper feeding member contacts the original bundle so that the original is again fed to the separating member. The document bundle can be held at all times even when document feeding is not started, preventing the original from being disturbed by external disturbances and causing skew of the original. Can be prevented.
[0016]
Further, in addition to the case where the pressing member abruptly comes into contact with the original bundle and the original bundle becomes wavy in the width direction, the pressing of the original bundle is released for a moment immediately before the paper feeding member comes into contact. When the pressing member moves to the separated position, the original is returned to the original flat state by the restoring force (strain) of the original, and then the original is fed by the paper feeding member, so that the original is not disturbed by disturbance or the like. .
[0017]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the document stack is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from a document bundle composed of a plurality of documents placed on a document table and to contact the document bundle. A sheet feeding member for feeding an upper layer original from the original bundle, a separating member for separating the uppermost original from the upper layer original fed by the sheet feeding member, Between the regulating position, which is provided on the upstream side in the document conveying direction and abuts against the leading end of the document bundle to regulate the movement of the document bundle toward the separating member, and the separation position which is separated from the leading end of the document bundle. A control member for detecting that a trailing end of the document separated by the separation member has passed through the separation member, and a control device for controlling the drive of the restriction member; After the sheet feeding member contacts the original bundle, the upper layer Just before the document is driven to feed the document to the separating member, the regulating member is moved to the separated position, and from when the trailing end of the document is detected by the detecting means to immediately before the sheet feeding member contacts the document bundle. It is characterized in that it is located at the regulation position in between.
[0018]
In this case, the bundle of originals placed on the platen is separated from the top edge of the original by detecting the trailing edge of the original, and then immediately before the paper feeding member contacts the original bundle so that the original is again fed to the separating member. The document can be held at all times even when the document feeding is not started, preventing the original from being disturbed due to disturbance or the like. Can be prevented.
[0019]
Further, in addition to the case where the regulating member abruptly comes into contact with the original bundle and the original bundle becomes wavy in the width direction, the pressing of the original bundle is released for a moment immediately before the paper feed member comes into contact. When the regulating member moves to the separated position, the original is returned to the original flat state by the restoring force (strain) of the original, and then the original is fed by the paper feeding member, so that the original is not disturbed by disturbance or the like. .
[0020]
Further, as a regulating member movable between a regulating position that abuts on the leading end of the document bundle and restricts the movement of the document bundle toward the separating member and a separating position that is separated from the leading end of the document bundle, existing regulating members include: Since a stopper claw or the like can be used, the mechanism of the apparatus can be simplified, and the cost of the automatic document feeder can be prevented from increasing.
[0021]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 1 to 8 show a first embodiment of an automatic document feeder according to the present invention, corresponding to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the automatic document feeder of the present invention is copied as an image forming apparatus. This shows an example in which the camera is mounted on a machine. The image forming apparatus can be applied to a facsimile apparatus and the like in addition to a copying machine.
[0022]
First, the configuration will be described. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a copying machine, and a contact glass 2 is provided on an upper surface of the copying machine 1. An automatic document feeder (hereinafter, simply referred to as an ADF) 3 is provided above the copying machine 1. The ADF 3 is connected to the copying machine 1 via a hinge (not shown) so as to open and close the contact glass 2. Have been.
[0023]
The ADF 3 includes a document tray 4 serving as a document mounting table on which a document bundle P including a plurality of documents can be placed, and a document separated from the document bundle placed on the document tray 4 one by one on the contact glass 2. Separating / feeding means 5 for transporting the document toward the contact glass 2 by the separating / feeding means 5 for transporting / stopping the original to a reading position on the contact glass 2; A loading / unloading unit 6 for unloading a document, which has been read by a reading unit (a well-known exposure lamp, mirror, lens, CCD, or the like) of the copying machine 1, from the contact glass 2, and a contact by the loading / unloading unit 6 A document discharged from the reading position of the glass 2 is projected from a side of the copying machine 1 to a first discharge tray 8 or a second discharge tray disposed below the document tray 4. And discharge means 7 for discharging either one of 9, and a. The first paper discharge tray 8 may be provided so as to protrude from the side of the ADF 3.
[0024]
The separating / feeding means 5 is composed of a calling roller 10, a feeding roller 11, a reverse roller 12, a pull-out driving roller 13, a pull-out driven roller 13a, a stopper claw 14, and a registration sensor 15. These call-out rollers 10, paper feed rollers 11, reverse rollers 12, and pull-out drive rollers 13 are driven by a paper feed motor 100, and are connected to the paper feed motor 100 via a drive system such as a gear mechanism.
[0025]
The paper feed motor 100 is driven by an output signal from a controller 101. When a paper feed start signal is input from the copier 1, the controller 101 drives the paper feed motor 100 to rotate forward and reverse. Has become.
When the paper feed motor 100 is driven to rotate forward, the retrieving roller 10 rotates clockwise to feed the upper-layer document from the document bundle P, and the paper feed roller 11 and the reverse roller 12 move clockwise. The document is rotated to separate only the top document from the document bundle P. The separated document is sandwiched between a pull-out driving roller 13 rotating in a counterclockwise direction and a pull-out driven roller 13a rotating therewith, pulled out from the sheet feeding roller 11 and the reverse roller 12, and conveyed toward the contact glass 2. You.
[0026]
When the leading edge of the document is detected by the registration sensor 15, the controller 101 drives the sheet feeding motor 100 to rotate in the reverse direction based on the output signal from the registration sensor 15. At this time, the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller 11 are stopped by the driving system interposed between the feeding motor 100 and the feeding roller 10, the feeding roller 11, the reverse roller 12, and the pull-out driving roller 13, and the pull-out driving roller is stopped. When the reverse roller 13 is continuously rotated in the counterclockwise direction and the reverse roller 12 is continuously rotated in the clockwise direction, the subsequent document is prevented from entering the nip portion between the sheet feeding roller 12 and the reverse roller 12. So that they are not separated.
[0027]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the call roller 10 is connected to a drive system of the sheet feed roller 11 via a belt 41. Is transmitted via the belt 41. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the call roller 10 and the paper feed roller 11 are rotatably supported by the ADF 3 main body.
[0028]
Further, the recall roller 10 is brought into contact with and separated from the document bundle P about the rotation axis of the paper feed roller 11 by the drive solenoid 104, and constitutes a paper feed member. Further, in the present embodiment, the sheet feeding roller 11 and the reverse roller 12 constitute a separating member.
On the other hand, the stopper claw 14 is provided on the upstream side in the document conveying direction with respect to the paper feed roller 11, and the stopper claw 14 contacts the leading end of the document bundle P, so that the document bundle P enters the paper feed roller 11 side. I try not to.
[0029]
The stopper claw 14 is fixed to a shaft member 42, and an end of the shaft member 42 is attached to a link 43. One end of a spring 44 is attached to the upper end of the link 43, and the other end of the spring 44 is attached to the ADF3 main body. The spring 44 pulls the link 43 so as to rotate clockwise in FIG. 3, and in this state, the stopper claw 14 is retracted upward from the leading end of the document bundle P.
[0030]
A first oscillating solenoid 105 is attached to the lower end of the link 43. The first oscillating solenoid 105 is driven by the controller 101 so that the link 43 can resist the tensile force of the spring 44. During the rotation, the stopper pawl 14 is brought into contact with the leading end of the document bundle P to prevent the document bundle P from entering the paper feed roller 11.
[0031]
On the other hand, a pressing roller (pressing member) 45 is provided on the same line as the stopper claw 14 in the width direction of the document, and the pressing roller 45 contacts the upper surface of the document bundle P to move the document bundle P from above. It is designed to hold down.
The pressing roller 45 is rotatably supported by a main body 46 as shown in FIG. 5, and the main body 46 is loosely inserted into a shaft member 47, and is fixed at one axial end by a fixing member 48 fixed to the shaft member 46. Moving is prohibited. A spring 49 is interposed between the main body 46 and the shaft member 47. One end of the spring 49 is fixed to the shaft member 47, and the other end is engaged with the main body 46. In FIG. 3, it is biased in a counterclockwise direction.
[0032]
Further, an end of the shaft member 47 is attached to a link 50, and one end of a spring 51 is attached to a lower end of the link 50. The other end of the spring 51 is attached to the ADF 3 main body, and the spring 51 pulls the link 50 so as to rotate clockwise in FIG. 3. It moves to a separation position separated from P.
[0033]
A second oscillating solenoid 106 is attached to the upper end of the link 50. The second oscillating solenoid 106 is driven by the controller 101 so that the link 50 resists the pulling force of the spring 51. Then, the pressing roller 45 is rotated counterclockwise, and the pressing roller 45 is moved to a pressing position in contact with the upper surface of the document bundle P to press the document bundle P.
[0034]
Further, since the main body 46 is urged by the spring 47, the main body 46 moves counterclockwise in FIG. 3 against the urging force of the spring 47 when the pressing roller 45 comes into contact with the upper surface of the document bundle P. Accordingly, it is possible to flexibly cope with a case where the number of the original bundles P is large or a case where the original bundles P abruptly contact the original bundle P.
Further, in the present embodiment, the controller 101 determines that the document has passed between the paper feed roller 11 and the reverse roller 12 based on the front and rear end information of the document from the registration sensor 15 and activates the second swing solenoid 106. By driving, the press roller 45 is moved to the press position. In the present embodiment, the registration sensor 15 constitutes a detecting unit.
[0035]
Further, the controller 101 drives the drive solenoid 104 to separate the subsequent document after the separation of the document to bring the call roller 11 into contact with the document bundle. Immediately before driving the paper roller 11 and the like, the driving of the second swing solenoid 106 is stopped to move the press roller 45 to the separated position.
That is, in the present embodiment, the controller 101 and the second swing solenoid 106 constitute control means for controlling the driving of the press roller 45.
[0036]
On the other hand, the loading / unloading means 6 includes a transport belt 16, a transport belt driving roller 17 and a transport belt driven roller 18 provided at both ends of the transport belt 16, and a transport belt 16 provided inside the transport belt 16. And a plurality of pressure rollers 19 for pressing the pressure on the contact glass 2.
The transport belt driving roller 17 is driven by a transport belt motor 102. When the registration sensor 15 detects the leading edge of the document as described above, the motor 102 corrects based on a signal from the controller 101. By rotating, the transport belt 16 is driven via the drive roller 17 to transport the document onto the contact glass 2.
[0037]
When the registration sensor 15 detects the trailing edge of the document, the controller 101 counts the number of rotation pulses of the conveyor belt motor 102 from the time of detection, and when the rotation pulse reaches a predetermined value, the driving of the driving roller 17 is performed. Then, the document is stopped at the reading position on the contact glass 2 by stopping the conveyance belt 16.
When the registration sensor 15 detects the trailing edge of the original, the controller 101 drives the paper feed motor 100 again to separate the subsequent original as described above and convey the original toward the contact glass 2. When the pulse of the paper feed motor 100 from the time when the original is detected by the registration sensor 15 reaches a predetermined pulse, the paper feed motor 100 is stopped and the next original is put on standby.
[0038]
When the document stops at the reading position of the contact glass 2, the copying machine 1 reads and exposes the document. When the reading and the exposure are completed, a signal is input from the copier 1 to the controller 101. When the signal is input, the controller 101 drives the transport belt motor 102 to rotate forward to contact the original by the transport belt 16. It is carried out from the glass 2 to the paper discharging means 7.
[0039]
The discharge means 7 includes a reverse drive roller 20, a discharge driven roller 21, a reverse guide roller 22, a reverse driven roller 23, a first switching claw 24, a second switching claw 25, a discharge driving roller 26, and a discharge driven roller 27. , A reversing sensor 28 and a reversing sensor 29, and the reversing driving roller 20, the reversing guide roller 22 and the paper discharging driving roller 26 are driven by a paper discharging motor 103.
[0040]
The first switching claw 24 is driven to be switched by a first solenoid 107, and when discharging a single-sided document, a home position where the contact glass 2 communicates with the first discharge tray 8 (the lower surface of the switching claw 24). Constitutes a part of the document conveyance path).
When the controller 101 is in the single-sided mode for conveying a normal single-sided original (the initial setting is set to the single-sided mode even if the single-sided mode is not designated by the operation unit 109 provided in the copying machine 1), the first solenoid The first switching claw 24 is made to stand by at the home position without driving the 107, and the paper discharge motor 103 is driven at the same time as the transport belt motor 102 is driven after the reading of the document and the exposure are completed. Therefore, the document sandwiched between the reversing drive roller 20 and the discharge driven roller 21 is discharged straight to the first discharge tray 8 without reversing the front and back surfaces.
[0041]
On the other hand, when the duplex mode is designated by the operation unit 109 provided in the copying machine 1, the controller 101 drives the first solenoid 107 to move the first switching claw 24 from the home position to the contact glass 2 and the reversing path 30. It is moved to a communicating position (as shown in FIG. 1, the upper surface of the switching claw 24 constitutes a part of the document conveyance path), and after the reading of one side of the double-sided document and the exposure are completed, the conveyance belt motor 102 is driven. At the same time, the discharge motor 103 is driven. Therefore, the document is guided to the reversing path 30 sandwiched between the reversing drive roller 20 and the paper discharge driven roller 21, and is conveyed toward the second switching claw 25 by the reversing guide roller 22.
[0042]
The second switching claw 25 is driven by a second solenoid 108, and when a document whose one side has been read out is carried out of the contact glass 2, the second switching claw 25 is not driven by the second solenoid 108 but is turned over. A home position where the return path 31 provided between the contact glass 30 and the contact glass 2 is opened (the lower surface of the second switching claw 25 forms a part of the document transport path as shown in FIG. 1). It has become.
[0043]
For this reason, the original conveyed out of the contact glass 2 is conveyed to the reversing path 30 by the first switching claw 24, and then the reversing drive roller 20 is turned over to the return path 31 by the second switching claw 25. And it is returned to the contact glass 2 while being nipped by the reverse driven roller 23.
When the leading edge of the document is detected by the reversing sensor 28 provided on the reversing path 30, the controller 101 drives the transport belt motor 102 in the reverse direction to drive the transport belt 16 in the reverse direction, and the reverse sensor 28 detects the leading edge of the document. When the rotation pulse of the conveyance belt motor 102 from the point in time when the document reaches a predetermined value, it is determined that the document has been conveyed to the reading position on the contact glass 2, and the conveyance belt motor 102 is stopped.
[0044]
When the reading of the document and the exposure at the reading position are completed, a signal is input to the controller 101 from the copying machine 1. When the signal is input, the controller 101 drives the transport belt motor 102 to rotate in the normal direction. The solenoid 107 is driven and the driving of the second solenoid 108 is stopped, the first switching claw 24 connects the contact glass 2 to the reversing path 30, and the second switching claw 25 connects the reversing path 31 and the second paper discharge tray 9. (The upper portion of the second switching claw 25 forms a part of the document conveyance path), and the document conveyed from the contact glass 2 is conveyed while being sandwiched between the reversing driving roller 20 and the reversing driven roller 21. Then, the sheet is nipped by the sheet discharge drive roller 26 and the sheet discharge driven roller 27 and discharged onto the second sheet discharge tray 9.
[0045]
The copy machine 1 and the ADF 3 are connected via interfaces 110 and 111, and a copy start signal and a restart signal from the copy machine 1 are input to the controller 101 via the interfaces 110 and 111. I have.
Next, the operation will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 6 is executed by the controller 101, and this flow relates to the drive control of the press roller 45. In the present embodiment, this flow will be taken into account in the description of the entire document transport process. In the present embodiment, single-sided and double-sided originals can be transported, but only single-sided original transport will be described.
[0046]
First, when the original bundle P is set on the original tray 4, the leading end of the original bundle P comes into contact with the stopper claw 14 and is restricted from moving toward the separation roller 11.
In order to transport a document in the single-sided document transport mode, a document bundle P including a plurality of single-sided documents is placed on the document tray 4 in a state where the operator does not press the selection switch of the operation unit 109, and the copying machine 1 When a start switch (not shown) is pressed, a paper feed start signal is input from the copying machine 1 to the ADF 3 via the interfaces 110 and 111.
[0047]
At this time, the drive of the first swing solenoid 105 is stopped by the controller 101, the stopper claw 14 is retracted upward from the leading end position of the document bundle P, and the drive of the second swing solenoid 106 is stopped, and the pressing roller 45 is stopped. Moves to the separated position (step S1).
Next, the controller 101 drives the drive solenoid 104 to bring the call roller 10 into contact with the document bundle P (step S2), and also drives the paper feed motor 100 to rotate clockwise to rotate the call roller 10 clockwise. The upper document is fed from the bundle P, and the feed roller 11 and the reverse roller 12 are rotated clockwise to separate only the uppermost document from the document bundle P (step S3).
[0048]
The separated document is sandwiched between a pull-out driving roller 13 rotating in a counterclockwise direction and a pull-out driven roller 13a rotating therewith, pulled out from the sheet feeding roller 11 and the reverse roller 12, and conveyed toward the contact glass 2. You.
Next, the registration sensor 15 determines whether or not a document has passed from between the paper feed roller 11 and the reverse roller 12 (step S4). If it is determined that the document has passed, it is determined whether or not there is a next document (step S4). Step S5). The detection of the document is performed based on a detection signal from a document set sensor (not shown) provided on the document tray 4.
[0049]
If there is no next document, the current driving process of the press roller 45 is completed. If there is a next document, the second swing solenoid 106 is driven to move the press roller 45 to the press position, and the document bundle P Is pressed from above (step S6).
In addition, the controller 101 stops driving the drive solenoid 104 to separate the calling roller 10 from the document bundle P, further drives the paper feed motor 100 in the reverse direction, and drives the transport belt motor 102 in the normal direction.
[0050]
At this time, the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller 11 are stopped by the driving system interposed between the feeding motor 100 and the feeding roller 10, the feeding roller 11, the reverse roller 12, and the pull-out driving roller 13, and the pull-out driving roller is stopped. The rotation of the reverse roller 13 in the counterclockwise direction and the continuous rotation of the reverse roller 12 in the clockwise direction prevent the subsequent document from entering the nip portion between the sheet feeding roller 11 and the reverse roller 12. So that they are not separated.
[0051]
When the registration sensor 15 detects the trailing edge of the document during this conveyance, the controller 101 counts the rotation pulses of the conveyance belt motor 102 from the time of detection, and when the rotation pulse reaches a predetermined value, the controller 101 The document is stopped at the reading position on the contact glass 2 by stopping the driving and stopping the transport belt 16.
When the document stops at the reading position of the contact glass 2, the copying machine 1 reads and exposes the document. When the reading and the exposure are completed, a restart signal is input from the copying machine 1 to the controller 101 via the interfaces 110 and 111. When this signal is input, the controller 101 drives the transport belt motor 102 to rotate forward. Then, the original is carried out of the contact glass 2 to the paper discharging means 7 by the transport belt 16.
[0052]
At this time, since the first switching claw 24 is waiting at the home position, the controller 101 drives the transport belt motor 102 after the reading of the document and the exposure are completed, and at the same time, drives the paper discharge motor 103. Therefore, the document sandwiched between the reversing drive roller 20 and the discharge driven roller 21 is linearly discharged to the first discharge tray 8 without reversing the front and back surfaces.
[0053]
When the feed start signal of the next original is input, the drive solenoid 104 is driven to bring the call roller 10 into contact with the original bundle P (step S7), and the drive of the second swing solenoid 106 is stopped. The pressing roller 45 is moved to the separated position (step S8).
Further, the paper feed motor 100 is driven again to drive the recall roller 10, the paper feed roller 11, etc., to separate the following document as described above, convey it toward the contact glass 2, and continue the above-described processing. .
[0054]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the pressing roller 45 is set to the separated position immediately before the upper roller is driven to feed the upper-layer document to the sheet feeding roller 11 and the reverse roller 12 after the retrieving roller 10 contacts the document bundle P. After the trailing end of the original is detected by the registration sensor 15, the pressing roller 45 is positioned at the pressing position between the time when the retrieving roller 10 comes into contact with the original bundle P and the time when the subsequent original is fed. Therefore, the document bundle P placed on the document tray 4 is separated from the uppermost document, and after the trailing edge of the document is detected, the call roller 10 contacts the document bundle P again to feed the subsequent document. It is pressed by the pressing member until the operation is performed.
[0055]
For this reason, the original bundle P can always be held even at the time of starting the feeding of the original, so that the posture of the original can be prevented from being disturbed by disturbance or the like, and the skew of the original can be prevented.
In the present embodiment, the pressing roller 45 dedicated to pressing the document bundle P is provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the same processing as the pressing roller 45 is performed by the stopper claw 14 as shown in FIGS. You may do it.
[0056]
In this case, the controller 101 determines that the document has passed between the paper feed roller 11 and the reverse roller 12 based on the front and rear end information of the document from the registration sensor 15 and drives the first swing solenoid 105. Thus, the stopper claw 14 is moved to the holding position, and this state may be continued until the retrieving roller 10 comes into contact with the document bundle P and is driven to rotate. The stopper claw 14 constitutes a restricting member which, when the original bundle P is set on the original tray 4, comes into contact with the leading end of the original bundle P to prevent the original bundle P from entering the paper feed roller 11. are doing.
[0057]
This makes it possible to use the existing stopper claws 14 in addition to the effects described above, so that the mechanism of the ADF 3 can be simplified, and the cost of the ADF 3 is prevented from increasing. Can be.
9 and 10 are views showing a second embodiment of the automatic document feeder according to the present invention, and correspond to the third or fourth aspect of the present invention. In addition, in this embodiment, since it is mechanically the same as FIGS. 1-6, description is given using the drawings of FIGS.
[0058]
In the first embodiment described above, after the call roller 10 abuts on the original bundle P, the original bundle P is kept at the holding position until immediately before the upper-layer original is driven to be fed to the feed roller 11 and the reverse roller 12. On the other hand, the present embodiment is characterized in that the document bundle P is positioned at the holding position until immediately before the call roller 10 contacts the document bundle P.
In this embodiment, the controller 101 stops the driving of the second swing solenoid 106 immediately before the drive solenoid 104 is driven to separate the subsequent document after the separation of the document and the call roller 11 is brought into contact with the document bundle. The pressing roller 45 is moved to the separated position, and will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
[0059]
First, when the original bundle P is set on the original tray 4, the leading end of the original bundle P comes into contact with the stopper claw 14 and is restricted from moving toward the separation roller 11.
In order to transport a document in the single-sided document transport mode, a document bundle P including a plurality of single-sided documents is placed on the document tray 4 in a state where the operator does not press the selection switch of the operation unit 109, and the copying machine 1 When a start switch (not shown) is pressed, a paper feed start signal is input from the copying machine 1 to the ADF 3 via the interfaces 110 and 111.
[0060]
At this time, the first swing solenoid 105 is driven by the controller 101, the stopper claw 14 is retracted upward from the leading end position of the document bundle P, the drive of the second swing solenoid 106 is stopped, and the pressing roller 45 is moved to the separated position. (Step S11).
Next, the controller 101 drives the drive solenoid 104 to bring the call roller 10 into contact with the document bundle P (step S12), and also drives the paper feed motor 100 to rotate the call roller 10 clockwise to copy the document. The uppermost document is fed from the bundle P, and the feed roller 11 and the reverse roller 12 are rotated clockwise to separate only the top document from the bundle P (step S13).
[0061]
The separated document is sandwiched between the pull-out driving roller 13 and the pull-out driven roller 13a, pulled out from the sheet feeding roller 11 and the reverse roller 12, and conveyed toward the contact glass 2.
Next, the registration sensor 15 determines whether or not a document has passed from between the paper feed roller 11 and the reverse roller 12 (step S14). When it is determined that the document has passed, it is determined whether or not there is a next document (step S14). Step S15). The detection of the document is performed based on a detection signal from a document set sensor (not shown) provided on the document tray 4.
[0062]
If there is no next document, the current driving process of the press roller 45 is completed. If there is a next document, the second swing solenoid 106 is driven to move the press roller 45 to the press position, and the document bundle P Is pressed from above (step S16).
In addition, the controller 101 stops driving the drive solenoid 104 to separate the calling roller 10 from the document bundle P, further drives the paper feed motor 100 in the reverse direction, and drives the transport belt motor 102 in the normal direction.
[0063]
Next, when the registration sensor 15 detects the trailing end of the document, the controller 101 counts the number of rotation pulses of the conveyance belt motor 102 from the time of the detection, and when the rotation pulse reaches a predetermined value, the driving of the driving roller 17 is performed. Then, the document is stopped at the reading position on the contact glass 2 by reading the document, and then the document is conveyed to the paper discharging means 7.
[0064]
Next, it is determined whether or not a start signal for the next original has been input (step S17). If the start signal has been input, the driving of the second swing solenoid 106 is stopped and the press roller 45 is moved to the separated position (step S18). ).
Next, after driving the drive solenoid 104 to bring the call roller 10 into contact with the document bundle P, the paper feed motor 100 is driven forward again to drive the call roller 10, the paper feed roller 11 and the like to drive the subsequent document. Are separated and conveyed toward the contact glass 2 as described above to execute the reading process.
[0065]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the pressing roller 45 is set to the separated position immediately before the upper roller is driven to feed the upper-layer document to the sheet feeding roller 11 and the reverse roller 12 after the retrieving roller 10 contacts the document bundle P. The document is placed on the document tray 4 by moving the registration sensor 15 so as to be positioned at the pressing position between the time when the trailing edge of the document is detected by the registration sensor 15 and immediately before the retrieving roller 10 comes into contact with the document bundle P. After the topmost document is separated, the trailing edge of the document is detected, and then the pressing roller 45 is immediately before the retrieving roller 10 comes into contact with the document bundle P so that the reloading roller 10 is fed to the retrieving roller 10 again. Pressed down by.
[0066]
For this reason, the original bundle P can always be held even at the time of starting the feeding of the original, so that the posture of the original can be prevented from being disturbed by disturbance or the like, and the skew of the original can be prevented.
Further, in the present embodiment, the original bundle P is pressed by the pressing roller 45, but the same effect can be obtained by pressing the original bundle P by the stopper claws 14 as shown in FIGS. Can be.
[0067]
In the control of the present embodiment, when the document bundle P is pressed by the pressing roller 45 or the stopper claw 14, the stopper claw 14 (the pressing roller 45 is also the same) as shown in FIGS. However, in this case, the case of the stopper claw 14 will be described). In addition to the case where the document bundle P suddenly comes into contact with the document bundle P and the document bundle P becomes wavy in the width direction, in addition to the case where The pressing of the document bundle P is released for a moment, but after the stopper claw 14 moves to the separated position, the document returns to the original flat state by the restoring force (strain) of the document (see FIG. 10C). 3) Since the paper is fed by the recall roller 10, it is possible to prevent the posture of the document from being disturbed by disturbance or the like.
[0068]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the invention, the original bundle can always be held even when the original is not fed, and the skew of the original is prevented by preventing the original from being disturbed by disturbance or the like. Can be prevented.
According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the regulating position for restricting the original bundle from moving toward the separation member by contacting the leading end of the original bundle and the position of the original bundle are described. An existing stopper claw or the like can be used as the regulating member movable between the separated positions separated from the leading end, so that the mechanism of the apparatus can be simplified and the cost of the automatic document feeder can be reduced. Can be prevented from increasing.
[0069]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the original bundle can be always held even when the original is not fed, and the skew of the original is prevented by preventing the original from being disturbed by disturbance or the like. Can be prevented.
Further, in addition to the case where the pressing member abruptly comes into contact with the original bundle and the original bundle becomes wavy in the width direction, the pressing of the original bundle is released for a moment immediately before the paper feeding member comes into contact. When the pressing member moves to the separated position, the original is returned to the original flat state by the restoring force (strain) of the original, and then the original is fed by the paper feeding member, so that the original is not disturbed by disturbance or the like. .
[0070]
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the third aspect of the invention, the regulating position for contacting the leading end of the original bundle and restricting the original bundle from moving toward the separation member and the regulating position of the original bundle are described. An existing stopper claw or the like can be used as the regulating member movable between the separated positions separated from the leading end, so that the mechanism of the apparatus can be simplified and the cost of the automatic document feeder can be reduced. Can be prevented from increasing.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an automatic document feeder according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a drive mechanism of the automatic document feeder according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a main part of a separating / feeding unit according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part of the separating / feeding unit according to the first embodiment.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of a holding roller of the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating drive control of a press roller according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a main part of another embodiment of the separating / feeding means.
FIG. 8 is a side view of a main part showing another mode of the separating / feeding means.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating drive control of a stopper claw of the automatic document feeder according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating a state in which undulation is generated in a bundle of documents by being pressed against a stopper claw according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a diagram illustrating a stopper claw portion in the A direction in FIG. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the stopper claw showing a state in which the original bundle returns to the original state by squeezing the original when the stopper claw is separated from the original bundle.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an upper surface portion of a conventional ADF.
FIG. 12A is a diagram illustrating a conventional guide plate for forcing the orientation of a document, and FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the document is curled between the guide plates.
[Explanation of symbols]
3 ADF (automatic document feeder)
4 Document tray (document mounting table)
10 Calling roller (paper feeder)
11 Paper feed roller (separation member)
12 Reverse roller (separation member)
14 Stopper Claw (Regulator)
15 Registration sensor (detection means)
45 Pressing roller (pressing member)
101 controller (control means)
106 2nd swing solenoid (control means)

Claims (4)

A paper feeder which is provided so as to be in contact with and separate from a document bundle composed of a plurality of documents placed on a document table, and feeds an upper-layer document from the document bundle when the document bundle comes into contact with the document bundle. Components,
A separating member for separating the uppermost document from the upper-layer document fed by the sheet feeding member;
A pressing member provided on the upstream side in the document conveying direction with respect to the separating member, and movable between a separation position separating from the document bundle and a pressing position for pressing the document bundle from above,
Detecting means for detecting that the rear end of the document separated by the separation member has passed through the separation member,
Control means for driving and controlling the pressing member,
The control unit moves the pressing member to the separated position immediately before the upper sheet is driven so as to feed the upper layer document to the separation member after the sheet feeding member comes into contact with the document bundle, and the detecting unit detects the rear of the document. An automatic document feeder, wherein the automatic document feeder is positioned at a pressing position after an edge is detected and before a sheet feeding operation of a subsequent document is performed after the sheet feeding member contacts the document bundle. A paper feeder which is provided so as to be in contact with and separate from a document bundle composed of a plurality of documents placed on a document table, and feeds an upper-layer document from the document bundle when the document bundle comes into contact with the document bundle. Components,
A separating member for separating the uppermost document from the upper-layer document fed by the sheet feeding member;
The separation member is provided on the upstream side in the document conveying direction, and is separated from the leading end of the document bundle from a regulating position that contacts the leading end of the document bundle and regulates the movement of the document bundle toward the separating member. A regulating member movable between the separated positions;
Detecting means for detecting that the rear end of the document separated by the separation member has passed through the separation member,
Control means for controlling the drive of the regulating member,
The control means moves the regulating member to the separated position immediately before the sheet feeding member is brought into contact with the document bundle and is driven to feed the upper layer document to the separation member. An automatic document feeder, wherein the automatic document feeder is positioned at a regulating position after the edge is detected and before a sheet feeding operation of a subsequent document is performed after the sheet feeding member contacts the document bundle. A paper feeder which is provided so as to be in contact with and separate from a document bundle composed of a plurality of documents placed on a document table, and feeds an upper-layer document from the document bundle when the document bundle comes into contact with the document bundle. Components,
A separating member for separating the uppermost document from the upper-layer document fed by the sheet feeding member;
A pressing member provided on the upstream side in the document conveying direction with respect to the separating member, and movable between a separation position separating from the document bundle and a pressing position for pressing the document bundle from above,
Detecting means for detecting that the rear end of the document separated by the separation member has passed through the separation member,
Control means for driving and controlling the pressing member,
The control unit moves the pressing member to the separated position immediately before the upper sheet is driven so as to feed the upper layer document to the separation member after the sheet feeding member comes into contact with the document bundle, and the detecting unit detects the rear of the document. An automatic document feeder, wherein the paper feed member is located at a pressing position between the time when an edge is detected and the time immediately before the paper feed member comes into contact with the document bundle. A paper feeder which is provided so as to be in contact with and separate from a document bundle composed of a plurality of documents placed on a document table, and feeds an upper-layer document from the document bundle when the document bundle comes into contact with the document bundle. Components,
A separating member for separating the uppermost document from the upper-layer document fed by the sheet feeding member;
The separation member is provided on the upstream side in the document conveying direction, and is separated from the leading end of the document bundle from a regulating position that contacts the leading end of the document bundle and regulates the movement of the document bundle toward the separating member. A regulating member movable between the separated positions;
Detecting means for detecting that the rear end of the document separated by the separation member has passed through the separation member,
Control means for controlling the drive of the regulating member,
The control means moves the regulating member to the separated position immediately before the sheet feeding member is brought into contact with the document bundle and is driven to feed the upper layer document to the separation member. An automatic document feeder, wherein the automatic document feeder is positioned at a regulating position between the time when an end is detected and the time immediately before the sheet feeding member comes into contact with the document bundle.

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