JP5075067B2 - Document conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a document conveying device capable of sequentially conveying a document with one side and the other side directed toward an image reading position, and an image forming apparatus (for example, an electrostatic copying machine, a laser printer, a facsimile) including the document conveying device. , These multifunction peripherals).

The document conveying apparatus of the above form is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. The document conveying device includes a sheet feeding table (document table 101), a discharge tray (discharge table 121) disposed below the sheet feeding table, and a reversal disposed between the sheet feeding table and the discharge tray. And a table (sub-tray 119). The document transport device further includes a paper feed transport path (first transport path 201) that extends in a horizontal direction from the paper feed table, then reverses downward and extends to the image reading position (reading mirror 112), and is discharged from the image reading position. A discharge conveyance path extending to the tray, a reversal conveyance path (first reversal path 202, second conveyance path 203) branched from the discharge conveyance path to the reversal table, and branched from the reverse conveyance path to join the paper feed conveyance path A re-feeding conveyance path (third conveyance path 204) to be performed, a branch guide (switching guide 113) disposed at a branching portion between the discharge conveyance path and the reverse conveyance path, and the reverse reverse conveyance path to discharge downward. A double-sided image original ordering conveying path (second reversing path 205) that joins the conveying path downstream from the branching portion is provided. A reversing guide (116) is disposed in the regular transport path so that the document transported to the reversing table can be transported to either the refeed transport path or the regular transport path. In the document conveying device, the outer cover (103) and the inner cover (102) are arranged to be opened and closed independently or in conjunction with each other, and the center cover (117) is arranged to be opened and closed. .

According to the document conveying device, the document placed on the sheet feeding table can be sequentially conveyed with one side and the other side facing the image reading position. In addition, the document after the images on both sides are read at the image reading position is transported to the reversing table, and then switched back and discharged from the regular transport path to the discharge tray to repeat both sides at the image reading position. The originals after the images are read can be arranged and discharged to the discharge tray in the same order as they were placed on the paper feed table.
JP 2003-206061 A

In the document conveying apparatus, a part of the paper feeding conveyance path is opened upward by opening the outer cover, and a part of the refeeding conveyance path and the part of the reversing conveyance path are opened by opening the inner cover. In addition, it is possible to perform jam processing on each of the transport paths because the regular transport path can be opened laterally. However, since the branch guide provided at the branch portion between the discharge conveyance path and the reverse conveyance path cannot be opened upward, the paper jam generated at the branch portion cannot be viewed from above, and the jam processing is not performed. It may be difficult to accomplish. In addition, since three opening / closing members are used for the jam processing, the configuration becomes complicated and the cost increases. In the document conveying apparatus, the reverse conveying path and the orderly conveying path are independently arranged in the lateral direction (left and right direction when the image forming apparatus including the document conveying apparatus is viewed from the front). As a result, the size of the document conveying device is increased in the lateral direction, which increases costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a novel document conveying device and an image provided with the document conveying device that enable jam processing to be performed easily and quickly with a simple configuration, as well as enabling downsizing and cost reduction. A forming apparatus is provided.

According to the present invention,
A paper feed table, a discharge tray disposed below the paper feed table, a reversing table disposed between the paper feed table and the discharge tray, and extends horizontally from the paper feed table and then reverses downward. The paper feed conveyance path extending to the image reading position, the discharge conveyance path extending from the image reading position to the discharge tray, the reverse conveyance path extending from the discharge conveyance path to the reversal table, and the branching from the reverse conveyance path. In a document conveying device having a refeed conveyance path that merges with a paper conveyance path,
A branch guide is disposed at a branch portion between the discharge transport path and the reverse transport path, and a transport branch guide is disposed above the branch guide and at a branch portion between the reverse transport path and the refeed transport path.
The paper feed path includes an inner surface and an outer face that are opposed to each other with a gap therebetween, and an outer side surface in a partial region of the paper feed path is formed on a cover member that can be opened and closed. A partial region on the inner side surface of the conveyance path is formed on the upper surface of the guide unit arranged to be openable and closable,
When the cover member is opened, the inner side surface in the partial area of the paper feed conveyance path is opened to the outside, and when the guide unit is further opened, the upper space of each of the branch guide and the reverse conveyance path is opened.
A document conveying device is provided.
In the sheet feeding conveyance path, a pickup roller, a sheet separating mechanism including a sheet feeding rotating body and a separation roller, and a plurality of conveyance roller pairs including a registration roller pair are arranged in this order from upstream to downstream. The cover member is provided with the pickup roller, the sheet feeding rotator, and one roller constituting at least one pair of transport rollers in the plurality of transport roller pairs,
The guide unit has an upper surface of the guide unit between the separation roller and the other roller constituting the pair of conveyance rollers disposed at the downstream position closest to the separation roller. When the cover member is opened and arranged to form the partial region on the side surface, the one of the sheet feed conveyance paths in which the separation roller and the other roller constituting the at least one pair of conveyance rollers are arranged. When the inner surface of the partial area is opened to the outside and the guide unit is further opened, the separation roller and the other roller constituting the pair of conveying rollers disposed at the downstream position closest to the separation roller It is preferable that the space is opened upward.
It is preferable that the cover member is supported so as to be rotatable about an axis disposed outside a lower end portion in the reversal region of the paper feed conveyance path and is opened upward toward the downstream side of the paper feed conveyance path.
The guide unit is supported so as to be rotatable about an axis disposed above the axis of the cover member and on the inner side of the inner surface of the paper feed conveyance path, and toward the downstream of the paper feed conveyance path. And opened upward.
It is preferable that the refeed conveyance path and the conveyance branch guide are disposed in the guide unit, and the refeed conveyance path opens on the upper surface of the guide unit.
The conveyance branch guide has a reversal conveyance surface constituting a partial area of the reverse conveyance path and a refeed conveyance surface constituting a partial area of the refeed conveyance path, and is rotatable about an axis. It is preferable that the reverse conveyance surface is positioned so as to extend in the direction of narrowing the reverse conveyance path toward the downstream side of the reverse conveyance path in response to the moment in the direction of rotation about one axis due to its own weight.
The discharge conveyance path includes a pair of conveyance rollers that conveys the document that has passed the image reading position toward a branching portion between the discharge conveyance path and the reverse conveyance path, and a discharge that discharges the document conveyed to the most downstream position to the discharge tray. A pair of rollers is disposed between the reversing table and the transport branch guide in the reverse transport path, and a pair of reverse transport rollers that can rotate forward and backward is disposed. The branch guide is a document transported by the transport roller pair. Is selectively positioned at a discharge conveyance position for guiding the sheet toward the downstream of the discharge conveyance path and a reverse conveyance position for guiding toward the reverse conveyance path, the branch guide is positioned at the reverse conveyance position, and the document is conveyed to the conveyance roller. When the document is transported to the reversal transport path by a pair, the leading end of the document contacts the reversal transport surface of the transport branch guide, and the transport branch guide is rotated to the other around the axis against the moment due to its own weight. thing Is moved toward the reverse conveying roller pair more reverse conveying path, it is preferable.
The document moved on the reverse conveyance path toward the reverse conveyance roller pair is conveyed toward the reverse table by the reverse conveyance roller pair that normally rotates, and the reverse conveyance roller pair is positioned at a position where the trailing edge of the original exceeds the conveyance branch guide. When the pair of reverse conveyance rollers is reversed after the paper is stopped, the original is guided by the refeed conveyance surface of the conveyance branch guide, and is fed again through the refeed conveyance path toward the feed conveyance path. It is preferable that
A double-sided image original conveyance path that is reversed downward from the reverse conveyance path and merges downstream from the branch portion of the discharge conveyance path is provided. A conveyance guide having a reversal conveyance surface constituting a partial area of the reversal conveyance path and a sequential alignment conveyance surface constituting a partial area of the regular alignment conveyance path is disposed, and the conveyance guide is rotatable about an axis. Further, it is preferable that the reversing conveyance surface is positioned so as to extend in a direction of narrowing the reversing conveyance path toward the downstream side of the reversing conveyance path by being urged by the urging means in a direction rotating around one axis. .
When the cover member and the guide unit are opened, it is preferable that the upper space of each of the conveyance guide, the branch guide, the reverse conveyance path, and the regular conveyance path is opened.
When the branch guide is positioned at the reverse transport position and the document is transported to the reverse transport path by the pair of transport rollers, the document is placed on the transport guide before the leading edge of the document contacts the reverse transport surface of the transport branch guide. It is preferable that the reverse conveyance path can be moved downstream by rotating the conveyance guide against the urging force of the urging means against the reverse conveyance surface and rotating the conveyance guide to the other around the axis.
Position where the original moved on the reverse conveyance path toward the reverse conveyance roller pair is conveyed toward the reversal table by the reverse conveyance roller pair that normally rotates, and the trailing edge of the original does not exceed the conveyance guide and does not exceed the conveyance branch guide When the reverse conveying roller pair is reversed after the reverse conveying roller pair is stopped, the document is guided by the alignment conveyance surface of the conveyance guide and discharged and conveyed through the alignment conveyance path toward the discharge conveyance path. Is preferable.
According to the present invention,
In the image forming apparatus provided with the document conveying device on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body,
There is provided an image forming apparatus characterized in that the document conveying device includes any one of the document conveying devices described above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of an original conveying apparatus configured according to the present invention and an image forming apparatus including the original conveying apparatus will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 13, a copying machine 100 showing only a part thereof includes a copying machine main body 102 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A document feeder 10 is disposed on the upper surface of the copying machine main body 102. Various devices and devices arranged in the copying machine main body 102 may use a well-known configuration. Therefore, an outline thereof will be described below without showing it.

In the copying machine main body 102, an image reading device 103 is disposed at the uppermost position. The image reading apparatus 103 is disposed at a lower position corresponding to the document conveying apparatus 10 and includes an image reading means, for example, an image reading means including a CCD image sensor, an optical system including a light source, and the like. A document reading position P (see FIG. 1) is provided in the middle of the document transport path of the document transport device 10 in correspondence with the image reading device 103. A laser beam scanning unit is disposed below the image reading device 103, and an image forming conveyance path is disposed below the laser beam scanning unit in the lateral direction of the copying machine main body 102 (the horizontal direction in FIG. 13). ). Note that the front-rear direction of the copying machine main body 102 is a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIGS. 1 and 13. In the copying machine main body 102, image forming means is disposed in association with the image forming conveyance path.

The image forming unit includes an image forming element such as a main charger, a developing device, a transfer roller, a cleaning device, and a static eliminator disposed around the photosensitive drum and the photosensitive drum. The imaging element also includes the laser beam scanning means. A fixing device is disposed downstream of the photosensitive drum in the image forming conveyance path, and a discharge roller pair is disposed downstream of the fixing device. In the image forming conveyance path, a conveyance roller pair, a registration roller pair, and the like are arranged in that order from the upstream side to the downstream side of the photosensitive drum (position on the right side in FIG. 11). A plurality of paper feed cassettes are arranged at a lower position in the copying machine main body 102, and the originals stored in the paper feed cassettes are separated by a pair of pickup rollers and separation rollers arranged corresponding to the paper feed cassettes. It is configured to be sent out toward the pair of conveyance rollers in the image forming conveyance path. A transport belt mechanism is disposed at a position corresponding to the photosensitive drum in the image forming transport path. The transfer roller is disposed so as to face the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum from below with the conveyance belt included in the conveyance belt mechanism interposed therebetween.

While a predetermined number of originals are moved through an image reading position P (see FIG. 1) in the original conveying path by an original conveying apparatus 10 to be described later, an image of each original is read by the image reading means of the image reading apparatus 103 and stored. It is stored as image information by the apparatus. The stored image information is irradiated onto the surface of the photosensitive drum uniformly charged by the main charger by the laser beam scanning means. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum. This electrostatic latent image is developed as a toner image by a developing device. On the other hand, the document fed out from the paper feed cassette and transported by the transport roller pair is transported toward the transfer portion formed by the photosensitive drum and the transfer roller at a predetermined timing by the registration roller pair. While the original passes through the transfer portion, the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum is transferred onto the upper surface of the original by the transfer roller. The document with the toner image transferred on one side is conveyed to the fixing device by the conveying belt mechanism, and the toner image is fixed on one side of the document while passing through the fixing device. A document having a toner image fixed on one side is discharged to a discharge tray (not shown) by a pair of discharge rollers. As described above, a toner image is formed on the upper surface of the document while the document is conveyed on the image forming conveyance path.

Referring to FIG. 1, document conveying apparatus 10 includes a document conveying apparatus main body 10A (hereinafter simply referred to as “apparatus main body 10A”) that is a frame. The apparatus main body 10A includes a paper feed table 11, a discharge tray 12 disposed below the paper feed table 11, and a reversing table 13 disposed between the paper feed table 11 and the discharge tray 12. A paper feed transport path 14, a discharge transport path 16, a reverse transport path 18, a re-feed transport path 20, and a double-sided image original order transport path 22 are provided. The paper feed table 11, the discharge tray 12, and the reverse table 13 are arranged on the right side in the lateral direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1) of the document conveying device 10 and are arranged so as to incline downward from right to left. . Note that the front-rear direction of the document feeder 10 is a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG.

The paper feed conveyance path 14 extends from the paper feed table 11 in the horizontal direction (left lateral direction in FIG. 1) and then reverses downward to extend to the image reading position P. The discharge conveyance path 16 extends from the image reading position P to the discharge tray 13 in the right lateral direction and obliquely upward in FIG. The reversing conveyance path 18 branches from the discharge conveyance path 16 obliquely upward to the right in FIG. 1 and then extends to the reversing table 13 in the right lateral direction at the upper end. The re-feed conveyance path 20 extends from the upper end of the reversal conveyance path 18 in the left lateral direction and obliquely upward in FIG. 1 and merges downstream with the paper feed conveyance path 14 (a guide described later). With the unit 60 in the closed position, in other words, in the closed state). The regular conveyance path 22 reverses downward from the branch portion between the reverse conveyance path 18 and the refeed conveyance path 20 and goes downstream from the branch portion of the discharge conveyance path 16 with the reverse conveyance path 18. Have joined together.

A branch guide 24 is disposed at a branch portion between the discharge transport path 16 and the reverse transport path 18. A conveyance guide 26 is disposed at an obliquely upper position downstream of the branch guide 24 in the reverse conveyance path 18. A conveyance branch guide 28 is disposed above the conveyance guide 26 and at a branch portion between the reverse conveyance path 18 and the refeed conveyance path 20. The branch guide 24, the transport guide 26, and the transport branch guide 28 will be described in detail later.

In the paper feed conveyance path 14, a pickup roller 30, a paper separation mechanism 32, and a plurality of conveyance roller pairs including a registration roller pair 34, in the embodiment, a registration roller pair 34 and conveyance roller pairs 36 and 38, They are arranged in this order from upstream to downstream.

The paper separation mechanism 32 includes a paper feed belt 32c wound between the driving roller 32a and the driven roller 32b, and a separation roller 32d pressed against the paper feed belt 32c from below. The drive roller 32a, the driven roller 32b, and the paper feed belt 32c constitute a paper feed rotator. There is another embodiment in which the sheet feeding rotating body in the sheet separating mechanism 32 is configured by a sheet feeding roller. The registration roller pair 34 includes a driving roller 34a and a driven roller 34b. The conveyance roller pairs 36 and 38 include driving rollers 36a and 38a and driven rollers 36b and 38b, respectively. The paper feed conveyance path 14 extends substantially horizontally between the paper separation mechanism 32 and the registration roller pair 34, but curves so as to reverse downward between the registration roller pair 34 and the image reading position P. Is formed. In the embodiment, the re-feed conveyance path 20 is disposed between the paper separation mechanism 32 and the registration roller pair 34 in the paper feed conveyance path 14 so as to merge downstream. A guide roller 37 is disposed between the pair of conveyance rollers 36 and 38 in the sheet conveyance path 14 so as to smoothly convey the document. The conveyance roller pair 38 is disposed at the downstream end (the lower end in the reversal region) of the paper feed conveyance path 14.

In the discharge conveyance path 16, a pair of conveyance rollers 40 that conveys a document that has passed through the image reading position P toward a branch portion between the discharge conveyance path 16 and the reverse conveyance path 18, and a document that has been conveyed to the most downstream position is discharged. A pair of discharge rollers 42 for discharging to the tray 12 is disposed. A reverse conveyance roller pair 44 capable of forward and reverse rotation is disposed between the reverse table 13 and the conveyance branch guide 28 in the reverse conveyance path 18.

The branch guide 24 guides the document transported by the transport roller pair 40 toward the downstream side of the discharge transport path 16 (FIGS. 1 and 2) and reverse transport for guiding the document toward the reverse transport path 18. The position (FIGS. 3 and 4) can be rotated by an actuator (for example, a solenoid) (not shown) and is selectively positioned at any position. The branch guide 24 is formed of a plurality of claw members that are integrally disposed at a right lower end portion in FIG. 1 with a shaft extending horizontally in the front-rear direction of the document feeder 10 with a gap therebetween. Each of the claw members includes a discharge conveyance surface 24a and a reverse conveyance surface 24b. When the branch guide 24 is positioned at the discharge conveyance position, the original conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 40 is guided toward the downstream of the discharge conveyance path 16 along the discharge conveyance surface 24a. On the other hand, when positioned at the reverse conveyance position, the original conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 40 is guided toward the reverse conveyance path 18 along the reverse conveyance surface 24b.

A conveyance guide 26 disposed at an obliquely upper position downstream of the branch guide 24 in the reversal conveyance path 18 is a reversal conveyance surface 26a (part of the left side in FIG. And a regular transport surface 26b (a surface extending in the vertical direction on the right side in FIG. 1) constituting a partial region of the regular transport path 22. The conveyance guide 26 is formed of a plurality of claw members that are integrally disposed at a lower end portion in FIG. 1 with a shaft extending horizontally in the front-rear direction of the document conveyance device 10 with a gap therebetween. The reverse conveying surface 26a and the order-aligned conveying surface 26b are formed on each of the claw members having the same shape, size and angular position. The reversal conveying surface 26a and the orderly conveying surface 26b of the claw members extend so as to approach each other upward from the lower end located at a distance in the lateral direction, and intersect at an acute angle at the upper end. ing.

The conveyance guide 26 can be rotated about an axis, and is urged in a direction to rotate about one axis (counterclockwise in FIG. 1) by an urging means, which is a torsion coil spring (not shown) in the embodiment. Thus, the reverse conveyance surface 26 a is positioned so as to extend in the direction of narrowing the reverse conveyance path 18 toward the downstream side of the reverse conveyance path 18. A lever portion (not shown) extending radially outward is formed at one end of the shaft of the conveyance guide 26, and the tip of the lever portion abuts on a stopper portion (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 10A. The rotation of the transport guide 26 is restricted.

Note that a reverse conveyance surface 18a (see FIG. 2) of a guide unit 60 described later is disposed at a position facing the reverse conveyance surface 26a of the conveyance guide 26. The reverse conveying surface 18a is formed on a plurality of ribs formed at intervals in the front-rear direction of the document conveying device 10, and the guide unit 60 is positioned at the closed position (FIG. 1) in FIG. It is positioned to extend diagonally from the lower left to the upper right. The front ends of the claw members of the conveyance guide 26 are positioned so as to be inserted into the gaps of the ribs. On the other hand, an alignment conveying surface 22a (see FIG. 2) extending substantially in an arc shape is disposed at a position of the conveyance guide 26 facing the alignment conveying surface 26b. The regular transport surface 22a is formed in the apparatus main body 10A.

In a state where a guide unit 60 described later is positioned at a closed position (FIGS. 1 and 7), the conveyance branch guide 28 is a reverse conveyance surface 28a (a lower side in FIG. 1) that constitutes a partial region of the reverse conveyance path 18. And a refeed conveyance surface 28b (a surface extending upward from the right to the left in FIG. 1) constituting a partial area of the refeed conveyance path 28. Yes. The conveyance branch guide 28 is rotatable about its axis and receives a moment in the direction of rotation about its axis (clockwise in FIG. 1) due to its own weight. It is positioned so as to extend in the direction of narrowing the reverse conveyance path 18 toward the downstream. The conveyance branch guide 28 is formed of a plurality of claw members that are integrally disposed with a gap extending between axes extending horizontally in the front-rear direction of the document conveyance device 10 at the center in the vertical direction on the left side in FIG. The reverse conveyance surface 28a and the refeed conveyance surface 28b are formed on the claw members having the same shape, size, and angular position. The reverse conveyance surface 28a and the refeed conveyance surface 28b extend from the left to the right in FIG. 1 so as to approach each other, and intersect at an acute angle at the right end.

As is clear from the above description, the conveyance guide 26 has a reversal conveyance surface 26 a that constitutes a partial area of the reversal conveyance path 18 and an alignment conveyance surface 26 b that constitutes a partial area of the alignment conveyance path 22. Therefore, it is possible to make the reversal conveyance path 18 and the regular conveyance path 22 approach as much as possible in the horizontal direction, which contributes to the downsizing of the document conveyance apparatus 10 in the horizontal direction. The conveyance branch guide 28 has a reversal conveyance surface 28a constituting a partial area of the reversal conveyance path 18 and a refeed conveyance surface 28b constituting a partial area of the refeed conveyance path 28. This contributes to downsizing the configuration of the branch portion of the path 18, the re-feeding transport path 20, and the regular transport path 22. Further, the reversal conveyance surface 28a of the conveyance branch guide 28 and the order-alignment conveyance surface 22a opposite thereto share a partial area of each of the reversal conveyance path 18 and the order-alignment conveyance path 22. , Contributing to the compactness. The downsizing of the configuration described above also enables faster document transport and cost reduction of the document transport device 10 and the copying machine 100 including the document transport device 10.

The paper feed conveyance path 14 includes an inner surface 14a and an outer surface 14b that face each other with a gap therebetween. An outer side surface 14b in a partial region of the paper feed conveyance path 14 is formed on a cover member 50 disposed to be openable and closable around an axis 50A of the apparatus main body 10A. 1, the shaft 50A has an axis that is disposed at the lower left end portion in the lateral direction of the apparatus main body 10A and extends horizontally in the front-rear direction (the shaft 50A is an inversion of the paper feed conveyance path 14). Located outside the bottom edge of the region). A partial area on the inner side surface 14a of the paper feed conveyance path 14 is formed on an upper surface 62f (see FIG. 7) of a guide unit 60 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) disposed in the apparatus main body 10A so as to be openable and closable around a shaft 60A. Is formed. The refeed conveyance path 20, the reverse conveyance surface 18a, and the conveyance branch guide 28 are disposed in the guide unit 60 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). The re-feed conveyance path 20 opens obliquely on the upper surface 62 f of the guide unit 60.

7 and 8, the transport roller pair 36 unit 60 includes a synthetic resin unit main body 62 extending in the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction) of the apparatus main body 10A. In the unit main body 62, a refeed conveyance path 20 and a reverse conveyance surface 18a are formed, and a conveyance branch guide 28 is rotatably supported. At both ends in the longitudinal direction of the unit main body 62, one end of the arm 64 is disposed so as to extend in the extending direction of the flat surface 62f (downstream direction in which the refeed conveyance path 20 joins). Each tip of the arm 64 is rotatably supported by the shaft 60A disposed on the same axis as the drive roller 34a of the transport roller pair 34. The shaft 60 </ b> A is disposed above the shaft 50 </ b> A of the cover member 50 and inside the inner side surface 14 a of the paper feed conveyance path 14.

In a state where the guide unit 60 is positioned at the closed position (FIGS. 1 and 7), the upper surface 62 f is positioned so as to constitute a partial region of the inner side surface 14 a of the paper feed conveyance path 14. As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the reverse conveyance surface 18 a of the guide unit 60 is positioned so as to constitute a partial region of the reverse conveyance path 18, and the refeed conveyance surface 28 b of the conveyance branch guide 28 is It is positioned so as to constitute a partial region of the refeed conveyance path 28.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a set document pressing plate 70 is disposed below the pickup roller 30. The set document pressing plate 70 is in a non-acting position shown in FIG. 1 by a solenoid (not shown) and an operating position (not shown) that presses the top surface of the front end of the document set on the sheet feeding table 11 toward the pickup roller 30 from below. ) And are selectively positioned. On the downstream side of the set document pressing plate 70, a document stop wall 72 that defines the position of the leading edge of the document set on the paper feed table 11 is disposed.

A glass plate 80 is disposed on the upper surface of the copying machine main body 102 so as to extend horizontally, and a document pressing plate (not shown) is disposed in a region corresponding to the glass plate 80 of the document conveying device 10. The document conveying device 10 is connected via a hinge means (not shown) disposed between an end portion on the rear side (the back surface side in FIGS. 1 and 13) and a corresponding rear end portion of the copying machine main body 102. Between an open position (not shown) in which the upper surface including the glass plate 80 of the copying machine main body 102 and a glass plate 82 to be described later is opened upward, and a closed position (position shown in FIGS. 1 and 13) covering the upper surface. It can be rotated. For example, when reading an image such as a book, the document conveying device 10 is opened and the image surface is brought into contact with the glass plate 80. In this case, the optical system of the image reading apparatus 103 moves and image scanning is performed.

At the image reading position P, a glass plate 82 extending in the front-rear direction of the copier body 102 with a certain width and having a horizontal upper surface is disposed so as to face the glass plate 82 from above with a predetermined gap. The guide member 84 is provided. The glass plate 82 is provided on the copying machine main body 102 side, and the upper surface of the glass plate 82 defines a partial region of the upper surface of the copying machine main body 102, and is a guide member disposed with a gap on the upper surface of the glass plate 82. In cooperation with the bottom surface 84, a partial area of the document conveyance path that connects the paper feed conveyance path 14 and the discharge conveyance path 16 is defined. The guide member 84 is provided on the document conveying device 10 side.

Next, the conveyance operation of the original set on the paper feed table 11 will be described. Needless to say, the document conveying operation by the operation of each device including the switching operation of the branch guide 24 is controlled by a controller (not shown) disposed in the copying machine 100 and the document conveying apparatus 10.

First, a conveying operation for reading only one side of a document will be described with reference to FIG. The original is sent to the paper separation mechanism 32 by the pickup roller 30, and only one original is sent to the registration roller pair 34 by the paper separation mechanism 32. The document sent to the registration roller pair 34 is conveyed downstream through the paper feed conveyance path 14 at a predetermined timing, and is conveyed to the image reading position P by the conveyance roller pairs 36 and 38. While the document passes through the image reading position P, an image on one side of the document is read by the image reading unit of the image reading device 103 (FIG. 13). The document that has passed the image reading position P is transported by the transport roller pair 40 toward the downstream of the discharge transport path 16 along the discharge transport surface 24a of the branch guide 24 that is previously positioned at the discharge transport position. The paper is discharged to the discharge tray 12 by the pair 42. The arrows in FIG. 2 indicate such a document flow.

Next, a conveying operation for reading both sides of the document will be described. Referring to FIG. 3, the document that has passed through image reading position P in the same manner as in the conveyance operation for reading only one side of the document described above is switched to the reverse conveyance position by conveyance roller pair 40. It is branched and transported from the discharge transport path 16 to the reverse transport path 18 along the reverse transport surface 24 b of the branch guide 24. The document comes into contact with the reverse conveyance surface 26a of the conveyance guide 26 and the reverse conveyance surface 18a of the guide unit 60 to bring the conveyance guide 26 into the other direction around the axis against the spring force of a torsion coil spring (not shown). The reverse conveyance path 18 is moved downstream by rotating in the direction).

Subsequently, the leading edge of the original comes into contact with the reverse conveying surface 28a of the conveying branch guide 28 and the regular conveying surface 22a (also used as another reverse conveying surface opposite to the reverse conveying surface 28a), and the conveying branch guide 28 is brought into contact therewith. Is rotated in the other direction around the axis (counterclockwise in FIG. 3) against the moment due to its own weight, whereby the reverse conveying path 18 is moved toward the reverse conveying roller pair 44. A position where the original moved on the reverse conveyance path 18 toward the reverse conveyance roller pair 44 is conveyed toward the reversal table 13 by the reverse conveyance roller pair 44 that normally rotates and the rear end of the original exceeds the conveyance branch guide 28. Thus, the forward rotation of the reverse conveying roller pair 44 is stopped. When the reverse conveyance roller pair 44 is rotated in the reverse direction after the forward rotation is stopped, the original is guided by the refeed conveyance surface 28 b of the conveyance branch guide 28 and re-feeds the refeed conveyance path 20 toward the feed conveyance path 14. Paper is transported. The arrows in FIG. 3 indicate the flow of the document so far.

The document re-fed and conveyed to the sheet conveyance path 14 is conveyed downstream through the sheet conveyance path 14 at a predetermined timing by the registration roller pair 34 and is conveyed again to the image reading position P as described above. The While the document passes through the image reading position P, the image on the other side of the document is read. The document on which the images on both sides are read after passing through the image reading position P is conveyed to the discharge conveyance path 16 by the discharge roller pair 42. However, if the order is not designated in advance, the original is positioned at the discharge conveyance position. The paper is guided by the branch guide 24 and conveyed downstream in the discharge conveyance path 16 and is discharged to the discharge tray 12 by the discharge roller pair 42 (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 4, when the order alignment is designated in advance for the document from which the images on both sides are read, the branch guide 24 has been switched to the reverse conveyance position in advance. The pair 40 is guided toward the reverse conveyance path 18 by the branch guide 24. The document transported to the reverse transport path 18 is directed toward the reverse transport roller pair 44 while slightly rotating the transport guide 26 and the transport branch guide 28 in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction, respectively, as described above. It is transported toward the reversing table 13 by a pair of reversing transport rollers 44 that are normally rotated. The arrows in FIG. 4 indicate the flow of the document so far.

The original moved on the reverse conveyance path 18 toward the reverse conveyance roller pair 44 is conveyed toward the reversal table 13 by the reverse conveyance roller pair 44 that normally rotates, and the rear end of the original exceeds the conveyance guide 26 and the conveyance branch. When moved to a position not exceeding the guide 28, the normal rotation of the reverse conveying roller pair 44 is stopped. The arrow in FIG. 5 shows this state.

When the reverse conveying roller pair 44 is rotated reversely after the forward rotation is stopped, the original is guided by the alignment conveyance surface 26b of the conveyance guide 26, and is discharged and conveyed through the alignment conveyance path 22 toward the discharge conveyance path 16, and the discharge roller. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 12 by the pair 42. The arrow in FIG. 6 shows this state. Since the original on which the images on both sides are read is discharged to the paper discharge tray 12 with one side facing down, the above conveying operation is repeated to align the originals in the same order as they were placed on the paper feed table 11. It can be discharged to the discharge tray 12 (the direction is reversed).

Referring to FIG. 1, the cover member 50 includes a pickup roller 30, a sheet feeding rotating body (driving roller 32a, driven roller 32b and sheet feeding belt 36c) in the sheet separating mechanism 32, and a plurality of pairs of conveying rollers. One roller constituting at least one pair of transport rollers, in the embodiment, a driven roller 34b of the registration roller pair 34, driven rollers 36b and 38b in each of the transport roller pairs 36 and 38, and a guide roller 37 It is arranged. On the other hand, at the position corresponding to the partial area of the paper feed conveyance path 14 in the apparatus main body 10A, the separation roller 32d of the paper separation mechanism 32, the drive roller 34a of the registration roller pair 34, and the conveyance roller pairs 36 and 38 are provided. The drive rollers 36a and 38a in each of these are disposed.

The cover member 50 is normally closed as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, when the cover member 50 is rotated around the shaft 50A in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7 and opened, the inner side surface 14a in the partial area of the paper feed conveyance path 14 is opened to the outside. Therefore, a jam occurring in the partial area of the paper feed conveyance path 14 can be easily and quickly processed. In the embodiment, the cover member 50 is disposed outside the lower end portion in the reversal area of the paper feed conveyance path 14 (in the embodiment, outside the conveyance roller pair 38 disposed immediately upstream of the image reading position P). Since the shaft 50A is rotatably supported by the shaft 50A and is opened upward toward the downstream side of the paper feed conveyance path 14, the partial area of the paper feed conveyance path 14 extends from the upstream end of the paper feed conveyance path 14. Wide open up to the left and to the lower end in the reversal region (a position immediately upstream of the pair of conveying rollers 38). As a result, it is possible to easily and quickly deal with a jam that has occurred in the paper feed path 14.

When the cover member 50 is opened, the sheet feeding mechanism is provided with the separation roller 32d of the sheet separation mechanism 32, the driving roller 34a of the registration roller pair 34, and the driving rollers 36a and 38a of the conveying roller pairs 36 and 38, respectively. Since the inner surface 14a of the path 14 is opened to the outside, the sheet feeding rotating body (the driving roller 32a, the driven roller 32b, and the sheet feeding belt 32c) in the sheet separating mechanism 32, the driven roller 34b of the registration roller pair 34, and the conveyance A jam occurring between the driven rollers 36b and 38b in each of the roller pairs 36 and 38 can be handled easily and quickly.

8, 11 and 12, in addition to opening the cover member 50, when the guide unit 60 is further rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 8 around the shaft 60A, the separation roller 32d, A space S between the other roller constituting the pair of transport rollers disposed in the downstream position closest to the separation roller 32d, in the embodiment, the drive roller 34a of the registration roller pair 34 is opened upward. . In addition, the space S is opened above each of the branch guide 26, the conveyance guide 28, the reverse conveyance path 18, and the regular alignment conveyance path 22. As a result, it is possible to easily and quickly handle the jam generated in the refeed conveyance path 20 as well as the jam generated in the reverse conveyance path 18 and the regular conveyance path 22. Further, since the branch guide 26 can be seen from above, it is possible to check a jam occurring at the branch portion between the discharge conveyance path 16 and the reverse conveyance path 18, so that it is possible to easily and quickly deal with it. Furthermore, since the downstream side of the separation roller 32d is widely opened, it becomes easy to detect dirt on the separation roller 32d at an early stage, and the cleaning operation can be performed easily and quickly. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent document double feeding.

The guide unit 60 is supported at a position above the shaft 50A of the cover member 50 so as to be rotatable around a shaft 60A disposed inside the inner side surface 14a of the paper feed transport path 14, and is fed and transported. Since it is opened upward toward the downstream side of the path 14, a partial region of the inner side surface 14a of the paper feed conveyance path 14 can be widely opened upward, which contributes to easier and faster jam processing.

The refeed conveyance path 20 and the conveyance branch guide 28 are disposed in the guide unit 60, and the refeed conveyance path 20 is configured to open to the upper surface 60 f of the guide unit 60. It is possible to easily and quickly deal with jams occurring in the process.

Between the cover member 50 and the guide unit 60 and the apparatus main body 10A, closed position locking means for releasably locking in the closed position is disposed. Further, the open position of each of the cover member 50 and the guide unit 60 is provided with stopper means for restricting counterclockwise rotation (rotation in the opening direction) between each of the apparatus main bodies 10A in FIG. It can be specified by installing.

In the above embodiment of the present invention, the double-sided image originals that are reversed downward from the reverse conveyance path 18 and merge downstream of the discharge conveyance path 16 between the discharge conveyance path 16 and the reverse conveyance path 18 are aligned. Although the transport path 22 is provided and the reverse transport path 18 is provided with the transport guide 26, there are other embodiments that do not include the regular transport path 22 and the transport guide 26. In this embodiment, the conveyance guide 26 does not exist above the branch guide 24, and the conveyance branch guide 28 disposed in the branch portion between the reverse conveyance path 18 and the refeed conveyance path 20 exists. Therefore, the configuration of the apparatus main body 10A is simplified, which contributes to cost reduction. When the cover member 50 and the guide unit 60 are opened, the upper part of the reverse conveying path 18 is opened wider and the upper part of the branch guide 24 is opened wider. As a result, visual inspection from above the branch guide 24 is further facilitated, and a jam occurring at the branch portion between the discharge conveyance path 16 and the reverse conveyance path 18 can be more easily confirmed, so that it can be easily and quickly processed. It becomes.

In the document conveying path 10, the reverse conveying roller pair 44 includes a driving roller disposed on the lower side in FIG. 1 and a driven roller disposed on the upper side. The driven roller is rotatably supported by one end of a lever that extends substantially horizontally in the horizontal direction and whose center is rotatably supported via a shaft. The other end of the lever is a compression coil spring (not shown). Is biased upward. As a result, the driven roller is pressed against the driving roller from above. A solenoid (not shown) is disposed between the other end of the lever and the apparatus main body 10A, and the other end of the lever is moved downward in FIG. 1 against the spring force of the compression coil spring (not shown) by the operation of the solenoid. The driven roller can be separated upward from the driving roller by rotating the lever around the axis. With this configuration, the nip and the nip release between the driven roller and the driving roller are appropriately performed, and the document can be smoothly conveyed. For example, before the leading edge of the document conveyed from the reversing conveyance path 18 toward the reversing table 13 reaches the nip portion of the reversing conveying roller pair 44, the solenoid is operated to separate the driven roller from the driving roller, and the leading edge of the document. After a predetermined time has passed after the roller passes the drive roller, the solenoid is deactivated and the driven roller is pressed against the drive roller to nip the document, and the document is conveyed toward the reversal table by forward rotation. The document is conveyed toward the re-feed conveyance path 20 by the control, and the conveyance of the document is started by the registration roller pair 34, and at the same time the nip of the reverse conveyance roller pair 44 is released. Control to release the nip of the reverse conveying roller pair 44 at the same time as the discharge of the original is started by the discharge roller pair 42. It is a function.

The document conveying apparatus 10 according to the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus including the copying machine 100, but is also applicable to an image reading apparatus (scanner). In that sense, in this specification, the image forming apparatus includes an image reading apparatus in a broad sense.

It is sectional drawing which expands and shows a part of document conveying apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining one form of document conveyance in the document conveyance device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining another conveyance mode of a document in the document conveyance device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining still another form of conveying the original in the original conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining still another form of conveying the original in the original conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining still another form of conveying the original in the original conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where a cover member is opened in the document conveying device illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the guide unit is further opened in the document conveying device shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the entire document conveying device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover member is opened in the document conveying device shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state where the guide unit is further opened in the document conveying device shown in FIG. 10. It is the perspective view which looked at the original conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 11 from the upper angular position. 1 is a schematic front view showing a part of an electrostatic copying machine including an embodiment of a document conveying device according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

10: Document transport apparatus 10B: Document transport apparatus body 11: Paper feed table 12: Reversing table 13: Discharge tray 14: Paper feed transport path 16: Discharge transport path 18: Reverse transport path 20: Refeed transport path 22: Order Alignment transport path 24: Branch guide 26: Transport guide 28: Transport branch guide 50: Cover member 60: Guide unit 100: Copying machine 102: Copying machine body P: Image reading position

Claims (13)

A paper feed table, a discharge tray disposed below the paper feed table, a reversing table disposed between the paper feed table and the discharge tray, and extends horizontally from the paper feed table and then reverses downward. The paper feed conveyance path extending to the image reading position, the discharge conveyance path extending from the image reading position to the discharge tray, the reverse conveyance path extending from the discharge conveyance path to the reversal table, and the branching from the reverse conveyance path. In a document conveying device having a refeed conveyance path that merges with a paper conveyance path,
A branch guide is disposed at a branch portion between the discharge transport path and the reverse transport path, and a transport branch guide is disposed above the branch guide and at a branch portion between the reverse transport path and the refeed transport path.
The paper feed path includes an inner surface and an outer face that are opposed to each other with a gap therebetween, and an outer side surface in a partial region of the paper feed path is formed on a cover member that can be opened and closed. A partial region on the inner side surface of the conveyance path is formed on the upper surface of the guide unit arranged to be openable and closable,
When the cover member is opened, the inner side surface in the partial area of the paper feed conveyance path is opened to the outside, and when the guide unit is further opened, the upper space of each of the branch guide and the reverse conveyance path is opened.
An original conveying apparatus characterized by the above. In the sheet feeding conveyance path, a pickup roller, a sheet separating mechanism including a sheet feeding rotating body and a separation roller, and a plurality of conveyance roller pairs including a registration roller pair are arranged in this order from upstream to downstream.
The cover member is provided with the pickup roller, the sheet feeding rotator, and one roller constituting at least one pair of transport rollers in the plurality of transport roller pairs,
The guide unit has an upper surface of the guide unit between the separation roller and the other roller constituting the pair of conveyance rollers disposed at the downstream position closest to the separation roller. Arranged to form the partial region on the side,
When the cover member is opened, the inner surface of the partial area of the sheet feeding conveyance path in which the separation roller and the other roller constituting the at least one pair of conveyance rollers are disposed is opened to the outside.
Further, when the guide unit is opened, a space between the separation roller and the other roller constituting the pair of transport rollers disposed at the downstream position closest to the separation roller is opened upward. 1. A document conveying apparatus according to 1. The cover member is rotatably supported around an axis disposed outside a lower end portion in a reversal region of the paper feed conveyance path, and is opened upward toward the downstream side of the paper feed conveyance path. Item 3. A document conveying apparatus according to Item 2. The guide unit is supported so as to be rotatable about an axis disposed above the axis of the cover member and on the inner side of the inner surface of the paper feed conveyance path, and toward the downstream of the paper feed conveyance path. The document conveying device according to claim 3, wherein the document conveying device is opened upward. 5. The document conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the refeed conveyance path and the conveyance branch guide are disposed in the guide unit, and the refeed conveyance path opens on the upper surface of the guide unit. The conveyance branch guide has a reversal conveyance surface constituting a partial area of the reverse conveyance path and a refeed conveyance surface constituting a partial area of the refeed conveyance path, and is rotatable about an axis. The reverse conveyance surface is positioned so as to extend in a direction of narrowing the reverse conveyance path toward the downstream side of the reverse conveyance path in response to a moment in a direction rotating around one axis due to its own weight. The document feeder according to any one of the preceding claims. The discharge conveyance path includes a pair of conveyance rollers that conveys the document that has passed the image reading position toward a branching portion between the discharge conveyance path and the reverse conveyance path, and a discharge that discharges the document conveyed to the most downstream position to the discharge tray. A pair of rollers is disposed, and a pair of reversing conveyance rollers capable of forward and reverse rotation is disposed between the reversing table and the conveyance branch guide in the reversing conveyance path,
The branch guide is selectively positioned at a discharge conveyance position for guiding the document conveyed by the conveyance roller pair toward the downstream of the discharge conveyance path and a reverse conveyance position for guiding the document toward the reverse conveyance path,
When the branch guide is positioned at the reverse transport position and the original is transported to the reverse transport path by the pair of transport rollers, the front end of the original contacts the reverse transport surface of the transport branch guide, and the transport branch guide is 7. The document conveying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the reverse conveying path is moved toward the reverse conveying roller pair by rotating to the other of the axes around the axis against a moment due to its own weight. The document moved on the reverse conveyance path toward the reverse conveyance roller pair is conveyed toward the reverse table by the reverse conveyance roller pair that normally rotates, and the reverse conveyance roller pair is positioned at a position where the trailing edge of the original exceeds the conveyance branch guide. When the pair of reverse conveyance rollers is reversed after the paper is stopped, the original is guided by the refeed conveyance surface of the conveyance branch guide, and is fed again through the refeed conveyance path toward the feed conveyance path. The document feeder according to claim 7. A double-sided image original ordering conveyance path that is reversed downward from the reversal conveyance path and merges downstream of the branching portion of the discharge conveyance path is provided,
A conveyance guide having a reversal conveyance surface constituting a partial area of the reversal conveyance path and a regular alignment conveyance surface constituting a partial area of the regular alignment conveyance path is arranged at an obliquely upper position downstream of the branch guide in the reversal conveyance path. Established,
The conveyance guide is rotatable about the axis and is urged in the direction of rotation about one axis by the urging means, so that the reverse conveyance surface narrows the reverse conveyance path toward the downstream of the reverse conveyance path. The document conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the document conveying device is positioned so as to extend in a direction. 10. The document conveying device according to claim 9, wherein when the cover member and the guide unit are opened, the upper space of each of the conveyance guide, the branch guide, the reverse conveyance path, and the regular conveyance path is opened. When the branch guide is positioned at the reverse transport position and the document is transported to the reverse transport path by the pair of transport rollers, the document is placed on the transport guide before the leading edge of the document contacts the reverse transport surface of the transport branch guide. 11. The reverse conveyance path can be moved downstream by rotating the conveyance guide in contact with the reverse conveyance surface and rotating the conveyance guide to the other around the axis against the urging force of the urging means. Document transport device. Position where the original moved on the reverse conveyance path toward the reverse conveyance roller pair is conveyed toward the reversal table by the reverse conveyance roller pair that normally rotates, and the trailing edge of the original does not exceed the conveyance guide and does not exceed the conveyance branch guide When the reverse conveying roller pair is reversed after the reverse conveying roller pair is stopped, the document is guided by the alignment conveyance surface of the conveyance guide and discharged and conveyed through the alignment conveyance path toward the discharge conveyance path. The document feeder according to claim 11. In the image forming apparatus provided with the document conveying device on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body,
The document conveying device includes the document conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.
An image forming apparatus.

Images