JP6122398B2 - Document feeder and image forming apparatus provided with the document feeder - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a document feeder and an image forming apparatus including the document feeder.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a document feeder provided in, for example, a facsimile or a copying machine is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The document feeder includes a document setting surface on which a document is set, a document detection member for detecting the document, and a photo interrupter (PI sensor) for detecting the detection member. The document detection member is configured to be movable in the vertical direction through the document setting surface. The document detection member is always urged upward by an elastic member. In a state where no document is set on the document setting surface, the upper end portion of the document detection member protrudes above the document setting surface. When the document is set on the document setting surface, the upper end portion of the document detection member comes into contact with the lower surface of the document and is pushed down. As a result, the document detection member moves downward and blocks between the light receiving portion and the light emitting portion of the photo interrupter. As a result, the output signal of the photo interrupter is switched from on to off. The output signal of the photo interrupter is transmitted to the controller. When the controller receives an off signal from the photo interrupter, it determines that the document is set on the document setting surface.

JP-A-8-32765

  However, in the document feeder shown in Patent Document 1, for example, when the document set on the document setting surface has a curling characteristic that protrudes upward, the lower side of the document (the document and the document setting surface) A space will be created. For this reason, although the document is set on the document setting surface, the lower surface of the document may not come into contact with the document detection member, and the document detection member may not move downward. In this case, since the light receiving unit and the light emitting unit of the photo interrupter (document detection sensor) are not blocked by the document detection member, the controller erroneously determines that “the document is not set”.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a document feeder and an image forming apparatus that are excellent in document detection accuracy.

A document feeding device according to the present invention includes a document setting surface on which a document is set and a feed roller that rotates while abutting against one side surface of the document set on the document setting surface to send the document downstream. When the feeding roller is stopped, the leading edge of the document set on the document setting surface is abutted to regulate the leading edge position of the document, while the feeding roller is in operation. A restriction member configured to release the restriction, and a document detection member configured to penetrate the document setting surface in the vertical direction and be movable in the vertical direction,
The document detection member is formed on a biasing member that biases the document detection member upward, a document detection sensor having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, and the document detection member or a member that works in conjunction with the document detection member. Depending on whether or not is set, based on the detected part for switching light transmission / light shielding between the light emitting part and the light receiving part of the document detection sensor and the output signal of the document detection sensor, A determination unit that determines whether or not a document is set, and a portion of the document detection member that protrudes above the document setting surface is in a state where the document is not set on the document setting surface. When the document detection member is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction of the document set surface, the document detection member straddles the upstream side and the downstream side of the restriction member.

  According to this configuration, the leading edge of the document set on the document setting surface is in contact with the regulating member, so that the leading edge position of the document is regulated. A document detection member passes through the document setting surface so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Therefore, when a document is set on the document setting surface, the document detection member comes into contact with the lower surface of the document and is pushed down. As a result, since the light transmitting / shading of the document detection sensor is switched by the light shielding portion formed on the document detection member or the member interlocking with the document detection member, the determination unit determines that the document is set on the document setting surface. .

  Here, the portion of the document detection member that protrudes above the document setting surface extends over the upstream side and the downstream side of the restriction member, and therefore has a curl characteristic that the document is convex upward. Even in such a case, the leading edge of the document surely contacts the document detection member. As a result, the document detection member is pushed downward, and the light transmission / light shielding of the document detection sensor is switched by the light shielding portion. The determination unit determines that a document is set on the document setting surface by detecting this switching. Therefore, it can be prevented that the determination unit erroneously determines that “the original is not set” even though the original is set.

  The document feeder is disposed downstream of the delivery roller and above the delivery roller, and rotates while contacting one side of the document to feed the document downstream. A paper roller; and an inclined guide portion that is inclined upward from the feed roller side toward the paper feed roller side and guides the document fed by the feed roller to the paper feed roller, When the original detection member is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction with no original set on the original setting surface, the upper end of the member is the lower end of the feeding roller and the inclined guide portion. The guide surface is preferably positioned above a line segment connecting the edge on the paper feed roller side.

  According to this configuration, the document sent downstream by the feed roller is further sent downstream by the paper feed roller. At this time, if a strong original such as a thick paper original is used, the lower end of the feed roller does not bend along the circumferential surface of each roller when the original goes from the feed roller to the paper feed roller. Bridging with the lower edge of the paper feed roller. When the document bridges, the document detection member may follow the lower surface of the document and lift up. As a result, there is a possibility that the determination unit erroneously determines that “the original is not set”.

  On the other hand, according to the above configuration, the upper end of the document detection member is inclined with respect to the lower end of the feed roller when the document detection member is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the paper feed direction when no document is set. It is located above the line segment connecting the edge of the guide portion on the paper feed roller side of the guide surface. Therefore, even if the document bridges between the feed roller and the paper feed roller, the lower surface of the document contacts the upper end of the document detection member and pushes down the document detection member, thereby preventing erroneous determination in the determination unit. be able to.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the document feeder.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to improve document detection accuracy in an image forming apparatus equipped with a document feeder.

  According to the present invention, a document feeder and an image forming apparatus excellent in document detection accuracy are provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the document feeding device and the image reading device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the roller cover of the document feeder is removed. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a peripheral portion of the feed roller in the document feeder. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 3 and shows a state before the document setting is completed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the document detection mechanism as viewed obliquely from the top with the guide plate removed. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the document detection mechanism as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3 and shows a state where the document has been set. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3 and shows a state in which the document is sent downstream by the feed roller after the document setting is completed. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3 and shows an enlarged view of the periphery of the feed roller and the paper feed roller. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a document is set on a document setting surface in a document feeding device of a comparative form. FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a state in which a document is set on a document setting surface in the document feeder of the present embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.
Embodiment 1

  FIG. 1 shows an image forming apparatus 1 provided with a document feeder 222 in the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is a laser printer using an electrophotographic system. The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming apparatus main body 100, an image reading apparatus 200 attached to an upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 100, and an operation panel 300 that can be operated by a user. The image reading apparatus 200 has a document feeder 222. In the following description, the front side and the rear side mean the front side (side on which the operation panel 300 is located) and the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1, respectively, and the left side and the right side look at the image forming apparatus 1 from the front side. It means the left side and the right side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus main body 100 has a box-shaped housing 60. An image reading device 200 is provided on the upper portion of the housing 60.

  In the housing 60, the paper feeding unit 10, the image forming unit 20, and the fixing unit 40 are accommodated. A plurality of transport roller pairs 11 to 13 that sandwich and transport the paper P are disposed in a paper transport path L from the paper supply unit 10 to the paper discharge unit 50 in the housing 60. In addition, a reverse conveyance path L ′ that branches from the downstream side of the sheet conveyance path L and joins the upstream side is provided in the housing 60. Conveying roller pairs 14 to 16 are arranged in the reverse conveying path L ′.

  The paper feeding unit 10 is disposed in the lower part of the housing 60. The paper feed unit 10 includes a paper feed cassette 10a in which sheet-like paper P is accommodated, and a pickup roller 10b for taking out the paper P in the paper feed cassette 10a and sending it out of the cassette. The paper P sent out of the cassette from the paper feed cassette 10 a is supplied to the image forming unit 20 through the transport roller pair 11. In the image forming unit 20, image forming units 20Bk, 20M, 20C, and 20Y that form toner images corresponding to the respective colors of black, magenta, cyan, and yellow are arranged in a line. Each of the image forming units 20Bk, 20M, 20C, and 20Y includes a photosensitive drum 21, a charging device 22, a developing device 23, and a cleaning device 24. Below the image forming units 20Bk, 20M, 20C, and 20Y, an exposure device 25 that irradiates the surface of each photosensitive drum 21 with laser light is disposed. An intermediate transfer unit 26 is disposed above the image forming units 20Bk, 20M, 20C, and 20Y. The intermediate transfer unit 26 is provided with an intermediate transfer belt 27 that travels in contact with each photosensitive drum 21. A primary transfer roller 28 is provided inside the intermediate transfer belt 27 so as to sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 27 with the photosensitive drum 21. A secondary transfer roller 29 is provided on the downstream side of the image forming unit 20Bk so as to be in contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 27. Above the intermediate transfer unit 26, toner containers 30Bk, 30M, 30C, and 30Y are arranged. The toner containers 30Bk, 30M, 30C, and 30Y store toners of respective colors that are supplied to the developing devices 23 of the image forming units 20Bk, 20M, 20C, and 20Y.

  In the image forming unit 20, an electrostatic latent image is formed by irradiating laser light based on predetermined image data (for example, original image data read by the image reading device 200) onto the surface of each photosensitive drum 21 by the exposure device 25. Form. The image forming unit 20 develops the formed electrostatic latent image with the developing device 23 to form a toner image of each color. Each color toner image formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 21 is transferred onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 27 by the primary transfer roller 28 and superimposed. The toner image transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 27 is transferred onto the paper P supplied from the paper supply unit 10 by the secondary transfer roller 29. The sheet P after the transfer is supplied to the fixing unit 40. The fixing unit 40 fixes the toner image on the paper P by pressing the paper P supplied from the image forming unit 20 between the fixing roller 40a and the pressure roller 40b. Then, the paper P on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing unit 40 is sent out to the downstream side by both rollers 40a and 40b. The paper P sent out from the fixing unit 40 is discharged to the paper discharge tray unit 50 via the conveyance roller pair 13. When toner images are formed on both sides of the paper P, the paper P is switched back by the transport roller pair 13 and transported to the reverse transport path L ′.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image reading apparatus 200 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case body 250. An upper surface of the case body 250 forms a document table 251. The document table 251 has a rectangular frame-shaped portion 251a and a contact glass 251b fitted therein. The upper surface of the contact glass 251b forms a document setting surface 251b. The document setting surface 251b is covered with a document pressing cover 230 so as to be opened and closed. The document pressing cover 230 is rotatably attached to the document table 251 via a hinge mechanism (not shown). A document feeder 222 is provided on the upper surface side of the document pressing cover 230.

  A scanner unit 210 is accommodated inside the case body 250 (that is, below the contact glass 251b). The scanner unit 210 optically reads the document G set on the document setting surface 251b and generates image data thereof. Specifically, the scanner unit 210 includes a reflection mirror 212, a CCD sensor 213, and a reading unit 215. The reading unit 215 emits light from the LED light source 215a toward the document G on the contact glass. The reflection mirror 212 guides the reflected light from the document G to the CCD sensor 213. The CCD sensor 213 photoelectrically converts the received light to generate image data of a document image. The generated image data is stored in a data storage unit (not shown).

  The document feeder 222 is composed of an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder). The document feeder 222 has a feed roller 224a, a feed roller 224b, a first transport roller 224c, a second transport roller 224d, and a paper discharge roller 224e in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the document transport direction. doing. A U-shaped document conveyance path 225 is formed by these rollers 224a to 224e. The rollers 224a to 224e are covered from above by a roller cover 221 (see FIG. 3). The document feeder 222 sends the document G on the document feed tray 223 and supplies it to the document transport path 225 by the rollers 224a and 224b, and then passes through the first and second transport rollers 224c and 224d. The paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 228 by the paper discharge roller 224e. A first image reading position 226 and a second image reading position 227 are set in the middle of the document conveyance path 225. At the first image reading position 226, an image on the back side of the document is read by a contact image sensor (CIS) 211. The contact image sensor 211 is disposed between the first and second transport rollers 224c and 224d. At the second image reading position 227, the image on the surface of the original G is read by the scanner unit 211. Thus, the double-sided image of the document G is read by the contact image sensor 211 and the scanner unit 210 until the document G is fed from the document feed tray 223 and discharged to the document discharge tray 228.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the feed roller 224 a is supported by a support case 235. Specifically, the delivery roller 224 a is supported by a shaft 240 that passes through the axial center portion thereof, and both end portions of the shaft 240 are supported by a pair of side wall portions 236 constituting the support case 235. The pair of side wall portions 236 are disposed to face each other in the front-rear direction. The upper end portions of both side wall portions 236 are connected by an upper wall portion 237. The left end portion of both side wall portions 236 is rotatably supported by a drive shaft 229 that penetrates the shaft center portion of the paper feed roller 224b. Thus, the support case 235 can be rotated around the shaft 229.

  Support pins 238 are integrally formed on the side wall portions 236. The support pin 238 protrudes outside the support case 235. The projecting end of each support pin 238 is formed in a cross shape on the end face. A tip regulating member 239 is rotatably supported at the projecting end of each support pin 238. The leading edge regulating member 239 regulates the leading edge position of the document G set on the document feeding tray 223. The tip restricting member 239 has a cylindrical portion 239a (see FIG. 4) and a restricting plate portion 239b. The cylindrical portion 239a is fixed by being fitted around the tip of the support pin 238. The restriction plate part 239b is fixed to the peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 239a. The leading edge of the document G is determined by the leading edge of the document G coming into contact with the regulating member 239 (the regulating plate 239b). When there are a plurality of documents G, the leading end positions of the plurality of documents G can be aligned by the regulating member 239, so that a paper jam or the like during the document G feeding operation can be prevented.

  The support pin 238 that supports the tip regulating member 239, the feed roller 224a, and the drive shaft 229 of the paper feed roller 224b are connected to a drive mechanism (not shown). This drive mechanism keeps the support case 235 substantially horizontal and starts the position of the leading edge of the document G while maintaining the regulating plate portion 239b substantially perpendicular to the conveyance path 25 before the feeding operation of the document G is started. (See, for example, FIG. 5). When the feeding operation of the document G is started, the drive mechanism rotates the support case 235 around the shaft 229 to send out the feed roller 224a against the upper surface of the document G, and the restricting plate portion 239b around the support pin 238. And the restriction is released (see FIG. 9).

  A guide plate 241 that guides the document G along the transport path 225 is provided below the support case 235. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide plate 241 is formed to be bent at a plurality of locations along the document conveyance path when viewed from the front-rear direction (direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction). The upper surface of the guide plate 241 forms a document guide surface 241a. The upstream end of the document guide surface 241a and the upper surface 223a of the paper feed tray 223 are connected substantially continuously with a slight gap therebetween. A document setting surface 231 is formed by the upstream end portion of the document guide surface 241a and the upper surface 223a of the paper feed tray 223. The guide plate 241 has a slit hole 241f (see FIG. 3) that is long in the left-right direction. The slit hole 241f is formed in the vicinity of the regulating member 239 located closer to the rear side of the pair of tip regulating members 239. A document detection plate 243 that constitutes a part of the document detection mechanism 242 passes through the slit hole 241f so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Between the feed roller 224a and the paper feed roller 224b in the guide plate 241, an inclined guide portion 241k that guides the document G toward the paper feed roller 224b positioned above the feed roller 224 is formed. (See FIG. 10). The inclined guide portion 241k is inclined upward from the feed roller 224a side toward the paper feed roller 224b side.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the document detection mechanism 242 includes a document detection plate 243, a swing shaft 245, a light shielding unit 247, and a photosensor 246. The swing shaft 245 extends in the left-right direction, and both ends of the swing shaft 245 are supported by a fixed bearing (not shown). The document detection plate 243 and the light shielding portion 247 are connected to the peripheral surface of the swing shaft 245 via connecting beam portions 244 and 248, respectively. The document detection plate 243 and the light shielding portion 247 are configured to be able to swing around the axis thereof together with the swing shaft 245. That is, the light shielding portion 247 is configured to be able to swing around the swing shaft 245 in conjunction with the document detection plate 243.

  The document detection plate 243 is urged upward by a spring 260 (see FIG. 5) as an urging member so that the upper end of the document detection plate 243 protrudes above the document guide plate 241. The document detection plate 243 has a substantially right triangle shape when viewed from the front-rear direction. The height of the inclined side 243a of the document detection plate 243 is higher on the left side (downstream side). When the document G comes into contact with the inclined side 243a, the document detection plate 243 is pressed downward by the document G. As a result, the document detection plate 243 swings about the axis of the swing shaft 245 and moves downward. On the other hand, when the contact between the inclined side 243a and the document G is released, the document detection plate 243 is pushed upward by the urging force of the urging member 247 and returns to the original position.

  The photosensor 246 is configured to be able to detect on / off in accordance with the operation of the document detection plate 243. In the present embodiment, the photosensor 246 includes a light emitting unit 246a that emits light and a light receiving unit 246b that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit 246a. The light emitting unit 246a and the light receiving unit 246b are disposed to face each other in the front-rear direction. The photo sensor 246 is configured such that light transmission / light shielding between the light emitting unit 246a and the light receiving unit 246b is switched by the light shielding unit 247 depending on whether or not the document G is set on the document setting surface 231. Specifically, in the state where the document G is not set, as shown in FIG. 7, the light shielding unit 247 blocks off the light emitting unit 246a and the light receiving unit 246b (because it is in a light shielding state), and therefore is turned off from the light receiving unit 246b. A signal is output. On the other hand, in the state where the document G is set, the document detection plate 243 is pushed downward by the document G, and on the contrary, the light shielding portion 247 is lifted upward with the swing shaft 245 as the rotation axis, and therefore the light emitting portion 246a and the light receiving portion. The block between 246b is released (becomes a translucent state). As a result, the light receiving unit 246b can receive light from the light emitting unit 246a, and an ON signal is output from the light receiving unit 246b. The on / off signal output from the light receiving unit 246b is output to the controller 150 (see FIG. 7). When the controller 150 receives the ON signal from the light receiving unit 246b, the controller 150 determines that “the document G is set on the document setting surface 231”. On the other hand, when the controller 150 receives the OFF signal from the light receiving unit 246b, It is determined that the document G is not set on the document setting surface 231. Here, “the original G is set on the original setting surface 231” means that “the original G is set on the original setting surface 231 with the leading edge of the original G contacting the regulating member 239 as shown in FIG. To be done.

  FIG. 11 shows an outline of the document feeder 222 in the comparative embodiment. In the document feeder 222, for example, if the document G has a curl shape that protrudes upward, the document detection plate 243 is moved downward, even though the document G is set on the document setting surface 231. There is a risk of not moving. In this case, since the output signal of the detection sensor 246 does not change (the signal does not change from the off signal to the on signal), the controller 150 makes an erroneous determination that “a document is not set”.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the portion of the document detection plate 243 that protrudes above the document setting surface 231 is viewed from the upstream and downstream sides of the leading edge regulating member 239 when viewed from the direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction. It was made to form across. According to this, when the document G is set on the document setting surface 231, the leading edge of the document G always comes into contact with the document detection plate 243, so that the document G is set on the document setting surface 231. Nevertheless, it is possible to prevent the controller 150 from making an erroneous determination that “the original G is not set” (see FIG. 12).

  After the document G is set on the document setting surface 231, when the user operates the operation panel 300 to instruct the document feeding device 222 to start the feeding operation, the support case 235 is moved as shown in FIG. It rotates around the shaft 229 in the counterclockwise direction in the figure. Then, the feed roller 224a rotates and contacts the upper surface of the original G. As a result, the original G is sent downstream and reaches the paper feed roller 224b. Then, the original G is sent further downstream by the paper feed roller 224b. At this time, if a strong original G such as a thick paper original is used, the original G does not follow the shape of the guide plate of the inclined guide portion 241k, and is sent out as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. A bridge is formed between the roller 224a and the paper feed roller 224b. When the document G is bridged, the document detection plate 243 follows the surface of the document G and lifts up, so that the light-shielding unit 247 shields light between the light-emitting unit 246a and the light-receiving unit 246b of the photosensor 246, and the controller 150 is turned off during document conveyance. There is a risk of detecting the signal. As a result, there is a possibility that the controller 150 erroneously determines that “the original G is not set”.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the document detection plate 243 is in the highest position (when the document G is not set), the upper end of the document detection plate 243 is viewed from the direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction. A line segment L (in FIG. 10) connecting the lower end of the feed roller 224a and the edge A of the inclined guide portion 241k before the paper feed roller 224b (the edge A on the paper feed roller 224b side on the guide surface of the inclined guide portion 241k). It was made to be located above the one-dot chain line). Therefore, even if the original G bridges between the feed roller 224a and the paper feed roller 224b, the lower surface of the original G contacts the upper end of the original detection plate 243 so that the original detection plate 243 is lowered by a predetermined amount. Maintain the lowered state. Therefore, the light emitting unit 246a and the light receiving unit 246b of the photosensor 246 are not shielded by the light shielding unit 247 and maintain a light transmitting state. Therefore, the controller 150 does not make an erroneous determination that “the original G is not set”. As a result, the accuracy of document detection in the controller 150 can be further improved.

  << Other embodiments >>

  The present invention may be configured as follows with respect to the above embodiment.

  In other words, in the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 forms an image by an electrophotographic method. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an image may be formed by an inkjet method.

In the above embodiment, the document detection plate 243 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction by swinging around the axis of the swing shaft 245. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the document detection plate 243 is configured. May be slid in the vertical direction.
In the above embodiment, the light shielding unit 247 is configured by a separate member that is linked to the document detection plate 243. However, for example, the lower end of the document detection plate 243 may be used as the light shielding unit 247.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for a document feeder and an image forming apparatus including the document feeder.

A Edge G of the inclined guide part G Document L Line segment 1 Image forming apparatus 150 Controller (determination part)
222 Document feeder 223 Document feed tray 224a Feed roller 224b Feed roller 231 Document setting surface
239 Tip Restriction Member (Regulation Member)
241k Inclined guide portion 243 Document detection plate (document detection member)
246 Photo sensor (document detection sensor)
247 Shading part 260 Spring (biasing member)

Claims (3)

A document setting surface on which the document is set;
A feed roller that feeds the document downstream by rotating while contacting one side of the document set on the document set surface;
When the feeding roller is stopped, the leading edge of the document set on the document setting surface is abutted to regulate the leading edge position of the document, while when the feeding roller is in operation, the regulation is performed. A restricting member configured to release
A document detection member configured to penetrate the document set surface in the vertical direction and be movable in the vertical direction;
A biasing member that biases the document detection member upward;
An original detection sensor having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion;
Translucency / light shielding between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the document detection sensor, which is formed on the document detection member or a member interlocked with the document detection member, depending on whether or not the document is set on the document setting surface. A detected part for switching,
A determination unit that determines whether a document is set on the document setting surface based on an output signal of the document detection sensor;
The portion of the document detection member that protrudes above the document setting surface is viewed from the direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the document setting surface when no document is set on the document setting surface. A document feeder that straddles the upstream side and the downstream side of the regulating member when In document feeding according to claim 1,
A paper feed roller that is disposed downstream of the feed roller and above the feed roller, and feeds the document downstream by rotating while contacting one side of the document;
An inclination guide portion that is inclined upward from the feed roller side toward the paper feed roller side, and that guides the document fed by the feed roller to the paper feed roller;
The upper end of the document detection member is inclined with the lower end of the feed roller when the document detection member is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction with no document set on the document setting surface. A document feeder that is located above a line segment connecting the edge on the sheet feed roller side of the guide surface of the guide unit.   An image forming apparatus comprising the document feeder according to claim 1.

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