JPH01236126A - Automatic original conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To aim at structural simplification in a device by installing such a guide means that allows an original to come in, but deflects it upward in checking any movement of the original toward an original table from top of a transparent plate, between this original table and a conveying roller. CONSTITUTION:In originals 262 on an original table, an original arresting member 76 is retracted downward by copying operation starting, a feed roller 56 goes down to an uppermost original in contact whereby this uppermost original is fed out, and furthermore a front edge comes into contact with a close-contact part between a conveying roller means 22 in a nonoperational state and a transparent plate 8 as its double feed is kept back by one rotation of a feed roller 46 and reverse rotation of a reverse roller 50, whereby its skew is remedied. Next, it is fed onto the transparent plate 8 as long as the specified length by normal rotation of the conveying roller means 22, and if optical scanning is over, the conveying roller means 22 pressing a rear end of the original 262 in between is reversely rotated, whereby any movement to the original table 18 of the original 262 is checked by a guide means 168, deflecting it upward, and thus the original is discharged to a top face of a main part 86 of an on-off motion frame body 16. Thus, structural simplification is promotable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder applied to an image processing machine such as an electrostatic copying machine and various components used therein.

<Prior art> In order to automate the handling of manuscripts in copying operations, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art Equipping image processing machines such as electrostatic copying machines with automatic document feeders has been widely put into practical use.

A typical example of automatic document feeder is
Examples include those disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 8551.

The automatic document feeder includes an opening/closing movable frame and a document table. A transparent plate on which a document to be copied is placed is disposed on the upper surface of the housing of the image processing machine, and the opening/closing frame body rotates the transparent plate around a pivot axis extending along one edge of the transparent plate. The transparent plate is mounted on the housing of the image processing machine so as to be pivotable between a closed position that covers the transparent plate and an open position that exposes the transparent plate. The document table is mounted on the housing of the electrostatic copying machine adjacent to the opening/closing frame.

The document table is provided with document sending means for sequentially sending out a plurality of sheet-like documents placed thereon one by one. Further, the opening/closing movable frame carries the original sent from the original table to a desired position on the transparent plate, and after scanning of the original is completed, the original on the transparent plate is placed on the upper surface of the opening/closing frame. A document conveying means is provided for conveying the document upward. The document conveyance means includes a conveyance belt mechanism extending along the transparent plate.

When performing a copying operation using the automatic document feeder, the opening/closing movable frame is brought to the closed position, and sheet documents to be copied are placed on the document table in a stacked state. After that, when the automatic document feeder is started to operate, a sheet of the document is sent out from the document table by the document feeder, and this document is carried to a desired position on the transparent plate by the document feeder. When the scanning of the original document carried in is completed, the original document is conveyed from the transparent plate onto the upper surface of the opening/closing movable frame by the document conveyance means, and the next document is sent out from the document table by the document sending means.

<Problems with the Prior Art> The above-mentioned conventional automatic document feeder is relatively complex and expensive due to the structure of the document feeder including the feeder held mechanism, and therefore, it is particularly It is not suitable for relatively inexpensive low to intermediate image processing machines.

<Technical Problem of the Invention> The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and its main technical problem is to simplify the structure of the document conveyance means attached to the opening/closing vj frame, and to simplify the manufacturing process. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved automatic document feeder that is relatively inexpensive in cost and can therefore be conveniently applied to relatively inexpensive low to intermediate image processing machines.

Another technical problem of the present invention is to solve various problems in an automatic document feeder in which the structure of the document feeder attached to the opening/closing movable frame is dark, in terms of the structure of the components and the operation control. The objective is to make improvements such that the required operations can be performed with sufficient precision and stability.

Another technical problem of the present invention is that, although not limited thereto, it can be advantageously used in an automatic document feeder in which the structure of the document feeder attached to the opening/closing frame is located in a dark area. , to provide various improved components.

<Solution Means and Effects of the Invention> According to one aspect of the present invention, the conveying roller means is rotatably mounted within the opening/closing movable frame. Such a conveying roller means is
When the opening/closing frame is brought to the closed position, it is brought into close contact with a transparent plate disposed on the upper surface of the housing of the image processing machine. The leading edge of the original sent out from the original table by the original sending means is brought into contact with a portion of the inactive transport roller means and the transparent plate, and the leading edge of the original is inclined when viewed in the width direction. In such cases, such inclination is corrected. Next, the conveying roller means is rotated in the carrying direction, and the original is carried to a desired position on the transparent plate. The rotation of the transport roller means in the carry-in direction is stopped while the document to be carried in is still held between the transport roller means and the transparent plate. Between the document table and the conveying roller means, there is a device that allows the document to enter from the document table onto the transparent plate, but prevents the document from moving from the transparent plate toward the document table and deflects the document upward. Guidance means are provided. This guide means is composed of a flexible thin piece that projects downwardly in the downstream direction when viewed in the document feeding direction, and this thin piece has a plurality of notches spaced apart in the width direction. It is formed. In conjunction with the above-mentioned guide means, a discharge port is formed in the opening/closing movable frame. When the scanning of the document carried onto the transparent plate is completed, the conveyance roller means is rotated in the opposite direction, that is, the direction of conveyance, and the scanned document is deflected upward by the guide means and passed through the discharge port onto the opening/closing movable frame. will be carried out. The time point at which the conveyance roller means stops rotating in the discharge direction is set depending on the length of the document. The opening/closing movable frame body is mounted so that its mounting height can be freely adjusted by a mounting mechanism that includes an adjustment screw. The opening/closing movement of the opening/closing movable frame body is detected by a safety switch whose detection characteristics are maintained without changing even if its mounting height changes.

<Preferred Embodiments of the Invention> Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an automatic document feeder configured according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The figure shows an electrostatic copying machine, generally designated by numeral 2, and an automatic document feeder, generally designated by 4, equipped on this static copying machine 2. The electrostatic copy R2, which itself may have a well-known form, is equipped with a generally rectangular housing 6, and a document to be copied is placed in the center of the upper surface of the housing 6 with its surface facing downward. A transparent plate 8 (FIGS. 2 and 3), which may be rectangular, is provided to be placed thereon. A copy paper center 10 containing a plurality of sheets of copy paper, which may be ordinary paper, is detachably attached to one side of the housing 60, and a tray 12 is attached to the other side of the housing 6. ing. On one side of the front end of the upper surface of the housing 6, there is disposed an operation panel Ltl 4 (the operation panel 14 will be further referred to later) on which a plurality of operation switches and indicators are arranged. Although not shown in the housing 6, there are
Various components are provided including a rotating drum having an electrostatic light layer on its surface. As is well known, the transparent plate 8 (
A toner image is formed on the rotary drum by an image forming process including document scanning exposure in which the document placed on the document is optically scanned and the reflected image is projected onto the rotary drum. is formed, and the toner image is transferred onto the copy paper supplied from the copy paper strength plate 1-10, and after the transferred toner image is fixed, the copy paper is transferred to the tray 12.
It is discharged to the top.

The illustrated automatic document feeder 4 constructed according to the present invention includes an open/close movable frame 16 and a stationary document table 18. As shown in FIG. The opening/closing movable frame 16 is centered on a pivot axis 20 that extends along the rear edge of the transparent plate 8 (more specifically, extends parallel to the rear edge of the transparent plate 8 and somewhat behind and above it). It is mounted so as to be able to freely rotate between the closed position shown by the solid line in Figure 1 and the open position shown partially in the tube path by the two-dot chain line at the first time (the mounting style of the opening/closing movable frame 16 will be explained later). (further mentioned). When the movable opening/closing frame 16 is brought to the closed position, the transparent plate 8 is covered by the movable opening/closing frame 16, and when the movable opening/closing frame 16 is brought to the open position, the transparent plate 8 is covered by the movable opening/closing frame 16.
is exposed. When manually placing a document to be copied on the transparent plate 8, it is necessary to manually operate the opening/closing frame 16.

The document table 18 is located on one side (
In other words, it is attached to the housing 6 adjacent to the left side when viewed from the front. As will be described in detail later, the document table 18 is provided with document sending means 20 (FIGS. 2 and 3), and the opening/closing movable frame 16 is provided with transport roller means 22 (FIGS. 2 and 3). has been done. The original sending platform 20 is
A plurality of sheet-like originals placed on an original table 18 are sent out toward the transparent plate 8 one by one. Conveying roller means 2
2 transports the delivered original to a desired position on the transparent plate 8, and after the transported original is scanned, the original is transported from the transparent plate 8 to the upper surface of the opening/closing frame 16.

8. The manuscript table 18 shown in the figure, which may be made of synthetic resin, has a downstream edge that is close to or in contact with the left edge of the transparent plate 8. It extends to the left. The document table 18 is mounted at a desired position by fixing its downstream portion to the upper wall of the housing 6 using an appropriate method such as screwing.

As clearly shown in FIG.
A sloped downstream portion 24 extends from the downstream edge toward the left and slopes upward, and a short reverse slope portion 26 slopes in the opposite direction, that is, slopes downward toward the left. ,
It has a main portion 28 that extends from the reverse slope portion 26 toward the left and slopes upward. Most of the main portion 28 protrudes to the left beyond the housing 6 of the electrostatic copying machine 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of width regulating members 30 are mounted on the main portion 28 of the document table 18. As shown in FIG. The pair of width regulating members 30, which may have a well-known form per se, are movable in a direction toward each other and a direction in which they move away from each other, and the distance between them is set such that the distance between them is set on the document table 18. The length is manually set to correspond to the width of the sheet document. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, front and rear upright plates 32 and 34 are disposed on both sides of the downstream side of the document table 18. Front upright plate 32 and rear upright plate 3
An upper guide plate 36 extending above the downstream portion of the document table 18 is disposed between the document table 18 and the document table 18 .

Between the front upright plate 32 and the rear upright plate 34,
Furthermore, a delivery roller mechanism 38 and a separation roller mechanism 40 are provided. The sending roller mechanism 38 and the separating roller mechanism 40 constitute the document sending means 20. Referring to FIG. 4 together with FIGS. 2 and 3, the front upright plate 32 and the rear upright plate 34 have an upper rotating shaft 42 and a lower rotating shaft spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance in the vertical direction. A shaft 44 is rotatably mounted. Three feeding rollers 46 are fixed to the upper rotating shaft 42 at appropriate intervals in the axial direction. The feed roller 46, which may be made of any suitable material such as synthetic rubber, projects downwardly through an opening formed in the upper guide plate 36. As can be understood by referring to FIG. 3, the outer circumferential surface of the feed roller 46 is not completely circular;
A substantially crescent-shaped notch 48 is formed at a specific angle portion 6. Four reversing rollers 50 are fixed to the lower rotating shaft 44 at appropriate intervals in the axial direction. The reversing roller 50, which can be made of any suitable material such as synthetic rubber, is attached to the inclined downstream portion 24 of the document table 18.
It projects upwardly through an opening formed in the. As understood by referring to FIG. 4, the feeding roller 46 and the reversing roller 50 are arranged alternately in the axial direction (that is, the left-right direction in FIG. 4), and the feeding roller 46 are arranged between adjacent reversing rollers 50. Further, base end portions of a pair of support arms 52 are rotatably mounted on the upper rotating shaft 42 . The pair of support arms 52 extend to the left in FIG. 3, and a rotary shaft 54 is rotatably mounted between their free ends. Two delivery rollers 56 are fixed to the rotating shaft 54 at appropriate intervals in the axial direction. Such delivery roller 56 may be formed from any suitable material such as synthetic rubber.

A toothed pulley 58 is also fixed to the upper rotating shaft 42 adjacent to the base end of each of the pair of support arms 52 . The rotating shaft 5 corresponds to the toothed pulley 58.
Toothed pulleys 60 are also fixed to both ends of the toothed boot IJ 58 and the toothed pulley 60, and a timing belt 62 is wound around each of the toothed pulleys 60 and 58, respectively. Therefore, when the upper rotating shaft 42 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3 as described later (during this period, the lower rotating shaft 44 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3), the upper rotating shaft 42 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. The rotation of the rotating shaft 42 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 5 via a toothed pulley 58, a timing belt 62, and a toothed pulley 60.
4, and the rotating shaft 54 is also rotated counterclockwise in FIG. A camshaft 64 is further rotatably mounted between the front upright plate 32 and the rear upright plate 34. A pair of cams 66 are fixed to the cam shaft 64 in correspondence with the pair of support arms 52 . Each of the pair of cams 66 has an actuating projection 68. On the other hand, at the base end portions of the pair of support arms 52,
A flat restrained surface 70 is formed. Cam 66 is the second
When in the restrained position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the actuating projection 68 of the cam 66 engages the restrained surface 70 of the support arm 52, thereby causing the support arm 52 to move as shown in FIGS. is restrained in the raised position shown in . When the support arm 52 is restrained in this raised position, the delivery roller 56 is spaced upwardly from the upper surface of the document table 18 by a required distance. When the cam shaft 64 and the cam 66 fixed thereto are rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3 as described below, the actuating projection 68 of the cam 66 separates from the restrained surface 70 of the support arm 52. Thus, the pair of support arms 52 pivot counterclockwise in FIG. 3 about the upper rotating shaft 42 due to the weight of themselves and the rotating shaft 54 mounted between their free ends. The rotating shaft 54 and the delivery roller 56 attached thereto are lowered, and the delivery roller 56 is lowered.
is brought into contact with the sheet-like original placed on the original table 18 (see FIG. 14-B). When the camshaft 64 and the cam 66 fixed thereto are rotated once and returned to the restraining position shown in FIGS. This action returns the support arm 52 to the above-mentioned raised position and restrains it in this raised position.

As clearly shown in FIG. 3, a set document detector 72 and a sent document detector 74 are disposed in relation to the downstream portion (the right end portion in FIG. 3) of the document table 18. The set document detection 2W72 is composed of a switch having a detection arm 73, and the detection arm 73 is
It protrudes upward through an opening formed at the widthwise center of the downstream end of the main portion 28 of the document table 18 .

The sent document detector 74 also includes a switch having a detection arm 75, and the detection arm 75 projects upward through an opening formed in the widthwise center of the inclined downstream portion 24 of the document table 18. The illustrated document table 18 is further provided with a document restraining member 76 . As clearly shown in FIG. 3, the document restraining member 76 is mounted so as to be pivotable about a pin 78 extending in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 3). A tension spring 80 and an electromagnetic solenoid 82 are attached to the document restraining member 76 disposed at the center in the width direction. Tension spring 80 resiliently biases document restraint member 76 in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3 and resiliently maintains it in the operative position shown in FIG. When the original restraining member 76 is positioned in the operating position, the free end of the original restraining member 76 projects upwardly through an opening formed at the downstream end of the reverse slope 26 of the original table 18. When the electric solenoid 82 is energized, the document restraining member 76 is pivoted clockwise in FIG. 18 (14th
- see Figure B).

As clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a substantially box-shaped cover 8 with an open bottom surface is provided downstream of the document table 18.
4 are arranged, and the delivery roller mechanism 38, the separation roller mechanism 40, etc. are covered by a cover 84 (the drive train to be described later for the delivery roller mechanism 38 and the separation roller mechanism 40 is also covered by the cover 84).

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the opening/closing movable frame 16, which can be made of a suitable synthetic resin, has a box shape with an open bottom. As clearly shown in FIG. 1, the main portion 86 of the movable opening/closing frame 16 is recessed, and the upper surface of the main portion 86 is lower than the upper surfaces of the rear edge 88, the left edge 90, and the right edge 92. It is lowered somewhat.

As shown in FIG. 3, a hanging wall 94 that hangs down from the right edge of the upper surface of the left side edge 9o toward the upper surface of the main portion 86 has a drain that extends in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 3). An opening 96 is formed.

The widthwise dimension of this discharge opening 96 corresponds to the widthwise dimension of the document table 18 described above. As will be described in detail later, the original is discharged onto the upper surface of the main portion 86 through the ejection port 96, and therefore the upper surface of the main portion 86 constitutes a document receiving surface. It is convenient that a plurality of protrusions 98 are formed on the upper surface of the main portion 86 at appropriate intervals in the width direction and extend in the document conveyance direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 3). 1st
As shown in the figure, a recess 100 is provided on the front surface of the movable opening/closing frame 16 on which a finger can be placed when opening/closing the movable opening/closing frame 16. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of contact protrusions 102 are formed at the lower end of the front surface of the movable opening/closing frame 16 at intervals in the left-right direction in FIG. When the movable opening/closing frame 16 is brought to the closed position shown in FIG. are regulated as required. As shown in FIG. 3, a number of hanging columns 104 are integrally formed on the lower surface of the main portion 86 of the opening/closing movable frame 16, and the lower ends of the hanging columns 104 are formed integrally with each other. A plate member 106, which may be rectangular in shape, is fixed thereto. When the movable opening/closing frame 16 is brought to the closed position, the plate member 106 is positioned facing the transparent plate 8. A notch is formed in the left edge of the plate member 106 to correspond to a roller in the conveying roller means 22, which will be described later, and extends rightward by a predetermined distance from the left edge. The plate member 106 can be made of a suitable synthetic resin, and its lower surface is painted white. As will be described in detail later, a sheet-like original to be copied is carried between the transparent plate 8 and the plate member 106.

In order to be able to stably carry in the document without being hindered by the plate member 106, the transparent plate 8 and the plate member 106 are moved when the opening/closing movable frame 16 is in the closed position. It is convenient that a gap of about 1,Q mm exists between them. In addition, plate member 1
The left end of 06 can be tilted slightly upward (slanted) towards the left.

As already mentioned with reference to FIG. 1, the opening/closing movable frame 16 needs to be mounted so as to be pivotable about the pivot axis 20. Referring to FIG. 5, the opening/closing movable frame 16 can be mounted using a mounting mechanism generally designated by numeral 108.

The illustrated attachment mechanism 108 includes an attachment member 110 and a pin 112.
The rotating member 114 is rotatably connected to the mounting member 110 via a pivot member 114 . The mounting member 110 is formed with an insertion rod 116 that hangs downward from its lower surface. Mounting member 11 in which insertion rod 11G is formed
0 and a rotating member 114 rotatably connected to this mounting member 110 via a pin 112.
8 is well known to those skilled in the art and is commercially available at -a. However, in the shown mounting mechanism 108 improved according to the present invention, an adjustment screw 118 is screwed onto the lower surface of the mounting member 110 so that the degree of threading can be adjusted. In order to mount the opening/closing frame 16 using such a mounting mechanism 108, as shown in FIG. The member 114 is secured in any suitable manner, such as with screws. On the other hand, housing 6
An insertion hole 120 is formed extending downward from the upper surface of the holder. Then, the insertion rod 116 formed on the mounting member 110 of the mounting mechanism 108 is inserted into the insertion hole 120, and the head of the adjustment screw 118 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the housing 6. In this way, the opening/closing movable frame 16 can be freely pivoted about the pin 112 in the mounting mechanism 108.
is attached to the housing 6. Therefore, the pin 112
The central axis becomes the pivot axis 20.

As already mentioned with reference to FIG. 3, in the specific example shown, there is a gap of about 1.0 liters between the transparent plate 8 and the plate member 106 when the movable opening/closing frame l6 is placed in the closed position. In order to set the above-mentioned gap to a predetermined value with sufficient precision, it is necessary to set the above-mentioned abutment protrusion 102 which is brought into contact with the upper surface of the housing 6 at the front edge of the opening/closing movable frame 16. The thickness is set to a predetermined value with sufficient precision, and the mounting height at the rear edge of the opening/closing moving frame 16 (this mounting height is exemplified by the distance h between the upper surface of the housing 6 and the above-mentioned pivot axis 20). It is important to bring the value (which is possible) to a predetermined value with sufficient precision.

However, the improved attachment mechanism 108 according to the present invention
In this case, the mounting height can be finely adjusted by appropriately adjusting the degree of engagement of the adjustment screw 118 with the mounting member 110. That is, the adjustment screw 11 is inserted from the lower surface of the mounting member 110 by reducing the degree of screwing.
Increasing the amount of protrusion of adjustment screw 118 from the lower surface of mounting member 110 increases the mounting height, and conversely, increasing the degree of screw engagement to reduce the amount of adjustment screw 118 that protrudes from the lower surface of mounting member 110.
The mounting height is reduced. To permit such adjustment of the mounting height, it is necessary that the insertion rod 114 formed in the mounting member 110 be inserted into the insertion hole 120 formed in the housing 6 so as to be able to move up and down. If necessary, the adjusting screw 118 may be combined with a locking nut or the like in order to prevent the screw degree of the adjusting screw 118 from changing due to vibration or the like. Although it is possible to use only one mounting mechanism 108 for mounting the opening/closing frame 16, it is also possible to use two (or more) mounting mechanisms 108 at appropriate intervals in the direction of the pivot axis 20. It is desirable to use it.

Continuing the explanation with reference to FIG. 5, in the illustrated example, a safety switch means 122 for detecting opening/closing of the opening/closing movable frame 16 is provided. This safety switch means 122 consists of a combination of a switch element 124 and an actuation piece 126. A switch element 124, which can be composed of a microsinch having a detection arm 128, is fixed to the inner surface of the rear edge 88 of the opening/closing frame 16. On the other hand, the actuating piece 126 is fixed to the side surface of the mounting member 110 in the mounting mechanism 108 . When the opening/closing frame 16 is in the closed position shown by the solid line, the free end of the actuating piece 126 acts on the detection arm 128 of the switch element 124, so that the switch element 124 is closed.

When the opening/closing movable frame 16 is opened to a specific angular position shown by the two-dot chain line, the free end of the actuating piece 126 is disengaged from the detection arm 128 of the switch element 124, and the switch element 124 is therefore opened (the switch element 124 is When opened, the operation of the document sending means 20 and the conveying roller means 22 is made impossible). In the safety switch means 122, the operating piece 126 is connected to the mounting mechanism 10.
Therefore, when the degree of threading of the adjusting screw 118 is changed to raise or lower the mounting member 110, the actuating piece 126 is fixed to the mounting member 110 of No.8.
can also be raised or lowered.

Therefore, even if the mounting height of the opening/closing movable frame 16 is changed,
The relative relationship between the switch element 124 and the actuating piece 126 remains unchanged and the safety switch means 12
The second detection characteristic (ie, the angular position of the opening/closing frame 16 at the time when the switch element 124 is opened) remains the same without changing. Actuation piece 126! j2nd place mechanism 10
If the adjusting screw 11 is fixed to the housing 6 instead of being fixed to the mounting member 110 of 8, as is easily understood, the adjusting screw 11
When the mounting height of the opening/closing movable frame 16 is changed by changing the degree of screwing of the switch element 124 and the actuating piece 126.
As a result, the detection characteristics of the safety switch means 122 change. On the other hand, if necessary, the switch element 124 may be fixed to the rotating member 114 of the mounting mechanism 108 instead of the movable opening/closing frame 16, or the actuating piece 126 may be fixed to the movable opening/closing frame 16 or the rotating member 114 and the mounting member 11
Even if the switch element 124 is fixed at 0, the detection characteristics of the safety switch means 122 can remain the same without changing.

FIG. 6 illustrates a modification of the safety switch means 122. In this modification, a recess 130 is formed on the upper surface of the housing 6, and the actuation piece 126 is housed in the recess 130 together with the compression spring 132. The compression spring 132 elastically biases the actuating piece 126 upward, bringing one end of the actuating piece 126 into contact with the lower surface of the mounting member 110. Even in such a modification, when the mounting member 110 is raised or lowered by changing the degree of engagement of the adjustment screw 118, the operating piece 126 is also raised or lowered accordingly, and therefore the opening/closing movement frame Even if the installation height of the safety switch 122 is changed, the relative relationship between the switch element 124 and the actuating piece 126 remains the same, and the detection characteristics of the safety switch means 122 remain the same. .

Thus, the mounting mechanism 108 and the safety switch means 122 described with reference to FIGS. However, it can also be applied to a normal opening/closing frame that does not have a document conveying function and is used to cover a document placed on a transparent plate.

Conveyance roller means 2 attached to the opening/closing movable frame 16
2 is disposed within the left side edge 90 of the opening/closing movable frame 16, as clearly shown in FIG. To explain with reference to FIG. 7 together with FIGS. 2 and 3, the opening/closing movable frame 1
Front and rear support walls 134 and 136 are integrally formed within the left side edge 90 of 6. A rotary shaft 138 is rotatably mounted between the front and rear support walls 134 and 136. This rotating shaft 138 extends substantially perpendicularly to the pivot axis vA20 of the opening/closing movable frame 16,
When the opening/closing movable frame 16 is brought to the closed position, the transparent plate 8
extending substantially horizontally on one side of the As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the rotating shaft 138 has a central roller 140 disposed at the center in the axial direction, and side rollers 142 and 144 disposed on both sides of the central roller 140. It is installed. A relatively wide central roller 140 has a base 146 . fixed to the rotating shaft 138 . Toko base 146
and a surface layer 148 fixed to the circumferential surface of. The base 146 can be formed from any suitable synthetic resin. Surface layer 148 is preferably formed from a flexible material such as foamed synthetic resin. An example of a suitable foamed synthetic resin for forming the surface layer 148 is foamed polyurethane sold by Inoue MCP Co., Ltd. under the trade name rEM OJ.

The base ends of cantilever support members 150 and 152 extending in the axial direction are fixed to both side surfaces of the base 146 of the central roller 140. Such cantilever support members 150 and 152 are
It may have a cylindrical shape that surrounds and extends concentrically with the rotating shaft 138, and may be formed from an appropriate synthetic resin. Instead of being directly fixed to the rotating shaft 138, the side rollers 142 and 144 are mounted on the cantilever support members 150 and 15.
2 and thus the cantilevered support member 150
and 152.

The side rollers 142 and 144 are connected to the cantilever support member 150.
and a cylindrical base 154 secured to the free end of 152.
and 156, and surface layers 158 and 160 fixed to the peripheral surfaces of the bases 154 and 156. Base 154, which can be formed from any suitable synthetic resin.
The inner diameters of the rotary wheels 138 and 156 are set considerably larger than the outer diameter of the rotary ring 138, and a sufficient gap exists between them. Surface layers 158 and 16 of side rollers 142 and 144
0, like the surface layer 148 of the central roller 140, is preferably formed from a flexible material such as a foamed synthetic resin. The outer diameter d1 of the central roller 140 is the same as that of the opening/closing moving frame 1.
It is important that the peripheral surface of the central roller 140 is set in close contact with the upper surface of the transparent plate 8 when the roller 6 is placed in the closed position. When the opening/closing movable frame 16 is set in the closed position, the axis of the rotating shaft 138 and the transparent plate 8
The outer diameter d of the central roller 140 is dl/2=ff+α(α#0.5 to 1.0 m
m) can be set to satisfy. On the other hand, the outer diameter d2 of the side rollers 142 and 144 is larger than that of the center roller 14.
It is convenient to make the outer diameter d1 larger than the zero outer diameter d1 by about 1.0 to 2.0 fl. When the opening/closing movable frame 16 is brought to the closed position, the side rollers 142 and 144 move the top surface of the transparent plate 8 with elastic deformation of their surface layers 158 and 160 and elastic deflection of the cantilever support members 150 and 152. be brought into close contact with

As shown in FIG. 3, in relation to the conveyance roller means 22, an appropriate interval is provided in the left side edge 90 of the opening/closing frame 16 in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 3). A plurality of guide ribs 162 are provided at intervals. The lower edge of the guide rib 162 is connected to the conveying roller means 22.
It extends roughly along the left and right sides of the road. Guide rib 16
A driven roller 166 is rotatably attached to the roller 2 by a pin 164. The driven roller 166 protrudes downward beyond the lower edge of the guide rib 162 and is brought into contact with the central roller 140 of the conveyance roller means 22.

To explain with reference to FIG. 8 as well as FIG. is provided with a guide means 168 that allows the original to enter from the original table 18 onto the transparent plate 8 but prevents the original from moving from the transparent plate 8 toward the original table 18 and deflects the original upward. It is set up. The guide means 168 in the specific example shown in FIG.
It consists of a flexible thin piece 172 attached to the inner surface of the left side wall of 6. As clearly shown in FIG. 8, an elongated support member 170 extending in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 8) is fixed to the inner surface of the left side wall of the opening/closing movable frame 16. The lower end portion of the support member 170, which can be formed from an appropriate plate material such as the above, is inclined downwardly toward the right and protrudes from the inner surface of the left side wall of the opening/closing movable frame 16. The upper end of the piece 172 is glued to the lower end of the support member 170, and the piece 172 is inclined downwardly toward the right (and thus downwardly toward the downstream when viewed in the direction of document feeding from the document table 18). An inclined surface 174 that slopes downward toward the left is formed at the left end of the transparent plate 8, and the lower end of the thin piece 172 extends from the inclined surface of the transparent plate 8. 174.As will be detailed later, the original table 1
When a document is fed from 8 onto the transparent plate 8, it is necessary for the leading edge of the document to act on the thin section 172 and deflect it upward; therefore, the thin section 172 is It is important that the material can be easily bent. The thin piece 172 is made of a suitable synthetic resin film, for example, with a thickness of 0.
0.075 ml of polyester film. If desired, one piece 172 can be formed from a suitable metal foil. When forming the thin piece 172 from conductive metal foil, the thin piece 1
72 can also be grounded to function as a static eliminator to remove unwanted static charges from the document.

As clearly shown in FIG. 9, it is preferable that a plurality of notches 176 are formed in the thin piece 172 at appropriate intervals in the width direction. On the other hand, the plurality of notches 17
It is preferable that the widthwise position of 6 is not aligned with both side edges of the standard-sized original sent out from the original table 18, but is shifted in the width direction with respect to the both side edges. In the illustrated example, B6. B5. A5
There is a counter for sending out originals having a width of A4 and A4 from the original table 18, as shown in FIG.
, a plurality of notches 17 formed in the thin piece 172
6 are disposed offset in the width direction with respect to both side edges of the document having the plurality of width dimensions. The notch 176 facilitates the necessary deflection of the thin section 172 due to the action of the document being delivered from the document table 18. The following facts should also be noted. For example, when a relatively narrow document having a width of B6 or A5 is fed from the document table 18, the leading edge of the document acts only on the central portion of the thin piece 172, but the notch 176 is formed. If not, the thin section 172 will tend to curve between its central portion and its sides. If such a curvature is repeatedly generated and becomes permanent, when a document is conveyed from above the transparent plate 8 toward the left in FIG. 8 as described later, the document to be conveyed will be thin. There is a risk that it will not be deflected upward along the piece 172 and will come into contact with the lower end of the thin piece 172 and become jammed.

On the other hand, if the notch 176 is formed appropriately, when a relatively narrow document having a width of B6 or A5 is sent out from the document table 18, for example,
As understood by referring to FIG. 9, both sides of the thin piece 172 located outside the outermost notch 176 continue to be maintained in the initial state without being bent. The production of the above-mentioned curvature is thus avoided. On the other hand, when the notches 176 are formed in alignment with both side edges of the document, the document carried out from above the transparent plate 8 to the left in FIG. 8 rises upward along the thin piece 172. When the document is pressed, both corners of the document are cut out 176.
There is a risk that it may enter the inside of the body and become clogged.

FIG. 10 illustrates a modification of the guide means.

In this modification, the inclined surface 17 is formed on the transparent plate 8 itself.
4, an inclined surface 174 is formed on a portion located on the upstream side thereof, that is, an additional portion integrally attached to the downstream end of the document table 18. The lower end of the thin portion 172 is brought into contact with this inclined surface 174. FIG. 11 illustrates another modification of the guide means.

In this modification, the upper end of the thin piece 172 is fixed to the outer surface of the cover 84 disposed downstream of the document table 18. In addition, the thin section 172
has a folded extension extending further upward from the lower end in contact with the inclined surface 174.

To explain with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 as well as FIGS. 2 and 4, the rear side of the rear upright plate 34 disposed at the downstream rear side of the manuscript table 18. A reversible electric motor 178 is disposed therein.

This reversible electric motor 178 constitutes a common driving source for both the document sending means 20 and the conveying roller means 22. The output shaft 180 of the motor 178 has a gear 1.
82 is fixed.

To explain the connection means between the reversible electric motor 178 and the document sending means 20, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. Body: A gear 186 is attached via a latch machine side 184. A short shaft 188 projecting rearward is implanted in the rear upright plate 34, and an idle gear 190 is rotatably mounted on the short shaft 188 of the shaft.

This idle gear 190 connects the gear 182 to the gear 186.
Connect the drive to. The one-way clutch mechanism 184 transmits the rotation of the gear 186 to the lower rotating shaft 44 when the motor 178 is rotated normally in the direction shown by the arrow 192 and the gear 186 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 192. On the other hand, even if the motor 178 is reversed in the direction shown by the arrow 194 and the gear 186 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 194,
The lower rotating shaft 44 is not rotated. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 13, the front end of the lower rotating shaft 44 protrudes forward beyond the front upright plate 32, and the lower rotating shaft 44
A gear 196 is fixed to the front end of 4. The upper rotating shaft 42 to which the feeding roller 46 is fixed
The front end of the upper rotating shaft 42 also protrudes forward beyond the front upright plate 32, and a gear 200 is attached to the front end where the upper rotating shaft 42 is connected via a solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism 198. The spring clutch mechanism 198 has one locked protrusion 202 on the outer peripheral surface of its boss. When the solenoid 204 is momentarily energized and the control pawl 206 is momentarily disengaged from the locked protrusion 202, the solenoid 204 is deenergized and returned to its original position. The returned control claw 206 rotates the gear 20 for one rotation until the locked protrusion 202 is locked again.
0 is connected to the upper rotating shaft 42. A short shaft 208 protruding forward is implanted in the front upright plate 32.
An idler gear 210 for drivingly connecting the gear 196 to the gear 200 is rotatably mounted on the gear 08. Therefore, when the motor 178 rotates forward, the gear 200 is rotated together with the lower rotation shaft 44 to which the reverse rotation roller 50 is fixed. The front end of the upper rotating shaft 42 further includes a gear 2 separate from the clutch mechanism 198 and the gear 200.
12 is also fixed. The front end of the camshaft 64 to which the cam 66 is fixed also protrudes forward beyond the front upright plate 32, and a gear 214 is fixed to the front end of the camshaft 64. A short shaft 216 that projects forward is also implanted in the front upright plate 32, and the short shaft 216
An idler gear 218 for drivingly connecting the gear 212 to the gear 214 is rotatably mounted on the holder.

As described above, when the motor 178 is rotated forward in the direction indicated by the arrow 192, the lower rotating shaft 44 to which the reversing roller 50 is fixed is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 192 (counterclockwise in FIG. 3). It is made to rotate. When the solenoid 204 is momentarily energized in this state, the upper rotating shaft 42 to which the feed roller 46 is fixed rotates once in the direction indicated by the arrow 192 (counterclockwise in FIG. 3). It will be done. The rotation of the upper rotating shaft 420 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 54 via the above-mentioned timing belt 62,
Therefore, the rotating shaft 54 to which the delivery roller 56 is fixed also moves 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow 192 (counterclockwise in FIG. 3).
It is made to rotate. At the same time, the cam shaft 64 to which the cam 66 is fixed also rotates once in the direction indicated by arrow 192 (counterclockwise in FIG. 3), so that the delivery roller 56 moves from the raised position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. It is lowered and then returned to the raised position again.

Next, the connection means between the reversible electric motor 178 and the conveying roller means 22 will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 12, the upper rotating shaft to which the feeding roller 46 is fixed The rear end of 42 is the rear upright plate 32
Beyond this, it is projected to be on the poor side. An idler gear 220 is rotatably mounted on the rear end of the upper rotating shaft 42, and a support plate 222 is also rotatably mounted. The idle gear 220 is the same as the idle gear 19.
0. On the other hand, the support plate 222 is elastically biased clockwise in FIG. 12 by a tension spring 224, as schematically shown in FIG. Retained elastically.

Two short shafts 228 and 230 are embedded in the support plate 222, and idle gears 232 and 234 are rotatably mounted on the short shafts 228 and 230, respectively.

The idle gear 232 is the idle gear 2 together with the idle gear 220.
34. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 7 together with FIGS. 4 and 12, the rear support wall 136 formed on the opening/closing frame 16 has a short shaft 236 that projects rearward. An idle gear 238 is rotatably mounted on the short shaft 236. When the opening/closing movable frame 16 is brought to the closed position, the idle gear 238 is engaged with the idle gear 234.

When the idle gear 238 is engaged with the idle gear 234, when the tips of the teeth of both gears 234 and 238 come into contact with each other, the support plate 222 is rotated somewhat counterclockwise in FIG. When 234 and 238 are properly engaged, the elastic biasing action of tension spring 224 returns said support plate 222 to its original position. The rear end of the rotary ring 138 of the conveyance roller means 22 protrudes rearward beyond the rear support wall 136, and the rear end on which the rotary shaft 138 is connected includes a - direction clutch mechanism 240 and a solenoid-controlled spring clutch. Gear 244 via mechanism 242
is installed. This gear 244 is the idle gear 23
8. The above one-way clutch mechanism 2
40, when the motor 178 is reversely rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 194 and the gear 244 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 194, the rotation of the gear 244 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 138, and the rotating shaft 138 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow. Rotate it in the direction shown at 194 (clockwise in FIG. 3). When the motor 178 is rotated forward in the direction shown by arrow 192 and the gear 244 is rotated in the direction shown by arrow 192, the rotation of the gear 244 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 138 via the one-way clutch mechanism 240. Never. The spring clutch mechanism 242 is of a type in which a large number of locked protrusions are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the boss, and when the motor 178 is caused to rotate normally in the direction shown by the arrow 192, the gear 244 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 192. When the solenoid 246 is rotated, the solenoid 246 is energized and the control pawl 24
8 is released from the locked protrusion, the rotation of the gear 244 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 138, causing the rotating shaft 138 to rotate in the direction shown by the arrow 192.

On the other hand, when the motor 178 is reversed in the direction shown by the arrow 194 and the gear 244 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 194, the boss in which the locked protrusion is formed idles in the non-restricted direction. When the solenoid 246 is deenergized and the control pawl 248 is maintained in the active position, the locked protrusion acts on the control pawl 248 and generates noise. Therefore, the motor 178 is reversed in the direction shown by arrow 194 and the gear 244 is rotated by arrow 1.
The gear 244 is rotated in the direction shown by 94, and the rotation of the gear 244 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 13 via the one-way clutch mechanism 240.
8, it is desirable to energize the solenoid 246 to disengage the control pawl 248 from the locked protrusion, regardless of the transmission of rotation, to avoid the generation of the noise.

As described above, when the motor 178 is rotated forward in the direction shown by the arrow 192 and the solenoid 246 is energized, the rotation shaft 138 of the conveyance roller means 22 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 192.
2 (counterclockwise in FIG. 3). On the other hand, when the motor 178 is reversely rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 194, the rotating shaft 138 of the conveying roller means 22 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 194 (clockwise in FIG. 3).

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 7, the rotating shaft 138 of the conveying roller means 22 is provided with a detecting means 250 for detecting the amount of rotation thereof. This detection means 250, which itself may be of a well-known form, includes a rotating plate 252 fixed to the rear end of the rotating shaft 138, and a photoelectric rotation detector 254 disposed in relation to the rotating plate 252. It consists of A large number of holes 256 are formed in the rotating plate 252 at equal angular intervals. The detector 254 has a light emitting element 258 disposed on one side of the rotary plate 252 and a light receiving element 260 disposed on the other side of the rotary plate 252.
The rotary plate 252 rotates in the direction shown by the arrow 192 or 194 and passes between the light emitting element 258 and the light receiving element 260 through the hole 2.
56 passes, the light receiving element 260 receives the light from the light emitting element 258 and generates a pulse.

Next, referring to FIGS. 15 and 16 as well as FIGS. 14-A to 14-F, the operating procedure of the automatic document feeder 4 described above will be described.

When sequentially copying a plurality of sheet-like originals using the automatic document feeder 4, as shown in FIG. il! on the document table 18.
The front edge of the document 262 is brought into contact with or close to the reversely inclined portion 26 of the document table 18. Document restraining member 76 positioned in the active position prevents document 262 from being advanced beyond reverse slope 26 . When the original 262 is placed on the original table 18 as required, the set original detector 72 is closed. In this way, the original &! A signal is sent indicating that i 262 is present. Both controllers 264 and 266 may be comprised of microprocessors. Next, when the operator presses the copy start button PS (FIG. 1) located on the operation panel 14 of the electrostatic copying machine 2, a signal to start document sending is sent from the controller 266 to the controller 264. The reversible electric motor 178 starts rotating forward.

Next, a predetermined time 1+ (for example, 150+ll
3) After the elapse of time, energization of the solenoid 82 is started, and the document restraining member 76 is thus retracted from the active position shown in FIG. 14-A to the non-active position shown in FIG. 14-B. Further, after a predetermined time tz (for example, 300 m5) specified by a timer T2 built in the controller 264 has elapsed from the time when the motor 178 started to rotate forward, the solenoid 204 of the spring clutch mechanism 198 is activated for a predetermined time t, It is energized instantly. The predetermined time t defined by the timer T3 built in the controller 264
3 may be about 150n+s. When the solenoid 204 is momentarily energized, the cam shaft 64 to which the cam 66 is fixed is rotated counterclockwise in FIGS. −
It is lowered from the raised position shown in Figure A to the lowered position shown in Figure 14-B, and is brought into contact with the uppermost original 262 of the stacked originals 262.

At the same time, the feed roller 56 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 14-B, and the feed roller 46 and the reversing roller 50 are rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 14-B. In this way, the sending roller 5G sends out the uppermost original 262 on the original table 18 downstream (to the right in FIG. 14-B), and the sent original 262 is sent further downstream by the feeding roller 46. be provided. The reversing roller 50 prevents two or more sheets of original &5262 from being fed at the same time. The delivered document 262 closes the delivered document detector 74, and then, as shown in FIG. The rollers 140, 142 and 144 are brought into close contact with the transparent plate 8.If the front edge of the document 262 sent out from the document table 18 is inclined when viewed in the width direction, the above-mentioned contact As mentioned above, since the solenoid 204 is only energized at a momentary point, the delivery roller 56 and the feed roller 46 are stopped after one revolution.

On the other hand, the reversing roller 50 continues to be rotated. The camshaft 64 also rotates once and is stopped, so that the delivery roller 56 is returned to the raised position as shown in FIG. 14-C. The amount of feed of the document 262 by one rotation of the feed roller 46 is such that the front edge of the document 262 is fed by the feed roller 140. 1
42 and 144 and the transparent plate 8 are in close contact with each other, and the length is set to be slightly longer than necessary to advance the document 262 to the desired position, so that the above-mentioned tilt correction of the document 262 is reliably performed.

At this point, the rear part of the document 262 is still on the feed roller 4.
6 and the reversing roller 50, the feeding roller 46 has a notch 48 formed on its outer peripheral surface.
The document 262 is stopped in an angular position with the document facing downward.
Therefore, the feed roller 46 and the reversing roller 5
0 does not prevent the above-mentioned tilt correction of the original 262.

When a predetermined time t4 has elapsed from the time when the sent-out original detector 74 was closed by the original 262 sent out as described above, the solenoid 246 of the spring clutch mechanism 242 is activated.
is energized. Timer T built into the controller 264
The predetermined time t4 defined by 4 is set so that the solenoid 246 is energized after a slight time delay after the feed roller 46 completes one revolution and is stopped. When the solenoid 246 is energized, the L blowing roller means 22 begins to rotate counterclockwise in FIGS. 14-C and 14-D, and the document 262 begins to be conveyed onto the transparent plate 8. As mentioned above, at this point, manuscript 2
The rear part of the feed roller 62 still extends between the feed roller 46 and the reversing roller 50, but the feed roller 46 is in an angular position with the notch 48 formed on its outer circumferential surface facing downward. It is stopped and does not act on the document 262, so that the conveyance of the document 262 is not hindered by the feed roller 46 and the reversing roller 50. Carrying roller means 22
As the original 262 is carried in, the trailing edge of the original 262 reaches the output original detector 7, as shown in FIG. 14-D.
4, and therefore the sent document detector 74 is opened.

The counter C1 built in the controller 264 indicates that the solenoid 246 is energized and the conveying roller means 22 is in the 14th-D state.
In the figure, the photoelectric rotation detector 2
54 and holds the count value n1 (the count value n1 continues to be held until it is reset to count the number of pulses again for the next document). The above count value n1 held by the counter C1
corresponds to the length of the original 262 to be carried in, and
When the document 262 is long, the count value n is large, and when the document 262 is short, the count value n is small. Another counter C2 built into the controller 264 starts counting the pulses generated by the photoelectric rotation detector 254 from the moment the sent document detector 74 is opened. Then, when the count value of the counter C2 reaches a predetermined value n= (for example, 50 may be used), the voltage supply for causing the motor 178 to rotate normally is stopped.

At the same time, the voltage supply for reversing the motor 178 is carried out for a period of time t, defined by the tile T5 contained in the controller 264.

Then, at the same time as the motor 178 stops reversing, the solenoid 2
46 is emasculated. For example, a short time of about 27m5 is sufficient.
The reverse Φ and voltage supply to the motor 178, which is carried out at the same time, applies a so-called braking action to the motor 178, which had been rotating normally, to prevent the motor 178 from coasting due to inertia, etc. To stop the rotation with sufficient precision at the required point.

Thus, when the normal rotation of the motor 178 is stopped, the original 26
2 is completed. As shown in FIG. 14-E, the trailing edge of the delivered original 262 is held between the rollers 140, 142 and 144 of the delivery roller means 22 and the transparent plate 8, and the delivered original It is important that the trailing edge 262 is aligned with the scanning exposure reference position at one edge of the transparent plate 8 with sufficient precision. motor 17
The above-mentioned device n2, which defines the point in time when the normal rotation of the electrostatic copying machine 8 is stopped and the reverse rotation is started for a very short time t, is stored in the variable memory M1 built in the controller 266 of the electrostatic copying machine 2. , to the controller 264 of the automatic document feeder 4 (more on this point later).

When the loading of the original 262 is completed as described above, the copying process in the electrostatic copying machine 2 is started, and the original 262 loaded onto the transparent plate 8 is optically scanned. When the optical scanning of the document 262 is completed, the controller 266 of the electrostatic copying machine 2 is transferred to the controller 266 of the automatic document device 4.
A signal is sent to 4. The controller 264 then begins reversing the motor 178 (at the same time turning off the solenoid 246 of the spring clutch mechanism 242 to avoid noise generation).
(energized). As a result, the conveyance roller 22
It begins to rotate clockwise in Figures 4-E and 14-F. (Then, the original 262 is moved from the top of the transparent plate 8 to the first
The document is carried out to the left in FIG. (upper surface of the main portion 86). When the reverse rotation of the motor 178 is started as described above, the counter C3 built in the controller 264
starts counting the pulses generated by the photoelectric rotation detector 254. Then, when the count value of the counter C3 reaches a value obtained by adding a predetermined value n3 to the count value n1 held by the counter C1, the reverse rotation of the motor 178 is stopped. As mentioned above, the count (I n + ) held by the counter C1 corresponds to the length of the document 262 carried in, and the predetermined value n3 is set to the minimum value necessary for carrying out the document. Therefore, The motor 178 is reversed for only the necessary minimum time depending on the length of the document 262 that has been carried in, thereby avoiding waste of power and time due to unnecessary reversal of the motor 178.

When the ejection of the original 262 is completed as described above, if the next original 262 is present on the original table 18 and the set original detector 72 is closed, the motor 178 automatically rotates in the normal direction. The next document 262 is then fed out, and the above-described operating procedure is repeated.

The loading position of the original 262, which needs to be set with sufficient precision as described above, depends on the predetermined value n2 stored in the variable memory Ml built in the controller 266 of the electrostatic copying machine 2. . If it is desired to change the predetermined value n2 for fine adjustment or intentional document positioning, for example, the switch or key provided on the operation panel 14 of the electrostatic copying machine 2 may be changed. Operate as follows. First, the clear key CK and copy start box PS are pressed simultaneously, and then the automatic exposure key AEK is pressed. In this way, the controller 266 is placed in a state where it can accept changes to the numerical values and the like set in various memories.

Next, operate the copy number setting keys NK1 and NH3 to select a so-called simulation number, for example "87", for changing the predetermined value n2, and press the copy number display N.
Make D display "87". In this way, the code rdJ of the predetermined value n2 is displayed on the copy magnification display MD.
and its stored numerical value, for example "50", are displayed. After that, copy magnification change keys MCI and MC2 are pressed.
is operated to change the numerical value "50" to a desired numerical value, thus changing the numerical value stored in the memory Ml. Next, when the clear key CK and the copy start button PS are pressed simultaneously again, the electrostatic copy a2 is restored to its normal state.

In the illustrated example, the predetermined value n2 is stored in the memory M1 built in the controller 266 of the electrostatic copying machine 2, and
66. Therefore, the operation panel 1 of the electrostatic copying machine 2 does not need to additionally provide a dedicated switch or key or display for changing the predetermined value n2.
The predetermined value n2 can be changed with sufficient ease by using the switches or keys provided at 4 and the display. The above predetermined value n2 is input to the controller 26 of the automatic document feeder 4.
4, it is necessary to additionally provide various switches or keys and a display on the automatic document feeder 4 in order to make it possible to change the predetermined value n2. The manufacturing cost of automatic document feeder 4 increases.

The preferred embodiment of the automatic document feeder configured according to the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these specific examples, and that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electrostatic copying machine in which device J2 is a preferred embodiment of an automatic document feeder constructed according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the automatic document feeder shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the automatic document feeder shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a front schematic plan view showing the drive system of the automatic document feeder shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view showing how the opening/closing movable frame is mounted in the automatic document feeder of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view showing a modification of the mounting style of the opening/closing movable frame. FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view showing the conveying roller means in the automatic document conveying device of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view showing the guide means in the automatic document feeder of FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the guide means in the automatic document feeder of FIG. 1. FIGS. 10 and 11 are partial sectional views showing modified examples of the indoor means. 12 and 13 are simplified diagrams schematically showing the drive system of the automatic document feeder shown in FIG. 1. 14-A to 14-F are partial sectional views for explaining the operating procedure of the automatic document feeder of FIG. 1. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing control elements of the automatic document feeder and electrostatic copying machine of FIG. 1. FIG. 16 is a time chart for explaining the operating procedure of the automatic document feeder of FIG. 1. 2... Electrostatic copying machine 4... Automatic document feeder 8... Transparent plate 16... Opening/closing movable frame 18... Original table 20... Original sending means 22... Conveying roller means 108... Mounting mechanism 122... Safety switch 138... Rotating shaft 140 of the conveying roller means... Central rollers 142 and 1 of the conveying roller means
44... Side rollers 150 and 152 of the conveyance roller means
...Cantilever support member 172 of the conveying roller means...Thin wall piece 176...Notch in the thin wall piece

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An automatic document feeder applied to an image processing machine in which a transparent plate on which a document to be copied is placed is disposed on the upper surface of the housing, and one edge of the transparent plate. an opening/closing movable frame mounted on the housing so as to be pivotable between a closed position covering the transparent plate and an open position exposing the transparent plate about a pivot axis extending along the opening/closing frame; a conveying roller means rotatably mounted on the housing and brought into close contact with the transparent plate when the opening/closing movable frame is placed in the closed position; and a document table mounted on the housing adjacent to the opening/closing movable frame. and a document sending means for sequentially sending out a plurality of sheet-like originals placed on the document table toward the transparent plate one by one, and the conveyance roller means and the document sending means are moved as required. and a control means for starting the operation of the document feeding means to feed the document from the document table when the conveyance roller means is in an inactive state, and then to feed the document from the document table. After the front edge of the document is brought into close contact with the inactive conveying roller means and the transparent plate, the operation of the document sending means is stopped, and then the conveying roller means is rotated in the carrying direction. 1. An automatic document feeder, characterized in that the document is conveyed to a desired position on the transparent plate. 2. The opening/closing movable frame is provided with a document discharge port in association with the conveyance roller means, and between the document table and the conveyance roller means, a document discharge port is provided from the document table onto the transparent plate. We allow the entry of manuscripts, but
Guide means is provided for preventing the document from moving from the transparent plate toward the document table and deflecting the document upward, and the control means is configured to prevent the document from being carried in by rotating the conveyance roller means in the carry-in direction. The rotation of the conveyance roller means in the carry-in direction is stopped while the document to be loaded is still held between the conveyance roller means and the transparent plate, and the conveyance is stopped after scanning of the carried-in document is completed. 2. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein the roller means is rotated in the carry-out direction so that the scanned document is deflected upward by the guide means and carried out through the discharge port and onto the opening/closing movable frame. Device. 3. The conveyance roller means is disposed such that its rotational axis extends substantially perpendicularly to the rotation axis on one side of the opening/closing movable frame, and the document table has its sending end aligned with the conveyance roller. Claim 1, wherein the device is arranged adjacent to the means.
or the automatic document feeder described in 2. 4. The conveying roller means includes a rotating shaft and a plurality of rollers attached to the rotating shaft, and at least the surface layer of the plurality of rollers is formed of a flexible material. The automatic document feeder described in any of the above. 5. The conveying roller means includes a central roller disposed at the center in the direction of the rotational axis, and two side rollers disposed on both sides of the central roller at intervals in the direction of the rotational axis; 5. The automatic document feeder according to claim 4, wherein each of the side rollers is mounted on the rotating shaft so as to be elastically displaceable in a radial direction. 6. The central roller is fixed to the rotating shaft, and a cantilever support member extending along the rotating shaft is fixed to each side of the central roller, and each of the side rollers is fixed to the rotating shaft. 6. The automatic roller of claim 5, wherein said side roller is fixed to a free end of each of said cantilevered support members, and each of said side rollers is elastically displaced in a radial direction by elastic deflection of each of said cantilevered support members. Document transport device. 7. The automatic document feeder according to claim 6, wherein each of the cantilever support members has a cylindrical shape that surrounds the rotating shaft and extends concentrically therewith. 8. The automatic document feeder according to claim 5, wherein the outer diameter of each of the side rollers is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the center roller. 9. The automatic document conveying device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the surface layer of the plurality of rollers of the conveying roller means is formed from a foamed synthetic resin. 10. The automatic document feeder according to claim 2, wherein the guide means is constituted by a flexible thin piece that projects downwardly and downwardly when viewed in the direction in which the document is sent out from the document table. 11. The automatic document feeder according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of notches are formed in the thin piece at intervals in the width direction. 12. The automatic machine according to claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of notches is arranged to be shifted in the width direction with respect to the position of both side edges of a document having a plurality of standard sizes that can be sent out from the document table. Document transport device. 13. The automatic document feeder according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the thin section is formed from a synthetic resin film. 14. The thin piece is formed from a conductive metal foil;
An automatic document feeder according to any one of claims 10 to 12. 15. A sloped surface that slopes downward toward the upstream side is formed at the upstream end of the transparent plate when viewed in the document sending direction, and the lower end of the thin piece is brought into contact with the sloped surface. , an automatic document feeder according to any one of claims 10 to 14. 16. A sloped surface that slopes downward toward the upstream side is provided on the upstream side of the transparent plate when viewed in the document sending direction, and the lower end of the thin piece is brought into contact with the sloped surface. , an automatic document feeder according to any one of claims 10 to 14. 17. The control means includes a common drive source composed of a reversible electric motor, a first connection means interposed between the common drive source and the document sending means, and a common drive source and the conveyor. a second coupling means interposed between the roller means, the first coupling means having a first one-way clutch mechanism and a first solenoid controlled spring clutch mechanism; When the first solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism is activated when the power source is rotating in the normal direction, the normal rotation of the common drive source causes the first one-way clutch mechanism and the first solenoid-controlled spring clutch to rotate normally. the second coupling means has a second one-way clutch mechanism and a second solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism, and the common drive source rotates in the normal direction. When the second solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism is activated, normal rotation of the common drive source is transmitted to the transport roller means via the second solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism, 3. The automatic document conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the common drive source is in reverse rotation, the reverse rotation of the common drive source is transmitted to the conveyance roller means via the second one-way clutch mechanism. 18. The automatic document feeder of claim 17, wherein when the common drive source is in reverse, the second solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism remains activated to avoid noise generation. 19. The control means, depending on the length of the imported document,
3. The automatic document conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a time point is set at which rotation of the conveyance roller means in the conveyance direction is stopped after scanning of the conveyed document is completed. 20. The control means includes a document detector disposed on the upstream side of the conveyance roller when viewed in the document sending direction from the document table, and the control means moves the conveyance roller means in the conveyance direction. The position of the conveyance roller means after scanning of the conveyed document is determined according to the document conveyance length from the time when the document detector detects the trailing edge of the document being conveyed. 20. The automatic document feeder according to claim 19, further comprising setting a time point at which rotation in the carry-out direction is stopped. 21. The control means includes a photoelectric rotation detector that generates pulses in accordance with the rotation of the rotary plate that is rotated whenever the conveying roller means is rotated, and the control means generates pulses based on the number of pulses generated by the detector. 21. The automatic document feeder according to claim 20, wherein the document feed length is detected by the detector, and a time point at which the rotation of the feed roller means in the feed direction is stopped is set based on the number of pulses generated by the detector. . 22. The control means includes a document detector disposed on the upstream side of the conveyance roller when viewed in the direction of conveyance of the document from the document table, and a rotary plate that is rotated whenever the conveyance roller means is rotated. and a photoelectric rotation detector that generates pulses in response to the rotation of the conveyance roller means, and the control means is configured to detect a trailing edge of the document being carried in by the rotation of the conveyance roller means in the carrying direction. When the photoelectric rotation detector generates a predetermined number of pulses from the time detected by, the rotation of the conveying roller means in the carrying direction is stopped, and the photoelectric rotation detector generates the predetermined number of pulses. 2. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein: is recorded in a variable memory provided in the image processing machine, and is supplied from the variable memory to the control means. 23. The control means includes a reversible electric motor for driving the conveyance roller means, and is configured to stop supplying the reversible electric motor with a voltage for rotating the conveyance roller means in the loading direction. 23. The automatic document conveying apparatus according to claim 22, wherein substantially simultaneously, a voltage for rotating the conveying roller means in the discharge direction is supplied to the reversible electric motor for a very short period of time. 24. The opening/closing movable frame body is attached to the housing via a mounting mechanism, and the mounting mechanism has an insertion rod formed on the lower surface thereof that hangs downward, and an adjustment screw is screwed into the mounting mechanism. and a pivoting member pivotally connected to the mounting member, the pivoting member being coupled to the opening/closing frame, and the mounting member opening its insertion rod to the upper surface of the housing. The adjustment screw is inserted into the insertion hole in a vertically movable manner and is attached to the housing by bringing the lower end of the adjustment screw into contact with the upper surface of the housing, and by adjusting the degree of threading of the adjustment screw to the mounting member. 2. The automatic document feeder according to claim 1, wherein the height of the opening/closing movable frame relative to the upper surface can be adjusted. 25. The automatic document feeder according to claim 24, wherein two mounting mechanisms are provided at intervals in the direction of the rotation axis. 26. Safety switch means for detecting opening and closing of the opening/closing movable frame is provided, and the safety switch means is composed of a combination of a switch element and an actuating piece that acts on the switch element, One of the switch element and the actuation piece is fixed to the opening/closing movable frame or the rotating member, and the other of the switch element and the actuation piece is arranged to be moved up and down as the mounting member goes up and down. 26. The automatic document feeder according to claim 24 or 25, wherein: 27. The automatic document feeder according to claim 26, wherein the other of the switch element and the actuation piece is fixed to the mounting member. 28. The other of the switch element and the actuating piece is mounted on the housing so as to be movable up and down, and is elastically biased upward so that a portion thereof is brought into contact with the mounting member. automatic document feeder. 29. An automatic document feeder applied to an image processing machine in which a transparent plate on which a document to be copied is placed is disposed on the upper surface of the housing, and a rotation axis extending along one edge of the transparent plate. an opening/closing movable frame mounted on the housing so as to be rotatably movable between a closed position covering the transparent plate and an open position exposing the transparent plate around the center; , a conveying roller means that is brought into close contact with the transparent plate when the opening/closing movable frame is placed in the closed position; a document table attached to the housing adjacent to the opening/closing movable frame; a document sending means for sequentially sending out a plurality of sheet-like originals placed on the transparent plate one by one toward the transparent plate; disposed between the document table and the conveying roller means;
guiding means for allowing the original to enter from the original table onto the transparent plate, but preventing the original from moving from the transparent plate towards the original table and deflecting the original upward; and the conveying roller means. and a document discharge port formed in the opening/closing movable frame in association with the guide means, and a control means for operating the conveying roller means and the document sending means as required, the control means being reversible. A common drive source constituted by an electric motor, a first connecting means interposed between the common drive source and the document sending means, and a first connecting means interposed between the common drive source and the conveyance roller means. and a second coupling means having a first one-way clutch mechanism and a first solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism, the first coupling means having a first one-way clutch mechanism and a first solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism, when the common drive source is in normal rotation. When the first solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism is activated, the normal rotation of the common drive source is caused to rotate through the first one-way clutch mechanism and the first solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism to the document feeding means. and the second coupling means has a second one-way clutch mechanism and a second solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism, and the second solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism is transmitted to the second solenoid-controlled spring clutch mechanism when the common drive source is rotating normally. When the clutch mechanism is activated, the forward rotation of the common drive source is transmitted to the transport roller means via the second solenoid controlled spring clutch mechanism; An automatic document conveying device characterized in that a reverse rotation of the common drive source is transmitted to the conveying roller means via the second one-way clutch mechanism. 30. The automatic document feeder of claim 29, wherein when the common drive source is in reverse, the second solenoid controlled spring clutch mechanism is maintained in an activated state to avoid noise generation. 31. An automatic document feeder applied to an image processing machine in which a transparent plate on which a document to be copied is placed is disposed on the upper surface of the housing, and a rotation axis extending along one edge of the transparent plate. an opening/closing movable frame mounted on the housing so as to be rotatably movable between a closed position covering the transparent plate and an open position exposing the transparent plate around the center; , a conveying roller means that is brought into close contact with the transparent plate when the opening/closing movable frame is placed in the closed position; a document table attached to the housing adjacent to the opening/closing movable frame; a document sending means for sequentially sending out a plurality of sheet-like originals placed on the transparent plate one by one toward the transparent plate; disposed between the document table and the conveying roller means;
guiding means for allowing the original to enter from the original table onto the transparent plate, but preventing the original from moving from the transparent plate towards the original table and deflecting the original upward; and the conveying roller means. and a document discharge port formed in the opening/closing movable frame in association with the guide means, and a control means for operating the conveying roller means and the document sending means as required, the control means comprising: The document sending means is activated to send out the document from the document table, and the conveying roller means is rotated in the carrying direction to carry the sent document onto the transparent plate. The rotation of the transport roller in the carrying direction is stopped while it is sandwiched between the conveyor roller and the transparent plate, and after the scanning of the carried original is completed, the setting is made according to the length of the carried original. An automatic document conveying apparatus characterized in that the conveyance roller means is rotated in the discharge direction until the point at which the scanned document is deflected upwardly by the guide means and conveyed out through the discharge port. 32. The control means includes a document detector disposed on the upstream side of the conveyance roller when viewed in the document sending direction from the document table, and the control means moves the conveyance roller means in the conveyance direction. The position of the conveyance roller means after scanning of the conveyed document is determined according to the document conveyance length from the time when the document detector detects the trailing edge of the document being conveyed. 32. The automatic document feeder according to claim 31, wherein a time point at which the rotation in the carry-out direction is stopped is set. 33. The control means includes a photoelectric rotation detector that generates pulses in accordance with the rotation of the rotary plate that is rotated whenever the conveyance roller means is rotated, and the control means generates pulses based on the number of pulses generated by the detector. 33. The automatic document feeder according to claim 32, wherein the document feed length is detected by the detector, and a time point at which rotation of the feed roller means in the feed direction is stopped is set based on the number of pulses generated by the detector. . 34. An automatic document feeder commonly used in image processing machines in which a transparent plate on which a document to be copied is placed is disposed on the upper surface of the housing, and a rotation axis extending along one edge of the transparent plate. an opening/closing movable frame mounted on the housing so as to be rotatably movable between a closed position covering the transparent plate and an open position exposing the transparent plate around the center; , a conveyance means that is brought into close contact with the transparent plate when the opening/closing movable frame is placed in the closed position; a document table attached to the housing adjacent to the opening/closing movable frame; and a document table mounted on the document table. A document sending means for sending out a plurality of sheet-like originals placed one by one toward the transparent plate, and a control means for operating the conveying means and the document sending means as required. The control means includes a document detector disposed on the upstream side of the conveyance means when viewed in the document sending direction from the document table, and a pulse generator that generates a pulse whenever the conveyance means is rotated. means, and the control means operates the document sending device to send out the document from the document table, and rotates the conveying device in the carry-in direction to carry the fed document onto the transparent plate. When the pulse generating means generates a predetermined number of pulses from the time when the trailing edge of the document being carried in is detected by the document detector, the rotation of the conveyance means in the carrying direction is stopped, and the pulses An automatic document feeder characterized in that the predetermined number of pulses generated by the generation means is recorded in a variable memory provided in the image processing machine, and is supplied from the variable memory to the control means. 35. The control means includes a reversible electric motor for driving the conveying means, and substantially stops supplying the reversible electric motor with a voltage for rotating the conveying means in the loading direction. 35. The automatic document conveying apparatus according to claim 34, wherein at the same time, a voltage for rotating the conveying means in the discharge direction is supplied to the reversible electric motor for a very short time. 36. to permit movement of the sheet member in a predetermined direction along a predetermined surface, but to prevent movement of the sheet member in an opposite direction along the predetermined surface, thereby deflecting the sheet member upwardly from the predetermined surface; The sheet member guide is composed of a flexible thin piece that projects downwardly in the predetermined direction so that its lower end comes into contact with the predetermined surface, and the thin part has a widthwise interval. A sheet member guide, characterized in that a plurality of notches are formed at intervals of . 37. Each of the plurality of notches is disposed to be shifted in the width direction with respect to the position of both side edges of the sheet member having a plurality of standard dimensions that is moved in the predetermined direction along the predetermined surface. 37. The sheet member guide according to claim 36. 38. The sheet member guide according to claim 36 or 37, wherein the thin section is formed from a synthetic resin film. 39. The thin piece is formed from a conductive metal foil;
The sheet member guide according to claim 36 or 37. 40. A housing of an image processing machine is provided with a transparent plate on the upper surface of which a document to be copied is placed, and a closure that covers the transparent plate around a rotation axis extending along one edge of the transparent plate. The mounting mechanism is adapted to mount an opening/closing movable frame body so as to be able to rotate freely between the opening position and the open position exposing the transparent plate, and an insertion rod that hangs downward is formed on the lower surface and is adjustable. The mounting member includes a mounting member to which a screw is screwed, and a pivoting member pivotally connected to the mounting member, the pivoting member is coupled to the opening/closing movement frame, and the mounting member allows the insertion rod to be connected to the mounting member. The adjusting screw is inserted into the insertion hole opened on the upper surface of the housing so as to be able to rise and lower, and the lower end of the adjusting screw is brought into contact with the upper surface of the housing to be attached to the housing, and the screwing degree of the adjusting screw to the mounting member is adjusted. A mounting mechanism characterized in that the mounting height of the opening/closing movable frame relative to the upper surface of the housing can be adjusted by adjusting the mounting height of the opening/closing movable frame relative to the upper surface of the housing. 41. A housing in which a transparent plate on which an original to be copied is placed is disposed on the upper surface, a closed position that covers the transparent plate around a rotation axis extending along one edge of the transparent plate, and a An opening/closing movable frame body is attached to the housing via a mounting mechanism so as to be pivotable between an open position in which the plate is exposed, and the mounting mechanism is rotatably connected to a mounting member and the mounting member. the mounting member is mounted on the housing so that the mounting height can be freely adjusted; the rotating member is applied to an image processing machine connected to the opening/closing movable frame; A safety switch for detecting opening/closing, which is composed of a combination of a switch element and an actuating piece that acts on the switch element, and one of the switch element and the actuating piece is attached to the opening/closing movable frame or the rotating frame. 1. A safety switch, wherein the switch element is fixed to a member, and the other of the switch element and the actuating piece is arranged to be moved up and down as the mounting member is moved up and down. 42. The safety switch of claim 41, wherein the other of the switch element and the actuation piece is secured to the mounting member. 43. The other of the switch element and the actuating piece is mounted on the housing so as to be able to rise and fall, and is elastically biased upward so that a portion thereof is brought into contact with the mounting member. safety switch.