JPH03203730A - Image reader and copying device therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the occupancy area of this image reader and to miniaturize the image reader by arranging a second document supplying means between the housing member and the reading means so that they are stacked up. CONSTITUTION:The device is composed of a first document supplying means, the second document supplying means, and a document carrying means. The first document supplying means inverts a document D housed in the housing member 4 and supplies it to a reading area 44; the second document supplying means is arranged between the housing member 4 and the reading means 5, and inverts the document D even number of times and supplies it to the reading area 44; the document carrying means inverts the document, which has been read in the reading area 44, and returns it to the housing member 4. That is, the second supplying means, which inverts the document D from the housing member 4 even number of times and supplies it to the reading area 44, is ar ranged between the housing member 4 and the reading means 44 so that they are stacked up. Thus, the occupancy area of the image reader 1 is reduced, and it can be miniaturized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading device suitably implemented in, for example, an electrostatic copying machine or an image scanner, and a copying device using the same.

Prior Art FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the first prior art. In the document supply device 84, the documents stacked on the placement member 85 are sequentially taken out by the paper feed means 63 starting with the document located at the top, and are formed by a guide member and a plurality of rollers provided along the guide member. The first
It is transported to a first transparent plate 67 that forms a reading position 65 .

The document guided along the surface of the first transparent plate 67 is conveyed with one surface thereof presented at the first reading position 165, and is guided to the switchback path 71 formed by the switching claw 69 and the reversing roller 7o. After that, the sheet is conveyed to the second transparent plate 68 via the switching claw 69 by the reverse rotation of the reversing roller 70.

The second transparent plate 68 defines the second reading position 66.

The other surface of the document that has passed through the switchback path 71 is presented to this second reading position 66 . After both surfaces of the document have been presented, the document is returned via the return claw 72 to the bottom of the document stack stacked on the placement member 85.

In this way, the document supply device 84 transports the document stacked on the placement member 85 so that both surfaces of the document are presented at the reading positions 65 and 66, and then stores the document on the placement member 85 again. In addition, to read the original image at the reading positions 65 and 66, for example, in the case of a copying machine, exposure means such as a light source and a reflector are stopped directly below the reading positions 65 and 66. In this state, the document is conveyed and a moving document type exposure is performed.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the second prior art. This original supply device 73 is also of a circulation type, and the originals stacked on the placing member 86 are taken out in order from the lowest one by the paper feeding means 74, and are reversed via the reversing path 75. and is supplied to the reading position 77. Reading position! A transparent plate 76 is disposed at 77, and the front edge of the supplied document in the conveyance direction reads the conveyance of the document between the conveyance means 78, which has an endless belt wound between a pair of rollers. The process is continued until the reference position 80 of 1 is reached and detected by the detector 79, and then it is temporarily left still for the reading exposure operation.

After reading, the original is returned to the top of the original tray stacked on the placement member 86 via the transport path 82 when only one surface of the original tray is to be read through the switching claw 81.
When reading both the front and back sides, the switching claw 81 is switched so that the document is returned to the placement member 86 via a switchback path 83 that extends vertically from below to above with respect to the transport path from the transparent plate 76. . When the original returned in this manner is again supplied to the transparent plate 76 via the reversing path 75 by the paper feeding means 74, the other surface is placed at the reading position 77.
will be presented. The original after being read is returned to the mounting member 86 via the switchback path 83 again. The document tray that has been circulated twice through the document supply device 73 is rearranged to the state in which it was originally stored.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Since the document feeding device 84 mentioned as the first prior art adopts the document moving exposure method, even if it is installed and used in a copying machine, for example, It is not possible to make multiple copies in succession, so-called multi-copy creation.In order to make multi-copy possible, each transparent plate 6
7. Reading is performed while the original is placed still on the 68.

However, forming the transparent plates 67 and 68 to have an area that has the maximum width and maximum width of the document tray results in an increase in the size of the document supply device 84.

In the document feeder 73 mentioned as the second prior art, the document is read while it is placed on the transparent plate 76.
The multi-copy can be easily created. however,
In order to read the original images on both the front and back sides of the original tray, the placing member 8
In addition to the circulation path formed by the reversal path 75.82 from 6 to the transparent plate 76 and back to the mounting member 86, there is a switchback path 83. Therefore, there is a problem in that the document supply device 73 becomes large in size.

Further, the front edge of the supplied document in the conveying direction is connected to the transparent plate 76.
The paper is transported by sliding on the transparent plate 76 until it reaches a reading reference position 80 provided at the leading end in the transport direction.

For example, the frictional force between the transparent plate 76 made of a glass plate or the like tends to vary depending on the increase in conveyance distance, etc. Therefore, only one document must be conveyed on the transparent plate 76 at the same time. I don't get it. In this case, the transparency is determined by the time from the end of reading the original placed on the transparent plate 76 to the time when the next new original is supplied and placed on the transparent plate 76 and made ready for reading. The speed of changing documents on plate 76 is reduced due to the long distance between documents.

More specifically, when the front end of the transparent plate 76 in the conveyance direction is normally set as the reading reference position 80, the transparent plate 76
Conveyance of the second and subsequent documents on the top becomes unstable, and the leading edge of the document in the conveyance direction deviates from the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, causing oblique feeding. For this purpose, a stop member is provided at the reference position 80 so that even if the original comes into contact with the stop member, the transport means 78 still stops.
Continuing the conveyance of the document, the document is corrected for any misalignment caused by the skewed feed. This increases slippage between the document and the belt, causes staining of the belt, and prolongs the time it takes to start reading.

Furthermore, when the document supply device 73 is installed in a copying machine that performs copying by transferring onto a recording paper below the photoconductor, the copied recording paper in the same arrangement as the document stacked on the placement member 86 is supplied. In order to obtain this, it is necessary to provide a reversing device on the copying machine main body side for reversing the front and back sides of the recording paper after copying.

That is, in the document supply device 73, each document stacked on the mounting member 86 is sequentially moved to the reading position 77 from the upper document surface.
Reading exposure is performed. In the copying machine, when a recording paper that has been copied on one surface is copied onto the other surface by conveying the recording paper below the photoreceptor, the copied image on the other surface faces downward from the recording paper. separated from the photoreceptor. Therefore, in order to obtain the copied recording paper in the same arrangement as when the document tray on the placement member 86 was originally stored, the reversing device is required.

A first object of the present invention is to provide an image reading device that can read original images on one surface and both surfaces of a document with a configuration that is as compact as possible.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an image reading and receiving device that can read original images on both the front and back sides of an original at the same original exchange speed as when only one side is read. The goal is to provide the following.

A third object of the present invention is to use an image reading device that can obtain copied recording paper in the same arrangement as the stacked originals to be copied by simply ejecting the recording paper after copying. To provide a copying device.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention includes: a storage member that stacks and stores originals; a reading device that has a reading area that reads images of the originals stacked on the storage member; and a device that inverts the originals stored in the storage member. a first document supplying means for supplying the document to the reading area; and a second document supplying device disposed between the storage member and the reading device, inverting the document stored in the storage member an even number of times and supplying the document to the reading area. With means.

The image reading apparatus is characterized in that it includes a document conveying means for inverting the document after it has been read from the reading area and returning it to the storage member.

Further, the present invention includes a document supply unit that supplies a document to a reading area and leaves it stationary, and a reading unit that reads a document image in the reading area, and the reading unit is configured such that the rear end of the document to be read in the conveying direction is in the reading area. An image reading apparatus is characterized in that reading of a document image is started after the document reaches a predetermined position on the supply end side of the document.

Further, the present invention includes an image reading device that reads an original image, and a copying unit that copies the original image read by the image reading device onto recording paper, and the image reading device includes: a storage member that stacks and stores the originals; a reading means having a reading area for reading original images stacked on a storage member; a first original supplying means for inverting the original stored in the storage member and supplying the original to the reading area; a second document supplying means disposed between the device and the device, which inverts the document stored in the storage member an even number of times and supplies the document to the reading area; and a second document supply unit that inverts the document stored in the storage member an even number of times and supplies the document to the reading area, and a document that inverts the document after being read from the reading area and returns the document to the storage member. The copying means includes a recording means for recording the original image read by the image reading device on a recording paper, and a recording means for recording by switching the recording surface of the recording paper on which recording has been performed on one surface to the other surface. An image reading apparatus and a copying apparatus using the image reading apparatus are characterized in that they include a recording paper supplying means for supplying the recording paper to the image reading means, and an ejection means for discharging the recording paper after recording has been completed.

According to the present invention, the documents stacked and stored in the storage member can be supplied to the reading area and re-stored from the reading area to the storage member through the following two circulation paths. The first is a circulation path in which the storage member is reversed by the first document supplying means and reaches the reading area, and after reading the document image, it is reversed by the document conveying means and returned to the storage member.

The arrangement state of the documents re-stored in the storage member via this circulation path is maintained in the original arrangement state in which the originals were stored in the storage member before being supplied. Such a circulation route is preferably selected when only the original image on one surface is read.

The second is a circulation path in which the document is reversed an even number of times from the storage member by the second document supply means to reach the reading area, and after reading, the document is reversed by the document conveyance means and returned to the storage member. Since the second document supply means reverses the document an even number of times, the document supplied to the reading area is kept in the same position as when it is stored in the storage member. Therefore, after reading, the document that is re-stored in the storage member is returned with its front and back sides reversed by the document conveying means. Such a circulation route is preferably selected when reading original images on both the front and back sides.

That is, the original is circulated an even number of times through the above-mentioned circulation path,
During the odd-numbered rounds of the original, the reading means reads the original image on one surface of the original, and during the even-numbered rounds, the reading means reads the other surface.

In this way, the arrangement state in the storage member of the documents that have been circulated through the circulation path an even number of times is maintained in the state at which they were initially stored.

Further, in the above-described image reading device, the second supply means that inverts the document from the storage member an even number of times and supplies it to the reading area is arranged between the storage member and the reading means that are stacked. , the area occupied by the image reading device is reduced and the size of the image reading device is reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, reading of the original image by the reading means in the reading area is started after the rear end of the original to be read in the transport direction reaches a predetermined position on the feeding end side of the original in the reading area. Therefore, the speed at which the supply means handles the document in order to read the document image is improved.

That is, for example, if the predetermined position is on the opposite side of the reading area from the document supply end side, reading the document image may not be started until the front end of the document in the conveying direction reaches the predetermined position. Therefore, it takes time to handle the document depending on the length of the document along the conveyance direction.

On the other hand, in the present invention, reading can be started when the rear end of the document in the conveying direction reaches the predetermined position on the supply end side of the document;
The handling speed is not greatly affected by the size of the original.

Furthermore, according to the copying apparatus using the image reading device of the present invention, when copying original images on both sides of the original onto recording paper,
The supply of the document to the reading area of the image reading device is performed by the second
Since this is done via the document supply means, by simply stacking the recorded sheets of paper in the order of discharge by the discharge means, it is possible to obtain the copied recording sheets in the same arrangement as the document stored in the storage member. In this way, there is no need for the ejecting means to rearrange the recording paper at the time of ejection, or for the operator to rearrange the ejected copied recording paper.In this way, the copying device has a mechanism for reversing the recording paper after recording has been completed. There is no need for a configuration for discharging the image, and the configuration of a copying device using an image reading device is simplified and the size can be reduced.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the basic structure of a transfer type electrostatic copying machine 2 equipped with a circulation type document feeding device 1, which is an embodiment of the present invention. The document supply device 1 is mounted on the upper part of the copying machine main body 3 so as to be angularly displaceable about the rotation shaft 4a. A document table 5 made of hard glass or the like is formed on the upper surface of the copying machine main body 3, and constitutes a reading area 44.

When the manuscript is not supplied by the manuscript supply device 1, or when automatic supply of the manuscript is impossible because the book is bound, the manuscript is placed face down on the manuscript table 5, The original is pressed against the original platen 5 at the lower part of the original supply device 1, and the copying operation is performed in a state where the original is held at a normal position.

When copying is performed using the document supply device 1, the copying operation is performed while sequentially feeding a plurality of sheet-like documents stacked and stored in the storage member 4 onto the document table 5 one by one. .

Inside the copying machine body 3, facing the document table 5, there is an exposure means 6.
is provided. In the exposure means 6, a movable body 6a including a light source 7 such as a halogen lamp and a reflecting mirror 8 is provided close to the document table 5 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. It is driven to run along the configured reading area 44 . That is, with the document placed still on the document table 5, the movable body 6a is driven by the motor M2 to travel in the direction of the arrow 9, and scans the document surface with light from the light source 7, thereby moving the document table 5. reads the image of the original through the media.

The light emitted from the light source 7 is selectively absorbed on the document surface corresponding to the document image. The reflected light from the document surface is transmitted through the reflecting mirror 8, the reflecting mirrors 10 and 11, the zoom lens 12,
The image is then formed on the photoreceptor 14 via the reflecting mirror 13. The right cylindrical photoreceptor 14 is rotatably provided inside the copying machine main body 3, and has an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the movable body 6a. When the movable body 6a is driven to travel, the reflecting mirrors 10 and 11 are also driven to travel simultaneously, and the length of the optical path from the movable body 6a to the exposure area 14a of the photoreceptor 14 is kept constant.

The photoreceptor 14 is rotated clockwise. The surface of the photoreceptor 14 before exposure is uniformly charged by a charging corona discharger 15 provided along the outer peripheral surface parallel to the axis of the photoreceptor 14 . When the surface of the charged photoreceptor 14 is irradiated with reflected light from the document surface by the exposing means 6, the photoreceptor 14
The surface is selectively neutralized, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the original image is formed in the exposure area 14a. As the photoreceptor 14 is rotated clockwise, the electrostatic latent image is transferred to the developing device 16.
The toner image is visualized into a toner image by the transfer corona discharger 17, and this toner image is transferred to the recording paper conveyed to the transfer area 14b.

After the transfer, residual toner is removed from the surface of the photoreceptor 14 by the cleaning device 18, and residual charges are removed by light irradiation from the static elimination lamp 18a. The recording paper after the transfer is guided to a fixing device 20 by a conveying means 19, and the toner image is heated and fixed on the recording paper. The recording paper that has been copied is discharged onto a paper discharge tray 21 provided on the external side of the copying machine main body 3 in a manner to be described later.

A paper feed cassette 22 containing a plurality of sheets of recording paper P is loaded into the copying machine main body 3. The recording papers P stored in a stack in the paper feed cassette 22 are taken out one by one by the rotationally driven paper feed roller 23 being pressed against the recording paper located at the top of the stack, and transported. The paper is guided to a paper feed path 25 by rollers 24 .

A pair of registration rollers 26 are provided in the paper feed path 25 near the transfer area 14b. Registration roller 26
A drive shaft of a drive means (not shown) inside the copying machine main body 3 is connected via a clutch CLTI. Conveyance of the recording paper to the transfer area 14b is performed by on/off control of the clutch CLTI, and synchronization is achieved with the toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor 14 reaching the transfer area 14b.

From the fixing device 20 to the paper ejection tray 21, a pair of guide members and conveyance rollers 30, 31 .
32 forms a discharge path 27. Branching from this discharge path 27, a pair of guide members and conveyance rollers 33A
, 35A and a direction switching pawl 41 are provided.

The switchback means 28 is formed with a path 28a that branches off from the discharge path 27 and extends downward, and a path 28b that branches off from the path 28a and reaches the intermediate tray 29.

In the switchback means 28, a roller 33B comes into contact with a roller 33A rotated in the direction of arrow 34, and conveys the recording paper downward along a path 28a.

A conveyance roller 37 that can rotate in forward and reverse directions is arranged on the path 28a. Further, a conveyance roller 38 that can be rotated in forward and reverse directions is arranged on the lower side near the branching point of the path 28a and the path 28b. The roller 35A is arranged at a location where the path 28b branches from the path 28a and is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow 36. The roller 35B is the roller 35B.

35C are in contact with each other. The recording paper guided along the path 28a is thereby conveyed vertically downward in the vicinity of the roller 35C, and is also conveyed toward the intermediate tray 29 along the path 28b.

Near the branch point of the first path 28a from the discharge path 27,
The recording paper from the fixing device 20 is ejected through the ejection path 27 or path 2.
A direction switching pawl 39 is provided to selectively guide the direction to the direction 8a. At the confluence site of routes 28a and 28b, there is a connection between route 28a and route 2.
A direction switching claw 41 is provided to ensure the introduction of the recording paper into the recording paper 8b.

The recording paper is transferred to the intermediate tray 2 via the switchback means 28.
Once stacked on the recording paper 9, one surface of the recording paper on which the toner image is fixed faces upward. The recording papers stacked on the intermediate tray 29 are taken out one by one by the paper feeding means 42 in order from the lowest one, guided through the paper feeding path 25 by the conveyance roller 43, and re-supplied to the transfer area 14b. be done.

The recording paper from the fixing device 20 is discharged in the following two ways.

- Paper is ejected to the paper ejection tray 21 via the ejection path 27. - After the paper is once loaded on the intermediate tray 29 from the ejection path 27 via the paths 28a and 28b, the paper is guided to the transfer area 14b via the paper feed path 25 to the fixing device. 20 and exit route 27
The recording paper ejection mode (2) above is selected when, for example, a document image on one surface of the document tray is to be copied in cooperation with the later-described document supply operation by the document supply device 1.

The mode (2) above is selected when copying original images on both the front and back sides of a document tray.

Although not shown in the figure, a plurality of detectors are arranged at predetermined positions on the recording paper conveyance path in the copying machine main body 3, and these detectors detect the conveyance state of the recording paper and determine the direction of each conveyance roller. The conversion type is driven to realize the above-mentioned recording paper conveyance mode.

A paper discharge tray 21 is provided on the external side of the copying machine main body 3 to receive the copied recording paper discharged in the plurality of modes described above. The paper discharge tray 21 is provided with a solenoid 5QL2. The solenoid 5QL2 is controlled to excite/demagnetize according to the copying operation, and the plurality of copied recording sheets discharged thereby are stacked in a sorted state on the paper discharge tray 21.

The document supply device 1 that sequentially and cyclically supplies a plurality of sheets of original documents to the document table 5 one by one sequentially and cyclically includes a storage member 4 that stacks and stores the document sheets, and a storage member 4 that stores the document sheets in a stacked manner. A reversing unit 101 that inverts and supplies the original onto the original platen 5; a switchback unit 103 that supplies the original from the storage member 4 onto the original platen 5 by a switchback operation; and an original platen 5.
Reversing means 102 for reversing the original and returning it to the storage member 4
It consists of:

The switchback means 103 is provided in a stacked manner between the storage member 4 and the document table 5, and a switchback path 48 is formed by a pair of guide members 92 and a reversing roller 99 that can be rotated in forward and reverse directions.

The reversing means 101 is provided on the left side of the switchback means 103, and includes a pair of guide members 9o and a conveying roller 94.
A reversing path 46 that connects the storage member 4 to the document table 5
is formed.

The reversing means 102 is provided on the right side of the switchback means 103, and includes a pair of guide members 91 and a conveying roller 96.
, 97 and 98, a reversing path 47 extending from the document table 5 to the storage member 4 is formed.

A detector S2 and a paper feeding means 104 are installed at the bottom of the storage member 4.
is provided. The detector S2 detects the size of the original document stored in the storage member 4. The paper feeding means 104 places the stacked originals at the bottom of the stack. 1 reversal path 46 and switchback path 48 that take out and supply the items that are
A switching pawl 100 for switching the document conveyance path is provided at the merging site on the upstream side in the document conveyance direction, and the conveyance path is selected by energizing or demagnetizing the solenoid 5QL1 according to the desired copy content.

Also, inside the document supplying device 1, a document conveying means 4 is provided, which includes an endless belt stretched between a pair of rollers along the document table 5.
9 is provided. This conveying means 49 is rotationally driven by a motor M1 realized by a stepping motor, etc., and is rotated by a reversing path 46 or a switchback path 48.
The original is fed onto the original platen 5, and the original after reading is conveyed to the reversing path 47 so as to be stored in the storage member 4 again.

Inside the copying machine main body 3, directly below a reading reference position 45 that is preset on the document feeding end side of the document table 5, there is a
For example, a detector S1 including a pair of light emitting element and light receiving element is arranged. The reading exposure operation of the original in the reading area 44 is performed by moving the original on the original table 5 to the original transporting means 49.
After the detector S1 detects the nipping edge in the conveyance direction of the document being conveyed by the detector S1, when the document is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size of the document, the driving of the motor M1 is stopped and the document is placed still on the document table 5. It is done in a state where it is placed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a control device that controls the original supply device 1 and the copying machine main body 3. As shown in FIG. Motors Ml, etc. that rotationally drive the document conveyance means 49 are
It is connected to the motor drive circuit 50. Registration roller 26
The clutches CLTI, . . . , etc. provided in the clutches CLTI, . Solenoids 5QL1, . . . that operate the direction changing air 100, the paper discharge tray 21, etc. in the conveyance path are connected to the solenoid drive circuit 52. These drive circuits 50 to 52 are connected to a DC power supply 5.
8, the drive circuit 53 that drives the detector SL, . It is connected to an interface circuit 59 together with a display drive circuit 54 and the like.

The interface circuit 59 is connected to a processing circuit 60 realized by a microcomputer or the like, and is connected to the detectors SL, S2. Processing circuit 6 for detecting signals from...
0, and also controls the drive circuits 50 to 54 and the like according to a control signal from the processing circuit 60.

The processing circuit 60 includes a read-only memory (ROM) 61
and a random access memory (RAM) 62, and the processing circuit 60 controls the copying operation according to a control program stored in the memory 61 in advance. The memory 62 is used, for example, as an area for calculations such as counters and timers necessary for controlling copying operations.

The interface circuit 59 also drives the exposure means 6 via the drive circuit 53 to control turning on/off of the light source 7 at the reading position. Furthermore, the interface circuit 59 sends input signals from the input operation keys 56 of the operation panel 57 to the processing circuit 60, and displays the progress of the copying operation on the display means 55 via the display drive circuit 54.

As part of the operation panel 57, select switches 5SWI to 5SW4 for selecting a copy mode are connected.

By operating the select switches 5SWI to 5SW4, various copy modes such as one-sided copying from a one-sided original, double-sided copying from a one-sided original, one-sided copying from a double-sided original, and double-sided copying from a double-sided original are selected.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining one embodiment of the feeding operation of the document feeding device 1. As shown in FIG. When copying a document image on only one surface of a document tray, the document tray is stored on the storage member 4 of the document supply device 1 with the document surface to be copied facing upward.

In FIG. 3, the stacked state of the document tray is shown with page numbers 1 to 4 attached to the surface of the document to be copied for ease of understanding.

When the feeding operation of the document tray to the document tray 5 is started from the stacked state shown in FIG. , and are taken out by the document transport means 104. The taken out document is introduced into the reversing path 46 by the switching claw 100, the document surface is reversed, and the document is fed between the document table 5 and the conveying means 49 (
(See Figure 3 (2)).

The document whose image has been read and exposed in the reading area 44 is conveyed through the reversing path 47 and returned to the top of the document stack stacked on the storage member 4 . The document surface to be read of the document returned in this way is
As a result of the two inversions at 102, the state as originally stored is maintained.

When the document feeder 1 stores the original document, the copying machine body 3 moves the correspondingly copied recording paper to the ejection path 27.
The sheets are then discharged onto the paper discharge tray 21 and stacked.

The copies on the paper discharge tray 21 are stacked in the same arrangement order, such as the number of pages, corresponding to the originals stacked on the storage member 4.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining the reading exposure operation in the reading area 44.

When the drive pulse PS from the motor drive circuit 50 is applied to the stepping motor M1 (time tl), the motor M1
is activated, and the conveying means 49 is rotationally driven. The number of pulses of the drive pulse PS to the motor M1 is counted from the time t2 when the leading edge in the conveyance direction of the document conveyed on the document table 5 by the conveyance means 49 interrupts the optical path of the detector S1.

In the copying machine 2, the size of the document to be copied is input in advance using the input operation key 56 when the document is stored in the document supply device 1, or a detector disposed at the bottom of the storage member 4 is used. In step S2, the size (length along the conveyance direction) of the document to be supplied is detected and set.

In the processing circuit 60 of the copying machine 2, based on the document size,
The distance to be transported after the detector S1 detects the leading edge of the original in the transporting direction until the trailing edge of the original in the transporting direction reaches the reference position 45 for the reading exposure operation is derived, and is applied to the motor M1 in accordance with this distance. Set the number K of driving pulses.

At time t3 when the count value C of the drive pulse PS reaches the predetermined pulse number K as described above, the sending of the drive pulse PS to the motor M1 is stopped, the document is placed on the document table 5, and the light source is turned off. The exposure means 6 including the exposure means 7 is driven, and an exposure operation for reading the document placed still is started.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the reading exposure operation. Proceeding from step n1 to step n2, the processing circuit 60 detects the size of the document to be fed onto the document table 5, and counts a count value C to be counted in accordance with the document size.
i is set as a predetermined value of the drive pulse PS.

In step n3, driving of the motor M1 is started, and in step n4, it is determined whether the detector S1 is in an off state.

When an off state is detected due to the leading edge of the document in the conveyance direction blocking the optical path of the detector S1, the process proceeds to step n5;
Counting operation of drive pulses PS applied to motor M1 is started. In step n6, it is determined whether the count value C matches a predetermined value K or not.

When it is determined that the number of drive pulses applied to the motor M1 has reached the predetermined value K, the process advances to step n7, and the motor M1
The transmission of drive pulses to the motor M1 is cut off, and the motor M1 is stopped. In step n8, the exposure means 6 performs a reading exposure operation on the document placed stationary on the document table 5.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the document supply device 1 when copying document images on both the front and back sides of a document tray. In order to facilitate understanding, the stacked state of the document trays in the storage member 4 is shown with page numbers 1 to 6 attached to each document surface.

When the document feeder 1 starts the feeding operation, the originals stacked on the storage member 4 in the arrangement shown in FIG. 6(1) are placed at the bottom of the stack as shown in FIG. The documents are taken out one by one by the document conveyance means 104 starting from the document in the position, and are conveyed to the switchback path 48 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 6(3), the original on the switchback path 48 is transferred to the original table 5 by the switchback operation.
The read exposure operation described with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5 is performed.

At this time, the document surface on which the document image is read is the lower surface of the storage member 4, that is, the even-numbered page surface of the document tray is the reading area 44.
will be presented. Meanwhile, at the same time as this operation, the lowermost documents (third and fourth pages) to be read next are taken out from the storage member 4 by the conveyance means 104 and conveyed to the switchback path 48. .

The document whose image has been read in the reading area 44 is reversed and returned to the top of the document tray stored in the storage member 4 via the reversal path 47. Simultaneously with this operation, the original on the switchback path 48 is fed onto the original table 5, and the original at the bottom of the storage member 4 is conveyed to the switchback path 48. When the circulation is completed, the originals are stacked on the storage member 4 in the same order as when they were initially stored, but the originals are placed with their front and back sides reversed (see FIG. 6 (4)).

Next, the document tray arranged as shown in FIG. 6(4) is again fed onto the document table 5 via the switchback path 48 by the conveying means 104 in the same manner as in FIG. 6(2) and FIG. 6(3). (5) and (6)
), the original that has been read is returned onto the storage member 4 via the reversing path 47. As a result, the original storage state is rearranged to the original storage state shown in FIG. 6(1).

In the above-mentioned double-sided copying, when the reading exposure operation of the first circulation of the document is performed, in the copying machine main body 3, the recording paper fed from the paper feed cassette 22 is transferred from the ejection path 27 to the ejection path 27 after passing through the copying process. 28a and a path 28b to the intermediate tray 29, and are stacked one after another with the side on which the copied image is formed facing upward.

When the reading exposure operation of the second cycle is performed, the recording paper stacked on the intermediate tray 29 is transferred one by one to the photoconductor 10 by the supply means 42, starting from the lowest recording paper.
transported to. After copying, the recording sheets are sequentially stacked on the paper ejection tray 2 via the ejection path 27.

As described above, in the document feeder 1, the reading operation of the first and second circulation of the document tray is performed the number of times corresponding to the desired copy, or the document is placed stationary on the document table 5. This is performed by scanning the exposure means 6 multiple times over the original. As a result, the copying machine main body 3 performs a copying operation including a reading exposure operation in cooperation with the supplying operation of the document supplying device 1, and a plurality of copies of recording paper are discharged onto the paper discharge tray 21.

At this time, the solenoid 5QL2 is excited for each number of copies or for each number of copies of the same original image, and the output tray 21 is driven to reciprocate by a predetermined amount in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. It will be done. As a result, a plurality of copied recording sheets are stacked on the paper discharge tray 21 in a state where they are sorted by number of copies or by multiple recording sheets on which the same original image has been copied.

As explained above, according to this embodiment, the document supply device 1
Since the switchback means 103 provided in the main body 3 of the copying machine is stacked between the storage member 4 for storing document sheets and the four transport means, the area occupied by the document supply device 1 provided on the upper part of the copying machine main body 3 is reduced. The device becomes smaller.

Further, since the document supplying device 1 performs the reading exposure operation with the document placed still on the document table 5, a multi-copy mode is possible in which multiple copies of the same document are continuously made. Further, in the reading area 44, the reference position 45 for the reading exposure operation is provided on the supply end side of the original, so that the exchange speed of originals when a plurality of originals are fed to the reading area 44 is improved.

That is, the size of the document table 5 has at least the maximum document size of the document to be conveyed, and as soon as the rear end of the document in the conveyance direction reaches the reference position 45, the reading exposure operation can be started immediately. The document transport distance on the top is short,
The occurrence of undesirable situations such as skew feeding by the conveyance means 49 is reduced as much as possible, and the positioning accuracy of the document can be easily set to be high.

Furthermore, since the conveyance of the documents after reading can be set to be low enough to allow them to be returned onto the storage member 4 via the reversing path 47, the distance between the documents conveyed simultaneously on the document table 5 can be set short. This improves the document exchange speed.

In the copying machine 2 equipped with the document supply device 1 in this embodiment, even when copying both the front and back sides of the document,
When ejecting a recording sheet that has been copied on both sides, there is no need to perform processing such as inverting it and ejecting it to the paper ejection tray 21 in order to match the arrangement with the document tray stored on the storage member 4. Therefore, the configuration of such a reversing means is also unnecessary.

That is, when copying both sides of a document, the document supply device 1 uses the switchback means 103 to supply the document to the reading area 44 . Therefore, in the copying machine main body 3, the original image of one surface of the lower side of the original originally stored in the original supply device 4 is first copied onto the recording paper, and the original is temporarily stored in the intermediate tray 29 with the copied side facing upward. be done. Next, when each other surface of the document sheet is read, the document image is copied onto the other surface of the recording paper from the intermediate tray 29, and the document sheet is ejected onto the paper output tray 21 with the one surface facing downward. Ru. Therefore, by simply ejecting the copied recording paper through the ejection path 27, a copy is obtained on the paper ejection tray 21 in the same arrangement as the original document originally stored in the storage member 4 of the document supply device 1. be able to.

In the above embodiment, the document supply device 1 is provided in the copying machine 2 and used, but the present invention can also be implemented in an image reading device such as an image scanner that scans the surface of the document and performs a reading exposure operation. .

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, since the second document supply means is stacked and arranged between the storage member and the reading means, the area occupied by the image reading device can be reduced and the image reading device can be made smaller. I can do it.

Further, according to the present invention, since the reference position for reading in the reading area is set at the supply end side of the original, the reading means starts reading the original image after the rear end of the original in the conveyance direction reaches the reference position. This improves document handling speed and image reading efficiency.

Further, according to the present invention, when reading a document having document images on both the front and back surfaces, the document is supplied to the reading area through the second document supply means, so that the recording paper after copying is ejected. By just doing this, you can obtain copied recording paper in the same arrangement as the original stored in the storage member. Therefore, there is no need to provide a copying apparatus using an image reading device with a configuration for inverting and ejecting recording paper, reducing the number of parts and reducing costs.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified sectional view of a copying machine 2 equipped with a document feeding device 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the copying machine 2, and FIG. 3 is a document feeding device 1. device 1i
4 is a timing chart for explaining the reading exposure operation, FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the reading exposure/lighting operation, and FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the document feeding device 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the first prior art, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the second prior art. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Original supply device, 2... Copying machine, 5... Original table, 6... Exposure means, 14... Photoreceptor, 15...
Charging corona discharger, 16...Developing device, 17...
Transfer corona discharger, 18...Cleaning device, 2
0... Fixing device, 21... Output tray, 26...
Registration roller, 28... Reversing means, 29... Intermediate tray, 30.3132 - Conveying roller, 42... Paper feeding means, 44... Reading area, 45... Reference position, 10
1.102... Reversing means, 103... Switchback means

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A storage member that stacks and stores originals; a reading unit that has a reading area that reads images of the originals stacked on the storage member; and a reading unit that inverts the originals stored in the storage member and supplies them to the reading area. a second document supply means disposed between the storage member and the reading means, a second document supply means for inverting the document stored in the storage member an even number of times and supplying the document to the reading area; and reading from the reading area. An image reading apparatus comprising: a document conveying means for inverting a subsequent document and returning it to the storage member. (2) It includes a document supplying means for supplying a document to a reading area and leaving it stationary, and a reading means for reading a document image in the reading area, and the reading means is arranged so that the rear end of the document to be read in the conveyance direction is in the document reading area. 1. An image reading device that starts reading a document image after reaching a predetermined position on the supply end side of the image reading device. (3) An image reading device that reads an original image; and a copying device that copies the original image read by the image reading device onto recording paper; the image reading device includes: a storage member that stacks and stores the originals; a reading means having a reading area for reading original images stacked on the storage member; a first original supplying means for inverting the original stored in the storage member and supplying the original to the reading area; a second document supply means that inverts the document stored in the storage member an even number of times and supplies the document to the reading area; and a document conveying device that inverts the document after being read from the reading area and returns it to the storage member. The copying means includes: a recording means for recording the original image read by the image reading device on recording paper; and a recording means for switching the recording surface of the recording paper on which recording has been performed on one surface to the other surface. An image reading apparatus and a copying apparatus using the image reading apparatus, characterized in that the image reading apparatus includes a recording paper supplying means for supplying recording paper, and an ejection means for discharging the recording paper after recording.