JPH03284557A - Automatic paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily adjust a separation pressure in accordance with thickness of a document so as to effectively prevent a double feed by providing a separation pressure adjusting means in a separating piece or a separating roller, pressed to a paper feed roller, and providing an adjusting knob in the outside of a device. CONSTITUTION:A separating piece 6, pressed to a paper feed roller 5 for preventing a double-feed of a document, and a separation pressure adjusting knob 14, exposed to the outside of a device, are provided. A separation pressure is given through a pressing plate 7 urged by a pressing spring 9 whose another end is supported to an adjusting lever 11 half-fixed by an adjuster 13. In the case of a separating roller, it is constituted of pressing rings 27a, 27b in slip contact and an adjusting knob 37 exposed to the outside of a device and for adjusting the separation pressure through a pressing spring 28 and gears 33, 34. Adjustment of the separation pressure, suited for thickness of a document, and readjustment relating to a change of the separation pressure due to wearing or the like of the separating piece can be facilitated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic paper feeder used in facsimiles, scanners, copying machines, and the like.

Conventional technology Conventionally, an automatic paper feeder has been equipped with a paper feed roller that sends out a document, a separation piece that is pressed against the paper feed roller, and a pressure spring that presses the separation piece against the paper feed roller and applies separation pressure. something is known.

In this automatic paper feeder, when a plurality of originals are simultaneously drawn between the paper feed roller and the separation piece, the separation piece prevents the originals other than the one original that came into contact with the paper feed roller from advancing; This prevents double feeding, where multiple sheets of originals are sent out at the same time. The above-mentioned pressure spring is installed so that the separation pressure applied to the separation piece can be adjusted by the pressure spring, and the separation pressure can be adjusted depending on the paper thickness, or the separation pressure can be re-applied when wear occurs. I have adjusted it. These adjustments were made by opening the opening/closing section of the device.

In addition, the automatic paper feed device includes a paper feed roller that sends out the original, a separation roller that is pressed against this paper feed roller, a separation shaft that holds this separation roller and rotates in the opposite direction to the paper feeding direction, and this separation shaft. There is known a pressure ring that rotates integrally with the separation roller and is pressed so as to come into sliding contact with the separation roller, and a pressure spring that presses the pressure ring against the separation roller and applies separation pressure. In this automatic paper feeder, when multiple originals are drawn between the paper feed roller and the separation roller at the same time, the separation roller pushes back the originals other than the one original that came into contact with the paper feed roller, and the multiple originals are separated. This prevents double feeding in which two are sent out at the same time. The above-mentioned pressure spring is attached so that the separation pressure applied to the pressure ring can be adjusted by the pressure spring, and the separation pressure can be adjusted depending on the paper thickness, or the separation pressure can be re-applied when wear occurs. I have adjusted it. These adjustments were also made by opening the opening/closing part of the device.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, according to such a conventional configuration, the mechanism for preventing double feeding and the mechanism for adjusting separation pressure are both disposed within the apparatus and cannot be accessed from the outside. Therefore, when adjusting the separation pressure to suit the thickness of the loaded originals, or readjusting when the separation pressure has changed due to wear, etc., open the opening/closing part of the device and make the adjustment. There was a problem that the door had to be opened and then closed again.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic paper feeder that can easily adjust the separation pressure without opening the opening/closing section.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a paper feed roller,
In a device equipped with a separation piece and a pressure spring that applies separation pressure to the separation piece, an adjustment means equipped with an adjustment knob that can be operated from the outside of the device body is provided in order to adjust the separation pressure. It is equipped with the following.

Further, the present invention provides an apparatus including a paper feed roller, a separation roller, a separation shaft, a pressure ring, and a pressure spring that applies separation pressure to the pressure ring, in order to adjust the separation pressure. The apparatus is equipped with an adjustment means having an adjustment knob that can be operated from the outside of the apparatus main body.

Effect: With the above-described configuration, the separation pressure can be adjusted by manually operating the adjustment knob of the adjustment means from outside the device main body, and adjustment can be made without the need to open or close the opening/closing section. .

Example Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail as shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic paper feeder according to an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a facsimile equipped with the automatic paper feeder. In FIG. 2, 1 is the main body of the apparatus, 2 is an opening/closing section, 3 is a document table, and the automatic paper feeder shown in FIG. 1 is arranged at the lower end of the document table 3. In FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 5 indicates a paper feed roller placed at the bottom edge of the document set on the document table, 6 indicates a separation piece made of a rubber plate or the like that is pressed against the paper supply roller, and 7 indicates separation piece 6. In order to press it against the paper feed roller 5,
A press plate rotatable around a press shaft 8; 9 is a press plate 7;
The separating piece 6 is pressed against the paper feed roller through a pressing spring for applying separating pressure.

Reference numeral 10 denotes an adjusting means for adjusting the lower end position of the pressing spring 9 to adjust the separating pressure applied to the separating piece by the pressing spring. The adjustment means 10 includes an adjustment lever 11 connected to the lower end of the pressure spring 9, and the adjustment lever 11.
a support plate 12 that supports one end of the support plate so that it can swing up and down;
In order to fix the adjustment lever 11 in a plurality of upper and lower positions, the adjuster 13 has a structure in which two sheets of metal are bent so that the adjustment lever 11 can fit therein, and the upper and lower parts are bonded together.
and an adjustment knob 14 provided at the other end of the adjustment lever 11.
etc. As shown in FIG. 2, the adjustment knob 14 is exposed to the outside of the device main body 1 and can be operated from the outside.

The operation of the automatic paper feeder configured as above will be described below.

When feeding a document, the feed roller 5 rotates and feeds the document on the document table downstream. At this time, when a plurality of originals are inserted between the paper feed roller 5 and the separation piece 60, the separation piece 6 prevents the originals other than the one that contacted the paper feed roller 5 from advancing, thereby causing the double feeding of the originals. prevent. Here, the double-feed prevention characteristic of the original is affected by the pressing force of the separation piece 6 against the paper feed roller 5, that is, the separation pressure, so when the paper thickness of the original is changed or there is a lot of wear, etc. , it becomes necessary to adjust the separation pressure. The adjustment operation will be explained below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the adjustment lever 11 normally fits into one groove of the adjuster 13 and is fixed at that position. Since the adjuster 13 is simply made of two overlapping sheets of metal, it is possible to move the adjustment lever 11 from groove to groove.

When the adjustment knob 14 is manually pushed down from the outside of the device main body 1, the adjustment lever 11 moves from one groove of the adjuster 13 to the groove below it.

As a result, the pressing spring 9 is pulled, the spring force acting on the pressing plate 7 increases, the rotational force of the pressing shaft 8 of the pressing plate 7 increases, and the separating piece 6 is pressed against the paper feed row 25. The pressure, or separation pressure, increases.

Conversely, if the adjustment lever 11 is pushed up from below, the separation pressure will decrease. In this way, without opening the opening/closing part 2,
By simply manually moving the adjusting knob 14 exposed outside the apparatus main body 1 up and down, the separation pressure of the separation piece 6 against the paper feed roller 5 can be adjusted. Therefore, the separation pressure can be easily adjusted to a value suitable for the paper thickness of the document, and when the separation pressure changes due to wear or the like, it can be easily adjusted to a preferable separation pressure.

A facsimile machine equipped with an automatic paper feeder configured as described above can easily adjust the separation pressure according to the paper thickness, so the range of paper thicknesses that can be sorted is expanded, and therefore it can be used with a variety of paper types. be.

In the above embodiment, an adjuster 13 made of two sheets of metal pasted together is used as a means for fixing the adjustment lever 11 at a predetermined upper and lower position, but the structure of this adjuster can be modified in various ways. For example, a structure may be adopted in which a plate with a plurality of grooves formed on the side edge is used, and the adjustment lever is hooked into the groove. Further, instead of making the adjustment lever 11 movable up and down, it may be made rotatable at a fixed position and the lower end of the pressure spring 9 may be wound around the adjustment lever.

3 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic paper feeder according to an embodiment of the invention as set forth in claim 2, FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view thereof, FIG. The figure is a schematic perspective view of a facsimile machine equipped with the automatic paper feeder. In FIG. 6, 16 is the main body of the apparatus, 17 is an opening/closing section, 18 is a document table, and the automatic paper feeding device shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 is disposed at the lower end of the document table 18. In FIG. In FIGS. 3 to 5, 19 is a document, 2 is a paper feed roller placed at the bottom edge of the document set on the document table, 21 is a separation roller that is pressed against the paper feed roller, and η is a separation roller. roller 21
Separated shaft that holds the shaft rotatably, Oha drive source (not shown)
The drive source driven by the ADF arm is rotatably held with respect to this drive shaft device, and holds the separation shaft n rotatably. 5 and 26 are gears that transmit the rotation of the drive shaft to the separation shaft B. 27a is the separation axis n
A pressing ring 27b is fixed to the separation roller 21 and arranged so as to be able to slide into contact with one end surface of the separation roller 21. The pressure ring 27b rotates together with the separation shaft ρ but is slidable in the axial direction, and is fixed to the separation roller 21 at the other end surface. A press ring 27b is placed in sliding contact with the end surface of the separation row 221, and A is a press spring that applies separation pressure to the separating row 221. It is an adjusting means for adjusting.

This adjustment means side has a fixing ring 3 fixed to the separation shaft B.
1. A first adjusting ring 32 that is not rotatable with respect to the separation shaft B but is held movable in the axial direction and has a male thread formed on the outer periphery, and a female thread that engages with the male thread on the outer periphery of the first adjusting ring 32 on the inner periphery. It has a near adjuster ring 33 having a gear on its outer periphery, an adjusting gear that meshes with the gear, an adjusting shaft that holds an adjusting gear, and the like.

The first adjustment ring 32 supports one end of the pressure spring), and a nearer adjustment ring equipped with a female thread that engages with the male thread on the outer periphery of the first adjustment ring 32 is fixed by the spring force of the pressure spring. 31, and its axial position is regulated. Therefore, by rotating this nearer adjustment ring with respect to the first adjustment ring 32, the first adjustment ring 32 moves in the axial direction due to the engagement of their screws, and the support point of the pressing spring field is moved to the separation axis. The separation pressure can be adjusted by moving it in the axial direction of B.

An adjustment box is provided at one end of the adjustment shaft, and
Adjustment knob 37 that can be rotated freely relative to the adjustment box
is retained. As shown enlarged in FIGS. 7 to 9, the adjustment box has a plurality of protrusions 36a on its inner surface, and the force adjustment knob 37 has a pin 37a at a position where it can engage with the protrusions 36a. have. Further, a spring is provided between the adjustment box % and the adjustment knob 37, and normally the adjustment knob 37 is connected to the protrusion 3 of the adjustment box by the pin 37a.
7a (the position shown in FIG. 7).

Although not shown, a mechanism for preventing the adjustment knob 37 from being removed from the adjustment box and a mechanism for preventing rotation of the adjustment knob 370 are provided. This rotation stopping mechanism is composed of, for example, a friction plate that is lightly pressed against the adjustment knob 37, and normally prevents the adjustment knob 37 from rotating.
By turning this adjustment knob 37 by hand, it can be moved in the axial direction. This adjustment knob 37 is arranged so as to face an adjustment window 39 (see FIG. 6) formed on the top surface of the device main body 16, and can be operated from the outside of the device main body.

The operation of the automatic paper feeder configured as above will be described below.

During automatic paper feeding, the paper feeding roller 20 rotates in the direction of arrow A, and the drive shaft η rotates in the direction of arrow B, as shown in FIG. Due to this rotation of the drive shaft B, the separation shaft η is rotated in the direction of the arrow C, and this rotation is transmitted to the separation roller 21 by the pressure of the /g 27a, Z7b and the separation roller 21, and the separation roller 21 is also As shown by arrow C, it rotates in the opposite direction to the paper feeding direction.

This prevents the feeding of multiple sheets of originals.

At this time, as the separation shaft A rotates, the first adjustment ring 32 and the near adjustment ring also rotate, and therefore the adjustment shaft A also rotates, but the adjustment knob 37
is kept from rotating by a rotation stopper mechanism.

In the double feeding prevention mechanism using the separation roller and paper feed roller described above, the document separation characteristics are influenced by the pressing force of the pressing rings 27a and 27b against the separation roller 21, that is, the separation pressure, and the paper thickness of the document is changed. If the separation pressure increases, or if wear or the like increases, it becomes necessary to adjust the separation pressure. In that case, with the paper feeding operation stopped, that is, with the separation axis n stopped, as shown in FIG.
The adjustment knob 37 exposed through the adjustment window 39 of the apparatus main body 16 is moved in the direction of the arrow, and rotated by an appropriate amount in the direction of the arrow E. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG.
6a, the rotation is transmitted and the adjustment shaft is rotated. The rotation of the adjusting shaft is transmitted to the near adjust ring 33 by the gear, and the near adjust ring rotates. On the other hand, since the second adjusting ring 32 does not rotate at this time, the first adjusting ring 32 moves in the axial direction due to the rotation of the nearer adjusting ring 33, thereby displacing the support position of the pressing spring in the axial direction. This adjusts the separation pressure. In this way, in this embodiment as well, the separation pressure can be adjusted extremely easily by manually operating the adjustment knob from outside the apparatus main body, and the separation pressure can be easily adjusted to the separation pressure suitable for the paper thickness of the original. Furthermore, if the separation pressure changes due to wear or the like, it can be easily adjusted to a preferable separation pressure.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the present invention has a mechanical configuration that prevents double feeding of documents by a paper feed roller and a separating piece pressed against it, or In an automatic paper feeder equipped with a mechanism that prevents double feeding of documents by a separation roller that rotates in the opposite direction to the
In order to adjust the separation pressure, an adjustment means equipped with an adjustment knob that can be operated from the outside of the device body is provided, so the adjustment knob can be simply operated manually from outside the device body without opening or closing the opening/closing part. By doing so, the separation pressure can be easily adjusted to the appropriate separation pressure for the paper thickness of the original.Also, if the separation pressure changes due to wear etc., it can be easily adjusted to the desired separation pressure. It has this effect.

In addition, the separation pressure can be easily adjusted according to the paper thickness.
It also has the effect that the range of paper thickness that can be sorted is widened and that it can be used satisfactorily for various types of paper.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic paper feeder, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the automatic paper feeder.

1... Apparatus main body, 2... Opening/closing section, 3... Document table,
Death: Paper feed roller, 6: Separation piece, 7: Pressing plate,
9... Pressing spring, 10... Adjustment means, 11... Adjustment lever, 13... Adjuster, 14... Adjustment knob, 16... Device main body, 17... Opening/closing part, 18...・
・Document table, addition...paper feed roller, 21...separation roller, n...separation shaft, 27a, 27b...pressing ring,
昂...pressure spring, I...adjustment means, 31...fixing ring, 32...first adjustment ring, oh...near adjustment ring, ah...adjustment gear, ah... Adjustment shaft, audience...adjustment box, 37...adjustment knob, ah...spring, 39...adjustment window.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A paper feed roller that sends out documents, a separation piece that is pressed against this paper feed roller and prevents double feeding of documents, a pressure spring that presses this separation piece against the paper feed roller and applies separation pressure, and a pressure spring that applies separation pressure to the paper feed roller; 1. An automatic paper feeder comprising: an adjustment means for adjusting the separation pressure applied to the separation piece by a spring, the adjustment means comprising an adjustment knob operable from the outside of the apparatus main body. (2) a paper feed roller that feeds the original; a separation roller that is pressed against the paper feed roller to prevent double feeding of the original; and a separation shaft that holds the separation roller and rotates in the opposite direction to the paper feeding direction; a pressure ring that rotates together with the separation shaft and is pressed so as to come into sliding contact with the separation roller; a pressure spring that presses the pressure ring against the separation roller to apply separation pressure; and a pressure spring that presses the pressure ring against the separation roller to apply separation pressure; 1. An automatic paper feeder comprising: adjustment means for adjusting separation pressure, the adjustment means comprising an adjustment knob operable from outside the apparatus main body.