JPH0430199Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to a document feeding device such as a copying machine that handles a document.

[Background technology]

FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the document feeder of a copying machine. 1 is an entrance tray on which the document 2 to be sent is placed, 3 is an entrance roll, 4 is an entrance gate, and the entrance roll 3 is used to transfer the document 2 to the entrance tray. At that time, the entrance gate 1 moves upward to assume the open position, and when not to feed, it moves downward to the closed state. 5 is a conveyor belt stretched between a pair of rolls 6, 7 is a platen glass on the upper surface of the copying machine body, 8 is a registration gate, 9 is an exit tray for receiving the document 2 to be discharged; It is designed to be driven clockwise in the figure by a motor.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a protrusion 10 is provided on the surface of the conveyor belt 5, and the document 2 is fed onto the platen 7 by this protrusion 10. That is, during automatic document feeding, the document 2 placed on the entrance tray 1 is pushed onto the conveyor belt 5 by the entrance roll 3, is held between the protrusion 10 of the conveyor belt 5 and the platen glass 7, and passes through the registration gate 8.
reach. In this case, the conveyor belt 5 overruns by the amount shown in FIG. 9 in order to position the next protrusion 10 at the entrance.

[The problem that the idea attempts to solve]

However, although this method is effective for thick originals, it does not work well for airmail paper, type paper,
For thin paper such as Japanese paper or weak manuscripts, use the 9th
As shown in the figure, after hitting the registration gate 8, the document 2 buckles, causing damage to the document 2 such as accordion-shaped wrinkles. For this reason, when copying originals made of thin paper, etc., the operator does not use the document feeder, but instead opens the platen cover and aligns the document in a predetermined position before copying. Furthermore, it is more time-consuming and troublesome than when using a document feeder, in which the copying operation is automatically performed and the document is automatically ejected.

This invention was made to solve the above technical problem, and it is possible to position the original without wrinkles, etc., even in the case of thin paper or weak originals, regardless of the type of original. To provide a document feeding device which can accurately capture and convey the next document in the process of discharging the document, and can greatly improve document conveyance efficiency.

[Means to solve the problem]

That is, this invention is a device for feeding originals by means of a conveyor belt in which at least two sets of document conveying members for taking in originals are placed apart from each other, and the document being taken in and conveyed by the document conveying members of the conveyor belt passes through a reference passing position. A document position detection means detects whether or not the document has passed, and the conveyor belt is stopped when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the document position detection signal is outputted by the document position detection means, and the document is placed in a predetermined register. Registration position control means for setting the document at the registration position, and a reference mark position of the conveyor belt set in a fixed positional relationship from each document conveyor member at the time of ejecting the document set at this registration position. a belt position detection means for detecting whether or not the original document is being transported, and a belt position detection means that temporarily stops the conveyor belt when a predetermined time period has elapsed after the reference mark detection signal is detected by the belt position detector, and then moves the next document conveyor. The present invention is characterized by comprising a document conveyance preparation control means for setting the document at the document take-in position of the conveyor belt.

[Effect]

According to the above-mentioned technical means, the document position detection means detects whether the document taken in and conveyed by the document conveyance member of the conveyance belt has passed through the reference passing position. Then, the resist position control means
After a predetermined time has elapsed after the document position detection signal is output by the document position detection means, the conveyor belt is stopped and the document is set at a predetermined registration position.

Further, a reference mark for position detection is set on the conveyance belt at a constant positional relationship from the document conveyance member, and the belt position detection means detects when the document set at the registration position is ejected.
It is detected whether or not the reference mark position of the conveyance belt, which is set in a fixed positional relationship from each document conveyance member, has passed. Then, the document conveyance preparation control means temporarily stops the conveyance belt when a preset time has elapsed after the reference mark detection signal is detected by the belt position detection means, and moves the next document conveyance member to the document on the conveyance belt. Set it at the capture position and prepare for the next document capture and transport operation.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of this invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention, in which one protrusion serving as a document conveying member is provided at symmetrical positions as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.
The present invention is applied to a document feeder having two sets of conveyor belts, and a hole is provided in the conveyor belt at each protrusion portion to detect the document. Note that the same components as in FIG. 7 are given the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 2A showing the conveyor belt 5, reference numeral 11 indicates a hole drilled in the conveyor belt 5 at a position between the protrusions 10, and this hole 11 is similarly made on the protrusion side of the other set. It is formed. Further, in this example, the conveyor belt 5 is provided with a mark, for example, a black patch 12, at a predetermined location on the back surface. The position where this black patch 12 is pasted is on the front side in the rotational direction of the conveyor belt 5 (on the right side in the figure) at a constant distance from the protrusion provided with the hole 11. As for this black patch 12, similarly to the hole 11, the protrusion side of the other set has a similar configuration.

That is, as shown in FIG.
has two sets of protrusions 10 provided on the front surface thereof in the width direction of the belt, and a hole 11 is provided in the belt portion between the protrusions 10 in each set of protrusions 10. Further, a black patch 12 is provided on the back side of the belt at a certain distance forward from each set of protrusions.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG.
It is equipped with a leading edge detection sensor 13 for detecting the leading edge of a document, and also includes a black patch 12 and a reading sensor 1.
It is equipped with 4. The leading edge detection sensor 13 constitutes a means for detecting the document 2 conveyed along the surface of the platen glass 7, and in this example, as shown in FIG. Since the original 2 is conveyed in such a state that it partially covers the hole 11, the leading edge 2a of the original 2 is transported using the hole 11.
Detect. That is, when a portion corresponding to the tip 2a passes the position of the tip detection sensor 13,
The state seen from the leading edge detection sensor 13 is the white state of the back side of the conveyor belt 5, the dark state inside the copying machine as seen through the hole 11 that is not covered by the document 2, and the state of the two leading edges of the document visible through the hole 11. Since the white state of the back surface changes, the leading edge 2a of the fed document 2 is detected by detecting such a change. Based on such a detection output, the belt motor is controlled so as to be stopped after a preset time has elapsed from the time of detection, as will be described later. This set time is set to such a value that the leading edge of the document 2 just reaches the registration position R, taking into consideration the speed of the conveyor belt 5 and the like.

Further, the black patch reading sensor 14 is for reading the black patch 12 pasted on the back surface of the conveyor belt 5, and the belt motor is also controlled by the detection output from this black patch reading sensor 14.
That is, as described above, the conveyor belt 5 is once stopped at the registration position, the copying process is performed in that state, and then the conveyor belt 5 is rotated again.
The detection output from 4 is used to stop the conveyor belt 5 so that the protrusion following the black patch 12 that has been read is aligned with a designated position for preparation for conveying the next document. Therefore, as shown in FIG. It is sufficient to set the relationship so that it is exactly at the entrance.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of belt motor control, etc. as described above, and shows a case where a microcomputer is used. In the figure, reference numeral 15 denotes an operating member on the operation panel of the copying machine and other sensors normally provided in a copying machine having a document feeding device, and these and the above-mentioned leading edge detection sensor 1.
3. Information from the black patch reading sensor 14 is given to the control section 17 as data via the input interface 16. The control unit 17 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 18, a random access memory (RAM) 19, and a read-only memory (ROM) 20, and the ROM 20 is preloaded with the following programs: When the document 2 is fed onto the platen 7, the leading edge 2a of the document 2 is detected, and when it is detected, time measurement is started,
When the preset time has come, the conveyor belt 5 is stopped, the copying operation is started in this state, and the exposure of the original 2 and the formation of the latent image on the photosensitive material are completed, and the original is ejected. When the condition is good, move the conveyor belt 5 again, and then move the black patch 1.
A program is stored that stops the conveyor belt 5 when 2 is read.
The CPU 18 executes this program based on information from the tip detection sensor 12, black patch reading sensor 14, etc.
It also sends control signals to the registration gate drive unit, entrance roll drive unit, exposure system, development system, and other devices.

Next, the document feeding operation with the above configuration will be explained.

First, the original 2 sent to the platen 7 is
The tip 2a passes through the hole 11 of the conveyor belt 5 and is detected by the tip detection sensor 13 (FIG. 1a).
For pushing the original 2 onto the conveyor belt 5, an input gate 4 is used as shown in FIG.
It may be similar that the document 2 placed on the entrance tray is pushed in by the entrance roll.

Next, when the leading edge 2a is detected, the conveyor belt 5 stops after a preset time, and the document 2 stops at the registration position R (FIG. 1b). At this point, the copying operation begins. In FIG. 1b, the entrance gate 4 is closed. In this way, the belt motor 22 is stopped after, for example, χ _nsec after the leading edge is detected.

Next, after the copying process is completed, the conveyor belt 5 moves again, and when the black patch reading sensor 14 reads the black patch 12 during this movement, the conveyor belt 5 temporarily stops (FIG. 1c). At this time, the protrusion 10 of the next protrusion is located at the entrance to hold the next document with the platen 7. In this way, the conveyance belt 5 is corrected for the next document conveyance.

Then, the entrance gate 4 is opened and the next original is sent in (same as shown in the figure), and at this time, the previous original (the original that has been exposed and copied with latent image formation) is discharged to the exit tray.

In this manner, according to the apparatus of the embodiment, the holes 11 are made in the conveyor belt 5, and the leading end detection sensor 13
It reads the leading edge of the document, stops after a preset time, and adjusts the registration. In addition, if there are two sets of protrusions, in order to prepare for the next document, the document 2 may be moved.After copying is complete, the protrusions may be rotated again and stopped at the designated position to convey the next document. You can also do it. Manuscript 2
Even if the paper is thin or weak, such as air mail paper, type paper, and Japanese paper, it will not cause accordion-shaped wrinkles as shown in Figure 9, and air mail paper, type paper, Since originals such as Japanese paper can be handled without damaging them, there is no longer the need to open the platen cover and align the originals in the designated position to make copies, which is a tedious task in the case of thin originals. It is possible to automatically copy even thin originals.

In the embodiment described above, the hole 11 is provided between the protrusions 10 to directly detect the document 2 fed onto the platen 7. Alternatively, instead of making the hole 11, a suitable mark, such as a black patch similar to the above-mentioned black patch 12, may be attached.Also, the detection method may be optical. Of course, it is possible to change the design without it. Furthermore, it is not limited to the configuration in which it is moved right next to the 10 rows of protrusions. Even if it is not moved directly to the side, in that case, the value of the above-mentioned χ time can be changed, and the design can be changed as appropriate in this respect.

Next, FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 show the protrusion 10
This relates to a further improvement in the case where a hole 11 is made between the protrusion 10 and the protrusion 10.

That is, as mentioned above, the document feeder is
Even if it is a thin original, it can be handled in the same way as a thick original.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the exposure lamp 25 illuminates the document 2 from below during exposure in the copying process, the holes 11 may appear black on the copy paper. This tendency exists because manuscripts have high transparency. In other words, although accordion-shaped wrinkles do not occur and damage the original as shown in Figure 9, and copies are not made with these wrinkles, black shadows appear at the edges of the copy. There is a risk. Therefore,
If you want to eliminate this problem, you can place a highly reflective member inside the hole 11 at the location where the conveyor belt 5 stops and the hole 11 is located when copying is performed, as shown below. It is better to leave it alone.

5 and 6 show an example of the configuration, and in addition to the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, there is also a A white film 26 (of any material) is fixed to the holding member 27 by pasting or other means. The holding member 27 may be fixed to the frame of the document feeder or the like.

As described above, in this embodiment, since a highly reflective member is attached in advance to the inside of the conveyor belt 5 in accordance with the position where the holes 11 of the conveyor belt 5 stop, even if the parts between the protrusions 10 Even if the hole 11 is provided in the conveyor belt 5, the hole 11 of the conveyor belt 5 will not be visible on the copy paper even when copying a highly transparent original using automatic feeding. , a copy image without shadows of the hole 11 can be obtained.

Although this invention has been described with reference to the above-mentioned specific embodiments and modifications, it is not limited thereto, and various modifications are possible.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, according to this idea,
In addition to improving the document positioning control system using the transport belt, we also improved the document transport preparation control system to enable continuous document transport, so that it is not affected by the type of document. It is possible to accurately position the original without causing wrinkles even when the original is thin paper or has a weak texture, and the next original can be accurately captured and transported during the original ejection process, which improves original transport efficiency. can be significantly improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the device of this invention, Figs. 2 A and B are external views of a conveyor belt used in the same device and diagrams for explaining its operation, and Fig. 3 is an example of a control system. 4 is a partial explanatory diagram showing the state during copying, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of main parts showing another embodiment of this invention, FIG. 6 is an external view of the white film and holding member, and FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the principle of a document feeder in a copying machine, FIG. 8 is an external view of the conveyor belt of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the occurrence of accordion-shaped wrinkles. Code explanation, 2...Document, 5...Transport belt, 1
0... Protrusion, 11... Hole, 13... Tip detection sensor, 17... Control unit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A device for feeding originals by means of a conveyor belt in which at least two sets of document transport members for taking in originals are placed apart from each other, and it is determined whether or not the originals taken in and conveyed by the original transport members of the transport belt have passed through a reference passing position. The document position detection means detects the document position, and the conveyor belt is stopped when a predetermined time period has elapsed after the document position detection signal is outputted by the document position detection means, and the document is set at a predetermined registration position. A registration position control means detects whether or not a reference mark position of a conveyance belt set in a fixed positional relationship has passed from each document conveyance member at the time of ejecting the document set at this registration position. The belt position detection means and the belt position detection means detect the reference mark detection signal, and after a preset time has elapsed, the conveyance belt is temporarily stopped, and the next document conveyance member is moved to the document capture position of the conveyance belt. 1. A document feeding device comprising: document conveyance preparation control means for setting a document in the document feeder.