JPH04323149A - Original adjusting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten a moving distance of a sheet in slanted direction in an adjusting device and adjust the angle and force of sheet feeding in an adjusting transfer device easily by positioning the adjusting device in a sheet path for connecting an original feeding device to an image reading device. CONSTITUTION:In an adjusting device 1 positioned between an original feeding device in which a reference line is set up on the front side and a reading device in which a reference line is set up on the rear side, an adjusting part 3 is positioned between transfer roller devices. In the adjusting part 3, multiple adjusting transfer devices 10 to 14 are provided, and the paddle of each adjusting transfer device is positioned at any inclination. They are provided so that a pressing force by the paddle can be adjusted. When a sheet is fed aslant by the adjusting transfer device of the adjusting part, a nip on the sheet is released in the transfer roller device on the upstream side, and only a feeding force by the adjusting transfer device is applied on the sheet.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document aligning and conveying device in an image reading section of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine, and more particularly to a device for aligning and conveying documents in an image reading section, and in particular to a device for aligning and conveying documents in an image reading section in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine. The present invention relates to a document aligning device configured to easily align documents even when the device is combined with a device in which the reference line of the reading section is set on the rear side.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine, a document reading unit scans an image of the document while moving the image reading mechanism while the document is stopped on a platen like in a copying machine. It may be done. Also,
Apart from the document fixing method, a method such as a facsimile machine may be used in which the image of the document is read using a scanning device placed at a fixed position while the document is being moved. As described above, devices that scan documents while moving them are also used in devices that input large amounts of information into devices such as computers. In the image reading device described above, when inputting the image information, the movement position of the document is precisely regulated and the image is moved along the reference line, so that there is no possibility that the image information that has been read may be misaligned. controlled so that nothing happens.

As mentioned above, providing a means for regulating the position of the original is necessary, for example, in an image reading device installed in a copying machine or a facsimile machine, a diagonal roller or the like is placed in the middle of the conveyance path. This can be solved relatively easily. In other words, in devices such as copying machines,
The document feeding means and the image reading means are configured as one unit, and when the document is sent out, the document is conveyed along a reference line, so there is no possibility of large deviations from the reference line. This is because there is nothing to do. In addition, in devices such as copying machines as mentioned above, when the copies are transported toward the sorter, the paper is transported over a relatively long distance, so the paper changes to the standard during the transport. The problem arises that the image deviates significantly from the line.

Therefore, in order to solve the problem of such paper misalignment, a diagonal feeding device is provided in the paper path, as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-62138.
Paper is conveyed along a guide plate set as a reference line. In the conventional example,
Multiple conveyor belts are arranged in the paper conveyance direction of the paper path,
A width shifting roller device is arranged between the conveyor belts, and the paper is moved diagonally toward the guide plate using the width shifting roller device, and the paper is aligned. It is passed on to the next processing device. In addition, in the conventional device, a width adjustment roller is provided by a drive roller disposed at the lower part of the paper path and an idler ball for pressing the paper against the drive roller. - It constitutes a device.

[0005] Then, the paper is guided by applying a feeding action by the transport belt and an action to move the paper in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction by the drive roller in the paper path. It is fed diagonally toward the board to perform an alignment action. Therefore, when moving the paper in the paper path, it is possible to relatively easily move the paper across a large width without applying excessive force to the paper.

[0006]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, when using the conventional width shifting device as described above, if the conveyor belt and the width shifting roller device are not disposed throughout the paper path, the There is a problem in that the conveying action and the width shifting action cannot be performed satisfactorily, and as a result, the configuration of the paper path becomes complicated. In addition, a multi-strip conveyor belt,
There is also the problem that arranging a large number of roller devices increases the manufacturing cost of the device. Therefore, in order to simplify the configuration of the paper path, it is possible to arrange a plurality of conveyor belts only on the side close to the guide plate, and to arrange a width roller device only between the belts. Conceivable.

However, if the width shifting means is arranged only on one side of the paper path, for example, for large-sized paper, the conveyance and width shifting functions are performed at a position that is biased towards the guide plate side of the reference line. This causes a problem in that a conveying action is applied in the direction in which the paper rotates. If the corners of the paper, which are biased in a direction that makes it easier to rotate, are strongly pressed toward the guide plate, the paper may buckle or the corners of the paper may buckle, especially if the paper is thin. There is a problem that the parts may break. Moreover, sheets with bent corners as described above tend to get caught on other members in the paper path, causing jams or problems in conveyance of the sheets. Furthermore, if the corners of the paper are bent, the paper may be conveyed to the next processing step without proper alignment, resulting in defective copies.

[0008]

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the problems of conventional paper aligning devices as described above. Even when paper is being aligned over a large width, it is difficult to apply excessive force to the paper or to It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that can perform the width adjustment function in a good condition without breaking the paper.

[0009]

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The document aligning device of the present invention includes aligning means for moving the document along a reference guide between the document sending device and the image reading device. , the aligning means includes transport rollers disposed on the document feeding means side and the document reading means side, respectively.
A plurality of alignment conveyance means provided with independent drive mechanisms are arranged between the roller devices to constitute an alignment section, and the alignment conveyance means is constituted by a conveyance member using rollers or paddles, and each The members are configured so that the direction in which the paper is driven can be arbitrarily set.

Further, in the present invention, a paper detecting means is disposed corresponding to a conveyance roller device disposed upstream of the alignment section, and the conveyance roller device has a means for releasing a nip for the paper. When the paper detecting means detects that the paper has reached the aligning section, the nip of the conveying roller device is released, and the conveying member of the aligning conveying means is pressed against the paper and driven. The drive mechanism can be configured accordingly. Further, in the document alignment device of the present invention, a document size detection means is disposed in the document conveyance path or the alignment section, and the timing for operating the alignment conveyance means according to information on the size of the document detected by the detection means. can be set so that the alignment operation by the alignment conveyance means is performed according to the document size information.

As described above, in the document alignment device of the present invention, alignment conveyance means is provided at a predetermined position on the paper path, and the angle of diagonal feeding can be arbitrarily set. By not operating the conveying device upstream of the aligning section, it is possible to perform the aligning action on the sheets in a good condition. When paper is being moved at large intervals, even when applying diagonal feeding action at a large angle using the alignment conveyance means, the paper is moved in the horizontal direction without applying any action that rotates the paper. This prevents the corners of the paper from hitting the guide plate, thereby preventing the paper from folding.

0012

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The document alignment apparatus of the present invention will be explained according to the illustrated example. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the alignment device 1 of the present invention forms a paper path 2 by arranging a lower guide plate 2a and an upper guide plate 2b at a predetermined interval. Conveyance roller devices 5 to 7 are arranged in the upstream and downstream portions, respectively, to connect the paper feeding device and the reading device. The alignment unit 3 disposed between the conveyance roller devices 6 and 7 has a side guide plate 4 set as a reference line for the paper path, and a side guide plate 4 for diagonally feeding the paper toward the side guide plate 4. , alignment conveyance devices 10 to 14 are arranged.

The conveyance roller device of the present invention has a drive roller and a pinch roller arranged one above the other with a paper path in between, and the pinch roller of the roller device uses a vertical movement mechanism (not shown). The structure is such that the nip of the paper can be released. For example, in the conveyance roller device 6, the drive roller 6a is supported at a fixed position with respect to the lower guide plate 2a, but the pinch roller 6b has a shaft disposed on the upper part of the upper guide plate 2b, which is a drive roller (not shown). It is supported by a mechanism and is configured to be separated from the drive roller to release the nip with respect to the paper. As will be described later, when the alignment conveyance device is driven in the alignment section 3 to feed the paper diagonally, the paper nip caused by the conveyance roller device is released and the alignment conveyance device is operated in a good condition. Try to get it. Note that among the plurality of conveyance roller devices, the conveyance roller devices 5 and 6 disposed upstream of the alignment section 3 will interfere with the operation of the alignment conveyance device if the nip action on the paper is not released when aligning the sheets. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a nip release mechanism in these transport roller devices, but there are cases where it is not necessary to provide the nip release means in the downstream transport roller device 7.

Further, in the alignment device 1 of the present invention, a paper sensor S1 is arranged to detect the paper being conveyed and drive the alignment conveyance device based on the information. The alignment conveyance device disposed in the aligning section 3 acts to feed the paper diagonally, presses the rear side of the paper against the guide plate 4 to position the paper, and conveys the paper toward the downstream reading device. That's what I do. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the document feeding device sets the reference line on the front side, and the reading side device performs the alignment action on the paper when the reference line is set on the rear side. It is shown in the example below. However, the aligning device 1 of the present invention, which will be described below, is not only used when performing a large diagonal feeding action as described above, but also when paper is moved a little from the reference line in a general paper path. Even when the paper is separated by a certain amount, it can be used as a means for diagonally feeding the paper toward the reference line.

The alignment conveyance device disposed in the alignment section 3 of the alignment device 1 may have a configuration as shown in FIG. 3, for example. The aligning and conveying device 10 shown in FIG. 3 is configured to be supported by the upper frame of the paper path via mounting screws 16 arranged at the upper part of the frame 15. A paddle 20 is provided so as to be able to come out and go out from an opening at the bottom of the frame 15, and the paddle 20 is supported by a swinging arm 19 and swings the swinging arm 19 via a solenoid 17 and a link 18. It is configured as follows. When the alignment conveyance device 10 performs the paper feeding action, the plunger of the solenoid 17 is operated to protrude, so that the link 18
The paddle 20 is set by positioning the paddle 20 so as to press the paper through the swing arm 19 and the paddle 20, and driving the paddle 20 with the spring 29 pressing the paddle against the paper. To enable paper to be transported in the transport direction.

[0016] Furthermore, in order to drive the paddle 20,
A motor 22 is arranged, and a motor pulley 22 of the motor 22 is arranged.
a, the two-stage pulley 24 provided on the fixed shaft 25, and the pulley 23 provided on the paddle spindle 21, the belts 26, 2
7 is wrapped around each. Then, the motor 22
When the paddle 20 is driven, the paddle 20 is rotated and conveys the paper. Further, in the present invention, when the alignment conveyance device is set to a stopped state, the plunger of the solenoid is biased in a retracting direction to hold the paddle 20 in the raised position via the link device. . Further, in the alignment conveyance device 10, an adjustment screw 28 is provided in order to regulate the protruding position of the plunger of the solenoid and adjust the strength with which the paddle presses the paper.

In the alignment conveyance device 10 of the present invention,
Although the paddle 20 is shown as a means for conveying the paper, the conveyance means may be, for example,
It is also possible to use a roller member that is generally used as a paper feeding means. In addition to the one shown, any other link mechanism may be used as the drive means for moving the paddle 20 up and down.

When constructing the alignment section 3 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 using the alignment conveyance device configured as described above, the alignment conveyance device 10 disposed on the side of the conveyance roller device 6, Reference numeral 11 sets the interval between the two aligning and conveying devices in accordance with the minimum size of sheets conveyed along the reference line of the feeding device. Also,
In the alignment section 3, two aligning and conveying devices 13 and 14 are arranged along the side guide plate 4 in order to press and convey the paper toward the side guide plate 4. and a plurality of alignment conveyance devices 10 arranged in the alignment section 3;
11, 13, and 14 move the paper in the direction indicated by the arrow and align the paper.

In the alignment section 3, a paper sensor S1 is provided to detect the paper P being conveyed. When the leading edge of the paper is detected by the paper sensor S1, the pinch roller of the conveyance roller device is raised to release the paper nip, and the paddle of the alignment conveyance device is pressed against the paper and driven, and the alignment conveyance device 10 and 11 to cause the sheet to be fed diagonally. As shown in FIG. 1, the paper P is fed obliquely to the position indicated by Pa inside the aligning section 3, and the rear side surface of the paper Pa is pressed against the side guide plate 4, and the reading section is opened. With the sheet positioned on the reference line, the feeding action by the alignment conveyance device is released, and the sheet feeding action is performed using the conveyance roller device 7.

In the aligning apparatus 1 of the present invention constructed as described above, by arranging a large number of aligning conveyance devices, it is possible to perform feeding and aligning functions for the paper in good condition. As such, even when four alignment conveyance devices are used, the feeding effect can be achieved satisfactorily. Then, the alignment conveyance devices 10 and 11
The alignment conveyance devices 13 and 14 are arranged to perform diagonal feeding on the paper at a larger angle and are closer to the side guide plate 4.
By setting a relatively small diagonal feeding angle, the angle at which the paper hits the side guide plate 4 can be set small. In addition, in order to prevent the corners of the paper from hitting the side guide plate 4 when the paper is pressed toward the side guide plate 4 by the alignment conveyance devices 13 and 14, the paper is aligned. The alignment conveyance devices 10 and 11 disposed on the upstream side of the conveyance devices 13 and 14 can be set at the same inclination angle to prevent the paper from rotating.

(Embodiment 2) In the example shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of alignment conveyance devices 10 to 14 arranged in the alignment section 3 are arranged in different paper conveyance directions, and each alignment conveyance device is arranged at a different angle. This figure shows a configuration in which the sheet can be fed. As mentioned above, the alignment conveyance device 1
By arranging 0 to 14, in the upstream part of the alignment section 3, the effect of diagonally feeding the paper at a large angle is imparted,
In the downstream section, a diagonal feed effect is applied at a small angle. Then, in the alignment section 3, the section in which alignment is performed on the sheets can be made relatively short.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, two alignment conveyance devices 10 and 11 are provided downstream of the conveyance roller device 6.
and paper sensor S1, and two aligning and conveying devices 13 and 14 are provided along the side guide plate 4, with an aligning and conveying device 12 located in the middle thereof. In each of the alignment conveyance devices, the alignment conveyance devices 10 and 11 are set at an inclination angle of θ1, the alignment conveyance device 12 is set at an inclination angle of θ2, and the alignment transfer device 13 is set at an inclination angle of θ2.
, 14 are set at the angle θ3. The relationship between the inclination angles of the alignment conveyance devices is set to θ1>θ2>θ3, and these alignment conveyance devices move the paper toward the side at a large angle with respect to the paper in the upstream portion of the alignment section 3. A diagonal feeding action toward the guide plate 4 is provided, so that the feeding action toward the side guide plate 4 is performed. In this embodiment, the alignment conveyance device 12 may be set at the same inclination angle θ1 as the alignment conveyance device located upstream thereof.

Then, in the middle of the diagonal feeding, the alignment conveyance device 12 is changed to feed the paper at a slightly gentler angle, and at a position close to the side guide plate 4, the sheet is pressed against the side guide plate 4 at a gentler angle. to perform the positioning action. Therefore, when the paper is pressed against the side guide plate 4 and positioned, the paper is not subjected to a strong diagonal feeding action, so the side and corner portions of the paper are
This prevents buckling or wrinkles due to strong abutting against the side guide plate 4.

In the alignment device 1 shown in FIG. 4,
After the leading edge of the paper P sent toward the alignment unit 3 by the conveyance roller devices 5 and 6 is detected by the paper sensor S1, a certain period of time is counted, and when the paper has advanced by a distance a, , operate each device. In other words, the pinch rollers of the conveyance roller devices 5 and 6 that carry out conveyance in the paper path are lifted to release the nip caused by the roller devices, and the paddles of the alignment conveyance devices 10 and 11 are pressed against the paper and driven. Then, the alignment conveyance device performs a diagonal feeding action on the paper at a large angle.

When the paper reaches the position of the alignment conveyance device 12, the angle of diagonal feeding is slightly loosened by the alignment conveyance device 12, and the paper is moved to the feeding section by the alignment conveyance devices 13 and 14, , 14, the paper is conveyed while being pressed toward the side guide plate 4 at a gentle angle. As described above, by applying a conveying action to the paper inside the alignment section 3, even in the case of small-sized paper, the paper can be rapidly diagonally fed, and the distance required for alignment can be set short. be able to.

(Embodiment 3) In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of paper sensors S1 to S3 are arranged on the paper feed side to detect the paper size, and A paper sensor S4 is arranged near the guide plate 4. In addition, in the alignment section 3, two alignment conveyance devices 10 and 11 are arranged at a position close to the conveyance roller device 6, and alignment conveyance devices 13 and 14 are arranged at a position close to the side guide plate 4, and two alignment conveyance devices 13 and 14 are arranged at a position close to the side guide plate 4. An alignment conveyance device 12 is disposed at. Among the aligning and conveying devices 10 to 14, the aligning and conveying devices 10 to 12 are designed to be able to release the pressure on the sheet during conveyance of the sheet. Further, in the alignment section 3, the paper sensors S1 to S3 arranged near the conveyance roller device 6 are arranged so as to be able to detect the paper sizes of the three types of paper P1 to P3, and are arranged on the feeding side. To detect the size of the paper sent from the printer and to perform a feeding operation corresponding to the paper size.

In the alignment section 3 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the sheets are aligned as shown in the flowchart of FIG. Note that in the flowchart of the present invention shown in FIG. 6, the conveying roller device and the alignment conveying device are set in advance to be driven in the direction of conveying the paper, and the pinch roll of the conveying roller device is set to be driven in the direction of conveying the paper. It is assumed that the conveyance action is started when the paddle is pressed against the paper, and when the paddle is pressed against the paper, it is possible to impart a diagonal feeding action to the paper.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, when detecting the paper sent from the conveyance roller device 6 to the aligning section 3, in steps a-1 to a-3, detection of each size of paper is performed. The action is performed. and,
Based on the signals detected by the paper sensors S1 to S3, the paper feeding is controlled as shown in a-4 to a-6. In other words, in the case of a small size paper P1, the diagonal feeding action by the alignment conveyance device is started at a position where the paper P1 has advanced by a distance a, and the large size paper P
In the case of No. 3, at the step a-7 at a position advanced by distance c, the conveying action by the conveying roller devices 5 and 6 is interrupted, and the diagonal feeding action by the alignment conveying device is performed. .

Thereafter, when the paper is detected by the paper sensor S4, it is determined that the paper has reached a position very close to the side guide plate 4 (step a-8), and the paper is detected by the paper sensor S4.
In step 9, the nip caused by the alignment conveyance devices 10 to 12 is released. Then, the alignment conveyance devices 13 and 14 apply a conveyance action at a gentle angle, and perform a positioning action while conveying the paper along the side guide plate 4.
is passed to a reading device connected downstream of the As described above, by performing the diagonal feeding action on the paper in the alignment section 3, the two alignment conveyance devices are always provided with a driving action for the paper on which the alignment action is performed. become. Therefore, in the matching part 3,
The paper does not cause an inconvenient state such as skewed feeding, the paper is prevented from misaligning with respect to the paper transport direction, and the alignment action is performed in a good condition. become.

By configuring the alignment section as described above, in the present invention, for large-sized paper, the diagonal feeding distance is set short, and the side surface of the paper on the reference line side is strong, and the side surface of the paper is It can be prevented from being pressed toward the guide plate 4. In addition, for small-sized paper, the alignment conveyance device starts diagonal feeding after it has advanced a distance a from the conveyance roller device 6, so that while the paper travels a long distance, the alignment conveyance device A conveying action of 10 to 12 will be applied. Further, the sheet that has been diagonally fed by the alignment conveyance devices 10 to 12 is detected by the sheet sensor S4 immediately before the side surface on the reference line side is strongly pressed against the side guide plate 4, and the sheet is detected by the sheet sensor S4. As a result, the feeding action by the alignment conveyance devices 10 to 12 is interrupted, so that after that, only the alignment conveyance devices 13 and 14 provide the effect of conveying while pressing the side guide plate 4.

(Embodiment 4) In another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG.
0 to 14 are arranged, but only the paper sensor S1 is used as a detection means. In the five alignment conveyance devices arranged in the alignment section 3, the conveyance force of the paddles is set small in the upstream alignment conveyance devices 10 to 12, and the alignment conveyance devices 13 and 14 near the side guide plate 4 In this case, the conveyance force of the paddle is set to be large. Then, when the paper is pressed against the side guide plate 4 by the alignment transport devices 13 and 14 after being diagonally fed by the alignment transport devices 10 to 12, the paper is moved to a distant position that has a large effect on the buckling of the paper. The arranged alignment conveyance device can be configured so as not to exert a large feeding force.

As described above, in order to adjust the conveyance force of the paddles in the alignment conveyance device, it is possible to adjust the tightening state of the adjustment screw 28 in the alignment conveyance device 10 shown in FIG. 3. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, when the adjusting screw 28 is tightened, the paddle 20 will rise, and when the screw is loosened, the paddle 20 will rise.
Since 0 is lowered, the conveying force can be set strongly. Further, in the alignment conveyance device, when rollers are used as the conveyance means, a strong spring force exerts a strong conveyance force, and a weak spring causes a weak conveyance force to be exerted.

As described above, in the case where a plurality of alignment conveyance devices disposed in the alignment section 3 are constructed so that the conveyance force of each member is different, it is possible to cause the sheets to be fed obliquely at a large angle. Can be done. Furthermore, even when the paper is transported along the side guide plates without buckling, it becomes possible to adjust the arrangement angle of the alignment conveyance device and the conveyance force by the alignment conveyance device as appropriate. In addition, in the above-described alignment device of the present invention, it is assumed that, for example, the device on the sending side sets the reference line on the front side, and the image reading device side sets the reference line on the rear side. , even in such a case, it is shown as being constructed so as to be able to perform a good alignment effect on the paper. However, in the aligning device of the present invention, when the width of the diagonal feeding of the document is narrow, it is possible to move the document closer to the side guide plate without using a large number of aligning conveyance devices as shown in the above embodiments. It is also possible to use only an alignment conveyance device placed at a position where

(Configuration of Image Reading Apparatus) The alignment apparatus of the present invention having the above-described configuration can be used by being incorporated into an apparatus as shown in FIG. The device shown in FIG. 8 includes a feeder device 30, an alignment device 35,
It is configured by combining an image reading device 40 and a stacker device 45. Then, using the device,
It is used to continuously read images of a large number of documents and input the image information into a device such as a computer. In the device, the feeder device 30 includes a plurality of document trays 3.
1, 31a, . . . are provided, and a paper feeding device 32, 32a, .

Furthermore, the alignment device 35 can incorporate an alignment device such as that shown in the embodiment of the present invention, so that even if the reference lines of the feeder device and the image reading device are different, the document The document is fed obliquely in a direction along the reference line of the reading device, so that the document can be positioned at the reading position. Further, the image reading device 40 disposed subsequent to the alignment device may constitute a mechanism that reads the document while moving the scanning device while the document is temporarily stopped, like in a normal copying machine. However, it is also possible to use a device that reads the image of a moving document using a scanning device 42 placed at a fixed position, like a general facsimile machine. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, which is configured as an original moving type device, a reading means such as a CCD is arranged below the platen 41, and a platen roller 43 is arranged to press the original against the platen. ing.

The stacker device 45 connected to the reading device 40 is configured to have a plurality of storage trays 46 and 47 arranged so as to be able to store originals sorted by type. When reading a document using the device, the feeder device 30 is operated in response to a command from a device such as a computer to feed the document one sheet at a time from the tray, and the document is transferred to the aligning device. The document is moved along the reference line, and the image reading device 40 sequentially scans the images of the document being moved, and inputs the image information. Then, the manuscript that has been read is
The documents are stacked and arranged on the storage tray according to the type of document or according to a set order.

In the image reading device of the present invention,
It is possible to use any scanning means, such as a system that reads the original while moving it, a system that reads the original while it is stopped on a platen, etc.
Any means can be used. In addition, when the image reading device is a scanning device of a copying machine, the configuration of the alignment device can be made simple, but an alignment conveyance device is used to feed the document diagonally to improve the alignment effect of the document. It can be set so that it can be done.

[0038]

Effects of the Invention Since the document alignment device of the present invention has the above-described configuration, alignment conveyance means that can arbitrarily set the angle of diagonal feeding is provided at a predetermined position in the paper path. When the means is operated, the conveying device upstream of the alignment section is not operated, so that the alignment effect on the sheets can be performed in a good condition. Also,
Since the alignment device of the present invention uses an alignment conveyance device to align sheets, it is possible to arbitrarily set the feeding force on the paper by the paddles of the alignment conveyance device and the angle of diagonal feeding. Therefore, the conditions required for the matching section can be easily met. When paper is being moved at large intervals, even when applying diagonal feeding action at a large angle using the alignment conveyance means, the paper is moved in the horizontal direction without applying any action that rotates the paper. This prevents the corners of the paper from hitting the guide plate, thereby preventing the paper from folding.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of an alignment device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the alignment device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the alignment conveyance device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the alignment device of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a third embodiment of the alignment device of the present invention.

6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the matching device shown in FIG. 5. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of the alignment device of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an image reading device to which the alignment device of the present invention can be applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Aligning device, 3 Aligning section, 4 Side guide plate 5-7 Conveying roller device, 10-14
alignment conveyance device, 17 solenoid, 20 paddle, 30
feeder device, 35 alignment device, 40 image reading device,
45 Stacker device.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. Aligning means for moving the original along a reference guide is disposed between the original sending means and the image reading means, and the aligning means includes a side of the original sending means and an image reading means. A plurality of alignment conveyance means provided with independent drive mechanisms are arranged between the conveyance roller devices disposed on the side to constitute an alignment section, and the alignment conveyance means disposed in the alignment section are arranged between roller devices. Alternatively, a document alignment device comprising a conveyance member using a paddle, and each conveyance member is configured such that the direction in which the paper is driven can be arbitrarily set. 2. A sheet detecting means is disposed in correspondence with a roller device disposed upstream of the alignment section, and
The roller device is equipped with a means for releasing the nip for the paper, and when the paper detecting means detects that the paper has reached the aligning section, the nip of the conveying roller device is released, and the aligning conveying means is released. 2. The document alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism is configured to drive the conveyance member by pressing it against the paper. 3. A document size detection means is disposed in the document conveyance path or an alignment section, and a timing for operating the alignment conveyance means is set according to the information on the size of the document detected by the detection means. 3. The document aligning device according to claim 2, wherein the aligning and conveying means performs the aligning action according to the information.