JPH08157085A - Sheet feeder and image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a sheet feeder not required to change the page order of documents for transmission and for copy by rotating a lower roller in the feeding direction of the documents when the documents are delivered from the lowermost sheet, and rotating an upper roller in the feeding direction of the documents when the documents are delivered from the uppermost sheet. CONSTITUTION: At the time of transmission, the first motor 15 is rotated in the direction of B, a lower roller 3 is rotated in the direction C via a timing belt 13, and it is brought into contact with the lower face of the lowermost document of a document bundle loaded in the face-down state to convey the lowermost document to the downstream. An upper roller 4 is rotated in the direction D via the timing belt 13, it outputs fixed torque in the opposite direction to the document conveying direction, it applies returning force to the document G, and it returns the upper document G to the upstream side. At the time of copy, the upper roller 4 is rotated in the opposite direction to the direction D, and it is brought into contact with the upper face of the document to convey the document to the downstream. The lower roller 3 is rotated in the opposite direction to the direction C, it outputs constant torque in the opposite direction to the document conveying direction, it applies returning force to the document G, and it returns the lower document to the upstream.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus which separates and feeds sheets one by one, and more particularly to a sheet feeding apparatus used in a facsimile apparatus having a copying function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a facsimile apparatus has an image reading section, an image signal transmitting section, and an image recording section. In addition to transmitting and receiving image signals, the image reading section and the image recording section are simultaneously operated to perform a copying function. Has been realized. Further, the image reading unit is provided with a sheet feeding device for separating and feeding a plurality of documents one by one. This sheet feeding device sends out a document regardless of whether it is transmitted or copied.

FIG. 29 shows a schematic configuration of the entire conventional facsimile apparatus. In the figure, reference numeral 1001 denotes an original placing table configured so that a plurality of originals G can be stacked on the top cover of the apparatus main body, 1002 denotes an image reading unit for reading image information of the original G, and 1003 denotes a laser beam. An image recording unit including a printer, 1004 a document feeding unit, 1005 a contact image sensor for reading a document image, 1006 a document discharge tray,
1007 is a laser scanner, 1008 is an image forming unit, 1009 is a photosensitive drum, 1010 is a fixing unit, 1011 is a cassette paper feeding unit,
12 is a recording paper discharge tray, 1013 is an upper original guide, 1014 is a lower original guide, 1015 is an operation unit, 1016 is a preliminary conveyance roller,
Reference numeral 17 is a separation unit, 1018 is a separation roller, and 1019 is a reverse rotation roller.

First, the user of the apparatus places the document G with the document surface facing down on the document table 1001 and inserts it into the document transport path constituted by the upper document guide 1013 and the lower document guide 1014. Here, the user selects an operation mode by key input from the operation unit 1015. This operation mode includes various modes such as transmission, copying, image resolution, and stamp having been transmitted. When sending a document, select the send mode and then select the F
Enter the AX number and press the start key. On the other hand, when copying a document, after selecting the copy mode, input the number of copies and press the start key.

When the start key is pressed, the pre-conveying roller 1016 sends the original G to the separating section 1017. When the document G reaches the separating portion 1017, only the lowermost document is pulled out by the separating roller 1018 that tries to pull out the document from the bottom and the reverse roller 1019 that tries to push back the document that is pulled out in an overlapping manner. The document is conveyed to the document conveying unit 1004 on the downstream side.

An image on the document surface of the document G transported to the document transport unit 1004 is read by the contact image sensor 1005. The analog signal output from the contact image sensor 1005 is corrected by the image processing circuit for shading correction, A
After the D / D conversion and other image processing are performed, the data is transferred to a control unit (not shown) of the facsimile apparatus. The signal (image information) transferred to the control unit is output to the line via the modem in the transmission mode, and is output to the image recording unit 1003 in the copy mode. Then, the document G whose image has been read is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 1006. Therefore,
The originals G are loaded with the document side facing down, in order from the first ejected document (so-called face-down, page-wise stacking).

When copying a document, the image recording unit 1003
The laser scanner 1007 irradiates the photosensitive drum 1009 of the image forming unit 1008 with scanning light based on the image signal output from the control unit to form image information on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1009, and the cassette paper feeding unit 1011. The image information is transferred to the recording paper S fed from the image forming unit 1008 to be fixed by the fixing unit 1010, and then discharged to the recording paper stack tray 1012. Accordingly, the image information is on the upper side, and the recording sheets are loaded in order from the one ejected first with the document side facing up (so-called face-up, reverse page order loading). When the documents are stacked face-up, the document surface can be easily checked, so that it is easy to check the print quality when copying a document.

As another conventional example, there is Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-1335, "Automatic feeding device for sheet-like paper". The combination of the feeding means and the separating means in the publication is arranged in two pairs and two shafts, and the sheet-like paper can be fed from the top and the bottom.

[0009]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the original is read from the first page and recorded in page order, and the recording paper on which the recording has been made is discharged face up and stacked, so that the original is copied. There is a problem that the recording paper is in the reverse order to the original page order. To stack recording paper in the same page order as the original, load the recording paper face-up by reading the original from the last page, or read the original from the first page face-down. However, the former has a problem that the last page is transmitted at the time of transmission, and the latter has a problem that it is difficult to check the print quality at the time of copying. Further, in order to avoid such a problem, a method of rearranging the page order of the original during transmission and copying and setting it in the sheet feeding device is conceivable, but the operation becomes complicated and there are many mistakes in setting the front and back of the original. However, there was a problem that the device became difficult to use.

In the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-1335,
Since it is necessary to separately provide two pairs of the feeding means and the separating means having different friction coefficients, the structure is complicated, the number of parts is increased, the manufacturing cost is high, and the device is easily broken. Further, since the procedure of the switching operation of the sheet feeding device and the method of placing / conveying / discharging the sheet, which are required when the method of the publication is applied to the facsimile apparatus, are not clarified, the operability of the publication is improved. It is difficult to construct a good sheet feeding device and a facsimile device.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to transmit the first page at the time of transmission without rearranging the page order of the original at the time of transmission and at the time of copying, and make it easy to check the recording quality at the time of copying, and An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet supply device capable of stacking recording sheets in page order.

[0012]

A first structure of the present invention for achieving the above object is a sheet supporting means capable of stacking a large number of sheets, and a first lower part on the downstream side of the sheet supporting means. It has a rotating body and a second rotating body that is in contact with the upper part of the first rotating body, and when the sheet is fed from the lowest position, the first rotating body rotates in the sheet feeding direction and the sheet is fed from the uppermost position. When the second rotating body rotates in the sheet feeding direction, by the cooperation of the first rotating body and the second rotating body,
It is characterized in that the sheets are fed out one by one from the bottom or the top, and has a copying function in particular, and is a facsimile machine that stacks recording media face up in the copying function. It is characterized in that the sheet supply device having the above-mentioned configuration is provided.

A second structure of the present invention for achieving the above object is a sheet supporting means capable of stacking a large number of sheets, a first rotating body on the downstream side of the sheet supporting means, It has a second rotating body that abuts on the lower portion of the first rotating body and a third rotating body that abuts on the upper portion of the first rotating body, and depending on whether the sheet is fed from the bottom or the top. One rotating body rotates in the sheet conveying direction, and the first rotating body, the second rotating body, and the third rotating body cooperate to feed out the sheets one by one from the lowest or the highest. In particular, the present invention is characterized in that it has a copying function, and that the sheet feeding device having the above-described configuration is provided in a facsimile machine that stacks recording media on which recording has been performed face-up during the copying function.

A third structure of the present invention for achieving the above object is a sheet supporting means capable of stacking a large number of sheets, and a rotary member on the downstream side of the sheet supporting means.
It has a first friction member that abuts on the lower portion of the first rotating body and a second friction member that abuts on the upper portion of the first rotating body, depending on whether the sheet is fed from the lowest position or the highest position. The rotating body rotates in the sheet conveying direction, and the rotating body, the first friction member, and the second friction member cooperate to separate and feed the sheets one by one from the lowest or the highest. In particular, the present invention is characterized in that it has a copying function, and that the sheet feeding device having the above-described configuration is provided in a facsimile machine that stacks recording media on which recording has been performed face up.

[0015]

In the first structure, when the sheet is fed from the lowest position, the first rotating body rotates in the sheet feeding direction, and when the sheet is fed from the uppermost position, the second rotating body feeds the sheet. Originals as a sheet having an image surface because the sheets are separated from the lowermost or uppermost one by one by rotating in the direction of rotation and by cooperation of the first rotating body and the second rotating body. Even if the sheets are set on the sheet supporting means in the page order and in the same direction, the original can be read from the first page and transmitted during the transmission operation, and the original can be read from the last page during the copying operation to record the read image. It becomes possible to stack the recording media in the original page order while facilitating the checking of the recording quality of the recorded recording media.

In the second structure, the first rotating body rotates in the sheet conveying direction depending on whether the sheet is fed from the lowest position or the uppermost position, and the first rotating body and
The second rotating body that abuts the lower portion of the first rotating body and the third rotating body that abuts the upper portion of the first rotating body cooperate to separate the sheets one by one from the lowest or the highest. Since the document is fed out, even if the document as a sheet having an image surface is set on the sheet supporting means in the page order and in the same direction as in the above-described operation, the document is read from the first page and transmitted during the transmission operation. In addition, the original can be read from the last page during the copying operation, and the recording quality of the recording medium on which the read image is recorded can be easily checked, and the recording medium can be stacked in the original page order.

In the third structure, the rotating body rotates in the sheet conveying direction depending on whether the sheet is fed from the lowest position or the uppermost position, and the rotating body and the first rotation are rotated. By the cooperation of the first friction member contacting the lower part of the body and the second friction member contacting the upper part of the first rotating body,
Since the sheets are fed out one by one from the bottom or the top, even if the originals as the sheets having the image surface are set in the sheet supporting means in the page order and in the same direction, as in the above-described operation, It becomes possible to read and transmit the original from the first page during the transmission operation, and read the original from the last page during the copying operation to facilitate checking the recording quality of the recording medium on which the read image is recorded, and to perform the recording. It becomes possible to stack the media in the original page order.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the sheet feeding apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] A sheet feeding apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment exemplifies a sheet feeding device which has a copying function and is equipped in a facsimile device for stacking recording sheets on which recording is performed face up. 1 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding device, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of transmission, FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of copying, and FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the facsimile device. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the facsimile apparatus, FIG. 6 is a flowchart of image reading operation during transmission / copying, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a control system of the entire apparatus.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes an original placing table as a sheet supporting means, which is inclined downward in the original conveying direction. Reference numeral 2 denotes a slider, which regulates the widthwise ends of the document G stacked on the document mounting table 1 by aligning them. Reference numerals 3 and 4 respectively denote a lower roller as a first rotating body and an upper roller as a second rotating body, which are rotatable in forward and reverse directions, and are arranged on the downstream side of the document placing table 1, and cooperate with both rollers. Thus, the document G is separated and fed out one by one from the bottom or the top. Reference numeral 5 is a first drive transmission shaft that transmits the rotational drive force to the lower roller 3, and 6 is a second drive transmission shaft that also transmits the rotational drive force to the upper roller 4.

Reference numeral 9 is a first torque limiter having a one-way clutch, and a timing pulley 7 is provided on the side for inputting the power from the motor.
When the power in the direction indicated by “K” is transmitted to the timing pulley 7, the first drive transmission shaft 5 is locked to transmit the power from the motor, and when the power in the reverse direction is transmitted, a constant torque is transmitted. Is transmitted to the first drive transmission shaft 5.

Numeral 10 is a second torque limiter having a one-way clutch. Contrary to the first torque limiter 9, the power in the direction indicated by "LOCK →" in the figure is transmitted to the timing pulley 8. At times, the second drive transmission shaft 6 is locked to transmit the power from the motor, and when the power in the opposite direction is transmitted, a constant torque is transmitted to the second drive transmission shaft 5.

Reference numerals 11a to 11d denote bearings for rotatably supporting both ends of the drive transmission shafts 5 and 6, and the bearings 11a and 11b.
12a around the bearing and springs 12b around the bearings 11c and 11d.
Is provided to urge the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 in a contacting direction.

Reference numeral 13 is a timing belt for transmitting the power from the motor to the timing pulleys 7 and 8 provided on the first torque limiter 9 and the second torque limiter 10, and both pulleys 7 and 8 always rotate in the same direction. The same number of teeth is set so that the belt 13 rotates the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 in the same direction, that is, in the direction in which they rub against each other. Therefore, in the operation of separating the original G, the roller connected to the torque limiter with the one-way clutch locked rotates in the original feeding direction to feed the original G, and the other roller opposite to the original feeding direction. Rotates in the reverse direction to separate the document G by reverse return. The roller rotating in the reverse direction rotates with the roller on the document feeding side while maintaining a constant torque when there is no document G or when there is only one document.

Reference numeral 15 is a first motor for operating a document separation system composed of the rollers 3 and 4, and is connected to the timing belt 13 via a gear or the like. Reference numeral 16 is a preliminary conveyance unit for squeezing out the original G on the original placing table 1, and is composed of a preliminary conveyance roller 16a, an elevating arm 16b, a solenoid 16c, and a pullback spring 16d. The preliminary transport roller 16a is connected to the lower roller 3 via a gear and rotates in the same direction as the lower roller 3. Also,
The pre-conveying roller 16a is attached to an end of an elevating arm 16b rotatably provided on the drive transmission shaft 5 on both sides of the lower roller 3. Further, the end portion on the opposite side of the elevating arm 16b is extended and connected to the solenoid 16c, and when the exciting current is supplied to the solenoid 16c and the plunger is pulled, the preliminary conveying roller 16a is pushed up. Also,
The elevating arm 16b is urged by a pull-back spring 16d in a direction to pull down the preliminary conveyance roller 16a, and when the exciting current is not supplied to the solenoid 16c, the elevating arm 16b is pulled down by a spring force.

A second motor 17 conveys the separated original G to the reading means on the downstream side, and drives a conveying system for discharging and conveying the original G to the outside of the apparatus through a gear train 18 after the reading is completed. Reference numeral 19 is a paper feed roller, 20 is a backup roller, 21 is a contact type image sensor as a reading means, and the backup roller 20 is urged by the paper feed roller 19 by a spring (not shown) to separate the separated original document to the downstream side. The image is sequentially conveyed to the contact image sensor 21. Reference numeral 22 denotes a switching means for switching the conveying direction of the discharged original G, which is a support shaft 22b.
The flapper 22a is rotatably attached to the flapper 22a
The slit 22c is provided at the end opposite to the claw portion of the solenoid 22d, the plunger of the solenoid 22d is connected to the slit 22c, and the flapper 22a is swung by the ON / OFF of the solenoid 22d to move the original G in the conveying direction. It is designed to be switched.

Reference numeral 23 is a first paper discharging roller, 24 is a first backup roller biased by the first paper discharging roller 23 by a biasing spring (not shown), and 25 is abutting against the first backup roller 24 and is in the document conveying direction. Is an auxiliary roller for changing the document, 26 is a document path for guiding the read document G in the discharge direction after U-turning (reversing), 27 is a second discharge roller, and 28 is a second discharge by a biasing spring (not shown). The second backup roller is biased by the roller 28. Further, 29 is a FAX document discharge tray on which a document is loaded when the document is fed from the lowest position during FAX transmission, which will be described later, and 30 is loaded, when the document is fed from the highest position during a copy operation. A copy document discharge tray.

Next, the operation of this apparatus will be described. First, a case of operating as a facsimile function will be described. First, the original document insertion ports on the upstream side of the lower original guide 32a and the upper original guide 32b that align the original bundle and form the original conveyance path.
A document bundle is inserted from 32 with the image side facing down (face down) and loaded on the document table 1, and the slider 2 is moved in the document width direction to regulate and align both ends of the document.

When a document is inserted, a document presence / absence sensor (DS sensor) 33 detects the presence of the document as shown in FIG.
A signal for waiting for original processing is transmitted to the control unit on the main body side.
At this time, the apparatus is in a state of waiting for a FAX transmission instruction or a copying operation instruction. This state is the operation unit 41 on the top of the device.
It is displayed on the LCD panel 41e provided on the display, and is in a state of waiting for key input. In the operation unit 41, 41b is a ten-key for inputting the dial number of the transmission partner, 41c is a one-touch key in which the dial number is registered in advance, 41d is a function key, 41f is a copy key for instructing copying of a document, and 41a is selected. It is a start key for executing processing.

The function key 41d is provided with a key for setting the resolution for reading a document, and one of several resolutions can be selected. In this embodiment, three kinds of resolutions are set, and 3.85 lines / mm from the order of coarse resolution.
(Standard mode), 7.7 line / mm (fine mode), 15.41 line / mm (super fine mode). The document reading speed differs depending on each of the above resolutions, and the speed decreases in the above order. In addition, a 64-gradient halftone mode for reading halftones by binarizing them with an error diffusion method, and for an original document in which halftones and characters are mixed, the character contour portion is emphasized to reproduce easily.
It also has a tomatic adjustment) mode.

The operation unit 41 is provided with a selection key for selecting various modes of transmission, and the function key 41d is used to select the resolution for reading the original and direct transmission for transmission while connecting to the partner machine. It is possible to select a mode, a memory transmission mode in which the document image information is once stored in the image memory and then transmitted. The FAX number of the transmission destination can be determined by inputting the FAX number of the transmission destination with the ten keys 41b or by pressing the one-touch key 41c for calling the FAX number registered in the memory in advance.

In the apparatus in the standby state for reading an original, after the original reading / transmission mode is selected by the function key 41d, the transmission destination is determined by the ten-key 41b or the one-touch key 41c, and the start key 41a is set. When pressed, the first motor 15 and the second motor 17 start operating. Further, a flapper 22a for switching the conveyance direction of the document is provided at the document discharge port, and in the case of FAX transmission, the solenoid is arranged so that the document is discharged onto the first discharge tray 29 after the start key 41a is pressed. It is moved to the solid line position in FIG. 2 by 22d.

After the start key 41a is pressed and the motors 15 and 17 start rotating, the solenoid 16c pulls up the preliminary conveying roller 16a. As shown in FIG. 2, the pre-conveying roller 16a protruding from the lower document guide 32a to the document passing surface.
Is in contact with the lower side of the document stack urged by the pressure contact spring 31c and the pressure contact plate 31a to convey the document stack in the downstream direction. Since the document placing table 1 is installed so as to be inclined downward in the downstream direction, the original document on the lower part of the document stack has a large frictional force with the document placing table 1 due to the weight of the document placed on the document placing table 1. The upper original, which is not affected by the load due to gravity, is easily conveyed in the downstream direction. Therefore, the pre-conveying roller 16a contacts the lower surface of the document stack and conveys it in the downstream direction so that the lower document can be steadily separated and conveyed.

The first motor 15 rotates in the direction of arrow B in FIG.
Is locked and power is transmitted to the lower roller 3. Normal,
The FAX transmission is sequentially performed from the first page of the document, and the receiving side is also sequentially received from the first page. For this reason, the lower roller 3 performs an operation of sequentially feeding out the original from the lowest position during FAX transmission. During FAX transmission, the first motor 15 rotates in the direction of arrow B, the first torque limiter 9 is locked via the timing belt 13, and the lower roller 3 rotates in the direction of arrow C in FIG. The lowermost originals of the original stack stacked face down are contacted and conveyed downstream. As will be described later, the lower roller 3 rotates in the reverse direction during copying to pull back the lower original.

The operation of the upper roller 4 when the lower roller 3 is rotating in the document feeding direction (the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2) is performed by receiving the drive transmission of the first motor 15 via the timing belt 13. The two-torque limiter 10 rotates in the direction of the arrow D in FIG. 2, but this direction is the direction in which the one-way clutch does not lock the second drive transmission shaft 6, so a constant torque in the direction opposite to the document conveying direction is output. , Upper roller 4
Applies a reverse return force to the original and pulls the upper original back to the upstream side. When there is only one original, the upper roller 4 is pulled by the frictional force between the original and the roller surface.
Rotates in the document transport direction. Further, when the originals are fed to the nip portion of both rollers and enter two sheets, a material such that the frictional force between the roller surface and the original is larger than the frictional force between the two originals. Since (rubber material in this example) is selected, the upper roller 4 can pull the upper original back to the upstream side.

The lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 have the same shape and material. Specifically, silicon-based rubber materials of the same hardness are selected. This is because the friction coefficients of both are the same, and when the apparatus performs a copy operation described later, the rotation directions of the rollers 3 and 4 are opposite to each other, and the originals are separated one by one from the top. Will come to do. Since the two rollers 3 and 4 perform the roles of the two operations of "conveyance" and "separation", respectively, the roles of the rollers 3 and 4 are preferably the same in order to guarantee the same performance. The same effect is brought about by making both rubber materials and hardness the same, that is, making the friction coefficient the same. Further, since the same roller is used, there is an effect that the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which different rollers are used one by one.

When the document separated by the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 is nipped by the pair of paper feed rollers 19 and 20 and conveyed further downstream, the pair of paper feed rollers 19 and 20 and the contact type image sensor 21 are separated. Original document edge sensor 34
Detects the leading edge of the document and feeds the leading edge of the document to the reading position. At this time, the solenoid 16c is operated by the preliminary conveyance roller 16
a is pulled down, and the carrying force by the preliminary carrying roller 16a is cut off. This is to prevent double feeding caused by an extra carrying force of the preliminary carrying unit 16.

The image surface of the original sent to the image reading position is read by the contact image sensor 21,
After being binarized by a circuit (not shown) in the main unit,
It is encoded and stored in memory. Then, the read document is conveyed to the downstream side by the first paper discharge roller pair 23, 24, goes straight according to the flapper 22a described above, and is discharged to the first document discharge tray 29 with the image surface facing downward. It The second and subsequent originals are sequentially stacked on top.

When the first original sheet comes out of the separating portion composed of the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4, the lower roller 3
Comes into contact with the second original and the original is separated and conveyed downstream. At this time, for example, when the lower roller 3 runs idle due to a small friction between the original and the roller, or the original is not fed due to a load on the original table, the solenoid 16c Rotates the elevating arm 16b to raise the preliminary conveyance roller 16a, thereby increasing the document conveyance force. According to the detection timing of the document edge sensor 34, the solenoid 16c is operated when the interval between the trailing edge of the preceding document and the leading edge of the following document is equal to or more than a predetermined time (set to 3 seconds in this embodiment). Preliminary transport roller 16a
Is designed to rise.

In the case of FAX transmission, in the case of memory transmission, the read image data is transferred to the other party's destination dialed according to the registration of the one-touch key or the push button previously input before reading all the originals. . On the other hand, for direct transmission, the start key 41a
Immediately after pressing, the line connection operation is started, and when the connection is completed and the process of the pre-procedure is completed, the feeding and reading of the document is started. In this case, unlike memory transmission, several lines of image data are stored in a buffer (not shown), and fallback is performed in sequence every few lines according to the modem speed of the partner machine and the state of the communication circuit. I will send it. Then, the last one document is ejected after the communication circuit is cut off.

Next, the case of operating as a copy function will be described. Similarly, at the time of copying, the document surface is set on the document table 1 with the image surface of the document stack facing downward. The presence of a document is detected by the document presence / absence sensor 33 and the fact that the document is in a standby state is displayed on the LCD panel 41e, and a copy operation is started by pressing a copy key 41f provided on the operation unit 41. At this time, if numeric keypad 41b or one-touch key 41c
If is pressed, the FAX transmission operation starts as described above.

As shown in FIG. 6, after the copy key 41f is pressed, a message is displayed on the LCD panel 41e prompting the user to input the number of copies, and the user inputs the number of copies using the ten-key pad 41b. After the start key 41a is pressed, the second motor 17 is moved in the same direction as the FAX operation (arrow A in FIG. 1).
Direction), the first motor 15 is rotated in the opposite direction (direction of arrow B'in FIG. 1) to that in the FAX operation. Further, the solenoid 22d is not operated, and the flapper 22b is lowered, that is, the document is made to stand by in the direction in which the document is made a U-turn above the reading portion and discharged (solid line position in FIG. 3).

Further, the auxiliary transport roller 16a which was operating at the time of FAX transmission is kept waiting under the lower original guide 32a at the time of copying. This is because the originals are tried to be fed in order from the top when copying.
Since the conveyance direction of "a" is the direction in which the documents are fed in a double-feed manner, the preliminary conveyance roller 16a is retracted without operating the solenoid 16c. As a supplement to the conveying force for feeding the original from above, the original placing table 1 is installed so as to be inclined downward toward the original insertion port 32. Regarding the loaded originals, the lower originals have a large frictional force with the original placing table due to the weight of the originals placed on the upper originals, while the upper originals have less load due to the weight and the original placing table. With the inclination of 1 being applied to the document insertion opening 32, the document can be easily fed from above.

In the copying operation, it is preferable to sequentially read from the last page of the document and discharge the recording paper from the last page. Therefore, the upper roller 4 performs the operation of pulling back the original at the time of FAX transmission, but at the time of copying, it rotates in the original feeding direction and carries out the operation of conveying the upper original. The rotation of the second torque limiter 10 in the direction in which the one-way clutch is locked is supplied from the first motor 15 via the timing belt 13, and the upper roller 4 rotates in the direction of arrow F shown in FIG. Try to transport it downstream.

The operation of the lower roller 3 when the upper roller 4 is rotating in the document feeding direction (the direction of arrow F in FIG. 3) is the first operation by the drive transmission of the first motor 15 via the timing belt 13. The two-torque limiter 10 rotates in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 3, but this direction is the direction in which the one-way clutch does not lock the first drive transmission shaft 5, so a constant torque in the opposite direction to the document transport direction is output. , Lower roller 3
Applies a reverse return force to the original, and pulls the lower original back to the upstream side. If there is only one original, the lower roller 3 is pulled by the frictional force between the original and the roller surface.
Rotates in the document transport direction. Further, when the originals are fed to the nip portion of both rollers and enter two sheets, a material such that the frictional force between the roller surface and the original is larger than the frictional force between the two originals. Since (rubber material in this example) is selected, the lower roller 3 can pull back the upper document to the upstream side.

The copy original is read in the same manner as in the FAX transmission, and the first paper discharge roller 23 and the first backup roller 23 are read.
After being nipped by 24 and changed in course by the flapper 22a, it is further nipped by the first backup roller 24 and the auxiliary roller 25 and passes through the document path 26 constituted by the conveyance guides 26a and 26b, and the second paper discharge roller pair. It is discharged onto the copy document discharge tray 30 by 27 and 28. At this time, the originals are discharged face-up and are sequentially stacked in ascending order from the last page.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, 50 is the main body of the apparatus, 51 is a recording section comprising a laser beam printer, 52 is a laser scanner, 53 is an image forming section, 54 is a cassette sheet feeding section, and 55 is a recording sheet ejection section. Paper tray, 56 MP (recording paper size variable) cassette unit, 57 MP separating unit, 58 conveyance guide of recording paper on which an image is generated, 59 light cover for clearing recording paper jam, and 60 of facsimile machine A control unit, 68 is a handset, and 63c is a tally lamp indicating the operating state of the facsimile apparatus.

The recording unit 51 emits a modulation signal from the laser beam oscillator 52a of the laser scanner 52 based on the image signal output from the control unit 60, and the modulated beam is reflected by the polygon mirror 52b to the photoconductor of the image forming unit 53. Drum 53
a is irradiated with scanning light to form image information on the surface of the photosensitive drum 53a, and the image information is transferred to the recording paper S fed from the cassette paper feeding unit 54 or the MP cassette unit 56 to the image forming unit 53. After being fixed by the heat fixing device 53g, the recording paper stack tray 55 discharges the paper.

The photosensitive drum 53a is integrally incorporated into the process cartridge 53e together with the primary charger 53b, the developing roller 53c and the cleaning roller 53d, and
It is configured to be detachable from the 50. Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 53a is uniformly charged by the primary charger 53b, and when the scanning light from the polygon mirror 52b is reflected by the folding mirror 52c and irradiated on the surface, a latent image is formed and the latent image is developed by the developing roller. The toner supplied from 53c makes it visible.

A roller type transfer charger 53f is arranged around the photosensitive drum 53a of the image forming section 53, and a thermal fixing device 53g is provided in the recording paper conveying path downstream of the photosensitive drum 53a.
A paper discharge roller 53h is arranged.

The recording paper S is conveyed along the conveyance guide 58 after the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 53a is transferred by the roller type transfer charger 53f, as shown by the chain line curve in FIG. Then, the toner image is fixed by the thermal fixing device 53g, and is discharged onto the recording paper discharge tray 55 by the discharge roller 53h.

The MP cassette section 56 is disposed slightly below the center of the apparatus main body 50. The recording sheets S loaded on the MP cassette 56a are supported by the press contact member 56b on the MP center plate 56c.
It is pressed against the MP separation roller 58a by being rotated upward about d, and separated one by one by the MP separation pad 58b (friction piece separation system), and the MP separation base 58.
After being conveyed along c, the conveyance roller 59a and the cover side U-turn guide 59b arranged on the light cover 59 are further provided.
And the U-turn guide 59 on the main unit side, which is arranged on the main unit 50 side of the device.
Inverted by c. Further, the leading edge position of the recording sheet S being fed is detected by the registration sensor 59d, and
After the paper is fed and the image output timing is adjusted so that the front end of the toner image formed on 53a and the front end of the recording paper S coincide with each other, the paper is conveyed between the roller type transfer charger 53f and the photosensitive drum 53a. The image is recorded on the lower surface side of the recording paper S stacked on the MP cassette 56a.

Further, the recording paper S is attached to the side end surface by the MP regulating plate 56e mounted so as to be movable according to the recording paper size.
The rear end face is regulated so that skewing and non-feeding do not occur. The size and presence / absence of the recording paper S are detected by the MP cassette sensor 56f. In this embodiment, M
The number of sheets of recording paper that can be stacked in the P cassette 56 is 100,
It is configured to be pulled out to the left side surface toward the device body 50 (side loading method). The sizes of recording sheets that can be stacked are three types: A4, letter (LTR), and legal (LGL).

The cassette paper feeding unit 54 is arranged so that the top plate 54h of the cassette paper feeding unit 54 contacts the bottom lower surface of the apparatus main body 50, and the upper surface of the top plate 54h serves as the bottom plate of the apparatus main body 50. There is. The recording sheets S loaded in the sheet feeding cassette 54a are
e is urged upward by the middle leaf spring 54f, and is separated one by one by a semicircular sheet feeding roller 54b and a pair of separation claws 54d (claw separation system), and the separated recording paper S is cassette. The MP separation base 57 is carried by the carrying roller pair 54c.
The cover-side U-turn guide 59 disposed on the transport roller 59a and the light cover 59 after passing between the sheet c and the sheet passing guide 59e.
b and the main unit side U-turn guide arranged on the device main body 50 side
Reversed by 59c. From this point, it is the same as the sheet feeding from the MP cassette unit 56 described above. The recording paper conveyance path merges just before the conveyance roller 59a. Since the recording paper is reversed in this way, the image is recorded on the recording paper S stacked in the paper feeding cassette 54a.
Is recorded on the lower surface side of.

In this embodiment, the number of stackable recording sheets in the sheet feeding cassette 54a is 500, and the sheet feeding cassette 54a is configured to be pulled out to the front side of the apparatus main body 50 (front loading system). In addition, the stackable recording paper size is A
There are two types, 4 and letter (LTR).

The process cartridge 53e is provided in the apparatus main body 50.
A cover is provided so that it can be attached and detached, but this cover is also used as the above-mentioned document placing table 1. The original placing table 1 also serving as the cartridge cover is provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 50 so as to be openable and closable, and by opening the original placing table 1, the process cartridge 53e can be pulled out of the apparatus main body 50 and replaced. ing. Also, the document table 1
Is equipped with an interlock mechanism,
Is open or the process cartridge 53e is the main unit
If it is not set to 50, the recording unit 51 does not operate. Further, the drum photosensitive prevention shutter 53i provided in the process cartridge 53e is adapted to interlock with the setting of the process cartridge 53e in the apparatus main body 50, and the document mounting table 1 is opened to open the process cartridge 53e.
When e is set on the device main body 50, the shutter 53i opens,
When the process cartridge 53e is taken out of the apparatus main body 50, the shutter 53i is closed to prevent unnecessary exposure of the photosensitive drum 53a.

The recording unit 51 described above operates in synchronization with the reading unit when performing a copy operation. When it is desired to shorten the reading time or to make multiple copies, a memory function is used to read an image into the memory and then record it.
When the original has a large amount of image data and cannot be stored in the memory at one time, several lines are accumulated in the buffer and synchronized with the image generation speed of the recording unit, as in the direct transmission described above, and a large amount of data is stored. Uses a direct function that does not consume memory.

As described above, in the facsimile apparatus in which the recording surface of the recording paper is stacked face up, in the present embodiment, the original on which the image surface is stacked face down,
At the time of transmission, the lowest (first page) originals are separated and fed out one by one, discharged and stacked as they are, and when copying, the topmost (last page) originals are separated and fed out one by one. Since the documents are ejected in reverse and stacked, the originals can be taken out in the same order as the originals were aligned when the originals were ejected to the last sheet, and the copied recording paper was also the original. Can be retrieved in the same page order as.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the control unit 60 of the facsimile apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 61 is a CPU that controls the entire facsimile apparatus, and includes an MPU 61a,
ROM61 storing the control program of the MPU61a
b, a RAM 61c used as a work area for various data processing and a temporary storage unit for image information, an image processing unit 61d for performing image scaling, resolution conversion, and the like. Further, the CPU 61 is provided with a calendar, a clock function and the like having a well-known configuration, and an area of the RAM 61c for storing important system setting information such as one-touch key destination information and software switch information is backed up by a battery to prevent an accident such as power failure. Protected from obstacles.
The control unit of the facsimile apparatus has a configuration in which the above-mentioned CPU 61 and the following respective elements are connected through an interface.

The operation unit 62 is composed of various key switches such as ten keys, function keys, one-touch keys, start keys and stop keys. The display unit 63 includes an LCD 63a for displaying various messages, an LED 63b for displaying a transmission mode and the like, a tally lamp 63c for notifying a distant operator of a communication state and a failure occurrence. The reading unit 64 includes a driving unit such as a reading motor, a reading sensor for reading an image, an image processing unit for shading and binarizing the read image, various detection sensors for detecting an original, and the like. The recording unit 65 includes a drive unit such as a recording motor, a recording unit that controls a laser scanner and an electrophotographic program, an image processing unit that smoothes an image to be recorded, various detection sensors that detect recording paper, and the like. . The communication control unit 66 for making a call, receiving a call, encoding image data, etc. is a DSU or NCU.
Has a connection unit 66a including a communication network.
67 and the handset 68 are connected. The CPU external interface 69 is an interface for directly transmitting and receiving data from the CPU 61, for example, RS232C, SCS
It is used as a scanner / printer of a computer outside the apparatus by connecting to a computer outside the apparatus via I, LAN or the like. The HDD 70 is used as a large-capacity non-volatile memory for storing image information and the like.

[Second Embodiment] A sheet feeding apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment as well, as in the above-described embodiments, a sheet supply device equipped with a copying function and equipped in a facsimile apparatus for stacking recording sheets on which recording has been performed is illustrated.
8 is a perspective configuration diagram of the sheet feeding device, FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of transmission, and FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of copying. Since the schematic configuration of the entire facsimile apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Also, in the figure,
Members having the same configurations and functions as those of the above-described embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is incorporated. The features of the sheet feeding apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below.

In the sheet feeding apparatus according to this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the straight line connecting the center of rotation of the lower roller 3 and the center of rotation of the upper roller 4 is the original loading surface of the original placing table 1. The angle formed with respect to is changed depending on whether the sheet is fed from the lowest position or the highest position.

In FIG. 8, 71 and 72 are the lower rollers 3 described above.
And support members for supporting both ends of the upper roller 4 and the drive system thereof, 73 and 74 are support shafts attached to the support members 71 and 72, and 75 is a rotation center line connecting the support shafts 73 and 74 (virtual shaft). ), 76 is a large solenoid which is a drive source when the support members 71, 72 are rotated about the rotation center line 75, 77 is a transmission shaft for transmitting the drive of the large solenoid 76 to the support members 71, 72, Reference numeral 78 is a spring that rotates the support members 71 and 72 together with the large solenoid 76.

The operation of this apparatus will be described. Since the portion having the same configuration as that of the above-described first embodiment performs the same operation, the operation of the portion having a different configuration from the above-described embodiment will be described here.

As shown in FIG. 9A, when operating as a facsimile function, the document is fed from the lowest position. At this time, the large solenoid 76 is not energized, and the support members 71 and 72 are rotated about the rotation center line 75 by the spring 78 in the arrow X direction in FIG. As a result, FIG. 9 (a)
As shown in, the angle formed by the straight line connecting the centers of the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 with respect to the stacking surface of the document placing table 1 is larger than a right angle. At this time, the lower roller 3 rotates in the carrying direction, the upper roller 4 is driven with a constant torque in the direction opposite to the carrying direction, and the original G is separated and fed one by one from the bottom.

When the angle formed by the straight line connecting the centers of the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 with respect to the stacking surface of the document placing table 1 is larger than a right angle, the leading edge of the document comes into contact with the lower roller 3 first and is lowered. It receives the conveying force from the side and is conveyed to the separation unit.
Therefore, the original is conveyed to the separation unit while forming a wedge type. At this time, the originals are stably separated from the bottom.
On the contrary, if the straight line connecting the centers of the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 forms an angle smaller than a right angle with respect to the stacking surface of the document placing table 1, the leading edge of the document comes into contact with the upper roller 4 first and the document is fed from above. Upon receiving the carrying force, it is carried to the separating section while forming an inverted wedge shape as shown in FIG. 9 (b). At this time, if the originals are conveyed in order from the bottom, the operation to prevent double feeding occurs frequently in the separating section (because the upper side of the original enters the separating section first due to the reverse wedge), and the original due to the separation failure. The possibility of double feeding and continuous feeding of the sheets increases, and the separation performance becomes unstable.

Therefore, when the originals are conveyed in order from the lowest position, the angle formed by the straight line connecting the centers of the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 with respect to the stacking surface of the original placing table 1 is larger than a right angle. Well, by changing the formed angle, it is possible to optimize the angle of entry of the document into the separating portion constituted by the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4, the separating performance is stabilized, and the reliability is improved.

As shown in FIG. 10A, when operating as a copy function, the document is fed from the top. At this time, the large solenoid 76 is energized, and the supporting members 71 and 72 rotate about the rotation center line 75 in the direction of the arrow Y in FIG. 8 against the spring force of the spring 78. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10A, the angle formed by the straight line connecting the centers of the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 with respect to the loading surface of the document placing table 1 is smaller than a right angle. At this time, the upper roller 4 rotates in the transport direction,
The lower roller 3 is driven with a constant torque in the direction opposite to the conveying direction, and the originals G are fed out one by one from the top.

When the straight line connecting the centers of the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 makes an angle smaller than a right angle with respect to the stacking surface of the document mounting table 1, contrary to the operation of the above-mentioned facsimile function, the document is scanned. The leading end contacts the upper roller 4 first, receives a carrying force from the upper side, and is carried to the separating unit. Therefore,
The original is conveyed to the separation unit while forming a reverse wedge type. At this time, the originals are stably separated from the top. On the contrary, the straight line connecting the centers of the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 is
If the angle formed by the original placing table 1 with respect to the stacking surface is larger than a right angle, the leading edge of the original comes into contact with the lower roller 3 first and receives the conveying force from the lower side, and as shown in FIG. It is conveyed to the separation section while becoming. At this time, if the originals are tried to be conveyed in order from the top, the operation to prevent double feeding frequently occurs in the separation section (because the lower side of the original enters the separation section due to wedges), and the original due to the separation failure. The possibility of double feeding and continuous feeding of the sheets increases, and the separation performance becomes unstable.

Therefore, when the originals are conveyed in order from the uppermost position, the angle formed by the straight line connecting the centers of the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 with respect to the stacking surface of the original placing table 1 is smaller than a right angle. Well, by changing the formed angle, it is possible to optimize the angle of entry of the document into the separating portion constituted by the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4, the separating performance is stabilized, and the reliability is improved.

As described above, whether the straight line connecting the centers of the lower roller 3 and the upper roller 4 forms the angle formed with respect to the document stacking surface of the document table 1 from the lowest position or the highest position of the document. By configuring it to change accordingly,
Depending on whether the document is fed from the lowest position or the highest position, the entry angle of the document into the separation section can be optimized, the separation performance is stable, and the reliability is improved.

[Third Embodiment] A sheet feeding apparatus according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. In the present embodiment as well, as in the above-described embodiments, a sheet supply device equipped with a copying function and equipped in a facsimile apparatus for stacking recording sheets on which recording has been performed is illustrated. FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of transmission,
FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device during copying. Since the schematic configuration of the entire facsimile apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Further, in the drawings, members having the same configurations and functions as those of the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description is cited. The features of the sheet feeding apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment has a lower original guide 32 forming an original conveying path.
Similar to the preliminary transport unit 16 disposed on the a side, the preliminary transport unit 80 is also disposed on the upper transport guide 32b side, and one of the preliminary transport units is selected depending on whether the original is fed from the lowest position or the highest position. Is configured to be switched to operate.

The preliminary carrying unit 80 is constructed in the same manner as the preliminary carrying unit 16 of the first embodiment described above, and is composed of a preliminary carrying roller 80a, an elevating arm (not shown), a solenoid, and a pullback spring. Preliminary transport roller 50a
Is connected to the upper roller 4 via a gear and rotates in the same direction as the upper roller 4. In addition, the preliminary transport roller
80a is attached to an end of an elevating arm rotatably provided on the drive transmission shafts 6 on both sides of the upper roller 4.
Further, the opposite end of the elevating arm is extended and connected to a solenoid, and when the exciting current is supplied to the solenoid to pull the plunger, the preliminary conveyance roller is pushed down. Further, the elevating arm is urged in the direction of pulling up the preliminary conveyance roller 80a by the pullback spring,
When the exciting current is no longer supplied to the solenoid, the lifting arm is pulled up by the spring force.

The operation of this apparatus will be described. It should be noted that the operation of the portion having the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment performs the same operation, and therefore the operation of the portion of the configuration different from that of the above-described embodiment will be described here.

As shown in FIG. 11, when operating as a facsimile function, the preparatory conveyance roller 80a is retracted above the upper conveyance guide 32b. This is because the originals are fed in order from the bottom at the time of facsimile transmission. Since the conveyance direction of the preliminary conveyance roller 80a is the direction in which the originals are double-fed, the preliminary conveyance roller 80a is moved to the original conveyance path without operating the solenoid. I'll keep it away from you.

As shown in FIG. 12, when operating as a copy function, the solenoid is operated to operate the preliminary conveyance roller.
Pull down 80a. The preliminary conveyance roller 80a protruding from the upper original guide 32b into the original conveyance path comes into contact with the upper surface of the original stack urged by the pressure contact spring 81c and the pressure contact plate 81a to convey the originals in the downstream direction.

As described above, by switching the upper and lower preliminary transport units, the original can be reliably delivered regardless of whether the original is delivered from the top or the bottom, and stable delivery is performed. Improves reliability.

[Fourth Embodiment] A sheet feeding apparatus according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. In the present embodiment as well, as in the above-described embodiments, a sheet supply device equipped with a copying function and equipped in a facsimile apparatus for stacking recording sheets on which recording has been performed is illustrated. FIG. 13 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of transmission,
FIG. 14 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device during copying. Since the schematic configuration of the entire facsimile apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Further, in the drawings, members having the same configurations and functions as those of the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description is cited. The features of the sheet feeding apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below.

The sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, has a lower original guide 32 that forms an original conveying path.
Similar to the preliminary conveyance unit 16 arranged on the a side, the preliminary conveyance unit 80 is arranged also on the upper conveyance guide 32b side, and further, the document placing table 82 is fed from the lowest position or the highest position depending on whether the document is fed out. It is configured to be movable in the vertical direction, more specifically, it is fixed at a predetermined position when it is fed from the lowest position, and is changed in accordance with the state of the document when it is fed from the highest position.

Since the constructions of the above-mentioned preliminary carrying units 16 and 80 are the same as those of the above-mentioned embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

In the figure, reference numeral 82 is a document placing table adapted to change the supporting form of the document, 83 is a spring for pushing up the document placing table 82, and 84 is a plate for fixing the document placing table 82 at a constant height. It is a stopper.

The operation of this apparatus will be described. Since the parts having the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiment perform the same operations, the operations of the parts having a different configuration from the above-mentioned embodiments will be described here.

As shown in FIG. 13, when operating as a facsimile function, the pre-conveying roller 80a is retracted above the upper conveying guide 32b. This is because the originals are fed in order from the bottom at the time of facsimile transmission. Since the conveyance direction of the preliminary conveyance roller 80a is the direction in which the originals are double-fed, the preliminary conveyance roller 80a is moved to the original conveyance path without operating the solenoid. I'll keep it away from you. At this time,
The document table 82 is lifted by the spring 83 and is stopped by the stopper 84.
It is fixed at a fixed position. This fixed position is the optimum position for the feeding operation by the preliminary transport unit and the separating operation by the separating unit.

As shown in FIG. 14, when operating as a copy function, the solenoid is operated to operate the preliminary conveyance roller.
Pull down 80a. The preliminary feeding roller 80a protruding from the upper original guide 32b into the original feeding path is provided with a bundle of originals and an original placing table.
Press down 82. At this time, the pre-conveyance roller 80a contacts the upper surface of the document stack and conveys the document in the downstream direction. The urging force of the spring for urging the document bundle to the pre-conveyance roller 80a changes due to the influence of the thickness and the weight of the document, but the urging pressure is constant even if the number of documents is conveyed and the weight decreases. Is set. As a result, it is possible to stabilize the original feeding performance of the preliminary conveyance roller 80a.

As described above, by switching the upper and lower pre-conveyance units and moving the document placing table according to whether the document is fed from the highest position or the lowest position, the pre-conveyance unit and the separation unit are separated. On the other hand, the original can be held at the optimum position, and regardless of whether the original is fed from the highest or the lowest, the original can be reliably fed and separated, and the reliability is dramatically improved.

[Fifth Embodiment] A sheet feeding apparatus according to a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. In the present embodiment as well, as in the above-described embodiments, a sheet supply device equipped with a copying function and equipped in a facsimile apparatus for stacking recording sheets on which recording has been performed is illustrated. FIG. 15 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of transmission,
FIG. 16 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device during copying. Since the schematic configuration of the entire facsimile apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Further, in the drawings, members having the same configurations and functions as those of the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description is cited. The features of the sheet feeding apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment has a lower original guide 32 forming an original conveying path.
Similar to the preliminary transport unit 16 disposed on the a side, the preliminary transport unit 80 is also disposed on the upper transport guide 32b side, and the document placing table 90 is fed from the lowest position or the highest position depending on whether the document is fed out. It is configured to be movable in the vertical direction, and further, the original entry angle in the vicinity of the separating portion of the original placing table is changed according to whether the original is fed from the lowest position or the highest position.

Since the constructions of the above-mentioned preliminary transport units 16 and 80 are the same as those of the above-mentioned embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

In the figure, 90 is an original placing table provided with an angle changing member 89 for changing the original entry angle near the separating portion, and 85.
Is an electromagnet for pulling the document table 90, 86 is a spring for pushing up the document table 90, 87 is a stopper for restricting the movement of the document table 90, 88 is attached to the document table 90, and is attracted to the electromagnet 85. It is an iron plate.

The operation of this apparatus will be described. Since the parts having the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiment perform the same operations, the operations of the parts having a different configuration from the above-mentioned embodiments will be described here.

As shown in FIG. 15, when operating as a facsimile function, the preliminary conveyance roller 80a is kept in a retracted state above the upper conveyance guide 32b. This is because the originals are fed in order from the bottom at the time of facsimile transmission. Since the conveyance direction of the preliminary conveyance roller 80a is the direction in which the originals are double-fed, the preliminary conveyance roller 80a is moved to the original conveyance path without operating the solenoid. I'll keep it away from you. At this time,
The document table 90 is lifted by the spring 86,
When the power is applied to 85, the iron plate 88 is drawn and hits the stopper 87, and is fixed at a fixed position. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 15, the angle changing member 89 changes the angle at which the leading edge of the original enters the separating portion to the upper side. This fixed position is the optimum position for the feeding operation by the preliminary transport unit and the separating operation by the separating unit.

As shown in FIG. 16, when operating as a copy function, the solenoid is operated to operate the preliminary conveyance roller.
Pull down 80a. Further, the electromagnet 85 is not energized, and the document table 90 is pushed upward by the spring 86. Preliminary transport roller protruding from the upper document guide 32b into the document transport path
80a pushes down the document stack and the document table 90. This time,
The pre-conveying roller 80a contacts the upper surface of the document stack and conveys the document in the downstream direction. The urging force of the spring for urging the document bundle to the pre-conveyance roller 80a changes due to the influence of the thickness and the weight of the document, but the urging pressure is constant even if the number of documents is conveyed and the weight decreases. Is set. This allows
It is possible to stabilize the original feeding performance of the pre-transport roller 80a. Further, the angle changing member 89 changes the entry angle of the leading edge of the document with respect to the separating portion to the lower side, as shown in FIG. This makes it possible to optimize the angle of entry of the original into the separating portion during copying, thus stabilizing the separating performance.

As described above, the height and the angle at which the original enters the separating portion are changed depending on whether the upper and lower preliminary transport units are switched and whether the original is placed on the original placing table from the highest position or the lowest position. By doing so, the original can be held at the optimum position and angle with respect to the preliminary conveying section and the separating section, and even if the original is fed out from either the top or the bottom, the original is reliably fed out and separated. And reliability is dramatically improved.

[Sixth Embodiment] A sheet feeding apparatus according to a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment as well, as in the above-described embodiments, a sheet supply device equipped with a copying function and equipped in a facsimile apparatus for stacking recording sheets on which recording has been performed is illustrated.
17 is a perspective configuration diagram of the sheet feeding device, FIG. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram of the sheet feeding device, FIG. 19 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of transmission, and FIG. 20 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of copying. is there. Since the schematic configuration of the entire facsimile apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Further, in the drawings, members having the same configurations and functions as those of the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description is cited. The features of the sheet feeding apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below.

In FIGS. 17 and 18, reference numeral 101 denotes a separation roller as a first rotating member, which is in the original feeding direction depending on whether the original placed on the original placing table 1 is fed from the lowest position or the highest position. It is configured so that it can rotate forward and backward so as to rotate. Reference numeral 102 denotes a lower double feed prevention roller as a second rotating body, which is attached via a bearing to the tip of an arm 102a rotatably attached to a drive shaft 102e. The roller 102 receives a rotational driving force from a pulley 102d fixed to a drive shaft 102e via a belt 102e. The rotating shaft 102c of the roller 102 is the separating roller 10
It is provided on the downstream side of the first shaft 101c, and when separating the document from the uppermost position, the contact area between the document and the separation roller 101 is increased to enhance the document conveying force. 103
Is an upper double feed prevention roller as a third rotating body, and is attached to the tip of an arm 103a rotatably attached to a drive shaft 103e via a bearing in the same manner as the lower double feed prevention roller 102. ing. The roller 103 receives a rotational driving force from a pulley 103d fixed to a drive shaft 103e via a belt 103b. Further, the rotation shaft 103c of the roller 103
Is provided on the downstream side of the shaft 101c of the separation roller 101, and when separating the document from the lowest position, the contact area between the document and the separation roller 101 is increased to enhance the document conveying force. .

The lower double feed prevention roller 102 and the upper double feed prevention roller 103 are arranged vertically symmetrical with respect to the separation roller 101. Further, the separation roller 101, the lower double feed prevention roller 102, and the upper double feed prevention roller 103 are formed in the same shape and material, and in this embodiment, the same silicone rubber material is selected as the material. There is.
As a result, the shape of the parts can be made the same and the cost can be reduced, and the same coefficient of friction can be obtained.

104a is a shaft fixedly provided on the arm 102a, extended on the same axis of the drive shaft 102e, and has a bent portion 104b at the end thereof in the same direction as the arm 102a. An urging spring 104c is provided at the tip and is connected to a fixed point 117 on the device. The lower double feed roller 10 is driven by the biasing spring 104c.
2 is urged by the separation roller 101.

Reference numeral 105a denotes a shaft fixedly provided to the arm 103a like the shaft 104a, extending on the same axis of the drive shaft 103e, and having a bent portion 105b at the end thereof in the same direction as the arm 103a.
And a biasing spring 105c is provided at the tip thereof to be connected to a fixed point 117 on the device. The upper double feed roller 103 is biased to the separation roller 101 by the biasing spring 105c.

Reference numeral 106 denotes a first torque limiter, which transmits a rotational drive force in a direction in which the first motor 110 and the separation roller 101 rub each other through the gear train 111 to the lower double feed prevention roller 102 with a constant torque. are doing. Therefore, the lower double feed prevention roller 102 is not
Although the paper is being rotated to 101, the double feed of the document causes the rotation torque of the lower double feed prevention roller 102 to be the first torque limiter.
When the torque is smaller than 106, the driving force from the first motor 110 is transmitted to the lower double feed prevention roller 102, and the double fed document is returned in reverse. Reference numeral 107 denotes a second torque limiter, which, like the first torque limiter 106, transmits the rotational driving force to the upper double feed prevention roller 103 with a constant torque.

The first torque limiter 106 prevents double feeding when the document is fed from the uppermost position, and the second torque limiter 107 prevents double feeding when the document is fed from the lowermost position.

Reference numeral 108 denotes a pre-conveying roller, which is provided with a one-way clutch so that when the originals are fed from the lowest position, they are in contact with the lower side of the originals and convey the originals in the downstream direction. Also, when feeding the original from the top,
Since the document guide plate 114 is inclined downward in the downstream direction, the documents below the document stack have a large frictional force with the document placing table 1 due to the weight of the documents stacked, and conversely the weight. The upper original, which is not affected by the load due to, is easily conveyed in the downstream direction. Therefore, when the original is fed from the uppermost position, an excessive original document conveying force may be generated, which may cause multi-feeding. Therefore, when the original is fed out, the preliminary conveying roller 108 is not operated and is rotated around the original. Let

Reference numeral 110 denotes a first motor, which is a separation roller 10
1, lower double feed prevention roller 102 and upper double feed prevention roller
Operate 103. Specifically, the first motor 110 is shown in FIG.
When rotating in the direction of the middle arrow B, the document separating operation is performed between the separating roller 101 and the upper double feed preventing roller 103, and when the motor 110 rotates in the direction of the arrow B'in FIG. The document separation operation is performed with the lower double feed prevention roller 102.

Reference numeral 114 denotes a rotation fulcrum 114a provided on the document placing table 1.
An L-shaped arm, which is a document guide plate attached to the main body, is provided with a fulcrum 114b between the rotation fulcrum 114a and the separating roller 101, and a fulcrum 115a fixed to the main body apparatus side is attached as a rotation fulcrum.
A slide groove is provided at the end of 115 to connect the L-shaped arm 115. The opposite end of the L-shaped arm 115 is connected to the plunger of the solenoid 116, and the solenoid 11
When 6 pulls the plunger, the L-shaped arm 115 rotates to lower and tilt the document guide plate 114. When the solenoid 116 opens the plunger, the L-shaped arm 115 is pulled back by the return spring 115b and the document guide plate 114 is raised.

The construction and function of the other members are the same as those in the above-described first embodiment, and are designated by the same reference numerals.

The operation at the time of facsimile transmission and copying by the sheet feeding apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20.

When performing fax transmission, the first motor 110
17 rotates in the direction of arrow B in FIG.
Rotate in the direction of the middle arrow C. At this time, the lower double feed prevention roller 102 is in the direction of arrow D and the upper double feed prevention roller 103 is in the direction of arrow E.
However, since the frictional force of contact with the upper double feed prevention roller 103 exceeds the torque value of the second torque limiter 107, it rotates in the direction of arrow E '.

After the first motor 110 starts rotating, when the document G is nipped between the separation roller 101 and the upper double feed prevention roller 103, the reverse return force of the upper double feed prevention roller 103 (direction of arrow E). Thus, the upper original is pulled back to the upstream side, and only the lowest original is pulled out by the separating roller 101 in the transport direction.

Separation roller 101, lower double feed prevention roller
The 102 and the upper double feed prevention roller 103 are formed of a silicon-based rubber material having the same hardness and the same hardness as described above.
This is because the friction coefficient of each roller is the same.
In this apparatus, when the copying operation described later is performed, the rotation directions of the rollers are opposite to each other, and the original stack is separated one by one from the top. At this time, in order to guarantee the same performance as the separating operation from the lowest position, it is desirable that the frictional force between the rollers be the same. Therefore, the same effect can be obtained by making the rubber material and hardness of the rollers the same, that is, making the friction coefficients the same. Further, since the same roller is used, there is an effect that the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which different rollers are used one by one.

When the originals are fed from the lowest position, the originals that have been read are discharged onto the FAX original discharge tray 29 with the image surface facing downward, and are sequentially stacked from the first page. As a result, the originals are stacked in the original page order before reading.

In copying, when the start key is first depressed, the solenoid 116 pulls the L-shaped arm 115, lowers the document guide plate 114, and tilts the document. Although the pre-transport roller 108 was operated during the FAX transmission, the pre-transport roller 108 was not operated during the copying operation, and instead, the document guide plate 114 was inclined to the downstream side to assist the document feeding. ing. As a result, the leading edge of the originals on the original bundle can easily enter the separating portion.

Then, the first motor 110 is moved to the arrow B'in FIG.
20 to rotate the separating roller 101 in the direction of arrow C'in FIG. After the first motor 110 starts rotating,
When the document G is nipped between the separation roller 101 and the lower double feed prevention roller 102, the reverse return force (in the direction of arrow D) of the lower double feed prevention roller 102 pulls the lower document back to the upstream side, and Only the original is pulled out in the conveying direction by the separation roller 101.

When the originals are fed from the top, the originals that have been read are inverted by the flapper 22a, ejected onto the copy original ejection tray 30 with the image side facing upward, and sequentially stacked from the last page. It As a result, the originals are stacked in the original page order before reading.

By configuring the sheet feeding apparatus as described above, the original can be read from the first page and transmitted at the time of transmission without rearranging the page order of the original at the time of transmission and copying. At the time of copying, the originals are read from the last page, and the originals that have been read and the recording sheets on which the read images are recorded can be stacked in the original page order.

[Seventh Embodiment] A sheet feeding apparatus according to a seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22. In the present embodiment as well, as in the above-described embodiments, a sheet supply device equipped with a copying function and equipped in a facsimile apparatus for stacking recording sheets on which recording has been performed is illustrated. FIG. 21 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of transmission,
FIG. 22 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device during copying. Since the schematic configuration of the entire facsimile apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Further, in the drawings, members having the same configurations and functions as those of the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description is cited. The features of the sheet feeding apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment is arranged above and below the separating roller 121 depending on whether the original is fed from the highest or the lowest. One of the double-feed preventing rollers 122 and 123, which does not perform the reverse returning operation, is brought into contact with the lower portion or the upper portion of the document to be used as a preliminary conveying roller. Specifically, the separation roller 121 and the upper double feed prevention roller
When the document is separated and conveyed from the bottom by 123 and (F
During AX transmission), the lower double feed prevention roller 122 that does not perform the reverse return operation is moved so as to come into contact with the lower surface of the document and used as a pre-conveying roller, and the document is separated by the separation roller 121 and the lower double feed prevention roller 122. When the sheet is separated and conveyed from the uppermost layer (during copying), the upper double feed prevention roller 123, which does not perform the reverse returning operation, is moved so as to come into contact with the upper surface of the document and is used as a preliminary conveyance roller.

The lower double feed prevention roller 122 is a torque limiter.
A roller with a structure in which the outer surface of 126 is covered with a rubber material.The drive input section of the torque limiter 126 is connected to a shaft 122c that extends to the outer side in the document width direction, and both ends of the shaft 122c are connected by bearings to the arm 122a. I support you. Arm 122a is the center of rotation
A timing pulley and a drive input gear 124a are rotatably provided on the same axis as the rotation center 124, and are connected to the lower double feed prevention roller 122 via a timing belt 122b.

Like the lower double feed prevention roller 122, the upper double feed prevention roller 123 is a roller having a structure in which the outer surface of the torque limiter 127 is covered with a rubber material. Axis extended to the outside in the width direction
Arm 123a by connecting both ends of the shaft 123c through bearings.
Is supported by. The arm 123a has a rotation center 125, and a timing pulley and a drive input gear 125a are rotatably provided on the same axis as the rotation center 125, and the timing belt 123a
It is connected to the upper double feed prevention roller 123 via.

21 and 22, the operation of the sheet feeding apparatus having the above-described structure during facsimile transmission and copying will be described.

When performing FAX transmission, as shown in FIG. 21, since the separation roller 121 and the upper double feed prevention roller 123 separate and convey the sheets one by one from the lowest document in sequence, the lower double feed prevention roller 122 is preliminarily conveyed. Use as a roller.
When the first motor 110 rotates normally, the gear 124a rotates in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 21, the arm 122a rotates due to the frictional load of the shaft, and the lower double feed prevention roller 122 separates from the separation roller 121, and the document G Move to the position where it touches the lower surface of. When the lower double feed prevention roller 122 comes into contact with the lower surface of the original G, it is urged to the lower surface of the original by the load of the torque limiter 126 and receives the rotational driving force from the first motor 110 to convey the lower surface of the original to the downstream side ( Preliminary transportation).

At the same time, when the first motor 110 rotates forward,
The gear 125a rotates in the direction of arrow G in FIG. 21, the arm 123a rotates due to the frictional load of the shaft, and the upper double feed prevention roller 123 is biased by the separation roller 501, and the rotational driving force from the first motor 110 is applied. The original G to be received and to be multi-fed is returned back to the original placing table side. When the number of originals is only one, the torque value is set so as to rotate together with the frictional force of the originals. Therefore, when there is only one original, the originals are rotated in the direction in which they are conveyed to the downstream side.

When copying, as shown in FIG. 22, since the separation roller 121 and the lower double feed prevention roller 122 sequentially separate and convey the uppermost original one by one, the upper double feed prevention roller 123 is preliminarily conveyed. To use as. First,
The solenoid 116 is driven to tilt the document guide plate 114 which is swingably supported by the document table 1.

When the first motor 110 rotates in the direction opposite to that at the time of FAX transmission, the gear 125a rotates in the direction of arrow H in FIG. 22, and the arm 123a rotates due to the frictional load of the shaft to cause the upper double feed. The prevention roller 123 separates from the separation roller 121 and moves to a position where it comes into contact with the upper surface of the document G. When the upper double feed prevention roller 123 comes into contact with the upper surface of the original G, the upper limit of the original G is urged by the load of the torque limiter 127 to receive the rotational driving force from the first motor 110 and convey the upper surface of the original to the downstream side ( Preliminary transportation).

At the same time, when the first motor 110 rotates forward,
The gear 124a rotates in the direction of arrow J in FIG. 22, the arm 122a rotates due to the frictional load of the shaft, and the lower double feed prevention roller 502 is biased by the separation roller 501, so that the rotational driving force from the first motor 110 is applied. The original G to be received and to be multi-fed is returned back to the original placing table side. When the number of originals is only one, the torque value is set so as to rotate together with the frictional force of the originals. Therefore, when there is only one original, the originals are rotated in the direction in which they are conveyed to the downstream side.

As described above, by using the roller which does not perform the reverse return operation among the two double feed preventing rollers as the preliminary conveying roller, the original is separated and conveyed from either the lowermost or the uppermost one. The original can be fed out reliably and stably, and the reliability of the apparatus is improved.

[Eighth Embodiment] A sheet feeding apparatus according to an eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment as well, as in the above-described embodiments, a sheet supply device equipped with a copying function and equipped in a facsimile apparatus for stacking recording sheets on which recording has been performed is illustrated. FIG. 23 is a perspective configuration diagram of the sheet feeding apparatus. Since the schematic configuration of the entire facsimile apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Also, in the figure,
Members having the same configurations and functions as those of the above-described embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is incorporated. The features of the sheet feeding apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below.

In the sheet feeding apparatus according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 23, the torque limiter 131 is provided between the drive gears 132 and 133 provided at the drive shaft ends of the two double feed prevention rollers 102 and 103. The rollers 102 and 103 are connected to each other.

In the figure, the arrows in the direction of rotation of the rollers and gears show the state in which the separation roller 101 and the upper double feed prevention roller 103 separate and convey the originals one by one from the bottom (during facsimile transmission). There is.

During facsimile transmission, the separation roller 101 rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and the lower double feed prevention roller 102 urged by the urging spring 104c against the separation roller 101 causes the rubber on the surfaces of both rollers to rub. As a result, the separation roller 101 is rotated. The lower double feed prevention roller 102 transmits its rotation to an upper double feed prevention roller 103 via a gear 133 via a torque limiter 131. As a result, the upper double feed prevention roller 103 rotates in the direction for returning the document backward, and in cooperation with the separation roller 101, the document is separated and conveyed one by one from the lowest position. When the number of originals becomes one, the transmission force is cut off by the torque limiter 131, and the originals are rotated in the conveying direction of the originals. Since the torque value of the torque limiter 131 is set to a value smaller than the frictional force between the separation roller 101 and the lower double feed prevention roller 102, slippage occurs between the separation roller 101 and the lower double feed prevention roller 102. It never happens.

During the copying operation, the separation roller 101 rotates in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow in the drawing, and the upper double feed prevention roller 103 is urged by the urging spring 105c to the separation roller 101.
However, due to the friction of the rubber on the surface of both rollers, the separation roller 10
Turn to 1. The upper double feed prevention roller 103 is transmitted to the lower double feed prevention roller 102 via a torque limiter 131. As a result, the lower double feed prevention roller 102 is rotated in the direction for returning the document backward, and the separation roller 10
Cooperates with 1 to separate and convey originals one by one from the top.

Since the load of separating the original differs depending on whether the original is fed from the highest position or from the lowest position, the torque values of the two torque limiters are set to different values in the above-described embodiment. There is. this is,
This is because when the originals are fed out from the lowest position, the frictional force between the originals is large due to the weight of the loaded originals, and it is easy to double feed. Therefore, the reverse return roller (the upper portion in this embodiment) for feeding out the originals from the lowest position is used. It is necessary to set a large torque value for the double feed prevention roller 103).

Therefore, in this embodiment, the reverse return torque when the document is fed from the top is controlled by the torque limiter 131, and the reverse return torque when the document is fed from the bottom is the gear.
By decelerating in the gear train from 132 to the gear 133, a reverse return torque larger than the reverse return torque at the time of feeding the document from the highest position is obtained.

As described above, by connecting one double feed prevention roller with one torque limiter, the structure is simplified and the manufacturing cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

[Ninth Embodiment] A sheet feeding apparatus according to a ninth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment as well, as in the above-described embodiments, a sheet supply device equipped with a copying function and equipped in a facsimile apparatus for stacking recording sheets on which recording has been performed is illustrated. FIG. 24 is a schematic explanatory view showing a contact state of the separation roller, the lower double feed prevention roller and the upper double feed prevention roller. Since the schematic configuration of the entire facsimile apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Further, in the drawings, members having the same configurations and functions as those of the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description is cited. The features of the sheet feeding apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below.

In this embodiment, the rotation centers of the lower double feed prevention roller and the upper double feed prevention roller are arranged on the downstream side of the rotation center of the separation roller in the original conveying direction, or the diameter of the separation roller is prevented from lower double feed. The diameter is made larger than the diameter of the roller and the upper double-feed prevention roller so that the contact area between the separation roller and the document up to the nip of the separation section is increased.

In FIG. 24A, 142 is a separation roller as a first rotary body, 142 is a lower double feed prevention roller as a second rotary body, and 143 is an upper double feed prevention roller as a third rotary body. . It is possible to reduce the cost by making these three rollers the same shape, but Fig. 24 (b)
If the rollers 141 and 143 having the same diameter are arranged on the same straight line (perpendicular to the transport direction) as shown in FIG.
The leading edge of the document stack may be pinched by the wedge formed between the rollers 141 and 143, and a sufficient nip may not be obtained in the separation roller 141, which may cause conveyance failure. The same applies to between the rollers 141 and 142.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as a method of giving a sufficient nip to the separation roller 141, it is constructed as shown in FIGS. 24 (c) and 24 (d). In FIG. 24C, the diameter of the upper double feed prevention roller 143 is made smaller than the diameter of the separation roller 141, and the contact area between the separation roller 141 and the lower surface of the original is increased. Further, in FIG. 24 (c), the upper double feed prevention roller 143
The rotation center of the separation roller 141 is shifted to the downstream side of the rotation center of the separation roller 141 in the original conveying direction to increase the contact area between the separation roller 141 and the lower surface of the original. The same can be said for the lower double feed prevention roller 142 with this configuration.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the cost advantage of the three rollers being made of the same material and the same material and the two double feed prevention rollers are arranged on the downstream side of the separating roller in the document conveying direction. Or by making the diameter of the double feed prevention roller smaller than that of the separation roller, the contact area between the separation roller and the original is increased, whereby a sufficient nip is obtained in the separation roller and the original is It is possible to prevent defective conveyance.

[Tenth Embodiment] A sheet feeding apparatus according to a tenth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 to 27. In the present embodiment as well, as in the above-described embodiments, a sheet supply device equipped with a copying function and equipped in a facsimile apparatus for stacking recording sheets on which recording has been performed is illustrated.
25 is a perspective configuration diagram of the sheet feeding device, FIG. 26 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of transmission, and FIG. 27 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device at the time of copying. Since the schematic configuration of the entire facsimile apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Also, in the figure,
Members having the same configurations and functions as those of the above-described embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is incorporated. The features of the sheet feeding apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below.

In the figure, reference numeral 151 denotes a separation roller as a first rotating body, which rotates in the document feeding direction depending on whether the document loaded on the document table 1 is fed from the lowest position or the highest position. In addition, it is configured to be able to rotate forward and backward. Reference numeral 152 denotes a lower friction piece serving as a first friction member that prevents double feeding when the document is fed from the uppermost position by the separation roller 151. A natural rubber pad 152b is attached to the surface of the lower friction piece. Is rotatably supported and is pressed against the separation roller 151 by a spring 152c. Reference numeral 153 denotes an upper friction piece serving as a second friction member that prevents double feeding when the document is fed from the lowest position by the separation roller 151. Like the lower friction piece 152, a natural rubber pad 153b is provided on the surface. It is attached and rotatably supported about a shaft 153a, and is pressed against the separation roller 151 by a spring 153c.

Reference numeral 157 denotes a pressure contact arm for pressing an original set on the original placing table 1 from above, and a shaft 157c.
It is rotatably supported by. When the original is fed out from the lowest position, the pressure contact arm 157 opens the plunger of the solenoid 156 as shown in FIG.
The urging force of 7a presses the document, and the document G descends as the number of documents G decreases. Then, when feeding the original from the top, the solenoid 156 is energized to pull the plunger, and as shown in FIG.
The 156 is moved and positioned and fixed at the upper limit of the original height. At this time, the pressure contact spring 157a is in an open state.

Reference numeral 158 denotes a pre-conveying roller, which is provided with a one-way clutch so that when the originals are fed from the lowest position, they are in contact with the lower side of the original stack and convey the originals in the downstream direction. Also, when feeding the original from the top,
Since the document guide plate 164 is inclined downward toward the downstream side, the friction of the document below the document stack with the document table 1 is large due to the weight of the document stack, and conversely, the weight is low. The upper original, which is not affected by the load due to, is easily conveyed in the downstream direction. Therefore, when the original is fed from the uppermost position, an excessive original document conveying force may be generated to cause multi-feeding. Therefore, when the original is fed out, the preliminary conveying roller 158 is not operated and is rotated around the original. Let

Reference numeral 160 denotes a first motor, which operates the separation roller 151 via the gear train 161. Specifically, when the first motor 160 rotates in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 25, the document separating operation is performed between the separating roller 151 and the second friction member 153, and the motor 160 moves in the direction of arrow B in FIG. When rotating in the'direction, the document separating operation is performed between the separating roller 151 and the first friction member 152.

Reference numeral 164 is a rotation fulcrum 164a provided on the document placing table 1.
An L-shaped arm, which is a document guide plate attached to the main body, is provided with a fulcrum 164b between a rotation fulcrum 164a and a separation roller 151, and a fulcrum 165a fixed to the main body side is attached as a fulcrum.
A slide groove is provided at the end of 165 to connect the L-shaped arm 165. The opposite end of the L-shaped arm 165 is connected to the plunger of the solenoid 166. When the document is fed from the lowest position, the L-shaped arm 165 energizes the solenoid 166 to pull the plunger, and as shown in FIG. 26, the L-shaped arm 165 rotates to position the document at the lower limit height. Fixed. At this time, the support spring 167 is in an open state. And when feeding the manuscript from the top,
As shown in FIG. 27, the plunger of the solenoid 166 is opened and the document guide plate 164 is tilted downward, so that the urging force of the support spring 167 raises the document G as the number of documents G decreases.

The construction and function of the other members are the same as those in the above-mentioned first embodiment, and are designated by the same reference numerals.

The operations at the time of facsimile transmission and copying by the sheet feeding apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 26 and 27.

When performing a facsimile transmission, when the start key is first pressed, the solenoid 166 is moved to the L-shaped arm.
165 is pulled and the document guide plate 164 is raised to guide the leading end of the document to the nip between the separation roller 151 and the upper friction piece 153. At this time, the height of the document guide plate 164 is fixed to the height of the nip of the separating portion at the position where the plunger is pulled out, and the angle of entry of the document into the separating portion is optimized, and the document is separated from the bottom. A positional relationship most suitable for transportation is formed.

Then, the first motor 110 rotates in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 25 to rotate the separating roller 101 in the direction of arrow C in FIG. After the motor is rotated, the document G advances due to the inclination of the document guide plate 164 and the conveyance force of the preliminary conveyance roller 158 and is sandwiched between the separation roller 151 and the upper friction piece 153, and the feeding force of the separation roller 151 and the upper friction piece 153. Only the lowermost original is fed out by the reverse returning force of 153, and the other upper originals are stopped.

When the originals are fed from the lowest position, the originals that have been read are discharged onto the FAX original discharge tray 29 with the image surface facing downward, and are sequentially stacked from the first page. As a result, the originals are stacked in the original page order before reading.

When making a copy, when the start key is first pressed, the solenoid 156 pulls the plunger, lowers the pressure contact arm 157 to position the upper limit height of the document, and releases the plunger of the solenoid 166. Tilt the document guide plate 164 downward. Then, as the number of documents decreases, the support spring 167 causes the document guide plate 164 to gradually rise. As a result, the leading edge of the document G is separated by the separation roller 151.
Is guided to the nip between the lower friction piece 152 and the lower friction piece 152, and the uppermost height of the document G is fixed to the nip height of the separating portion.
The angle of entry of the original into the separating portion is optimized, and the positional relationship most suitable for separating and conveying from the uppermost position is formed. Further, although the preliminary conveyance roller 158 was operated during the facsimile transmission, the preliminary conveyance roller 158 is not operated during the copying operation, and instead, the original guide plate 164 is inclined to the downstream side to assist the feeding of the original document. I am trying. As a result, the leading edge of the originals on the original bundle can easily enter the separating portion.

Then, the first motor 110 is moved to the arrow B'in FIG.
27, the separating roller 151 is rotated in the direction of arrow C'in FIG. After the motor is rotated, the document G is separated by the separation roller 151.
When sandwiched between the lower friction piece 152 and the lower friction piece 152, only the uppermost original is fed out by the feeding force of the separating roller 151 and the returning force of the lower friction piece 153, and the remaining lower originals are stopped.

When the originals are fed from the top, the originals that have been read are inverted by the flapper 22a, ejected onto the copy original ejection tray 30 with the image side facing upward, and sequentially stacked from the last page. It As a result, the originals are stacked in the original page order before reading.

By configuring the sheet feeding apparatus as described above, the original can be read from the first page and transmitted at the time of transmission without rearranging the page order of the original at the time of transmission and at the time of copying. At the time of copying, the originals are read from the last page, and the originals that have been read and the recording sheets on which the read images are recorded can be stacked in the original page order.

[Eleventh Embodiment] In the tenth embodiment described above, as the preliminary conveying means, only one preliminary conveying roller is provided on the lower side of the document placing table, but when the number of fed originals is large. Alternatively, when it is thick and difficult to feed, a preliminary conveyance roller may be provided on the upper side so that the preliminary conveyance is performed even when the sheet is fed from the top. As a result, the original feeding operation becomes more stable. In this case, the document guide plate may be inclined as in the above embodiment, or may be vertically moved while being horizontal.

Further, in the tenth embodiment described above, the solenoid 156 of the pressure contact arm 157 is used at the time of feeding from the uppermost position.
Pressure contact arm 157
Is fixed so that the upper limit of the height of the original G is determined, and the original guide plate 164 is pressed by the original guide plate supporting spring 167 to rise as the number of originals G decreases. This configuration is suitable for feeding the uppermost (feeding) document to the separating portion at an optimum angle when the number of documents to be set is large and the document bundle is thick. However, the height of the document guide plate 164 may be fixed when the document is fed from the uppermost position when the number of documents to be set is small. In this case, as shown in FIG. 28, a stopper for positioning the document guide plate 164 at a predetermined position.
168 may be provided, and a long press contact spring 169 may be provided so that the press contact arm 157 always presses the original G. With such a simple structure, the number of failures can be reduced, and the supporting spring 167 and the solenoid 156 (see FIGS. 26 and 27) can be eliminated to reduce the manufacturing cost.

[0156]

As described above, when the document is fed from the lowest position, the lower roller rotates in the document feeding direction,
When the original is fed from the top, the upper roller rotates in the feeding direction of the original, and the lower roller and the upper roller that abuts on the upper roller cooperate to separate the original from the lowest or the highest. With the configuration
Even if the originals are set on the original placing table in the page order and in the same direction, the originals can be read and transmitted from the first page during the transmission operation, and the originals can be read from the last page during the copying operation to obtain a read image. It is possible to easily check the recording quality of the recorded recording sheets and stack the recording sheets in the same original page order as the original. Therefore, since it is not necessary to rearrange the order of pages of the original at the time of transmission and at the time of copying, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use device that does not have a mistake in setting the front and back sides of the original.

When one of the lower roller and the upper roller is rotating in the original conveying direction,
Since the other roller rotates with a constant torque in the direction opposite to the document conveying direction, the separation performance is stable and the reliability of the apparatus is improved.

Further, since the lower roller and the upper roller are made of the same shape and material, whichever roller plays the role of the sending roller or the retard roller, the friction between the both rollers and the original at the separating portion is caused. The magnitude relationship of the coefficients is constant, the separation performance is stable, the reliability of the device is improved, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Also, the angle formed by the straight line connecting the rotation centers of the lower roller and the upper roller with respect to the original stacking surface of the original placing table is inclined depending on whether the original is fed from the lowest or the highest. With this configuration, the angle at which the original enters the separating portion can be optimized, so that the separating performance is stable and the reliability of the apparatus is improved.

Further, the preliminary transport units are arranged below and above the document mounting table, respectively, and one of the preliminary transport units is switched to operate depending on whether the original is fed from the lowest position or the highest position. By doing so, the feeding of the original is stable and the reliability of the apparatus is improved.

Further, when the original is fed from the lowest position, the preliminary transport unit is fed, and when the original is fed from the highest position, the upper roller serving as a feed roller feeds the sheet, so that only one preliminary transport unit is required. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and a device having a simple structure can be provided.

Further, the separating roller rotates in the original conveying direction depending on whether the original is fed from the lowest position or the highest position, and the separating roller and the lower double feed preventing roller contacting the lower part of the separating roller, By cooperating with an upper double feed preventing roller that abuts on the upper part of the separating roller, the originals are separated and fed out one by one from the bottom or the top, so that the originals are placed on the original placing table in page order. Even when set in the same orientation, the original can be read and transmitted from the first page during the transmission operation, and the original can be read from the last page during the copying operation to check the recording quality of the recording paper on which the read image is recorded. It is possible to stack the recording sheets in the order of original pages similar to the original while facilitating the operation. Therefore, since it is not necessary to rearrange the order of pages of the original at the time of transmission and at the time of copying, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use device that does not have a mistake in setting the front and back sides of the original.

When the document is fed from the lowest position, a torque is applied to the upper double feed prevention roller through the torque limiter in the direction opposite to the document conveying direction, and when the document is fed from the highest position, it is passed through the torque limiter. By providing the lower double feed prevention roller with a rotational force in a direction opposite to the document conveyance direction, the separation performance is stabilized and the reliability of the apparatus is improved.

Further, since the separating roller and the two double feed preventing rollers are made of the same shape and material, whichever roller plays the role of the sending roller or the retard roller, both rollers and the original in the separating portion Since the magnitude relationship of the friction coefficient is constant, the separation performance is stable, the reliability of the device is improved, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The center of rotation of the double feed prevention rollers is arranged downstream of the center of rotation of the separation rollers in the document conveying direction, or the diameter of the separation rollers is made larger than the diameter of the two double feed prevention rollers. Therefore, it is possible to increase the contact area between the separation roller and the original, and thereby a sufficient nip can be obtained in the separation roller, so that the poor conveyance of the original can be prevented.

By connecting the two double feed preventing rollers via the torque limiter, the structure is simplified,
The manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced.

Further, by using the roller which does not perform the reverse returning operation among the two double feed preventing rollers as the pre-conveying roller, the original is fed out even when the original is separated and conveyed from either the lowest position or the highest position. Can be performed reliably and stably, and the reliability of the device is improved.

The separating roller rotates in the original conveying direction depending on whether the original is fed from the lowest position or the highest position, and the separating roller, the lower friction piece abutting against the lower part of the separating roller, and the separating unit. By collaborating with the upper friction piece that abuts on the upper part of the roller, the documents are separated and fed out one by one from the bottom or the top, so that the documents are set on the document table in page order and in the same direction. Even if
The original can be read and transmitted from the first page during the transmission operation, and the original can be read from the last page during the copying operation to facilitate checking the recording quality of the recording paper on which the read image is recorded, Can be stacked in the same original page order as originals. Therefore, since it is not necessary to rearrange the order of pages of the original at the time of transmission and at the time of copying, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use device that does not have a mistake in setting the front and back sides of the original.

Also, by tilting the document placing table toward the downstream direction, the document can enter the separating section by its own weight, so that the feeding of the document is stable and the reliability is improved with a simple structure. be able to.

Further, by constructing the document supporting mode of the document placing table so as to change it depending on whether the document is fed from the lowest position or the highest position, the angle at which the document enters the separation section can be optimized. Therefore, the separation performance is stable and the reliability of the device is improved.

Further, the document supporting form of the document placing table is configured so that it is fixed at a predetermined position when the document is fed from the lowest position, and the position is changed according to the state of the document when the document is fed from the highest position. The same effects as the above effects can be obtained with a simple configuration.

Further, two original document ejection trays for ejecting the ejected originals are provided, and the originals are placed in either one of the original ejection trays depending on whether the originals are ejected from the lowest position or the highest position. The document is ejected. More specifically, when the document is fed from the lowest position, it is ejected to the FAX document ejection tray, and when it is fed from the highest position, it is reversed to the copy document ejection tray and ejected. Due to
Documents can be discharged in the order of pages loaded on the document table, and the operability of the apparatus can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective configuration diagram of a sheet feeding apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device during transmission.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device during copying.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of a facsimile device.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a facsimile device.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a document feeding operation (during transmission / copy).

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a control system of the entire facsimile apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a perspective configuration diagram of a sheet feeding device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device during transmission.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device during copying.

FIG. 11 is a sheet supply device according to the third embodiment (during transmission).
FIG.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of a sheet feeding device (during copying) according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a sheet supply device according to the fourth embodiment (during transmission).
FIG.

FIG. 14 is a side sectional view of a sheet feeding device (during copying) according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a sheet supply device according to the fifth embodiment (during transmission).
FIG.

FIG. 16 is a side sectional view of a sheet feeding device (during copying) according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a perspective configuration diagram of a sheet feeding device according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram of the sheet feeding device.

FIG. 19 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device during transmission.

FIG. 20 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device during copying.

FIG. 21 is a sheet supply device according to the seventh embodiment (during transmission).
FIG.

FIG. 22 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device (during copying) according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a perspective configuration diagram of a sheet feeding device according to an eighth embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a schematic explanatory view showing the relationship between the separation roller and the double feed prevention roller of the sheet feeding apparatus according to the ninth embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a perspective configuration diagram of a sheet feeding device according to a tenth embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a sheet supply device according to the tenth embodiment (during transmission).
FIG.

FIG. 27 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device (during copying) according to the tenth embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding device according to the eleventh embodiment.

FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional facsimile apparatus having a copying function.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Original Placement Table 2 ... Slider 3 ... Lower Roller 4 ...
Upper roller 5 ... First drive transmission shaft 6 ... Second drive transmission shaft 7, 8 ... Timing pulley 9 ... First torque limiter
10 ... Second torque limiter 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d ...
Bearings 12a, 12b ... Spring 13 ... Timing belt 15 ...
First motor 16 ... Preliminary transport unit 16a ... Preliminary transport roller 16b ... Elevating arm 16c ... Solenoid 16d ... Pullback spring 17 ... Second motor 18 ... Gear train 19 ... Paper feed roller 20 ... Backup roller 21 ... Contact image sensor 22 ... Switching means 22a ... Flapper 22b ... Spindle 22c ... Slit 22d ... Solenoid
23 ... First ejection roller 24 ... First backup roller
25 ... Auxiliary roller 26 ... Original path 26a, 26b ... Conveyance guide 27 ... Second ejection roller 28 ... Second backup roller
29 ... FAX document discharge tray 30 ... Copy document discharge tray 31a ... Pressure contact plate 31c ... Pressure contact spring 32 ... Document insertion port
32a ... Lower document guide 32b ... Upper document guide 33 ... Document presence / absence sensor 41 ... Operation part 41a ... Start key 41b ... Numeric key 41c ... One-touch key 41d ... Function key 41e ... LCD panel 41f ... Copy key 50 ... Device body
51 ... Recording unit 52 ... Laser scanner 52a Laser beam oscillator 52b ... Polygon mirror 52c ... Folding mirror 53 ... Image forming unit 53a ... Photosensitive drum 53b ... Primary charger 53c ... Developing roller 53d ... Cleaning roller 53e ... Process cartridge 53f ... Transfer Charger
53g ... Thermal fixing device 53h ... Paper discharge roller 53i ... Drum photosensitive prevention shutter 54 ... Cassette paper feed section 54a ... Paper feed cassette 54b ... Paper feed roller 54c ... Cassette transport roller pair
54d ... Separation claw 54e ... Middle plate 54f ... Middle plate spring 54h ... Top plate 55 ... Recording paper discharge tray 56 ... MP (recording paper size variable)
Cassette part 56a ... MP cassette 56b ... Pressure contact member 56
c ... MP middle plate 56d ... fulcrum 56e ... MP regulation plate 56f ... MP cassette sensor 57 ... MP separation part 57a ... M
P separation roller 57b ... MP separation pad 57c ... MP separation base 58 ... transport guide 59 ... light cover 59a ... transport roller 59b ... cover side U-turn guide 59
c ... Main unit side U-turn guide 59d ... Registration sensor 59
e ... Paper passing guide 60 ... Control unit 61 ... CPU 61a ... MP
U 61b ... ROM 61c ... RAM 61d ... Image processing unit
62 ... Operation part 63 ... Display part 63a ... LCD 63b ... LED
63c ... Tally lamp 64 ... Reading unit 65 ... Recording unit 66 ...
Communication control unit 66a ... Connection unit 67 ... Communication network 68 ... Handset 69 ... External interface 70 ... HDD 71, 72
… Supporting members 73, 74… Supporting shaft 75… Rotation center line (virtual axis) 76… Large solenoid 77… Transmission shaft 78… Spring 80
… Preliminary transport unit 80a… Preliminary transport roller 81a… Pressing plate 81c… Pressing springs 82, 90… Original platen 83, 86…
Spring 84, 87 ... Stopper 85 ... Electromagnet 88 ... Iron plate 89 ...
Angle changing member 101 ... Separation roller 101c ... Shaft 102 ... Lower double feed prevention roller 103 ... Upper double feed prevention roller 102a, 1
03a ... Arms 102b, 103b ... Belts 102c, 103c ... Rotating shafts 102d, 103d ... Pulleys 102e, 103e ... Drive shafts 104a,
105a ... Shafts 104b, 105b ... Bent portions 104c, 105c ... Energizing springs
106… First torque limiter 107… Second torque limiter 108… Preliminary transport roller 110… First motor 111…
Gear train 114 ... document guide plates 114a, 114b ... fulcrum 115 ...
L-shaped arm 115a ... Support 115b ... Return spring 116 ... Solenoid 117 ... Fixed points 121, 141 ... Separation roller 122
, 142 ... Lower double feed prevention roller 123, 143 ... Upper double feed prevention roller 122a, 123a ... Arm 122b, 123a ... Timing belt 122c, 123c ... Shaft 124, 125 ... Rotation center 124a, 125a, 132, 133 ... Gear 126, 127, 131… Torque limiter 151… Separation roller 152… Lower friction piece
153 ... Upper friction piece 152a, 153a ... Shafts 152b, 153b ... Pads 152c, 153c ... Spring 156 ... Solenoid 157 ... Pressing arm 157a ... Pressing spring 157c ... Shaft 158 ... Preliminary conveying roller 160 ... First motor 161 ... Gear train 164 ... Document guide plates 164a, 164b ... Support point 165 ... L-shaped arm 166 Solenoid 167 ... Support spring 168 ... Stopper
169… Pressing spring

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display area // B65H 3/40 8712-3F

Claims (23)

[Claims] 1. A sheet supporting means capable of stacking a large number of sheets, a first rotating body at a lower part on the downstream side of the sheet supporting means, and a second rotating body abutting on an upper part of the first rotating body. The first rotating body rotates in the sheet feeding direction when the sheet is fed from the lowest position, and the second rotating body rotates in the sheet feeding direction when the sheet is fed from the uppermost position. The sheet feeding device is characterized in that the sheet is separated and fed out one by one from the lowest or the highest by the cooperation of the second rotating body. 2. When one of the first rotating body or the second rotating body is rotating in the sheet feeding direction,
2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the other rotating body is configured to rotate with a constant torque in a direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction. 3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the first rotary body and the second rotary body are configured with the same shape and material. 4. Whether the straight line connecting the center of the first rotating body and the center of the second rotating body forms an angle with respect to the sheet stacking surface of the sheet supporting means from the lowest position or the highest position of the sheet. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding apparatus is configured to be changed according to the above. 5. A sheet supporting means capable of stacking a large number of sheets, a first rotating body on the downstream side of the sheet supporting means, a second rotating body contacting a lower portion of the first rotating body, and A third rotating body that abuts the upper part of the first rotating body, and the first rotating body rotates in the sheet conveying direction depending on whether the sheet is fed from the lowest position or the uppermost position. And a second rotary member and a third rotary member in cooperation with each other, so that the sheets are separated and fed one by one from the lowest or the highest. 6. When the sheet is fed from the lowermost position, a rotational force in the direction opposite to the sheet conveying direction is applied to the third rotating body via the torque limiter, and when the sheet is fed from the uppermost position, the torque is passed through the torque limiter. The sheet feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the two-rotation body is configured to apply a rotational force in a direction opposite to the sheet conveying direction. 7. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first rotating body, the second rotating body, and the third rotating body have the same shape and material. 8. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the centers of the second rotating body and the third rotating body are arranged on the downstream side of the center of the first rotating body in the sheet conveying direction. 9. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the diameter of the first rotating body is larger than the diameters of the second rotating body and the third rotating body. 10. The sheet feeding device according to claim 6, wherein the second rotating body and the third rotating body are connected via a torque limiter. 11. The second rotating body moves to the lower portion of the sheet supporting means to serve as a preliminary conveying means when the sheet is fed from the lowest position, and the third rotating body is the upper portion of the sheet supporting means when to feed the sheet from the uppermost position. 6. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sheet feeding apparatus moves to a sheet and is used as a preliminary conveying unit. 12. A sheet supporting means capable of stacking a large number of sheets, a rotating body on the downstream side of the sheet supporting means, and a first friction member abutting on a lower portion of the first rotating body.
A second friction member that abuts the upper portion of the first rotating body, and the rotating body rotates in the sheet conveying direction depending on whether the sheet is fed from the lowest position or the uppermost position, A sheet feeding apparatus, characterized in that the first and second friction members cooperate with each other to separate and feed the sheets one by one from the lowest or the highest. 13. A pre-conveying means is provided below and above the sheet supporting means, and one pre-conveying means is switched to operate depending on whether the sheet is fed from the lowest position or the highest position. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, claim 5, or claim 12, 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a preliminary conveying unit below the sheet supporting unit, wherein the preliminary conveying unit is operated only when the sheet is fed from the lowest position.
Alternatively, the sheet feeding device according to claim 12. 15. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet supporting means is inclined toward the downstream direction. 16. The seat supporting form of the seat supporting means is
13. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is configured to change depending on whether the sheet is fed from the lowest or the highest. 17. The seat supporting form of the seat supporting means is
The sheet feeding device according to claim 16, wherein when the sheet is fed from the lowest position, it is fixed at a predetermined position, and when the sheet is fed from the highest position, it is changed according to the state of the sheet. 18. A sheet discharge unit for discharging a fed sheet, wherein the sheet is discharged to either one of the sheet discharge units depending on whether the sheet is fed from the lowest position or the highest position. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, claim 5, or claim 12, wherein the sheet feeding apparatus is configured to perform. 19. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 18, wherein when the sheet is fed from the lowest position, it is discharged as it is, and when it is fed from the highest position, it is reversed and discharged. 20. A sheet supporting means capable of stacking a large number of sheets, a first rotating body at a lower portion on the downstream side of the sheet supporting means, and a second rotating body abutting on an upper portion of the first rotating body. Having the first rotating body rotates in the sheet feeding direction when the sheet is fed from the lowest position, the second rotating body rotates in the sheet feeding direction when the sheet is fed from the uppermost position,
By the cooperation of the first rotating body and the second rotating body, the sheet feeding device configured to feed out the sheets one by one from the lowest or the highest, and the sheet fed by the sheet feeding device. An image reading apparatus comprising: a reading unit for reading image information. 21. A sheet supporting means capable of stacking a large number of sheets, a first rotating body on the downstream side of the sheet supporting means, and a second rotating body contacting a lower portion of the first rotating body.
A third rotating body that abuts an upper portion of the first rotating body,
The first rotating body rotates in the sheet conveying direction depending on whether the sheet is fed from the lowest position or the highest position, and the first rotating body, the second rotating body, and the third rotating body cooperate to load the sheet. An image characterized by comprising a sheet feeding device configured to feed out one by one from the lowest or the highest and reading means for reading the image information of the sheet fed by the sheet feeding device. Reader. 22. A sheet supporting means capable of stacking a large number of sheets, a rotating body on the downstream side of the sheet supporting means, and a first friction member abutting against a lower portion of the first rotating body.
A second friction member that abuts the upper part of the first rotating body, and the rotating body rotates in the sheet conveying direction depending on whether the sheet is fed from the lowest position or the highest position, A sheet feeding device configured to separate and feed the sheets one by one from the lowest or the highest by the cooperation of the one friction member and the second friction member, and image information of the sheets supplied by the sheet feeding device. And an image reading device for reading the image. 23. The image reading apparatus is a facsimile apparatus having a copying function, and at the time of the copying function, a facsimile apparatus for stacking recording media on which recording is performed face up. The image reading apparatus according to claim 22.