JPH098999A - Sheet feeder, image reader and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To stack recorded sheets matching a page order of originals by discharging the originals while directing them with a print face upward without rearranging the page order of the originals in the case of facsimile transmission and copying. CONSTITUTION: A reverse roller and a separate member are arranged in opposition to a separate roller, a feeder side end of an original stack plate 9 is formed turnably by a link mechanism and in the case of the facsimile transmission mode, an original feeding end is set to an upper separate part by the separate roller and the reverse roller. Then the originals arranged in the order of pages while the image information side is directed downward are fed from the lowest sheet and a sensor 21 reads image information and the originals are stacked in an original discharge tray 29. In the case of the copy mode, the original feeding end is set to a lower separate part by the separate roller and the separate member and the originals arranged in the order of pages while the image information side is directed downward are fed from the uppermost original sheet, the sensor 21 reads the image information, the front side and the rear side of the original are inverted and the originals with their image information side directed upward are stacked in the original discharge tray 30, and the recording face of a copied recorded sheet P is directed upward and the originals are discharged and staked in a recorded sheet discharge tray 55.

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 suitable for a facsimile machine having a copying function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A facsimile machine having a copying function has an image reading section, an image signal transmitting section, and an image forming section. In addition to transmitting and receiving image signals, the image reading section and the image forming section are simultaneously operated to make 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, and the document feeding is performed by using this sheet feeding device in common for transmission and copying. Is going.

FIG. 11 shows an outline of a conventional facsimile machine. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 101 denotes a document stacking table configured so that a plurality of documents S can be stacked on the top cover of the apparatus body. An image reading unit 102 reads the image information of the document S. The document S preliminarily conveyed by the preliminary conveyance roller 116 while being guided by the upper document guide 113 and the lower document guide 114 is separated by a separation roller 118 and a reverse rotation roller 119. After it is separated into one sheet by the section 117, it is conveyed to the position where the contact image sensor 105 faces by the document conveying section 104,
After the image information of the document S is read here, it is discharged onto the document discharge tray 106.

An image forming unit 103 is a laser beam printer having a process cartridge including a laser scanner 107, a photosensitive drum 109, etc., and is a recording sheet fed from a recording sheet cassette 111 by a recording sheet feeding unit. The contact image sensor 10 for P
An image corresponding to the image information of the document S read by 5 is recorded. The recording sheet P on which the toner image is formed by the image forming unit 103 is image-fixed by the fixing unit 110, and then discharged onto the recording sheet discharge tray 112. An operation unit 115 is used to set the facsimile transmission mode or the copy mode.

First, the operator stacks the document S with the document surface facing down on the document stacking table 101, and inserts it into a document transport path composed of an upper document guide 113 and a lower document guide 114. Here, the operator selects the operation mode with the selection key of the operation unit 115. The operation modes are send, copy,
There are various modes such as image resolution and sent stamp.

When transmitting the original S by facsimile, after selecting the facsimile transmission mode, the facsimile number of the transmission destination is input from the operation unit 115 and the start key of the operation unit 115 is pressed. On the other hand, when copying the document S, after selecting the copy mode, the number of copies is input from the operation unit 115 and the start key is pressed.

When the start key is pressed, the pre-conveying roller 116 conveys the original S to the separating section 117. When the document S reaches the separating portion 117, the separating roller 118 that tries to pull out the lowest document S and the reverse roller 119 that tries to push back the upper document S that is pulled out overlapping the lowest document S.
By this, only the lowest document S is pulled out, and is transported further downstream by the document transport unit 104.

The document S transported by the document transport unit 104
The contact-type image sensor 105 reads the image on the lower surface, which is the original surface. The analog signal output from the contact image sensor 105 is subjected to image processing such as shading correction and A / D conversion by an image processing circuit, and then transferred to a control unit (not shown) of the facsimile apparatus.

The image information transferred to the control unit is output to a line via a modem when the document S is transmitted by facsimile, and is output to the image forming unit 103 when the document S is copied. The original S for which the image has been read is output to the output tray 10
It is discharged to 6.

In the above structure, the originals S are stacked in a so-called face-down or page order in which the original surface is on the lower side, the discharged original S is on the lower side, and the succeeding originals S are sequentially stacked on the upper side.

When the document S is copied, the image forming unit 103 irradiates the photosensitive drum 109 with scanning light from the laser scanner 107 based on the image signal output from the control unit to display image information on the surface of the photosensitive drum 109. The recording sheet P formed and fed from the recording sheet cassette 111 to the image forming unit 103.
After the image information is transferred to and fixed by the fixing unit 110, the recording sheet is discharged to the recording sheet discharge tray 112.

In the above structure, the recording sheet P has an image forming surface on the upper side, the recording sheet P discharged first is on the lower side, and the succeeding recording sheets P are stacked on the upper side in a so-called face-up, reverse page order. Loaded with. As described above, when the image forming surface of the recording sheet P is stacked face up, the print quality of the image forming surface can be easily confirmed, which is advantageous.

Further, as another conventional example, two pairs of sheet feeding means and separating means corresponding to the uppermost and lowermost sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means are arranged so that the sheet is the uppermost sheet. It has been proposed that the sheets can be selectively fed from both lowermost positions.

[0014]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, in the technique shown in FIG. 11, since the document S is read from the lowest position and the recording sheets P are stacked face-up in order, the pages are stacked in page order. When the original S is copied, the copied recording sheets P are stacked in the reverse order to the page order of the original S, and it is necessary to arrange the page order after recording.

Therefore, in order to stack the recording sheets P in the same order as the page order of the original S, the originals S are stacked in reverse page order in advance, and the recording sheets P are face-up by reading from the last page of the original S. They can be stacked, but in this case, when copying and facsimile transmission are performed at the same time, there is a drawback that the transmission is performed from the last page in the facsimile transmission.

Further, when the front and back surfaces of the recording sheet P are inverted and discharged facedown, the page order of the document S and the page order of the discharged recording sheet P can be matched. However, in this case, there is a drawback that it is difficult to confirm the print quality during copying.

In order to avoid the above-mentioned problems, when the pages of the original S are rearranged at the time of facsimile transmission and at the time of copying and then set on the sheet feeding device, the operation becomes complicated, and There is a problem that it causes a set mistake and the work efficiency decreases.

Further, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when the sheet can be selectively fed from both the uppermost position and the lowermost position of the sheet, since the gravity of the sheet acts, the uppermost sheet of the sheet is fed. Since it is necessary to separately provide two pairs of the feeding means and the separating means having different friction coefficients in the above and the lowest feeding, the structure is complicated, the number of parts increases, and the manufacturing cost increases. There is.

The present invention solves the above problems,
The purpose is to transmit the data from the first page when sending a fax without rearranging the page order of the original when sending a fax and when printing, so that the print surface is facing upward so that you can easily check the print quality when copying. A sheet feeding device capable of ejecting a sheet to a stack and stacking recording sheets in the page order corresponding to the page order of an original, an image reading apparatus including the same, and an image forming apparatus including the same It is a thing.

[0020]

A typical construction according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a sheet stacking means for stacking sheets, and a sheet stacking means is arranged downstream of the sheet stacking means. A first rotating body for feeding the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means, a separating member arranged to face one outer peripheral surface of the first rotating body, and a first rotating body. A second rotating body arranged to face the other outer peripheral surface, and the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means by the cooperation of the first rotating body and the separating member. The sheets are separated from the top and fed one by one.
The sheet feeding device is configured such that the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit are separated one by one from the lowest order and fed by cooperation of the rotating body and the second rotating body. Is.

Further, a preliminary feeding means is arranged upstream of the first rotating body in the sheet feeding direction, and the preliminary feeding is performed when the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means are fed from the lowest position. It is characterized in that the means is driven to pre-feed the sheet.

Further, the sheet stacking means includes a sheet stacking plate having a sheet insertion side end supported movably in a horizontal direction and a sheet feeding side end movably supported with a predetermined radius of curvature. And a sheet stacked on the sheet stacking plate is selectively moved to an outer peripheral surface on a predetermined side of the first rotating body by moving an end portion of the sheet stacking plate on a sheet feeding side with a predetermined radius of curvature. It is characterized in that it is configured to contact.

Further, the sheet stacking plate is constructed to be movable by a link mechanism, and the link mechanism has a link member rotatable about a support shaft arranged in a direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction. Then, a slit having a predetermined length in the rotation direction of the link member is provided at the end of the link member, and the slits are provided on both sides of the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking plate in a direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction. A projecting engagement member is provided, and the engagement member is configured to be loosely engaged with the slit.

Further, a sheet regulating means for regulating the movement of the sheet is arranged on the sheet stacking means, and the sheet regulating means can project in the vertical direction with respect to the sheet surface of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking means. A sheet restricting member is rotatably supported by the sheet stacking means, and the sheet restricting member is biased by an elastic member so that the projecting portion of the sheet restricting member is stacked on the sheet stacking means. When the engaging portion of the sheet regulating member is pressed against the urging force of the elastic member, the sheet regulating member is rotated to the sheet surface. On the other hand, it is characterized in that the projecting portion projecting in the vertical direction is retracted and the sheet feeding regulation by the sheet regulating member is released.

Further, before the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means come into contact with the first rotating body, the second rotating body or the preliminary feeding means, the projecting portion of the sheet regulating member is retracted. Is provided with a first locking member for pressing the engaging portion of the sheet regulating member, and the sheet regulating member is provided before the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means come into contact with the first rotating body or the separating member. The second locking member for pressing the engaging portion of the sheet regulating member is provided so that the protruding portion of the sheet retracts.

When the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means are fed from the uppermost position, the sheets are discharged out of the machine in a state where the front and back surfaces of the sheets are reversed and stacked on the sheet stacking means. When the sheet is fed from the lowest position, the sheet is ejected out of the machine with the front and back surfaces of the sheet aligned.

An image reading apparatus according to the present invention comprises the sheet feeding apparatus and image reading means for reading the image information of the sheet-like original fed by the sheet feeding apparatus. To do. Further, it is characterized by having an image signal transmitting means for transmitting the image information read by the image reading means.

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the image reading device, and the recording sheet feeding means for feeding a recording sheet, and the image information of the original read by the image reading means. Image forming means for forming an image on the recording sheet fed by the recording sheet feeding means.

[0029]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means can be separated and fed one by one by the cooperation of the first rotating body and the second rotating body. . Further, the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit can be separated and fed one by one by the cooperation of the first rotating body and the separating member.

Further, by changing the rotation direction of the first rotating body according to whether the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means are fed from the lowest or the highest, the lowest feeding / the highest feeding Sending can be performed selectively.

The preliminary feeding means makes contact with the lowest sheet stacked on the sheet stacking means and applies a feeding force to the sheet, whereby the weights of the sheet bundles stacked on the sheet stacking means are compared with each other. Sheets can be fed from the bottom of the sheet bundle even if they are relatively large.

The link mechanism is operated to move the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking means with a predetermined radius of curvature so that the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means are placed between the first rotating body and the second rotating body. Alternatively, it can be set between the first rotating body and the separating member, and the lowest sheet or the uppermost sheet can be brought into contact with the first rotating body.

When the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means are fed from the lowest position, the sheet stacking means can be held in a stopped state to keep the lowermost position of the sheet constant by the weight of the sheets. Further, when the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit are fed from the uppermost position, the uppermost position of the sheets can be made constant by changing the height position of the sheet stacking unit.

Engaging members provided on both sides of the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking plate are engaged with the ends of the slits of the link members to move the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking plate, By bringing the lowermost sheet stacked on the plate into contact with the preliminary feeding means, the height position of the sheet stacking plate can be maintained substantially constant.

Further, the sheet regulation means provided in the sheet stacking means can regulate the feeding of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means. Further, the first and second locking members can press the engaging portion of the sheet regulating member in correspondence with the feeding timing to release the sheet feeding regulation of the sheet regulating means.

When the engaging portion of the sheet restriction member is locked by the second locking member, the projecting portion of the sheet restriction member is vertically projected with respect to the sheet surface of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking means. The sheet stacking means can be biased by the restoring force of the elastic member for holding the sheet, and the uppermost sheet stacked on the sheet stacking means can be biased to the first rotating body.

By setting the originals in the page order downward, the originals are read and transmitted in the page order during facsimile transmission, and the originals are read from the last page and the recording sheets are stacked face up in the page order during copying. In addition to facilitating the confirmation, it is possible to stack both the recording sheet and the document in the order of pages.

Further, by biasing the separating means to different positions with respect to the first rotating body, the respective biasing forces can be set independently, and the uppermost and lowermost sheet feeding positions can be set. It is possible to set the separating action of each separating portion with respect to the sheet in accordance with the difference in load due to the difference in.

When the self-weight acts and the feeding force is insufficient with respect to the feeding from the lowest position, the feeding force is supplemented by the preliminary feeding means, and conversely, the feeding force is applied from the highest position. It is possible to prevent the preliminary feeding means from giving a feeding force to the sheet so that the sheet will not become excessive.

By moving the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking means using the link mechanism to switch the contact portion of the sheet with respect to the first rotating body, the first rotating body itself can be moved. It is possible to switch between the top and bottom of the seat with a simpler configuration.

The rotation direction of the link mechanism and the rotation direction of the first rotating body are configured to operate in the same direction, and the link mechanism and the first rotating body are configured to operate with one drive source. By doing so, it is not necessary to separately form the drive source of the link mechanism, the number of parts can be reduced, and the structure is simplified.

The sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking means can be moved with a predetermined radius of curvature along the slit provided at the end of the link member constituting the link mechanism. Also,
It is possible to transmit / shut off the driving force to the link mechanism by the clutch means and move the position of the sheet stacking means to a predetermined position to stop and hold it.

When the sheets are fed from the lowest position, the sheet stacking means is fixed to always maintain an appropriate positional relationship between the lowest sheet and the first rotating body, and the sheets are fed from the highest position. At this time, the sheet stacking means can be moved to always maintain an appropriate positional relationship between the uppermost sheet and the first rotating body.

After the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking means passes through the highest point and descends while approaching the first rotating body, the lowermost sheet comes into contact with the preliminary feeding means and the lowermost sheet feeding means. Keep the optimum position in.

The engaging member provided at the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking plate is locked to the end of the slit provided in the link member, and the lowest sheet stacked on the sheet stacking plate is used as the preliminary feeding means. By abutting on each other, the height of the sheet stacking plate is kept constant and the optimum position is maintained in the lowest feeding.

By arranging the preliminary feeding means inside the arc drawn by the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking means, a positional relationship is provided so that the sheet bundle does not come into contact with the preliminary feeding means even when the sheet stacking means moves. It is possible to hold and prevent misalignment of sheets.

Even after the sheet comes into contact with the first rotating body, the link member is slightly overrun so that the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking plate can move along the slit of the link member. The contact pressure between the upper sheet and the first rotating body can be freely changed, and an appropriate contact pressure can be maintained.

The sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking means is the first
Since the tip of the sheet is scooped up by the slope provided on the separating member when approaching the rotating body of the sheet, the separating member and the sheet leading edge may come into contact with each other, causing the sheet to be bent or misaligned. There is no.

Since the sheet stacking means is provided with the sheet restricting means, misalignment of sheets does not occur even when the sheet stacking means moves. Further, the sheet regulation unit releases the regulation of the sheet in the process of the movement operation in which the sheet feeding side end portion of the sheet stacking unit approaches the first rotating body.

The elastic member for holding the sheet regulating member in a state where one end portion of the sheet regulating member projects in the vertical direction with respect to the sheet surface, and the other end portion of the sheet regulating member in the uppermost sheet feeding state are elastic members. When locked by the second locking member that presses against the elastic force of the sheet, the sheet regulating means is urged to urge the uppermost sheet against the first rotating body.

[0051]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As an example of a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention, an image reading apparatus including the same, and an image forming apparatus including the same, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus having a facsimile transmission function and a copy function will be described. This will be specifically described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration and operating section of an image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention. 3 is a perspective view showing the mechanism of the feeding unit of the first embodiment of the image forming apparatus equipped with the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is equipped with the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention. And FIG. 5 is a cross sectional explanatory view showing a sheet feeding path of the image forming apparatus, and FIG.
6 (a) to 6 (d) are operation explanatory views at the time of the lowest sheet feeding, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing the sheet conveying path at the uppermost sheet feeding, and FIGS. 8 (a) to 8 (e) are FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing operation control in the facsimile transmission mode and the copy mode when the uppermost sheet is fed.

(Description of Overall Configuration) First, the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 47 denotes an original document feeding section as a sheet feeding device for feeding a sheet-shaped original document S composed of paper, synthetic resin, or the like stacked on a document stacking plate 9 serving as a sheet stacking unit, An image reading unit 48 includes a contact image sensor 21 serving as an image reading unit that reads the image information of the document S fed by the document feeding unit 47. Reference numerals 29 and 30 denote document discharge trays that discharge the document S whose image information has been read by the image reading unit 48.

Further, numeral 49 is a recording sheet cassette installed in the apparatus main body 46 for accommodating recording sheets P of various sizes made of paper, synthetic resin or the like, and numeral 50 is the apparatus main body 46.
Is a recording sheet cassette externally connected to.

The recording sheet P fed from the recording sheet cassettes 49, 50 by the pickup rollers 31, 32 serving as recording sheet feeding means, the pair of conveying rollers 36, 37 and the like is transferred to the image forming section 51 serving as image forming means. The image information of the document S fed and read by the image reading unit 48 in the image forming unit 51,
Alternatively, an image corresponding to the image information transmitted from another device is formed and discharged onto the recording sheet discharge tray 55.

(Explanation of Operation Unit) Next, the operation unit 41 for performing a predetermined operation such as a facsimile transmission mode and a copy mode in the image forming apparatus provided with the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. It demonstrates using. In FIG. 2, 41b is a ten-key for inputting a dial number of a facsimile transmission partner, 41c is a one-touch key for registering a dial number in advance, 41f is a copy key for instructing copying of the document S, 41a is a start for executing a selected process. Is the key.

41d is provided with a function key for setting the resolution of the document reading. From the order of coarse resolution, 3.85 line / mm (standard mode), 7.7 line
It is possible to select one of the three resolutions of / mm (fine mode) and 15.4 line / mm (super fine mode).

The original reading speed differs depending on the respective resolutions, and the higher the resolution, the slower the reading speed.
Also, the halftone is binarized by the error diffusion method and read 64
A gradation halftone mode and an AA (automatic adjustment) mode for emphasizing the character contour portion and reproducing it easily in a document S where halftone and characters are mixed are also provided.

The operation unit 41 is provided with selection keys for selecting various modes of transmission, and function keys
In 41d, in addition to selecting the resolution for reading the document S, a direct transmission mode for transmitting while connecting to the partner device, a memory transmission mode for storing the document image information once in the image memory and then transmitting, and the like can be selected. I can.

A one-touch key 41c for inputting the dial number of the facsimile of the transmission destination from the ten keys 41b or for calling a dial number registered in the memory in advance.
By pressing, the facsimile transmission partner can be determined.

When the apparatus is in the standby state for reading the original, the reading mode and the sending mode of the original S are selected by the function key 41d, and then the transmission partner is determined by the ten keys 41b or the one-touch key 41c. When the start key 41a is pressed, the facsimile transmission mode is set. If the copy key 41f is pressed here, the copy mode is set.

Next, the structure of the document feeding mechanism of the sheet feeding apparatus, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described in detail. In FIGS. 3 and 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a separation roller which is a first rotating body and is attached to the shaft 1a. The separating roller 1
Receives rotational drive force from the motor 10 as a drive source via the shaft 1a, the belt 11 and the like, and performs rotational drive operation in both forward and reverse directions.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a reversing roller which is a second rotating member and is arranged so as to face the outer peripheral surface of the upper portion of the separating roller 1, and is attached to the shaft 2a. The reverse rotation roller 2 is adapted to rotate in the opposite direction to the separation roller 1 when the rotational driving force is transmitted from the motor 10 via the torque limiter 6, the belt 11 and the like provided on the shaft 2a.

Further, the shaft 2a of the reverse rotation roller 2 is provided on the downstream side of the shaft 1a of the separation roller 1 in the feeding direction of the original S, and when separating the original S, the original S and the separation roller 1 are separated from each other. By increasing the contact area, the conveying force by the separation roller 1 is increased. The separation roller 1 and the reverse rotation roller 2 are each made of the same silicon-based rubber material.

Both ends of the shafts 1a and 2a of the separation roller 1 and the reverse rotation roller 2 are biased by springs 4a and 4b in a direction in which they approach each other. Pulleys 1b and 2b are provided on the shafts 1a and 2a, respectively.
The rotational driving force from the motor 10 is transmitted to the belt 11 via the belt 11. Therefore, when the motor 10 rotates, the separation roller 1
And the reverse rotation roller 2 rotate so as to rub their surfaces against each other. The mutual biasing forces of the shafts 1a and 2a on the side where the belt 11 is stretched are different from the mutual biasing forces of the other ends of the shafts 1a and 2a due to the tension of the belt 11, and therefore the springs 4a and 4b.
Are arranged with springs having different spring constants.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a separating member which is arranged below the separating roller 1 so as to face it.
It is urged against the lower peripheral surface of the separation roller 1 by a. A pad 3b made of natural rubber is attached to the surface of the separating member 3 corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separating roller 1. In addition, a slope 3c for guiding the document S to a separation portion constituted by the separation roller 1 and the separation member 3 is provided at the upstream end of the separation member 3 in the document feeding direction.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a preliminary feeding roller as a preliminary feeding rotator serving as a preliminary feeding means, which is connected to the shaft 1a of the separating roller 1 via a belt 8a and is driven by the rotational driving force of the motor 10. It is adapted to rotate in the same direction as the separation roller 1.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a document stacking plate as a sheet stacking plate which constitutes the sheet stacking means, and is located at a position corresponding to the separation roller 1, the reverse roller 2 and the preliminary feeding roller 8 at the document feeding side end 9a. A cutout portion 9b is provided. Due to the cutout portion 9b, when the feeding-side end portion 9a of the document stacking plate 9 approaches the separating portion constituted by the separation roller 1 and the reverse rotation roller 2, the lowest document S stacked on the document stacking plate 9 is detected. The preliminary feeding roller 8 can be contacted.

On both sides of the document feeding side end portion 9a, a pin 9c serving as an engaging member is provided so as to project in a direction orthogonal to the document feeding direction, and the pin 9c rotates about the support shaft 7a. An end portion of the link member 7 constituting the link mechanism configured as possible is fitted in an arcuate slit 7b having a predetermined length and bored in the rotation direction of the link member 7 so as to be freely movable. Therefore, the feeding side end portion 9a of the document stacking plate 9 is movable within the length range of the slit 7b provided at the end portion of the link member 7.

The end 9d of the original stacking plate 9 on the original insertion side
Pins 9e serving as engaging members are provided on both sides of the device in a direction orthogonal to the document feeding direction. The pins 9e are provided on the main body of the apparatus.
A guide member 13 fixed to the frame 46 is fitted in a substantially horizontal slit 13a having a predetermined length so as to be freely movable. Therefore, the original insertion side end portion 9d of the original stacking plate 9 is movable within the length range of the slit 13a provided in the guide member 13.

As described above, the sheet is formed by the link member 7 engaged with the original feeding side end 9a of the original stacking plate 9 and the guide member 13 engaged with the original insertion side end 9d of the original stacking plate 9. A moving means for movably supporting the loading means at a predetermined position is configured.

A worm wheel 14a is fixed to the end of a support shaft 7a that rotatably supports the link member 7, and a worm 14b that meshes with the worm wheel 14a.
Is connected to the output shaft of the motor 14. Therefore, the motor
By rotating 14 to rotate the link member 7 about the support shaft 7a, the document stacking plate 9 is moved to a predetermined position.

Corresponding to the pivotal movement of the link member 7, the feeding side end 9a of the document stacking plate 9 pivotally moves in an arc having a radius of curvature as the distance from the support shaft 7a to the slit 7b.
The rotation direction of the link member 7 corresponds to the rotation direction of the separation roller 1. The original stacking plate 9 is moved by rotating the motor 14 to move the original feeding side end 9a. It can be guided to the upper separation portion formed by the separation roller 1 and the reverse rotation roller 2 or the lower separation portion formed by the separation roller 1 and the separation member 3.

The motor 14 is composed of a stepping motor and can control the position of the document stacking plate 9 by counting the number of pulses. The pulse data for moving the document stacking plate 9 is
It is stored in advance in a storage unit provided in a control unit (not shown) of the apparatus main body 46, and based on the data, the original stacking plate 9
Position control is performed.

The motor 12 is a drive source for rotationally driving the document feeding roller 19 provided on the downstream side of the separating roller 1 and the document discharging roller 23 provided on the further downstream side. The motor 12 is driven by the gear train 5. Is transmitted to each roller. The motor 12 is adapted to rotate only in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 3, and is a motor for exclusively conveying the document S in the downstream direction. Therefore, regardless of the rotation direction of the motor 10 that drives the above-described separation unit, the document S is rotationally driven in a fixed direction in which the document S is conveyed to the downstream side.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a document regulating member which serves as a sheet regulating member which constitutes a sheet regulating means, and is rotatably supported by a shaft 15a below the document stacking plate 9. One end of the document regulating member 15 is connected to a contact portion 15b capable of contacting the lower surface of the document stacking plate 9 and the contacting part 15b at substantially right angles to the surface of the document S stacked on the document stacking plate 9. A projecting portion 15c that can project in the vertical direction is formed, and the other end of the document regulating member 15 has an engaging portion 15d located below the document stacking plate 9.

A torsion coil spring 15e, which is a spring member as an elastic member, is axially supported by the shaft 15a. One end of the torsion coil spring 15e abuts the lower surface of the document stacking plate 9 and the other end thereof is a document regulating member. It is locked to the engaging portion 15c of 15. As shown in FIG. 4, the torsion coil spring 15e exerts a predetermined urging force in a state where the contact portion 15b of the document regulating member 15 is in contact with the lower surface of the document stacking plate 9, and the document regulating member 15e.
The shaft 15 is constantly urged about the shaft 15a in the direction of arrow b in FIG.

With the above-described structure, the document regulating member 15 normally regulates the leading end of the document S stacked on the document stacking plate 9 by the projecting portion 15c projecting from the surface of the document stacking plate 9 by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 15e. The document S cannot enter the downstream side of the protruding portion 15c.

Further, as will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8, the engaging portion 15d is engaged with the stoppers 16 and 17 serving as the first and second locking members provided on the frame of the apparatus main body 46. 4 is pressed against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 15e in the direction opposite to the arrow b in FIG. 4, the document regulating member 15 rotates about the shaft 15a in the direction opposite to the arrow b in FIG. The projecting portion 15c is retracted below the surface of the document stacking plate 9 and the regulation of the leading edge of the document S is released so that the document S can enter each of the separating portions.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a backup roller which is arranged so as to face the document feeding roller 19, and is biased to the document feeding roller 19 by a biasing means such as a spring (not shown). The manuscript S separated by each of the above separating portions is paired with the upper guide pair 18
a, an image reading means which is guided and nipped between the original feeding roller 19 and the backup roller 20 via the lower guide pair 18b, and which is arranged further downstream by the original feeding roller 19 and the backup roller 20. A contact image sensor
Delivered to 21.

A document discharge roller 23 is arranged further downstream than the contact type image sensor 21, and a discharge backup roller 24 arranged so as to face the document discharge roller 23 is urged by a biasing means such as a spring (not shown). The document discharge roller 23 is biased. Further, an auxiliary roller 25 is arranged in contact with the discharge backup roller 24.

Reference numeral 22 is a discharge path switching means for switching the discharge path of the document S discharged by the document discharge roller 23 and the discharge backup roller 24. The support shaft 22b provided on the frame of the apparatus main body 46 rotates the flapper 22a. The flapper 22a is movably mounted, and the claw portion 22 is provided at a position corresponding to the nip portion between the document discharge roller 23 and the discharge backup roller 24 of the flapper 22a.
c is provided.

A slit 22d is formed at the end of the flapper 22a opposite to the claw portion 22c, and the slit 22d is formed.
A plunger 22f provided on the solenoid 22e is engaged with this. The flapper 22a operates by energizing the solenoid 22e. With the above configuration, by operating the solenoid 22e, the flapper 22a is rotated about the support shaft 22b to change the position of the claw portion 22c, and the document S discharged by the document discharge roller 23 and the discharge backup roller 24 is changed. Switch the discharge route of.

That is, when the document S which is sandwiched and discharged by the document discharge roller 23 and the discharge backup roller 24 after the image information is read by the contact image sensor 21 is discharged to the document discharge tray 29, the flapper is used. By holding 22a in the position shown by the solid line in FIG.
The document 22c approaches and retracts toward the discharge backup roller 24 side, and the document S discharged by the document discharge roller 23 and the discharge backup roller 24 is discharged onto the document discharge tray 29. This time,
The image information surface read by the contact image sensor 21 is discharged facedown with the lower surface.

When the document S is discharged to the document discharge tray 30, the flap 22a is held at the position shown by the broken line in FIG.
The leading end of the document S that is ejected below the nip between the discharge backup roller 24 and the discharge backup roller 24 and discharged by the document discharge roller 23 and the discharge backup roller 24 is guided to the inner wall of the claw portion 22c.

Then, it passes through the gap between the flapper 22a and the discharge backup roller 24, is sandwiched between the discharge backup roller 24 and the auxiliary roller 25, makes a U-turn, and is guided to the document path 26, and then the document discharge roller 27. Then, the document is discharged onto the document discharge tray 30 by the discharge backup roller 28 which is arranged to be biased by a biasing means such as a spring (not shown) with respect to the document discharge roller 27. At this time, the image information surface read by the contact-type image sensor 21 is discharged face up with the upper surface being the upper surface.

In the facsimile transmission mode described later in detail, the document discharge tray 29 has a stack of documents S stacked on the document stacking plate 9 with the image information surface facing down from the lowest order (first page) to the highest order. It is suitable for face-down discharge and stacking of the document S in which the image is read by the contact image sensor 21 in the order of pages.

In the copy mode, which will be described in detail later, the document discharge tray 30 has a stack of documents S stacked in page order with the image information surface facing down on the document stacking plate 9 from the top (last page). It is suitable for stacking the originals S, which are sequentially fed downward and whose image information has been read by the contact image sensor 21, in face-up order.

(Description of Operation in Each Mode) Next, the operation of the document feeding apparatus configured as described above will be described in detail. 5 and 6 show the operation of the document feeder in the facsimile transmission mode, and FIGS. 7 and 8 show the operation of the document feeder in the copy mode.

(Facsimile Transmission Operation) First, the facsimile transmission operation will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 5, first, the stack of documents S stacked in page order is aligned, and the stack of documents S is stacked on the document stacking plate 9 with the surface on which the image information to be read is recorded facing down (face down), and the document slider 35. Are moved in the width direction of the document S to align the document S.

Here, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 9, the document presence / absence sensor DS (Document Sensor) 33 arranged at the bottom of the document stacking plate 9 immediately after the document S is inserted is detected by the document S.
The presence or absence of the document is detected (step S1), and a signal for waiting for the processing of the document S is transmitted to a control unit (not shown) of the apparatus main body 46. At this time, the control unit (not shown) of the apparatus main body 46 is in a state of waiting for an instruction as to whether it is a facsimile transmission operation or a copy operation (step S2). At this time, the document stacking plate 9 also holds the standby state as shown in FIG.

This operation instruction standby state is displayed on the LCD (liquid crystal) panel 41e provided in the operation section 41, and is in the state of waiting for key input. Here, after selecting the reading mode and transmission mode of the document S by the function key 41d,
When the transmission destination is determined by 41b or the one-touch key 41c (step S3), the facsimile transmission mode (step S4) is entered, and the facsimile transmission operation is started by pressing the start key 41a (step S5).

At this time, the solenoid 22e operates the flapper 22a so that the document S is discharged to the document discharge tray 29 when the facsimile transmission operation is selected and the start key 41a is pressed, as shown in FIG. Hold the state.

Next, the motor 14 is rotationally driven to rotate the link member 7 in the direction of arrow c in FIG.
The feeding-side end portion 9a is moved to the upper outer peripheral surface side of the separation roller 1 (see FIG. 6B). At this time, the link member 7 passes through the highest point of the rotating arc and starts to descend toward the separation roller 1 side, and the feeding side end 9a of the document stacking plate 9 operates so as to jump over the preliminary feeding roller 8. .

Further, the link member 7 has an arrow c in FIG. 6 (b).
When rotated in the direction, the engaging portion 15d of the document regulating member 15 abuts and engages with the stopper 16 and is pressed against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 15e, and the document regulating member 15 is centered around the shaft 15a. 6 (b) and 6 (c) rotate in the direction of arrow d so that the protruding portion 15c retracts below the upper surface of the document stacking plate 9 to release the regulation of the leading edge of the document S (see FIG. 6 (c)). .

Then, the outer peripheral surface of the preliminary feeding roller 8 reaches a position protruding from the upper surface of the original stacking plate 9 through the cutout portion 9b of the feeding side end portion 9a of the original stacking plate 9 and reaches the position where the preliminary feeding roller 8 is formed. Touches the bottom surface of the lowest document S (Fig. 6 (c))
), The rotation driving operation of the motor 14 is stopped, and the document stacking plate 9 is held in a stopped state.

At this time, the preliminary feeding roller 8 comes into contact with the lower surface of the lowest document S to receive the force in the direction in which the feeding side end 9a of the document stacking plate 9 is lifted. As shown, the pin 9c provided on the feeding side end portion 9a of the document stacking plate 9 is locked to the end portion of the slit 7b of the link member 7 to raise the feeding side end portion 9a of the document stacking plate 9 described above. Suppress the action.

A torsion coil spring 15e arranged between the engaging portion 15d of the document regulating member 15 and the lower surface of the document stacking plate 9 is provided.
Is applied in a direction to raise the feeding side end 9a of the document stacking plate 9, and these actions cause the feeding side end 9a of the document stacking plate 9 to move to the separation roller 1 and the reverse rotation roller 2. It is designed to be set at an optimum position with respect to the separating section constituted by.

Next, the motor 10 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow e in FIG. 3 to rotate the preliminary feeding roller 8 and guide the document S to the separation portion composed of the separation roller 1 and the reverse rotation roller 2 ( See FIG. 6D). The lowest document S that directly contacts the separation roller 1 is conveyed to the downstream side beyond the nip portion between the separation roller 1 and the reverse rotation roller 2, and the document S higher than the lowest document S is detected by the reverse rotation roller 2. It is returned and conveyed. By this separating action, the lowest document S is separated and fed one by one.

In FIG. 5, the lowest document S1 separated by the separation roller 1 and the reverse rotation roller 2 is the upper guide pair 18a.
When the document S1 is guided by the document feeding roller 19 and the backup roller 20 and conveyed further downstream, the document edge sensor 34 provided between the document feeding roller 19 and the contact image sensor 21 causes the document S1 to move. The leading edge of the document S1 is detected, and the motor 12 is rotated by a predetermined number of steps from the time when the leading edge of the document S1 is detected, and the leading edge of the document S1 is fed to the reading position where the contact image sensor 21 faces.

Then, the original document feeding roller 19 and the backup roller 20 convey the original document S1 at a predetermined speed, and
The image information of the document S1 is read by the contact image sensor 21, the image information is binarized by a circuit in a control unit (not shown) of the apparatus main body 46, coded, and stored in a memory.

The original S1 from which the image information has been read is sandwiched between the original discharge roller 23 and the discharge backup roller 24, goes straight on, and is discharged onto the original discharge tray 29 with the image information surface of the original S1 facing downward. . Here, when the trailing edge of the first original document S1 passes through the separating portion composed of the separating roller 1 and the reverse rotation roller 2, the separating roller 1 comes into contact with the second original document S2, and the second original document S2 is contacted. After the document S2 is separated from the document S bundle and fed downstream like the first document S1 and the image information is read by the contact-type image sensor 21, the document S1 is placed on the document discharge tray 29. It is loaded with the image information side facing down.

Then, the image information of the originals S following them is sequentially read in the same manner as described above, and they are sequentially stacked on the original S2 with the image information surface facing downward, and the original S bundle is discharged. The sheets are stacked on the tray 29 in order of pages.

Before reading the image information of all the set S of originals, the facsimile of the destination dialed by the registration of the one-touch key 41c input by the above-mentioned operation or the push button of the ten-key 41b is displayed. On the other hand, the image data of the document S is transferred by an image signal transmission means (facsimile line including a modem or the like) provided in the main body 46 of the apparatus.

On the other hand, in the case of direct transmission, the start key
Immediately after pressing 41a, the facsimile line connection operation is started, and when the line connection is completed and the processing of the previous procedure is completed, the document S feeding operation and reading operation are started. In this case, memory transmission is performed, image data for several lines is stored in a buffer (not shown), and the data is sequentially transmitted every few lines while sometimes performing fallback according to the modem speed of the partner device and the state of the communication line.

After the image information of the document Sn of the last page stacked on the top of the stack of documents S set on the document stacking plate 9 is read, the facsimile transmission is completed and the communication line is disconnected. After that, the document Sn of the last page is discharged and stacked on the document discharge tray 29. After the transmission is completed, the motor 14 is rotated in the reverse direction by a predetermined step to return to the standby state shown in FIG. 6A, and the facsimile transmission operation is completed.

(Copy Operation) Next, the copy operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. Also in the case of the copy operation, similarly to the above, in FIG. 8, first, the bundle of documents S stacked in page order is aligned, and the surface on which the image information for reading the bundle of documents S is recorded on the document stacking plate 9 faces downward. (Or face down) and the originals S are aligned by moving the original slider 35 in the width direction of the original S.

The presence / absence of the document S is detected by the document presence / absence sensor 33 (step S1 in FIG. 9), and a standby state for selecting a mode (step S2) is set. The standby state is displayed on the LCD panel 41e, and the operation section 41 is displayed. Copy key 41 provided in
The copy mode is selected by pressing f (step S6), and the copy operation is started. At this time, if the ten-key 41b or the one-touch key 41c is pressed, the facsimile transmission operation starts as described above.

In step S2 of FIG. 9, the copy key
After 41f is pressed, the LCD panel 41e displays a message indicating that the number of copies and the number of copies are to be keyed in, and the operator inputs the number of copies and the number of copies with the ten key 41b (step S7).

When the start key 41a is pressed (step S8), the motor 12 rotates in the same direction as the above-mentioned facsimile transmission operation (direction of arrow a in FIG. 3), and the motor 10 transmits the above-mentioned facsimile transmission. It rotates in the opposite direction (direction of arrow f in FIG. 3) from that during operation.

Further, the solenoid 22e is not operated, and the flapper 22a is held in the state shown in FIG.
The original S is turned by the claw portion 22c, guided to the original path 26, and ejected to the original ejection tray 30 and stands by.

Next, the motor 14 is rotationally driven to rotate the link member 7 from the standby state in FIG. 8A in the direction of arrow g in FIG. 8B, and the end portion of the document stacking plate 9 on the feeding side. 9a is moved to the lower peripheral surface side of the separation roller 1. At this time, the document stacking plate 9 is inclined at a predetermined angle. At this time, the leading edge of the document S on the document stacking plate 9 is at the document regulating member 15.
The original S is prevented from coming off the inclined original stacking plate 9 due to its own weight (see FIG. 8B).

When the link member 7 further rotates to pass through the lowest point of the circular arc and start to rise, the engaging portion 15 of the document regulating member 15
d contacts and engages with the second stopper 17 (see FIG. 8 (b)), and the document regulating member 15 rotates about the shaft 15a in the direction of arrow d in FIG. 8 (c) to project the protrusion 15c. Is retracted below the upper surface of the document stacking plate 9 and retracts, and the leading edge regulation of the document S is released (FIG. 8).
(C)).

Here, the document S bundle stacked on the document stacking plate 9 slides down on the document stacking plate 9 inclined at a predetermined angle toward the document feeding side end 9a side by its own weight, and further the document S stack The leading edge contacts the separating member 3 via a notch 9b formed in the feeding side end 9a of the document stacking plate 9, and separates from the separating roller 1 along a slope 3c provided at the end of the separating member 3. It is guided to the separation part composed of the member 3 (see FIG. 8D).

At this time, the document feeding side end portion 9a in which the pin 9c of the document feeding side end portion 9a is locked to the lower end portion of the slit 7b of the link member 7 by the own weight of the document S bundle is stopped by the stopper 17
Since the engaging portion 15d abuts on and is locked, the restoring force of the torsion coil spring 15e acts on the lower surface of the original stacking plate 9,
The original stacking plate 9 is biased upward and moves.

The link member 7 is further rotated in the direction of arrow g in FIG. 8D, and the original stacking plate 9 is moved to a position where the leading edge of the original S comes into contact with the lower outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 1 (see FIG. 8
(E)), the motor 14 is rotated in the opposite direction for a predetermined number of steps to rotate the link member 7 in the direction of the arrow h in FIG. 8 (e), and the pin 9c of the document feeding side end 9a causes the link member 7 to move. The rotation operation of the motor 14 is stopped at a predetermined distance from the upper end of the slit 7b of the slit 7b to hold the link member 7 in the stopped state (see FIG. 8E).

By maintaining the stop position of the link member 7 as shown in FIG. 8E, the original stacking plate 9 is moved upward in response to the decrease in the number of the originals S on the original stacking plate 9. You can move to. That is, a predetermined degree of freedom is set in the direction in which the pin 9c provided on the document feeding side end 9a rises in the slit 7b of the link member 7, and the document regulating member is set.
Due to the restoring force of the torsion coil spring 15e provided between the document stacking plate 9 and the document stacking plate 9, the document feeding side end portion 9a is always urged in a direction in which it is raised by a predetermined force.

Therefore, as the number of the originals S on the original stacking plate 9 decreases, the height of the uppermost original S decreases and the contact pressure decreases as it separates from the separating roller 1 and the original stacking plate 9
Although the weight of the upper original S bundle decreases, the original stacking plate 9 rises due to the action of the restoring force of the coil spring 15e,
The contact pressure between the uppermost document S on the document stacking plate 9 and the separation roller 1 can be maintained substantially constant.

In this way, the document feeding side end portion 9a is set at an optimum predetermined position of the separating portion constituted by the separating roller 1 and the separating member 3 (see FIG. 8 (e)). Further, even when the number of original S bundles is small and the weight is relatively light, the original stacking plate 9 is urged toward the separation roller 1 by the restoring force of the torsion coil spring 15e, and the original feeding side end 9a is pin 9.
Since it can be moved along the slit 7b via c, it is possible to maintain the state in which the uppermost surface of the document S and the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the separation roller 1 are always in contact with each other (FIG. 8 (e)).
reference).

In FIG. 7, when the motor 10 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow f in FIG. 3, the separation roller 1 rotates in the direction of arrow i in FIG. Here, when the document S enters the separation portion formed by the separation roller 1 and the separation member 3, only the uppermost document S that directly contacts the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 1 is transported to the downstream side, and the uppermost document S. The original S below the S is restrained on the pad 3b without being conveyed to the uppermost S by the frictional force of the pad 3b of the separating member 3.

The uppermost original Sn (final page) separated by the separating roller 1 and the separating member 3 is guided to the lower guide pair 18b, nipped by the original feeding roller 19 and the backup roller 20, and conveyed further downstream. It Then, the image information of the document S is read by the contact image sensor 21 as in the above-described facsimile transmission operation, and the document discharge roller 23
And the discharge backup roller 24 and the flapper
After the discharge path is changed by 22a, the discharge backup roller 24 and the auxiliary roller 25 further sandwich it to make a U-turn, and the document passes through the document path 26 and is discharged onto the document discharge tray 30 by the document discharge roller 27 and the discharge backup roller 28. The Sn is ejected with the image information side facing up.

The image information of the document S following the document Sn is sequentially read in the same manner as described above, and the document S is sequentially stacked on the document Sn with the image information surface facing upward. From top to bottom. Then, when all the image information of the set document S bundle is read, as a result, the document S bundle is stacked on the document discharge tray 30 in page order.

The image corresponding to the image information of the original document S read by the above-mentioned contact image sensor 21 is an image forming unit which is an image forming means provided in the apparatus main body 46 shown in FIG.
The recording sheet P is recorded on the recording sheet P fed by the recording sheet cassette 49, 50 by each recording sheet feeding means 31, 32, 36, 37 by 51.

The image forming section 51 is constituted by a laser beam printer system. In the image forming section 51, a modulation signal from a laser beam oscillator of a laser scanner 52 corresponding to an image signal read by the contact image sensor 21. A beam is emitted, and the modulated signal beam is applied to the electrophotographic photosensitive drum 54 by scanning light by the polygon mirror 61 to form a toner image corresponding to image information on the surface of the photosensitive drum 54, and the fed recording is performed. After the toner image is transferred onto the sheet P and fixed by the thermal fixing device 53, the recording sheet discharge tray
It is designed to discharge to 55.

The photosensitive drum 54 is integrally incorporated in the process cartridge 60 together with the primary charger 57, the developing roller 58, and the cleaning roller 59, and is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the apparatus main body 46. The surface of the photosensitive drum 54 is uniformly charged by the primary charger 57, and when scanning light is reflected on the surface of the polygon mirror 61 by the folding mirror 62 and is irradiated, an electrostatic latent image is formed and the latent image is developed. The toner supplied from the roller 58 makes the image visible.

A roller type transfer charger 63 is arranged at a position facing the photoconductor drum 54 of the image forming section 51, and the recording sheet P passes through a conveying path 64 shown by a broken line in FIG. After the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 54 is transferred by the container 63, the toner image is conveyed along the conveyance guide 65,
The toner image is fixed by the thermal fixing device 53, and is discharged onto the recording sheet discharge tray 55 by the recording sheet discharge roller 66 with the recording surface facing upward.

The image information of the document S is sequentially recorded on the recording sheet P for each page of the document S in synchronism with the reading operation of the document S bundle. Since the pages are read sequentially from the last page, the sheets are printed backwards from the last page in order, and when the reading of the set S of originals is completed and the corresponding recording operation is completed, the copy is made. The recording sheets P which have been completed are stacked in the order of pages on the recording sheet discharge tray 55.

Next, the second sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
An example will be described with reference to FIG. The same members as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. 10, in the second embodiment, the rotational driving force of the link member 7 is supplied from the motor 10. Here, the electromagnetic clutch that serves as the clutch means
36 is arranged between the motor 10 and the shaft 7a, which is the center of rotation of the link member 7, and the electromagnetic clutch 36 can connect / disconnect the driving force from the motor 10. The side position can be held and the state position of the link member 7 can be held.

If the electromagnetic clutch 36 is connected and the motor 10 is rotationally driven in a predetermined direction to rotate the link member 7, the highest feed / the lowest feed can be realized similarly to the first embodiment. The document stacking plate 9 can be moved by moving the document stacking plate 9. At this time, since the separation roller 1 and the link member 7 rotate in the same direction, the separation roller 1 also rotates in the same direction. The motor 10 is a stepping motor, and the state position of the document stacking plate 9 can be controlled by counting the number of pulses after the electromagnetic clutch 36 is connected.

The pulse data for moving the document stacking plate 9 and the disconnection timing data of the electromagnetic clutch 36 are stored in advance in a storage unit provided in a control unit (not shown) of the apparatus main body 46, and the document stacking is performed based on the data. Position control of the plate 9 is performed. The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the same effect as that of the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

Next, the third sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
Examples will be described. The same members as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.
In the first embodiment, by changing the rotation amount of the link member 7, it is possible to change the contact pressure of the document S with respect to the preliminary feeding roller 8, that is, the conveying force of the preliminary feeding roller 8. That is, when the document edge sensor 34 shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. By increasing the contact pressure with the feeding roller 8 and increasing the conveying force for the document S, it is possible to prevent the document from not being fed.

Next, the fourth sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
Examples will be described. The same members as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.
In the first embodiment, when the conveyance force of the preliminary feeding roller 8 is large after the document S is separated at the separation unit composed of the separation roller 1 and the reverse rotation roller 2 shown in FIG. Double feed may occur.

In this case, in the prior art, the preliminary feeding roller 8 is configured to be movable up and down, and the preliminary feeding roller 8 is lowered, or the clutch means is provided to block the driving force transmitted to the preliminary feeding roller 8. I am doing it. However, in this embodiment, since the document stacking plate 9 can be moved up and down by the link member 7, after the document edge sensor 34 detects the leading edge of the document S, the feeding side end 9a of the document stacking plate 9 is removed. The conveying force can be reduced by appropriately raising and releasing the contact between the document S and the preliminary feeding roller 8. According to this structure, the carrying force of the preliminary feeding roller 8 can be adjusted with an inexpensive structure without adding any parts as compared with the related art.

[0133]

As described above, since the image reading apparatus and the image forming apparatus provided with the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention have the above-described structure and operation, both the facsimile transmission mode and the copy mode are available. In the mode, even if the originals arranged in page order are set in the same direction, the originals are read from the first page and transmitted at the time of facsimile transmission, and the originals are read from the last page and the recording sheets are face-up in document page order during copying. Can be loaded.

Therefore, since the first page is transmitted at the time of facsimile transmission, the receiver can receive it in page order, and at the time of copying, it is possible to easily confirm the print quality of the recording sheet and obtain a copy arranged in page order. I can. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to rearrange the page order of the document at the time of facsimile transmission and at the time of copying, so that there is no possibility of causing a mistake in setting the front and back surfaces of the document, and operability can be improved.

In addition, the retard system is adopted for the lowest feed which is easy to double feed, and the friction separation (Duplo) system is used for the highest feed which has relatively few double feeds and non-feeds. The structure is simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, since the two separation methods are used, it is easy to set different separation conditions such as the pressing force and the friction coefficient for the first rotating body, and wear can be reduced. It is possible to improve the sex.

By utilizing the first rotating body for both the uppermost feeding and the lowermost feeding, the structure can be simplified, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the apparatus itself can be downsized. .

In the lowermost sheet feeding, the original weight may cause non-feeding, and in the uppermost sheet feeding, the influence of the original weight of the original document is small. Therefore, the transportability is better than that in the lowermost sheet feeding. Therefore, if the preliminary feeding means is operated at the time of the uppermost sheet feeding, the double feeding may be performed instead. Therefore, the preliminary feeding means may be operated only at the lowermost sheet feeding to prevent non-feeding. .

The original can be brought into contact with the upper outer peripheral surface or the lower outer peripheral surface of the first rotating body simply by moving the original stacking plate up and down. By moving the feeding side end of the document stacking plate by the link mechanism, the document can be brought into contact with both the upper and lower outer peripheral surfaces of the first rotating body whose position is fixed, and thus the structure is inexpensive. Both the highest feed and the lowest feed can be selectively applied.

The rotation of the first rotary member and the link member is made one to one.
It is possible to control each of them in the same drive system. Further, a margin for vertically moving is provided at the feeding side end of the document stacking plate to enable delicate control of the contact pressure between the document and the first rotating body, thereby improving the reliability of document feeding. You can

Position accuracy and durability can be improved by controlling the link mechanism by the clutch means. Also, at the lowest feed, the original is fed while gradually moving downward due to its own weight, so the height of the original and the height of the separation part do not change, but at the highest feed, the original is Gradually decreases from above and moves away from the first rotating body. Therefore, at the time of the uppermost sheet feeding, the document stacking plate is moved toward the first rotating body to keep the contact pressure between the original sheet and the first rotating body constant, thereby improving the reliability of the document feeding. You can

Further, since the feeding side end of the document stacking plate moves around the preliminary feeding means, the position of the preliminary feeding means can be fixed, the structure of the apparatus is simplified and the manufacturing cost is reduced. It can be reduced. By providing the preliminary feeding means in the rotating arc of the feeding side end of the document stacking plate,
It is possible to avoid the collision between the document stacking plate and the preliminary feeding means and to downsize the apparatus.

The slit end of the link member plays a role of fixing the original stacking plate, and improves the reliability of the original conveying performance. Further, by rotating the link member, the document can be moved to the optimum position of the separating portion formed by the first rotating body and the separating member for the uppermost feeding. Also, the original stacking plate is always the first
Is held at an appropriate position with respect to the rotating body, and the contact pressure with the first rotating body is kept constant to improve the reliability of document feeding.

Since the document is guided along the slope provided on the separating member, even a document having a lower curl can be normally guided to the separating section. The original can be stopped by a simple method by restoring the original regulating member by the restoring force of the elastic member. By releasing the document restricting member by rotating the document restricting member, it is not necessary to escape the document, so that it is possible to prevent jamming.

In the process in which the document stacking plate moves to the outer peripheral surface of the first rotary member for the lowest feeding, the document restricting member is engaged with the first or second locking member to move the document stacking plate. It is released along with the movement, and in particular, the original regulating member can be released with a simple and inexpensive structure without providing a mechanism or control means for releasing the original regulating member.

Since the elastic member for restoring the document regulating member also serves as the document urging means, the document urging means can be constructed without increasing the number of parts.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus including a sheet feeding device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an overall configuration and an operation unit of an image forming apparatus including a sheet feeding device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mechanism of a feeding unit of the first embodiment of the image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing a feeding unit of an image forming apparatus including a sheet feeding device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a sheet conveying path at the time of feeding the lowest sheet.

FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D are operation explanatory views at the time of sheet lowermost sheet feeding.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a sheet conveying path at the time of feeding the uppermost sheet.

FIG. 8A to FIG. 8E are operation explanatory views at the time of sheet top feeding.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing operation control in a facsimile transmission mode and a copy mode.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a mechanism of a feeding unit of a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding device according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Separation roller, 2 ... Reverse rotation roller, 1a, 2a ... Shaft, 1
b, 2b ... pulley, 3 ... separation member, 3a ... spring, 3b ...
Pads 3c ... Slopes, 4a, 4b ... Springs, 5 ... Gear trains, 6 ... Torque limiters, 7 ... Link members, 7a ... Spindles, 7b ... Slits, 8 ... Preliminary feeding rollers, 8a ... Belts, 9 ... Originals Loading plate, 9a ... Original feeding side end, 9b ... Notch, 9c ... Pin, 9d ... Original insertion side end, 9e ... Pin, 10 ... Motor, 11 ... Belt, 12 ... Motor, 13 ... Guide member, 13a ... slit, 14 ... motor, 14a ... worm wheel, 14b ... worm, 15 ... original control member, 15a ...
Shaft, 15b ... Contact portion, 15c ... Projection portion, 15d ... Engagement portion, 15e
… Torsion coil springs, 16, 17… Stoppers, 18a, 18b…
Upper and lower guide pair, 19 ... Original feeding roller, 20 ... Backup roller, 21 ... Contact image sensor, 22 ... Discharge path switching means, 22a ... Flapper, 22b ... Spindle, 22c ... Claw part,
22d ... Slit, 22e ... Solenoid, 22f ... Plunger, 23, 27 ... Original ejection roller, 24, 28 ... Ejection backup roller, 25 ... Auxiliary roller, 26 ... Original path, 29, 30 ...
Document discharge tray 31, 32 ... Pickup roller, 33 ... Document presence / absence sensor, 34 ... Document edge sensor, 35 ... Document slider, 36, 37 ... Conveying roller pair, 41 ... Operation part, 41a ... Start key, 41b ... Numeric keypad, 41c ... One-touch key, 41d
... Function keys, 41e ... LCD panel, 41f ... Copy key, 46 ... Device body, 47 ... Original feeding section, 48 ... Image reading section, 49, 50 ... Recording sheet cassette, 51 ... Image forming section,
52 ... Laser scanner, 53 ... Thermal fixing device, 54 ... Electrophotographic photosensitive drum, 55 ... Recording sheet discharge tray, 57 ... Primary charger, 58 ... Developing roller, 59 ... Cleaning roller, 60 ... Process cartridge, 61 ... Polygon Mirror, 62 ... Folding mirror, 63 ... Roller type transfer charger, 64 ... Conveyance path, 65
... Conveyance guide, 66 ... Recording sheet discharge roller, P ... Recording sheet, S, S1, S2, Sn ... Sheet

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location B65H 3/52 310 8712-3F B65H 3/52 310Z 330 8712-3F 330Z

Claims (33)

[Claims] 1. A sheet feeding apparatus, wherein a sheet feeding means for feeding a sheet is configured to perform different feeding operations in a first mode and a second mode. 2. The sheet feeding according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is a sheet original, the first mode is a facsimile transmission mode, and the second mode is a copy mode. Sending device. 3. A sheet stacking unit for stacking sheets, and a first rotator arranged downstream of the sheet stacking unit in the sheet feeding direction for feeding the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit. A separating member arranged to face one outer peripheral surface of the first rotating body, and a second rotating body arranged to face another outer peripheral surface of the first rotating body, The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is configured as follows. 4. A slope for guiding a sheet is provided at an upstream side end portion of the separating member in the sheet feeding direction, and the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit move along the slope, and the first rotating body. 4. The structure is configured so that it is guided between the separation member and the separating member.
3. The sheet feeding device according to 1. 5. The separating member and the second rotating body are arranged so as to be separated from each other, and the separating member and the second rotating body.
The sheet feeding device according to claim 3, wherein each of the rotating bodies is configured to be biased against the first rotating body. 6. The first rotating body and the separating member cooperate with each other to separate and feed the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit one by one from the uppermost position, and the first rotating body and 4. The sheet feeding according to claim 3, wherein the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit are configured to be separated and fed one by one from the lowest order in cooperation with the second rotating body. Sending device. 7. The first rotating body is configured to selectively change the rotation direction in accordance with whether the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit are fed from the top or the bottom. The sheet feeding device according to claim 3, wherein: 8. The sheet stacking means is configured to be movable by a moving means, and the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means are rotated in the first rotation in association with a movement operation of the sheet stacking means in a predetermined direction. The sheet feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the sheet feeding device is configured to selectively contact an outer peripheral surface of a predetermined side of the body. 9. When the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit are fed from the lowest position, the sheet stacking unit is held in a stopped state, and the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit are fed from the highest position. 9. The sheet feeding device according to claim 8, wherein the sheet stacking unit is configured to move so as to hold the uppermost position of the sheet at a constant position. 10. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the sheet stacking unit is configured such that an end portion on a sheet feeding side is movable with a predetermined radius of curvature. 11. Preliminary feeding means is disposed upstream of the first rotating body in the sheet feeding direction, and the preliminary feeding is performed when the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means are fed from the lowest position. The sheet feeding device according to claim 6, wherein the sheet feeding device is configured to pre-feed the sheet by driving the means. 12. The sheet according to claim 10, wherein the preliminary feeding unit is arranged within an arc having a radius of curvature drawn by the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking unit. Feeding device. 13. The sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking means moves, passes through the highest point once, and then descends to come into contact with the lowest position of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means by the preliminary feeding means. 13. The structure according to claim 12,
3. The sheet feeding device according to 1. 14. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the preliminary feeding unit is configured by a preliminary feeding rotating body. 15. The sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking means moves to once pass through the lowest point, then moves up and down, and the first rotating body is placed at the top of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means. 11. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means come into contact with each other and are arranged between the first rotating body and the separating member. 16. The sheet stacking means comprises a sheet stacking plate having a sheet insertion side end movably supported in a horizontal direction and a sheet feeding side end movably supported with a predetermined radius of curvature. And a sheet stacked on the sheet stacking plate is selectively moved to an outer peripheral surface on a predetermined side of the first rotating body by moving the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking plate with a predetermined radius of curvature. The sheet feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the sheet feeding device is configured to come into contact with each other. 17. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the means for moving the sheet feeding side end portion of the sheet stacking plate with a predetermined radius of curvature comprises a link mechanism. 18. The link mechanism is connected to a motor that drives the first rotating body, and is configured to rotate in association with a rotating operation of the first rotating body. Item 18. The sheet feeding device according to Item 17. 19. The clutch means for cutting off the driving force transmitted to the link mechanism when the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking plate reaches a predetermined position. Sheet feeding device. 20. The link mechanism has a link member rotatable about a support shaft arranged in a direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction, and an end portion of the link member has a rotation position of the link member. A slit having a predetermined length in the moving direction is provided, and an engaging member protruding in a direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction is provided on both sides of the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking plate, and the engaging member is the slit. 18. The sheet feeding device according to claim 17, wherein the sheet feeding device is configured to be loosely engaged with. 21. The engaging member engages with an end of the slit to move an end of the sheet stacking plate on a sheet feeding side, and the lowest of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking plate is the spare. 21. The sheet feeding device according to claim 11 or 20, wherein the sheet stacking plate is configured to be held at a predetermined height by contacting a sheet feeding unit. 22. When the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking plate is arranged between the first rotating body and the separating member and a sheet feeding operation is performed, the engaging member moves along the slit. The height of the sheet feeding side end of the sheet stacking plate is changed by moving the sheet stacking plate so that the height of the uppermost sheet placed on the sheet stacking plate is held at a predetermined position. The sheet feeding device according to claim 20, wherein: 23. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sheet stacking unit is provided with a sheet regulating unit that regulates movement of sheets. 24. The sheet regulating means axially rotatably supports a sheet regulating member capable of projecting in the vertical direction with respect to the sheet surface of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means with respect to the sheet stacking means. 24. The sheet feeding device according to claim 23, wherein the sheet feeding device is configured as follows. 25. The sheet regulating member is biased by an elastic member such that a projecting portion of the sheet regulating member projects vertically with respect to a sheet surface of a sheet stacked on the sheet stacking means, When the engaging portion of the elastic member is pressed against the urging force of the elastic member, the sheet restricting member rotates to retract the protruding portion that protrudes in the vertical direction with respect to the sheet surface, and the sheet restricting member is retracted. 25. The sheet feeding restriction by the member is released.
3. The sheet feeding device according to 1. 26. The projecting portion of the sheet regulating member is retracted before the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means come into contact with the first rotating body, the second rotating body or the preliminary feeding means. The first locking member for pressing the engaging portion of the sheet regulating member is provided on the sheet.
5. The sheet feeding device according to item 5. 27. An engaging portion of the sheet regulating member so that the projecting portion of the sheet regulating member retracts before the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means come into contact with the first rotating body or the separating member. 26. The sheet feeding device according to claim 25, further comprising a second locking member for pressing. 28. When the engaging portion of the sheet regulating member is locked by the second locking member, the restoring force of the elastic member urges the sheet stacking means to stack the sheet stacking means. 28. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the uppermost sheet thus formed is configured to be urged against the first rotating body. 29. The sheet feeding device according to claim 25, wherein the elastic member is a spring member. 30. When the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit are fed from the uppermost position, the sheets are discharged out of the machine with the front and back surfaces thereof inverted and stacked on the sheet stacking unit. 7. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when the sheet is fed from the lowest position, the sheet is ejected out of the machine with the front and back surfaces of the sheet aligned. 31. A sheet feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising image reading means for reading image information of a sheet-like document fed by the sheet feeding device. An image reading device characterized by. 32. An image reading apparatus comprising an image signal transmission means for transmitting the image information read by the image reading means. 33. An image reading apparatus according to claim 31 or 32, comprising: a recording sheet feeding unit for feeding a recording sheet; and image information of the document read by the image reading unit. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording sheet fed by the recording sheet feeding unit.