JPS61204627A - Automatic original feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a defect in copying when an operation stopping means is turned on from occurring by providing an original detecting means and an original discharge control means which discharges an original from an original platen after detecting an original detecting means detects the removal of an original when an operation stop signal is inputted after the start of operation. CONSTITUTION:An original placed on an original tray 3 is fed and conveyed through the rotation of a paper feed roller 2 and conveyor rollers 3a and 3b with the print switch of a copying machine, and further mounted on the original platen 2 at a specific position through the rotation of a conveyor belt 5. Then the original is discharged onto an original discharge tray 9 from a discharge port 7 through the rotation of a paper discharging roller 6 after the scanning of an optical system. An original detection sensor 12 as the original detecting means is arranged on the original tray 3. The original detection sensor 12 consists of a couple of photosensors and photodetect reflected light of a light emitting element from the original by the photodetecting elements, thereby detecting the mounting of the original on the original tray. Consequently, a defect in copying when the operation stopping means is turned on is prevented from occurring even if an operator forgets to remount the original.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder that is mounted above the document table of a copying machine and conveys a document onto the document table.

<Summary of the Invention> To summarize, the present invention is such that when an operation stop signal is input after the start of operation, the timing for discharging the original on the original table is regulated.

<Prior Art and Its Disadvantages> Many automatic document feeders have been commercialized for the purpose of simplifying and shortening the time required to continuously copy multiple sheets of document.

The above-mentioned automatic document feeder includes a document tray on which the document before copying is placed, a paper feeder that feeds the document one sheet at a time from this document tray, and a feeding device that guides the fed document onto the document table and finishes the copying process. It is composed of a conveyor belt that later conveys the document in the discharge direction, and a document discharge tray that stores the discharged document. When the print switch of the copying machine is operated after the document is placed on the document tray, the paper feeder starts feeding the document prior to copying, and the conveyor belt moves the document to a predetermined position on the document table. It will be placed. After the scanning of the original by the optical system within the copying machine is completed, the original is transported in the paper ejection direction by rotation of the transport belt, and is ejected to the original ejection tray. After the previous original is conveyed in the paper ejection direction, the next original is fed by the paper feeding means, and the copying operation is awaited.

A plurality of originals are successively copied as described above.

Conventional automatic document feeders have been equipped with means for stopping the operation of the apparatus when it becomes necessary to change set values such as copying magnification after the start of a copying operation. However, in the conventional automatic document feeder, when the operation stop means is turned on, the operation is stopped after the document on the document table is ejected to the document ejection tray. Therefore, when the operator notices the need to correct the set values based on the formed copy image, the document ejected after the operation stop means is turned on has not been properly copied. Therefore, after completing the setting value change work, it is necessary to place the original on the original tray again and transport it to the original tray again. There have been disadvantages in that there are cases where the user forgets the original, and it may not be possible to make complete copies of multiple originals.

<Object of the Invention> In view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic document feeder that can prevent copy defects from occurring when the operation stop means is turned on.

<Configuration and Effects of the Invention> The present invention includes a document detecting means for detecting that a document is placed on a document tray, and when an operation stop signal is input after the start of the operation, the document detecting means detects when the document is taken out. The present invention is characterized by comprising a document ejection regulating means for ejecting the document on the document table after detecting the document.

With the above configuration, when the operator operates the operation stop means and an operation stop signal is input after the operation has started, the document placed on the document table after detecting that the document currently placed on the document table has been taken out. The original placed on the original can be ejected onto the original ejection tray. Therefore, since the original is ejected after preparing to re-place the original, it is possible to prevent the operator from forgetting to re-place the original at the time of starting the copying operation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of copy defects in the above situation, and it is possible to perform copying operations accurately.

<Embodiment> FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing a schematic structure of an automatic document feeder that is an embodiment of the present invention.

The automatic document feeder 1 includes a device main body portion having a conveyor belt 5 and a document ejection tray 9 disposed above a document table 22 configured on the top surface of a copying machine main body 21, and a device body portion disposed on the right side of the main body portion. and a paper feeding section having a document tray 3. A stopper 9a is movable in parallel to the paper ejection direction on the original ejection tray 9, and ejected copies 3a and 3b are disposed thereon. 11 is positioned downward, the paper is fed and transported by the rotation of the paper feed roller 2 and transport rollers 3a and 3b, and is further placed at a prescribed position on the document table 22 by the rotation of the transport belt 5. When the scanning of the rear optical system is completed, the document is guided again toward the paper ejection roller 6 by the rotation of the conveyor belt 5, and the document is ejected from the ejection lower onto the document ejection tray 9 by the rotation of the paper ejection roller 6. The document tray 3 is provided with a document detection sensor 12 which is document detection means of the present invention. The above document detection sensor 12
is composed of a pair of photosensors, and a light receiving element receives the light reflected from the original by the light emitting element, and detects that the original is placed on the original tray.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing part of the operation of the automatic document feeder and a copying machine equipped with the automatic document feeder.

After the power is turned on, step nl (hereinafter step ni)
is simply called ni. ), paper size, number of copies,
Numerical values such as copy magnification are set and input. Next, in n2, it is determined whether the document detection sensor 12 detects that a document is placed on the document tray 3. n
2, the document detection sensor 12 detects the placement of the document,
When the copying machine has finished warming up, the print switch is turned on at n3 to indicate to the operator that the copying operation can be started. Next, when the print switch is operated at n4, the paper feed roller 2, conveyance rollers 3a, 3b, and conveyance belt 5 rotate at n5, and the document is conveyed to a prescribed position on the document table 22. After this, scanning of the optical system is started and a copying operation is performed. At nl, the operation stop means is turned on during the copying operation, and it is determined whether or not an operation stop signal is input. If the operation stop signal is not output at nl, the process proceeds to n12, where the conveying roller 5 and ejection roller 6 are rotated to eject the original placed on the original platen 22 onto the original ejection tray 9. n
When the ejection is completed in step 13, the process proceeds to n14, where it is determined whether or not the original remains on the original tray 3. If the original remains on the original tray 3, the process returns to n5. n
When the operation stop signal is output at step 1, the process proceeds to n8, where it is determined whether or not the document detection sensor 12 has detected removal of the document from the document tray 3.

When the document detection sensor 12 detects removal of the document at n8, the document currently placed on the document table 22 is ejected at nlo, the start of the copying operation is disabled at nil, and the process returns to nl. When the document detection sensor 12 does not detect removal of the document at n8, it is determined at n9 whether or not the print switch has been operated. When the print switch is operated at n9, the process returns to nl and the copying operation continues. If the print switch is not operated at n9, re-input of the set value is awaited at n15.

During normal copying operation n 5-+n 6-+n 7-n
The operations 12-n 13-n l 4-n'5 are repeated to continuously perform the copying operation for the number of sheets placed on S (original) ray 3. When the operation stop signal is input after the start of the copying operation, the operation is immediately stopped, and after the original detection sensor 12 detects the removal of the original, the original placed on the original platen 22 is ejected and the setting values etc. Wait for input change.

In the above operation, n8 and n10 correspond to the document ejection regulating means of the present invention. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of defective copies caused by the operator forgetting to remount the document when the operation stop means is turned on.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing part of the operation of an automatic document feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention and a copying machine using this automatic document feeder, and FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic structure of the automatic document feeder. FIG. 3-original tray, 12-original detection sensor, 22-original table.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An original detection means detects that an original is placed on the original tray, and when an operation stop signal is input after the operation starts, the original detection means detects that the original is taken out and then the original is placed on the original tray. An automatic document feeder comprising: a document ejection regulating means for ejecting a document.