JPS61226433A - Automatic original copy feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the tilting of a rotary shaft for a belt drive roller in order to always feed original copies, appropriately, by allowing bearing members to which the rotary shaft is journalled, to abut against a block set on the upper surface of a copying machine through the intermediary of an urging member without the rotary shaft being fixed to the frame. CONSTITUTION:An endless belt 12 is stretched between and driven by a pair of belt drive rollers 10. In this arrangement, a bearing member 102 journalling the copying operation side one end of the rotary shaft 101 for the above- mentioned drive roller 10 is secured to a frame 24. Further, a bearing member 103 journalling the other end of the rotary shaft on the side remote from the copying operation side is fitted in an elongated hole 241 formed in the frame 24, loosely in the vertical direction, and is attached to the upper surface of the frame 24 through the intermediary of an urging member 104. Further, a block 36 is set on the upper surface of the copying machine at a position corresponding to the bearing member 103. With this arrangement even if pressing force is exerted at the upper surface of an original copy feeder 14, the above- mentioned rotary shaft 101 may be prevented from tilting, thereby it is possible to feed original copies, appropriately.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder used in an electrophotographic copying machine, and more particularly to an automatic document feeder used by covering the top of the copying machine like a cover (openable and closable).

131 mouth [Vertical] In a typical electrophotographic copying machine, the original is placed on a transparent platen glass installed on the top of the device, and the electrostatic latent is deposited on the photoreceptor by scanning exposure from the bottom of the platen glass. An image is formed, developed with a developer, made visible, and then transferred to transfer paper and fixed to obtain a copy. During exposure scanning,
A document cover is usually provided on the top of the copying machine to prevent the light emitted from a high-intensity lamp such as a halogen lamp and scanning the entire surface of the platen glass from leaking outside the copying machine.
The operator protects his eyes from the bright light by placing a document cover over the document placed on the platen glass.

When copying using a copying machine with the above configuration, if there is only one original, there is no problem because you only need to cover the cover once even if there are many copies, but when there are many originals, there is no problem. This requires the operation of covering each document one by one, which poses a problem in that copying efficiency deteriorates.

Recently, in view of this problem, models have been provided that are equipped with an automatic document feeder that eliminates the need to open and close the cover each time when copying various types of documents. This document feeder has a cover-like shape that can be opened and closed over the platen glass, and drives an endless belt stretched between a pair of belt drive rollers inside the device to move the document onto the platen glass. The original is conveyed to the optimum position, and after copying is completed, the original is ejected.

In the above-mentioned document feeder, the static friction force of the document against the belt and the dynamic force against the platen glass are the main points to be solved. Since the difference between the vibration force and the vibration force is the driving force for conveying the document, the distance between the belt and the platen glass must be strictly controlled. However, the document feeder is normally configured to be able to open and close freely by rotating via a hinge provided on the opposite side of the top surface of the copying machine, and due to the structure of the device, the rotation wheel of the hinge and the belt drive in the document feeder There is a problem in that the distance between the roller and the supporting portion becomes long, and the distance between the belt and the platen glass may become unstable.

FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are for explaining the above-mentioned case, and show a frame 2 of a document feeding device 14 containing a pair of belt drive rollers 10 and a belt 12 stretched between them.
4 is provided on the top surface 16 of the copying machine so that it can be opened and closed via a hinge 18 provided on the side opposite to the copying operation. Bearing members 102 and 103 that support the rotating shaft 101 of the belt drive roller 10 are fixed to the frame 24.

When a document feed operation is required, the document feeder is arranged so that there is no gap between the platen glass 20 on the top of the copying machine and the belt 12, and the document 22 is inserted in the direction of arrow A in the figure. The original Wi 22 is conveyed to a preset position on the platen glass 20, and after a desired number of copies are made, it is discharged in the direction of arrow B. Further, when the document feeding operation is not required, the document feeding device @14 can be used simply as a cover without operating the belt driving means (not shown).

In the document feeding device with such a configuration, since the end of the belt 12 captures the leading edge of the document to start conveying it, the distance between the rotating shaft 101 of the belt drive roller and the platen glass 20 must be strictly controlled. When configuring the device, the device provider usually adjusts the distance to an accuracy of within 1jIII. Furthermore, in order to keep the distance constant, a positioning member 26 is provided on the frame side between the copying work side of the frame 24 that pivotally supports the rotating shaft of the belt drive roller and the top surface 16 of the copying machine. There are many.

In this case, among the members 102 and 103 of the bearings that pivotally support the belt drive row 510 on the frame, the one on the front side of the copying operation 102 is close to the positioning member 26, so it hardly moves up and down. The bearing at the other end is member 10
3 is located far away from both the hinge 18 and the positioning member 26 due to the structure of the device, so it could easily move up and down due to distortion of the frame 24 and the like. For example, when an operator places a pile of copied originals or copy paper on the top of the document feeder, or presses the top of the document feeder with his/her hand for some reason, the bell 1- There is a problem in that the rotating shaft 101 of the drive roller is tilted with respect to the platen glass 20, and the document may not be conveyed to a predetermined position on the platen glass, or the document may not be conveyed at all.

In addition, the distance between the rotating shaft 101 of the belt drive roller and the platen glass 20 needs to be adjusted with an accuracy of within 1al1 as described above, and the equipment provider needs to adjust the bearings to the frames of the members 102 and 103 when configuring the equipment. The distance is adjusted by changing the fixed position relative to 24. However, the hinge 18 that supports the document feeder 14 so that it can be opened and opened is under the action of a biasing member (not shown) that biases the document feeder in the direction of opening in order to reduce the operating type j of the document feeder. Another problem was that it was difficult to make adjustments.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and
The purpose is to provide a document feeder in which the rotation axis of the belt drive roller does not tilt even if a pressing force is applied from the top surface of the document feeder.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a document feeding device in which the position of a bearing for supporting the rotating shaft of a belt drive roller in a frame can be easily adjusted.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the problems, the present invention provides a pair of belt drive rollers, an endless belt stretched between the pair of belt drive rollers, and a rotating shaft of the pair of belt drive rollers. A bearing that rotatably supports both ends is a member, one bearing fixes the member and the other bearing is attached to a frame that allows the member to move up and down via a biasing member, and a bearing that can move up and down is a member. A document feeding device is provided that includes a block that is held between the top surface of a copying machine and a block that regulates the distance.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bearing that supports the rotating shaft of the belt drive roller is a general bearing, and the distance between the vertically movable bearing plate member and the top surface of the copying machine is regulated. The block is fixed to the top of the copying machine.

11-m In the document feeder of the present invention, in the set state,
The bearing that supports the rotating shaft of the belt drive roller is always pressed against the block on the top of the copying machine by the biasing member, so even if it is pressed from above the frame of the document feeder, the rotating shaft will not touch the platen glass. remain parallel.

EXAMPLES Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a partially sectional side view of the document feeder of the present invention as seen from the copying operation side, and 10 is a belt drive pair 0-RA rotatably supported around an unillustrated shaft; The belt 12 is rotated by a rotary drive means that does not have a rotary drive mechanism, and drives the belt 12 wound between the pair of rollers. The belt 12, which serves as a background during copying, is seamlessly formed from white rubber or the like, and has a protruding pad 121 formed on its surface to easily catch the leading edge of the document. 30 is a feed roller provided on the frame 24 to capture and convey a document manually inserted from the right side in the figure;
The document captured by the feed roller 30 is conveyed until the leading edge of the document abuts against the locking claw 32, and is once locked therein. Two or more locking claws 32 are disposed on the lower surface of the document feeder 14 in the direction of the rotation axis of the belt drive roller, and are configured to be movable up and down. After correcting the inclination, it is configured to be hidden inside the document feeder.

34 is a registration region gate that is rotatably provided around the rotation @341 provided on the main body of the copying machine;
The original conveyed by the belt 12 is placed on the platen glass 20.
The document is once locked so that it is held at an appropriate position above the copying machine, and then it is hidden inside the copying machine after the desired number of copies have been made. The original that has been copied is ejected to the left in the figure and moved to the next cycle.

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view seen from the document ejection side that best represents the features of the document feeding device of the present invention. The member 102 is fixed to the frame 24. Further, as best illustrated in FIG. 2 showing the I-I cross section, the bearing member 103 that pivotally supports one end on the opposite side of the copying operation is vertically movable in the elongated hole 241 provided in the frame 24. It is loosely fitted and attached to the upper surface of the frame via a biasing member 104. The frame 24 is installed on the upper surface of the copying machine via a hinge 18 on one side, and can be rotated about the hinge. Further, a positioning member 26 is provided on the side of the frame 24 opposite to the side connected to the hinge. The positioning member 26 is composed of a screw 261 screwed into the frame 24 and nuts 262 and 262 that tighten the screw to the frame. By adjusting the length of the portion of the screw 261 that protrudes downward from the frame 24, the bearing can be adjusted. It is possible to set the height of member 102.

Reference numeral 36 denotes a block provided on the top surface of the copying machine at a position corresponding to the bearing member 103. is set.

The hinge 18 that connects the frame 24 and the main body of the copying machine is
As best shown in FIG. 4, the outer frame 181 and
A rotating member 1 is rotatably provided around a shaft member 183 that is pivotally supported by an outer frame 181 via a bearing 182.
84, a rotating member 187 that is rotatably provided around a shaft member 186 that is pivotally supported by the rotating member 184 via a bearing 185, and a rotating member 187 that is held between the rotating member 187 and the outer frame 181. It consists of a compression spring 188 that presses the rotating member 187 in the direction of the rotating member 184, and the rotating member 184 is connected to the frame 24 of the document feeder by means such as welding. Bearing 1 that pivotally supports the rotating member 187
85 is located below the bearing 182 that pivotally supports the rotating member 184, so that the compression spring 18
8 moves the rotating member 184 around the shaft member 183 in the direction of arrow C in the figure.
The document feeder 14 appears to rotate in the direction of the above operation! ffi is reduced.

In this embodiment, the document feeder is attached to the copying machine main body via a hinge using a compression spring for the above purpose, but the compression spring is not necessary if the weight of the apparatus is small and does not constitute the present invention. It is not indispensable.

Further, although the positioning member 26 for adjusting the height of the rotating shaft of the belt drive roller is constructed by a combination of a screw and a nut, it is needless to say that the positioning member 26 is not limited to this.

In the document feeder of the present invention, the bearing that supports the rotating shaft of the belt drive roller is not fixed to the frame, but is
Since it is brought into contact with the block on the top surface of the copying machine via the biasing member, there is an effect that even if a pressing force is applied to the top surface of the frame, no abnormality will occur in the document feeding operation.

As a result, it becomes possible to place a prepared original or a copied original on the frame.

Furthermore, since the height of the rotation axis of the belt drive roller is determined by the block and the positioning member, there is no need to make fine adjustments to these when assembling the device, resulting in an effect of reducing the number of manufacturing steps.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view that best shows the features of the document feeder of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a partial cross-section of the document feeder of the present invention. Side View FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are a plan view and a partial side view of a hinge used in the document feeder of the present invention. FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are a partially broken plan view and a partially broken side view of a conventional document feeder, 10: Belt drive roller 101: Rotating shaft 102, 103: Bearing member 104: Attached. Reinforcement member 12: Belt 121: Projection pad 14: Original feeder 18: Hinge 20 Nib platen glass 22: Original 24: Frame 241: Elongated hole 26: Positioning member 261 Niscrew 262: Nut 30: Feed roller 32: Locking claw 3
6: Block 34 registration registration gate 341: Rotation axis

Claims (1)

[Claims] A pair of belt drive rollers, an endless belt stretched between the pair of belt drive rollers, a bearing member that rotatably supports both ends of the rotating shaft of the pair of belt drive rollers, and one bearing member that is fixed and the other A frame to which a bearing member is attached so as to be vertically movable via a biasing member, and a block which is held between the vertically movable bearing member and the top surface of the copying machine to regulate the distance. automatic document feeder.