JPS62235148A - Automatic original feed device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to use a discharge function in part even when a sheet original is not automatically fed, by driving an original discharge operating section in accordance with the operation of a discharge mode selecting means to force a sheet original on an image reading section to be discharged. CONSTITUTION:In an automatic image feed device 1, an original setter section B is made to fall down during automatic feed mode, and sheet originals are fed one by one onto an image bed glass pane 3 by means of a feeder section A, and after being read, are discharged onto a discharge tray 17 by means of an original discharge section C. During this automatic feed, when a forcible original discharge operating means 30 is operated by depressing an original discharge key 17, the operation of the feeder section A is stopped to discharge a sheet original on the glass pane 3 onto the discharge tray 17. Further, in the case of OHP originals or the like, the setter section B is moved upward and then is set directly on the glass pane 3. Thereafter, the setter section B is made to fall down for copying, and when the key 27 is depressed, the original sheet is discharged onto the tray 17. Thus, it is possible to use the function of the automatic sheet feed device even for an original which is not automatically fed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder, and more specifically, to an automatic document feeder for automatically feeding sheet documents in image forming devices such as image reading devices, copying machines, and laser beam printers. The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder used for feeding documents.

1) Prior Art Conventionally, an automatic document feeder (ADF) used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus) is placed above the image reading section of the image forming apparatus. It is equipped with a conveyance means such as a conveyor belt for conveying a sheet document, and automatically conveys and places the sheet document on the document table of the image reading section, and also conveys the sheet document after reading the image, The document M is ejected from the document tray. When the automatic document feeder places the sheet document on the document placement table, it detects the leading edge of the sheet document being conveyed, stops the conveying means at a certain timing, and places the sheet document. For this reason, the automatic document feeder often uses a light reflection type sensor or a light transmission type sensor to accurately detect the leading edge of the document. (Overhead projector) If it is difficult to transport originals such as paper, and if mechanically operated sensors such as a set of levers or light-acting microswitches are used, holes or wrinkles may be present at the leading edge of the original. Since the sensor often malfunctions, there are restrictions on the types of documents that can be used. Furthermore, the automatic document feeder has limitations on the size of documents, such as the inability to transport small-sized documents such as postcards and business cards. Furthermore, the document transported by the automatic document feeder may be misaligned in the tiI horizontal direction on the document placement table due to feeding accuracy, slippage, and the like. For this reason, not all sheet originals are automatically fed, and especially for highly transparent originals such as OHP paper originals, small-sized originals, or originals that require accurate image formation without misalignment, the operator must Each document is placed on the document table by manual operation, and the image is read. At that time, the conveyor belt portion of the automatic document feeder was simply used as a document pressure plate, and was opened and closed each time the document was replaced on the document table.

←→ Problems to be Solved by the Invention Incidentally, since the automatic document feeder is equipped with a conveyance means such as a conveyor belt and a drive means, it is heavier and less rigid than the document pressure plate of a normal image forming apparatus. is highly structured. For this reason, it is extremely troublesome for the operator to open and close the heavy automatic document feeder every time a document is replaced, and furthermore, opening and closing the automatic document feeder can cause problems such as sheet documents being scattered by wind pressure. Idiots who can't take advantage of the advantages 9 and disadvantages have also arisen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use automatic document feeder that can partially utilize the functions of sheet documents for which the automatic document feeder cannot be used.

(b) Means for Solving the Problem The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and includes a forced document ejection mode setting means for preferentially operating the document ejection operating section, and selects the setting means. The method is characterized in that a discharge mode selection means is disposed, and based on the operation of the setting means, a document discharge operation section is driven to forcibly discharge the sheet document on the image reading section from the reading section. It is something.

Based on the configuration described above last month, the sheet original that was automatically fed is automatically conveyed and placed on the image reading section of the image forming device, the image is read, and after the image is read, it is conveyed again and sent to the image reading section. Get expelled from it. Then, when the forced document ejection mode is selected by the ejection mode selection means during automatic feeding, the forced document ejection mode setting means stops conveyance of the sheet original to the image reading section, and then the sheet document is further placed on the image reading section. At the same time, the new image reading of the sheet original placed on the image reading unit is stopped, and the original ejecting unit is driven, and the sheet original on the image reading unit is conveyed and ejected from the image reading unit. Ru. Also, automatic feed is not allowed,
Alternatively, a sheet document for which automatic feeding is not used may be directly placed on the image reading section of the image forming apparatus by the operator's hand. When the forced document discharge mode is selected by the discharge mode selection means, the document discharge actuating section is driven by the document strong MJ discharge mode setting means, and the sheet document is conveyed and discharged from the image reading section.

(f) Example Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

An automatic document feeder (ADF) 1, as shown in FIG.
It is arranged above and consists of a raw material feeder section A, a document setter section B, a document discharge section C, and the like. The document feeder section A is provided with an original fJ% loading tray 5, and is also provided with a feeding mechanism 9 consisting of a feeding belt 6 and a separation belt 7 that operate into or away from each other. .

Further, the document setter section B is provided with a pickup roller [11111 that operates to contact and separate from the guide plate 1o, and is further wound around the drive rollers 12 and 13 and guided by the guide rollers 15... An endless conveyor belt 16 that slides on the base glass 3 is disposed, and above the endless conveyor belt 16 is provided an ejection tray 17 on which ejected sheet originals are stacked. Further, a pair of document reversing guides 19 is provided in the document discharging section C, and a pair of document introducing rollers 20 and a pair of document discharging rollers 21 are provided in the document reversing path formed by the pair of document reversing guides 19, respectively. has been done. The document setter section B is integrated with the document discharge section C and the discharge tray 5, and has a structure in which it can be raised and lowered with respect to the document table glass 3 using its rear side as a fulcrum, and raises and lowers the document sector section B. In this state, a document that does not use automatic feeding is manually placed on the document table glass 3, and then the document sector section B is folded down and the endless conveyor belt 16 of the document sector section B is used as a document pressure bonding plate. Copying is now possible.

Further, the document feeder section A is provided with an ADF key 22, as shown in FIG. 27 are arranged.

On the other hand, the automatic document feeder 1 is provided with a control device 29, as shown in FIG.
It is equipped with a forced original ejection operation means 30 as shown in the flowchart of FIG. The feeding mechanism 9 based on the means 30
, and drives and controls the document ejecting unit, etc., which includes a drive roller 12, an endless conveyor belt 16, a pair of document introduction rollers 20, and a pair of document discharge rollers 21, to preferentially convey and transport sheet documents on the document table glass 3. Discharge.

Since this embodiment has the above configuration, when a sheet document is automatically fed, the automatic document feeder! ! 1, first, the document setter section B is tilted downward and brought into contact with the upper surface of the image reading section 2. Then, the sheet originals are stacked on the original tray 5 with the image reading surface facing downward, and the original T1411! It is detected by a sensor provided on the storage tray 5. Then, when ADF key 22 is pressed,
The sheet originals are separated and conveyed one by one by the feeding mechanism 9 starting from the last page at the top, and are transferred between the document table glass 3 and the endless conveyance belt 16 via the pickup roller mechanism 11. be introduced. Then, the sheet manuscript is
The document is conveyed along the upper surface of the document table glass 3 by the endless conveyor belt 16 and placed at a predetermined position on the document table glass 3. Further, the image of the sheet document is read by the image reading section 2, and after reading the image, it is again conveyed by the endless conveyor belt 16 and reaches the document discharge section C, where it passes through the document reversing guide pair 19,
The documents are reversed and conveyed by a pair of document introduction rollers 20 and a pair of document discharge rollers 21, and are sequentially discharged and placed on the discharge tray 17. At this time, unless the copy stop key 26 is pressed, all sheet documents are continuously transported and image read, and placed on the output tray 17 with the image reading side facing up, and the last page of the page type is placed at the bottom. They are then loaded one after another. Also, place the copy output paper with the image side facing up.
Since the sheets are stacked one after another with the last page at the bottom, the pages of both the output sheet original and the copy output sheet match. Furthermore, when the document ejection key 27 is pressed as desired during the automatic feeding of the sheet document described above and the forced document ejection mode is selected, the control device 29 controls the document feeder section A based on the forced document ejection operation means 3o. In addition to interrupting the operation of the feeding mechanism 9, in the case of multiple copy mode, the operation of reading a new image of the sheet original on the document platen glass 3 is stopped, and after the image reading is completed, the operation of the document ejection operation section is stopped for a predetermined period of time. By driving, the sheet original on the original table glass 3 is ejected onto the ejection tray 17 (see FIG. 3(a)). At this time, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3(b), while the document ejection key 27 is pressed down, the document ejection actuating section may be driven to eject the sheet document on the document table glass 3. good.

On the other hand, originals that are not automatically fed, such as OHP paper originals,
When copying small-sized originals or originals that require accurate copying without misalignment, the original setter section B is raised upward and the sheet original is manually placed on the upper surface of the original platen glass 3. . Then, when the document setter section B is tilted downward and the endless conveyor belt 16 acts as a document pressure bonding plate and presses the sheet document onto the document table glass 3, the copy start key 25 of the operation section 23 is pressed and the sheet document is pressed. Image reading of the original volume is performed. Then, when the original ejection key 27 is pressed after or during image reading and the forced original ejection mode is selected, the control device 29 starts a new image reading operation based on the forced original ejection operation means 30. After stopping and reading the image, the document ejecting unit is driven for a predetermined period of time to forcibly eject the sheet document from the document table glass 3 onto the ejection tray (see FIG. 3(a)).

It goes without saying that in the automatic document feeder 1 of this embodiment, the copying machine M provided therein can copy documents such as books that are not in the form of a sheet in the conventional manner.

Further, in this embodiment, the control device 29 is connected to the automatic document feeder 1.
Although the configuration is such that the copying machine M
It may be configured to be disposed in the main body.

(G) As described in detail, according to the present invention, when the forced document ejection mode is selected, the document ejection actuating section is driven to feed and eject the sheet document on the image reading section. Even if the automatic document feeder is not used or cannot be used for sheet documents, the ejection function of the automatic document feeder can be partially used, so there is no need to open the heavy automatic document feeder. In addition, it is sufficient to install an ejection mode selection means in the automatic document feeder 9 device or the main body of the image forming apparatus, and it can be manufactured at low cost with a simple configuration, and the selection means can be easily manufactured. You can forcefully eject documents with a simple operation.

In addition, if the image forming apparatus is configured to interrupt operation when the forced document ejection mode is selected, it will prevent image forming operation when there is no document in the image reading section, thereby reducing wastage of transfer sheets, etc. (You can.

Furthermore, if the automatic document feeding operation is configured to be interrupted when the forced document ejection mode is selected during the automatic document feeding operation, even if there is a document on the document stacking tray 5, the image forming operation due to the forced document ejection described above will not be performed. can be done interruptively.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an automatic document feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view thereof, and FIG.
) is a partially modified flowchart 1. 1... Automatic document feeder, 2... Image reading section
, 12.16, 20, 21... Original discharge operation unit (drive roller, endless conveyance belt, original introduction roller pair, original discharge roller pair), 22... Discharge mode selection means (document discharge key), 30. - Original forced ejection mode setting means, M...image forming apparatus (copying machine).

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Convey the sheet original to the image reading section of the image forming device.
In an automatic document feeder that transports and ejects the sheet document from the image reading section by a document ejection operation section after the sheet document is placed and the image is read, a forced document ejection mode setting means is provided for preferentially operating the document ejection operation section. , and a discharge mode selection means for selecting the setting means is installed, and based on the operation of the selection means, the document discharge operation section is driven to forcibly discharge the sheet document on the image reading section from the reading section. An automatic document feeder characterized by comprising: