JPS63123036A - Automatic original feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent an original from jamming owing to its Z-shaped folded part by detecting the front end of the original and conveying the original by a conveyor roller while driving a suction means on the reverse surface of an original conveyance path. CONSTITUTION:When the original P which is placed on an original tray 40 and folded in a Z shape is conveyed to the original conveyance path 3 and its front end is detected by an original detection sensor 16, an ON signal is inputted to a CPU 41 through an I/O interface 44, a fan 21 is rotated with a control signal from the CPU 41, and the conveyor roller 13 is stopped, thereby sucking the rear end of the original P. Then the conveyor roller 13 rotates to spread the folded part of the original P, which is conveyed toward an original platen 51 by being released from a suction force from small holes 10b while spread. Consequently, the Z-shaped folded part is spread automatically and prevented from jamming.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a document feeding section that includes a document tray for setting documents, and a paper feed roller for feeding the documents one by one toward the document table. The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as ADF) equipped with an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as ADF).

Middle) Summary of the Invention To summarize, the ADF according to the present invention includes a detecting means for detecting the leading edge of the document in the document feeding path of the document feeding unit, and a detecting device for detecting the leading edge of the document when the detecting device detects the trailing edge of the document. The apparatus is provided with a suction means for suctioning the document, and automatically unfolds the folded portion of the document when the document is conveyed.

(C1 Conventional Technology The ADF used in image forming devices such as copying machines is an optical device that transports originals set face down on a document tray to the document table one by one at the beginning of the copying process, and is placed below the document table. After the document scanning is completed, the document is discharged from the document storage section.

By the way, when filing JIS standard A3 or 84 size paper, it is often bound into an A4 or 85 size file, and when filing, the paper is folded in a Z shape in the longitudinal direction. There is. When copying such a double-bent document, it is necessary to unfold the Z-shaped bent portion and set it on the document tray of the ADF. Therefore, conventionally, when it is necessary to copy such a manuscript,
The paper is developed and flattened in advance before being placed in the document tray.

(d) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with the above-mentioned conventional ADF, there is an inconvenience in that it takes time and effort to unfold a document that has been folded into a Z shape and set it on the document tray.
In some cases, a document that has been folded into a shape is set as is on the document tray, and in such a case, a document jam occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional art, an object of the present invention is to provide a means for automatically unfolding a document folded in a Z-shape in the document feeding section of an ADF, thereby eliminating the trouble of unfolding a document folded in a Z-shape. To provide an automatic document feeder that eliminates the problem of erroneously setting a document folded in two on a document tray and conveying it to the document table, causing document jams, unlike conventional automatic document feeders. Means for Solving the FE1 Problem in Doing This invention comprises a document tray for setting documents, and a paper feed roller for feeding the documents one by one to a document conveyance path formed in the direction of the document table. In an automatic document feeder equipped with a document feeder, the document feeder includes a suction means for suctioning the document onto the lower surface of the document conveyance roller, a conveyance roller for conveying the document located closer to the document table than the suction means, and a conveyance roller for conveying the document. A detection means for detecting the leading edge of the original is provided on the original table side of the document, and a means for operating the suction means when the sensing means detects the leading edge of the original is provided.

(f) Function In the automatic document feeder according to the present invention, a document folded in a Z-shape is fed to the document tray through the document conveyance path by the feed roller, and further conveyed to the document table side by the conveyance roller. , the detection means detects the leading edge of the document and operates the suction means. As a result, the trailing end of the Z-folded document is suctioned to the lower surface of the document conveyance path by the suction means, and the Z-shaped folded portion is unfolded by the conveyance roller and conveyed to the document table side.

(g) Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the ADF of the present invention.

The ADF is provided at the top of the copying machine main body 50.

It will be done.

The document P placed on the document tray 40 is fed by the document feed section and is conveyed to the document conveyance section 3 . A conveyor belt 31 is stretched between conveyor rollers 31a and 31b within the document conveyor main body 30. As shown in FIG. This conveyance roller 3
Either 1a or 31b is a drive roller.

The drive roller is driven to rotate clockwise when a document is detected by a document detection sensor 17 disposed on the right side of the document transport section. When the conveyance roller rotates, the conveyance belt 31 draws the document between the document table 51 and the conveyance belt 31 and conveys it to the left. The leading edge of this conveyor belt 31 is connected to the document table 51.
Once it reaches the left reference position, the drive is temporarily stopped.

In this state, the document surface is exposed to light. Furthermore, after the exposure is completed, the conveyor belt 31 is driven again, and
The conveyance rollers in the conveyance path 32 are driven, and the document is transferred to the conveyance path 3.
The document is discharged to the document storage section 4 via the document storage section 2 .

The document storage section 4 includes a recess 35 formed in the upper part of the document transport section main body 30, and a regulating plate 34 that regulates the leading edge position of the document discharged into the recess 35. The regulating plate 34 is provided so as to be movable in the M direction shown by the arrow in the figure.

A regulating plate 34 aligns the leading edges of the ejected documents to prevent scattering within the document storage section.

An opening 10a is formed on the right side of the document feeding section 1. A document tray 40 is provided in the opening projecting upwardly to the right from the lower end. Furthermore, a pair of document detection sensors 15 are arranged above and below the opening. This document detection sensor 15 detects the document on the document tray 40 . Also,
A document conveyance path 10 is formed from the lower end position of the opening to the left side (toward the document table). A small hole 10a is formed on the lower surface of the center of the document transport path 10, and a fan storage section 20 in which a fan 21 is stored is formed below the small hole 10a.

A pair of paper feed rollers 12 are provided in the document transport path 10 . A pick-up roller 11 is disposed on the document tray side of the paper feed roller 12. A support arm 11a for vertically moving the rotation axis of the pick-up roller 11 is provided on the upper roller shaft of the paper feed roller 12.

If the document detection sensor 15 detects a document on the document tray when the print key is operated, the support arm 11a brings the call-out roller 11 into contact with the top surface of the leading edge of the document, and simultaneously controls the call-out roller 11 and the paper feed roller 12. Rotate clockwise. As a result, the originals are fed one by one to the original transport path.

The fan storage section 20 has an air outlet 20a formed on the right side of the fan storage section, and an air adjustment hole 20b whose opening size can be adjusted freely on the left side wall.

When the fan is running, air is pumped through the small hole 10b into the fan storage section 2.
0 and discharged to the air outlet 20a. At this time, the air adjustment port 20b adjusts the size of the opening and
The amount of air flowing in from 0a can be adjusted. That is, it is possible to adjust the force F2 by which the original is attracted to the lower surface of the original transport path near the small hole.

Further, a conveyance roller 3, a document detection sensor 6, and a pair of conveyance rollers 4 are arranged in this order on the document conveyance path on the document table side of the document conveyance path in which the small hole 10b is formed. .

When the fed document P is conveyed to the document hand side by the conveyance roller 3 and the leading edge of the document is detected by the document detection sensor 6, the fan 21 is driven by the detection signal and the conveyance roller 3 is driven. The drive is stopped. Furthermore, after a certain period of time, the transport roller 3 is driven again and the document is sent to the document transport path 3.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control section of the ADF.

The ON signals of the document sensors 5, 16, 17, the ON signals of the print switch, etc. are input to the CPU 41 via the I10 interface 44. On the other hand, the CPU 41 outputs a control signal for the transport motor 48 (the drive motor for the call roller 1 and the paper feed roller 2 of the document feed section) to the transport motor driver 45 via the I10 interface 44. Further, a control signal for the fan motor 2 is output to the fan motor driver 46 . Furthermore, a control signal for a transport motor 49 (a drive motor for the transport belt 31 disposed on the document transport path) is output to the transport motor driver 47 . A ROM 42 and a RAM 43 are connected to the CPU 41. The ROM 42 stores the on-timings of the drive motors for the conveyance rollers 3 and 14 of the document feeding section, the drive rollers of the conveyance bell 31 of the document conveyance path, and the drive motor of the conveyance path 43 in the conveyance path 32.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the ADF.

While power is being applied to the copying machine main body 50, a document P is placed on the document tray 40, and step nl (hereinafter referred to as step IInb) is
), the print key is operated at n2
When the document sensor 15 is turned on, the process advances to n3.

At n3, the calling roller 11, paper feed roller 12, and conveyance roller 13 are turned on at the same time, and the document is transferred to the document tray 40.
The document is then sent to the document conveyance path 10. When the leading edge of the document is detected by the document sensor 16 at n4, the calling roller 11, feed roller 12, and conveyance roller 13 are turned off at n5.
When the document stops at this position, the fan 21 rotates and sucks the rear end of the document near the small hole 10b on the lower surface of the document transport. Further, at the ON timing stored in the ROM 42 in the control section, the conveyance motors of the conveyance rollers 13 and 14 are turned on, and the document is again conveyed to the document table and sent to the document conveyance section 3. (n6→n7). The above operations are performed in the paper feed section 1. Next, when the above-mentioned document is detected by the document sensor 17 in the document conveyance section 3, the conveyance belt 3
The conveyance motor M2 of No. 1 is turned on and the document is conveyed onto the document table 51 (n8→n9). It is determined whether the original is set at a predetermined position on the original platen 51, and in n10, it is determined whether the original sensor 16 is turned off when the original is not set. If it is turned off, the fan motor 2 and the conveyance roller 13 are Turn off the transport motor 48 of (n
10-+n16→n-+n17). When the original is stamped, the transport motor 49 and the transport motor of the transport roller 14 are turned off (n10-+n11).When the original is set on the document table 51, the exposure process for copying work is performed. , n12, when it is determined that the exposure process is completed, the conveyance motor 49 is turned on again and the document is discharged from the conveyance path 32 to the document storage section 4. The transport motor 49 is turned off when it is determined that a certain period of time has passed since it was turned on (n14→n
15). Thereafter, the process returns to n2 and if there is a document on the document tray 40, the above operations are repeated for this document.

In the ADF having such a configuration, FIG.
(B) and (C) are cross-sectional views of the document feeding section of the ADF, showing the unfolding operation of a document folded in a Z half.

First, as shown in FIG. 4(B), from the document tray 40
The document P, which has been folded into a shape, is conveyed into the document conveyance path 10 from the calling roller 11 by the paper feed roller 12 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 4(A), when the leading edge of the document P is detected by the document detection sensor 16, this detection signal drives the fan motor 2 to rotate the fan 21, and the transport roller 13 Stops driving. by this,
The folded surface P1 at the rear end of the document P is sucked in the direction of arrow B through the small hole 10a of the document conveyance path by the rotation of the fan 21.

Furthermore, this document P is rotated by the rotation of the conveyance roller 13.
When the document P is conveyed in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. 4(C),
is unfolded because the folded surface P is attracted to the lower surface of the document conveyance path. The suction force F2 of the document P caused by the rotation of the fan 21 can be adjusted by adjusting the opening of the air adjustment hole 20b of the fan storage section 20, and should be set slightly smaller than the document conveyance force F1 by the conveyance roller 13. , it is possible to cut off the suction force and transport the document to the document table in its unfolded state.

As described above, in the ADF of this embodiment, the fan 21, which is a suction means for sucking a document onto the lower surface of the document transport path 10 of the document feeder l, and the transport roller for transporting the document are provided on the document table side of the fan 21. 13, and a document detection sensor 16 is further provided on the document table side of the conveying roller 13, and a control section is provided with means for operating a fan 21, which is a suction means, when the leading edge of the document is detected by the document detection sensor 16. Because the original is configured in a Z-shape, this AD
When the leading edge of the document is detected by the document detection sensor 16 in the document feeding section 1 of F, the fan 21 attracts the trailing edge of the document to the lower surface of the document conveyance path in response to the detection signal. Furthermore, by conveying the document by the conveyance roller 13 in this state, the Z-shaped folded portion can be unfolded.

(h) Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, in an ADF, a suction means for suctioning a document is provided on the lower surface of the document conveyance path, and a conveyance path for document conveyance is provided on the document table side side of the suction means. A ring is provided, and a detection means for detecting the leading edge of the original is provided on the document table side of the transport roller, and means for operating the suction means when the sensing means detects the leading edge of the original is provided. When a document folded in a Z-shape is conveyed to the document conveyance path, the leading edge of the document is detected by the detection means, and the trailing edge of the document is attracted to the lower surface of the document conveyance path by the suction means, and the conveyance roller When the document is conveyed to the document table side, the two-shaped folded part can be automatically unfolded and conveyed to the document table side. This eliminates the trouble of unfolding the folded part, and it is not necessary to fold the document as before. This has the effect of not causing a document jam due to forgetting the development of a song section.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of an ADF that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control section of the ADF. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the ADF. FIGS. 4(A), 4(B), and 4(C) are cross-sectional views of the document feeding unit showing the unfolding operation of a document folded in a Z-shape. 1-Document feed section, 10-Document conveyance path, 13-Conveyance roller, 16-Document detection sensor (detection means), 2I-Fan (suction means).

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In an automatic document feeder equipped with a document tray for setting documents, and a document feed section having a document feed path for feeding the documents one by one to a document conveyance path formed in the direction of the document table, A suction means for sucking the document onto the lower surface of the document conveyance path, a conveyance roller for conveying the document on the side of the document table rather than the suction, and a detection means for detecting the leading edge of the document on the document table side of the conveyance roller. An automatic document feeder characterized in that it further comprises means for operating the suction means when the detection means detects the leading edge of the document.