MXPA97008248A - Actuator-detector of set of leaves in leaf tray copy or docume - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sheet feeding system, for an image forming system, with a sheet feeding tray, in which the sheets are loaded onto the upper surface of the sheet feeding tray, for to be fed in a feed direction downstream therefrom, the sheet feed tray has a sheet sensing system, to automatically provide different electrical control signals in response to the different sheet sizes and the different orientations of the loaded sheets on the sheet feed tray, the improvement in the sheet detecting system comprises at least one mechanical sheet-sensing actuator projecting into the sheet feed tray at a predetermined position to engage and move to a position of operation by means of the loaded sheets on the feeding tray of the leaves, when the s loaded sheets on the sheet feed tray extend to a predetermined position of the actuator in the sheet feed tray, the actuator can be moved mounted to project normally up through an opening in the sheet feed tray to a predetermined position, until it is operatively engaged by the sheets loaded on the sheet feed tray extended at a predetermined position, the driver has a three-dimensional solid geometric shape, tapering up from a relatively long base upwards to a relatively small point, to provide laterally angled blade coupling surfaces on at least three different sides thereof, laterally angled blade coupling surfaces are sufficiently angled to push down the actuator and prevent clogging or damage on the actuator by pair of sheets that are inserted manually into the sheet feed tray from different angles and directions, including the insertion of batteries laterally to the feed direction of current sheet aba

Description

ACTUATOR-DETECTOR OF LEAF ASSEMBLY IN TRAY r > E LEAVES COPY OR DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Here is described an improved orientation and / or sheet size detection system, which is more robust and resistant to damage and also more reliable in operation. In particular, an improved, low-cost and simple detector actuator for detecting, for example, the load, sheet sizes and / or orientation of sheets, of sheets loaded in a document input tray of an document feeder, or to a copy sheet loading tray for a reproduction apparatus, this detector actuator is much less likely to be damaged or jammed by sets or stacks of sheets inserted in the tray, even if the inserted set or stack of sheets it is heavy, and / or inserted into the tray from different angles or different directions, and / or inserted into the tray quickly or abruptly, etc., as will be explained more below together with additional described features or advantages. By way of background, there are various needs in various systems of image formation or reproduction for reasonably accurate information as to the specific aspects of loading sheets of documents or sheets copied by the operator or user in loading or sheet feeding trays, instead of requiring manual operator keys from said REF: 25869 information, which is often more prone to human error as well as more problematic or confusing to the user. This desired preference information is obtained instead of automatically generated electronic detector signals for the machine controller. It may include detector signals as to any or all (and is not limited to): the fact of sheet loading, ie at that time the presence or absence or any sheets in the tray; the size or sizes of the sheets loaded on that tray at that time; and / or at that time the orientation of the sheets loaded in the tray. This is particularly important for original document feeder trays or for special trays or for deriving feed from copy sheet materials, where the sizes or orientations of the fed sheets can vary more widely and more frequently (especially compared to other trays) for feeding of copy sheets or dedicated cartridges only to standard size of copy sheets, such as letter-sized sheets, wherein the cartridge itself may have switching drive means or encoding of unexposed sheet sizes). While it is known to obtain some of this orientation information or sheet size from the adjustment or position of the end or side guides in a sheet feeding tray, as illustrated for example in US Pat. of Xerox Corporation No. 5,511,771 granted on April 30, 1996 to Robert F. Rubscha himself, and another technique cited therein, etc., which is not effective for another or all of this desired information in all cases. Thus, it is desirable or necessary in some cases, especially for document feeders in image forming stations, to provide mechanical sheet detecting actuators that extend within the stacking area of sheets in the stacking tray itself, in desired detection locations, for coupling and detecting the presence or absence of inserted documents with different sizes or orientations in those locations for detecting positions for predetermined trays. Known alternatives to light beam or direct optical detectors have limitations, including difficulty in detecting transparencies, and use in open access trays, except angled beam that is oriented at corner sites. Furthermore, to be effective, the sheet-on-tray detector actuators must be sufficiently dedicated to detect the feeding of lightweight games or even simple lightweight sheets. To use mechanically operated detectors, some of its portions require to be spread inside or on the tray to be coupled by the leaves. However, this makes these mechanical actuators that dock projecting documents exposed to and vulnerable to damage and / or binding, especially by large and heavy sets of sheets inserted quickly, carelessly, abruptly and / or from different angles in the same tray, as it often happens in image formation or normal office copying. Thus, many document screening systems of the prior art have exposed actuators comprising fingers or arms that extend upwardly from the surface of the tray, to be pressed downward by the loaded sheets which not only appear flimsy and vulnerable but also that they are Although such actuators can typically be designed to drive their connecting detector switches by pressing under the surface of the tray by the overlapping sheets before that can happen, the inserted sheets can impinge on the sides of the detector actuator, almost from any direction, which may cause the detector to deviate to the sides and bend or damage and / or project upward against the side of the tray opening through which the actuator is intended to be pushed down to drive the switch-detector. Specific features of the specific embodiment described herein include a sheet feeding system for an image forming system with a sheet feeding tray, wherein the sheets are loaded onto the upper surface of the tray for feeding sheets that are fed downstream there, and a sheet-sensing system for automatically providing different electrical control signals in response to different sheet sizes and different orientations of the sheets loaded on the sheet-feed tray, the sheet-sensing system has at least one mechanical sheet detecting actuator projecting within the sheet feed tray in a predetermined position to be coupled and moved to a detector actuation position by the loaded sheets on the sheet feed tray, when the sheets loaded in the tray feeding sheets extend into the p For the predetermined position of the actuator in the sheet feed tray, the actuator movably mounts to project normally upwards through an opening in the sheet feed tray in the predetermined position, until it is operatively coupled by the sheets loaded on the sheet. sheet feed tray that extend within the predetermined position; the actuator has an operating shape that tapers up from a relatively large base to a relatively small tip, to provide surfaces and blade engagement laterally angled on at least three of its sides, the laterally angled blade engaging surfaces of the The actuator is sufficiently angled to press down the actuator and prevent jamming and damage to the actuator by stacks of sheets that are inserted manually into the sheet feed tray from different angles and directions, including laterally. Additional specific features described in the present embodiment, individually or in combination, include those in which the actuator has the form of a pyramid; and / or wherein the actuator is mounted with a pivotally mounted arm under the sheet feed tray, this arm is operatively connected to a detector actuator for driving the sheet detecting system; and / or wherein there are two separate and independently operable actuators within the sheet feed tray, substantially spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the downstream direction, to provide a combination of position detection and sheet size signals; and / or wherein the actuator has a side surface that is substantially facing downstream in the sheet feed tray, to allow the actuator to move closely adjacent the end of a stack of sheets in the feed tray. leaves. It is well known that control of systems for handling copy and document sheets can be achieved by operating them with signals from a microprocessor controller directly or indirectly in response to programmed commands and / or by select actuation or non-activation of switching feeds. The resulting controller signals may conventionally drive various motor fingers or cam-controlled blade deflector clutches, or conventional electric solenoids or other components in programmed sequences or steps and / or control operation of sheet feeders and inverters, etc., as It is well known in the specialty. However, precise and consistent switching power signals are necessary to specify such control functions to ensure adequate sheet feeding and to avoid sheet jamming, sheet damage or machine damage. As to specific components of the present apparatus or their alternatives, it will be appreciated that as is normally the case, said components are known per se in other apparatuses or applications that may be used additionally or alternatively here, including those of the prior art cited herein. . All references cited in this specification and their references are incorporated herein by reference when appropriate for appropriate teaching of details, features and / or additional or alternate prior art. What is well known to those with skill in the specialty does not need to be described here. Various of the aforementioned and additional features and advantages will be apparent from the specific apparatus and its operation described in the following examples and claims. In this way, the present invention will be better understood from this description of specific embodiments, including the figures of drawings (approximately at scale) in which: Figure 1 is a front perspective general view of an embodiment of the actuator system for detection of sheet feed position described, wherein in the exemplary document feed tray for document sheets of an exemplary document handler in a document imaging system, which also has adjustable side guides as illustrated by the movement arrows; Figure 2 is a similar perspective view of a document feeding tray per se of Figure 1, but partially broken away to show the system of two detectors under the surface of the tray; Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a generally convenient pyramid-shaped detector actuator, and its connecting arm per se of the embodiments of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is an exposed partial side view of the two detector system of the embodiments of Figures 1, 2 and 3, both driven in their solid line positions (from its non-triggered dotted line positions) by a superimposed stack of large sheets loaded in the tray; Figure 5 is an exposed partial side view of one of the two detector systems of the embodiments of Figures 1 to 4 that are about to be operated, as illustrated by their moving arrow of dotted lines, by the leading edge of a substantially horizontal insertion of a stack of sheets that is loaded into the tray as illustrated by its movement arrow; and Figures 6 to 9 illustrate in the same partial exposed side view, but in four different orientation and / or document size detection positions, a slightly different embodiment wherein the interior surface of the detector actuator per se is substantially vertical instead of inclined like the other actuator coupling surfaces; wherein Figure 6, a stack of small and / or horizontal oriented sheets (with the long leading edge first) in the tray does not trigger either of the two detector systems, and where in Figure 7, with a mixed set of sheets in the tray with large sheets on the internal detector is actuated, and where in Figure 8, a large set of sheets extends completely but does not actuate the external detector, and where in Figure 9, both detectors are driven by a stack of larger oriented sheets, or vertical orientation (short edge first) in the tray.

Now describing the exemplary embodiments in more detail with reference to the Figures, simply exemplifying a document handler, an exemplary document handler (DH) 10 generally similar to that of US Pat. No. 5,534,989 issued July 9, 1996 to Robert F. Rubscha et al., But here is an example or embodiment of a more robust and reliable sheet assembly feeding detection system according to the present invention. In this example, this comprises an internal document detection system 20 and (otherwise identical but placed differently) an external document detection system 30, driven respectively or not by the sheets loaded in the feeding tray depending on the size and orientation of the sheets, in order to provide information of automatic electrical signals that can be used to control the document handler or the image formation system. Conventionally, a predetermined time delay is provided in the controller 100 after a detector is actuated before it is read, to allow time for the operator to fully load the documents in their fully inserted position in the tray and to release them completely.

As previously noted, the described improved sheet detection systems can also be incorporated into copy sheet feed trays, especially alternate or special "bypass" trays for feeding transparencies or other special sheets, as in US Patent No. DO NOT. 4,337,935; or the U.S. Patent. No. 5,496,019 granted on March 5, 1996 to John R. Yanovich. Since these trays of sheets copy per se and their functions are well known, they do not need to be illustrated or described here. The respective electrical on or off signals from the orientation and / or sheet size detectors in the trays can be used to control any of several image forming, amplification, reduction, printing, finishing and / or other copy functions , as it is well known by those with skill in the techniques of reproduction systems. As noted above, the exemplary document handler 10 and its tray 12 are illustrated per se in greater detail in the aforementioned patents and others of the US. and they do not need to be described anymore here. The tray 12 has an upper surface 14 on which the inserted leaves are held, and may also have repositionable blade side guides, such as 16 and 17. The upper tray surface 14 here has two spaced openings, internal and external 19, for detector drive for the sheets extending in those two different positions of the tray after they are loaded as will be described. Illustrated in various ways in the described embodiments of the Figures is an attractive pyramidal leaf size detector actuator, virtually indestructible for the respective leaf presence detection systems 20 and 30. Two of these exposed sensing actuators 32 and 33 , are illustrated in this feed tray 12 of the exemplary document handler (DH) 10, but only one of them, here the external detection system 30, the actuator 32 extends through the opening 19, need to be described here, since both can be the same except for their different tray positions. It will be appreciated that, in different DH systems, one, or three or more of these detector actuators may be provided at different locations on the tray surface. With reference to this switching actuator or sheet presence detector 32 per se, in more detail, Figure 3 provides an enlarged and separate view. It should be noted that the present description of the actuator 32 and the sensing system 3Q acting also generally applies to the actuator of the alternate embodiment 40 of Figures 6 to 9, with differences in its inner or internal surface 40a which will be discussed later.

The described sensing actuator 32 has a large base 34 below the upper surface of the tray 14, this base 34 serves as a vertical movement stop being wider than the opening 19 and thus engages the lower surface of the tray 12 around the opening 19 (see for example Figure 5). The actuator 32 has integrally extending upwardly from the base 34 mating surfaces of sheet stacks 32a, 32b, 32c and 32d. Typically, that is, when it is not actuated by pressing down on overlapping sheets of paper, the actuator 32 extends slightly over the surface of the tray 14. That is, the tray engaging surfaces 32a, 32b, 32, c and 2d , are exposed by extending up through the opening 19 on the surface of the tray 14. These laterally outward and downwardly extending surfaces 32a, 32b, 32c and 32d of the actuator 32 result in the actuator 32 increasing in length. thickness and strength and is only slightly smaller in its base than the tray opening 19 through which it moves to operate. These pyramid-shaped slopes 32a, 32b, 32c and 32d are tilted to push the respective extended actuator downward (instead of breaking or jamming the stack of sheets by insertion impact from any direction as opposed to fragile fingers in products). previous, as particularly illustrated in Figure 5, showing that even a full lateral impact from any direction with any of these two exposed surfaces of the actuator 32, in this case 32c, will move the actuator downward, due to the angle of inclination, vertically inclination of the actuator on all sides Here, the base 34 of the actuator 32 is mounted on an actuator connecting arm 35 which is pivotally mounted intermediate internally under the tray 12 to rotate partially on a pivot axis 36. The integral extension of this arm 35 on the other side of the pivot shaft 36 is integrally weighted at 35a to hold down that end of the arm 35 and therefore, the actuator 32 is normally held upwardly in its normal exposed position described above with a small predetermined force. Also, the weighted end of the arm 35 provides a conventional flag area 38 for operating the detector system 32 by interrupting the light beam 37 of a conventional optical switching unit 39, electrically connected, as illustrated in more detail in Figure 2. , to the conventional controller 100 for operation or control of the document handler 10 and / or, the document imaging system. The interruption of the light beam 37 by the area 38 of the arm 35 to operate the switch 39, only occurs when the actuator 32 has been pressed down by overlapping sheets.

As illustrated in Figure 7, that switching actuation position of the actuator 32 or 40, or the like, does not require to be completely depressed, that is to say completely flush with the surface of the tray 14. That is, as illustrated in the Figure 7, if it is desired to detect larger sheets superimposed on a set of differently oriented or smaller sheets, this can be easily provided when designing or adjusting the flag 38 to the light beam 37 with respect to the positions for operating the switch 39 with only a predetermined partial depression of the actuator by larger sheets superimposed or overlapped as illustrated therein. Other features of both of these actuator modes 32 and 40 include the fact that while there is a small or no increase in cost, the unique shape of these detector actuators as described above, provides resistance to a maximum of their base, which is a typical weak point of projecting actuators that couple documents of the prior art. In addition, the single-sidedly inclined actuator shapes extend upward through the tray below the surface of the document tray, they are also important to avoid clogging or "unplanned stoppages" between the sides of the actuator and the sides of the tray opening, through which the actuator moves. That is, if the actuator is forcibly diverted to the sides by a laterally inserted document assembly, to force the actuator laterally against one side of its tray opening, the actuator will engage its opening wall surface with one of its side surfaces. plane tilted downwards, thus providing a vector force that will act to pull the actuator below the tray surface instead of retaining it. It also means that these features do not require a rigid connecting arm or rigid mounting cost higher than the detector switch. That is, by having a tray opening that is only slightly larger than the base of the actuator, the tray opening can be used to provide a limit or stop on the maximum lateral movement of the detector unit regardless of which lateral forces are applied to the actuator. In this way, a relatively light weight and relatively light weight connecting arm can be used for the actuator between the actuator and the switch, since here, the connecting arm and the switch are protected from the high impact forces to which only the The exposed actuator is subjected by careless or even annoying or angry operators who drop, throw or forcefully throw heavy games of heavy documents into the document tray from various directions.

Turning now to the embodiment of the actuators 40 and 50 of FIGS. 6 to 9 in more detail, this is a slightly different embodiment wherein the interior surfaces 40a and 50a (only) of these detector actuators are substantially vertical rather than slanted as the other sheet engaging surfaces or those of the actuators 32 and 33. As illustrated above in the brief descriptions of Figures 6 to 9, it is illustrated in the same view but in four different orientation detection positions and / or sizes of documents described there. Since all the other components can be identical, they do not need to be described again. The advantages of the facing surfaces inside or downstream, 40a, 50a of the actuators 40 and 50 are illustrated in various loading situations of sets of different sheets shown in these Figures 6 to 9. These modified surfaces avoid partial interference or stop and this way wrong or ambiguous switching drives by the rear bottom edges or of a stack of sheets which results to have the dimensions that coincide with the loading position in the tray 12 with the inner surface of an actuator. By having an actuator surface 40a or 50a that can be and can move, substantially parallel to the substantially vertical end of a stack of closely adjacent sheets as illustrated, this problem is avoided.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the vertical downstream housing of DH 10, as well as the normal sheet insertion requirements of a DH, effectively prevent the sheets from being loaded into tray 12 from that downstream direction. In this way, it has been found that there is little danger of lateral impact, on the actuators from that direction, and therefore little danger of lateral impact on the facing lateral surfaces 40a or 50a, in contrast to the other inclined edges. In this way, it has been found that the facing surfaces inside or downstream 40a and 50a do not have the same reasons for tilting as the other faces of the actuators. As with all illustrated actuators, however, these actuators are tapered from a large base to a small tip to provide laterally engaging sheet engaging surfaces on at least three of its sides. Likewise, there are two separate and independently operable actuators 40 and 50, spaced within the sheet feed tray and spaced substantially apart from each other in the sheet feed direction, upstream to downstream, to provide a desired combination of detection signals of position and size of sheets from the predetermined actuator positions, based on the sizes of standard sheets commonly found in the particular country, for example the lengths and / or widths of paper sheets for letter, legal, legal, etc. size. , as will be well understood by those with skill in the specialty. While the modalities described herein are preferred, it will be appreciated from this teaching that various alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements may be practiced by those skilled in the art, which are intended to be encompassed by the following claims. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is the conventional one for the manufacture of the objects to which it relates. Having described the invention as above, the content of the following is claimed as property:

Claims (5)

1. CLAIMS 1.- In a sheet feeding system for an image forming system with a sheet feeding tray where the sheets are loaded on the upper surface of the tray for feeding sheets that are fed downstream from there, and a sheet-sensing system for automatically providing different electrical control signals in response to different sheet sizes and different orientations of the sheets loaded on the sheet-feed tray, the sheet-sensing system has at least one sheet-driver-detector Mechanically projecting into the sheet feed tray at a predetermined position, to be coupled and moved to a detector actuation position by the sheets loaded on the sheet feed tray, when the sheets loaded in the feed tray sheets extend to the predetermined position of the actuator in the feeding tray of h In this case, the actuator is movably mounted to project normally upwardly through an opening in the sheet feed tray in the predetermined position until it is operatively engaged by the loaded sheets on the sheet feeding tray which extend in the position default; the actuator has an operating shape that tapers up from a relatively large base to a relatively small tip to provide laterally angled sheet engaging surfaces, on at least three of its sides, laterally angled sheet engaging surfaces of the The actuator is sufficiently angled to press down the actuator and prevent jamming or damage to the actuator by stacks of sheets that are manually inserted into the sheet feed tray from different angles and directions, including laterally.
2. 2. The leaf detector system actuator for sheet feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuator has a pyramid shape.
3. 3. The leaf detector system actuator for sheet feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuator is mounted on a pivotal arm provided under the sheet feed tray, this arm is operatively connected with an actuator detector, to activate the leaf system.
4. 4. The leaf detector system actuator for sheet feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that there are two separate and independently operable actuators, spaced within the sheet feeding tray, substantially spaced apart from each other by a distance predetermined in the downstream direction, to provide a combination of position detection and sheet size signals.
5. 5. The leaf detector system actuator for sheet feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuator has a lateral surface that is substantially vertical oriented downwardly in the sheet feeding tray, to allow the The actuator moves closely adjacent the end of a stack of sheets in the sheet feed tray. The present invention relates to a sheet feeding system for an image forming system, with a sheet feeding tray in which sheets are loaded on the upper surface, which are to be fed downstream, of sheets that are fed downstream there, and with a sheet detection system, to automatically provide different electrical control signals in response to different sheet sizes and different orientations of the sheets loaded in the tray, with probing actuators projecting inside the tray in different predetermined positions, each actuator mounts movably to project normally upwards through an opening in the tray, until it is operatively coupled by the loaded sheets on the sheet feed tray extending over the predetermined position of the actuator. Each actuator has an operating shape that tapers up from a relatively large base to a relatively small tip to provide laterally angled sheet engaging surfaces on at least three of its sides, preferably in the shape of pyramids. These surfaces are at an angle sufficient to push down the actuator and prevent jamming or damage to the actuator of stacks of sheets that are manually inserted into the sheet feed tray, from different angles and directions, especially laterally.