US20190193970A1 - Sheet conveying apparatus, image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents
Sheet conveying apparatus, image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20190193970A1 US20190193970A1 US16/223,646 US201816223646A US2019193970A1 US 20190193970 A1 US20190193970 A1 US 20190193970A1 US 201816223646 A US201816223646 A US 201816223646A US 2019193970 A1 US2019193970 A1 US 2019193970A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- opening
- assist
- closing
- closing member
- sheet
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H7/00—Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles
- B65H7/02—Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles by feelers or detectors
- B65H7/04—Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles by feelers or detectors responsive to absence of articles, e.g. exhaustion of pile
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H1/00—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated
- B65H1/08—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated with means for advancing the articles to present the articles to the separating device
- B65H1/14—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated with means for advancing the articles to present the articles to the separating device comprising positively-acting mechanical devices
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
- B65H3/02—Separating articles from piles using friction forces between articles and separator
- B65H3/06—Rollers or like rotary separators
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
- B65H3/02—Separating articles from piles using friction forces between articles and separator
- B65H3/06—Rollers or like rotary separators
- B65H3/0684—Rollers or like rotary separators on moving support, e.g. pivoting, for bringing the roller or like rotary separator into contact with the pile
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H5/00—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines
- B65H5/06—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines by rollers or balls, e.g. between rollers
- B65H5/062—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines by rollers or balls, e.g. between rollers between rollers or balls
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2402/00—Constructional details of the handling apparatus
- B65H2402/40—Details of frames, housings or mountings of the whole handling apparatus
- B65H2402/44—Housings
- B65H2402/441—Housings movable for facilitating access to area inside the housing, e.g. pivoting or sliding
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
- B65H2511/50—Occurence
- B65H2511/51—Presence
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
- B65H2511/50—Occurence
- B65H2511/515—Absence
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
- B65H2511/50—Occurence
- B65H2511/52—Defective operating conditions
- B65H2511/528—Jam
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2553/00—Sensing or detecting means
- B65H2553/60—Details of intermediate means between the sensing means and the element to be sensed
- B65H2553/61—Mechanical means, e.g. contact arms
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2553/00—Sensing or detecting means
- B65H2553/80—Arangement of the sensing means
- B65H2553/81—Arangement of the sensing means on a movable element
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2553/00—Sensing or detecting means
- B65H2553/80—Arangement of the sensing means
- B65H2553/83—Arangement of the sensing means selectively positionable in operative state
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2555/00—Actuating means
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2601/00—Problem to be solved or advantage achieved
- B65H2601/10—Ensuring correct operation
- B65H2601/11—Clearing faulty handling, e.g. jams
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2801/00—Application field
- B65H2801/03—Image reproduction devices
- B65H2801/06—Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2801/00—Application field
- B65H2801/03—Image reproduction devices
- B65H2801/09—Single-function copy machines
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an apparatus having a rotating member for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet.
- An image forming apparatus that performs recording on a sheet using an electro-photographic method, such as an electro-photographic copying machine, has an image reading apparatus having an image reading portion, an image forming portion that forms a toner image on an image bearing member such as a photosensitive drum, and a sheet conveying apparatus for conveying a sheet from a feeding tray or the like.
- Such a sheet conveying apparatus has a mechanism for detecting whether sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking tray.
- Such sheet detection mechanism has, for example, a detection flag rotatable by its own weight provided in the sheet conveyance path.
- the sheet detection flag When a sheet is set on the sheet stacking tray, the sheet detection flag is pushed by the leading end of the sheet and is rotated to release light shielding of the photo interrupter to recognize the presence of the sheet. Conversely, when there are no sheets, the sheet detection flag blocks the light of the photo interrupter to recognize the sheet absence state. In this way it is possible to determine the presence or absence of a sheet.
- the sheet conveying path when a situation occurs in which a sheet is jammed during conveyance, the sheet conveying path can be exposed so that the jammed sheet can be removed.
- the sheet conveying path is configured by the apparatus main body and an opening and closing member rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body.
- the jammed sheet can be removed by exposing the conveying path by rotating the opening and closing member.
- the sheet detection flag rotates by its own weight and retracts to come into contact with the surface of the opening and closing member.
- the opening and closing member may collide with peripheral objects such as a wall surface of an installation place.
- the rotational angle is limited to a predetermined range.
- the sheet detection flag may not be retracted inside the surface of the opening and closing member and may remain projected from the surface of the opening and closing member. In such a state, if a replacement operation or the like of a member located in the vicinity of the sheet detection flag is performed, the sheet detection flag may be damaged.
- the configuration is proposed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-64851, for example, in which a weight portion for generating a rotational moment about a rotational axis is provided in a sheet detection flag.
- a rotational moment is generated by the weight portion so that the sheet detection flag abuts against the surface of the opening and closing member to retract the sheet detection flag inside the surface of the opening and closing member.
- Another method for preventing the sheet detection flag from protruding from the surface of the opening and closing member at the time of an operation of maintenance may be considered, in which when the opening and closing member is closed, the sheet detection flag is provided such that the center of rotation of the detection flag is located at an upper position of the opening and closing member. In this manner, when the opening and closing member is rotated to expose the conveying path, the sheet detecting flag is easily hidden by the opening and closing member.
- the distance between the sheet detection flag and the sheet stacking tray becomes large so that it is necessary to lengthen the sheet detection flag.
- the feeding tray has a lift-up configuration, it becomes necessary to further lengthen the sheet detection flag.
- the rotating radius of the sheet detection flag becomes large, it is necessary to provide a cutout in the guide member such as the opening and closing member in order to avoid the trajectory of the rotation of the flag, which causes a decrease in strength.
- an apparatus comprising:
- an opening and closing member configured to be rotatable and configured to be located at a closed position and an open position
- a rotating member rotatablely provided on the opening and closing member and configured to be rotatable by a sheet
- an assist member provided on the opening and closing member, the assist member being configured to be located at a first position when the opening and closing member is located at the closed position and configured to be located at a second position when the opening and closing member is located at the open position, wherein the assist member is configured to be displaceable from the first position to the second position by a weight of the assist member with a rotation of the opening and closing member from the close position toward the open position,
- assist member is configured to urge the rotating member toward a side of the opening and closing member when the assist member is located at the second position.
- FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing an overall configuration of an image reading apparatus with a sheet conveying apparatus.
- FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing a configuration of a document tray and a conveying unit of the sheet conveying apparatus.
- FIG. 3 is a plan view of a feeding portion and a separating portion of the sheet conveying apparatus.
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a vicinity of a document setting detection sensor of the sheet conveying apparatus.
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an assist member in the vicinity of the document setting detection sensor of the sheet conveying apparatus.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an abutting portion of a flag member and an assist abutting portion of an assist member when the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is closed.
- FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C are views showing movements until a document is set and fed to a document tray of the sheet conveying apparatus.
- FIG. 8 is a view schematically showing a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is opened.
- FIG. 9A is a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is closed
- FIG. 9B a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is opened.
- FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship between a conveying unit and a flag member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is opened.
- FIG. 11A is a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is closed in the second embodiment
- FIG. 11B is a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is opened in the second embodiment.
- FIG. 12A is a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is closed in the third embodiment
- FIG. 12B is a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is opened in the third embodiment.
- an image reading apparatus including a sheet conveying apparatus that conveys a document, which is a sheet, will be described by way of an example.
- FIG. 1 schematically shows the overall configuration of the image reading apparatus.
- This image reading apparatus has the image reading portion 200 and the sheet conveying apparatus 80 .
- the sheet conveying apparatus 80 feeds the documents S one by one onto the platen 18 made of transparent glass. Further, the sheet conveying apparatus 80 is configured to be openable and closable with respect to the image reading portion 200 , and operates to press a document placed on the platen 18 .
- the image reading portion 200 optically reads an image of a document conveyed by the sheet conveying apparatus 80 or an image of a document placed on the platen 18 , photo-electrically converts the image, and inputs the image as image information.
- the image reading unit 200 has the contact image sensor 24 as a first reading portion that reads an image of one side of a moving document conveyed on the platen 18 .
- the contact image sensor 24 is fixed at a predetermined position (the position shown in FIG. 1 ) on the sheet conveying apparatus 80 , and reads an image of one side of a document conveyed on the platen 18 .
- the image reading apparatus has a second reading portion that reads an image of the other side of the document.
- the second reading portion includes the movable scanner unit 204 with the lamp 202 , the mirror 203 , etc., the mirrors 205 and 206 , the lens 207 , the image sensor 208 , and the like.
- the second reading portion is provided on the image reading portion 200 .
- the second reading portion stops the scanner unit 204 at a predetermined position (solid line position shown in FIG. 1 ), and reads an image of the other side of the document conveyed on the platen 18 above the scanner unit 204 . Further, while moving the scanner unit 204 along the platen 18 , the second reading portion reads an image of the other side of the document placed on the platen 18 .
- the sheet conveying apparatus 80 has the document tray 11 at an upper position.
- the document tray 11 serves as a sheet supporting portion on which documents S are placed, and the documents S placed on the document tray 11 are sequentially fed from the uppermost document by the feeding roller 1 .
- the fed documents S are separated and fed one by one by the conveying roller 3 and the separation roller 4 .
- an image of document S is read by either or both of the scanner unit 204 and the contact image sensor 24 .
- the document S from which the image has been read is discharged onto the discharge tray 19 by the discharge roller 16 .
- FIG. 2 schematically shows the configuration of the document tray 11 and the conveying unit.
- the document width regulating plate 10 for regulating the movement of the stacked document S in the width direction of the document S is provided.
- the document tray 11 is configured to be able to be lifted up and down by a driving portion (not shown).
- the feeding roller 1 is rotatable around the shaft 13 . Further, the roller 1 is also rotatable about the shaft 5 by the arm 2 so as to be capable of being lifted up and down with respect to the document S stacked on the document tray 11 .
- the opening and closing guide 6 which is an opening and closing member, is provided with the flag member 100 serving as an actuator of the document setting detection sensor 102 for detecting the presence or absence of a document on the document tray 11 .
- the document setting detection sensor 102 uses a photo interrupter and detects that a sheet has been set on the document tray 11 when the optical axis is blocked by the flag member 100 (hereinafter referred to as sensor ON). Conversely, when the optical axis is not blocked by the flag member 100 (hereinafter referred to as sensor OFF), it is detected that a document is not set on the document tray 11 .
- the arm 2 is provided with the actuator 90 of the feeding position detection sensor 91 which determines a lifted position (document feeding position) of the document tray 11 .
- the feed position detection sensor 91 uses a photo interrupter, and when the sensor is ON, the sheet feeding is possible. Conversely, when the sensor is OFF, it is necessary to lift up the document tray 11 by a driving portion (not shown).
- FIG. 3 is a plan view of the feeding portion and the separating portion.
- the pulleys 8 and 9 are provided on the feeding roller 1 and the conveying roller 3 , respectively.
- the timing belt 7 is stretched on the pulleys 8 and 9 and transmits the driving force of the motor M (see FIG. 2 ) to the feeding roller 1 .
- the arm 2 is urged by the spring clutch 12 .
- the motor M rotates forward
- the arm 2 descends and contacts the top surface of the documents on the document tray 11 .
- the feeding roller 1 and the conveying roller 3 rotate in the direction for feeding the documents and feed the documents.
- the spring clutch 12 is locked to lift up the arm 2 .
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the document setting detection sensor.
- the document setting detection sensor 102 is held by the opening and closing guide 6 .
- the flag member 100 has two flag shaft portions 101 held by the opening and closing guide 6 .
- the flag shaft portions 101 are held by the bearing portion 103 of the opening and closing guide 6 such that one of the flag shaft portions 101 can freely rotate and the other of the flag shaft portions 101 can freely rotate and move upward.
- the flag member 100 has the actuator portion 104 . When the document S is set, the actuator portion 104 is pressed by the leading end of the document S so that the flag member 100 rotates about the flag shaft portions 101 .
- the flag member 100 has the detection portion 105 which detects that the document S has been set by the detection portion 105 blocking the light of the document set detection sensor 102 when the detection portion 105 rotates about the flag shaft portions 101 .
- the flag member 100 has the protruding portion 107 .
- the position of the center of gravity of the flag member 100 is determined such that a rotational moment is generated around the flag shaft portion 101 in the clockwise direction (direction of arrow A) in FIG. 4 when the opening and closing guide 6 is closed.
- the protruding portion 107 contacts the flag stopper portion 108 provided on the opening and closing guide 6 , whereby the posture of the flag member 100 in the rotational direction is determined.
- the flag member 100 has the cylindrical flag abutting portion 109 . As will be described later, the flag abutting portion 109 is pressed by the assist member 110 . Further, the center of gravity position of the flag member 100 is located at a position slightly away (about 0.2 mm) from the flag shaft portions 101 (the center of rotation of the flag member 100 ) in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the moment generated at the flag member 100 is extremely small.
- the assist member 110 is rotatably attached to the opening and closing guide 6 and the assist member 110 is displaceable between a first position and a second position in accordance with opening and closing operations of the opening and closing guide 6 .
- the assist member 110 has two assist shaft portions 111 held by the opening and closing guide 6 .
- the assist shaft portions 111 are rotatably held by the bearing portions 112 of the opening and closing guide 6 .
- the assist member 110 has the cylindrical assist abutting portion 113 . As will be described later, the assist abutting portion 113 has a function of pressing the flag abutting portion 109 when the opening and closing guide 6 is opened.
- the weights 114 are attached to the assist member 110 .
- the weights 114 in the present embodiment are made of SUM material having a diameter of 6 mm and a length of 12 mm.
- the two weights 114 are disposed on both sides of the assist shaft portions 111 such that the direction of the rotational moment of the assist member 110 by one of the weights 114 is opposite to that by the other of the weights 114 .
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the assist member 110 in the vicinity of the document setting detection sensor 102 .
- the position of the center of gravity of the assist member 110 is so determined that a moment is generated in the counterclockwise direction (direction of arrow B) with respect to the assist shaft portion 111 as shown in FIG. 5 when the open and close guide 6 is closed.
- the assist abutting portion 115 provided on the assist member 110 abuts against the stopper portion 116 provided on the opening and closing guide 6 , whereby the posture of the assist member 110 in the rotational direction is determined.
- the assist member 110 is located at the first position, and the position of the center of gravity is located at a position slightly away (about 0.2 mm) from the center of rotation of the assist shaft portions 111 in the horizontal direction. As a result, the moment generated to the assist shaft portions 111 is extremely small.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the flag abutting portion 109 of the flag member 100 and the assist abutting portion 113 of the assist member 110 when the opening and closing guide 6 is closed.
- the flag abutting portion 109 is provided at a position distant from the rotational center axis of the flag shaft portions 101 .
- the flag abutting portion 109 has a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 3 mm, and is provided in parallel with the flag shaft portions 101 .
- the assist abutting portion 113 is provided at a position away from the center axis of the assist shaft portions 111 .
- the assist abutting portion 113 has a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 8 mm, and is provided in parallel with the assist shaft portions 111 .
- the flag abutting portion 109 and the assist abutting portion 113 are separated from each other while keeping a constant clearance without coming into contact with each other. In this state, the assist member 110 does not act on the flag member 100 .
- the opening and closing guide 6 is opened, the relative positional relationship between the flag shaft portions 101 and the assist shaft portions 111 is changed as described later. As a result, the flag abutting portion 109 and the assist abutting portion 113 abut against each other.
- FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C are schematic views showing movements until a document is set and fed to the document tray 11 .
- the flag member 100 Before the document S is set, the flag member 100 is held with an inclination of about 83° with respect to the stacking surface of the document tray 11 ( FIG. 7A ). When the document S is set by a user, the flag member 100 starts to rotate in the clockwise direction about the flag shaft portions 101 by the actuator portion 104 being pressed by the document S.
- the flag member 100 rotates by about 25°, the document S goes under the flag member 100 ( FIG. 7B ). At this time, the detection portion 105 blocks the light of the document setting detection sensor 102 , thereby detecting that the document S has been set.
- the angle of the flag member 100 with respect to the setting direction of the document S as close to 90° as possible, it is easy to detect even a document with low stiffness such as a thin paper without buckling.
- the document tray 11 When the document S is detected, the document tray 11 is lifted up by a document tray lifting motor (not shown) and is moved to a predetermined position ( FIG. 7C ). Thereafter, the feeding operation is performed by the feeding roller 1 . After a predetermined number of sheets are fed, the document tray 11 is lifted down by the document tray lifting motor (not shown) and is moved to the initial position.
- the flag member 100 also returns to the initial position and the operations are completed. During this series of operations, the flag member 100 and the assist member 110 are not brought into contact with each other. The reason is that when the sheet is detected, since the flag member 100 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 7 , the flag abutting portion 109 rotates in a direction to retract from the assist abutting portion 113 .
- the flag shaft portions 101 which are the center of rotation of the flag member 100 , are positioned at lower positions of the opening and closing guide 6 in the vertical direction in a state where the opening and closing guide 6 is located at the closed position.
- FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the opening and closing guide 6 is opened.
- the opening and closing guide 6 is held so as to be rotatable around the rotational shaft 117 with respect to the reading apparatus main body.
- a user rotates the opening and closing guide 6 to open it, the document conveying path is exposed.
- the opening angle should be large enough because a certain amount of space is required from the viewpoint of workability, but if the opening angle is too large, the opening and closing guide 6 may collide with peripheral objects such as a wall surface of an installation place. Therefore, the opening angle of the opening and closing guide 6 is set to an angle at which the work is possible and the collision with surrounding objects is avoided. Then, the opening and closing guide 6 is held in a self-standing state for work to be easily done when the opening and closing guide 6 is opened.
- the assist member 110 acts on the flag member 100 .
- the assist member 110 presses the flag member 100 so that the flag member 100 is urged toward the opening and closing guide 6 .
- the action of the assist member 110 on the flag member 100 when the opening and closing guide 6 is opened and closed will be described in detail.
- FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic views showing the positions of the flag member 100 and the assist member 110 when the opening and closing guide 6 is closed and opened.
- FIG. 9A shows a state in which the opening and closing guide 6 is located at a closed position
- FIG. 9B shows a state in which the opening and closing guide 6 is located at an open position.
- the flag member 100 and the assist member 110 are held in a state in which a slight moment is generated in the counterclockwise direction (direction of arrow C) due to their own weights without contacting each other.
- the position of the assist shaft portion 111 with respect to the flag shaft portion 101 relatively moves in the counterclockwise direction, and the position of the assist shaft portion 111 in the vertical direction becomes almost the same as the position of the flag shaft portion 101 .
- the flag member 100 and the assist member 110 try to maintain the posture determined by the position of the center of gravity. Therefore, the assist member rotates in the clockwise direction because of the gravity, and the assist abutting portion 113 abuts against the flag abutting portion 109 to generate a force in the direction perpendicular to each tangent (direction of arrow D).
- the flag member 100 continues to rotate until the assist member 110 abuts against the assist stopper portion 118 provided on the top surface of the opening and closing guide 6 .
- the assist member 110 is located at the second position, and as shown in FIG. 9B , the flag member 100 is completely retracted inside the guide surface of the opening and closing guide 6 .
- the opening and closing guide 6 is opened further, since the rotation of the assist abutting portion 113 is restricted by the assist stopper portion 118 , the flag abutting portion 109 is never pushed further.
- the opening and closing guide 6 is completely opened and the opening and closing guide 6 becomes in the self-standing state, the operation of opening is completed.
- the opening and closing guide 6 returns to the initial state by the reverse procedure.
- both the flag abutting portion 109 of the flag member 100 and the assist abutting portion 113 are formed in a circular arc configuration, the contact points are gradually moved while rotating as the opening and closing guide 6 is opened.
- the flag member 100 is pressed and moved by the assist member 110 so that the flag member 100 is completely retracted inside the guide surface of the opening and closing guide 6 . Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk that the worker damages parts by contacting the flag member 100 with hands or other parts during jam recovering or maintenance operations.
- FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the conveying unit 121 and the flag member 100 when the opening and closing guide 6 is opened.
- the flag member 100 retracts inside the surface of the opening and closing guide 6 as described above.
- an accommodating portion for accommodating the flag member 100 is formed in the opening and closing guide 6 with the groove portion 119 and the protection rib 120 .
- the conveying unit 121 has conveying members such as the feeding roller 1 , the arm 2 and the conveying roller 3 .
- the conveying unit 121 requires maintenance when it is used for a long time. Therefore, the conveying unit 121 is detachably attachable to the opening and closing guide 6 .
- the opening and closing guide 6 is opened, the conveying unit 121 is pulled out in the direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in the figure, and each roller is exchanged. In pulling out the conveying unit 121 , if the flag member 100 protrudes from the guide surface, the flag member 100 may collide with the conveying unit 121 so that the flag member 100 may be damaged.
- the flag member 100 is disposed in the vicinity of the conveying unit 121 so as to reduce the size of the apparatus.
- the flag member 100 is retracted inside the guide surface of the opening and closing guide 6 by the assist member 110 , and the flag shaft portion 101 , which is the center of rotation of the flag member 100 , is arranged to a lower position in the vertical direction when the opening and closing guide 6 is closed, so that the length of the flag member 100 can be reduced.
- the conveying unit 121 is taken as an example, but the above configuration is also effective when other replacement parts such as other conveying rollers and sensors are present in the vicinity of the flag member 100 .
- the above configuration is also effective not only at the time of maintenance but also when there is an operation to open the opening and closing guide 6 such as jam recovering.
- the flag member 100 is completely retracted inside the guide surface of the opening and closing guide 6 , but a certain effect can be obtained even when the flag member 100 is not completely retracted.
- the assist member 110 has the weight 114 .
- a certain effect can be obtained even when the weight is not provided.
- the sheet conveying apparatus having the flag member 100 and the assist member 110 is used for the image reading apparatus.
- the sheet conveying apparatus can be used for an image forming apparatus having an image forming portion for forming an image on a sheet.
- the assist member 110 presses the flag member 100 while the assist member 110 and the flag member 100 are rotating in the same direction.
- the flag member 100 can be retracted while the assist member 110 and the flag member 100 are rotating in the opposite directions with each other as described next.
- FIGS. 11A and 11B are schematic views showing the positions of the flag member 100 and the assist member 110 when the opening and closing guide 6 is located at the closed position and at the open position in the second embodiment.
- FIG. 11A shows a state in which the opening and closing guide 6 is closed
- FIG. 11B shows a state in which the opening and closing guide 6 is opened.
- the flag member 100 When the opening and closing guide 6 is closed, the flag member 100 is held by a stopper portion (not shown) in a state in which a slight moment is generated in the counterclockwise direction (direction of arrow C) by its own weight.
- the assist member 110 is held by the second stopper portion 122 in a state in which a moment is generated in the clockwise direction (direction of arrow G) by its own weight. The flag member 100 and the assist member 110 are held without contacting each other.
- the relative position of the assist shaft portion 111 in the vertical direction with respect to the position of the center of gravity of the assist member 110 changes.
- the rotational moment due to the position of the center of gravity of the assist member 110 is switched from the clockwise direction (the direction of the arrow G) to the counterclockwise direction (the direction of the arrow H).
- the assist abutting portion 113 abuts against the flag abutting portion 109 , so that a force is generated in the direction perpendicular to each tangent (direction of arrow I).
- a moment is generated at the flag member 100 in the clockwise direction (the direction of the arrow E) with respect to the flag shaft portion 101 so that the flag member rotates against the moment in the counterclockwise direction (the direction of the arrow F) due to its own weight.
- the flag member 100 rotates until the assist member 110 abuts against the assist stopper portion 118 . At this time, the flag member 100 is completely retracted inside the guide surface of the opening and closing guide 6 .
- the flag member 100 is completely retracted inside the guide surface of the opening and closing guide 6 by being pressed and moved by the assist member 110 .
- the assist member 110 it is possible to reduce the risk that the flag member 100 is damaged due to a worker contacting the flag member 100 with a hand or a part during jam recovery or maintenance operations.
- the direction of the rotational moment due to the weight of the assist member 110 is switched while the opening and closing guide 6 is moving from the closed position to the open position.
- the direction of the rotational moment due to the weight of the assist member 110 may continue to be the same.
- FIGS. 12A and 12B are views for explaining the operations of the flag member 100 and the assist member 110 provided in the opening and closing guide 6 in the third embodiment.
- FIG. 12A shows a state in which the opening and closing guide 6 is located at a closed position
- FIG. 12B shows a state in which the opening and closing guide 6 is located at an open position.
- the flag member 100 is configured to be rotatable around the flag shaft portion 101
- the assist member 110 is configured to be rotatable around the assist shaft portion 111 .
- the assist abutting portion 113 of the assist member 110 which is suspended by its own weight is located at a position where the assist abutting portion 113 does not act on the flag abutting portion 109 of the flag member 100 .
- both the assist member 110 and the flag member 100 rotate in the clockwise direction, and the assist abutting portion 113 presses the flag abutting portion 109 so that the flag member 100 is retracted inside the guide surface of the opening and closing guide 6 .
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to an apparatus having a rotating member for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet.
- An image forming apparatus that performs recording on a sheet using an electro-photographic method, such as an electro-photographic copying machine, has an image reading apparatus having an image reading portion, an image forming portion that forms a toner image on an image bearing member such as a photosensitive drum, and a sheet conveying apparatus for conveying a sheet from a feeding tray or the like.
- Such a sheet conveying apparatus has a mechanism for detecting whether sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking tray. Such sheet detection mechanism has, for example, a detection flag rotatable by its own weight provided in the sheet conveyance path. When a sheet is set on the sheet stacking tray, the sheet detection flag is pushed by the leading end of the sheet and is rotated to release light shielding of the photo interrupter to recognize the presence of the sheet. Conversely, when there are no sheets, the sheet detection flag blocks the light of the photo interrupter to recognize the sheet absence state. In this way it is possible to determine the presence or absence of a sheet.
- Further, in the sheet conveying apparatus as described above, when a situation occurs in which a sheet is jammed during conveyance, the sheet conveying path can be exposed so that the jammed sheet can be removed. For this purpose, the sheet conveying path is configured by the apparatus main body and an opening and closing member rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body. When the sheet is jammed, the jammed sheet can be removed by exposing the conveying path by rotating the opening and closing member.
- In the above configuration, when the opening and closing member is rotated to expose the sheet conveying path, the sheet detection flag rotates by its own weight and retracts to come into contact with the surface of the opening and closing member. However, when the opening and closing member opens excessively, the opening and closing member may collide with peripheral objects such as a wall surface of an installation place. Thus, the rotational angle is limited to a predetermined range. In such a case, even if the opening and closing member is rotated and the sheet conveying path is completely exposed, the sheet detection flag may not be retracted inside the surface of the opening and closing member and may remain projected from the surface of the opening and closing member. In such a state, if a replacement operation or the like of a member located in the vicinity of the sheet detection flag is performed, the sheet detection flag may be damaged.
- In order to solve the above problem, the configuration is proposed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-64851, for example, in which a weight portion for generating a rotational moment about a rotational axis is provided in a sheet detection flag. When the sheet conveying path is exposed by rotating the opening and closing member, a rotational moment is generated by the weight portion so that the sheet detection flag abuts against the surface of the opening and closing member to retract the sheet detection flag inside the surface of the opening and closing member.
- However, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-64851, when the weight portion is provided on the sheet detection flag, it is necessary to adjust the inclination angle of the flag based on the relationship of the rotational moment occurring on the flag, and the angle formed by the sheet detection flag and the sheet stacking tray may become small. In such a case, the reactive force of the sheet detection flag due to its own weight becomes large, and the sheet may easily buckle when the thin sheet is set.
- Another method for preventing the sheet detection flag from protruding from the surface of the opening and closing member at the time of an operation of maintenance may be considered, in which when the opening and closing member is closed, the sheet detection flag is provided such that the center of rotation of the detection flag is located at an upper position of the opening and closing member. In this manner, when the opening and closing member is rotated to expose the conveying path, the sheet detecting flag is easily hidden by the opening and closing member.
- However, when the center of rotation of the sheet detection flag is located at an upper position of the opening and closing member, the distance between the sheet detection flag and the sheet stacking tray becomes large so that it is necessary to lengthen the sheet detection flag. Especially, if the feeding tray has a lift-up configuration, it becomes necessary to further lengthen the sheet detection flag. When the rotating radius of the sheet detection flag becomes large, it is necessary to provide a cutout in the guide member such as the opening and closing member in order to avoid the trajectory of the rotation of the flag, which causes a decrease in strength.
- According to the present invention,
- an apparatus comprising:
- an opening and closing member configured to be rotatable and configured to be located at a closed position and an open position;
- a rotating member rotatablely provided on the opening and closing member and configured to be rotatable by a sheet; and
- an assist member provided on the opening and closing member, the assist member being configured to be located at a first position when the opening and closing member is located at the closed position and configured to be located at a second position when the opening and closing member is located at the open position, wherein the assist member is configured to be displaceable from the first position to the second position by a weight of the assist member with a rotation of the opening and closing member from the close position toward the open position,
- wherein the assist member is configured to urge the rotating member toward a side of the opening and closing member when the assist member is located at the second position.
- Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing an overall configuration of an image reading apparatus with a sheet conveying apparatus. -
FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing a configuration of a document tray and a conveying unit of the sheet conveying apparatus. -
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a feeding portion and a separating portion of the sheet conveying apparatus. -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a vicinity of a document setting detection sensor of the sheet conveying apparatus. -
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an assist member in the vicinity of the document setting detection sensor of the sheet conveying apparatus. -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an abutting portion of a flag member and an assist abutting portion of an assist member when the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is closed. -
FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C are views showing movements until a document is set and fed to a document tray of the sheet conveying apparatus. -
FIG. 8 is a view schematically showing a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is opened. -
FIG. 9A is a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is closed, andFIG. 9B a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is opened. -
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship between a conveying unit and a flag member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is opened. -
FIG. 11A is a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is closed in the second embodiment, andFIG. 11B is a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is opened in the second embodiment. -
FIG. 12A is a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is closed in the third embodiment, andFIG. 12B is a view schematically showing the positions of a flag member and an assist member in a state in which the opening and closing guide of the sheet conveying apparatus is opened in the third embodiment. - In the first embodiment, an image reading apparatus including a sheet conveying apparatus that conveys a document, which is a sheet, will be described by way of an example.
- <Image Reading Apparatus>
FIG. 1 schematically shows the overall configuration of the image reading apparatus. This image reading apparatus has theimage reading portion 200 and thesheet conveying apparatus 80. - The
sheet conveying apparatus 80 feeds the documents S one by one onto theplaten 18 made of transparent glass. Further, thesheet conveying apparatus 80 is configured to be openable and closable with respect to theimage reading portion 200, and operates to press a document placed on theplaten 18. - The
image reading portion 200 optically reads an image of a document conveyed by thesheet conveying apparatus 80 or an image of a document placed on theplaten 18, photo-electrically converts the image, and inputs the image as image information. Theimage reading unit 200 has thecontact image sensor 24 as a first reading portion that reads an image of one side of a moving document conveyed on theplaten 18. Thecontact image sensor 24 is fixed at a predetermined position (the position shown inFIG. 1 ) on thesheet conveying apparatus 80, and reads an image of one side of a document conveyed on theplaten 18. - Further, the image reading apparatus has a second reading portion that reads an image of the other side of the document. The second reading portion includes the
movable scanner unit 204 with thelamp 202, themirror 203, etc., themirrors lens 207, theimage sensor 208, and the like. The second reading portion is provided on theimage reading portion 200. The second reading portion stops thescanner unit 204 at a predetermined position (solid line position shown inFIG. 1 ), and reads an image of the other side of the document conveyed on theplaten 18 above thescanner unit 204. Further, while moving thescanner unit 204 along theplaten 18, the second reading portion reads an image of the other side of the document placed on theplaten 18. - <Sheet Conveying Apparatus> The
sheet conveying apparatus 80 has thedocument tray 11 at an upper position. Thedocument tray 11 serves as a sheet supporting portion on which documents S are placed, and the documents S placed on thedocument tray 11 are sequentially fed from the uppermost document by the feedingroller 1. The fed documents S are separated and fed one by one by the conveyingroller 3 and theseparation roller 4. When separately fed document S passes over theplaten 18 ofimage reading portion 200, an image of document S is read by either or both of thescanner unit 204 and thecontact image sensor 24. The document S from which the image has been read is discharged onto thedischarge tray 19 by thedischarge roller 16. -
FIG. 2 schematically shows the configuration of thedocument tray 11 and the conveying unit. On thedocument tray 11, the documentwidth regulating plate 10 for regulating the movement of the stacked document S in the width direction of the document S is provided. Further, thedocument tray 11 is configured to be able to be lifted up and down by a driving portion (not shown). The feedingroller 1 is rotatable around theshaft 13. Further, theroller 1 is also rotatable about theshaft 5 by thearm 2 so as to be capable of being lifted up and down with respect to the document S stacked on thedocument tray 11. - The opening and
closing guide 6, which is an opening and closing member, is provided with theflag member 100 serving as an actuator of the document settingdetection sensor 102 for detecting the presence or absence of a document on thedocument tray 11. The document settingdetection sensor 102 uses a photo interrupter and detects that a sheet has been set on thedocument tray 11 when the optical axis is blocked by the flag member 100 (hereinafter referred to as sensor ON). Conversely, when the optical axis is not blocked by the flag member 100 (hereinafter referred to as sensor OFF), it is detected that a document is not set on thedocument tray 11. - The
arm 2 is provided with theactuator 90 of the feedingposition detection sensor 91 which determines a lifted position (document feeding position) of thedocument tray 11. The feedposition detection sensor 91 uses a photo interrupter, and when the sensor is ON, the sheet feeding is possible. Conversely, when the sensor is OFF, it is necessary to lift up thedocument tray 11 by a driving portion (not shown). -
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the feeding portion and the separating portion. Thepulleys 8 and 9 are provided on the feedingroller 1 and the conveyingroller 3, respectively. Thetiming belt 7 is stretched on thepulleys 8 and 9 and transmits the driving force of the motor M (seeFIG. 2 ) to thefeeding roller 1. Thearm 2 is urged by thespring clutch 12. When the motor M rotates forward, thearm 2 descends and contacts the top surface of the documents on thedocument tray 11. Further, when the motor M rotates forward, the feedingroller 1 and the conveyingroller 3 rotate in the direction for feeding the documents and feed the documents. When the motor M rotates in the reverse direction, thespring clutch 12 is locked to lift up thearm 2. - (Document Setting Detection Mechanism) Next, a document setting detection mechanism provided in the sheet conveying apparatus will be described.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the document setting detection sensor. - The document setting
detection sensor 102 is held by the opening andclosing guide 6. Theflag member 100 has twoflag shaft portions 101 held by the opening andclosing guide 6. Theflag shaft portions 101 are held by the bearingportion 103 of the opening andclosing guide 6 such that one of theflag shaft portions 101 can freely rotate and the other of theflag shaft portions 101 can freely rotate and move upward. Theflag member 100 has theactuator portion 104. When the document S is set, theactuator portion 104 is pressed by the leading end of the document S so that theflag member 100 rotates about theflag shaft portions 101. - The
flag member 100 has thedetection portion 105 which detects that the document S has been set by thedetection portion 105 blocking the light of the document setdetection sensor 102 when thedetection portion 105 rotates about theflag shaft portions 101. In addition, theflag member 100 has the protrudingportion 107. The position of the center of gravity of theflag member 100 is determined such that a rotational moment is generated around theflag shaft portion 101 in the clockwise direction (direction of arrow A) inFIG. 4 when the opening andclosing guide 6 is closed. As a result, the protrudingportion 107 contacts theflag stopper portion 108 provided on the opening andclosing guide 6, whereby the posture of theflag member 100 in the rotational direction is determined. - The
flag member 100 has the cylindricalflag abutting portion 109. As will be described later, theflag abutting portion 109 is pressed by theassist member 110. Further, the center of gravity position of theflag member 100 is located at a position slightly away (about 0.2 mm) from the flag shaft portions 101 (the center of rotation of the flag member 100) in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the moment generated at theflag member 100 is extremely small. - The
assist member 110 is rotatably attached to the opening andclosing guide 6 and theassist member 110 is displaceable between a first position and a second position in accordance with opening and closing operations of the opening andclosing guide 6. Theassist member 110 has twoassist shaft portions 111 held by the opening andclosing guide 6. The assistshaft portions 111 are rotatably held by the bearingportions 112 of the opening andclosing guide 6. Theassist member 110 has the cylindricalassist abutting portion 113. As will be described later, theassist abutting portion 113 has a function of pressing theflag abutting portion 109 when the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened. - Two
weights 114 are attached to theassist member 110. Theweights 114 in the present embodiment are made of SUM material having a diameter of 6 mm and a length of 12 mm. The twoweights 114 are disposed on both sides of theassist shaft portions 111 such that the direction of the rotational moment of theassist member 110 by one of theweights 114 is opposite to that by the other of theweights 114. -
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of theassist member 110 in the vicinity of the document settingdetection sensor 102. The position of the center of gravity of theassist member 110 is so determined that a moment is generated in the counterclockwise direction (direction of arrow B) with respect to the assistshaft portion 111 as shown inFIG. 5 when the open andclose guide 6 is closed. Theassist abutting portion 115 provided on theassist member 110 abuts against thestopper portion 116 provided on the opening andclosing guide 6, whereby the posture of theassist member 110 in the rotational direction is determined. At this time, theassist member 110 is located at the first position, and the position of the center of gravity is located at a position slightly away (about 0.2 mm) from the center of rotation of theassist shaft portions 111 in the horizontal direction. As a result, the moment generated to the assistshaft portions 111 is extremely small. -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of theflag abutting portion 109 of theflag member 100 and theassist abutting portion 113 of theassist member 110 when the opening andclosing guide 6 is closed. - The
flag abutting portion 109 is provided at a position distant from the rotational center axis of theflag shaft portions 101. Theflag abutting portion 109 has a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 3 mm, and is provided in parallel with theflag shaft portions 101. Theassist abutting portion 113 is provided at a position away from the center axis of theassist shaft portions 111. Theassist abutting portion 113 has a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 8 mm, and is provided in parallel with theassist shaft portions 111. - When the opening and
closing guide 6 is closed, theflag abutting portion 109 and theassist abutting portion 113 are separated from each other while keeping a constant clearance without coming into contact with each other. In this state, theassist member 110 does not act on theflag member 100. As the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened, the relative positional relationship between theflag shaft portions 101 and theassist shaft portions 111 is changed as described later. As a result, theflag abutting portion 109 and theassist abutting portion 113 abut against each other. -
FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C are schematic views showing movements until a document is set and fed to thedocument tray 11. - Before the document S is set, the
flag member 100 is held with an inclination of about 83° with respect to the stacking surface of the document tray 11 (FIG. 7A ). When the document S is set by a user, theflag member 100 starts to rotate in the clockwise direction about theflag shaft portions 101 by theactuator portion 104 being pressed by the document S. - When the
flag member 100 rotates by about 25°, the document S goes under the flag member 100 (FIG. 7B ). At this time, thedetection portion 105 blocks the light of the document settingdetection sensor 102, thereby detecting that the document S has been set. By making the angle of theflag member 100 with respect to the setting direction of the document S as close to 90° as possible, it is easy to detect even a document with low stiffness such as a thin paper without buckling. - When the document S is detected, the
document tray 11 is lifted up by a document tray lifting motor (not shown) and is moved to a predetermined position (FIG. 7C ). Thereafter, the feeding operation is performed by the feedingroller 1. After a predetermined number of sheets are fed, thedocument tray 11 is lifted down by the document tray lifting motor (not shown) and is moved to the initial position. Theflag member 100 also returns to the initial position and the operations are completed. During this series of operations, theflag member 100 and theassist member 110 are not brought into contact with each other. The reason is that when the sheet is detected, since theflag member 100 rotates in the clockwise direction inFIG. 7 , theflag abutting portion 109 rotates in a direction to retract from theassist abutting portion 113. - Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in
FIG. 7 , theflag shaft portions 101, which are the center of rotation of theflag member 100, are positioned at lower positions of the opening andclosing guide 6 in the vertical direction in a state where the opening andclosing guide 6 is located at the closed position. With this configuration, even if the angle of theflag member 100 with respect to the setting direction of the document is made as close as possible to 90°, it is not necessary to lengthen theflag member 100. - (Operations of Flag Member When Opening and Closing Guide is Opened) Next, the operations of the
flag member 100 when the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened will be described. For example, when a paper jam occurs in the reading apparatus, or when replacing parts during maintenance, the work is done with the opening andclosing guide 6 being opened upward.FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened. The opening andclosing guide 6 is held so as to be rotatable around therotational shaft 117 with respect to the reading apparatus main body. When a user rotates the opening andclosing guide 6 to open it, the document conveying path is exposed. At this time, the opening angle should be large enough because a certain amount of space is required from the viewpoint of workability, but if the opening angle is too large, the opening andclosing guide 6 may collide with peripheral objects such as a wall surface of an installation place. Therefore, the opening angle of the opening andclosing guide 6 is set to an angle at which the work is possible and the collision with surrounding objects is avoided. Then, the opening andclosing guide 6 is held in a self-standing state for work to be easily done when the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened. - With the opening operations of the opening and
closing guide 6, theassist member 110 acts on theflag member 100. When the opening andclosing guide 6 is located at the open position, theassist member 110 presses theflag member 100 so that theflag member 100 is urged toward the opening andclosing guide 6. Next, the action of theassist member 110 on theflag member 100 when the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened and closed will be described in detail. -
FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic views showing the positions of theflag member 100 and theassist member 110 when the opening andclosing guide 6 is closed and opened.FIG. 9A shows a state in which the opening andclosing guide 6 is located at a closed position, andFIG. 9B shows a state in which the opening andclosing guide 6 is located at an open position. - In a state where the opening and
closing guide 6 is closed, as described above, theflag member 100 and theassist member 110 are held in a state in which a slight moment is generated in the counterclockwise direction (direction of arrow C) due to their own weights without contacting each other. - As the opening and
closing guide 6 is opened, the position of theassist shaft portion 111 with respect to theflag shaft portion 101 relatively moves in the counterclockwise direction, and the position of theassist shaft portion 111 in the vertical direction becomes almost the same as the position of theflag shaft portion 101. On the other hand, theflag member 100 and theassist member 110 try to maintain the posture determined by the position of the center of gravity. Therefore, the assist member rotates in the clockwise direction because of the gravity, and theassist abutting portion 113 abuts against theflag abutting portion 109 to generate a force in the direction perpendicular to each tangent (direction of arrow D). As a result, a moment is generated at theflag member 100 in the clockwise direction (the direction of the arrow E) with respect to theflag shaft portion 101 and theflag member 100 rotates against the moment in the counterclockwise direction (the direction of the arrow F) due to its own weight. - The
flag member 100 continues to rotate until theassist member 110 abuts against theassist stopper portion 118 provided on the top surface of the opening andclosing guide 6. At this time, theassist member 110 is located at the second position, and as shown inFIG. 9B , theflag member 100 is completely retracted inside the guide surface of the opening andclosing guide 6. Even if the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened further, since the rotation of theassist abutting portion 113 is restricted by theassist stopper portion 118, theflag abutting portion 109 is never pushed further. When the opening andclosing guide 6 is completely opened and the opening andclosing guide 6 becomes in the self-standing state, the operation of opening is completed. When closing the opening andclosing guide 6, the opening andclosing guide 6 returns to the initial state by the reverse procedure. - Since both the
flag abutting portion 109 of theflag member 100 and theassist abutting portion 113 are formed in a circular arc configuration, the contact points are gradually moved while rotating as the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened. - As described above, when the opening and
closing guide 6 is opened, theflag member 100 is pressed and moved by theassist member 110 so that theflag member 100 is completely retracted inside the guide surface of the opening andclosing guide 6. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk that the worker damages parts by contacting theflag member 100 with hands or other parts during jam recovering or maintenance operations. - As a specific example, the effect of replacing the conveying
unit 121 for conveying a sheet will be described.FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the conveyingunit 121 and theflag member 100 when the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened. - When the opening and
closing guide 6 is opened, theflag member 100 retracts inside the surface of the opening andclosing guide 6 as described above. In the embodiment ofFIG. 10 , an accommodating portion for accommodating theflag member 100 is formed in the opening andclosing guide 6 with thegroove portion 119 and theprotection rib 120. When the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened, theflag member 100 is pressed by theassist member 110, so that theflag member 100 is retracted into thegroove portion 119 provided in the opening andclosing guide 6, and theflag member 100 is protected by theprotection rib 120 which surrounds theflag member 100. - The conveying
unit 121 has conveying members such as the feedingroller 1, thearm 2 and the conveyingroller 3. The conveyingunit 121 requires maintenance when it is used for a long time. Therefore, the conveyingunit 121 is detachably attachable to the opening andclosing guide 6. At the time of maintenance, the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened, the conveyingunit 121 is pulled out in the direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in the figure, and each roller is exchanged. In pulling out the conveyingunit 121, if theflag member 100 protrudes from the guide surface, theflag member 100 may collide with the conveyingunit 121 so that theflag member 100 may be damaged. However, in the configuration of the above-described embodiment, since theflag member 100 is retracted inside the guide surface of the opening andclosing guide 6, the risk thereof can be reduced. Therefore, in the present embodiment, theflag member 100 is disposed in the vicinity of the conveyingunit 121 so as to reduce the size of the apparatus. - The
flag member 100 is retracted inside the guide surface of the opening andclosing guide 6 by theassist member 110, and theflag shaft portion 101, which is the center of rotation of theflag member 100, is arranged to a lower position in the vertical direction when the opening andclosing guide 6 is closed, so that the length of theflag member 100 can be reduced. - In the present embodiment, the conveying
unit 121 is taken as an example, but the above configuration is also effective when other replacement parts such as other conveying rollers and sensors are present in the vicinity of theflag member 100. The above configuration is also effective not only at the time of maintenance but also when there is an operation to open the opening andclosing guide 6 such as jam recovering. - In this embodiment, the
flag member 100 is completely retracted inside the guide surface of the opening andclosing guide 6, but a certain effect can be obtained even when theflag member 100 is not completely retracted. - Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the
document tray 11 has the lift-up configuration is described, but a similar effect can be obtained with a fixed tray which does not have the lift-up configuration. - Further, in the present embodiment, the
assist member 110 has theweight 114. However, a certain effect can be obtained even when the weight is not provided. - Further, in the present embodiment, the sheet conveying apparatus having the
flag member 100 and theassist member 110 is used for the image reading apparatus. However, the sheet conveying apparatus can be used for an image forming apparatus having an image forming portion for forming an image on a sheet. - In the embodiment described above, when the opening and
closing guide 6 is opened, theassist member 110 presses theflag member 100 while theassist member 110 and theflag member 100 are rotating in the same direction. However, theflag member 100 can be retracted while theassist member 110 and theflag member 100 are rotating in the opposite directions with each other as described next. -
FIGS. 11A and 11B are schematic views showing the positions of theflag member 100 and theassist member 110 when the opening andclosing guide 6 is located at the closed position and at the open position in the second embodiment.FIG. 11A shows a state in which the opening andclosing guide 6 is closed, andFIG. 11B shows a state in which the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened. - When the opening and
closing guide 6 is closed, theflag member 100 is held by a stopper portion (not shown) in a state in which a slight moment is generated in the counterclockwise direction (direction of arrow C) by its own weight. On the other hand, theassist member 110 is held by thesecond stopper portion 122 in a state in which a moment is generated in the clockwise direction (direction of arrow G) by its own weight. Theflag member 100 and theassist member 110 are held without contacting each other. - As the opening and
closing guide 6 is opened, the relative position of theassist shaft portion 111 in the vertical direction with respect to the position of the center of gravity of theassist member 110 changes. When the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened to a predetermined angle, the rotational moment due to the position of the center of gravity of theassist member 110 is switched from the clockwise direction (the direction of the arrow G) to the counterclockwise direction (the direction of the arrow H). - Therefore, the
assist abutting portion 113 abuts against theflag abutting portion 109, so that a force is generated in the direction perpendicular to each tangent (direction of arrow I). As a result, a moment is generated at theflag member 100 in the clockwise direction (the direction of the arrow E) with respect to theflag shaft portion 101 so that the flag member rotates against the moment in the counterclockwise direction (the direction of the arrow F) due to its own weight. Theflag member 100 rotates until theassist member 110 abuts against theassist stopper portion 118. At this time, theflag member 100 is completely retracted inside the guide surface of the opening andclosing guide 6. - As described above, similarly to the first embodiment, when the opening and
closing guide 6 is opened, theflag member 100 is completely retracted inside the guide surface of the opening andclosing guide 6 by being pressed and moved by theassist member 110. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the risk that theflag member 100 is damaged due to a worker contacting theflag member 100 with a hand or a part during jam recovery or maintenance operations. - In the embodiment described above, the direction of the rotational moment due to the weight of the
assist member 110 is switched while the opening andclosing guide 6 is moving from the closed position to the open position. However, when the opening andclosing guide 6 is opened, the direction of the rotational moment due to the weight of theassist member 110 may continue to be the same. -
FIGS. 12A and 12B are views for explaining the operations of theflag member 100 and theassist member 110 provided in the opening andclosing guide 6 in the third embodiment.FIG. 12A shows a state in which the opening andclosing guide 6 is located at a closed position, andFIG. 12B shows a state in which the opening andclosing guide 6 is located at an open position. - As shown in
FIGS. 12A and 12B , theflag member 100 is configured to be rotatable around theflag shaft portion 101, and theassist member 110 is configured to be rotatable around theassist shaft portion 111. When the opening andclosing guide 6 is located at the closed position, theassist abutting portion 113 of theassist member 110, which is suspended by its own weight is located at a position where theassist abutting portion 113 does not act on theflag abutting portion 109 of theflag member 100. - When the opening and
closing guide 6 moves from the closed position ofFIG. 12A to the open position ofFIG. 12B , both theassist member 110 and theflag member 100 rotate in the clockwise direction, and theassist abutting portion 113 presses theflag abutting portion 109 so that theflag member 100 is retracted inside the guide surface of the opening andclosing guide 6. With this configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-described embodiment. - While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
- This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-247537, filed Dec. 25, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Claims (17)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2017-247537 | 2017-12-25 | ||
JP2017247537A JP2019112197A (en) | 2017-12-25 | 2017-12-25 | Sheet conveying device, image reading device, and image forming device |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20190193970A1 true US20190193970A1 (en) | 2019-06-27 |
Family
ID=66949948
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US16/223,646 Abandoned US20190193970A1 (en) | 2017-12-25 | 2018-12-18 | Sheet conveying apparatus, image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus |
Country Status (3)
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US (1) | US20190193970A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2019112197A (en) |
CN (1) | CN109956347A (en) |
Cited By (6)
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US20210188581A1 (en) * | 2019-12-19 | 2021-06-24 | Pfu Limited | Medium conveying apparatus for controlling feeding based on a movement amount of an arm and a size of a medium |
US20220041385A1 (en) * | 2019-01-18 | 2022-02-10 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet feeding apparatus, image reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus |
US11247857B2 (en) | 2018-12-13 | 2022-02-15 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet feeding apparatus, image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus |
US11258912B2 (en) * | 2020-02-05 | 2022-02-22 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Document conveyance apparatus, image reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus |
US11846891B2 (en) | 2021-02-24 | 2023-12-19 | Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. | Feeding device and image forming apparatus |
US11845625B2 (en) | 2021-02-25 | 2023-12-19 | Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. | Feeding device and image forming apparatus |
Family Cites Families (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH0597278A (en) * | 1991-10-03 | 1993-04-20 | Fuji Xerox Co Ltd | Remaining sheet amount detector |
JP2003081484A (en) * | 2001-09-14 | 2003-03-19 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Paper carrying device and image forming device |
US20080303204A1 (en) * | 2007-06-05 | 2008-12-11 | Yueh-Shing Lee | Paper feeding device |
JP6313535B2 (en) * | 2012-08-27 | 2018-04-18 | ゼロックス コーポレイションXerox Corporation | Paper feeder |
JP6381359B2 (en) * | 2014-08-18 | 2018-08-29 | 理想科学工業株式会社 | Paper feeder |
JP2016141489A (en) * | 2015-01-30 | 2016-08-08 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | Sheet supply device |
JP2017061374A (en) * | 2015-09-25 | 2017-03-30 | キヤノン電子株式会社 | Sheet feeding device and image reading device |
JP6459922B2 (en) * | 2015-11-20 | 2019-01-30 | 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 | Image forming apparatus |
-
2017
- 2017-12-25 JP JP2017247537A patent/JP2019112197A/en active Pending
-
2018
- 2018-12-18 US US16/223,646 patent/US20190193970A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2018-12-24 CN CN201811580362.7A patent/CN109956347A/en active Pending
Cited By (8)
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US11247857B2 (en) | 2018-12-13 | 2022-02-15 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet feeding apparatus, image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus |
US20220041385A1 (en) * | 2019-01-18 | 2022-02-10 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet feeding apparatus, image reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus |
US11780693B2 (en) * | 2019-01-18 | 2023-10-10 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet feeding apparatus, image reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus |
US20210188581A1 (en) * | 2019-12-19 | 2021-06-24 | Pfu Limited | Medium conveying apparatus for controlling feeding based on a movement amount of an arm and a size of a medium |
US11472650B2 (en) * | 2019-12-19 | 2022-10-18 | Pfu Limited | Medium conveying apparatus for controlling feeding based on a movement amount of an arm and a size of a medium |
US11258912B2 (en) * | 2020-02-05 | 2022-02-22 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Document conveyance apparatus, image reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus |
US11846891B2 (en) | 2021-02-24 | 2023-12-19 | Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. | Feeding device and image forming apparatus |
US11845625B2 (en) | 2021-02-25 | 2023-12-19 | Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. | Feeding device and image forming apparatus |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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JP2019112197A (en) | 2019-07-11 |
CN109956347A (en) | 2019-07-02 |
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