JP2002338119A - Document carrying device and image reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the generation of document jam when delivering the read documents to one paper delivery tray in the condition that the documents are placed on the other tray in an image carrying device provided with several paper delivery trays arranged adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. SOLUTION: This image carrying device is provided with a paper feeding tray to be loaded with the documents, a paper feeding means for feeding the documents placed on the paper feeding tray to a reading position one by one, a first paper delivery tray for housing the documents after reading an image thereof, a second paper delivery tray arranged adjacent to the first paper delivery tray under thereof to house the document after reading it, a document delivery means for selectively delivering the document after reading the image to the first paper delivery tray and the second paper delivery tray, a document detecting means for detecting the existence of the document on the first paper delivery tray, and a control means for controlling the carrying of the document in response to the length of the following documents when the document is placed on the first paper delivery tray.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document feeder used for an electronic copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, a scanner, and the like, and an image reading apparatus provided with the document feeder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A document feeder feeds a document placed on a paper feed tray (document tray) one sheet at a time, feeds the document to a document reading section, reads an image, and discharges the document after image reading. The paper is discharged onto a tray. The document transport device handles a wide variety of document sizes, and some document transport devices include a plurality of discharge trays configured to discharge to different discharge trays according to the document size. .

As an example of such a document feeder, one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-169017 is known. The document feeder described in the publication is
As shown in FIG. 7, a paper feeding means 102 for feeding a document placed on a paper feed tray 101 one by one to a reading position, and a first discharge tray for storing a document discharged from the reading position 103, a second paper output tray 104 disposed below the first paper output tray 103 for storing documents discharged from the reading position, and a Paper tray 103 or second paper discharge tray 104
And a document discharging means 105 for selectively discharging the document selectively.
The document discharge unit 105 discharges and stores a document whose length in the document conveyance direction is longer than a predetermined length in the first discharge tray 103, and stores a document whose length in the document conveyance direction is shorter than the predetermined length. The paper is discharged and stored in the second paper discharge tray 104. The first paper output tray 103 is connected to the second paper output tray 10.
4 is arranged so as not to cover the upper side of the original placing surface.

[0004]

However, in this document feeder, the paper-side leading end of the document stored in the first discharge tray 103 is placed on the document placement surface (the bottom surface) of the second discharge tray 104. ) Is stored in a hanging state. For this reason, in the conventional first document feeder, when the document G2 is discharged to the second discharge tray 103 after the document G1 is stored in the first discharge tray 104, the first A portion where the leading end of the document G <b> 1 on the discharge side that is stored in the discharge tray 103 of the document D <b> 1 hangs down toward the document placement surface (bottom surface) of the second discharge tray 104 is discharged to the second discharge tray 103. Since the leading end of the original G2 to be stopped is stopped, there is a problem that the original G2 discharged to the second discharge tray 103 is jammed.

According to the present invention, there is provided a first discharge tray for discharging a document, a second discharge tray disposed below the first discharge tray and for storing a document discharged from a reading position. It is an object of the present invention to provide a document feeder and an image reading apparatus provided with a document feeder, which can prevent a document discharged to a second discharge tray from being jammed.

[0006]

For this purpose, the present invention relates to a paper feed tray for placing a document, and a paper feed for feeding the documents placed on the paper feed tray one by one to a reading position. Means, a first paper discharge tray for storing a document after reading the image, and a paper discharge tray disposed adjacent to and below the first paper discharge tray;
A second paper output tray for storing the read original,
The original after the image is read is placed in the first paper discharge tray or the second paper discharge tray.
A document discharging means for selectively discharging a document to the discharge tray, a document detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a document on the first discharge tray, and a document placed on the first discharge tray. And a control unit for controlling the conveyance of the original according to the length of the succeeding original when the original is conveyed.

With this configuration, the original transport device of the present invention does not discharge the original to the second discharge tray when the original is stored in the first discharge tray, so that the second discharge tray It is possible to prevent a jam from occurring in a document discharged to a paper tray.

If the length of the subsequent document in the document transport direction is shorter than a predetermined length, the control means discharges the subsequent document onto the first discharge tray. Control. Further, when the length of the subsequently conveyed document is shorter than a predetermined length in the document conveying direction, the time until the document detecting means detects that the document is no longer on the first discharge tray is detected. Control is performed so that conveyance of the subsequent document is not started.

Further, the control means in the document feeder according to the present invention, when the length of the subsequently conveyed document in the direction of document conveyance is shorter than a predetermined length, places the document on the first discharge tray. When the document detecting means detects that a document is present, a warning signal for notifying that a document is placed on the first paper discharge tray is output. Thus, the operator can know that the original is still placed on the first discharge tray, which has poor visibility due to the paper feed tray.

Further, in the present invention, the first discharge tray is disposed below the paper feed tray, and the first discharge tray is disposed below the first discharge tray.
The second paper discharge tray is disposed below the paper discharge tray, and a document whose length in the document conveyance direction is longer than a predetermined length is discharged to the first paper discharge tray. A document having a length shorter than a predetermined length in a document conveying direction is discharged to a tray.

The present invention further provides a document feeder for feeding a document to a reading position for reading an image of the document and discharging the document whose image has been read from the reading position, and a document feeding device for feeding the document fed to the reading position. An image reading device for reading the document, wherein the document feeder includes a sheet feed tray for placing a document, and a reading position for the document placed on the sheet feed tray one by one. Paper feeding means for feeding paper to
A first paper output tray for storing a document after image reading;
A second paper ejection tray that is disposed adjacent to and below the first paper ejection tray and stores a document after image reading; and a first paper ejection tray or a second paper ejection tray that stores the document after image reading. A document discharging means for selectively discharging a document to a paper tray;
Document detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a document on the paper ejection tray, and subsequent document detection means when the document detection means detects that a document is placed on the first paper ejection tray. A control unit for controlling conveyance of a subsequent document according to the length of the fed document.

As described above, according to the present invention, in an image transport apparatus having a plurality of paper output trays arranged vertically adjacent to each other, the original is placed on one of the trays while the original is placed on the tray. This is to prevent the occurrence of a document jam that may occur when a document read on the other discharge tray is discharged.

[0013]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, a document conveying device and an image reading device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a document feeder and an image reader according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a document conveying device 1 and a reading device 2.

The document feeder 1 is mounted on a reading device 2. The document conveying device 1 conveys a document so as to pass over the upper surface of the first contact glass 3 of the reading device 2.

The reading device 2 includes a first contact glass 3
Light from a light source 4 such as a lamp is radiated onto the conveyed original through a light source, and the reflected light is reflected by a plurality of mirrors 5 to form an image by a lens 6 to be imaged by an image sensor such as a CCD. Read the image. That is, the first
The upper surface of the contact glass 3 is a reading position (reading unit) of the reading device 2. The reading device 2 also includes a second contact glass 8 having an area on which a document can be placed. The reading device 2 opens and closes the document feeder 1 and sends a thick document such as a book placed on the second contact glass 8 to the light source 4.
By moving the light source unit including the mirror 5 and the like in the sub-scanning direction, the image of the document can be read through the second contact glass 8.

Next, the document feeder 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The document feeder 1 includes a paper feed tray 9 on which a plurality of documents are placed, a paper feed means 10 for feeding the documents placed on the paper feed tray 9 one by one to a reading position. A first paper discharge tray 11 for storing a document discharged from the reading position, and a second paper discharge tray disposed below the first paper discharge tray 11 and storing a document discharged from the reading position A tray 12, a document discharge means 13 for selectively discharging the document arranged at the reading position to the first discharge tray 11 or the second discharge tray 12, and a first discharge A document support member 14 for supporting the leading end of the document stored on the tray 11 at the position above the document placement surface of the second discharge tray 12;

The document feeder 1 has a pressing cover 15 for pressing the document against the second contact glass 8. The pressing cover 15 is composed of a porous member such as a sponge and a film member such as white mylar.

The document feeder 1 includes a paper feed path 16 for feeding the originals on the paper feed tray 9 one by one to a reading position on the first contact glass 3, and a paper feed path 16. A transport path 17 formed to be continuous with the first contact glass 3 and guiding the original along the first contact glass 3, and a first paper discharge path extending from the transport path 17 to a paper outlet of the first paper output tray 11. A circulation path 19 that is connected to the connection between the paper supply path 16 and the transport path 17 from the paper discharge port of the first paper discharge tray 11 and returns the original document to the transport path 17 again; And an intermediate path 20 that is formed by branching and guides the document from the transport path 17, and a second discharge path 21 that is continuous from the intermediate path 20 to the discharge port of the second discharge tray 12.
A switchback path 22 formed to branch off from the second discharge path 21 to switch back the document from the intermediate path 20; and a second discharge tray 12 for turning the switched back document upside down. Reversal path 23 leading to the paper exit
And

The document placed on the paper feed tray 9 has its side portion regulated by a side guide member 24, and its leading end regulated by a stopper member 25. Also,
The paper feed tray 9 is attached rotatably with the leading end of the document feeding direction as a fulcrum.

In the paper feed path 16, a feed roller 26 for feeding the original, an elevating plate 27 that raises the leading end of the original placed on the paper feed tray 9 to contact the feed roller 26, and a feed roller A paper feed roller 28 for feeding the original fed out at 26; a separating member 29 for feeding only the uppermost original by the paper feed roller 28 to prevent the second and subsequent originals from being fed; A pair of registration rollers 30 are arranged so that the leading ends of the originals fed by the paper rollers 28 are aligned and then sent downstream.

Feed roller 26 and paper feed roller 28
Is connected to the sheet feeding motor M1 via a one-way clutch OW1. The registration roller 30 is connected to the sheet feeding motor M1 via a one-way clutch OW2. Accordingly, the drive motor M1 rotates the feed roller 26 and the paper feed roller 28 by the forward rotation of the drive shaft, and rotates the registration roller 30 by the reverse rotation of the drive shaft.

The transport path 17 includes a large-diameter transport roller 31.
And a plurality of driven rollers 32, 33, and 34 pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the transport roller 31. The transport roller 31 is driven by a transport motor M2.

Note that a backup guide member 35 is disposed on the first contact glass 3. The backup guide member 35 regulates the transport gap of the transport path 17 to improve the accuracy of the read image of the document.

The first discharge path 18 includes a transport roller 31
And a pair of first paper discharge rollers 37 for discharging the document to the first paper discharge tray 11 are disposed. The first paper discharge roller 37 is connected to a first paper discharge motor M3 that can rotate forward and reverse. The first paper discharge roller 37 reversely rotates with the rear end of the document nipped in the duplex mode for reading images on both sides of the document and switches back the document to the transport path 17 via the circulation path 19. Controlled to send. In addition, one pair of the first paper discharge rollers 37 is connected to one of the first paper discharge rollers 37 by a press-contact solenoid SOL1 so that when the leading and trailing ends of the document circulated through the circulation path 19 and the transport path 17 pass each other, they can be transported without any trouble. Is configured to be separated from the other paper discharge roller 37.

In the intermediate path 20, a pair of intermediate rollers 38 for sending a document downstream is arranged. Second paper discharge path 2
1, a pair of second paper discharge rollers 39 for discharging a document to the second paper discharge tray 12 is arranged. In the switchback path 22, a pair of switchback rollers 40 for switching back the original and sending it to the second discharge roller 39 via the reverse path 23 is arranged.

The pair of intermediate rollers 38 are driven by a first discharge motor M3, and are driven by a pair of second discharge rollers 39.
The pair of switchback rollers 40 are configured to be driven by a second paper discharge motor M4 that can rotate forward and reverse.

A first flapper 41 for guiding a document to either the first paper discharge path 18 or the intermediate path 20 is disposed downstream of the transport path 17. A second flapper 42 for guiding the document to either the second paper discharge path 21 or the switchback path 22 is disposed downstream of the intermediate path 20. These first
And the second flappers 41 and 42 are provided with a first solenoid S
It is driven by OL2 and a second solenoid SOL3. Further, the first paper discharge path 18 and the switchback path 2
2, self-weight flappers 43 and 44 which move upward by the leading edge of the document to be sent to pass the document and move downward when the trailing edge of the document passes, respectively, are arranged.

An empty sensor S1 for detecting that a document is placed on the paper feed tray 9 is disposed downstream of the paper feed tray 9 in the document conveying direction. In the paper feed path 16, a length sensor S2 and a registration sensor S3 for detecting an end of the fed document are arranged.
In front of the first contact glass 3, a lead sensor S4
Are arranged, and a first sheet ejection sensor S5 is arranged at a sheet ejection opening of the first sheet ejection tray 11. An intermediate sensor S6 is disposed in the intermediate path 20, and a second discharge sensor S7 is disposed near the discharge port of the second discharge tray 12.
A switchback sensor S8 is disposed in the switchback path 22. These lead sensors S4,
The first sheet ejection sensor S5, the intermediate sensor S6, the second sheet ejection sensor S7, and the switchback sensor S8 detect an end of the document. Further, the first discharge tray 11 is provided with a discharge document sensor (document detecting means) S9 for detecting the presence or absence of a document thereon. This discharged original sensor S9
Is constituted by an optical sensor or a limit switch.

As shown in FIG. 4, the empty sensor S
1, length sensor S2, registration sensor S3, read sensor S4, first sheet ejection sensor S5, intermediate sensor S6,
The second paper ejection sensor S7, the switchback sensor S8, and the paper ejection original sensor S9 are connected to a control device (control means) 45. Further, the sheet feeding motor M1 and the transport motor M
2. First discharge motor M3 and second discharge motor M4
Are also connected to the control device 45. Further, the press-contact solenoid SOL1, the first solenoid SOL2, and the second solenoid SOL3 are also connected to the control device 45.
The control device 45 has a central processing unit (CPU) for controlling the conveyance of the document.

The control unit 45 controls each of the sensors S1 to S1.
Based on the output signal from S9, the motors M1 to M4 and the solenoids SOL1 to SOL3 are controlled, and the document is conveyed.

Here, immediately after the registration roller 30,
A plurality of width sensors (not shown) are arranged at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the document feeding direction. When the document arrives at a predetermined position in front of the first contact glass 3, the length of the document is recognized by the controller 45 based on the output signal of the length sensor S2, and the controller 45 recognizes the length of the document based on the output signals of the plurality of width sensors. Is recognized. The controller 45 determines the size of the document based on the recognized length and width of the document.

Here, a plurality of width sensors are arranged, and the width of the document is detected by the output signal. However, the output varies depending on the amount of movement of the side guide member 24 placed on the paper feed tray 9. The width of the document may be recognized based on the output signal from. Further, instead of detecting the length direction of the document based on the output signal of the length sensor S2, a plurality of sensors may be arranged on the paper feed tray 9 and the length of the document may be detected based on the output signals of these sensors. Good.

The paper supply means 10 includes a paper supply path 16, a transport path 17, a feed roller 26, a lifting plate 27,
Paper feed roller 28, separation member 29, registration roller 3
0, a conveying roller 31, and driven rollers 32 and 33.

The document discharging means 13 includes a transport roller 31
, Driven rollers 34 and 36, first paper discharge path 18,
The intermediate path 20, the second discharge path 21, the switchback path 22, the reversing path 23, the driven roller 36, the first discharge roller 37, the first flapper 41, and the second flapper 42 and self-weight flappers 43 and 44.

Next, the operation of conveying a document by the document conveying device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

In order to make it easier to understand the operation of transporting the original by the original transport device 1, the operation of transporting the original when there is no remaining original on the first discharge tray 11 will be described.

First, a single-sided mode for reading an image on one side of a document will be described. Empty sensor S1 is ON
In this state, that is, when it is detected that a document is placed on the paper feed tray 9 and a paper feed command is received from the reading device 2, the paper feed motor M1 is rotated forward to feed the document. Paper. At this time, the feed roller 26 and the paper feed roller 28 are rotated in the document feeding direction, but the registration roller 30 is not rotated by the action of the one-way clutch OW2. When the registration sensor S3 detects the leading edge of the fed document, the document feeding motor M1 is stopped once after the document is conveyed by a predetermined amount from the time when the detection is performed. At this time, the leading edge of the document is brought into contact with the nip portion of the pair of registration rollers 30 to form a flexure, whereby the leading edge of the document is aligned and skew is removed. After the stop, the paper feed motor M1 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the original is fed from the paper feed path 16 to the transport path 17.

The transport motor M2 is driven simultaneously with the reverse rotation of the paper feed motor M1, so that the original transported along the paper feed path 17 is transported along the transport rollers 31. Then, when the leading end of the document conveyed along the conveyance path 17 is detected by the read sensor S4, the document is conveyed by a predetermined amount, and the paper feed motor M1 and the conveyance motor M2 are stopped. At this time, the document stops at a position in front of the first contact glass 3. Then, upon receiving a reading / conveying signal from the reading device 2, the conveying motor M <b> 2 is driven again, and the original passes over the first contact glass 3. At this time, the image of the document is read by the reading unit.

In the process of transporting the original to the first contact glass 3, after feeding the original by a predetermined amount after the leading edge of the original being transported is detected by the lead sensor S4, the feed motor M1 and the transport motor M2 are stopped. When the leading edge of the document reaches the position before the first contact glass 3, the subsequent document feeding operation is selected based on the output signal of the length sensor S2.

When the output signal of the length sensor S2 is ON, that is, when the original is at the position of the length sensor S2, the original is recognized as having a size longer than a predetermined length, and the first discharge tray is recognized. 11 is controlled to discharge the original. That is, when the document is recognized as having a long size, the first solenoid SOL2 is excited to move the first flapper 41 to a position where the document is guided to the first discharge tray 11, and the first discharge is performed. The motor M3 is driven in the forward rotation direction to rotate the first paper discharge roller 37 in the forward direction. As a result, the original that has passed through the first contact glass 3 by the transport roller 31 is transferred to the first discharge path 18.
Is discharged to the first discharge tray 11 along And
When a predetermined time elapses after the trailing edge of the document is detected by the first sheet ejection sensor S5, the document is completely removed from the first sheet ejection tray 11
Recognizes that the paper has been ejected on

When the output signal of the length sensor S2 is OFF, that is, when the original is not at the position of the length sensor S2, the original is recognized as having a size shorter than a predetermined length, and the second paper discharge tray is detected. 12 is controlled to discharge the original. That is, while the first flapper 41 is maintained at the normal position, the first discharge motor M3 is driven in the forward rotation direction to rotate the intermediate roller 38. As a result, the document that has passed through the first contact glass 3 is guided to the intermediate path 20, and is moved by the intermediate roller 38 and the second discharge roller 39 via the second transport path 21 to the second discharge tray 12. Is discharged to

At this time, when the leading edge of the document conveyed on the intermediate path 20 is detected by the intermediate sensor S6, the second discharge motor M4 is rotated forward and the rear end of the document is detected by the second discharge sensor S8. When a predetermined time has elapsed after the detection, it is recognized that the document has been completely discharged onto the second discharge tray 12.

In the one-sided mode for reading an image on one side of the original, when the registration sensor S5 detects the trailing end of the original while the original is being transported along the transport path 17, the presence or absence of the original on the paper feed tray 9 is determined. Is checked, and if there is a next document, the sheet feeding operation for the next document is started in the same manner as the previous document.

Next, a duplex mode for reading images on both sides of a document will be described.

The elevating plate 27 is raised and the feeding roller 26
The paper feed roller 28 is driven to feed out the original, and the skew of the original is removed by abutting the leading end of the original against the registration roller 30.
To feed the original from the paper feed path 16 to the transport path 17. Then, after the leading edge of the document is detected by the lead sensor S4, the document is conveyed by a predetermined amount and stopped at a position before the first contact glass 3.

The operation of feeding and transporting the document from the paper feed tray 9 to the position just before the first contact glass 3 is controlled in the same manner as the above-described single-sided mode paper feeding and transporting operation. .

The recognition operation for recognizing the length of the document based on the output signal of the length sensor S2 when the leading edge of the document reaches the position before the first contact glass 3 is the same as in the case of the single-sided mode described above. However, here, the recognized document length is stored in the RAM of the control device 45.

Here, in the case of the duplex mode, the first solenoid S is applied to all the originals regardless of the original length.
The first flapper 41 is moved to a position where the OL 2 is excited to guide the document to the first paper discharge path 18. Then, upon receiving a reading / transporting instruction from the reading device 2, the transport motor M2 is driven again, and the first paper discharge motor M3 is rotated forward. As a result, the image of the document is read by the reading means while passing over the first contact glass 3 and guided to the first paper discharge path 18.

The document guided to the first paper discharge path 18 is
The leading end pushes up the self-weight flapper 43 disposed so as to close the first paper discharge path 18 and is nipped by a pair of first paper discharge rollers 37. The sheet is conveyed to the discharge tray 11. When the first discharge sensor S5 detects the trailing end of the document, the first discharge motor M3 and the transport motor M2 are stopped. At this time,
The rear end of the document is nipped by a pair of first discharge rollers 37, and the front end is exposed above the first discharge tray 11. Thereafter, the first discharge motor M3 is rotated in the reverse direction.
As a result, the pair of first discharge rollers 37 rotate in the reverse direction,
The document is switched back and guided along the circulation path 19 along the document guide surface of the self-weight flapper 43. That is, in the process of switching back the document and guiding the document to the circulation path 19, the sheet feeding tray 9 and the first sheet discharging tray 11
The space between these functions as a path for switching back the original.

After the leading edge of the document switched back by the first paper discharge roller 37 is detected again by the first paper discharge sensor S5, the document is transported by a predetermined amount, and the transport roller 31 in the stopped state and the The leading end of the document is brought into contact with the nip portion of the driven roller 32 which is in pressure contact with the transport roller 31 to form a bend, thereby removing the skew of the document.

Then, in order to re-feed the original, the transport motor M2 is driven again to rotate the transport roller 31. The document is transported along the transport rollers 31, and when the leading edge of the document is detected by the read sensor S6, the transport motor M2 stops after a predetermined time.

That is, the original whose leading end is sent to the first discharge tray 11 is returned to the transport path 17 again by the first discharge roller 37 via the circulation path 19.

Here, when the leading edge of the document reaches the position before the first contact glass 3, the first flapper 41 is controlled based on the length of the document recognized earlier to switch the route for guiding the document. To make the operation of discharging the original different.

More specifically, when the document is longer than a predetermined length, the first flapper 41 is arranged so that the document is guided to the first paper discharge path 18 and the document is moved to the first position.
After the document is switched back by a pair of discharge rollers 37 for page alignment, the document is reversed via the circulation path 19 and the conveyance path 17 to
The paper is discharged to the first paper discharge tray 11 by the pair of paper discharge rollers 37.

If the document is shorter than the predetermined length, the excitation of the first flapper 41 is released, the first flapper 41 is arranged at a position where the document is guided to the intermediate path 20, and the document is transferred to the intermediate path 20. To the switchback path 22 from
After the document is switched back in the switchback path 22, the document is reversed and discharged to the second discharge tray 12 via the reverse path 23.

Next, a description will be given of a document transport operation of the document transport device 1 including a case where there is a document left behind in the first paper discharge tray 11. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the document transport operation of the document transport device 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, in step S1, the control device 45 determines whether or not there is a document on the paper feed tray 9, that is, determines whether or not the empty sensor S1 is ON. When there is a document in the paper feed tray 9 in step S1, the control device 45 proceeds to step S2.
It is determined whether or not there is a document on the discharge tray 11, that is, whether or not the discharged document sensor S9 is ON.

When there is no document on the first discharge tray 11 in step S2, the controller 45 determines in step S3 whether the length of the subsequent document in the document transport direction is longer than a predetermined length. If the length of the subsequent document in the document transport direction is longer than the predetermined length in step S3,
In step S4, the document feeder 1 starts feeding the document, and discharges the document to the first discharge tray 11 in step S5 as described above. When the length of the subsequent document in the document transport direction is shorter than the predetermined length in step S3, the document transport device 1 starts feeding the document in step S6, and as described above, in step S7, the second discharge tray Then, the original is ejected to the printer 12.

In step S2, when there is a document on the first discharge tray 11, in step S8, the controller 45 determines whether the length of the subsequent document in the document transport direction is longer than a predetermined length. If the length of the subsequent document in the document transport direction is longer than the predetermined length in step S8,
The document feeder 1 starts feeding a document in step S9, and discharges the document to the first discharge tray 11 in step S10 as described above.

If it is determined in step S8 that the length of the subsequent document in the document transport direction is shorter than the predetermined length, the process proceeds to step S8.
At 11, the document feeder 1 warns that there is a document on the first discharge tray 11. In this case, the control device 4
Reference numeral 5 turns on a display (not shown) indicating that there is a document on the first discharge tray 11 or causes an alarm sound generator (not shown) to generate an alarm sound.

Next, at step S12, the control device 4
5 determines whether or not the original on the first paper discharge tray 11 has run out. In step S12, the first discharge tray 1
When there is no more original on the document 1, the document feeder 1 starts feeding the original in step S13 and discharges the original to the second discharge tray 12 in step S14 as described above.

When there is a document on the first discharge tray 11 in step S12, the control device 45 determines in step S15 whether a predetermined time has elapsed. When the predetermined time has elapsed in step S15, the document feeder 1 starts feeding the document in step S16, and discharges the document to the first discharge tray 11 in step S17. In this case, even though the length of the document in the document transport direction is shorter than the predetermined length, there is a document on the first paper discharge tray 11, so that the document transport device 1 Discharges the document to the first discharge tray 11.

That is, in the single-sided mode in this case, the control device 45 controls the operation of transporting the original as described above until the reading of the image of the original by the reading device is completed, and then discharges the original to the first discharger. Control is performed so that the sheet is discharged to the paper tray 11.

In the double-side mode in this case, the control device 45 controls the document transport operation as described above until the reading device finishes reading the document image.
Next, the first document is guided so as to be guided to the first paper discharge path 18.
Is disposed on the first discharge path 18
The document is again switched back by the pair of paper discharge rollers 37 for page alignment, and then reversed by the pair of paper discharge rollers 37 via the circulation path 19 and the transport path 17. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 11.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the document supporting member 14 is configured such that the leading end of the document accommodated in the first ejection tray 11 on the ejection side is placed on the original placement surface of the second ejection tray 12. (Bottom)
Support at a higher position. The document supporting member 14 is
The document support surface 14a is a substantially horizontal surface. When a document is ejected to the first discharge tray 11 when the document is longer than a predetermined length, the leading end of the document on the discharge side is separated from the discharge end of the first discharge tray 11. Although the document protrudes, the document has a waist, so the leading end of the document on the document discharge side does not drop down suddenly and the document support surface 14 of the document support member 14 does not hang down.
a, and is supported by the document supporting surface 14a.

In this way, after the originals are stored in the second paper output tray 12 and then stored in the first paper output tray 11, the papers are discharged to the first paper output tray 11. Since it is possible to prevent the original to be pressed from pushing the original stored in the second paper output tray 12 in the paper discharge direction, the alignment of the originals stored in the second paper output tray 12 is good. In addition, since there is no protruding partition end disposed so as to cover a part of the document placing surface of the second paper discharge tray 12, the second
The visibility for checking whether or not a document is stored in the discharge tray 12 of the second discharge tray 12 is improved.
Can be easily taken out of the document.

The document support member 14 has an inclined guide surface 14b for guiding the leading end of the document discharged along the first discharge tray 11 upward. The inclined guide surface 14b is connected to the first discharge tray 11 on the document support surface 14a.
Side. When a document is discharged to the first discharge tray 11, the discharge end of the document protrudes from the discharge end of the first discharge tray 11. When the document is slightly lowered, the inclined guide surface 14b guides the leading end portion of the document on the discharge side upward to smoothly support the document support surface 14b.
Guide to a.

Next, a document feeder and an image reader according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a document feeder and an image reader according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the document feeder and the image reading device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the same components as those in the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 6, the document feeder and the image reading apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention are different from the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 4 is configured so that the position in the document discharge direction can be adjusted. Except for this, the configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

At the bottom of the document support member 14, a rack 46
Has been fixed. A pinion 47 is arranged to mesh with the rack 46. By rotating the pinion 47, the document supporting member 14 can move in the document discharging direction.

The position of the document supporting member 14 in the document discharging direction is adjusted by the control device 45 according to the size of the document. For example, when the size of the document is B5, the document support member 14 is disposed at the first position, and the size of the document is A4.
In this case, the document support member 14 is disposed at a second position farther from the first paper discharge tray 11 than the first position. The document supporting member 14 may be configured so that the position in the document discharging direction can be manually adjusted. Further, the present invention can be applied to a document feeder and an image reading device that do not have the document support member 14. Further, the present invention can be applied to a document feeder and an image reading device that read only an image on one side of a document.

In the above-described embodiment, when the length of the subsequently transported document in the document transport direction is shorter than the predetermined length, the controller 45 places the document on the first discharge tray 11. It is also possible to control so that the conveyance of the subsequent document is not started until the discharged document sensor S9 detects that there is no paper. In the above embodiment, the control device 45
When a document whose length in the document transport direction is longer than a predetermined length and a document whose length in the document transport direction is shorter than the predetermined length are mixed on the paper feed tray 9, May be configured to be discharged to the first discharge tray 11.

As described in detail above, in the document feeder according to the present invention, an image feeder having a plurality of paper discharge trays arranged vertically adjacent to each other is described.
When a document is stored in the first output tray, the second
Thus, it is possible to prevent a document from being discharged to the second discharge tray, thereby preventing the document discharged to the second discharge tray from being jammed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a document conveying device and an image reading device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing a part of the document feeder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a part of a main part of the document feeder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a device that controls the conveyance of the document of the document conveyance device illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a document conveying operation of the document conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a document conveying device and an image reading device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a conventional document feeder.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 document feeder 2 reading device 3 first contact glass 4 light source 5 mirror 6 lens 7 image sensor (CCD) 8 second contact glass 9 paper feed tray 10 paper feeder 11 first discharge tray 12 second Discharge tray 13 Document discharge means 14 Document support member 15 Press cover 16 Feed path 17 Transport path 18 First discharge path 19 Circulation path 20 Intermediate path 21 Second discharge path 22 Switchback path 23 Reverse path 24 Side guide member 25 Stopper member 26 Feeding roller 27 Elevating plate 28 Feed roller 29 Separating member 30 Registration roller 31 Conveying roller, 32, 33, 34, 36 Follower roller 35 Backup guide member 37 First discharge roller 38 Intermediate roller 39 Second discharge roller 40 Switchback roller 41 First Flapper 42 second flapper 43 to its own weight flapper 45 controller (control means)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2H027 DB00 DB09 ED11 ED22 GA30 GA54 GB01 2H076 BA36 BA64 BA65 BA76 BB02 BB04 3F053 EB04 EC02 LA01 LB02

Claims (8)

[Claims] A sheet feed tray for placing a document; a sheet feeding means for feeding the documents placed on the sheet feed tray one by one to a reading position; A first paper ejection tray, a second paper ejection tray disposed adjacent to and below the first paper ejection tray for storing the read original, and Output tray or second
A document discharging means for selectively discharging a document to a paper discharge tray, a document detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a document on the first paper discharging tray, and a document being placed on the first paper discharging tray. And a control unit for controlling the conveyance of the original according to the length of the following original when the original is placed. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein when the length of the subsequent document in the document transport direction is shorter than a predetermined length, the control unit causes the subsequent document to be discharged onto the first discharge tray. 2. The document feeder according to claim 1, wherein the control is performed in the following manner. 3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein a length of the subsequently conveyed document in a document conveying direction is shorter than a predetermined length.
2. The document feeder according to claim 1, wherein control is performed so that the feed of a subsequent document is not started until the document detector detects that the document has run out on the first paper output tray. 3. apparatus. 4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein a length of the subsequently conveyed document in a document conveying direction is shorter than a predetermined length.
A warning for notifying that a document is placed on the first paper output tray when the document detection means detects that a document is present on the first paper output tray; 2. The document conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the document conveying device outputs a signal. 5. The first paper discharge tray is disposed below the paper supply tray, the second paper discharge tray is disposed below the first paper discharge tray, and the first paper discharge tray is provided. Documents whose length in the document conveying direction is longer than a predetermined length are discharged to a tray, and documents whose length in the document conveying direction is shorter than a predetermined length are discharged to the second discharge tray. The document feeder according to claim 1. 6. A document feeder for feeding a document to a reading position for reading an image of the document and discharging the document whose image reading has been completed from the reading position, and for reading the document fed to the reading position. An image reading device, comprising: a document feeder for feeding a document; and a document feeder for feeding the documents placed on the paper feed tray one by one to a reading position. A first discharge tray for storing a document after reading the image, and a second discharge tray disposed below and adjacent to the first discharge tray and storing the document after reading the image. A paper tray, and the original after image reading is transferred to the first paper discharge tray or the second paper discharge tray.
A document discharging means for selectively discharging a document to the discharge tray, a document detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a document on the first discharge tray, and a document on the first discharge tray. Control means for controlling the conveyance of the subsequent document according to the length of the document that is subsequently fed when the document detection means detects that
An image reading apparatus comprising: 7. The first paper discharge tray is disposed below the paper supply tray, the second paper discharge tray is disposed below the first paper discharge tray, and the first paper discharge tray is provided. Documents whose length in the document conveying direction is longer than a predetermined length are discharged to a tray, and documents whose length in the document conveying direction is shorter than a predetermined length are discharged to the second discharge tray. The document reading device according to claim 6. 8. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein a length of the subsequently conveyed document in a document conveying direction is shorter than a predetermined length.
When the document detecting means detects that a document is present on the first discharge tray, a warning signal for notifying that a document is present on the first discharge tray is output. 7. The document reading apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: