JP2013249198A - Sheet conveying device, and image reading device and image forming apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A sheet conveying device capable of reliably regulating the movement of a sheet even when the number of sheets stacked on a discharge sheet stacking unit increases, and an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus using the sheet conveying device.
A document placing table 2 on which a document bundle MS is loaded, a document S loaded on the document stacking table 2 are separated and fed one by one, and are separated and fed by a sheet feeding separation unit 1. A first transport path 11, a second transport path 12, a third transport path 13, a fourth transport path 14 for transporting the original S to a predetermined target location, and a paper discharge tray for stacking sheets discharged from these transport paths. 28 and one end on the upstream side in the document transport direction are rotatably supported and the other end on the downstream side in the document transport direction abuts on the document S so as to restrict movement of the document S stacked on the paper discharge tray 28. The regulating unit 30 has a variable distance from one end on the upstream side in the document conveying direction to the other end on the downstream side in the document conveying direction according to the number of documents on the paper discharge tray 28.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus that feeds stacked sheets one by one, and an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus using the sheet conveying apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a scanner, a copy, a facsimile, a printer, or a combination of these, a place where a set original sheet is conveyed to a reading apparatus or a recording sheet stored in a paper feed tray is conveyed to an image forming unit. Sheet conveying devices are used in various places such as locations. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic document conveying apparatus that conveys documents one by one from a bundle of documents stacked on a document table, feeds them to a reading position, and sequentially discharges images to a discharge tray. Is disclosed. On the discharge tray of this automatic document feeder, one end is rotatably supported by a member above the discharge tray, and the other end hangs down from the downstream side in the document discharge direction toward the upstream side in the document discharge direction. A pair of guide members that contact the original on the paper tray are provided. The leading end of one guide member is provided so as to hang down downstream of the other guide member in the document discharge direction so that both guide members can press the document on the discharge tray at different positions. As a result, even a document having a curl at the leading edge or the trailing edge of the document can be discharged to the document discharge unit in a substantially flat state.

  However, in the automatic document feeder, as the number of documents stacked on the paper discharge tray increases, the other guide members of the both guide members are lifted upward about the fulcrum. As a result, the angle between the other end of the guide member and the document becomes small, and the guide member approaches horizontal, so that the document conveyed on the paper discharge tray easily moves along the guide member. That is, the smaller the angle between the other end of the guide member and the document, the smaller the effect of restricting the movement of the document on the guide member. For this reason, when the number of originals stacked on the paper discharge tray increases, the newly output originals do not stay on the paper discharge tray as they are due to the conveying force of the conveying member that conveys the originals. There is a risk of jumping out.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet conveying apparatus capable of reliably regulating sheet movement even when the number of sheets stacked on the discharged sheet stacking means increases. And an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus using the same.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a sheet stacking unit for stacking sheets, a separation feeding unit for separating and feeding sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit one by one, and a separation feeding unit by the separation feeding unit. In a sheet conveying apparatus including a conveying unit that conveys a fed sheet to a predetermined target location, and a discharge sheet stacking unit that stacks the sheet discharged from the conveying unit, a sheet stacked on the discharged sheet stacking unit In order to regulate the movement, there is provided regulation means for supporting one end on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction so as to be rotatable and the other end on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction contacting the sheet on the discharged sheet stacking means, Is characterized in that the distance from one end on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction to the other end on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction is variable in accordance with the number of sheets on the discharged sheet stacking means.
According to the present invention, the regulating unit can change the distance from one end on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction to the other end on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction in accordance with the number of sheets on the discharged sheet stacking unit. When the number of sheets stacked on the discharged sheet stacking means increases, the restricting means shortens the distance from one end on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction to the other end on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction, and the other end of the restricting means and the original sheet Can be kept substantially constant regardless of the number of stacked sheets. As a result, even if the number of sheets stacked on the discharged sheet stacking unit increases, the regulating unit can regulate the movement of the sheet at the same angle and suppress the jumping out of the sheet.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a sheet conveying apparatus capable of reliably regulating the movement of a sheet even when the number of sheets stacked on the discharged sheet stacking unit increases, and an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus using the sheet conveying apparatus. There is an excellent effect that it can be provided.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a copier according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of an automatic document feeder mounted on the copier. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a pressing member and a storage member of the automatic document feeder. The principal part expansion perspective view which shows the structure of the pressing member and storage member of the automatic document feeder. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a configuration of a pressing member and a storage member of the automatic document feeder. FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating a configuration of a pressing member and a storage member of the automatic document feeder. (A) (b) is a perspective view explaining a mode at the time of mounting | wearing with a control member in a storage member. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating the operation of a pressing member when a first document is discharged to a discharge tray. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating the operation of a pressing member when a first document is discharged to a discharge tray. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating the operation of a pressing member when a first document is discharged to a paper discharge tray. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating the operation of a pressing member when a second original is discharged to a discharge tray. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating the operation of a pressing member when a plurality of documents are discharged to a paper discharge tray. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a document conveying device according to another embodiment. FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of an X portion illustrated in FIG. 13. The perspective view which shows the structure of the control means used as another Example. The side view which shows the structure of the control means shown in FIG. The top view which shows the structure of the control means shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control means used as another Example. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of an automatic document feeder (when the number of documents stacked on a paper discharge tray is small) as a comparative example. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an automatic document feeder (when there are a large number of documents stacked on a paper discharge tray) as a comparative example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a copying machine which is an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied and a document conveying device mounted thereon will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a copying machine according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a document conveying device mounted on the copying machine. As shown in FIG. 1, the copying machine according to the present embodiment includes an automatic document feeder (generally called an ADF (auto document feeder)) 100 that conveys a document as a sheet, and an image of the document. And an image forming unit 102 for recording an image of a document read by the scanner 101 on a recording sheet as a recording medium. The automatic document feeder 100 is mounted on the scanner 101 via an opening / closing mechanism (for example, a hinge) (not shown) so that the scanner 101 can be opened and closed. The scanner 101 is fixed to the upper part of the image forming unit 102. The copying machine also includes paper feed trays 103 arranged in multiple stages to supply recording sheets of various sizes to the image forming unit 102. The copier also includes a paper discharge tray 104 that discharges the recording paper on which an image is formed by the image forming unit 102, an operation unit 105 that serves as notification means for performing input operations by the user and notification to the user. As the configuration of the image forming unit 102, a conventionally known electrophotographic method, ink jet method, or the like can be adopted, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the document conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. The automatic document feeder 100 includes a sheet feeding / separating unit 1 serving as a separating and feeding unit that feeds and separates a document S as a sheet, and a plurality of roller pairs (described later) serving as a conveying unit. The conveyance path 11, the second conveyance path 12, the third conveyance path 13, the fourth conveyance path 14, and a discharge unit 15 that stacks the documents S discharged outside the apparatus are mainly configured.

  In the automatic document feeder 100, a document stacking unit 2 serving as a sheet stacking unit on which a document bundle MS in which a plurality of documents S are stacked to be stacked is inserted and set in the sheet feeding separation unit 1 and the transport direction of the document bundle MS Is provided with a side fence 3 for positioning in a direction perpendicular to the width (hereinafter referred to as the width direction), and a stop claw 4 against which the downstream end (hereinafter referred to as the front end) of the document bundle MS in the document conveyance direction is abutted. . The paper feed separation unit 1 feeds a paper feed roller 5 that calls a set of original bundle MS, and the original bundle MS sent out by the paper feed roller 5 from the top one by one. A paper belt 6 and a reverse roller 7 are provided.

  The feed roller 5 is normally on standby with a predetermined interval from the document table 2. A sensor (not shown) detects that the document bundle MS is set on the document table 2 and is read by the operation unit 105. When an instruction to start is given, it is controlled to move down to a position where it comes down from the standby position (indicated by a dotted line in the figure) and contacts the uppermost surface of the document bundle MS, and is driven by a solenoid (not shown).

  The sheet feeding belt 6 is stretched by a driving roller and a driven roller, and is moved endlessly in the clockwise direction in the drawing by the rotation of the driving roller accompanying the normal rotation of a sheet feeding motor (not shown). The reverse roller 7 is in contact with the lower stretched surface of the paper feed belt 6 and is driven to rotate clockwise in the drawing by a normal rotation of a paper feed motor (not shown). At the contact portion between the paper feed belt 6 and the reverse roller 7, the surface of the paper feed belt 6 moves in the document transport direction. On the other hand, the surface of the reverse roller 7 tries to move in the direction opposite to the document conveying direction, but a drive transmission unit of the reverse roller 7 is provided with a torque limiter (not shown) and moves in the document conveying direction. When the force is larger than the torque limiter torque, the reverse roller 7 rotates so as to move on the surface in the document conveying direction. The reverse roller 7 is in contact with the paper feed belt 6 with a predetermined pressure to form a separation nip. When the reverse roller 7 is in direct contact with the paper feed belt 6 or only one document S is sandwiched between the contact portions. When the document is being fed, it is accompanied by the paper feed belt 6 or the document S. However, when a plurality of documents S are sandwiched between the contact portions, the rotation force is set to be lower than the torque of the torque limiter. To rotate. As a result, a moving force in the direction opposite to the document transport direction is applied to the document S below the topmost level by the reverse roller 7, so that only the topmost document S is separated from several documents S. This prevents double feeding.

  A first conveyance path 11 is provided on the downstream side of the sheet feeding separation unit 1 in the document conveyance direction to convey one separated document toward a reading position 60 described later. In the first transport path 11, there are an entrance roller 16 that transports the document S introduced into the transport path to the reading position 60, an entrance driven roller 17, an abutment sensor 18 that detects the leading edge of the document, a registration sensor 19, and the like. Is provided.

  A second conveyance path 12 is provided on the document conveyance downstream side of the reading position 60. The second transport path 12 is provided with an exit roller 20, an exit driven roller 21, a paper discharge roller 22, a paper discharge driven roller 23, a paper discharge sensor 24, and the like. A paper discharge unit 15 is provided on the downstream side of the second transport path 12 in the document transport direction of the paper discharge roller 22. The paper discharge unit 15 includes a paper discharge tray 28 on which the original S discharged from the paper discharge roller 22 is stacked, a pressing member (to be described later) serving as a restricting means for restricting movement of the original S on the paper discharge tray 28, and the like. Is provided.

  Further, on the downstream side of the second transport path 12 in the document transport direction of the paper discharge roller 22, the document S transported by the second transport path 12 is switched back to the first transport path 11 from the rear end of the document again. A third transport path 13 is provided for transporting in the direction. The third transport path 13 is provided with a reverse roller 24, a reverse driven roller 25, a switching claw 26, and the like. The reversing roller 24 has driving means for switching between normal rotation and reverse rotation independently. The reversing roller 24 introduces the document S discharged from the paper discharge roller 22 by normal rotation to the third transport path 13 and then reverses. Then, the document S in the third transport path 13 is transported to the fourth transport path 14. The switching claw 26 is swingably supported so as to switch the transport destination of the document S transported by the second transport path 12 to the paper discharge tray 28 or the third transport path 13. Then, the switching claw 26 switches to the dotted line position in the drawing to guide the document S discharged from the discharge roller 22 to the third transport path 13, and when the document S is introduced into the third transport path 13, the solid line By switching to the position, the document S switched back in the third transport path 13 is guided to the fourth transport path 14 from the rear end. In the fourth transport path 14, a paper discharge roller 22, a paper discharge upper driven roller 27, and the like are provided. The fourth conveyance path 14 joins the document S, which is switched back by the third conveyance path 13 by the discharge roller 22 and the discharge upper driven roller 27, to the first conveyance path 11.

  The scanner 101 has a reading unit 61 for reading an image of the document S at a reading position 60. The reading unit 61 includes a light source, a reflection mirror, an image reading sensor such as a CCD, and the like. The reading unit 61 is disposed directly below the contact glass 62 fixed to the upper wall of the casing of the scanner 101 so as to come into contact with the conveyed document. ing. When the document S conveyed by the automatic document feeder 100 passes through the reading position 60, the reading unit 61 sequentially reflects the light emitted from the light source on the document surface and passes through the plurality of reflection mirrors. Light is received by the reading sensor. Thereby, the reading unit 61 scans the document S without moving the optical system including the light source and the reflection mirror.

Next, the operation of the document conveying device until the document S placed on the document table 2 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 28 will be described.
(Single-sided mode)
A case will be described in which the single-side mode for copying only one side of the original bundle MS placed on the original placement table 2 is set. When the start key provided on the operation unit 105 is pressed in a state where the single-side mode is set, it is checked whether or not the document bundle MS is set on the document table 2 by a detection signal from a sensor (not shown). The The document bundle MS is stacked with the leading end abutted against the stop claw 4 so that the image surface to be read faces upward on the document table 2. When a document set is detected by a sensor (not shown), the stop pawl 4 is retracted downward (indicated by a two-point diagonal line in the figure), the motor rotates forward, and the paper feed roller 5 is lowered (two-point diagonal line in the figure). Is pressed against the original bundle S. Then, the paper feed roller 5 rotates in the clockwise direction in the figure and feeds the original. The documents S sent to the first conveyance path 11 by the paper feed roller 5 are separated one by one by the paper feed belt 6 and the reverse roller 7 one by one. Next, when the leading edge of the document S is detected by the registration sensor 19, the reading start timing is taken at the reading position 60, and the reading unit 61 starts reading at the reading position 60 in accordance with the leading edge of the document S. When the registration sensor 19 detects the trailing edge of the document, the reading unit 61 takes a reading end timing, and the reading is completed in accordance with the trailing edge of the document S.

  The document S after passing through the reading position 60 is transported through the second transport path 12 and is discharged from the paper discharge roller 22 to the paper discharge tray 28, and is stacked with the image surface down. Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated until a sensor (not shown) no longer detects the document bundle MS on the document table 2, thereby completing the single-sided document processing for the document bundle MS of the document table 2. In the single-sided mode, the switching claw 26 is always at the solid line position in the figure. Each motor that drives each roller is always driven, but a gap between sheets is formed by setting the linear velocity of the exit roller 20 faster than the linear velocity of the paper feed belt 6. When the reading of the document bundle MS is completed, the motor reverses and the paper feed roller 5 moves up to move to the standby position indicated by the solid line in the figure.

(Double-sided mode)
A case will be described in which the duplex mode for performing duplex copying of the document bundle MS placed on the document placing table 2 is set. The upward surface of the document bundle MS placed on the document placement table 2 is referred to as the front surface, and the downward surface is referred to as the back surface. When the start key provided on the operation unit 105 is pressed in a state where the duplex mode is set, it is checked whether or not the document bundle MS is set on the document table 2 by a detection signal from a sensor (not shown). The When a document set is detected by a sensor (not shown), the stop claw 4 is retracted downward, the motor rotates forward, and the paper feed roller 5 is lowered and pressed against the document bundle MS (in FIG. 2, two-dot diagonal lines) ). Then, the paper feed roller 5 rotates in the clockwise direction in the figure and feeds the original S. The documents S sent to the first conveyance path 11 by the paper feed roller 5 are separated one by one by the paper feed belt 6 and the reverse roller 7 one by one.

  Next, when the registration sensor 19 detects the leading edge of the document S, the reading unit 61 takes a reading start timing, and reading of the document surface is started in accordance with the leading edge of the document S. When the leading edge of the document S is detected by the registration sensor 19, the switching claw 26 moves to the dotted line position in the figure, and the reverse roller 24 rotates in the forward direction (clockwise direction in the figure). Further, when the leading edge of the document S is detected by a sensor (not shown), the paper feed roller 4 and the paper feed belt 6 are released from driving by a clutch or the like, and stand by without feeding the next document. Then, when the registration sensor 12 detects the trailing edge of the document S, the reading end timing is taken, and the reading is completed in accordance with the trailing edge of the document S. Thereafter, the document S is transported by the paper discharge roller 22 to the third transport path 13 on the switching claw 26 at the dotted line position in the figure. After a certain time T from the registration sensor 19 (after a time sufficient for the trailing edge of the document to completely pass through the contact portion between the paper discharge roller 22 and the paper discharge driven roller 23), the switching claw 26 is moved from the dotted line position in the figure. Switching to the solid line position, the reverse roller 24 rotates in the reverse direction (counterclockwise direction in the figure) and guides the document to the fourth transport path 14.

  Next, the document S introduced into the fourth transport path 14 is sent to the first transport path 11. When the front end of the document S is detected by the registration sensor 19, the reading operation of the back surface of the document S is performed in the same manner as the front surface reading. When the registration sensor 19 detects the leading edge of the document, the switching claw 26 moves again from the solid line position to the dotted line position in the drawing, and rotates the reverse roller 25 in the forward rotation direction. At this time, the entrance roller 19 and the reversing roller 25 rotate in opposite directions. However, by providing a torque limiter on the shaft of the reversing roller 25, the entrance roller 19 and the reversing roller 25 follow the entrance roller 19. The document whose back side reading operation has been completed is again transported to the second transport path 12 and the third transport path 13 and switched back, and is sent from the fourth transport path 14 to the first transport path 11. Do not do. Even when the registration sensor 19 detects the leading edge of the document, the switching claw 26 remains in the solid line position, so that the document is discharged onto the discharge tray 28 with the surface facing downward. When the sensor registration sensor 19 detects the third passage of the trailing edge of the document, when the document stack MS is detected on the document placing table 2 by a sensor (not shown), the next document feeding operation is performed. Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated until a sensor (not shown) no longer detects a document, thereby completing the double-sided document processing for the document bundle MS on the document table 2.

  In the copying machine according to the present embodiment, in the case of a single-bound document such as a book in which one corner of a document bundle is bound, the document cannot be separated one by one. Can not be transported by. Therefore, in the case of a single-sided original, the original conveying apparatus 100 is opened, and the single-sided original with the page to be read facing open is placed on a contact glass (not shown) on the upper portion of the scanner 101, and then the original is conveyed. The device 100 is closed. An image of the page can be read by a moving reading unit (not shown) that can move an optical system including a light source and a reflection mirror provided in the scanner 101 in the horizontal direction in the drawing.

  Next, an automatic document feeder for a copying machine as a comparative example will be described. FIG. 19 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an automatic document feeder (when the number of documents stacked on the paper discharge tray is small) as a comparative example. FIG. 20 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of an automatic document feeder (when the number of documents stacked on the paper discharge tray is large) as a comparative example. In FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, the same members as those shown in FIG.

  In the automatic document feeder 200 shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, a pressing member 201 is provided on the paper discharge tray 28 to suppress the ejection of the discharged document S. The pressing member 201 is formed in a substantially prismatic shape, one end on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction is supported on the apparatus main body side so as to be rotatable around a fulcrum 201a, and the other end (free end) on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction. The document S that hangs down from the downstream side in the document transport direction toward the upstream side in the document transport direction and the other end presses the document S that is discharged onto the discharge tray 28.

  However, as shown in FIG. 20, in the automatic document feeder 200, as the number of documents S stacked on the paper discharge tray 28 increases, the pressing member 201 is centered on the fulcrum 201a and the other end is in the direction of arrow A. Will be lifted. As a result, the angle θ between the other end of the pressing member 201 and the document S is reduced. The closer this angle θ is to zero (the closer the pressing member 201 is to the horizontal), the smaller the effect that the pressing member 201 restricts the document S (stops movement). Therefore, when the number of originals S stacked on the paper output tray 28 increases, the newly output originals S are transported by the transport force of transport members such as the exit roller 22 and the paper discharge roller 24 that transport the original S. There is a possibility that the paper may jump out of the paper discharge tray 28 without staying on the paper discharge tray 28 as it is.

  Therefore, the automatic document feeder 100 according to the present embodiment has a function of restricting the movement of the document of the pressing member even when the number of documents S stacked on the paper discharge tray 28 increases. In order to prevent this, a restricting means 30 described later is provided. Hereinafter, the restricting means 30 which is a characteristic part of the automatic document feeder 100 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the pressing member and the storage member. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing the configuration of the storage member and the pressing member. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the configuration of the storage member and the pressing member. FIG. 6 is a top view illustrating the configuration of the storage member and the pressing member. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the restricting means 30 includes a pressing member 32 that is a first restricting member and a storage member 31 that is a second restricting member capable of storing the pressing member 32. The storage member 31 is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape, and includes a fulcrum 31a at the upstream end in the document transport direction, and is supported on the apparatus main body side so as to be rotatable about the fulcrum 31a in the arrow A direction. Further, a cutout portion 31b is provided on the upper surface of the storage member 31 along the longitudinal direction.

  The pressing member 32 is formed in a substantially prismatic shape along the inner dimension of the storage member 31, and is stored in the storage member 31 so as to be movable in the directions of arrows B and B ′ in the drawing. (Hereinafter referred to as the leading end) 32a abuts against the original S on the paper discharge tray 28 and presses the original S. The front end portion 32a of the pressing member 32 is rounded with a corner cut so that the pressure against the document S is dispersed. Here, since the pressing member 32 is stored in the storage member 31 in a state of being movable in the directions of arrows B and B ′ in the drawing, the document is transported from the fulcrum 31a of the storage member 31 which is one end on the upstream side in the document transport direction. The distance to the front-end | tip part 32a of the pressing member 32 used as the other end of the direction downstream is variable. A stopper portion 32 b is projected from the upper surface of the pressing member 32 and upstream of the document conveying direction, and is exposed from the cutout portion 31 b of the storage member 31. As a result, the movement range of the pressing member 32 is restricted to a range in which the stopper portion 32 b can move along the cutout portion 31 b of the storage member 31, and the movement in the arrow B ′ direction is performed by the stopper portion 32 b of the storage member 31. It is regulated by abutting against the notch end 31c.

  FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views for explaining a state when the pressing member is attached to the storage member. As shown in FIG. 7, when the pressing member 32 is attached to the storage member 31, the tip end 32 a of the pressing member 32 is provided with an arrow at the opening 31 d provided on the end side where the fulcrum 31 a of the storage member 31 is located. This may be done by inserting in the C direction.

  Next, operations of the storage member and the pressing member will be described. 8 to 12 are configuration diagrams for explaining the operation of the storage member and the pressing member when the document is discharged to the discharge tray. As shown in FIG. 8, before the document S is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 28, the pressing member 32 abuts on its own weight with the angle θ between the tip of the pressing member 32 and the paper discharge tray 28 being θ1. ing. Here, the rotation range of the storage member 31 is restricted by a member (not shown) such that the angle θ between the tip of the pressing member 32 and the paper discharge tray 28 is equal to or smaller than the angle θ1. In this state, the first document Sa is guided onto the sheet discharge tray 28 while the leading end thereof is regulated by the storage member 31 or the pressing member 32. As shown in FIG. 9, the storage member 31 and the pressing member 32 are in contact with the document Sa discharged from the paper discharge roller 22 while escaping in the direction of arrow A around the fulcrum 31a. As shown in FIG. 10, when the document Sa is stacked on the discharge tray 28, the storage member 31 and the pressing member 32 return to the direction of the arrow A ', and the pressing member 32 is moved in the direction of the arrow B by the thickness of the document Sa. Move to. That is, the pressing member 32 is stored in the storage member 31. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11, when the second document Sb is discharged, the leading end of the second document Sb is restricted by the storage member 31 or the pressing member 32 as in FIGS. While being guided, the paper is guided onto the paper discharge tray 28. As described above, when the discharge of a plurality of documents S continues, the document bundle MS is stacked on the discharge tray 28 as shown in FIG. At this time, as described above, the pressing member 32 moves in the direction of arrow B by the thickness of the document bundle MS, that is, is stored in the storage member 31. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 12, even when a plurality of documents S are stacked on the paper discharge tray 28, the pressing member 32 contacts the document bundle MS on the paper discharge tray 28 at an angle θ1. become. That is, even when there is no document on the paper discharge tray 28 as shown in FIG. 8, or even in a state where one to a plurality of documents S are stacked on the paper discharge tray 28 as shown in FIGS. The pressing member 32 can abut on the paper discharge tray 28 or the document S on the paper discharge tray 28 at the same angle θ1.

  As described above, the storage member 31 and the pressing member 32 according to this embodiment have an angle θ at which the pressing member 32 abuts on the document S on the paper discharge tray 28 regardless of the number of documents S on the paper discharge tray 28. It can be kept at a constant angle θ1. As a result, even if the number of documents S stacked on the paper discharge tray 28 increases, the pressing member 32 can regulate the movement of the document S at the same angle, and can reliably regulate the movement of the document.

  Here, the storage member 31 and the pressing member 32 according to the present embodiment are configured such that the pressing member 32 on the downstream side in the document transport direction is stored inside the storage member 31 on the upstream side in the document transport direction. preferable. FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a document conveying device according to another embodiment. FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged configuration diagram showing the configuration of the X portion shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the first pressing member 33 located upstream in the document conveying direction is accommodated in the second pressing member (housing member) 34 located downstream in the document conveying direction. In this case, the discharged document Sa may be caught in the step D formed between the first pressing member 33 and the second pressing member 34, and the document Sa may be damaged or jammed.

  Next, the configuration of the restricting means according to another embodiment will be described. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the restricting means according to another embodiment. FIG. 16 is a side view showing the configuration of the regulating means shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is a top view showing the configuration of the regulating means shown in FIG. The restriction means 40 shown in FIGS. 15 to 17 includes a pressing member 42 that is a first pressing member and a storage member 41 that is a second pressing member. The storage member 41 is erected with a pair of long members 41a and 41b having a substantially U-shaped cross section facing each other so that the bottom surface and the top surface are released, and an upstream end in the document conveyance direction Concatenated with parts. The connecting portion of the pair of long members 41a and 41b is provided with a fulcrum 41c supported on the apparatus main body side. The pair of long members 41a and 41b are provided with notches 41d and 41e, respectively, along the document transport direction. The pressing member 42 is formed in a substantially prismatic shape along the inner dimension of the storage member 41, and is stored in the storage member 41 so as to be movable in the directions of arrows B and B 'in the figure. The distance to is variable. The front end portion 42 a of the pressing member 42 is rounded so that the corners are cut so that the pressure is distributed to the document S. Stopper portions 42b and 42c that can protrude from the cutout portions 41d and 41e of the storage member 41 are provided on both side surfaces of the pressing member 42 and on the upstream end portion in the document transport direction. Thereby, the movement range of the pressing member 42 is restricted to a range in which the stopper portions 42b and 42c can move along the cutout portions 41d and 41e of the storage member 41, and the movement in the directions of arrows B and B ′ is the stopper portion. 42 b and 42 c are regulated by abutting against the end portions 41 f of the cutout portions 41 d and 41 e of the storage member 41.

  In the restricting means 40 configured as described above, the pressing member 42 presses the original S on the paper discharge tray 28 by its own weight as described above, and the direction of the arrow B corresponds to the thickness of the original S on the paper output tray 28. Moved, that is, stored in the storage member 41. As a result, the angle θ at which the pressing member 42 contacts the document S on the paper discharge tray 28 can be maintained at a constant angle θ1 regardless of the number of documents S on the paper discharge tray 28. The function of restricting the movement of the document S can be kept constant.

  Next, the configuration of the restricting means according to another embodiment will be described. FIG. 18 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the restricting means according to another embodiment. The restricting means 50 shown in FIG. 18 includes a pressing member 52 that is a first restricting member and a storage member 51 that is a second restricting member. The storage member 51 is erected with a pair of long members 51a and 51b having a substantially U-shaped cross section facing each other so that the bottom surface and the top surface are released, and an upstream end in the document conveyance direction Concatenated with parts. A connecting portion of the pair of long members 51a and 51b is provided with a fulcrum 51c supported on the apparatus main body side. Further, the pair of long members 51a and 51b are provided with notch portions (not shown) along the document transport direction. The holding member 52 is formed in a substantially prismatic shape along the inner dimension of the storage member 51, and is stored in the storage member 51 so as to be movable in the directions of arrows B and B 'in the figure. The distance to is variable. The front end portion 52a of the pressing member 52 is rounded with a corner cut so that the pressure is distributed to the document S. Stopper portions 52 b and 52 c that can protrude from the cutout portions of the storage member 51 are provided on both side surfaces of the pressing member 52 and on the upstream end portion in the document transport direction. As a result, the movement range of the pressing member 52 is limited to a range in which the stopper portions 52b and 52c can move along the cutout portions of the storage member 51, and the movement in the directions of arrows B and B ′ is the stopper portions 52b and 52c. Is regulated by abutting against the ends of the notches of the long members 51a and 51b.

  Here, in the regulating means 50 shown in FIG. 18, the upstream end of the storage member 51 in the document conveyance direction and the upstream end of the pressing member 52 in the document conveyance direction are connected by a compression spring 53 that is an elastic member. The pressing member 52 uses not only its own weight but also the repulsive force of the compression spring 53 to move in the direction of the arrow B ′. By utilizing the repulsive force of the compression spring 53, it is possible to increase the pressing force on the document on the paper discharge tray 28.

  In the restricting means 50 configured as described above, as described above, the pressing member 52 presses the document S on the discharge tray 28 by its own weight and the compression spring 53, and also the thickness of the document S on the discharge tray 28. Only in the direction of arrow B, that is, stored in the storage member 51. As a result, the angle θ at which the pressing member 52 contacts the document S on the paper discharge tray 28 can be maintained at a constant angle θ1 regardless of the number of documents S on the paper discharge tray 28. The function of restricting the movement of the document S can be kept constant.

What has been described above is merely an example, and the present invention has a specific effect for each of the following modes.
(Aspect A)
A sheet stacking unit such as a document placing table 2 on which sheets such as the document S are stacked; a separation feeding unit such as a sheet feeding separation unit 1 that separates and feeds sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit one by one; Conveying means such as a first conveying path 11, a second conveying path 12, a third conveying path 13, and a fourth conveying path 14 for conveying the sheet separated and fed by the means to a predetermined target location, and discharged from the conveying means. In a sheet conveying apparatus having a discharged sheet stacking means such as a discharge tray 28 for stacking stacked sheets, one end on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction is rotated to regulate the movement of the stacked sheets stacked on the discharged sheet stacking means. The control means includes control means 30, 40, 50, etc. that are supported in such a manner that the other end on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction abuts against the sheet. The control means is configured according to the number of sheets on the discharge sheet stacking means. Distance from one end of the preparative upstream side to the other end of the sheet conveyance direction downstream side is variable.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, when the number of sheets on the discharged sheet stacking unit increases, the regulating unit increases the distance from one end on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction to the other end on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction. By shortening, the angle between the other end of the restricting means and the original sheet is kept substantially constant. Thereby, even if the number of sheets on the discharged sheet stacking unit increases, the regulating unit can regulate the movement of the sheet at the same angle and suppress the jumping out of the sheet.
(Aspect B)
In the sheet conveying apparatus according to (Aspect A), the restricting means includes a first restricting member such as the pressing members 32, 42, and 52 and a second restricting member such as the storage members 31, 41, and 51 that can accommodate the first restricting member. When the first regulating member is housed in the second regulating member, the distance from one end on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction to the other end on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction is changed.
According to this, the distance from the one end on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction to the other end on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction can be changed with a simple configuration in which the first regulating member is housed in the second regulating member.
(Aspect C)
In the sheet conveying apparatus according to (Aspect B), in the restricting unit, the second restricting member is disposed on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the first restricting member.
According to this, since the first restriction member is housed in the second restriction member disposed on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction with respect to the first restriction member, the discharged sheet is the first restriction member and the second restriction member. It does not get caught in the step formed between the members.
(Aspect D)
1. An image reading apparatus comprising: an original sheet conveying unit such as an automatic original conveying apparatus 100 that conveys an original sheet; and a reading unit such as a reading unit 61 that reads an image of an original sheet conveyed by the original sheet conveying unit. As the sheet conveying means, the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of (Aspect A) to (Aspect C) is used.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, even if the number of sheets on the discharged sheet stacking unit increases, the function of regulating the sheet by the regulating unit is not impaired.
(Aspect E)
In an image forming apparatus including a recording sheet conveying unit that conveys a recording sheet and an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording sheet conveyed by the recording sheet conveying unit, the recording sheet conveying unit includes (Aspect A) to (Aspect A) The sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of (Aspect C) is used.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, even if the number of sheets on the discharged sheet stacking unit increases, the function of regulating the sheet by the regulating unit is not impaired.

  In this embodiment, the sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention is described as an example using the document conveying apparatus 100. However, the configuration illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 18 of the sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention is added to the image forming apparatus. The present invention can also be applied to a post-processing apparatus such as a finisher that performs post-processing of a sheet (recording paper) after image formation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper feed separation part 2 Original mounting stand 3 Side fence 4 Stop claw 5 Paper feed roller 6 Paper feed belt 7 Reverse roller 11 First conveyance path 12 Second conveyance path 13 Third conveyance path 14 Fourth conveyance path 15 Paper discharge part 28 Paper discharge tray 30, 40, 50 Restricting means 31, 41, 51 Storage member 32, 42, 52 Holding member 60 Reading position 61 Reading unit

JP 2002-2111814 A

Claims (5)

Sheet stacking means for stacking sheets, separation feeding means for separating and feeding the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means one by one, and conveying the sheets separated and fed by the separation feeding means to a predetermined target location In a sheet conveying apparatus comprising a conveying means for carrying out, and a discharged sheet stacking means for stacking sheets discharged from the conveying means,
In order to regulate the movement of the sheets stacked on the discharged sheet stacking means, one end on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction is rotatably supported, and the other end on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction is a sheet on the discharged sheet stacking means. The regulating means has a variable distance from one end on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction to the other end on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction according to the number of sheets on the discharged sheet stacking means. It is characterized by. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1,
The restricting means includes a first restricting member and a second restricting member capable of accommodating the first restricting member, and the first restricting member is accommodated in the second restricting member, whereby the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction. A sheet conveying apparatus that changes a distance from one end of the sheet to the other end on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restricting means is configured such that the second restricting member is disposed upstream of the first restricting member in the sheet conveying direction. An image reading apparatus comprising: an original sheet conveying unit that conveys an original sheet; and a reading unit that reads an image of the original sheet conveyed by the original sheet conveying unit.
An image reading apparatus using the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 as the document sheet conveying means. In an image forming apparatus comprising: a recording sheet conveying unit that conveys a recording sheet; and an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording sheet conveyed by the recording sheet conveying unit.
An image forming apparatus using the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 as the recording sheet conveying unit.

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