JP2928280B2 - Automatic Document Feeder - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for transferring a document from a document bundle comprising a plurality of documents.
The present invention relates to an automatic document circulating feeder that feeds a document one by one to a predetermined document exposure position, returns the exposed document to the document stack again, repeatedly circulates the document, and feeds the document to the exposure position.

2. Description of the Related Art When a plurality of copies are made from a plurality of originals by a copying machine, as a means of automatically feeding the originals onto the contact glass of the copying machine and saving time and effort, the originals are stacked in the order of pages. Originals are sequentially extracted one by one from the bottom of the original bundle placed on the mounting table, fed to the contact glass of the copying machine main body, and the exposed originals are mounted on the original mounting table. Automatic document circulation that circulates each document repeatedly in the circulation path consisting of the paper feed path and the return path in the order of pages, and feeds the document onto the contact glass by the number of times corresponding to the number of copies. Feeding device (Recycle auto
matic document feeder (RADF).

Examples of a conventional RADF are shown in FIGS. The schematic configuration and problems will be briefly described with reference to these drawings.

The RADF shown in FIG. 14 and the RADF shown in FIG. 15 operate on the same principle. That is, a document feeding table a is provided with a document feeding belt b, and a document bundle c is placed thereon, and when copying is started, the feeding belt b extracts and feeds the lowest document. This document is passed on to a conveying roller provided at a predetermined interval in a U-shaped paper feed path, and is set at a predetermined position on the contact glass e by a belt d or a roller d '. Thereafter, when the optical scanning is completed, the sheet is sent out to a U-shaped return path by the belt d or the roller d ', is passed by the required number of transport rollers provided on the path, and is transferred from the sheet discharge port f to the document placing table a. The document is discharged and placed on the document bundle c.

In this case, in order to maintain the copy order of the original group,
At least a part of the discharged document needs to be placed on the uppermost sheet of the document bundle c. In order to send the document to the paper feeding path again, at least a part of the discharged document is fed out of the feeding belt b. Must be on. That is, the length l ₁ from the paper discharge port f to the paper feed port a ′, the length l ₂ from the paper discharge port f to the rear end of the feeding belt b, and the length L of the document in the paper feed direction are shown. It is necessary that the following relationship be established.

_{l 1/2 <L ≦ l} 1 and,, L> the l ₂ words, in RADF shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, there is a disadvantage that the minimum length of the document that can be used is very limited .

In the RADF shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, this kind of inconvenience is solved by moving the position of the paper discharge port f 'according to the length L of the document in the paper supply direction. However, in the RADF shown in FIG. 16, since the paper ejection port f 'having a variable position is realized by using the paper ejection guide g which expands and contracts telescopically, the variable range is limited by the overlapping length of the paper ejection guide g. You. Further, in the RADF shown in FIG. 17, since the position-variable paper discharge port f 'is realized by using the foldable paper discharge belt h, the mechanism becomes complicated mechanically, and the assembling and replacement of the belt h are required. There is a disadvantage that it takes time and effort.

In the configuration shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the original return path after reversal is provided above the original placing table, and it is thought that the removal of paper jams is relatively easy. Therefore, it is necessary to expand and contract the guide of the return path, and it is inevitable to use a complicated mechanism such as a telescopic construction of the guide and a folding type.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention In view of the above-mentioned problems of the document return section of the conventional RADF, the present invention easily adjusts the position of the document discharge port and the length of the return path according to the document size with a simple configuration. Can be
An object of the present invention is to provide an RADF provided with a document return section in which the length of a guide section constituting a document return path can be changed smoothly and jam paper can be easily taken out of the return path.

Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problems, a document returning unit is capable of moving the upper surface of a document table in a document feeding direction and returning a document returned along the upper surface of the document table. A discharge unit having a means for discharging the sheet from the upper side of the upper surface of the document bundle placed on the document table, and a distance above the portion of the upper surface of the document table behind the discharge unit. A guide portion that forms a document return path between the document platen and the upper surface of the document table. A guide shaft that guides a guide plate distant from the discharge unit in a movable direction among a plurality of guide plates is provided, and an outer cover that covers each guide plate of the guide unit and the guide unit is rotated about the axis of the guide shaft. It is characterized by being freely formed.

Operation With the above configuration, the discharge unit can move the document table in the document feeding direction and easily change the discharge position to any position according to the document size, and the top of the document table behind the discharge unit. Can be used as the return surface of the original return path. The guide portion of the document return path can be extended and contracted by superposing a plurality of guide plates on each other, and a part of the guide plate is passed through the shaft, and the guide plate is rotatable as a shaft fulcrum of the shaft. The guide plate can be opened as a fulcrum, the entire document return path can be opened, and the removal of jammed paper becomes easy.

Examples Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an overall configuration of an RADF as an embodiment of the present invention. The RADF is provided in a cover-type case that covers a contact glass 101 provided on the top surface of the copier main body 100, and a paper feed table 1 provided over a range excluding the right and left ends of the upper part thereof and a left end in the drawing. A paper feed unit 70 including a paper feed mechanism which is provided in the paper feed unit and sequentially feeds the paper bundle one by one from the bottom of the paper bundle placed on the paper feed table 1 onto the contact glass 101; A transport unit 71 having a transport belt 12 that transports a document that is slid in contact over the entire length and fed from a paper feed unit to a predetermined document exposure position on a contact glass, and discharges the document from the contact glass after the document exposure; A reversing unit 72 for reversing the original sent from the reversing unit and a return unit 73 for returning the original reversed by the reversing unit to the original bundle on the sheet feeding table 1 are provided.

Hereinafter, each of the sheet feeding unit, the conveying unit, the reversing unit, and the return unit will be described in order.

<Sheet Feeding Unit> Side fences 2 are provided on both left and right sides with respect to the transport direction within the minimum document placing range at the front of the sheet feeding table 1. In the vicinity of the front end in the sheet feeding direction of the sheet feeding table 1, two call rollers 3a and 3b having a missing portion are located in such a position as not to protrude from the original placing surface when the missing portion is on the upper side in the transport direction. It is provided before and after. As shown in FIG. 2, a slit plate 60 having a slit 61 detected by a photoelectric sensor 62 at a shaft end thereof, and a concave portion at a position corresponding to the missing circular portion of the call roller 3a, 3b are provided on the shaft of the call roller 3a, 3b. A positioning roller 63 is provided, and a pressing roller 64 urged by a spring is engaged with a peripheral edge of the positioning plate 63. With these mechanisms, the two call rollers 3a and 3b rotate synchronously so that the missing circle portions are parallel to each other with the same phase, and the slit plate 61 and the photoelectric sensor 62 are connected to the sheet feeding table 1 and the missing circle portion. Are stopped by detecting the rotation angle at which they become the same plane, and are reliably positioned and held at that position by the positioning plate 63 and the pressing roller 64.

Above the call roller 3a, there is provided a pressing plate 4 which is driven by a solenoid (not shown) and presses down the leading end of the document at a position indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 1 to press the call roller 3a. Further above the presser plate 4, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 (a), the solenoid 67 pivots with the rear end as a fulcrum, and the retracted position indicated by a broken line and the operation indicated by a solid line in FIG. A stopper 5 displaced between the position and the position is provided. In the operating position, the toe of the stopper 5 abuts on the upper surface of the table 1 or the upper surface of the set of document bundles (see FIG. 3B). It has a function to correct the skew by abutting the leading end of the original returned on the upper surface of the upper original bundle.

The document bundle pressed by the pressing roller 3a by the pressing plate 4 is reliably conveyed to the separation unit by the synchronous rotation of the calling rollers 3a and 3b. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 6 denotes a document set sensor, which detects that a bundle of documents has been set on the table 1, and, based on the detection signal, detects a call roller.
The bundle of documents is conveyed to the position shown in FIG. 3B by rotating 3a and 3b by a fixed amount.

The call rollers 3a and 3b further have a function of reliably feeding the lowest sheet of the original bundle at the above-mentioned position in cooperation with the separating section including the endless belt 7 and the separating roller 8. The separation roller 8 rotates at a speed at which the peripheral speed becomes the document conveyance speed in the direction in which the document is moved in the conveyance direction, while the endless belt 7 is pressed against the peripheral length on the peripheral surface of the separation roller 8 and is moved in the document conveyance direction. 1 (in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 1) at a low speed of, for example, about 1/20 of the document conveying speed, the friction coefficient between the separation roller 8 and the document, the endless belt 7 and the document And the friction coefficient between originals are set appropriately. By calling roller 3
If only one document is sent from the bottom of the document bundle by a and 3b, it is conveyed to the pull-out rollers 9 and 10 on the downstream side, and if it is two or more, only the lowest one is separated. To pull-out rollers 9 and 10.

The separation roller 8 has a built-in one-way clutch.
When the originals are conveyed by the pull-out rollers 9 and 10, even if the separation roller 8 is turned off, the originals are rotated and the original conveyance load is reduced, so that the originals are conveyed at a predetermined speed. Separation roller 8
Is turned on / off by a clutch (not shown), and when the registration sensor 11 provided at the discharge section from the paper feed section 70 to the transport section 71 detects the leading edge of the document, the clutch is turned off and the drive to the separation roller 8 is cut off. Is done. The registration sensor 11
Detects the trailing edge of the original and places the original on the contact glass 101
It also serves as detecting means for controlling the stop to the above predetermined exposure position.

The above-described call rollers 3a and 3b, the separation roller 8, and the pull-out roller 9 can be driven by a single motor or by separate motors.

<Conveying Unit> The conveying unit 71 is composed of a single wide conveying belt 12 wound around a pair of rollers 65 and 66, and its lower running part is pressed against the contact glass 101 by a plurality of pressure rollers 13; Paper feed section 7
The original sent from 0 is conveyed to a predetermined exposure position, and the exposed original is sent to the reversing unit 72.

<Reversing Unit> The reversing unit 72 includes a reversing roller 15 provided along a reversing guide, a pressing roller 16 pressed against the reversing roller 15, and a first
A switching claw 14 that can be displaced between a position indicated by a solid line and a position indicated by a broken line in the figure is provided. The switching claw 14 is switched to the position indicated by the broken line in the case of the double-sided original mode. The switching claw 14 is located at the position shown by the solid line in the figure and is discharged to the return portion 73. A reversing sensor 17 is provided between the pressure roller 16 and the switching claw 14 so as to face the reversing roller, whereby the drive timing of the transport belt 12 is controlled. The transport belt and the reversing roller are each driven by a single motor (not shown).

<Return Unit> The return unit 73 is a paper discharge unit that can move on the paper feed table 1 in the document transport direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1).
18 is connected to the rear of the paper discharge unit in the transport direction, expands and contracts in accordance with the movement of the paper discharge unit 18, and forms a document re-feeding path between the paper discharge unit 18 and the upper surface of the paper feed table 1 behind the paper discharge unit 18. It has a guide plate and an intermediate belt 27 for transporting the document discharged from the reversing unit 72 to the discharge unit 18.

The above-mentioned guide plates are a plurality of (three in this example) guide plates 21, 22, 23 that can be extended and contracted with each other.
By moving the paper discharge unit 18, the overlap of the respective guide plates changes and expands and contracts. The guide plates are sequentially overlapped outward in the document conveying direction so that the front end of the document conveyed in the return path is not caught by the overlapping portion of the guide plates. External covers 24, 25, 26 are provided above the guide plates 21, 22, 23, respectively.
However, the rear end of each guide plate is fixed to a rising portion formed by bending the rear end of the guide plate upward, and is provided so as to be able to expand and contract with each other like the guide plate. 4 to 6 are views showing the extended, intermediate, and contracted states of the guide plates 21, 22, 23 and the outer covers 24, 25, 26. In these figures, the guide plate 23 and the outer cover 26 at the rear end (right end in the figure) are shown.
Shows a storing process in a state where the rear end is in a position corresponding to the rear end of the RADF.

However, at the end of the guide plate and outer cover23,2
Numeral 6 is not fixed at this position, and is slidable between a position indicated by a solid line and a position indicated by a chain line in FIG. With the guide plates 21, 22, and 23 extended and the rear end positioned at the position indicated by the solid line, the paper discharge unit 18
The distance between the front end surface 40 and the contact surface of the stopper 5 with the original front end surface is set to be slightly longer than the minimum original length. Then, the rearmost guide plate 23 and the outer cover 26
When the rear end is made to coincide with the rear end of the RADF as shown by a chain line in FIG. 1 and the guide plate and the outer cover are overlapped and contracted most (ie, the state shown in FIG. 6), 1
The distance between the front end face 40 of the paper discharge unit 18 at the position shown by the chain line in the figure and the front end contact surface of the stopper 5 is set to be slightly longer than the maximum length of the original.
When the length of the original is between the minimum original length and the maximum original length, the guide plate and the outer cover are expanded and contracted accordingly, and the front end surface 40 of the sheet discharging unit 18 and the original front end of the stopper 5 abut. What is necessary is just to make the distance from the surface slightly longer than the length of the document. That is, the front end surface 40 of the paper discharge unit 18 serves as a rear guide when a document is placed on the paper feed table 1.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 6 and 7, the paper discharging unit 18 directly feeds the document discharged from the outlet 30 of the reversing unit 72 or the staple 1 serving as a return surface of a return path by the intermediate belt 27. A lower guide 29 that is inclined forward and guides the document to be conveyed up to the discharge port at the upper end of the front end, and an upper guide formed as a front end of the guide plate 21 at a constant distance from the lower guide 29 Paper discharge roller pairs 1 provided at the entrance and the exit of the paper discharge unit transport path formed
9 ', 19' and a motor 20 for driving these paper discharge rollers. A front part of the external cover 24 is an external cover of the paper discharge unit 18.

The intermediate belt 27 is provided in front of the exit 30 of the reversing section 72, and is divided into a plurality of sections in the width direction so that the upper surface of the upper running portion is flush with the upper surface of the document table 1. guide
At the time of extension of 22, at the position facing each strip of the intermediate belt,
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the driven roller 28 is
When the guide 22 is pulled out in the direction of arrow B and rises above the intermediate bell and 27, the driven roller 28 is pressed against the intermediate belt 27 by the force of the leaf spring and is driven to convey the document,
When 22 moves in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 5 and retreats from above the intermediate belt, the driven roller 28 is jumped up by a member 31 projecting above the table surface and retreats from the intermediate belt 27. , Are stored behind the reversing section outlet 30 as shown in FIG. In this state, the largest size document discharged from the reversing unit exit 30 passes through the discharge unit transport path without being disturbed by the driven rollers and the guide plates 22 and 23.
The document is conveyed by 19 "and 19 ', discharged from the front end onto a document bundle placed on a document table, abutted against a stopper 5, corrected for skew, and stacked on the document bundle.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 12, a plurality of parallel sheets extending in the document conveying direction are provided on the sheet feeding table 1 in a range that becomes a return path due to the movement between the strips of the intermediate belt 27 and the movement of the sheet discharging unit 18. A groove 55 is provided, and at the lower end of the lower guide 29, a comb-shaped protruding portion 29a that fits into the groove 55 so as to be able to move smoothly is provided. As a result, the intermediate belt 27 and the driven roller
Regardless of the position of the discharge unit 18, the document conveyed by 28 is reliably and smoothly scooped up by the lower guide 29 and discharged through the discharge section. The distance between the discharge roller pair 19 ″ and the pressure roller 16 of the reversing section to the driven roller 28 is determined by the discharge unit.
It is necessary that the length of the document size corresponding to the position 18 is set to be shorter than the length of the corresponding document size in the transport direction, so that any size document can be transported smoothly without any trouble.

Also, a unit for discharging the document discharged from the reversing unit exit 30
Since the belt is used as the conveying means to the belt 18, the guide plate is displaced in accordance with the size of the document, and even if the driven roller 28 is displaced within a considerable range, it can be engaged with the belt. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 20, as a means for slidably supporting the guide plates 21, 22, 23, the outer covers 24, 25, 26 and the paper discharge unit which can be extended and retracted, as shown in FIGS. A shaft 33 having a circular cross section extends in parallel with the document conveying direction over the entire sliding range of the guide plate 23 farthest from the paper discharge unit among these extendable guide plates. The guide plate 23 has two circular holes in the support
33 is slidably fitted. The pitch between the two support portions should be as large as possible so that the guide plate 23 can move smoothly without twisting.

Thus, assuming that only the guide plate 23 is supported by the shaft, if the guides 21, 22, and 23 are also supported by the shaft, the outer cover 24 is held by hand when the paper discharge unit is manually moved. Because there is only one side (back side)
This is because the outer cover 24 and the guide 21 are twisted and do not slide smoothly.

Links 35, 36, and 37 are fixed to the back and front sides of the respective guide plates 21, 22, and 23 over substantially the entire length of the respective guide plates, and the links 35 fixed to the guide plates 21 and 23 are provided. , 37 are provided with slits 35a, 37a extending over substantially the entire length thereof, and two engagement pins 34 ', 34 "which are respectively planted at ends of adjacent links at a certain distance in the longitudinal direction are formed by slits 35a, 37a. , 37a.

The rear guide plate 23 is placed on the front frame of RADF.
A fixed shaft 39 having a length corresponding to the moving distance is extended, and the recessed portion of the lever 38 having a recessed portion at the tip end that is swingably provided on the right side of the guide plate 23 in the drawing of the guide plate 23 has its own weight, Alternatively, they are slidably engaged by a spring force. Guide rails 53 and racks 50 are fixed in the document transport direction on the front and rear frames of the RADF.
A plurality of rollers 47 provided on the front side plate 18 are supported on the upper surface of the guide rail 53, and a pinion 46 provided coaxially with the rollers 47 is engaged with the rack. Positioning corresponding to the document size can be easily performed by engaging the click pin 45 provided on the front side of the paper discharge unit with the click groove 51 provided at the position corresponding to the standard paper size of the front frame of the RADF. it can. Since the click groove can be provided very close to each other, it can be provided corresponding to various document sizes. Engage with the surface and fix. The click pin 45 can be easily engaged with or disengaged from the click groove 51 or the inner surface of the frame by operating the lever 53 provided on the front end face of the sheet discharging unit, and the sheet discharging unit 18 can be easily moved to a desired position. Can be combined.

The guides on the original conveying path and the outer cover of the paper discharge unit 18 are formed as a part of the guide plate 21 and the outer cover 24, respectively. As shown in FIGS.
Magnetic pins 49 are fixed so as to protrude downward near the front end (near the paper discharge roller pair 19 ') and near the front end of the paper discharge unit 19', respectively. A magnetic attraction means (permanent magnet) 48 having a slightly longer groove in a direction transverse to the transport direction in which the pins 49 can be fitted is fixed to the main body side of the main body. By the suction, the guide plate 21 and the outer cover 24 are locked while maintaining the positional relationship with the sheet discharging unit main body, and can be easily separated to open the transport path.

As shown in FIGS. 18, 19 and 20, a pin 56 is attached to the guide 21, and an arc-shaped slit hole centered on the axis of the shaft 33 is provided on the back side of the discharge unit. 57 is provided and the pin 56 is engaged in the slit hole. As the front portions of the guides 21, 22, and 23 are flipped up and opened, the pins 56 slide while being engaged with the slit holes. Accordingly, even when the guides 21, 22, and 23 are opened, the guide 21, the exterior 24, and the discharge unit can always maintain the positional relationship in the transport direction.

By rotating the pinion 46 and moving the discharge unit 18,
Guide plates 21, 22, 23 and exterior covers 24, 25, 26 are links 35, 3
When the engaging pin 34 ″ of the link 36 slides along the slit 7, it expands and contracts accordingly.

Near the front end of the outer cover 25 of the center guide plate 22, at a position where the storage of the outer covers 24, 25, and 26 is not obstructed, and in a state where the outer covers 24, 25, and 26 are extended, and substantially near the center. The handle 32 is attached at the position of.

Therefore, the guide plates 21, 22, 23 and the outer covers 24, 25,
When the handle 26 is lifted by holding the handle 32 at any position, the locks 38 and 39 and 48 and 49 at both ends of the guide plate are disengaged, and the guide plate, the exterior cover and the link are integrated into the twelfth.
As shown in the figure, the document can be rotated around the shaft 33 on the far side to open the document return path greatly. In this case, the links 35, 36, 37 on each side fixed to the guide plates 21, 22, 23 have two pins 34 ', 3 spaced apart in the transport direction.
Since the 4 "is engaged with the slit, the three links on each side are held in a straight line when viewed from the side, so that each guide plate and exterior cover do not fall apart and both ends do not hang down. Also, the locks 38, 39 and 48, 49 can be released without applying great force.

Position the paper ejection unit 18 to the maximum original size (6th
From the state shown in the figure) to the position (first
Link 35, 36, 37 when moving to the position indicated by the solid line in the figure)
FIG. 8 to FIG. 11 show the overlapping state and the change in the positional relationship with respect to the guide shafts 33 and 39 in order. In addition,
9 and 10 show only the back side for simplicity.
That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the link 35 is pulled out together with the sheet discharge unit 18 and the guide plate 21 from the state in which the three links 35, 36, 37 overlap as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, the link 36 is pulled to the rear end of the link 35 and pulled out together with the guide plate 22, and finally all the links are integrated, and the lever 38 slides along the fixed shaft 39 and moves forward. Then, it comes to a position corresponding to the minimum document size shown in FIG. The reverse is true when moving from the position corresponding to the minimum document size to the position corresponding to the maximum document size.

As described above, by moving the guide plate and the exterior cover, in a state corresponding to the maximum original size, the guide plate and the exterior cover are retracted rearward (to the right in FIG. 1) from the reversing section exit 30 and fed. The table can be used without waste. It should be noted that the above-mentioned method of drawing out the link is merely an example, and it is possible to draw out the links 35 and 36 at the same time, or to move all of the links 35, 36, and 37 along the axis 39.

With the above operation, if the sheet discharging unit is moved to a position corresponding to the document size, the guide and the outer cover of the document return path are automatically formed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the setting positions of the partition plate 41, the partition plate operating mechanism (not shown), the partition plate sensor 43, the paper discharge sensor 42, and the paper discharge unit 18 are correct in the paper discharge unit 18. There is provided a positioning sensor 44 for detecting whether or not. The positioning sensor 44 collides with the stopper 5 to detect the rear end of the set document.
Detects whether the set position of the paper discharge unit 18 is correct.If the positioning sensor 44 is far away from the rear end of the document, or if the paper discharge unit 18 advances too much and the rear end of the document is Since it is determined that the sheet is caught on the front wall 40, the document feeding operation is prohibited, and the setting position of the sheet discharging unit 18 is corrected. The discharge unit 18 can be easily and smoothly moved by pressing the lever 52 (see FIG. 7) provided on the front surface of the discharge unit and releasing the click.

About the function of the partition plate 41 and the members related thereto,
The description is omitted here because it is the same as the conventional RADF.

<Description of Operation> The document feeding operation by the RADF having the above configuration is described in the thirteenth
This will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, after the leading end of the document stack stacked in page order with the image surface facing upward is abutted against the stopper 5 and placed on the feed table 1, the side fence 2 is moved to hold both sides of the document stack. . After that, the discharge unit 18 is set at a position suitable for the document size.

When the paper feed signal is transmitted by the print key on of the copying machine, the stopper claw solenoid and the holding plate solenoid are turned on, the stopper 5 is retracted from the leading end of the sheet bundle, and the pressing plate 4 calls the original bundle and presses the rollers 3a and 3b. Then, the bundle of documents is fed so as to form a wedge shape which is advanced in order from the lowest document by the rotation of the call roller, and only the lowest document is separated by the endless belt 7 and the separation roller 8 and sent to the pull-out roller 9. . The leading edge of the document is a registration sensor
Is detected, the driving of the separation roller 8 is stopped by the clutch, the original is conveyed to the contact glass 101 only by the pulling roller 9, and the original is conveyed on the contact glass 101 by the conveying belt 12. The call rollers 3a and 3b are
The photoelectric sensor 62 shown in FIG.
Is detected, the drive is cut off, and the drive is stopped in a state where the missing circular surface matches the surface of the sheet feeding table 1. Registration sensor 11
After detecting the trailing edge of the document, the conveyor belt 12 rotates reversely at a predetermined timing (by pulse counting by an encoder), hits the document against the scale 68, and stops. As a result, the skew of the document is corrected and the document stops at a predetermined exposure position. Document exposure scanning is performed in this state. In response to the exposure scan end signal from the copying machine,
12 rotates forward, the original is sent to the reversing unit 72 and makes a U-turn.
And the sheet is conveyed through the intermediate belt 27 and a return section formed between the sheet feeding table 1 and the retractable guide plates 21, 22, and 23 according to the document size, and is scooped by the lower guide 29 of the sheet discharging unit 18. The sheet is raised, and is discharged onto a document bundle on the sheet feed table 1 by sheet discharge rollers 19 ″ and 19 ′.

At a predetermined timing after the paper ejection sensor 42 of the paper ejection unit 18 detects the leading edge of the original, the stopper 5 comes into contact with the original bundle as shown in FIG. 3B and is ejected from the paper ejection unit 18. The skew is corrected by stacking the leading end of the original document against the stopper 5, and the originals are stacked.

As shown in FIG. 3 (a), if a rib 1a having an appropriate height is formed on the upper surface of the sheet feeding table 1 with a claw provided at an interval on the stopper 5, the sheet feeding can be performed. The original placed on the table 1 is pushed by the stopper nails and waves so as to enter from the upper end of the rib.
The document discharged from 18 is prevented from getting under the stopper 5.

While the original on the contact glass 101 is being scanned for exposure, that is, before the end of the exposure, the drive is transmitted to the paper supply unit via the clutch, and control is performed so that the next original is separated and fed. By shortening the replacement interval and performing high-speed conveyance, the total copy processing time can be reduced.

It is well known that if the partition plate 41 is first placed on the bundle of documents, the partition plate sensor 43 detects that the partition plate 41 has come to the lowest position, thereby detecting that the document has completed one cycle. is there.

Although the completed manuscript is well-organized to a certain extent, it is not enough, and may be wavy. Therefore, it is preferable to rotate the call rollers 3a and 3b before the next paper feeding operation to apply vertical vibration to the original so that the original is adjusted. At this time, the presser plate 4 and the stopper 5 are retracted to a position away from the original, and the conveying roller 3a, 3b generates a conveying force in the conveying direction. The wedges are advanced to the vicinity, and are arranged in a wedge shape with their tips retracted in order from the lowest. As a result, the document bundle is reset so as not to hinder refeeding, and the next feeding operation is started in response to the feed signal.

As described above, according to the present invention, with a simple configuration, a plurality of guide plates can smoothly expand and contract according to the movement of the discharge unit without being twisted, and the guide plates are integrated with the shaft as a fulcrum. It can be opened smoothly, and the effect that the jam processing becomes easy can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the entire configuration of an automatic document circulating and feeding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a call roller and a part of a control mechanism thereof, and FIG. FIG. 3B is a front view showing the original and the stopper on the sheet feeding table, FIG. 3B is a side sectional view showing the sheet feeding section in an enlarged manner, FIG.
5 and 6 are side sectional views showing the state of the guide plate and the exterior cover when the paper discharge unit of the return portion is at various positions, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the entire configuration of the return portion. FIG. 8 to FIG. 11 are explanatory diagrams sequentially showing the overlapping state of the links provided on each guide plate when the return portion guide plate changes from the most contracted state to the most extended state. FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a state in which the guide plate is opened, and FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b) are flow charts showing the operation flow of document feeding and document discharging from the contact glass of the apparatus of the above embodiment, respectively. 14 to 17 are side sectional views each showing an example of a conventional automatic document circulating and feeding apparatus. FIG. 18 is a side sectional view showing an engaging portion between a discharge portion and a guide placed thereon. The figure is a sectional view taken along line XIX-XIX in FIG.
FIG. 20 is a perspective view thereof. 1 ... Feeding table, 3a, 3b ... Roller 4 ... Pressing plate, 5 ... Stopper 8 ... Separation roller, 9 ... Pull-out roller 12 ... Conveying belt, 15 ... Reversing roller 18 ... Discharge Paper unit (discharge unit) 19 ', 19 "... Discharge rollers 21, 22, 23 ... Guide plates 24, 25, 26 ... Exterior cover 27 ... Intermediate belt, 28 ... Followed roller 29 ... Lower guide , 29a… comb tooth-shaped projection 32… handle, 33… shaft 34 ′, 34 ″… engagement pin 35, 36, 37… link 35 a, 37 a… slit 38… lever (locking means) 39… fixed shaft, 45… click pin 46… pinion, 47… roller 48, 49… suction member (locking means) 50… rack, 55… groove 56… engagement pin, 57… Arc-shaped slits 70: paper feed section, 71: transport section 72: reversing section, 73: return section

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-63-143125 (JP, A) JP-A-2-234175 (JP, A) JP-A-63-247258 (JP, A) JP-A-1- 193770 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G03G 15/00 107 B65H 83/00-85/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An original placing table for placing a bundle of originals composed of a plurality of originals, and a lower end of the original bundle placed on the original placing table with its front end aligned at a predetermined position at its front end. Means for feeding the originals one by one, and transports the originals fed from the paper supply unit to an original exposure position,
A transport unit having transport means for discharging the original after exposure of the original, and a document return unit for returning the original discharged from the transport unit via the reverse path so as to overlap the original bundle placed on the original mounting table. In the automatic document feeder provided with the document, the document return section is movable on the document table in the document feeding direction and receives a document returned along the document table on the document table. A discharge unit having means for discharging from above the original bundle placed on the original stack, and a discharge unit provided at a distance above a part behind the discharge unit on the upper surface of the original placing table, and A guide portion that forms a document return path between the guide portions, wherein the guide portion is composed of a plurality of guide plates that are connected to each other by a link and that can be extended and contracted by being overlapped. From the discharge section A guide shaft that guides one of the guide plates in the movable direction, and an outer cover that covers each guide plate of the guide portion and the guide portion is formed so as to be rotatable about the axis of the guide shaft. Circulation feeding device.