JP4089133B2 - Sheet material separation mechanism - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technique for improving maintainability in a sheet-like material separating mechanism that separates stacked sheet materials one by one.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an automatic document feeder (ADF) provided in a facsimile, a copier, a scanner, or the like, in order to read a plurality of documents one by one, the stacked sheet-like documents are separated one by one and downstream. A sheet-like material separating mechanism for supplying to the reading unit is provided.
Also, in a facsimile machine configured to record an image formed on the basis of received data on a standard paper (plain paper), it is necessary to form and transfer images one by one on a set of stacked sheets. A similar sheet-like material separating mechanism is provided for feeding the sheet-like sheets one by one to the transfer unit. Alternatively, in a copier, a printer, or the like, a similar sheet-like material separating mechanism is used to print an image or data one by one on a standard sheet set in an overlapping manner.
[0003]
In a technique known as this sheet-like material separating mechanism, a separation pad and a separation roller are arranged in pressure contact with each other in the path of the sheet-like material, and the sheet-like material passing between the two is separated one by one. To send it downstream.
Since this configuration is simple and has an advantage that the manufacturing cost can be reduced, it is widely used.
[0004]
Here, this sheet-like material separation mechanism causes separation failure when dust or dust adheres to the separation pad or wears away, and sends a plurality of sheet-like materials downstream. May end up.
This poor separation causes clogging of the sheet-like material in the downstream, leading to omission of reading of originals in facsimiles and scanners, and problems such as mixing of blank paper in the results of printing (copying) in printers and copiers. It will need to be restored as soon as possible.
Therefore, when such a separation failure occurs, it is common for the user to contact a store or the like, and a service person goes to the place where the device is installed to perform repairs such as replacement of the separation pad.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described measures, the user cannot use the device until the serviceman completes the repair after the trouble due to the separation failure occurs.
In particular, facsimiles, printers, copiers, etc. installed in offices and offices are generally used on a daily basis in business, and only during the period between the visit by a service person and completion of repairs. However, the influence of daily operations on the user side due to the inability to use the equipment is significant.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and even when a separation failure occurs due to wear of the separation pad or adhesion of dust, the separation can be performed by a simple emergency measure that can be independently performed by a user without a service person. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet-like material separation mechanism that can eliminate defects.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above. Next, means for solving the problem will be described.
[0007]
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet-like material separating mechanism for separating the sheet-like materials set in the apparatus in a state where a plurality of sheets are stacked one by one and sending them downstream, and separated from the separation rollers that are pressed against each other. A holding portion for inserting and holding one end edge of the separation pad, and a holding force for holding and fixing the separation pad by the holding portion is the rotating separation roller. And pulling the separation pad with a tensile force exceeding the holding force of the holding part in a direction parallel to the direction of feeding the sheet-like material. The separation pad is displaced so that the region of the separation pad that is pressed against the separation roller is displaced in a direction parallel to the direction of feeding the sheet-like material. Than is.
[0008]
In Claim 2, the separation pad is provided with a long hole, the separation pad mounting device base is provided with a protrusion inserted into the long hole, and the region that is press-contacted by the long hole and the protrusion The displacement direction and the displacement amount are regulated.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elastic member for pressing the rear end of the separation pad against the device.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A configuration of a facsimile apparatus including a sheet-like material separating mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an overall configuration of a facsimile to which a document separation mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
[0011]
The facsimile apparatus 1 mainly includes a main body 2 and a document pressing body 3 configured to cover the front surface and the front upper surface of the main body 2. A document tray 4 is formed on the upper surface of the main body 2, and an operation panel 5 is formed on the upper surface of the document pressing body 3.
A document transport path A for transporting a document set on the document tray 4 is formed between the main body 2 and the document pressing body 3 so as to be forwardly lowered. A bracket 10 protrudes from the lower end of the document pressing body 3, and the bracket 10 is pivotally supported on the front lower portion of the main body 2 so that the document pressing body 3 can be rotated in the direction of the white arrow shown in FIG. Then, the document pressing body 3 is pivoted forward and opened so that the document jammed in the document transport path A can be removed.
[0012]
A document setting section 6 for supplying a document to the document transport path A is formed on the upper front side, and is placed on the document tray 4 in a state where sheet-shaped documents are stacked, and one end edge thereof is inserted into the apparatus. Thus, the facsimile apparatus 1 can be set.
A document separation mechanism 9 as a sheet-like material separation mechanism is configured by the separation pad 7 provided on the document pressing body 3 and the separation roller 8 provided on the main body 2 at the position where the edge of the set document faces. The document separating mechanism 9 sends the stacked documents one by one to the document conveying path A while separating them one by one.
The document sent to the document conveyance path A is read by the reading device 11 at the reading unit disposed in the middle of the document conveyance path A, and the data output from the reading device 11 is transmitted to the other party through the line. Or sent to the recording unit 16 (described later) and recorded on the recording paper P (copy function). Thereafter, the original is further conveyed by the discharge roller 12 and discharged from the discharge port 13 at the lower front of the apparatus 1.
[0013]
On the other hand, the recording paper P wound up in a roll shape is accommodated in a substantially half portion on the rear side of the main body 2, and a thermal head 14 and a platen 15 are disposed in front of the recording paper P, and recording is performed. Part 16 is configured.
In this configuration, an image based on the received data is formed by the thermal head 14 while the recording paper P fed out from the rolled state passes through the nip portion between the thermal head 14 and the platen 15. And record. The recording paper P on which the image is recorded is conveyed through the recording paper conveyance path B and discharged.
[0014]
Next, the overall configuration of the document separating mechanism 9 will be described.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view showing the configuration of the document separation mechanism.
[0015]
That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a separation roller 8 is provided at the front of the main body 2 with its rotational axis oriented in the left-right direction, and on the rear surface of the document pressing body 3 (the surface facing the document transport path A). The separation pad 7 is attached.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, a pressing body mounting member 22 for supporting a pressing body 20 described later is provided on the rear surface of the document pressing body 3, and the separation pad 7 is mounted on the rear surface of the mounting member 22. Is attached. The separation pad 7 is made of a material having appropriate elasticity and flexibility, such as rubber, and a region X having a constant width near the end in the conveying direction on one side facing the separation roller 8 The rotating surface of the separation roller 8 is brought into contact.
The pressing body mounting member 22 is provided with a cylindrical cylindrical portion 22d, and the pressing body 20 is provided inside the cylindrical portion 22d via a biasing spring 21. Thus, the pressing body 20 presses the separation pad 7 so that the constant width region X of the separation pad 7 and the rotating surface of the separation roller 8 are always in pressure contact.
[0016]
In this document separating mechanism 9, in order to satisfactorily separate the stacked documents, the friction between the separation roller 8 and the document, between the separation pad 7 and the document, and between the adjacent document and the document. It is important to define the state to have the following specific relationship.
That is, if the coefficient of static friction between the separation roller and the document is μ1, the coefficient of static friction between the separation pad and the document is μ2, and the coefficient of static friction between the document and the document is μ3, then a relationship of μ1>μ2> μ3 occurs. The material of the separation roller 8 and the separation pad 7 is determined.
[0017]
An example of the operation of the document separating mechanism 9 will be described with reference to the schematic diagram in relation to the relationship of the static friction coefficient.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating how the document separation mechanism performs a shearing action on the stacked documents, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where the document is separated from the state of FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the document separation mechanism further performs a shearing action, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state where only one document is separated, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which only one document is separated. It is a figure.
[0018]
That is, the originals a, b, c, d, and e set on the original setting unit 6 in an overlapped state are sent out by the rotation of the separation roller 8, and as shown in FIG. The separation pad 7 comes into pressure contact with the originals a, b, c, d, and e. Here, if the vertical pressure that presses the separation roller 8 and the separation pad 7 is N, the vertical pressure N is as shown in FIG. 3 between the separation roller 8 and the original a, and between the adjacent originals and originals (a to b) and between b and c) and between the separation pad 7 and the document e.
In this state, the rotating separation roller 8 causes the frictional force F1 to act on one of the stacked documents a, b, c, d, and e that is in direct contact with the separation roller 8. The original a is going to be sent downstream. On the other hand, the separation pad 7 applies a frictional force F2 to one of the stacked originals a, b, c, d, and e that directly contacts the separation pad, so that the original e is positioned at that position. Try to fasten. Accordingly, the stacked originals a, b, c, d, and e are subjected to a shearing action by the two frictional forces F1 and F2.
Friction forces F3, F3,... Act between the sheets a, b, c, d, and e of the stacked documents to try to resist the shearing action. In this case, μ3 is determined to be smaller than both μ1 and μ2, and finally, the two frictional forces F1 and F2 are larger than the maximum static frictional force F3 (= μ3 × N) that can be generated between the original and the original. Is higher, slipping occurs between the originals (which may be various, for example, between the originals b and c), and the originals are separated as shown in FIG. Of the separated originals, the sides c, d, and e that are in contact with the separation pad 7 are held in that position, and only the originals a and b that are in contact with the separation roller 8 are sent downstream. It becomes.
When the separated originals a and b are fed by an appropriate width, they are brought into direct contact with the separation pad 7 as shown in FIG. 5, and at that time, the shearing action by the frictional forces F1 and F2 is performed again. Since the separation operation is repeated in this way, even if the originals are set in piles, they are separated one after another, and finally one side closest to the separation roller 8 as shown in FIG. Only the sheet a is separated.
Note that, as shown in FIG. 7, the frictional force F1 from the separation roller 8 and the frictional force F2 from the separation pad 7 directly act on the last original document a as shown in FIG. From the relationship, the frictional force F1 at which the separation roller 8 tries to send out the original a exceeds the maximum static frictional force F2 (= μ2 × N) that can be generated against it, so the last one original “a” is sent downstream by the separation roller 8 while sliding against the separation pad 7 without clogging.
[0019]
Next, a configuration for attaching the separation pad 7 to the document separation mechanism 9 as a main part of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 8 is a front view showing a region of the surface of the separation pad that is pressed against the separation roller. FIG. 9 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing a configuration after the separation pad is displaced by the emergency treatment in the document separation mechanism.
That is, the separation pad 7 has a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 8, and is provided with a long hole 7a oriented substantially along the document transport direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the pressing body mounting member 22 which is the base of the separation pad mounting device is formed with a projection 22a for insertion into the elongated hole 7a, and in the vicinity of the projection 22a A holding portion 25 for inserting and holding one end edge of the pad 7 is configured.
The holding unit 25 will be described. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a convex receiving piece 22c is formed on the pressing body mounting member 22 so as to face forward, while a screw boss 22b is further formed on the pressing body mounting member 22, The plate spring 23, which is an elastic member, is fastened and fixed by a screw 24.
The distal end of the leaf spring 23 extends to the vicinity of the receiving portion 22c, and the distal end is bent in a “<” shape so that the receiving piece 22c side becomes a sharp side, and is used to hold the separation pad 7 A point-like pressing portion 23a is formed. Due to the elasticity of the leaf spring 23, the holding portion 23a contacts the separation pad 7 and applies a resilient force so that it can be pressed and fixed to the receiving piece 22c. The end edge is held and fixed between the leaf spring 23 and the receiving piece 22c.
Here, as described above, the separation pad 7 is in pressure contact with the separation roller 8, and the separation pad 7 tends to be dragged toward the end side in the document conveying direction by a frictional force generated between the separation pad 8 and the rotating separation roller 8. The spring force of the leaf spring 23 is set in advance so that the holding force with which the holding portion 25 holds and fixes the separation pad 7 is sufficiently large to resist the friction force.
The structure for holding the separation pad 7 is not limited to the above-described one. For example, a V-shaped groove is formed in the separation pad 7 so as to correspond to the "<"-shaped bent portion at the tip of the leaf spring 23. It is good also as a structure which fixes separation pad 7 by providing the above-mentioned "<>"-shaped bending part and engaging in this V-shaped groove | channel. Moreover, you may comprise the holding | maintenance part 25 using appropriate elastic bodies other than a leaf | plate spring, for example, a torsion spring, a disc spring, etc.
[0020]
The operation of this configuration will be described. That is, in the document separating mechanism 9 described above, as shown in FIG. 2, the separation pad is initially attached at a position closer to the start end side in the document transport direction. In this state, a region of the separation pad 7 that is pressed against the separation roller 8 by the pressing body 20 is a region indicated by a symbol X in FIG.
On the other hand, when the separation pad 7 is grasped by hand and pulled strongly toward the end side in the document conveying direction from this state, the tensile force exceeds the holding force of the holding portion 25, and the separation pad 7 extends along the long hole 7a. 9 is displaced toward the end side in the document conveying direction, and the state shown in FIG. In this case, since the relative position of the separation pad 7 to the separation roller 8 changes, the region of the separation pad 7 that is pressed against the separation roller 8 by the pressing body 20 is also on the start end side in the document transport direction. The region shown in FIG. 8 is pressed against the separation roller 8 to perform the separation action.
[0021]
The usage mode of this configuration will be specifically described.
That is, at the stage of facsimile manufacture / shipment, the separation pad 7 is attached at a position closer to the start end side in the document conveying direction as shown in FIG .
In the initial stage of a facsimile machine that has been installed and started to be used, the original separating mechanism 9 performs an excellent separating action on a set original. However, if the region X of the separation pad 7 is worn out due to long-term use, or if paper dust or dust adheres to the region X, the static friction coefficient μ2 between the separation pad and the document gradually decreases. Go. When the degree of wear or the like becomes particularly severe, and the static friction coefficient μ2 between the separation pad and the original document becomes lower than the static friction coefficient μ3 between the original document and the original document, the above-described shearing action does not sufficiently work to separate the original document well. Thus, troubles such as sending out a plurality of originals to the reading unit while being stacked are caused.
However, even if such a separation failure occurs, if the document pressing body 3 is rotated forward as described above, the separation pad 7 that appears is grasped by hand and pulled strongly toward the end side in the document conveyance direction. The separation pad 7 is displaced, and the new area Y is pressed against the separation roller 8. As shown in FIG. 8, at least a part of this region Y includes a region that is not the region X, that is, a new region that is not pressed against the separation roller 8 before displacement and has no abrasion or dust adhesion. As a result, the static friction coefficient μ2 is restored to a considerable extent, and the trouble due to the separation failure is settled.
[0022]
The treatment of displacing the separation pad 7 has a temporary / emergency character. If the wear of the separation pad 7 further progresses after the treatment, the separation pad 7 needs to be replaced and repaired.
However, the procedure of pulling the separation pad 7 is simple and easy to understand, and even a user who does not have specialized knowledge can perform it sufficiently in a short time. Therefore, from the user's point of view, even if a trouble occurs, the trouble can be temporarily avoided by taking immediate emergency measures, so that the facsimile can be used until the replacement and replacement of the separation pad 7 later. The impact on daily work can be minimized.
[0023]
Although this embodiment relates to a paper separation mechanism provided in the document setting section of the facsimile apparatus, the present embodiment can also be applied to various other apparatuses. For example, a document setting unit of an automatic document feeder (ADF) in a copying machine or a scanner, or a printing paper setting unit in a printer or a copying machine.
The present invention is not limited to a mechanism for separating paper. For example, the structure of the present invention can be used as long as it is a mechanism that separates a flexible and sheet-like material such as a transparent film. Can be applied.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
Since the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
[0025]
That is, as shown in claim 1, there is provided a sheet-like material separating mechanism for separating the sheet-like materials set in the apparatus in a state where a plurality of sheets are stacked one by one and sending them downstream, In the case of having at least a separation pad, a holding part for inserting and holding one end edge of the separation pad is configured, and the holding force for holding and fixing the separation pad by the holding part is the rotating separation part Pulling the separation pad in a direction parallel to the feeding direction of the sheet-like material with a tensile force that exceeds the holding force of the holding portion in a size that can resist the friction force generated between the roller and the separation pad. Thus, the separation pad is displaced, and the region of the separation pad that is pressed against the separation roller is displaced in a direction parallel to the direction of feeding the sheet-like material. In,
Even if the separation pad is pressed against the separation roller (that is, the portion where the separation pad performs the separation action on the sheet-like material) wear or dust adheres to it, even if a trouble of separation failure occurs. , By displacing the area of the separation pad that is pressed against the separation roller, it is possible to make the part other than the part with wear and dust press against the separation roller, and the new part is better against the sheet-like material. By performing the separation action, the separation failure of the apparatus is eliminated.
Since this separation pad is a consumable item, it is necessary to replace the separation pad with severe wear, dust adhesion, etc. by finally calling a serviceman. However, according to the configuration of the present invention, the separation pad By performing an emergency treatment of displacing the lens, this trouble of poor separation can be temporarily solved.
Moreover, the first-aid treatment is simple and easy to understand by pulling and displacing the separation pad, and even a user who does not have specialized knowledge can perform it sufficiently in a short time. Therefore, even when a trouble with poor separation occurs, the dealer instructs the first-aid treatment to the user who has contacted, or the first-time treatment is described in the device manual in advance by the user. The device can be treated to temporarily recover the device from poor separation.
As a result, the user can use the device effectively from the time of the trouble to the time when the service person visits and the start of replacement repair, and the influence of the trouble of separation failure on the daily work of the user is reduced. be able to.
Also, from the perspective of the repair service, if the trouble of the device can be recovered on the spot with the help of the user, the trouble has been resolved, even temporarily, It can be said that there is little need to urgently perform the repair repair of the separation pad, and it is possible to go to the replacement repair with an appropriate time margin. In other words, the number of situations in which a service person must urgently go to the installation location of the device for repairing the device and repair it will be reduced, and the human cost and burden related to the repair service will be reduced. Also become.
In addition, when a trouble of separation failure occurs due to wear of the separation pad or adhesion of dust, etc., the emergency treatment is performed so that a new portion free of wear or adhesion of separation pad performs separation action. The user will be able to use the device for a considerable period of time until the new part becomes unusable due to wear or dirt deposits. That is, the present invention is also useful in extending the substantial life of the separation pad.
[0026]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the separation pad is provided with a long hole, and the separation pad mounting device base is provided with a protrusion inserted into the long hole, and the pressure contact is made by the long hole and the protrusion. Since it was configured to regulate the direction and amount of displacement of the area,
By restricting the direction of displacement, a situation in which the user displaces the separation pad in an unexpected direction during the emergency treatment can be prevented, and the emergency treatment as described above can be performed without failure. Further, since the restriction is performed by the long hole provided in the separation pad, the configuration is simple and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
[0027]
Since the elastic member for pressing the rear end of the separation pad against the device is configured as shown in claim 3,
Since the separation pad is attached to the apparatus using an elastic member, the separation pad can be fixed by the elastic force of the elastic member during normal use, and the elastic pad is used when performing the emergency treatment as described above. By applying a force larger than the force, it is possible to displace the separation pad and displace the region that is in pressure contact with the separation roller.
That is, in the normal use, the separation pad is securely held and prevented from being displaced, while the above-mentioned emergency treatment allows the displacement by applying a strong force in the direction of displacing the separation pad. However, this can be achieved with a simple configuration.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an overall configuration of a facsimile to which a document separation mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a document separation mechanism.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a document separation mechanism performs a shearing action on stacked documents.
4 is a view showing a state where a document is separated from the state of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the document separation mechanism further performs a shearing action on the separated document.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where only one original is separated.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an original document separated by only one sheet is sent out.
FIG. 8 is a front view showing a region of the surface of the separation pad that is pressed against the separation roller.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing a configuration after the separation pad is displaced by an emergency measure in the document separation mechanism.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Facsimile (device)
7 Separation pad 7a Long hole X / Y Region 8 where separation pad is pressed against separation roller 8 Separation roller 9 Document separation mechanism (sheet-like material separation mechanism)
22 Press body mounting member (Separation pad mounting device base)
a ・ b ・ c ・ d ・ e Manuscript (sheet)

Claims (3)

A sheet-like material separation mechanism that separates sheet-like materials set in the apparatus in a state where a plurality of sheets are stacked one by one and sends them downstream, and has at least a separation roller and a separation pad that are pressed against each other, A holding portion for inserting and holding one end edge of the separation pad is configured, and a holding force for holding and fixing the separation pad by the holding portion is between the rotating separation roller and the separation pad. The separation pad is displaced by pulling the separation pad with a tensile force exceeding the holding force of the holding portion in a direction parallel to the direction in which the sheet-like material is fed out, with a size that can resist the generated friction force. , wherein the region which is pressed against the separation roller of the separation pad, characterized by being configured so as to be displaced in a direction parallel to the direction of delivering the sheet, sheet Separation mechanism.   The separation pad is provided with a long hole, and the separation pad mounting device base is provided with a protrusion to be inserted into the long hole, and the long hole and the protrusion are used to regulate the displacement of the pressure contact area. The sheet-like material separating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the sheet-like material separating mechanism is configured as follows.   The sheet-like object separation mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an elastic member for pressing a rear end of the separation pad against the apparatus.

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