JP7569764B2 - Document feeder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention mainly relates to document feeders.

Some document feeders that can be installed in printers, scanners, etc. are equipped with a rotating stopper that controls whether or not a document is allowed to be fed into the device body (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-207944 A

The multiple documents loaded on the loading tray of the document loading device should be loaded into the device body in order from one side in the loading direction. From this perspective, there is room for improvement in the configuration of Patent Document 1.

The present invention aims, for example, to enable proper feeding of documents into the device body with a relatively simple configuration.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a document feeder, the document feeder comprising:
an intake port for taking in a document from a loading tray capable of loading a plurality of documents into the device body;
a feed roller provided near the intake port so as to be able to take in a document into the intake port;
a document stopper that is rotatable between a first position that prevents the document from being taken in and a second position that allows the document to be taken in;
a control unit that rotates the document stopper from the first position to the second position and causes the document to be taken in through the take-in opening,
The control unit is
the document stopper is moved from the first position to the second position at a rotation speed slower than a speed at which the document is transported by the feed roller;
When the document stopper is in an intermediate position between the first position and the second position, the feed roller is controlled so that downstream ends of the documents are brought into contact with the document stopper.
It is characterized by:

According to the present invention, it is possible to properly load the document into the device body.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image reading apparatus. FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the intake portion and its surrounding area. FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the intake portion and its surrounding area. FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the intake portion and its surrounding area. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an image reading apparatus. 4 is a flowchart showing a method for performing image reading of a document. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a rotational state of a guide member. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a rotational state of a guide member. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a rotational state of a guide member. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing an operation mode of the document feed mechanism. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing an operation mode of the document feed mechanism. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing an operation mode of the document feed mechanism. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing an operation mode of the document feed mechanism. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing an operation mode of the document feed mechanism. 11 is a schematic side view showing an operation mode of the document stopper when the document is taken in; FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing an operation mode of the document stopper when the document is taken in; FIG.

The following embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined in any desired manner. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

First Embodiment
1 shows an example of the configuration of an image reading device 1 according to the first embodiment. Although details will be described later, the image reading device 1 takes in an original Sh to be subjected to image reading into the device main body (inside a housing 10) and reads the image of the taken-in original Sh. The original Sh after the image reading is completed is discharged from a discharge port 11 onto a discharge tray 12, and when there are two or more originals Sh, they are stacked on the discharge tray 12.

Here, the original Sh is a sheet-like member (typically paper, etc.), and images are formed on one side and the other side of the original Sh. The concept of an image includes not only visible things such as letters, symbols, figures, photographs, etc., but also spaces that may be formed around or between them.

In this embodiment, the image reading device 1 is described as having a scanner function, but in other embodiments, the image reading device 1 may additionally or alternatively have other functions. In this respect, the image reading device 1 may be expressed as a document input device, a document feed device, a feeding device, a paper feed device, etc.

In addition to the discharge tray 12, the image reading device 1 also includes a loading tray 13, an inlet 14, a transport mechanism 15, a reading unit 16, a document input mechanism 17, power sources 18a and 18b, and a power transmission mechanism 19.

The loading tray 13 is capable of placing the originals Sh thereon, and if there are two or more originals Sh, they can be stacked. The loading tray 13 may be referred to as a loading section, or if the originals Sh are paper, it may also be referred to as a paper feed tray or paper feed section. The loading tray 13 is preferably extended and inclined so that one end on the device body side is downward and the other end is upward.

The intake port 14 is an area that forms an opening for taking in the document Sh from the loading tray 13 into the device body, and is formed into a frame shape by one or more members that make up the housing 10.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the image reading device 1 as seen from the side of the inlet 14. Although details will be described later, Figures 3 to 5 are enlarged schematic diagrams showing the internal structure of the inlet 14 and its surrounding area.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport mechanism 15 is configured to form a transport path for the document Sh from the stack tray 13 to the discharge tray 12, and in this embodiment includes a feed roller 151, a separation unit 152, a roller pair (transport roller) 159a, and a roller pair (discharge roller) 159b. In FIG. 1, the transport path for the document Sh is indicated by a dashed line, and the transport direction is indicated as direction D0.

The feed roller 151 is a drive roller provided near the intake port 14, and in this embodiment, it rotates in the direction D1 by receiving power from the power source 18a described below. The feed roller 151 has a built-in one-way clutch, and rotates with the document Sh when the document Sh moves at a speed faster than the peripheral speed of the feed roller 151 by the roller pair 159a or the like.

The separation unit 152 shown in FIG. 1 includes a separation roller 153 and a holder member 154 (see FIG. 3). The separation roller 153 can clamp the document Sh taken in from the inlet 14 together with the feed roller 151. The separation roller 153 has a built-in torque limiter, and rotates in the direction D2 (see FIG. 3) when it receives power from the power source 18a, but can rotate in the direction D2' when a torque equal to or greater than a reference value is applied from the feed roller 151 or the document Sh. As a result, when two or more documents Sh are taken in from the inlet 14, the documents Sh on the separation roller 153 side are returned from the inlet 14 to the stack tray 13, or are prevented from entering from the inlet 14. That is, the documents Sh are taken in one by one downstream into the device body and appropriately transported toward the reading unit 16 described later.

In this specification, downstream refers to the same direction as the conveying direction D0. The direction opposite the conveying direction D0 is referred to as upstream.

Here, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image reading device 1 as seen from the side of the inlet 14. Also, although details will be described later, FIGS. 3 to 5 are enlarged schematic diagrams showing the internal structure of the inlet 14 and its surrounding area.

The holder member 154 shown in FIG. 3 rotatably holds the separation roller 153. Here, the separation unit 152 is fixed to the housing 10 so as to be rotatable about the shaft portion Ax1 as a rotation axis, and is pressed toward the feed roller 151 by the biasing portion 20a. As a result, the separation roller 153 comes into contact with the feed roller 151, and can clamp the document Sh together with the feed roller 151.

Returning to FIG. 1, roller pair 159a enables the document Sh to be pinched between the drive roller and driven roller during transport, and is disposed upstream of reading unit 16, and in this embodiment, is disposed between feed roller 151 and reading unit 16. Roller pair 159b enables the document Sh to be pinched between the drive roller and driven roller during transport, and is disposed downstream of reading unit 16, and in this embodiment, is disposed between discharge port 11 and reading unit 16. In this embodiment, the drive rollers of roller pairs 159a and 159b are driven based on the power of power source 18b.

The reading unit 16 is installed between the pair of rollers 159a and 159b on the transport path of the original Sh. In this embodiment, a pair of reading units 16 is installed, one reading unit 16 reading an image on one side of the original Sh, and the other reading unit 16 reading an image on the other side of the original Sh. The reading unit 16 may be a known image contact sensor, for example, an imaging device composed of a CCD/CMOS image sensor.

The enlarged schematic diagrams shown in Figures 3 to 5 show the driving mode of the document feed mechanism 17 for feeding or preventing the feeding of the document Sh.

The document feed mechanism 17 includes an arm portion 171, a pressing portion 172, a document stopper 173, and a holding portion 174. The arm portion 171 is installed in the housing 10 so as to be rotatable about an axis portion Ax2 as a rotation axis, and is biased by a biasing portion 20b in a direction approaching the feed roller 151. The arm portion 171 receives power from a power source 18b and is rotatable in a direction away from the feed roller 151.

The pressing unit 172 is supported by the arm unit 171 and is located on the opposite side of the document Sh to be fed from the feed roller 151. In this embodiment, a driven roller is used for the pressing unit 172, but any roller that can slidably press against the document Sh or press while following the movement of the document Sh may be used. The arm unit 171 is rotatable between position P1 (see FIG. 3), which is a first position where the pressing unit 172 is separated from the document Sh, and position P2 (see FIG. 5), which is a second position where the pressing unit 172 presses the document Sh (see FIGS. 3 to 5), and the pressing unit 172 presses the document Sh by rotating the arm unit 171.

The document stopper 173 is supported by the arm portion 171 so as to be rotatable about the axis portion Ax3 as a rotation axis, and is biased by the biasing portion 20c so as to rotate in the direction D3.

The holding portion 174 holds the document stopper 173 so that the document stopper 173 maintains an upright position while the arm portion 171 is located at position P1 (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the document stopper 173 includes a locking portion 1731 that locks with the holding portion 174, thereby maintaining the document stopper 173 in an upright position.

When the arm portion 171 rotates from position P1 to position P2, the document stopper 173 is released from the holding portion 174 and rotates in direction D3 due to the force of the force applying portion 20c, from the upright position to the inclined position (see FIG. 4). Thereafter, the arm portion 171 is maintained in the rotated state at position P2 while being pressed by the pressing portion 172 until all of the documents Sh on the stack tray 13 are taken in (see FIG. 5).

With this configuration, the document stopper 173 prevents the document Sh from being taken in when in the upright position (first position), and allows the document Sh to be taken in when in the inclined position (second position). The holding portion 174 may be fixed integrally to the upper portion of the housing 10 or may be fixed separately.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the document stopper 173 urged by the urging portion 20c is engaged by abutting against the holder member 154. Therefore, the document stopper 173 assumes a tilted posture as the arm portion 171 moves away from position P1. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3, the document stopper 173 assumes an upright posture as the arm portion 171 moves closer to position P1, and when the arm portion 171 rotates to position P1, it is held by the holding portion 174 and maintained in the upright posture.

In this embodiment, the power transmission mechanism 19 is configured to transmit the power of the power source 18a to the feed roller 151 (see FIG. 1), but in other embodiments, the power transmission mechanism 19 may be configured to additionally/alternatively transmit the power to the arm portion 171. Therefore, the power transmission mechanism 19 is disposed in the path between the arm portion 171 and/or the feed roller 151 and the power source 18.

The timing of the transmission of power from the power source 18a to the feed roller 151 and the arm portion 171 can be adjusted. This can be achieved by controlling the drive of the power transmission mechanism 19, or can be achieved additionally/alternatively by other elements such as a clutch mechanism, a locking mechanism, etc.

A known electric motor may be used for the power sources 18a and 18b. In this embodiment, the power source 18a corresponding to the feed roller 151 and the arm portion 171 and the power source 18b corresponding to the drive rollers of the roller pairs 159a and 159b are provided separately, but in other embodiments, a single power source may be shared. Alternatively, in still other embodiments, a power source may be provided separately for each of the feed roller 151, the arm portion 171, the drive roller of the roller pair 159a, and the drive roller of the roller pair 159b.

As shown in FIG. 2, a feed roller cover 130 is provided on the transport path side of the feed roller 151. A guide member 131 is provided on the feed roller cover 130. The guide member 131 forms a placement surface f1 on which a document Sh (in this embodiment, the downstream end) to be taken into the intake port 14 can be placed. In this embodiment, the guide member 131 is supported by the feed roller cover 130 so that the placement surface f1 can rotate from a position where the placement surface f1 protrudes toward the center of the transport path from the surface of the feed roller 151 (see FIG. 8) to a position away from the center of the transport path from the surface of the feed roller 151 (see FIG. 10).

In this embodiment, the guide member 131 is biased toward the center of the transport path by the biasing portion 20d (see FIG. 8) in a side view (viewpoint when viewed in the axial direction of the feed roller 151) and abuts against an abutment portion (see FIG. 8). When the amount of documents Sh is relatively small, the downstream end of the documents Sh is located toward the center of the transport path (upper) than the surface of the feed roller 151 and is directed between the feed roller 151 and the separation roller 153. This prevents the documents Sh from getting caught on the feed roller 151 and being unable to be set at the specified set position when the documents Sh are loaded on the stacking tray 13, for example, when the amount of documents Sh is small. Also, when the amount of documents Sh is relatively large, the guide member 131 rotates due to its weight, and the loading surface f1 is located in a direction (downward) away from the center of the transport path from the feed roller 151. This allows the guide member 131 to guide the document Sh so that when the document Sh is taken in, the document Sh is pressed by the pressing portion 172 while coming into contact with the feed roller 151 and is taken in appropriately.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the image reading device 1. The image reading device 1 further includes a document loading sensor unit 21a, a double feed detection sensor unit 21b, a first document detection sensor unit 21c, a second document detection sensor unit 21d, an operation input unit 22, and a control unit 23.

The document loading sensor unit 21a to the second document detection sensor unit 21d can be installed at several positions on the transport path of the document Sh. In FIG. 6, the document loading sensor unit 21a to the second document detection sensor unit 21d are shown as a sensor group 21. The document loading sensor unit 21a is rotatably provided on the upper part of the housing 10 so as to be aligned with the document stopper 173 in the left-right direction (a horizontal direction that is substantially perpendicular to the transport direction; the width direction of the device) and to be located slightly upstream of the document stopper 173 in the transport direction (see FIG. 2), and rotates when the document Sh comes into contact with it to output a predetermined detection signal.

The multi-feed detection sensor unit 21b is capable of detecting when separation by the separation roller 153 has not been performed properly, and is installed downstream of the separation roller 153 inside the housing 10. When two or more documents Sh are detected (when so-called multi-feeding has occurred), the sensor outputs a predetermined detection signal. In this embodiment, a sensor equipped with an ultrasonic transmitter and receiver is used to detect multi-feeding by utilizing the attenuation of ultrasonic waves caused by the documents Sh.

The first document detection sensor unit 21c is installed in the housing 10 upstream of the roller pair 159a and downstream of the double feed detection sensor unit 21b, and is capable of detecting when the leading edge of the document Sh reaches the feed roller 151, and outputs a predetermined detection signal when the document Sh is detected. In this embodiment, an optical sensor is used to detect the arrival of the document Sh by the light being blocked by the document Sh.

The second document detection sensor unit 21d is installed downstream of the roller pair 159a and upstream of the reading unit 16 within the housing 10, and is capable of detecting when the leading edge of the document Sh reaches the roller pair 159a and when the trailing edge of the document Sh passes through the roller pair 159a, and outputs a predetermined detection signal when the document Sh is detected. In this embodiment, an optical sensor is used to detect the arrival of the document Sh by the light being blocked by the document Sh.

In addition, the sensors are not limited to those described above, and any known sensor may be used for each of the document loading sensor unit 21a to the second document detection sensor unit 21d. For example, a lever-type sensor may be used for the document loading sensor unit 21a. For example, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like may be used for the double feed detection sensor unit 21b to the second document detection sensor unit 21d. Each of the double feed detection sensor unit 21b to the second document detection sensor unit 21d may be configured as a transmitting sensor and a receiving sensor.

The operation input unit 22 is an operation panel through which the user inputs instructions to read an image, and may be installed at any location on the exterior of the housing 10. The operation input unit 22 may further include a function as a display unit, and in this embodiment, as a typical example, a touch panel display may be used as the operation input unit 22.

The control unit 23 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 231, a memory 232, and a communication interface 233. The CPU 231 reads a predetermined program from another memory (non-volatile memory such as ROM) not shown, expands it on the memory 232 (volatile memory such as RAM), and executes each step described below (see FIG. 7) to realize image reading. The CPU 231 can also receive input signals from the operation input unit 22 and detection signals from the document loading sensor unit 21a, etc., via the communication interface 233, and can also receive other input signals from external devices not shown.

In another embodiment, the control unit 23 may be configured as a semiconductor device such as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), i.e., the functions of the control unit 23 may be realized by either hardware or software. In addition, the control unit 23 may be expressed as a drive control unit, an image reading control unit, a document input control unit, etc. depending on its function, or may be provided separately according to each individual function.

With this configuration, the control unit 23 controls the drive of each of the above elements so as to realize image reading of the document Sh (and the associated intake and discharge of the document Sh) based on the input signal of the operation input unit 22, the detection signal of the document loading sensor unit 21a, etc. Details will be described later, but for example, the control unit 23 can control the power transmission mechanism 19 so that the feed roller 151 is driven after the arm unit 171 starts to rotate from position P1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the document stopper 173 and the feed roller 151 are arranged side by side, and preferably multiple copies of each are arranged side by side. In this embodiment, the document stopper 173 is provided rotatably with respect to the arm 171 at three locations in total, the central portion, the left side portion, and the right side portion, and the feed roller 151 is provided at two locations in total, between the central portion and the left side portion, and between the central portion and the right side portion. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, the document stopper 173 in the upright position and the feed roller 151 can be moved to a position where they overlap each other in a side view. As a result, the document stopper 173 in the upright position is located immediately upstream of the feed roller 151, and the leading edge of the document stack including the document Sh before the start of feeding the document Sh is aligned to the document stopper 173, stabilizing the movement of the document when the document Sh is taken in, and making it possible to appropriately suppress the taking in of the document Sh.

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing a method for performing image reading of document Sh. This flowchart is mainly executed by the control unit 23, and the outline thereof is to prevent damage that may occur to document Sh due to the feed roller 151 being driven after the arm unit 171 starts to rotate from position P1.

In step S1010 (hereinafter simply referred to as "S1010"; the same applies to the other steps described below), it is determined whether or not there is an instruction to start image reading. If there is an instruction to start image reading, proceed to S1020; if not, return to S1010.

In S1020, the presence or absence of the document Sh on the stacking tray 13 is determined based on the detection signal of the document loading sensor unit 21a. If the document Sh is present on the stacking tray 13, the process proceeds to S1040, and if not, the process proceeds to S1030. Note that if the document Sh is not present, the process may be configured to repeat the determination of S1020 until a predetermined time has elapsed, and to proceed to S1030 after the predetermined time has elapsed.

In S1030, a notification is output indicating that no document Sh is present on the stacking tray 13, and this flowchart ends. This notification may be sent via the touch panel display that is the operation input unit 22.

After S1040, the document Sh is assumed to be present on the stack tray 13 and the document Sh is taken in. In S1040, the power source 18b that drives the roller pair 159a etc. is started to be driven, and the arm portion 171 rotates from position P1 to position P2. As a result, the document stopper 173 changes from an upright position to a tilted position. At this time, as described above, the document stopper 173 is engaged by the holder member 154 while being urged by the urging portion 20c, so that the document stopper 173 appropriately changes from an upright position to a tilted position. This causes the intake port portion 14 to change from a closed state to an open state, making it possible to take in the document Sh.

When the pressing portion 172 has moved from position P1 to position P2, the document stopper 173 functions as a transport surface for the document Sh. The posture of the document stopper 173 at this time is determined by the sliding contact of the document stopper 173 with a locking portion provided on the holder member 154, and the sliding contact surface of this locking portion is formed in an arc shape coaxial with the rotation axis of the separation roller 153. This makes it possible to keep the amount by which the surface of the separation roller 153 protrudes from the transport surface of the document stopper 173 constant as the pressing portion 172 moves from position P1 to position P2, and to maintain a stable paper feeding state.

As described above, the stacking tray 13 is extended at an angle. Furthermore, due to the above-mentioned rotation of the arm portion 171, the document Sh on the stacking tray 13 is pressed by the pressing portion 172. Furthermore, due to its own weight, the document Sh moves to a position where it abuts against the feed roller 151, and is pressed against the feed roller 151 by the pressing portion 172.

In S1050, the power source 18a is driven to start driving the feed roller 151. As a result, the document Sh on the stacking tray 13 is taken in through the open intake portion 14.

In S1060, based on a detection signal output from the second document detection sensor unit 21d indicating that the leading edge of the document Sh has reached the document, the reading unit 16 starts reading the image of the document Sh while the document Sh is being transported. At this time, the first document detection sensor unit 21c also simultaneously performs jam detection, such as whether the document Sh has reached the second document detection sensor unit 21d within a predetermined time after the feed roller 151 has started to be driven.

In S1070, similar to S1060, the drive of the power source 18a is stopped and the drive of the feed roller 151 is interrupted (temporarily stopped) based on a detection signal output from the second document detection sensor unit 21d indicating that the leading edge of the document Sh has arrived. In other words, when the downstream end (leading edge) of the document Sh reaches the second document detection sensor unit 21d, a single document Sh is properly taken in, and the start of the intake of the next document Sh is suppressed until the image reading and discharge of the document Sh are completed. Note that, although S1060 and S1070 are shown to be executed sequentially in FIG. 7, they may actually be executed in order or simultaneously.

In S1080, image reading is stopped based on a detection signal indicating that the upstream end (rear end) of the document Sh has passed the second document detection sensor unit 21d, and the presence or absence of the document Sh on the stacking tray 13 is determined based on the detection signal of the document stacking sensor unit 21a. If the document Sh is present on the stacking tray 13, the process returns to S1050, and if not, the process proceeds to S1090. In other words, if the document Sh remains on the stacking tray 13, S1050 to S1080 are repeated, and if the document Sh does not remain on the stacking tray 13, the process proceeds to S1090.

In S1090, it is assumed that no originals Sh remain on the stack tray 13, and the power source 18b is driven in the direction opposite to the feeding of the originals Sh to rotate the arm portion 171 from position P2 to position P1. As a result, the original stopper 173 changes from the inclined position to the upright position. In this way, the intake of the originals Sh is stopped, and the process returns to S1010.

According to this embodiment, the document stopper 173 can rotate between an upright position that inhibits the document from being taken in and an inclined position that allows the document to be taken in. In the upright position, the document stopper 173 is held by the holding portion 174 and is biased by the biasing portion 20c to the inclined position. When the document Sh is taken in, the document stopper 173 rotates from the upright position to the inclined position prior to the driving of the feed roller 151, and the take-in port 14 is opened from a closed state. Before the document Sh starts to be fed, the leading edge of the document stack is aligned following the document stopper 173, and the movement of the document Sh when it is taken in can be stabilized. After the document Sh starts to be fed, the document stopper 173 is biased in a direction away from the document Sh. Therefore, the document Sh is not pressed against the document stopper 173. As a result, the document Sh is properly taken into the device body without being damaged (bent, bent, etc.) due to interference with the document stopper 173 in the upright position, and the image can be properly read. Furthermore, as described below, by abutting the document Sh against the document stopper 173 in an intermediate position between the upright position and the inclined position, a paper handling action is exerted on the document Sh, thereby improving the take-in performance of the document Sh.

As another aspect, a configuration may be adopted in which the rotation of the guide member 131 in the feed roller cover 130 of the image reading device 1 is driven and controlled by the control unit 23. The rotation of the guide member 131 may be performed, for example, based on the power of the power source 18b. The guide member 131 rotates so that the placement surface f1 is located above the feed roller 151 when the document stopper 173 is in an upright position, and so that the placement surface f1 is located below the feed roller 151 when the document stopper 173 is in a tilted position. This can be configured to be controlled by the drive direction of the power source 18b. For example, by driving the power source 18b in the reverse direction, the document stopper 173 is in an upright position, and the mounting surface f1 of the guide member 131 is pushed up by a cam member (not shown) so that it is positioned above the feed roller 151; by driving the power source 18b in the forward direction, the document stopper 173 is in a tilted position, and the contact of the cam member (not shown) with the guide member 131 is released, and the guide member 131 is pushed down by the biasing portion 20d so that the mounting surface f1 of the guide member 131 is positioned below the feed roller 151.

Figures 8 to 10 are schematic diagrams showing the rotational state of the guide member 131 while the document stopper 173 is moving from the upright position to the tilted position. The guide member 131 rotates around the axis Ax4 as the rotation axis. While the document stopper 173 is in the upright position, the guide member 131 maintains a state in which the placement surface f1 is positioned above the feed roller 151 by a cam member (not shown) to which the power of the power source 18b is transmitted (see Figure 8). When the arm portion 171 rotates from position P1 to position P2, the document stopper 173 moves away from the holding portion 174 and tilts due to the biasing force of the biasing portion 20c, during which the guide member 131 maintains a state in which the placement surface f1 is positioned above the feed roller 151 (see Figure 9). Thereafter, the guide member 131 is released from the pressure from the cam member, and rotates due to the biasing force of the biasing portion 20d until the placement surface f1 is positioned below the feed roller 151 (see FIG. 10).

According to this configuration, when the document Sh is taken in, if the document stopper 173 is in an upright position (the intake port 14 is closed), the document Sh on the stacking tray 13 does not come into contact with the feed roller 151, so it does not get caught on the surface of the feed roller 151 when it is loaded on the stacking tray 13, improving loading operability. In addition, the document stopper 173 aligns the leading edge of the document stack including the document Sh loaded on the stacking tray 13, making it possible to stabilize the movement of the document when the document is taken in, and since the document stopper 173 is biased in the D3 direction in FIG. 8, the document Sh is not damaged unexpectedly due to interference with the document stopper 173. In addition, if the document stopper 173 is in an inclined position (the intake port 14 is open), the document Sh on the stacking tray 13 comes into contact with the feed roller 151 and is appropriately taken into the device body from the intake port 14. This makes it possible to more appropriately capture the document Sh.

In this embodiment, the drive of the feed roller 151 starts after the document stopper 173 is in a tilted position (the intake port 14 is open), but this is not limited to this. It is sufficient if there is no gap between the document stopper 173 and the feed roller 153 for the document Sh to pass through and the document Sh comes into contact with the driven feed roller 151, preventing the document Sh from hitting the document stopper 153. Therefore, the timing of the start of drive can be adjusted within a range that does not deviate from this purpose.

In addition, here, the control unit 23 drives the power source 18b to rotate the guide member 131, but in another embodiment, the guide member 131 may be mechanically configured to be linked to the rotation of the arm unit 171. For example, the guide member 131 may be linked to the arm unit by a link mechanism, and may rotate along with the arm unit 171 when it rotates from position P1 to position P2. Also, each drive unit may be configured to be driven by a separate power source. Also, the power sources 18a and 18b may be configured with the same power source, in which case the timing of the drive transmission to each unit may be mechanically shifted using a cam or the like.

In this embodiment, the guide member 131 is pushed up above the feed roller 151 by a cam member (not shown), and when the pressure from the cam member is released, the guide member 131 is pushed down below the feed roller 151 by the biasing force of the biasing portion 20d. However, the reverse is also possible. In other words, the guide member 131 may be pushed up above the feed roller 151 by the biasing force of the biasing portion 20d, and the guide member 131 may be pushed down below the feed roller 151 by the engagement of the cam member.

However, if multiple documents Sh loaded on the loading tray 13 are taken into the device body through the intake port 14 in an arbitrary order, the posture of the multiple documents Sh may be distorted. This may cause the documents Sh to not be taken in, transported, scanned, or discharged properly.

Therefore, in order to maintain the stacked multiple documents Sh in a neat position, it is generally required that they are taken into the device body through the intake port 14 in order from one side in the stacking direction. In other words, it is preferable that the documents Sh are properly separated and taken in one by one. In the case of this embodiment, it is preferable that the multiple documents Sh are taken into the device body in order from the one closest to the feed roller 151.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, in this embodiment, when starting to take in the originals Sh, the downstream ends of the multiple originals Sh on the stacking tray 13 are abutted against the original stopper 173 in an intermediate position between the upright position and the inclined position. This allows the downstream ends of the multiple originals Sh on the stacking tray 13 to be handled by the original stopper 173 in the intermediate position, and the multiple originals Sh can be properly taken into the device body in order of the originals closest to the feed roller 151. Note that handling the originals Sh by the original stopper 173 means that the downstream end of the originals Sh located roughly on the feed roller 151 side is positioned downstream of the downstream end of the originals Sh stacked on it.

In this embodiment, the rotation axis Ax3 of the document stopper 173 is provided on the opposite side of the document stopper 173 from the feed roller 151 side (above the device). Therefore, in the intermediate position, the document stopper 173 is located more upstream as it is closer to the rotation axis Ax3, and more downstream as it is farther from the rotation axis Ax3. As a result, the multiple documents Sh abut against the document stopper 173 in the intermediate position so that their downstream ends are located downstream, starting from the document closest to the feed roller 151. In other words, the documents Sh shift upstream in the transport direction starting from the document closest to the feed roller 151. The amount of shift typically depends on the angle of abutment with the document stopper 173 and the thickness of the document Sh. In this way, the multiple documents Sh abut against the feed roller 151 in order from the document closest to the feed roller 151 side, and are appropriately taken into the device body.

In this embodiment, the rotation speed of the document stopper 173 from the upright position to the tilted position is slower than the transport speed of the document Sh by the feed roller 151. Specifically, the gears and cams of the drive transmission unit to which drive is transmitted from the power source 18b in order to switch the document stopper 173 from the upright position to the tilted position may be adjusted so that the document stopper 173 rotates such that the speed component in the transport direction of the rotation speed of its tip is slower than the transport speed of the document Sh by the feed roller 151. This allows multiple documents Sh on the stacking tray 13 to appropriately abut against the document stopper 173 in the intermediate position. Note that the gears and cams may be adjusted in the same way even if a single power source is used as the power sources 18a and 18b.

The document Sh may be brought into contact with the document stopper 173 in the intermediate position so as to achieve the above-mentioned shift. For example, the above-mentioned contact may be made when the angle (acute angle) between the contact surface of the document stopper 173 in the intermediate position and the placement surface f1 is within a range of 10 to 80 degrees, preferably within a range of 30 to 60 degrees, and more preferably within a range of 40 to 50 degrees.

As described above, the document stopper 173 is biased by the biasing portion 20c to assume a tilted position. Therefore, when the documents Sh come into contact with the document stopper 173, no excessive reaction force is applied to the documents Sh, and the documents Sh are not damaged (bent, warped, etc.) as a result. Therefore, the documents Sh can be properly taken into the device body by the feed roller 151 in sequence.

In this embodiment, the rotation speed of the document stopper 173 and the transport speed of the document Sh by the feed roller 151 are constant, but they may be variable. For example, when the driving force from the power source 18b is constant, the rotation speed of the document stopper 173 may satisfy the above-mentioned relationship while the document stopper 173 is rotating toward its tilted posture until its upstream end face (the surface that the document Sh abuts against) moves downstream of the roller surface of the separation roller 153, and thereafter the document stopper 173 may be configured to rotate at a faster rotation speed.

Also, as another embodiment, alternatively/accompanyingly, the rotation of the document stopper 173 may be temporarily stopped midway through its rotation from the upright position to the inclined position, so that the downstream ends of the multiple documents Sh come into contact with the document stopper 173. As yet another embodiment, alternatively/accompanyingly, the timing at which the document stopper 173 starts to rotate and the timing at which the feed roller 151 starts to drive may be adjusted so that the downstream ends of the multiple documents Sh come into contact with the document stopper 173 in the intermediate position.

The above-described embodiment may be modified in several ways without departing from the spirit of the embodiment. For example, the document stopper 173 may be rotated once or twice or more before the document Sh is transported, or between the transport of one document Sh and the transport of the next document Sh. The rotation may be smaller than the movable range between the upright position and the tilted position, thereby reducing damage that may occur to the document Sh. Such an operation may be performed when the documents Sh are difficult to separate from each other, and may be performed, for example, when a specific mode is selected as the reading mode for the document Sh by the user settings, or may be performed only when it is selected to perform such a rotation operation of the document stopper 173.

The power source that generates the power for rotating the feed roller 151 and the power source that generates the power for rotating the document stopper 173 can be installed separately, in which case they can be driven independently of each other. In that case, as described above, it becomes easy to start driving the feed roller 151 after the document stopper 173 reaches the intermediate position, and it is possible to omit the temporary stop of the rotation of the document stopper 173. The same can be said when adjusting the timing when the document stopper 173 starts to rotate and the timing when the feed roller 151 starts to drive.

Second Embodiment
The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the loading tray 13 of the image reading device 1 is configured to be capable of locking the document stopper 173 in the upright position.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the document feed mechanism 17 according to this embodiment. Figures 12 to 16 are schematic side views showing the operation of the document feed mechanism 17. In this embodiment, the arm portion 171 is biased by the biasing portion 20b' in a direction approaching the feed roller 151. In this embodiment, the image reading device 1 further includes an arm support portion 31, a rotating member 32, a rotating member support portion 33, and biasing portions 20e and 20f.

The arm support section 31 is installed on the housing 10 so as to be rotatable about the shaft section Ax5 as a rotation axis. The arm support section 31 is urged in the direction D4 by the urging section 20e. It is also urged in the direction D4' by the power of the power source 18b, so that the arm section 171 is held in a state in which it can be maintained at the position P1. Here, when the arm section 171 is at the position P1, the document stopper 173 is in an upright position, and when the arm section 171 is at the position P2, the document stopper 173 is in a tilted position.

The rotating member 32 is attached to the feed roller cover 130 (see FIG. 2) so as to be rotatable about the shaft Ax6 as a rotation axis. The rotating member 32 includes an extension 321, and the guide member 131 of the feed roller cover 130 is provided with an abutment portion 1311 that abuts against the extension 321.

The rotating member support section 33 supports the rotating member 32 from below and is installed to be rotatable with respect to the housing 10 around the shaft section Ax7 as a rotation axis. The rotating member support section 33 is biased in the direction D5' by the biasing section 20f. When the rotating member support section 33 receives power from the power source 18b, it is rotated in the direction D5, thereby supporting the rotating member 32 so that the extension section 321 abuts against the abutment section 1311. In this embodiment, the guide member 131 is biased by a biasing section (not shown) in a direction in which the placement surface f1 moves away from the center of the transport path, and the extension section 321 abuts against the abutment section 1311, thereby holding the guide member 131 in the position shown in FIG. 12. Note that the placement surface f1 may be configured to move in a direction away from the center of the transport path due to the weight of the guide member 131 or the document itself.

With this configuration, the rotating member 32 forms a gap G1 between the guide member 131 and the guide member 131 into which the document stopper 173 in the upright position can fit. That is, while the arm portion 171 is in position P1, the document stopper 173 fits and is held in the edge portion that forms the gap G1 (see FIG. 12). From this perspective, it can be said that the gap G1 functions as a second locking portion that locks the document stopper 173 in the upright position. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the document stopper 173 from bending due to the load of the document Sh on the stacking tray 13, and it is possible to prevent the document stopper 173 from being accidentally damaged and to prevent the leading edge of the document from contacting the separation roller 153 and starting paper feeding without the leading edge being aligned.

On the other hand, when the power of the power source 18b transmitted to the arm support portion 31 is cut off, the arm support portion 31 rotates in the direction D4 and the arm portion 171 rotates from position P1 to position P2 due to the biasing force of the biasing portion 20b'. At the same time, or prior to this, the guide member 131 rotates until the placement surface f1 is positioned below the feed roller 151. This rotation of the guide member 131 occurs as a result of the rotating member support portion 33 rotating in the direction D5' and the rotating member 32 rotating in a direction in which the extension portion 321 is retracted from the abutment portion 1311 due to the biasing portion (not shown) (see FIG. 13). As a result, the document stopper 173 is released from the gap G1 and can be tilted due to the biasing force of the biasing portion 20c.

Then, the arm support portion 31 rotates further in direction D4, causing the arm portion 171 to rotate (see FIG. 14). Accordingly, the document stopper 173 has the locking portion 1731 separated from the holding portion 174, the holding by the holding portion 174 is released, and the document stopper 173 changes from an upright position to a tilted position, and the pressing portion 172 presses the document Sh (see FIG. 15). Thereafter, in this state, the document Sh is taken in (see FIG. 16).

According to this embodiment, in addition to obtaining the same effect as the first embodiment, it is possible to prevent unexpected damage that may occur to the document stopper 173, and to prevent the leading edge of the document from contacting the feed roller 151 and separation roller 153 when setting the document on the stacking tray 13. Also in this embodiment, when starting to take in the document Sh, it is advisable to bring the downstream end of the multiple documents Sh on the stacking tray 13 into contact with the document stopper 173 in the intermediate position. This allows the multiple documents Sh to be properly taken into the device body in order, starting with the one closest to the feed roller 151.

Third Embodiment
18, the document stopper 173 may be configured to include a stopper main body 1730 and a pivotable tip portion 1732. The pivotable tip portion 1732 is provided at the tip portion on the feed roller 151 side so as to be pivotable about an axis Ax9 as a rotation axis, and the size of the pivotable tip portion 1732 can be determined so as to allow the intake of one document Sh.

The pivoting tip 1732 pivots downstream prior to or approximately simultaneously with the rotation of the stopper body 1730. As a result, prior to or approximately simultaneously with the contact of the multiple documents Sh on the stacking tray 13 with the document stopper 173 in the intermediate position, only the one of the multiple documents Sh that is closest to the feed roller 151 is taken into the device body.

With this configuration, the contact between the multiple documents Sh on the stacking tray 13 and the document stopper 173 in the intermediate position allows the downstream ends of the multiple documents Sh to be positioned downstream in order of the documents closest to the feed roller 151, and makes it possible to realize the intake of one document Sh. In other words, the contact makes it possible to adjust the position of the multiple documents Sh on the stacking tray 13 and start the intake of one document Sh. Therefore, this configuration is also advantageous in improving the efficiency of intake of documents Sh.

In the above-described embodiments, power source 18a and power source 18b are described as separate power sources, but they may be configured as the same power source. In that case, a clutch that blocks the transmission of the driving force or a delay mechanism that delays the transmission of the driving force to shift the drive timing may be provided in the drive transmission path from the power source to each roller, etc.

(others)
In the embodiment, each element is named based on its main function, but the function described in the embodiment may be a sub-function and is not strictly limited to that expression. Also, the expression can be replaced with a similar expression. In the same spirit, the expression "unit, portion" may be replaced with "component", "member", "structure", "assembly", etc., or may be omitted.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the invention.

1: Image reading device (document input device), 14: Input port, 173: Document stopper, 174: Holding section, 20a-20d: Pressing section.

Claims (5)

an intake port for taking in a document from a loading tray capable of loading a plurality of documents into the device body;
a feed roller provided near the intake port so as to be able to take in a document into the intake port;
a document stopper that is rotatable between a first position that prevents the document from being taken in and a second position that allows the document to be taken in;
a control unit that rotates the document stopper from the first position to the second position and causes the document to be taken in through the take-in opening,
The control unit is
the document stopper is moved from the first position to the second position at a rotation speed slower than a speed at which the document is transported by the feed roller;
When the document stopper is in an intermediate position between the first position and the second position, the feed roller is controlled so that downstream ends of the documents are brought into contact with the document stopper.
13. A document feeder comprising: 2. The document feeder according to claim 1, wherein a rotation axis of the document stopper is located on an opposite side to the feed roller. The document feeder according to claim 2, wherein the control unit abuts the plurality of documents against the document stopper in the intermediate position so that the downstream end of the document closest to the feed roller is located downstream. 4. The document feeder according to claim 2, wherein the document stopper includes a pivotable tip portion that is pivotable at a tip portion on the feeding roller side. Further, a loading tray capable of loading a plurality of documents is provided,
5. The document feeder according to claim 1 , wherein the loading tray is inclined such that the side of the feed opening is downward and the opposite side is upward.

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