JPS6051707B2 - high speed copying device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a copying machine in which an illumination system (a light source and a reflecting plate) scans the surface of a document back and forth.

Conventionally, in a copying machine having a movable light source, the document surface is scanned and copied so that the illumination system contributes to image formation only on the outward path.

Therefore, since no copying is performed on the return trip and the illumination system simply returns to its original position, there is a drawback that the number of copies per unit time is small. Furthermore, even with improved high-speed copying machines, the illumination system was only reset at a high speed in order to shorten the return time on the return trip. This has drawbacks such as a heavy mechanical load and a shortened lifespan of the light source and the like. The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of conventional copying machines of this type. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a high-speed copying machine that can copy a large number of copies per unit time, has a relatively small mechanical load, and has a long life for light sources and the like.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by allowing the illumination system to reciprocate over the surface of the document at a constant speed so that copies can be made not only on the outward pass but also on the return pass.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows that when a light source 8 with a reflecting plate 9 reciprocates between both ends of a document surface 1, reflected light from the document surface passes through a plurality of reflecting mirrors and lenses 10 to a photosensitive drum 6, which is a photosensitive surface. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a copying device reaching above 6' to expose a photosensitive surface;

The photosensitive drums 6 and 6' rotate in opposite directions, and an image is formed in the steps of charging, exposure, development, transfer, cleaning, and neutralization, and is transferred to the transfer paper 11 sent from the cassette 12, thereby making a copy. Complete. Conventionally, there was only one photosensitive drum as the photosensitive surface, and the reflected light from the document surface reached the photosensitive drum and was copied only when the light source was scanning in the forward direction. In the present invention, when the light source 8 scans the forward path (from the A end to the B end), the reflected light from the document surface is transmitted to the first reflecting mirror 2, the second reflecting mirror 3, the lens 10, the third reflecting mirror 4, and the reflecting mirror. 5, the surface of the first photosensitive drum 6 is exposed to light. At this time, the angles and positions of the first reflecting mirror 2 and the second reflecting mirror 3 must be adjusted as the light source 8 moves so that the optical axis passing through the lens 10 does not change. When the light source 8 performs backward scanning (from the B end to the A end), the first reflecting mirror 2 and the second reflecting mirror 3 are adjusted in the same way, but the third reflecting mirror 4 is rotated out of the optical path. The third reflecting mirror 4' and the fourth reflecting mirror 5' guide the reflected light from the original/document surface to the second photosensitive drum 6', where it is similarly copied. In this case, the third reflecting mirror 4
Of course, it is also possible to move and rotate it and bring it to the 4' position. In Fig. 1, the illumination system scans back and forth parallel to the flat document surface 1, while in Fig. 2, the illumination system fixedly scans the same spot on the curved document surface 1'' in conjunction with the illumination system. The figure shows a case where optical scanning is performed by swinging the beam so as to irradiate it.

By moving the reflectors 9 and 9'', the light from the light source travels from the A end to the B end (outward path), and at the same time, the light reflected from the document surface enters the first reflecting mirror 2 at a different angle. The first reflecting mirror 2 rotates according to the incident angle to always keep the optical axis of incidence on the lens 10 constant.The light that has passed through the lens 10 is exposed to the first photosensitive drum 6 by the second reflecting mirror 3, and the cassette 1
The image is transferred onto the transfer paper 11 sent from 2 to complete the copying. Also, when scanning from the B end to the A end (return path), the second
Copying can be performed in the same manner except that the reflecting mirror 3 is rotated to guide the light to the second photosensitive drum 6''.Incidentally, a cassette 12 that guides the transfer paper from both front and rear directions as shown in FIG.
By using this, it is possible to use the transfer paper 11 which can transfer only one side (in the figure, the lower side during stacking in the cassette) (for example, when one side has already been printed with something) in the normal usage method.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the invention.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An illumination system that scans the document surface back and forth, two photosensitive surfaces that rotate in opposite directions, and a plurality of reflecting mirrors that guide light reflected from the document surface onto the photosensitive surfaces so that it forms an image through an imaging lens. 1. A high-speed copying machine, wherein at least one of the reflecting mirrors is rotatable or movable in order to selectively form an image on the two photosensitive surfaces during the outgoing or returning path of the illumination system.