JP4110730B2 - Paper transport device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device provided in an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus that can easily replace a separation pad provided in a sheet separating apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a paper separation device has been provided in the document conveyance path provided in the reading device of an electrophotographic copying machine or facsimile machine, or in the paper conveyance path of a copy creation unit, in order to separate and feed the sheets one by one from the tray. ing. The paper separation device is provided with a separation roller for feeding the paper in the paper feeding direction and a retard roller driven in the direction for returning the paper. When two or more sheets enter the separation section, only one sheet corresponding to the separation roller is sent out, and another overlapping sheet is returned to the tray by the retard roller. Yes.
[0003]
However, in the paper separating apparatus in which the separate roller and the retard roller are combined, a mechanism such as a drive transmission gear group for transmitting the drive to the retard roller and a torque limiter for controlling the rotation of the roller is required. In addition, there is a problem that the configuration of the apparatus is complicated and the manufacturing cost becomes high. Therefore, instead of the sheet separating apparatus having the complicated mechanism, in a small image forming apparatus or reading apparatus, a sheet separating apparatus configured by combining a separation pad with a separation roller is used in many cases.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the paper separating apparatus using the separation pad, the paper fed while being pressed against the separation pad by the separation roller always slides on the friction surface, so that the friction surface of the pad is easily worn. There is a problem. Therefore, it is necessary to replace a separation pad whose separation performance has deteriorated due to progress of wear on the separation surface, but it is not easy to do because the pad is assembled in the device, and the user needs maintenance by telephone. It was necessary to request and do it. Even in this case, it takes time for maintenance personnel to replace the separation pad assembled in the apparatus, and there is a problem that the user cannot perform facsimile transmission until this work is completed. Therefore, it is desired to improve the usability of the image forming apparatus so that maintenance such as replacement of the separation pad can be easily performed in a short time.
[0005]
The present invention provides a paper transport device that simplifies the configuration of the support means of the separation pad in the paper separation device so that maintenance can not be easily performed so that the separation pad can be easily attached and detached as described above. It is an object.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device provided in an image forming apparatus. According to a first aspect of the present invention, a main body frame, an upper frame arranged to be openable / closable with respect to the main body frame, and the main body frame and the upper frame are formed. a conveying path which connects the tray, and separate roller supported by the upper frame, a support which is detachable from the main body support member of the main frame side, and the separation pad attached to the support, An inner cover for fixing the support to the body frame so that the separation pad exposed from the opening is in a position corresponding to the separation roller by covering the support mounted on the body support member; by urging the said support upward, a biasing member for applying an action judgment on the separation roller and the separation pad, the For example, the support, the main body supporting member side of the locking shaft which is capable of being inserted into the mounting groove has a said upper frame is opened, when the inner cover is removed, the biasing member It swings upward from the mounting position around the locking shaft by the urging force from the center . Then, the separation pad can be easily replaced simply by removing the conveyance guide, and stable separation performance can be exhibited by a simple and inexpensive apparatus.
[0007]
In the invention described in the present application, the separation pad pressed against the separation roller is supported by a support, and one end of the support of the separation pad is used as a mounting portion, and the other end is urged by an elastic body. It is characterized by that. Therefore, the separation pad can be easily attached and detached.
[0008]
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the elastic body for urging the other end side of the support of the separation pad is provided below the center of the separate roller. The separation pad can be brought into contact with the separation roller at a position perpendicular to the separation roller, and the separation performance in the sheet separating apparatus can be maintained well.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The configuration of the paper conveying apparatus of the present invention will be described according to the example shown in the drawing. The example shown in FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a paper transport device in an automatic document transport device (hereinafter referred to as ADF). The paper (document) transport device provided in the ADF 1 is inserted from an insertion port 6 connected to a document tray. A path for conveying the original through the reading unit along the original conveying path 7 and discharging the read original via the discharge path 8 connected to the discharge tray 9 is provided. A main body frame 2 of the ADF 1 is disposed on a frame 3 of a main body of an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a facsimile machine, and an upper frame 5 is disposed so as to be openable and closable with respect to the main body frame 2. 5 is provided so as to be covered with a cover 5a. An upper guide plate 7a that defines the document transport path 7 is provided on the lower surface of the upper frame 5 to form a document guide path between the inner guide 23 of the main body frame.
[0010]
The document conveyance path 7 and the discharge path 8 are connected by a curved path along a reading roller 15 disposed in correspondence with the platen 4, and pinch rollers 16 and 17 are disposed on the reading roller device along the curved path. is doing. Then, the image of the original is read by a scanning device (not shown) disposed under the platen 4 while conveying the original at a constant speed. The ADF 1 is configured in combination with an image forming apparatus using a general electrophotographic system, and a scanning device for reading a document of a book is disposed below the ADF 1 as necessary. be able to.
[0011]
In the paper conveying device provided in the ADF, a pickup roller 10 is arranged corresponding to the insertion port 6 connected to the original tray, and the original is taken into the original conveying path 7 by the pickup roller 10. . The document taken in as described above is subjected to a separating action through a sheet separating apparatus constituted by the separation roller 11 and the separation pad 20, and is fed toward the reading unit in a state where the sheets are separated one by one. The separation pad 20 provided in the paper separating apparatus is composed of rubber or other sheet-like member having a large friction coefficient, and the separation pad 20 is attached to the support block 21 using a double-sided tape or the like, and is attached to the main body support member 25. Thus, the support block 21 is configured to be detachable. Therefore, it is possible to prepare in advance a separation pad having a different friction coefficient corresponding to the separation state of the paper, and to replace the desired separation pad when a separation failure occurs. Further, the separation pad 20 can be configured as a member that can be attached to and detached from the support block 21. For example, when the separation pad 20 is worn or the friction coefficient is lowered, the separation pad 20 is new to the support block 21. It is also possible to maintain the paper separation performance by exchanging and separating the separation pad 20.
[0012]
The support block 21 provided with the separation pad 20 is configured as shown in FIG. 2 and is configured in a shape illustrated by a plastic material, and the support shafts 22 are arranged on both sides in the width direction (paper width direction). Protrusions are provided. The locking shaft 22 is provided with a D-cut portion having a narrow width at a position where the support block 21 stands substantially vertically, and the support block 21 is arranged with respect to the mounting groove 26 provided in the main body support member 25. Is inserted in a substantially vertical state, and then the support block 21 is rotated by approximately 90 ° about the locking shaft 22. Then, as shown in the figure, the support block is mounted so as to be swingable about the locking shaft and positioned by positioning the circular groove at the bottom of the mounting groove 26. Therefore, after the support block 21 is mounted and positioned, the inner cover 24 is attached to the main body frame, so that the support block 21 can be fixedly held at the separation position corresponding to the separation roller 11.
[0013]
As described above, the inner cover 24 is disposed to hold the support block 21 with respect to the main body support member 25 provided on the main body frame 2, and the inner cover 24 is a conveyance guide of the main body frame 2. A member constituting the upper surface, configured as a wide member covering the main body support member 25 held at a predetermined position of the main body frame 2, a locking tool provided at one end, and the other end It is configured to be detachable from the main body frame 2 using a locking means having an arbitrary configuration such as a screw provided on the main body frame 2. The inner cover 24 is formed of a plastic material as a substantially plate-like member, has an opening that exposes the separation pad 20 of the support block 21, and the separation pad 20 is fixed to the main body frame by the inner cover 24. 11 is exposed at a position corresponding to 11.
[0014]
In the state where the support block 21 is mounted at the operating position, an urging member 27 is positioned on the downstream side of the shaft support portion, and an action of urging upward is given, so that it is separated from the separation roller 11. A sheet separating action is performed between the pads 20. A concave portion 28 is formed at a position corresponding to the biasing member 27 of the support block 21, and the upper end portion of the biasing member 27 is inserted into the concave portion 28 to bias the biasing member 27 against the support block 21. Is accurately positioned. The separation pad 20 supported by the support block 21 can be accurately positioned with respect to the separation roller 11 by supporting the support block 21 with the two members of the locking shaft 22 and the urging member 27. Thus, the function as a paper separating device can be exhibited satisfactorily.
[0015]
When the support block 21 is attached to and detached from the paper separating device, first, the upper frame 5 is opened with respect to the main body frame 2 of the ADF 1 to expose the upper surface of the main body frame. Then, after the inner cover 24 is removed, the support block 21 is swung about 90 ° from the mounting position about the locking shaft 22 and is set substantially vertically so that the D-cut portion of the locking shaft 22 supports the body. The member 25 is pulled up through the mounting groove 26. As described above, after the support block 21 having the separation pad 20 with the friction surface worn is removed, the locking shaft 22 of the new support block 21 is attached to the biasing member 26 of the main body support member 25, and the operating position is set. It is fixed and held at a position corresponding to the separation roller 11 only by mounting the inner cover 24 thereon.
[0016]
The paper separating apparatus provided with the separation pad held by the support block has been described in the example of the ADF. However, the detachable separation pad is not limited to the ADF, but can be a facsimile machine or electrophotographic copying machine. It can also be used for any paper feeding device such as a machine. If the support block 21 and the inner cover 24 provided in the paper separating device can satisfactorily perform the positioning with respect to the separating roller 11 and the separating performance by the separation pad 20, the shape of these members is particularly limited. Is not to be done. The structure of the urging member 27 for setting the pressing force with respect to the support block 21 can also use a conventionally known urging means, and the urging member 27, the support block 21, The positional relationship in which the paper is disposed, the strength of the spring, and the like are also arbitrarily set according to the separation performance required for the sheet separation apparatus. Further, the inner cover 24 for positioning and holding the support block 21 is not particularly limited in the shape or the like of the opening that exposes the separation pad 20 held by the support block 21. If the property is good, the fixing means for the main body frame 2 can be arbitrarily selected and configured.
[0017]
【The invention's effect】
Since the paper separation device of the present invention is configured as described above, the support block for supporting the separation pad can be replaced by removing the inner cover of the paper transport guide, so the separation pad can be easily replaced. In addition, a stable separation performance can be exhibited by a simple and inexpensive apparatus. In addition, the separation pad is supported by a support, and one end of the support of the separation pad is used as a mounting portion, and the other end is biased by an elastic body, so that the separation pad can be easily attached and detached. Can do. Furthermore, since the elastic body that urges the other end of the support body of the separation pad is provided below the center of the separation roller, the separation pad can be brought into contact with the separation roller at a position perpendicular to the separation roller. The separation performance in the separating device can be maintained well.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an ADF.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a state in which an upper frame of an ADF is opened and a support block is exchanged.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ADF, 2 body frame, 3 device frame,
4 platen, 5 upper frame, 6 insertion slot,
7 Document transport path, 8 Eject path, 9 Eject tray,
10 pickup roller, 11 separate roller,
12 conveying roller device, 15 reading roller,
16, 17 Pinch roller, 18 Discharge roller device,
20 separation pad, 21 support block, 22 locking shaft,
23 inner guide, 24 inner cover, 25 body support member,
26 mounting groove, 27 biasing member, 28 recess.

Claims (2)

Body frame,
An upper frame arranged to be openable and closable with respect to the main body frame;
A conveyance path formed between the main body frame and the upper frame, and connecting a document tray and a discharge tray;
A separating roller which is supported by the upper frame,
A support body that is detachable from the main body support member on the main body frame side;
A separation pad attached to the support;
An inner cover that is fixed to the main body frame side while covering the support so that the separation pad exposed from the opening is located at a position corresponding to the separation roller;
A biasing member that imparts a separating action to the separation roller and the separation pad by biasing the support body upward;
With
The support is
A locking shaft that can be inserted into the mounting groove on the body support member side;
Have
When the upper frame is opened and the inner cover is removed , the paper conveying device swings upward from the mounting position around the locking shaft by the urging force from the urging member . The biasing member, the sheet conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that provided in the center below the separating roller.

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