JP3619481B2 - Paper feeder - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device for feeding sheets in an electrophotographic copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as this type of paper feeder, for example, one having a structure as shown in FIG. 6 is known (see Utility Model Registration No. 2504655). This is because a sheet feeding tray 60 for stacking sheets, a pickup roller 61 that abuts on the lowermost surface of the sheets stacked on the sheet feeding tray 60, and a sheet feeding disposed downstream of the pickup roller 61. A roller 62 and a separation pad 63; and a conveyance path 64 that bends rapidly toward the lower side immediately downstream of the paper feed roller 62. An idler roller 66 is provided at a bent portion 65 of the conveyance path 64. Conveying rollers 67a and 67b that also serve as resists are arranged immediately downstream of the idle roller 66. The separation pad 63 elastically presses the paper feed roller 62 from above, and separates the sheet fed by the pickup roller 61 from the paper feed roller 62 one by one. The separated sheet is fed into the reversal space 68 and the linear guide 69 by the paper feed roller 62, and further nipped by the transport rollers 67a and 67b, and then transported onto the platen 70 by the transport rollers 67a and 67b. When the sheet is conveyed by the conveying rollers 67 a and 67 b, the sheet is nipped between the sheet feeding roller 62 and the separation pad 63 on the upstream side of the conveying path 64. For this reason, a large conveyance resistance force is generated in the sheet being conveyed, but the conveyance resistance force is reduced by the idle roller 66 disposed in the bent portion 65, and the sheet surface is rubbed and the read image is prevented from being damaged. Is done.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the sheet feeding device is a so-called trade-in type that feeds sheets stacked on the sheet feeding tray 60 from the lowermost sheet. The first page is fed from the last page, and the first page remains until the end, which makes it difficult to grasp the document feeding status. Therefore, when the above-described sheet feeding device is adapted to meet the request to apply to a so-called top-up type sheet feeding from the uppermost sheet of the sheets stacked on the sheet feeding tray 60, The paper roller 62 must be arranged on the upper side, and the separation pad 63 must be elastically pressed against the paper supply roller 62 from below.
[0004]
However, when the separation pad 63 is disposed on the lower side of the paper feed roller 62, the conveyance resistance force is directly applied to the separation pad 63 as a downward force, and the pressing force against the paper feed roller 62 is reduced. It may not be obtained properly or the separation pad itself will be lowered. In such a case, the function of separating the next sheets that have already been fed from the pickup roller 61 one by one may be impaired, or a so-called double feeding phenomenon may occur in which the next sheets are fed together during sheet conveyance.
[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding device that reliably prevents sheet separation failure and double feeding.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problem, a paper feeding device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a paper feeding unit that feeds a sheet fed from a paper feeding tray, and the paper feeding unit that is detachably pressed against the paper feeding unit. Separating means for separating the sheet fed from the paper feed tray with the paper means; It is arranged closer to the separating means than the tangential direction of the nip point between the paper feeding means and the separating means, Conveying means for conveying the sheet nipped by the sheet feeding means and the separating means to the downstream side; A conveyance path formed between the nip point and the conveyance means, for guiding a document from the paper supply means toward the conveyance means, and disposed in the conveyance path so as to protrude from the separation means side; An idle rotating body for preventing separation of the separating unit from the sheet feeding unit by a sheet conveyed by the conveying unit. It is characterized by that.
[0007]
According to the present invention having such a configuration, a bent portion is provided in a substantially tangential direction of the nip point between the paper feeding unit and the separating unit, and floating is provided in the conveyance path between the bent portion and the nip point. Since the rotating body is provided, the idle roller is subjected to the conveyance resistance of the document, thereby reducing the load on the sheet at the bent portion, and the separating means has a pulling force in the direction away from the paper feeding means. Does not occur. For this reason, the pressing force of the separating unit does not fluctuate, and it is possible to reliably prevent sheet separation failure and double sheet feeding by the separating unit.
[0008]
The bent portion is preferably provided in the vicinity of the downstream side of the nip point. By doing so, the transport distance from the nip point to the transport means is shortened, leading to shortening of the entire transport path.
[0009]
The second conveying path is provided with a second bent portion that bends the sheet toward the conveying means, and a second floating rotating body that protrudes from the inside of the bent portion into the conveying path is disposed at the bent portion. It is desirable to be made. By doing so, the sheet can be fed from an appropriate direction toward the conveyance means, and the conveyance resistance force applied to the sheet can be further reduced.
[0010]
In the present invention, the sheet feeding unit, the idle rotating body, and the conveying unit are each configured by at least one roller, and are on a straight line from the approximate center in the width direction of the sheet feeding roller along the sheet conveying direction. It is desirable that at least one idle roller and one transport roller are provided. As described above, by arranging the first idler roller and the second idler roller that reduce the conveyance resistance force on a straight line connecting the center position of the paper feed roller and the conveyance roller, the bent portion is arranged at the time of conveyance of the sheet by the conveyance roller. The load applied to the seat can be effectively reduced.
[0011]
Further, it is preferable that the idle roller is disposed on both sides of a triangle having a vertex at substantially the center in the width direction of the paper feed roller and connecting the vertex and substantially both ends of the conveyance roller in the sheet width direction. By adopting such a roller arrangement, it is possible to most effectively reduce the load applied to the sheet at the bent portion when the sheet is conveyed by the conveying roller.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of a paper feeding device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an internal configuration diagram of an embodiment of a document feeding device mounted on a document reading device, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the document feeding device when a cover on the tray upper surface is opened. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a main part configuration of the document feeder according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the arrangement position of each roller constituting the conveyance path. Further, FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing one embodiment of the regulating member at the document reading position.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 1, the document feeder 1 according to this embodiment is fed with a document feeder that separates and feeds documents as sheets stacked on a sheet feed tray 2 one by one. A transport unit that feeds the read original to the original reading position 5 of the platen 4 and sends the read original from the original reading position 5, and a paper discharge unit for discharging the original after reading the original.
[0014]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the document feeding unit presses against the upper surface of the documents stacked on the sheet feeding tray 2 and the uppermost document loaded on the sheet feeding tray 2. A pickup roller 6 that feeds out, and a paper feed roller 7 and a separation roller 8 that separate and feed documents fed by the pickup roller 6 one by one are provided. The pickup roller 6 is swingably connected to the paper feed roller 7 by a connecting arm 9, and both can be rotated forward and backward via a one-way clutch (not shown) that can rotate only in one direction. . The separation roller 8 is elastically contacted with the paper feed roller 7 by a spring member 10 pushed up from below. The separation roller 8 is provided with a torque limiter (not shown). When two or more originals are fed to the paper feed roller 7, the torque limiter is actuated to fix the separation roller 8, separating the original into one sheet, and after being separated into one sheet, the paper is fed. The paper roller 7 is driven to rotate.
[0015]
The paper feed tray 2 is provided in a state inclined downward toward the paper feed side, and is covered with a cover 15 that can be opened and closed. The pickup roller 6 and the paper feed roller 7 are disposed in a recess 16 formed at the center of the lower surface of the cover 15. In addition, a guide plate 11 that slides in the document width direction is disposed in the paper feed tray 2. The guide plate 11 defines the width-direction dimension of the document, and side guides 12 for restricting both sides of the document are provided upright on both sides. In this embodiment, the side guide 12 extends forward along the both side end portions of the guide plate 11, and the front end reaches the vicinity of the paper feed port 13 on the downstream side of the pickup roller 6. A guide protrusion 12 a is formed at the lower end of the side guide 12, and the guide protrusion 12 a slides along a guide groove 19 formed on the upper surface of the paper feed tray 2. Further, an upper surface regulation guide 14 for regulating the upper surface of the document is provided at the upper end of the side guide 12. The upper surface regulation guide 14 is formed so as to protrude in the horizontal direction from the upper end of the side guide 12, and in the vicinity of the document feeding position by the pickup roller 6 while slightly curving from the approximate center position of the side guide 12. Extends continuously.
[0016]
As described above, by extending the side guide 12 to the downstream side of the pickup roller, both sides of the document are restricted until just before being nipped by the paper feed roller 7. In particular, since the front end side of the side guide 12 is constrained by the guide groove 19, when the side guide 12 is slid in the left-right direction, the front end to the rear end are positioned substantially straight along the document feeding direction. Thus, the side guide 12 is more reliably regulated on both sides of the document. In addition, by providing the upper surface regulation guide 14 at the document feeding position, the document feeding port 13 is secured, while the both side portions gradually rise when feeding a document with a curled ridge. The upper surface regulation guide 14 can regulate the document, and both sides of the document do not come off from the guide surface of the side guide 12, so that the skew of the document can be suppressed accordingly.
[0017]
Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the document surface pressure contact guide 17 is provided at an intermediate position between the pickup roller and the paper feed roller. The pressure contact guide 17 is composed of a guide rib whose tip protrudes from the lower surface of the cover 15, and a guide surface 18 that is inclined toward the pickup roller 6 is formed below the guide rib. This document surface pressure contact guide 17 is brought into contact with the guide surface 18 of the document surface pressure contact guide 17 so as to be on the paper feed roller 7 side even when the leading edge of the document fed out by the pickup roller 6 is curled upward. Can lead. Further, even when the trailing edge of the document passes through the nip point between the paper feed roller 7 and the separation roller 8, stable conveyance is ensured by the trailing edge of the document contacting the guide surface 18 of the document surface pressure guide 17. The In particular, when transporting a stiff document such as a thick paper document, flapping of the trailing edge of the document can be reliably suppressed by suppressing the trailing edge of the document from jumping up.
[0018]
In the conveying section, a document fed on the downstream side of the paper feeding roller 7 is fed by a document reading position 5 (specifically, a document reading unit disposed below the platen) provided on the platen 4 of the document reading device. A conveyance path is provided for conveying the document to a position where the document is read when the document passes over the platen. The conveyance path includes a conveyance path 20 that reverses the original while being bent and conveys the original to the original reading position 5, and a paper discharge path 21 that conveys the original that has passed through the original reading position 5.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 3, the transport path 20 is bent inward by an outer guide plate 22 and an inner guide plate 23 having a bent shape, and a transport roller disposed on the upstream side of the platen 4. Between 24 and 25, a first transport path 23a for guiding the document P in the substantially tangential direction S of the nip point 32 between the paper feed roller 7 and the separation roller 8, and a downstream side of the first transport path 23a. Second conveying paths 23b and 23c for guiding the original P, which is extended and conveyed from the first conveying path 23a, from the substantially tangential direction S to the separating roller 8 side and then guided to the conveying rollers 24 and 25, are provided. A first bent portion 30 is provided in the vicinity of the downstream side of the nip point 32 between the paper feed roller 7 and the separation roller 8 at a position that moves from the first transfer path 23a to the second transfer path 23b. An idler roller 26 that protrudes from the inner guide plate 23 side into the conveyance path 20 and contacts the original P at substantially the same height as the nip point 32 is disposed at 30. On the other hand, a second bent portion 31 that bends the document P being conveyed in an approximately inner shape to the inside of the conveyance path 20 is provided at a substantially intermediate position between the second conveyance paths 23b and 23c. Also, a second idler roller 27 similar to that described above is disposed, and slightly protrudes into the transport path 20 from the inner guide 23 side.
[0020]
The degree of bending of the first bending part 30 and the second bending part 31 is a design matter selected for each apparatus, but the degree of bending is large from the viewpoint of shortening the length of the conveyance path of the entire apparatus as much as possible. Is advantageous. Further, in terms of shortening the length of the first transport path 23a, the position of the first bent portion 30 is desirably a downstream position as close as possible from the nip point 32 between the paper feed roller 7 and the separation roller 8. However, what is meant in the vicinity of the downstream side of the nip point 32 is a concept including a range on the inner side of the intersection of the extension line in the tangential direction S of the nip point 32 and the vertical line of the second bent portion 31. In addition, in this way, the first bent portion 30 is provided in the vicinity of the downstream side of the nip point 32, and the first idler roller 26 is provided in the first bent portion 30, whereby the nip point 32 and the first idler roller 26 are separated from each other. The original P can be conveyed without being in contact with the inner guide plate 23. For example, when the leading end of the original P is curled, or when feeding a thin paper original, the first floating is directly performed from the nip point 32. It can be passed over the roller 26, and the leading end of the document P is bent by the contact with the inner guide plate 23. After being transported in this bent state, the transport roller 24, 25 nips the transport trouble. Can be reduced. A guide piece 28 for guiding the document P onto the platen 4 is disposed immediately downstream of the conveying rollers 24 and 25.
[0021]
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the original P separated one by one between the paper feed roller 7 and the separation roller 8 is fed by the paper feed roller 7 into the first transport path 23a and the second transport path 23b, The paper P is fed into the sheet 23 c and further nipped by the transport rollers 24 and 25 and then transported onto the platen 4. When transported by the transport rollers 24 and 25, the document P is upstream of the transport path 20. The sheet is nipped between the sheet feeding roller 7 and the separation roller 8. For this reason, a downward conveyance resistance is generated in the document P being conveyed, and is particularly large at the two bent portions 30 and 31. However, the first bent portion 30 is located in the tangential direction S of the nip point 32, and the first floating roller 26 receives the conveyance resistance force from the original P at the first bent portion 30. No downward force is directly applied to the roller 8. As a result, it is possible to prevent the pressing force of the separation roller 8 from changing and the separation roller 8 from being separated from the paper feed roller 7. In addition, since the floating rollers 26 and 27 are provided at the two bent portions 30 and 31, respectively, the contact friction at the bent portions 30 and 31 is reduced, and the conveyance load on the document P is reduced. As a result, the rubbing of the document surface is suppressed, and skew during document conveyance is also prevented.
[0022]
In this embodiment, the positional relationship between the idle rollers 26 and 27 and the transport roller 24 with respect to the paper feed roller 7 is as shown in FIG. That is, the paper feed roller 7 and the first idler roller 26 are each composed of a single roller, and the second idler roller 27 and the transport roller 24 are each composed of three rollers arranged in the document width direction. The second idler roller 27 has a longer central roller 27b than the left and right rollers 27a and 27c, which is substantially the same length as the first idler roller 26. The three conveying rollers 24a, 24b, and 24c are all the same shape. In this embodiment, the first idler roller 26, the second idler roller 27 b at the center position, and the conveyance roller 24 b are centered on a straight line T extending from the center position 7 a of the paper feed roller 7 in the document conveyance direction. And the first idler roller 26 and the left and right sides of the triangle are located on both sides H1 and H2 of a triangle connecting the vertex and the left and right transport rollers 24a and 24c. Second idle rollers 27a and 27b are located. Although not shown in the figure for one of the transport rollers 25, the description is omitted because it is paired with the transport roller 24.
[0023]
When the document is pulled out from the paper feed roller 7 by the transport rollers 24 and 25, the document is most heavily loaded on the straight line T extending from the paper feed roller 7 in the document transport direction. Therefore, as described above, the first idler roller 26 and the second idler roller 27b that reduce the conveyance resistance force are arranged on the straight line T connecting the center position 7a of the sheet feed roller 7 and the conveyance roller 24b. It is possible to effectively reduce the load applied to the head, resulting in prevention of skew. Since the document is also transported by the left and right transport rollers 24a and 24c arranged in the document width direction, the first idle roller 26 and the second idler roller 26 and the second roller 26 are placed on both sides H1 and H2 of the triangle on which transport resistance is applied. By providing the idle rollers 27a and 27b, the load applied to the document can be further reduced.
[0024]
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the paper discharge path 21 is formed in a substantially linear shape by an upper guide plate 40 and a lower guide plate 41 that are inclined obliquely upward from the downstream end of the platen 4. At the downstream end thereof, a pair of paper discharge rollers 43 and 44 for conveying the document that has passed the document reading position 5 to the paper discharge tray 42 are disposed. Further, a scooping guide member 45 for scooping up the document read at the document reading position 5 of the platen 4 so as to be bent and guiding it to the paper discharge path 21 is disposed immediately downstream of the platen 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the scooping guide member 45 is provided with a guide surface 46 that is inclined from the downstream side of the platen 4 toward the lower guide plate 41, and the document is placed on the guide surface 46. Guided along.
[0025]
Thus, a curved path is formed between the conveying rollers 24 and 25 and the paper discharge rollers 43 and 44 via the platen 4, and a curved portion defined by the platen 4 and the scooping guide member 45 described above. Is provided with a film member for pressing the conveyed document toward the upper surface of the platen 4 and the scooping guide member 45.
[0026]
3 and 5, the film member extends from the upstream side of the document reading position 5 of the platen 4 to the middle of the paper discharge path 21 along the guide surface 46 of the scooping guide member 45. 51. The mylar sheet 51 is made of a polyester film having a thickness of about 0.1 mm, one end on the upstream side is fixed to a frame portion 53 of a regulating member 52 described later, and the other end on the downstream side is in a free state. The scooping guide member 45 extends along the inclined surface 46 to a part of the paper discharge path 21 and is in contact with the lower guide plate 41. The mylar sheet 51 may be configured to press a part of the conveyed document in the width direction, but as shown in FIG. 5, it is desirable to have a wide configuration so as to press the entire document. . That is, it is preferable that the width of the maximum document processed by the document feeder is larger.
[0027]
On the other hand, the upward movement of the mylar sheet 51 is restricted by a restriction member 52 as shown in FIG. The restricting member 52 is formed on a substantially rectangular plate-like portion 54 that covers the mylar sheet 51 from above, a frame portion 53 that adheres and fixes the mylar sheet 51, and an end surface opposite to the frame portion 53. A regulation surface 58 extending in the document width direction and positioning protrusions 55 projecting from both ends of the regulation surface 58 to the side of the guide member 45 are provided. It is pivotally supported by the apparatus main body so as to be able to swing. Further, the regulating member 52 is spring-biased on the regulating surface 58 side to the platen 4 side by a spring member 57 arranged between the document feeding device. Further, since the spring bias as described above acts on the restricting member 52, the positioning protrusion 55 abuts a part of the guide surface 46 of the scooping guide member 45, and the restricting surface 58 is moved from the guide surface 46 to a predetermined amount. It can be positioned at a position separated by the interval S, and the Mylar sheet 51 is inserted into the interval S.
[0028]
Accordingly, it is assumed that a force that pushes up the Mylar sheet 51 from the original acts when the original is scooped up from the downstream side of the platen 4 to the curved portion of the scooping guide member 45 or while the original is transported through the paper discharge path 21. However, since the restriction surface 58 prevents the mylar sheet 51 from being pushed up, the mylar sheet 51 does not float up. Since the original is conveyed while being pushed back by the Mylar sheet 51, the original can be conveyed along the guide surface 46 of the scooping guide member 45 and smoothly guided into the paper discharge path 21.
[0029]
Next, the operation of the document feeder 1 having the above configuration will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an original is placed on the paper feed tray 2, the guide plate 11 is slid left and right, and both side portions of the original are regulated by the side guide 12. When the original on the paper feed tray 2 is detected by the empty sensor, the drive motor is driven to rotate forward, and the pickup roller 6 feeds the uppermost original while strongly pressing the upper surface of the original. The fed document is guided to the sheet feeding port 13 while being regulated by the side guide 12 and the upper surface regulation guide 14, and is nipped between the sheet feeding roller 7 and the separation roller 8 as it is. A document is reliably separated by a paper feed roller 7 that rotates in the same direction as the pickup roller 6 and a separation roller 8 that elastically presses from below, and the separation roller 8 is conveyed to the paper feed roller 7 while being driven to rotate. It is fed into the path 20.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 3, when the leading edge of the document P fed to the transport path 20 is nipped by the transport rollers 24 and 25, the rotation of the paper feed roller 7 and the pickup roller 6 is stopped. It is sent out by the conveying force of 24,25. At this time, since the document P is nipped by the paper feed roller 7 and the separation roller 8 and is pulled out from the nip point 32, the document P particularly at two bent portions 30 and 31. An excessive load is applied. However, as described above, since the first idler roller 26 is disposed in the first bent portion 30 immediately downstream of the paper feed roller 7, the load on the document P at the bent portion 30 is reduced. It is transported smoothly. Further, since no downward pulling force is generated in the separation roller 8, the pressing force of the separation roller 8 does not fluctuate. Further, since the second floating roller 27 is disposed in the second bent portion 31, the load on the document P in the bent portion 31 is also reduced, and the documents are smoothly conveyed by the conveying rollers 24 and 25. . In addition, since the first bent portion 30 is provided immediately downstream of the paper feed roller 7, the first transport path 23a can be shortened.
[0031]
The document moving on the first conveyance path 20 by the conveyance rollers 24 and 25 is guided to the document reading position 5 on the platen 4 by being guided by the guide piece 28 and the mylar sheet 51 located immediately downstream of the conveyance rollers 24 and 25. It is sent. Then, the document that has been read here is scooped up while being pressed against the guide surface 46 of the scooping guide member 45 by the pressing force of the mylar sheet 51, guided as it is into the paper discharge path 21, and the paper discharge rollers 43, 44. Is conveyed onto the paper discharge tray 42.
[0032]
In the above-described embodiment, the document feeding apparatus having the conveyance path bent downward from the sheet feeding roller 7 has been described. However, the present invention has a conveyance path bent upward, so that the draft document is fed. In addition to a document feeder that is separated by a separation roller that presses the roller from above, the present invention can also be applied to a document feeder provided with a bent portion in a conveyance path that does not reverse the document. Further, the present invention can be applied to a document feeding device in which the above-described transport rollers 24 and 25 also serve as a registration mechanism, and many sheet feeding devices that feed ordinary sheets instead of documents, such as a printer device. Also, the present invention can be applied. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the conveyance resistance is received by the idler roller provided at the first bent portion, thereby preventing fluctuations in the pressing force of the separation roller and reducing the contact resistance of the first bent portion. However, by providing an idler roller in contact with the original at the same height as the nip point in the first conveyance path extending in the tangential direction of the nip point, it receives conveyance resistance and prevents fluctuations in the pressing force of the separation roller. You may make it.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an internal configuration diagram of a paper feeding device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view when a cover on an upper surface of a paper feed tray is opened.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a configuration of a main part of the paper feeding device according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an arrangement position of each roller constituting a conveyance path.
FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing one embodiment of a regulating member at a document reading position.
FIG. 6 is an internal configuration diagram illustrating an example of a conventional document feeder.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 Paper tray
6 Pickup roller
7 Paper feed roller
8 Separation roller
20 Transport route
23a First transport path
23b, 23c Second transport path
24, 25 Transport roller
26 First idler roller
27 Second idler roller
30 1st bending part
31 Second bent part
32 Nip point
S Tangent direction

Claims (8)

A sheet feeding means for feeding sheets fed from the sheet feeding tray;
Separating means for separating the sheet fed from the paper feeding tray between the paper feeding means and pressed against the paper feeding means.
A conveying unit that is disposed closer to the separating unit than a tangential direction of a nip point between the sheet feeding unit and the separating unit, and conveys a sheet nipped between the sheet feeding unit and the separating unit to the downstream side;
A conveyance path that is formed between the nip point and the conveyance unit and guides the document from the sheet feeding unit toward the conveyance unit;
An idle rotating body that protrudes from the separation means side in the conveyance path and prevents separation of the separation means from the sheet feeding means by a sheet conveyed by the conveyance means;
A sheet feeding device comprising: The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the idle rotating body is in contact with a document conveyed by the conveying unit substantially on a tangent line of the nip point. 2. The idler roller according to claim 1, wherein the idler roller is disposed on both sides of a triangle having a vertex at substantially the center in the width direction of the sheet feeding unit and the vertex and substantially both ends in the sheet width direction of the conveying unit. Paper feeder. A sheet feeding means for feeding sheets fed from the sheet feeding tray;
Separating means for separating the sheet fed from the paper feeding tray between the paper feeding means and pressed against the paper feeding means.
A first conveying path for guiding a sheet fed from the sheet feeding means in a substantially tangential direction of a nip point between the sheet feeding means and the separating means; and bending toward the separating means with respect to the first conveying path. A second conveyance path, and a conveyance path for guiding the sheet fed by the sheet feeding unit to the downstream side,
A conveying unit that is arranged on the second conveying path and conveys a sheet nipped between the sheet feeding unit and the separating unit to the downstream side;
In the conveyance path between the bent portion that moves from the first conveyance path to the second conveyance path and the nip point, the nip point is arranged so as to protrude from the inside of the conveyance path into the conveyance path. A sheet feeding device comprising: an idle rotating member that contacts a document conveyed by the conveying means on a tangent line . The sheet feeding device according to claim 4, wherein the idle rotating body is disposed in the bent portion. The second conveying path is provided with a second bent portion that bends the sheet toward the conveying means in the middle of conveyance, and the bent portion projects from the inside of the bent portion into the conveying path. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4, further comprising a rotating body. Each of the sheet feeding means, the idle rotating body, and the conveying means is constituted by at least one roller, and at least one idle movement on a straight line from the approximate center in the width direction of the sheet feeding roller along the sheet conveying direction. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4, wherein a roller and a conveyance roller are provided . 5. The idler roller according to claim 4, wherein the idle roller is disposed on both sides of a triangle that has a vertex at a substantially center in the width direction of the paper feeding unit and connects the vertex and a substantially both end portion in the sheet width direction of the conveying unit . Paper feeder.

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