JP7255204B2 - Image reader - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image reading device.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 discloses a multi-function machine as an example of a conventional image reading apparatus. This multi-function machine has a manual feed tray and a guide section. The manual feed tray includes an elevating plate. The elevating plate is configured to move vertically according to the number of stacked sheets supported by the manual feed tray. The guide portion is provided on the downstream side of the manual feed tray in the sheet conveying direction. The guide portion guides the sheet when the sheet is conveyed from the manual feed tray in the conveying direction.

The MFP also includes cursors and edge guides. The cursor is provided on the lifting plate so as to be movable in the width direction of the sheet supported by the manual feed tray. The cursor is arranged at a position separated upstream in the transport direction with respect to the end edge portion facing the guide portion of the lifting plate. In the end guide, the end portion of the elevator plate in the width direction protrudes downstream in the conveying direction from the center portion of the elevator plate in the width direction and is bent upward at the edge portion facing the guide portion of the elevator plate. It is formed by

The sheet supported by the manual feed tray is regulated in its position in the width direction by moving the cursor in the width direction according to the size of the sheet. The posture is stabilized when conveyed toward the guide section.

JP 2014-162582 A

However, in the above-described conventional MFP, the cursor is separated upstream in the transport direction from the edge facing the guide portion of the elevator plate, and the edge guide does not move in the width direction. When a sheet of a size that cannot contact the guide is conveyed from the manual feed tray toward the guide section, the posture of the sheet tends to become unstable, and the sheet may be skewed or shifted. As a result, depending on the size of the sheet, this MFP may not be able to appropriately regulate the position of the sheet conveyed from the manual feed tray toward the guide section in the width direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional circumstances, and is capable of appropriately regulating the position in the width direction of a sheet conveyed from a supply tray toward the conveying surface of a conveying guide regardless of the size of the sheet. An object of the present invention is to provide an image reading device.

The image reading apparatus of the present invention is a supply tray for supporting sheets to be supplied, and includes a movable plate configured to move vertically according to the number of stacked sheets supported by the supply tray. said feed tray comprising;
a conveying guide provided on the downstream side of the supply tray in the sheet conveying direction for conveying the sheet from the supply tray along the conveying direction, the conveying surface extending along the conveying direction; a regulating surface extending downward so as to intersect the conveying direction from an upstream conveying end portion of the conveying surface in the conveying direction and capable of abutting against the sheet supported on the supply tray; ,
a reading sensor for reading an image of a sheet conveyed on the conveying surface of the conveying guide;
An image reading device comprising
further comprising a width regulating guide provided on the movable plate so as to be movable in the width direction of the sheet supported by the supply tray and extending downstream of the movable plate in the conveying direction;
A restricting end portion of the width restricting guide on the downstream side in the conveying direction is positioned further downstream in the conveying direction than a lower end of the restricting surface.

In the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the position of the sheet supported by the supply tray in the width direction is regulated by the width regulation guide moving in the width direction according to the size of the sheet. Here, since the regulating end of the width regulating guide is positioned downstream in the conveying direction from the lower end of the regulating surface of the conveying guide, regardless of the sheet size, the sheet is directed from the supply tray to the conveying surface of the conveying guide. It is possible to ensure a long range in which the width regulating guide regulates the sheet conveyed by the width regulating guide. As a result, regardless of the size of the sheet, the posture of the sheet conveyed toward the conveying surface can be stabilized, and the skew and shift of the sheet can be suppressed.

Therefore, in the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the position in the width direction of the sheet conveyed from the supply tray toward the conveying surface of the conveying guide can be preferably regulated regardless of the size of the sheet.

1 is a perspective view of an image reading device according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image reading device according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of an image reading device according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of an image reading device according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view mainly showing a positional relationship among a movable plate, width regulation guides, conveying guides, and separation rollers; FIG. 10 is a partial top view mainly showing the positional relationship between the movable plate, the width regulation guide, the conveying guide, and the separation roller, and shows the state where the width regulation guide regulates the position of the large size sheet in the width direction. FIG. 7 is a partial top view similar to FIG. 6 , showing a state in which the width regulating guide regulates the position of a small size sheet in the width direction;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Example)
As shown in FIG. 1, the image reading device 1 of the embodiment is an example of a specific aspect of the image reading device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the side on which the operation panel 8P is arranged is defined as the front side of the device, and the side on the left side when facing the operation panel 8P is defined as the left side, and each direction of front and back, left and right, and up and down is indicated. do. All the directions shown in FIG. 3 and subsequent figures are displayed corresponding to the directions shown in FIG. Each component included in the image reading apparatus 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 and the like.

<Overall composition>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the image reading device 1 includes a body portion 8 and an opening/closing portion 9. As shown in FIGS. The body portion 8 is a flat, substantially box-shaped body. As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 8P such as a touch panel is provided on the front surface of the main body 8. As shown in FIG. The image forming unit 5 is accommodated in the lower portion of the main body portion 8 . The image forming unit 5 forms an image on a sheet by an inkjet method, a laser method, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the reading unit 3 is provided in the upper part inside the main body part 8 . The reading unit 3 is used when reading an image of a document.

The opening/closing section 9 is provided with a supply tray 91 , a discharge tray 96 and an automatic transport mechanism 4 . The supply tray 91 and the discharge tray 96 are provided on the right side of the opening/closing section 9 . The automatic transport mechanism 4 includes a transport guide 30 provided downstream of the supply tray 91 in the transport direction D1 of the sheet SH. A conveying direction D1 of the sheet SH conveyed by the conveying guide 30 is a direction in which the sheet SH advances leftward from the supply tray 91 , makes a U-turn downward at the left end portion side of the opening/closing portion 9 , and advances rightward to the discharge tray 96 .

The automatic conveying mechanism 4 sequentially conveys the sheet SH supported on the supply tray 91 along the conveying direction D1 by the conveying guide 30, and discharges the sheet SH to the discharge tray 96, while the image of the sheet SH being conveyed is read by the reading unit. 3 is used for reading.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 7 is housed inside the main unit 8 . The control unit 7 is configured as a microcomputer mainly including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The ROM stores programs and the like for the CPU to control various operations of the image reading apparatus 1 . The RAM is used as a storage area for temporarily recording data and signals used when the CPU executes the above programs, or as a work area for data processing. The control section 7 controls the image forming unit 5, the reading unit 3, the automatic transport mechanism 4, the operation panel 8P, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, a platen glass is provided on the upper surface of the main body 8, and the upper surface of the platen glass forms a large document supporting surface 8A. Another platen glass is provided on the upper surface of the main body 8 to the left of the document support surface 8A, and the upper surface of the other platen glass forms a reading surface 8B elongated in the front-rear direction.

The document support surface 8A supports the document from below when the reading unit 3 reads the image of the document in a stationary state. Documents to be read include sheets such as paper and OHP sheets, as well as books and the like.

When the reading unit 3 reads the image of the sheet SH conveyed one by one by the automatic conveying mechanism 4, the reading surface 8B comes into contact with the conveyed sheet SH from below. A guide projection 8H is provided on the upper surface of the body portion 8 between the document supporting surface 8A and the reading surface 8B. The guide protrusion 8H scoops up the sheet SH conveyed while contacting the reading surface 8B and guides it so as to be inclined upward to the right.

In this embodiment, an object whose image is read using the document supporting surface 8A is referred to as a document, and an object whose image is read while being conveyed by the automatic transport mechanism 4 is referred to as a sheet. The document and the sheet may be substantially the same.

As shown in FIG. 1, the opening/closing portion 9 is supported by a hinge (not shown) provided at the rear end portion of the main body portion 8 so as to be capable of swinging about an opening/closing axis X9 extending in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the opening/closing portion 9 covers the document supporting surface 8A and the reading surface 8B from above when closed. Although not shown, the opening/closing portion 9 swings about the opening/closing axis X9 such that the front end portion thereof is displaced upward and rearward, thereby displacing the document supporting surface 8A and the reading surface 8B to the open position. do. This allows the user to support the document to be read on the document support surface 8A.

When describing the configuration, internal structure, etc. of the opening/closing portion 9, the position of the opening/closing portion 9 in the closed state is used as a reference for the vertical direction and the front-rear direction.

The reading unit 3 is driven by a reading sensor 3S housed in the upper portion of the main body 8 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a scanning mechanism driving source 3M shown in FIG. 2, and a scanning mechanism driving source 3M. and a scanning mechanism (not shown). A well-known image reading sensor such as a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is used as the reading sensor 3S.

As shown in FIG. 3, the reading sensor 3S is positioned below the document support surface 8A and the reading surface 8B. A scanning mechanism (not shown) is driven by a scanning mechanism drive source 3M when reading an image of a document supported on the document support surface 8A, and the reading sensor 3S is reciprocated in the horizontal direction below the document support surface 8A in the main body 8. move. A scanning mechanism (not shown) is driven by the scanning mechanism driving source 3M when the reading sensor 3S reads the image of the sheet SH conveyed by the automatic conveying mechanism 4, and moves the reading sensor 3S on the reading surface 8B in the main body 8. stop below. The position where the reading sensor 3S stops under the reading surface 8B is a predetermined static reading position.

<Structures of base member, first chute member, second chute member, and cover member>
The opening/closing part 9 includes a base member 39 , a first chute member 35 , a second chute member 37 and a cover member 38 .

The base member 39 forms the bottom wall of the opening/closing section 9 . A discharge tray 96 is formed on the right portion of the base member 39 . A rectangular hole 39H is formed in the left portion of the base member 39 by cutting out an area facing the reading surface 8B and the guide protrusion 8H in a substantially rectangular shape.

A conveying surface 39G1 is formed in a portion of the base member 39 located to the left of the rectangular hole 39H. The left end portion of the transport surface 39G1 is curved so as to be inclined downward to the right by changing its orientation from downward. The conveying surface 39G1 slopes down to the left edge of the rectangular hole 39H.

A conveying surface 39G2 is formed in a portion of the base member 39 located to the right of the rectangular hole 39H. The transport surface 39G2 is inclined upward to the right from a position adjacent to the guide protrusion 8H.

The second chute member 37 is arranged above the left portion of the base member 39 . The second chute member 37 is formed with a pressing member holding portion 37F and guide surfaces 37G1 and 37G2.

The pressing member holding portion 37F is a recess that is recessed upward at a position facing the reading surface 8B. A pressing member 37P is held by the pressing member holding portion 37F so as to be vertically displaceable. The pressing member 37P presses the sheet SH conveyed while being in contact with the reading surface 8B from above, thereby suppressing the lifting of the sheet SH from the reading surface 8B.

The guide surface 37G1 is positioned to the left of the pressing member holding portion 37F. The left end of the guide surface 37G1 is curved along the left end of the transport surface 39G1 of the base member 39. As shown in FIG. The guide surface 37G1 is inclined downward to the right along the portion of the conveying surface 39G1 of the base member 39 that is inclined downward.

The guide surface 37G2 is positioned to the right of the pressing member holding portion 37F. The guide surface 37G2 is inclined upward to the right along the guide convex portion 8H of the main body portion 8 and the conveying surface 39G2 of the base member 39. As shown in FIG.

The first chute member 35 is arranged above the second chute member 37 . A transport surface 36 and a regulation surface 60 are formed on the first chute member 35 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the conveying surface 36 is located downstream of the supply tray 91 in the conveying direction D1 and extends to the left so as to gently incline upward. The end portion of the transport surface 36 on the upstream side in the transport direction D1, ie, the right end portion, is defined as a transport end portion 36E. The width direction of the conveying surface 36 is the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the left end of the conveying surface 36 is curved so as to turn downward from leftward.

As shown in FIG. 5, on the side of the conveying end portion 36E of the conveying surface 36, the widthwise outer end portions 36A and 36B are positioned downstream in the conveying direction D1 from the widthwise central portion 36C of the conveying surface 36. , and is gently sloping downward toward the outside in the width direction. Due to the shape of the conveying surface 36, the widthwise outer end portions 36A and 36B of the conveying surface 36 are positioned below the widthwise central portion 36C of the conveying surface 36 on the conveying end portion 36E side of the conveying surface 36. are doing.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the regulation surface 60 extends downward from the conveying end portion 36E of the conveying surface 36 so as to intersect the conveying direction D1. can be abutted. The regulation surface 60 has a first surface 61 and second surfaces 62A and 62B.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first surface 61 is an inclined surface extending downward and rightward from the conveying end portion 36E at the widthwise central portion 36C of the conveying surface 36. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower end of the regulating surface 60, that is, the lower end 61E of the first surface 61, is located below and to the right of the conveying end 36E of the conveying surface .

As shown in FIG. 5, the second surfaces 62A and 62B are located outside the first surface 61 in the width direction and downstream in the transport direction D1.

More specifically, the second surface 62A, which is located forward of the first surface 61, is inclined downward and rightward from a position to the left of the first surface 61 on the conveying surface 36 at an inclination angle approximately equal to that of the first surface 61. It is an extended inclined surface. The forward and upper corners of the second surface 62A are located adjacent to the widthwise outer ends 36A of the transport surface 36. As shown in FIG.

The second surface 62B positioned behind the first surface 61 is an inclined surface that extends downward and rightward at the same inclination angle as the first surface 61 from a position to the left of the first surface 61 on the conveying surface 36 . be. The rearward and upper corners of the second surface 62B are located adjacent to the widthwise outer ends 36B of the transport surface 36 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the cover member 38 is arranged above the first chute member 35 . The cover member 38 is formed with a guide surface 38G consisting of lower edges of a plurality of downwardly projecting ribs 38R. The right end of the guide surface 38</b>G faces the conveying surface 36 from above at a position shifted leftward from the conveying end 36</b>E of the conveying surface 36 of the first chute member 35 . The guide surface 38</b>G extends along the conveying surface 36 of the first chute member 35 so as to gently incline leftward. The left end of the guide surface 38G is curved along the left end of the conveying surface 36 of the first chute member 35. As shown in FIG.

The transport surface 36 and the regulation surface 60 of the first chute member 35, the guide surface 38G of the cover member 38, the transport surfaces 39G1 and 39G2 of the base member 39, and the guide surfaces 37G1 and 37G2 of the second chute member 27 transport A guide 30 is constructed.

The transport surfaces 36, 39G1, 39G2 and the guide surfaces 38G, 37G1, 37G2 extend along the transport direction D1 and define a transport path for transporting the sheet SH from the supply tray 91 toward the discharge tray 96. there is

<Structure of supply tray>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the supply tray 91 is supported by side frames (not shown) disposed on the front end side and the rear end side of the opening/closing section 9 , respectively. It is provided so as to overlap the discharge tray 96 at the position.

The supply tray 91 has a supply tray body 92 and a movable plate 50 . The supply tray main body 92 gently slopes downward from the right end of the opening/closing portion 9 to the left. The movable plate 50 is arranged adjacent to the left end of the supply tray main body 92 . The movable plate 50 extends in a substantially flat plate shape toward the regulation surface 60 of the first chute member 35 .

The left portion of the movable plate 50 is covered with the right portion of the cover member 38 from above. The supply tray 91 supports the sheet SH supplied to the automatic transport mechanism 4 by the supply tray main body 92 and the movable plate 50 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the movable plate 50 is supported by a side frame (not shown) so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis X50 extending in the front-rear direction. Below the movable plate 50, a link lever 50L and a second drive source M2 for driving the link lever 50L are provided. The second drive source M2 is controlled by the control unit 7 to rotate forward or reverse to generate a driving force.

When the second driving source M2 rotates forward and its driving force is transmitted to the link lever 50L, the link lever 50L rotates upward and pushes the movable plate 5 upward. As a result, the movable plate 50 rotates about the rotation axis X50 from the position shown in FIG. 3, and moves upward as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the second drive source M2 reverses and the driving force is transmitted to the link lever 50L, whereby the link lever 50L rotates downward and the movable plate 5 descends following the link lever 50L. As a result, the movable plate 50 rotates downward about the rotation axis X50 from the position shown in FIG. 4, and moves downward as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5-7, the movable plate 50 has a facing end 50E and projecting portions 52A and 52B. The facing end portion 50E is an end portion of the movable plate 50 on the downstream side in the transport direction D1, and is positioned at the center portion in the width direction of the movable plate 50 and faces the first surface 61 of the regulation surface 60 .

The facing end 50E faces the lower end 61E of the first surface 61 when the movable plate 50 is at the position shown in FIG. It faces the conveying end 36E side. In other words, the facing end portion 50</b>E maintains a state of facing the first surface 61 of the regulation surface 60 regardless of the vertical movement of the movable plate 50 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the projecting portions 52A and 52B are positioned outside the opposing end portion 50E and the first surface 61 of the restricting surface 60 in the width direction. The protruding portion 52A located forward of the facing end portion 50E faces the second surface 62A of the restricting surface 60 and protrudes downstream of the first surface 61 in the transport direction D1. The protruding portion 52B located rearward of the facing end portion 50E faces the second surface 62B of the regulating surface 60 and protrudes further downstream in the transport direction D1 than the first surface 61. As shown in FIG.

Protrusions 52A and 52B also maintain a state of facing second surfaces 62A and 62B of regulation surface 60 regardless of vertical movement of movable plate 50, similarly to opposed end 50E.

<Configuration of Width Regulation Guide>
As shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, the movable plate 50 is provided with width regulation guides 70A and 70B. Width regulation guides 70A and 70B each have a substrate 71 and side plates 72 .

A stepped portion 55 is provided in the center portion of the movable plate 50 in the width direction. The stepped portion 55 is stepped higher than the region of the movable plate 50 located outside the stepped portion 55 in the width direction. The stepped portion 55 extends from the right end portion of the movable plate 50 to the opposing end portion 50E. The stepped portion 55 is an example of "a region outside the movement range of the substrate on the movable plate" in the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, guide rails 56A and 56B are formed outside the stepped portion 55 of the movable plate 50 in the width direction. The guide rails 56A, 56B are grooves extending in the front-rear direction.

Each substrate 71 of the width regulation guides 70A and 70B has a flat plate shape extending along the movable plate 50 . The substrate 71 of the front width regulation guide 70A is guided by the front guide rail 56A and is slidable in the front-rear direction. The substrate 71 of the rear width regulation guide 70B is guided by the rear guide rail 56B and is slidable in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 , the top surface of the substrate 71 of each of the width regulation guides 70A and 70B is flush with the top surface of the stepped portion 55 . The base plate 71 of each of the width regulation guides 70A and 70B can come into contact with the sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91 from below together with the stepped portion 55 .

The side plate 72 of the front width regulation guide 70A protrudes upward from the widthwise outer edge of the substrate 71, that is, the front edge, and extends in the left-right direction. The side plate 72 of the rear width regulating guide 70B protrudes upward from the outer edge in the width direction of the substrate 71, that is, the rear edge. The side plate 72 can contact the sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91 from the outside in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 71 of the front width regulation guide 70A and the substrate 71 of the rear width regulation guide 70B are connected by a rack and pinion mechanism 79 arranged on the lower surface side of the movable plate 50. As shown in FIG. As a result, the front width regulation guide 70A and the rear width regulation guide 70B can approach or separate from each other on the basis of the central portion of the supply tray 91 in the width direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the right portion of the side plate 72 of each of the width regulation guides 70A and 70B protrudes upward from the left portion of the side plate 72 covered with the cover member 38. As shown in FIGS. When a user grips and moves the upwardly protruding right part of the side plate 72, the width regulating guides 70A and 70B are slid, and a plurality of types of sheets SH of different sizes supported by the supply tray 91 are easily pinched from the front and back. can be done. As a result, the width regulation guides 70A and 70B can position the sheets SH of various sizes with reference to the central portion of the supply tray 91 in the width direction.

For example, FIG. 6 shows a state in which the width regulation guides 70A and 70B regulate the position in the width direction of a large size sheet SH (SH1) such as A4 size or legal size. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the width regulation guides 70A and 70B regulate the position in the width direction of a small size sheet SH (SH2) such as A6 size or postcard.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the width regulating guides 70A and 70B extend downstream in the transport direction D1 from the facing end 50E of the movable plate 50 and the projections 52A and 52B. The downstream end in the transport direction D1 of the width regulation guides 70A and 70B is defined as a regulation end 70E. The substrate 71 and the side plate 72 extend to the regulating end 70E.

As shown in FIG. 3, the regulating end portions 70E of the width regulating guides 70A and 70B are positioned downstream in the transport direction D1 from the lower end of the regulating surface 60, that is, the lower end 61E of the first surface 61. As shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the regulating end portions 70E of the width regulating guides 70A and 70B are located downstream of the conveying end portion 36E of the conveying surface 36 in the conveying direction D1.

<Structures of Feeding Roller, Separating Roller, First and Second Conveying Rollers, Discharge Roller, etc.>
As shown in FIG. 3, the automatic transport mechanism 4 includes a feed roller 41, a separation roller 42, a separation pad 42A, a first transport roller 43, a first transport roller 43, and a second transport roller 41 for transporting the sheet SH along the transport direction D1 by means of the transport guide 30. It has a first pinch roller 43P, a second conveying roller 44, a second pinch roller 44P, a discharge roller 47 and a discharge pinch roller 47P. The separation roller 42 and the separation pad 42A are examples of the "separation section" of the present invention.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the automatic transport mechanism 4 includes a first driving source M1 that generates a driving force, and a feeding roller 41, a separation roller 42, and a first transporting roller that receives the driving force from the first driving source M1. 43 , the second transport roller 44 and the discharge roller 47 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the separation roller 42 is arranged downstream of the transport end 36</b>E of the transport surface 36 of the first chute member 35 in the transport direction D<b>1 and above the transport surface 36 . A holder 42F is rotatably supported on the rotary shaft 42S of the separation roller 42. As shown in FIG. The holder 42F protrudes rightward so as to be spaced apart from the rotating shaft 42S and beyond the transport end 36E of the transport surface 36. As shown in FIG.

The feeding roller 41 is rotatably held at the right end of the holder 42F. The feeding roller 41 is provided at a position facing the movable plate 50 from above. The rotating shaft 42S and a transmission gear group (not shown) provided in the holder 42F transmit the driving force from the first driving source M1 to the feeding roller 41 to convey the sheet SH supported by the feeding tray 91. The feed roller 41 is rotated in the direction of feeding toward the transport surface 36 of the guide 30 . The feeding roller 41 can move vertically as the holder 42F rotates.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the holder 42F, the feed roller 41, and the separation roller 42 are arranged in the center of the transport surface 36 in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 7, even when the width regulating guides 70A and 70B are closest to each other in the width direction, the holder 42F, the feed roller 41 and the separation roller 42 do not interfere with the width regulating guides 70A and 70B. there is

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rotating shaft 42S of the separation roller 42 is positioned above the regulating end 70E side of the side plate 72 of the width regulating guides 70A and 70B regardless of the vertical movement of the movable plate 50. positioned so as not to interfere with the width regulation guides 70A and 70B.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, inside the opening/closing portion 9, a holder posture detection sensor 42J is provided. The holder orientation detection sensor 42J detects whether or not the orientation of the holder 42F is within a predetermined range, and notifies the controller 7 of the detected orientation.

More specifically, the holder orientation detection sensor 42J detects the orientation of the holder 42F when the lower end of the feed roller 41 comes into contact with the uppermost sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91, thereby indirectly detecting the orientation of the holder 42F. It is detected whether or not the height difference between the uppermost sheet SH and the conveying end portion 36E of the conveying surface 36 is within an appropriate range in which the uppermost sheet SH can be fed toward the conveying surface 36 without being caught. .

The posture of the holder 42F shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is an example of a state in which the posture of the holder 42F is within a predetermined range. In this state, the height difference between the uppermost sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91 and the conveying end portion 36E of the conveying surface 36 is within an appropriate range, so the feeding roller 41 moves the uppermost sheet SH. It can be preferably sent out between the separation roller 42 and the separation pad 42A.

The separation pad 42A is supported by the first chute member 35 at a position directly below the separation roller 42 so as to be exposed from the conveying surface 36. As shown in FIG. Separation pad 42A is pressed toward separation roller 42 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, a nip position N1 is a position where the sheet SH fed by the feeding roller 41 is nipped between the separation roller 42 and the separation pad 42A. A regulating end portion 70E of the width regulating guides 70A and 70B is located downstream of the nip position N1 in the transport direction D1.

The separation roller 42 applies a conveying force toward the downstream side in the conveying direction D1 to the sheet SH that has reached the nip position N1. If a plurality of sheets SH have reached the nip position N1, the separation pad 42A applies force to the sheets SH other than the sheets SH in contact with the separation roller 42 to stop the conveying of the sheets SH.

The first conveying roller 43 is supported at an intermediate portion of the conveying surface 36 of the first chute member 35 in the conveying direction D1. The first pinch roller 43</b>P is supported on the side of the guide surface 38</b>G of the cover member 38 and pressed toward the first conveying roller 43 . The first conveying roller 43 nips the sheet SH separated one by one by the separation roller 42 and the separation pad 42A together with the first pinch roller 43P, and directs the sheet SH toward the second conveying roller 44 and the second pinch roller 44P. The sheet SH is conveyed.

The second conveying roller 44 is supported at an intermediate portion of the guide surface 37G1 of the second chute member 37 in the conveying direction D1. The second pinch roller 44P is supported on the transport surface 39G1 side of the base member 39 and pressed toward the second transport roller 44. As shown in FIG. The second conveying roller 42 nips the sheet SH conveyed by the first conveying roller 43 and the first pinch roller 43P together with the second pinch roller 44P, and directs the sheet SH toward the reading surface 8B, that is, stops at the stationary reading position. The sheet SH is conveyed toward the sensor 3S.

The discharge roller 47 is supported on the right end of the guide surface 37G2 of the second chute member 37. As shown in FIG. The ejection pinch roller 47P is supported by the right end of the transport surface 39G2 of the base member 39 and pressed toward the ejection roller 47. As shown in FIG. The discharge roller 47 nips the sheet SH passing over the reading surface 8B and guided by the transport surface 39G2 and the guide surface 37G2 together with the discharge pinch roller 47P, and discharges the sheet SH toward the discharge tray 96. FIG.

<Image reading operation>
In this image reading apparatus 1, when reading an image of a document supported on the document support surface 8A, the control section 7 controls the scanning mechanism drive source 3M of the reading unit 3 to operate the scanning mechanism (not shown), and the reading sensor 3S. is moved in the horizontal direction from the reading start position below the left edge of the document support surface 8A to the reading end position below the right edge. Thereby, the reading sensor 3S reads the image of the document supported on the document supporting surface 8A. After that, the control section 7 controls the scanning mechanism drive source 3M of the reading unit 3 to operate the scanning mechanism (not shown) in the opposite direction, and moves the reading sensor 3S that has finished reading from the right end to the left end in the reading unit 3. to return to the standby position.

In the image reading apparatus 1, when the sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91 is conveyed by the automatic conveying mechanism 4 and the image of the sheet SH is read, the control section 7 activates the scanning mechanism driving source 3M of the reading unit 3. A scanning mechanism (not shown) is controlled to operate, and the reading sensor 3S is stopped at a stationary reading position below the reading surface 8B.

The sheets SH supported by the supply tray 91 are positioned based on the center of the supply tray 91 in the width direction by sliding the width regulation guides 70A and 70B in advance according to the size of the sheets SH.

Next, the control unit 7 determines whether or not the orientation of the holder 42F is within a predetermined range shown in FIG. 3, for example, based on the detection signal of the holder orientation detection sensor 42J.

When the posture of the holder 42F is not within the predetermined range, the controller 7 determines that the height difference between the uppermost sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91 and the conveying edge 36E of the conveying surface 36 is out of the appropriate range. I judge. Then, the control unit 7 rotates the second drive source M2 forward to rotate the link lever 50L upward, and moves the movable plate 5 upward until the posture of the holder 42F is within a predetermined range.

Next, the control unit 7 activates the first drive source M1 to drive the feed roller 41, the separation roller 42, the first transport roller 43, the second transport roller 44 and the discharge roller 47, so that the supply tray 91 The supported sheet SH is fed toward the transport guide 30 and sequentially transported by the transport guide 30 along the transport direction D1.

Here, the sheet SH conveyed from the supply tray 91 toward the conveying surface 36 of the conveying guide 30 is regulated by the width regulating guides 70A and 70B, the regulating end portion 70E of which is located downstream of the nip position N1 in the conveying direction D1. , the position in the width direction is regulated over a long range. As a result, the posture of the sheet SH conveyed toward the conveying surface 36 is stabilized regardless of the size of the sheet SH.

When the sheet SH conveyed on the conveying surfaces 36, 39G1, and 39G2 passes over the reading surface 8B, the control unit 7 reads the image of the sheet SH with the reading sensor 3S stopped at the stationary reading position. Then, the control unit 7 discharges the sheet SH having the image read toward the discharge tray 96 by the discharge roller 47 and the discharge pinch roller 47P.

During this period as well, the control unit 7 intermittently rotates the second drive source M2 forward according to the decrease in the number of sheets SH supported by the supply tray 91 based on the detection signal of the holder orientation detection sensor 42J, thereby moving the holder 42F. The movable plate 50 is rotated upward in small steps so that the posture is maintained within a predetermined range.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the number of sheets SH supported by the supply tray 91 is reduced and the number of sheets SH is further reduced, the control unit 7 stops the first drive source M1 and the second drive source M2 to perform an image reading operation. exit.

After that, the control section 7 controls the scanning mechanism drive source 3M of the reading unit 3 to operate the scanning mechanism (not shown) and return the reading sensor 3S to the standby position. Further, the control unit 7 reverses the second drive source M2 to rotate the link lever 50L downward, thereby returning the movable plate 50 to the position shown in FIG.

<Effect>
In the image reading apparatus 1 of the embodiment, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the width regulation guides 70A and 70B of the sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91 move in the width direction according to the size of the sheet SH. This restricts the position in the width direction.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the regulating end portions 70E of the width regulating guides 70A and 70B are positioned in the conveying direction D1 from the lower end of the regulating surface 60 of the conveying guide 30, that is, the lower end 61E of the first surface 61. located downstream of

Further, the regulating end portion 70E is located downstream of the transporting end portion 36E of the transporting surface 36 in the transporting direction D1.

Further, the regulating end portion 70E is positioned downstream in the transport direction D1 from the nip position N1 between the separation roller 42 and the separation pad 42A.

With such width regulating guides 70A and 70B, the range in which the width regulating guides 70A and 70B regulate the sheet SH conveyed from the supply tray 91 toward the conveying surface 36 of the conveying guide 30 is determined regardless of the size of the sheet SH. You can keep it longer. Accordingly, in the image reading apparatus 1, the posture of the sheet SH conveyed toward the conveying surface 36 can be stabilized regardless of the size of the sheet SH, thereby suppressing skewing, displacement, and the like of the sheet SH. can be done.

Therefore, in the image reading apparatus 1 of the embodiment, regardless of the size of the sheet SH, the position in the width direction of the sheet SH conveyed from the supply tray 91 toward the conveying surface 36 of the conveying guide 30 can be more preferably regulated. .

In the image reading apparatus 1, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second surfaces 62A and 62B of the regulation surface 60 are located outside the first surface 61 in the width direction and downstream in the transport direction D1. located in The protruding portions 52A and 52B of the movable plate 50 are positioned outside the opposing edge portion 50E of the movable plate 50 and the first surface 61 of the restricting surface 60 in the width direction and face the second surfaces 62A and 62B. ing. The regulating end portion 70E is positioned downstream in the transport direction D1 from the projecting portions 52A and 52B. With such projecting portions 52A and 52B, a step between the first surface 61 and the second surface 62A and 62B of the regulating surface 60 of the transport guide 30 and the regulating end portion 70E side of the width regulating guides 70A and 70B are provided. Since the resulting gap can be narrowed, it is possible to prevent the sheet SH from entering and being caught in the gap.

Further, in the image reading apparatus 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the upper surface of the stepped portion 55 formed in the center portion in the width direction of the movable plate 50 and the substrates 71 of the width regulation guides 70A and 70B are arranged. is flush with the upper surface of the As a result, the sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91 is flattened by the stepped portion 55 of the movable plate 50 and the substrates 71 of the width regulating guides 70A and 70B. The position in the width direction is regulated by the side plate 72 of each of the regulating guides 70A and 70B. As a result, in the image reading apparatus 1, the position of the sheet SH conveyed toward the conveying surface 36 in the width direction can be more preferably regulated regardless of the size of the sheet SH.

Further, in the image reading apparatus 1, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the board 71 and the side plate 72 extend to the regulating end portion 70E. It is possible to secure a long range in which the outer edge is regulated by the substrate 71 and the side plate 72 .

Furthermore, in this image reading apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. It is located below 36C. With this configuration, even when the outer edge in the width direction of the sheet SH conveyed toward the conveying surface 36 hangs down, the hanging edge does not catch on the outer edges 36A and 36B in the width direction of the conveying surface 36. can be suppressed.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified and applied without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the embodiment, the separation section is configured by the separation roller 42 and the separation pad 42A, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the separation section may be configured by a separation roller, a retard roller, and the like.

In the embodiment, the substrate 71 and the side plate 72 extend to the regulating end 70E, but the configuration is not limited to this. include.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used, for example, in an image reading device, a multifunction machine, or the like.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 image reader SH sheet 91 supply tray 50 movable plate D1 transport direction 30 transport guide 36, 39G1, 39G2 transport surface 36E transport end 60 regulation surface 3S Reading sensor 70A, 70B Width regulation guide 70E Regulation end 61E Lower end of regulation surface (lower end of first surface) 41 Feeding roller 42, 42A Separation section (42 Separation roller, 42A Separation pad )
N1 Nip position 61 First surface 62A, 62B Second surface 52A, 52B Protruding portion 71 Substrate 72 Side plate 55 Area (stepped portion) on the movable plate outside the movement range of the substrate
36A, 36B... Outer end portions in the width direction of the conveying surface 36C... Central portion in the width direction of the conveying surface

Claims (7)

a supply tray for supporting sheets to be supplied, the supply tray including a movable plate configured to move vertically according to the number of stacked sheets supported by the supply tray;
a conveying guide provided on the downstream side of the supply tray in the sheet conveying direction for conveying the sheet from the supply tray along the conveying direction, the conveying surface extending along the conveying direction; a regulating surface extending downward so as to intersect the conveying direction from an upstream conveying end portion of the conveying surface in the conveying direction and capable of abutting against the sheet supported on the supply tray; ,
a reading sensor for reading an image of a sheet conveyed on the conveying surface of the conveying guide;
An image reading device comprising
further comprising a width regulating guide provided on the movable plate so as to be movable in the width direction of the sheet supported by the supply tray and extending downstream of the movable plate in the conveying direction;
The image reading device, wherein a downstream restricting end portion of the width restricting guide in the conveying direction is positioned downstream in the conveying direction from a lower end of the restricting surface. 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the regulating end portion is located downstream of the conveying end portion in the conveying direction. a feeding roller that feeds the sheet supported by the supply tray toward the conveying surface;
a separating unit provided downstream in the conveying direction from the conveying end portion for separating the sheets one by one and conveying them toward the downstream side in the conveying direction;
3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the regulating end portion is positioned downstream in the conveying direction from a nip position where the separating portion nips the sheet fed by the feeding roller. The regulating surface includes a first surface that can come into contact with the sheet supported by the supply tray, and a second surface that is located outside the first surface in the width direction and downstream in the conveying direction. , has
The movable plate is positioned outside in the width direction with respect to the first surface of the regulating surface, faces the second surface, and protrudes downstream in the conveying direction from the first surface. has
4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the regulating end portion is located downstream of the projecting portion in the conveying direction. the width regulating guide is provided on the movable plate so as to be movable in the width direction, and is capable of coming into contact with the sheet supported by the supply tray from below;
a side plate that protrudes upward from the substrate and can contact the sheet supported by the supply tray from the outside in the width direction;
5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a region of said movable plate that is out of the range of movement of said substrate and said substrate are flush with each other. 6. The image reading device according to claim 5, wherein the board and the side plate extend to the regulating edge. 7. The transporting surface according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, on the transporting end side of the transporting surface, the widthwise outer end of the transporting surface is located below the widthwise central portion of the transporting surface. 3. An image reading device according to claim 1.

Images