JPH0636103B2 - Original transport / copying device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document conveying / copying device of a copying machine, and particularly when continuously copying a document having a size smaller than a copyable size, without increasing the conveying speed of an automatic document feeding device. Firstly, with reference to FIG. 1, an outline of an example of an entire copying machine equipped with an automatic document feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the figure, the entire copying machine is designated by 1. The copying machine 1 includes a document feeding device designated by 3 on a contact glass 2 made of a transparent plate or the like for placing a document in a copying operation, and a document feeding device. The tray 4, a document discharge tray 5 that receives a document discharged from the document feeder 3, an optical system built in the cover 6, a light source that moves along the contact glass 2, and the document surface is exposed by the light source. A photoconductor that makes a document image that has passed through an optical system by scanning into an electrostatic latent image; a developing device that applies toner to the electrostatic latent image generated on the surface of the photoconductor to develop it into a toner image; Alternatively, a transfer path for transferring the copy paper taken out from the paper supply section 7 including a plurality of paper supply cassettes 7a, 7b, ... To the paper discharge tray 8 via the surface of the photoconductor, and a corona discharge for transfer in the transfer path. By electric appliances And a transfer roller that transfers the toner image on the photoconductor onto the copy paper, and a heat roller and a pressing roller that heat the copy paper separated from the photoconductor by transferring the toner image to fix the toner image on the copy paper. The fixing device is a main component.

Conventionally, a copying machine equipped with the above-described automatic document feeder is
Regardless of the size of the original, the originals are conveyed one by one to the copy position of the contact glass 2 (it is determined that the leading edge of the original is located at the end of the contact glass 2 at the most downstream side in the conveying direction) and stopped. A document feeding method is adopted in which the exposed document is discharged to the document discharge tray 5 and at the same time, the next document is conveyed to the copy position and stopped, and the procedure of exposing is repeated.

According to this document feeding method, no loss of transport time occurs in the case of a full-size document that can be copied, but in the case of a document of a size smaller than the full size, for example, the full size is A3.
When the copy original is an A4 size original, the time required for the second and subsequent originals to be transported to the copy position is the same as the time for transporting the A3 original, and the copy time is Has the drawback of becoming longer. If the conveying speed is increased to solve this difficulty, noise and abrasion of the conveying belt increase, and it becomes difficult to maintain the accuracy of the stop position of the original conveyed to the copy position.

The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned conventional problems, and the gist of the invention is to sequentially convey a document of a size equal to or smaller than 1/2 of the maximum size that can be copied by a copying machine onto a contact glass. In a document transporting / copying device for copying, one transport belt stretched from one end to the other end of the contact glass and a document provided in the vicinity of the transport belt upstream end in the transport direction A document feeding start unit that aligns and feeds the document onto the feeding belt, and a first document required from the time when the document feeding start unit starts feeding the document to the time when the document reaches a standby position set on the contact glass surface. The first time limiter for delaying a predetermined time and the original arrives at a copy position set on the downstream side of the standby position in the original conveyance direction from the time when the original conveyance start means starts conveying the original. And (2) the first time limiter means after the first document is started to be conveyed to the conveyance belt by the document conveyance starter. When a first predetermined time elapses, the document conveyance start means starts conveyance of the second document, and the conveyance belt conveys the first and second documents to the downstream side at a predetermined interval at the same time. (B) When the second predetermined time, which is timed by the second time delay means, elapses after the first paper document is started to be conveyed by the second document conveyance start means, The first document is stopped at the copy position on the contact glass surface, the second document is stopped at the standby position adjacent to the upstream side of the copy position, and the first document is stopped at the stop position. Copy the original document (C) While the copying process of the first original is being performed, the third original is supplied to the original conveyance start means, and (d) the copying process of the first original and the third original are performed. After the documents are ready to be transported,
The document transport start means starts transporting the third document, and the transport belt is run to direct the first, second, and third documents at a predetermined interval to the downstream side at the same time. Transport the document, eject the first original to the unloading section, and then (e)
When the first predetermined time by the first time delay means has elapsed since the third original document was started to be conveyed by the original document conveyance start means, the conveyance belt is stopped to move the second original document to the copy position. The first document is stopped at the standby position, the second document is copied at the stop position, and (f) the following documents are sequentially fed by the above steps (c), (d), and (e). The present invention also provides a document conveying / copying device, which is provided with a control unit that repeats a copying process.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings starting from FIG. 2 to provide an understanding of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automatic document feeder using a full-width belt (a wide belt that covers the front surface of the contact glass 2 with one belt) as a document transport belt. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the main part, and FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the operation (control) procedure of the same embodiment.

In FIG. 2, the original 1 placed on the original tray 4
When the paper feed roller 31 swings downward and rotates, 0 is sent to the paper feed roller 32 one by one from the top. The paper feed roller 32 feeds the originals 10 one by one toward the paper feed roller 33 by rotating the paper feed roller 32 while sandwiching the paper through a slight gap between the paper feed roller 32 and the double feed prevention roller 32a which rotates in the opposite direction. The paper feed roller 33 is pressure-bonded to the lower pressing roller 33a only when it rotates, so that the document is pressed by the pressing roller 33a.
And a document is sent between the contact glass 2 and a document transport belt (hereinafter referred to as a transport belt) 38. The stopper 34 is a stopper for preventing the document fed by the paper feed roller 32 from advancing at the front edge thereof and positioning it. The stopper 34 presses the paper feed roller 33 against the pressing roller 33a in conjunction with the movement of the paper feed roller 33. When lifted, it is lifted and the stop function is released. The conveyor belt 38 is stretched between the driving roller 35 and the driven roller 36, and when the driving roller 35 rotates, the document is pressed between the contact glass 2 and the conveyor belt 38 by the pressing roller 37, so that the contact glass 2 is covered. Transport while sliding the surface. Sensors SS ₁ , SS ₂ , and SS ₃ are sensors that detect whether or not a document is present at that position. Sensor SS ₁ is between paper feed rollers 31 and 32, and sensor SS ₂ is paper feed roller 3
2 and 33, the sensor SS ₃ is arranged between the paper feed roller 33 and the drive roller 35, respectively, and is constituted by an optical sensor or a limit switch.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The processing procedure (step) numbers by the microcomputer are indicated by S1, S2, ....

When the start is instructed (the start button is pressed), the sensor SS ₁ is turned on when the original 10 is present on the original tray 4, so that the step S1 (hereinafter referred to as S1) is performed.
(Hereinafter, abbreviated as "), the paper feed roller 31 and the paper feed roller 32 are each rotated (the double feed prevention roller 32a is also rotated), and the paper feed roller 31 is lowered to abut against the original 10 and one sheet from the top. The eye original 10a is sent out. Manuscript 1
When the leading edge of 0a is caught between the sheet feeding roller 32 and the double feed prevention roller 32a, the leading edge reaches the sensor SS ₂ , and the sensor SS ₂ is turned on, the sheet feeding roller 31 is moved to the next S2. Stop and raise to stop sending the original,
The paper feed roller 33 is rotated to feed the document, and the drive roller 35 is rotated to cause the transport belt 38 to travel. At this point, the stopper 34 is lowered as the initial state, so when the leading edge of the original 10a comes into contact with the lowered stopper 34 and is aligned at right angles to the conveying direction, the sensor SS ₃ is turned on and the next At step S3, the paper feed roller 33 is lowered and brought into contact with the original 10a, and at the same time, the stopper 3
The original 10a aligned by raising 4 is sent out between the conveying belt 38 and the contact glass 2 to convey the original 10a on the surface of the contact glass 2 in the arrow direction. That is,
The paper feed roller 33 and the stopper 34 correspond to the document conveyance start means. At the same time (the first original 10a
Counter PC (not shown)
The counting of the timing pulse of ₁ (second time delay means) and PC ₂ (first time delay means) is started. The counter PC ₁ counts a predetermined transport time (second predetermined time) required for the leading edge of the original 10 a to reach the copy position P ₁ from the position of the stopper 34, and the counter PC ₂ determines the original. Of the front edge of the stopper 34 from the standby position P
Transport time required to reach ₂ (first predetermined time)
In the present embodiment in which the maximum copy size is A3 and the original is A4, it is set to 1/2 of PC ₁ . Next, the original 10 _a is sent by the conveyor belt 38,
After that, the edge passes under the sensor SS ₂ , the sensor SS ₂ is turned off, and the sensor SS ₁ is turned on, so that the document tray 4
When there are second document on, the process proceeds to the next S4, when the sensor SS ₁ is the second sheet of no document in OFF proceeds to Figure 3. Next, in S4, the paper feed roller 31 is lowered and rotated, and at the same time, the paper feed roller 32 and the double feed prevention roller 3
When the sensor SS ₂ is turned on by feeding the second original 10b by rotating the respective 2a, the paper feed roller 31 is stopped and raised in S5 to stop the conveyance of the second original 10b. Next, when the document 10a is sensor SS ₃ becomes OFF and passes under the sensor SS _3, the stopper 34 is lowered in S6, is raised while rotating the paper feed roller 33 at the same time, a second original 10b Stopper 3
Stop alignment at position 4. Then the counter PC ₂ counts up (first sheet passes through the leading edge of the document 10a is the standby position the leading end P ₂ of), raise the stopper 34 at S7, 2-sheet document 10b lowers the sheet feed roller 33
Are sent in an aligned state between the conveyor belt 38 and the contact glass 2 to start the conveyance by the conveyor belt 38.

Next, when the counter PC ₁ counts up, the drive roller 35 is stopped in S8, the stopper 34 is lowered, the paper feed roller 33 is raised, and the next original (third sheet) is ready to be received. The copying operation is started by the machine 1. At this time, the leading edge of the first original 10a is located at the copy position P ₁ and the leading edge of the second original 10b is located at the standby position P ₂ .

Next, during this exposure operation, when there is an original on the original tray 4 (when SS ₁ is ON), the operation of sending out the third original 10c to the position of the stopper 34 is carried out by S10 to S12 described later. If there is not, the procedure moves to that shown in FIG.

That is, in S10, the paper feed roller 31 is lowered and rotated, and at the same time, the paper feed roller 32 and the double feed prevention roller 32a are rotated to feed the third original 10c, and the sensor SS
_{When 2} is turned on, the paper feed roller 31 is raised and stopped in S11 to stop the document feeding, and the sensor SS3 is turned on. The paper feed roller 32 and the double feed prevention roller 2a are stopped and the paper feed roller 33 is lowered (S12). At this time, the original 10c is sent to the position of the stopper 34 and aligned so that its front edge is at right angles to the transport direction.

Next, when the exposure ends, S1
3, the stopper 34 is raised, the stop state is released, the paper feed rollers 32, 33 and the drive roller 35 are rotated, and the conveyance of the originals 10a, 10b, 10c is started all at once, and the counting of the counter PC ₂ is started. To do. When the counter PC ₂ is counted up in this manner, the process returns to S8, and the first original 10a is placed in the original discharge tray 5
The second original 10b is stopped at the copy position P ₁ , the third original 10c is stopped at the standby position P _2, and the original 10 is stopped at S9.
The copying of b is started, and the routines of S8 to S13 are repeated while the original is placed on the original tray 4.

In this way, when the sensor SS ₁ is turned off (that is, the document on the document tray 4 is exhausted), the process proceeds to FIG. 3. When the exposure is completed, the drive roller 35 starts to rotate in S14 and at the same time, the counter PC ₂ starts counting. Then, when the counter PC ₂ is counted up, the stopper 34 that stops the driving roller 35 is lowered in S15 and the paper feed roller 33 is stopped rising, and at the same time when copying is started in S16 and the exposure is completed, the driving roller in S17. 35 at the same time to start the counting of the counter PC ₂ rotates the so the counter PC ₂ is counted up the last original is discharged onto the original discharge tray 5,
In S18, the drive roller 35 and all other paper feed rollers are stopped, and the copying of all the originals placed on the original tray 4 is completed.

If there is only one original, the process proceeds to FIG. 3 after S3 as described above, and when the first original, which is counted up by the counter PC _1, reaches the copy position P ₁ , the drive roller is moved in S15. 35 is stopped, and the following steps S16 to S18 are executed to complete the copying.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when continuously copying a document having a size smaller than the maximum size that can be copied, the minimum interval that can guarantee that the documents do not overlap with each other on the contact glass surface is set. The originals are opened one by one and conveyed one after another, and after the previous ones have been exposed, each original is conveyed at the same time and the next original in the standby state is moved to the copy position. When the size is half the maximum size that can be copied, the time required to convey the original is reduced to about half that of the conventional one, and the copy speed can be increased.

As described above, the present invention, in the document transporting / copying device for sequentially transporting and copying a document of a size not more than 1/2 of the maximum size that can be copied by a copying machine onto the contact glass, One conveyance belt stretched from one end to the other end, and a document conveyance start means which is provided in the vicinity of the conveyance direction upstream end of the conveyance belt and which aligns the documents in advance and conveys them to the conveyance belt. A first time limiter that limits a first predetermined time required for the document to reach a standby position set on the contact glass surface from the time when the document transport starter starts transporting the document; Second time delay means for delaying a second predetermined time required for the document to reach the copy position set on the downstream side of the standby position in the document transport direction from the time when the transport start means starts transporting the document. (A) When the first predetermined time, which is timed by the first time delay means, elapses after the first document starts being conveyed by the document conveyance start means on the conveyance belt, the two document conveyance start means are provided. The conveyance of the first original is started, and the first and second originals are simultaneously conveyed toward the downstream side at a predetermined interval by the above-mentioned conveyance belt, and (b) the first original is conveyed. When the second predetermined time, which is timed by the second time delay means, has elapsed after the start of the original document transportation start means, the transportation belt is stopped to move the first original document to the copy position on the contact glass surface. And the second original is stopped at the standby position adjacent to the upstream side of the copy position, the first original is copied at the stop position, and (c) the first original is copied. While performing the copy process The third original is fed to the document conveyance start means, (d) after the conveyance preparation of the copying process and third original of the first original is completed,
The document transport start means starts transporting the third document, and the transport belt is run to direct the first, second, and third documents at a predetermined interval to the downstream side at the same time. Transport the document, eject the first original to the unloading section, and then (e)
When the first predetermined time by the first time delay means has elapsed since the third original document was started to be conveyed by the original document conveyance start means, the conveyance belt is stopped to move the second original document to the copy position. The first document is stopped at the standby position, the second document is copied at the stop position, and (f) the following documents are sequentially fed by the above steps (c), (d), and (e). Meanwhile, the original document conveying / copying device is characterized by comprising control means for repeating the copying process, so that the copying speed of a small size original document can be remarkably increased without increasing the original document conveying speed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a copying machine equipped with an automatic document feeder to which the present invention can be applied, and FIG. 2 is an embodiment of the present invention applied to an automatic document feeder equipped with a full-width conveyor belt. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the main part, and FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the operation. (Description of symbols) 1 ... Copier 2 ... Contact glass 3 ... Automatic document feeder 4 ... Document tray 5 ... Document discharge tray 7 ... Paper feeding cassette 10,10a, 10b, 10c ... Document 31 , 32, 33 ... Paper feed roller 32a ... Double feed prevention roller 33a, 37 ... Pressing roller 34, 34a, 34b ... Stopper 35 ... Drive roller 36 ... Followed roller 38 ... Original conveying belt P ₁ ... … Tip of copy position of document P ₂ …… Tip of standby position of document

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Kunio Nakai 1-22-28 Tamatsukuri, Higashi-ku, Osaka City, Mita Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Takanori Hayashi 1-2-28 Tamatsukuri, Higashi-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-58-88767 (JP, A) JP-A-58-176653 (JP, A) JP-A-58-97061 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A document transporting / copying device for sequentially transporting and copying a document of a size not more than 1/2 of the maximum size that can be copied by a copying machine onto a contact glass (1) One end of the contact glass One conveyor belt stretched from one part to the other end, and (2) Document conveyance start, which is provided in the vicinity of the upstream end of the conveyor belt in the conveyance direction and pre-aligns and conveys the documents to the conveyor belt. And (3) a first predetermined time period from the start of the document transportation by the document transportation start device to the arrival of the document at a standby position set on the contact glass surface.
(4) A second predetermined time required from the start of the document transportation by the document transport starting means to the arrival of the document at the copy position set on the downstream side of the standby position in the document transport direction. A second time delaying means for delaying time, and (5) a. When a first predetermined time, which is timed by the first time delay means, elapses after the first document is started to be conveyed to the conveyor belt by the document conveyance start means, the document conveyance start means determines that the second original is The conveyance is started, and the first and second originals are simultaneously conveyed toward the downstream side at a predetermined interval by the above-mentioned conveyance belt, and b. When a second predetermined time, which is timed by the second time delay means, has elapsed after the conveyance of the first original document was started by the original document conveyance start means, the conveyance belt is stopped and the first original document is conveyed. Is stopped at the copy position on the contact glass surface, the second document is stopped at the standby position adjacent to the upstream side of the copy position, and the copy process of the first document is performed at the stop position. C. While the copying process of the first original is being performed, the third original is supplied to the original conveyance start means, and d. After the copying process of the first original document and the preparation for conveyance of the third original document are completed, the conveyance of the third original document is started by the original document conveyance starting means, and the conveyance belt is made to travel to move the first original document. The first, second, and third originals are simultaneously conveyed at a predetermined interval toward the downstream side, and the first original is discharged to the unloading section. When the first predetermined time by the first time delay means has elapsed since the third original document was started to be conveyed by the original document conveyance start means, the conveyance belt is stopped to move the second original document to the copy position. The second original is stopped at the standby position, and the second original is copied at the stop position. An original document conveying / copying apparatus comprising: a control unit for repeating the copying process while sequentially feeding the original document in the order of C, D, and E.