JPS60218638A - Sheet feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an automatic sheet original feeding device of a copying machine which performs copying operation at a high speed by making image exposure both by optical system movement and by original movement possible. CONSTITUTION:A sheet original on an original tray 10 is sent onto platen glass 1 and stopped, and then fed in the opposite direction and returned onto the original tray 10. In the middle of the return way, a photosensitive drum 9 is exposed to the original image by optical systems 4-8 which stay under the 1st exposure part 27. This is performed repeatedly for every original to obtain one copy of every original. When copies of one original are taken, the reverse surface of the platen glass 1 is scanned reciprocally by the optical systems 4-8 as many times as one less than the necessary number of copies. Only one of originals returned to the original tray 10 is copied by being passed through the 1st exposure part 27.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention feeds a sheet from a sheet feeding section to a sheet processing station, performs illumination processing, reading processing, etc. on the surface of the sheet, and then returns the sheet to the sheet feeding section again. The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device that performs a sheet feeding operation to convey (circulating type) or to discharge a sheet to a discharge section.

More specifically, as shown in the model in FIG. The present invention relates to an apparatus in which a reciprocating mirror (mirror, photoelectric reading array, etc.) is movable, and the sheet feeding mode can be selectively switched and executed in the following first feeding mode or second feeding mode.

First feeding mode: Sheet 0 from the sheet feeding section 1O.11 is conveyed through the first sheet processing stage 1 and through the second sheet processing station 1 at a predetermined speed, The sheet surface passing through the second sheet processing stage, nl, is sequentially subjected to illumination processing, reading processing, etc. by the sheet processing means 4 located at the second sheet processing station 1 position, and is then sent to the sheet feeding section or the sheet discharging section. The feeding mode (
Nagashidori).

Second feeding mode...from the sheet feeding section 10.ll to the first
The sheet 0 conveyed to the sheet processing station 1 is once held stationary at a predetermined position in the first sheet processing station 1, and the sheet surface in the stationary state is transferred to the sheet processing means 4.
The ridgeline sheet is sequentially subjected to illumination processing, reading processing, etc. by the moving operation of sending mode.

Note that lO is a sheet tray, and sheets 0 set on the tray are conveyed one by one by a feeding mechanism 11 through a sheet path 12 to a sheet processing station l at wIll. Note that the sheets may be fed from the sheet tray 10 by setting the sheets on the tray 10) and automatically separating and feeding the sheets one by one from the bottom or top of the vI receipts, or by manually feeding the sheets. It is also possible to feed the sheets one by one.

The first and second sheet processing stages l-1' are transparent platen glasses. Reference numeral 13 denotes a reciprocating rotating belt that conveys the sheet conveyed from the sheet path 12 to the first sheet processing station 1 to a predetermined position of the station 1, and also conveys the sheet to the second sheet processing station 1'; 14 is a sheet path leading from the second sheet processing station 1' to the sheet feeding section lO.1.1.

Specifically, such a sheet feeding device automatically feeds and discharges a sheet original to be copied in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine to a processing station such as an original illumination unit and an image reading unit. Used as a feeding device (document feeder).

The present invention provides that the home position H of the reciprocating sheet processing means 4 of such a sheet feeding device is set to the second sheet processing station 1' side, or to the second sheet processing station 1' side, as shown in the model of FIG. 2 or 3. ' position (position L for exposure, reading, etc. of the station).

That is, when the home position H of the sheet processing means 4 is set to the side of the first sheet processing station L opposite to the second sheet processing station L' side (the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2), in the first feeding mode, In the case of sheet processing, the sheet processing means 4 must be moved significantly to the second sheet processing station 1 position (the distance must be checked, which causes time loss and problems such as vibration. On the other hand, as in the present invention, the home position H of the sheet processing means 4 is
When processing sheets in the first feeding mode, by setting the The sheet processing means 4 is connected to the second sheet processing station 1'
The required movement distance of the sheet processing means 4 to position the sheet processing means 4 at the position can be small (intersection 2) or zero (jL3=0), and high-speed sheet processing can be performed.

A circulating type automatic sheet document feeder (RDF device) constructed according to the present invention will be described in detail below. In FIG. 4, A is the general code of the main body of the copying machine, and B is the general code of the RDF device installed on the top panel 2 including the platen glass l of the main body of the copying machine.

1O is a sheet document stacking tray as a sheet stacking unit installed on the RDF device B side, and 0 is a set of multiple sheet documents (single-sided document) stacked and set on the tray, with the younger pages facing up. Place the stacked pages with the image side facing up.

The movable optical system 3 of the copying machine A in this example has an original illumination lamp 4.
Φ moving first mirror 511 second mirror 6 and imaging lens 7
- Consists of 8 fixed mirrors.

Various mechanisms and systems are known as the single sheet separation and conveyance mechanism ll. In this example device, the sheet feeding bell (1) mounted on the lower side is rotated in the forward direction in the sheet feeding direction.
6 and a sheet separation belt 17 disposed on the upper side that is rotationally driven in the opposite direction to the sheet feeding direction. The detailed structure of this mechanism and the principle of separating and conveying one sheet are well known, so a description thereof will be omitted.

18 is the exterior body of the RDF device B, 19 and 20 are the drive rollers and turn rollers of the full-surface belt 13, and 21 is a belt presser that moderately presses the lower surface of the full-surface belt against one surface of the platen glass (first sheet processing station). The rollers act to increase the conveying force of the document along the glass surface as the belt 13 rotates forward and backward. The document loading tray IO is arranged in a downwardly inclined position, for example, about 20 inches toward the single sheet separation and conveyance mechanism 11.

The RDF device B is equipped so that it can be raised and lowered as a whole with respect to the upper surface of the platen glass l, centering around a hinge part (not shown) provided at the rear of the device, and is used for handling thick originals such as wood, etc.
R for copying originals for which F device cannot be used.
Open and raise the DF unit NB from above the platen glass L, stack and set originals such as books on the platen glass L with the image side facing downwards, and then place the RDF unit B over the platen glass L as a document pressure plate. The upper original is pressed down with the lower surface of the full-page bell (13) to perform copying.

Incidentally, some RDF apparatuses B are equipped with a mechanism for reversing and re-introducing the original to the platen glass l, thereby making it possible to perform double-sided copy processing for double-sided originals.

(The platen glass l is a full-face bell that covers the glass.)
The top panel 2 of the copying machine body is further away from the left side position of 13.
Let it extend to the vicinity of the left side of .

This portion 1' will hereinafter be referred to as the platen glass extension (second sheet processing station).

Reference numeral 27 denotes a reflector that faces the upper surface of the platen glass extension 1' with a gap when the RDF device B is folded down against the platen glass l.
B-29 are disposed on the front and rear sides of the reflecting plate 27, respectively, and are in contact with the upper surface of the platen glass extension 1'. 1st
And the second document pressing member is a conveying roller. The document entrance portion of the second sheet path 14 is located at the second sheet path 14. The document is pressed by the lamp 4 of the moving optical system of the copying machine main body 4tAIIl, which is located near the office on the opposite side from the reflector 27 of the conveyance roller 29. The second mirror 5Φ6 is waiting as a horn position below the platen glass extension 1', and when the moving optical system is in the home position standby state, when the mirror 4 is turned on, the above-mentioned reflection The lower surface of the plate 27 is illuminated.

Reference numeral 30 indicates a pair of document transport rollers disposed in the middle of the first sheet path 12, 32 indicates a document discharge roller pair disposed at the document discharge port 15 of the second sheet path 14, and 33 and 34 indicate the second sheet. Document relay conveyor rows arranged in the middle of path 14? It is a pair.

Shear/Sb is a document presence/absence detection sensor (transmission type) for detecting whether or not a document exists on the document stacking tray 10;
34 are installed at important points in the document transport path system. There are 1st to 4th shift sensors (reflection type) that detect the arrival and passage of a document. versus 3
Next to 0, the third one is placed at the front side of the conveyance roller 28 for pressing the first original, and the fourth one is placed at the original entrance part of the second jet nozzle 14, respectively.

Reference numerals 35 and 36 indicate a rotating arm of the original circulation end detection mechanism and a partition plate attached to and supported by the arm.
The end detection mechanism (Figs. 6 and 7) will be described later.

37 smoothly guides the document from the first sheet path 12 side to the space between the left end of the full-surface belt 13 and the platen glass 1, and reversely transports the document from above the platen glass 1 by the reverse rotation of the full-surface belt 13. Pass the original on the first sheet pass 12
In order to reliably press the first document in the direction of the conveyance roller 28 without causing the document to enter backwards, a document guide tongue piece (deflector) is provided at the document exit portion of the first G-Dox 12. ), this tongue piece is made of polyethylene terephthalate (
A flexible elastic synthetic resin sheet such as Mylar (trade name) is used, and the rear side is attached and fixed to the lower guide plate 12a that constitutes the first sheet path 12, and the tip side is attached to the same upper guide plate 12b. The document is placed in contact with the inner surface of the switchback path 26 from the first sheet path l2 side.
It passes through the flexible elastic tongue piece 37 part while pushing open the tongue piece 37 to the side and enters into the switchback passage 26.

On the other hand, the tongue piece 37 prevents the document transported switchback from the path 26 from entering the first sheet path 12 in the reverse direction, and ensures that the first document is pressed in the direction of the transport roller 28.・U・38 is a static eliminating needle disposed in the document discharge port 15 of the second sheet path 14, and
5 to the document stacking tray lO side (the document is more or less charged with electrostatic charge due to frictional force during the conveyance process) is removed, and the returned documents are smoothly loaded one after another onto the tray 101-. do the work.

The portion of the platen glass 1 that faces the full-surface bell 13 in the apparatus of this embodiment is the first sheet (original) processing station, and the portion of the platen glass extension 1' that faces the reflector plate 27 is the first sheet (original) processing station. There are two sheet processing stations.

The drive mechanism shown in FIG. 5 is centrally arranged on the rear plate side of the RDF device shown in FIG. 4. Ml is a first motor, and M2 is a second motor.

B1 is a drive pulley 3 fixed to the rotating shaft of the first motor Ml.
9. The first belt is suspended around the intermediate pulley 40 and the pulley 41 fixed to the shaft of one of the pair of document discharge rollers 32; B2 is the intermediate pulley 40 and the first sheet path 12;
The second belt is suspended around a pulley 42 fixed to the axis of one of the glue rollers of a pair of document conveying rollers 30 disposed therein, and the second belt is wound around a pulley 42 that is fixed to the axis of one of the paste rollers of a pair of document conveying rollers 30 disposed therein. The roller pairs 30 are each driven to rotate normally.

43 and 44 are gears fixed to the shafts 47 and 48 of the sheet feeding belt drive roller 45 and the sheet separation belt drive roller 46 of the sheet separation mechanism 11, respectively, and 49 is the gear that transfers the rotational force of the intermediate pulley 40 to the When the clutch is turned on (energized) while the first motor M1 is driving, the sheet feeding belt 16 is rotationally driven in the sheet feeding direction, and The sheet separation belt 17 is driven to rotate in a direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction. When the clutch is turned off (de-energized), the rotational drive of both the belts 16 and 17 is stopped.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a gear fixed to the shaft 19a of the drive roller 19 of the full-surface bell) 13, and 51 a forward rotation/reverse rotation converter that transmits the rotational driving force of the first motor Ml to the gear 50 in forward rotation or reverse rotation.
When the first motor Ml, which is a stop-reverse switching clutch (electromagnetic clutch), is switched to normal rotation and held (energized) while the first motor Ml is being driven, the full-surface belt 13 is driven in normal rotation (the original is transferred to the platen glass). When the document is switched to the reverse side and held (de-energized), it is driven in the reverse direction (the direction in which the document is conveyed backwards toward the left side of the platen glass L).

B3 is a drive pulley 5 fixed to the rotating shaft of the second motor M2.
2. For pressing the first and second originals, a third belt is suspended between three pulleys 53 and 54 fixed to the shafts of the transport rollers 28 and 29, and B4 is the same as the drive pulley 52 and the second sheet. Haragareyama jlt i Jm in pass 14: #n; M
! l 'l rrz i if+ n = trs
m tr A fixed pulley 55, a pulley 56 fixed to the shaft of one of the rollers of another pair of document relay conveyance rollers 34
This is the fourth belt that is suspended between the three parties. ：The second
When the first and second originals are pressed by the rotational drive of the motor M2, the transport rollers 28 and 29. Two pairs of original relay transport rollers 33-34 are driven to rotate in the normal direction, respectively.

In the original circulation completion detection mechanism shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, 46a is a driven roller that pairs with the drive roller 46 of the sheet separation bell (17), 46b is the driven roller shaft, and 47 is a bearing that also serves as a bearing for the driven roller shaft. This is a cover plate for the top surface of the seat separation belt. The front end and the back end of the driven roller shaft 46b are the front and back side plates 4 of the plate 47, respectively, which are supported by bearings.
The side plates 47a@47 on the front side and the back side of the plate 47 are made to protrude outward from the plates 7a and 47a, and are connected to the respective protruding shaft portions.
Partition plate rotating mechanisms are disposed on both sides of a, facing each other. Both partition plate rotation mechanisms have the same structure. 60 is a gear fixed to the outwardly projecting end of the side plate of the driven shaft 46b, 6l is a shaft pin whose base is implanted on the outer surface of the end of the side plate 47a on the supporting side of the driven shaft 46b, and provided in parallel with the shaft 46b. The driven gear 35, which is loosely fitted into the shaft pin and meshed with the gear, has its base loosely fitted into the shaft pin 61, and is supported by a friction plate 64 on the side surface of the driven gear 62 so that it is not pressed at all times. It is a moving arm. This arm 35 is configured such that the rotational force of the driven roller 46a accompanying the rotational drive of the sheet separation belt 17 is transmitted from the shaft 46b→gear 60→passive gear 62→
It is transmitted via the friction plate 64, and the seventh
It receives rotational force in the clockwise direction G in the figure.

Reference numeral 36 denotes a partition plate which is rotatably supported on the distal end side of the arm 35 about a shaft 66, and 67 is stretched between pins 68 and 69 implanted at the distal end of the arm 35 and the partition plate 36 side, respectively. It is a strong spring. The partition plate 36 clicks to the left and right sides of the axis 66 using the tensile force of the spring 67, and opens approximately at right angles to the arm 35, as shown in the solid line system in FIG. Alternatively, the arm 35 is kept in the second posture shown by the two-dot chain line in which it overlaps and is closed.

The arm 35 is normally held at its home position at an upward substantially right angle rotational position as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7, and is held on standby when the sheet separation mechanism 11 is stopped. Further, the partition plate 36 at the tip of the arm is in a first position opened approximately at right angles to the arm 35.

When the original 0 is stacked and set on the original stacking tray IO and a copy start button (not shown) is pressed, rotational driving of the sheet feeding belt 16 and the separating belt 17 of the one-sheet separating mechanism 11 is started. . Then, in conjunction with the start of rotation of the separation belt 17, the arm 35 rotates clockwise from the vertical home position 91 about the axis pin 61, and when rotated approximately 90'', the lower surface of the partition plate 36 is placed above the tray IO. is received by the upper surface of the stacked document 0 (FIG. 7), which causes the arm 35 to
is prevented from further rotation, but on the separation belt 17 side, the side of the driven gear 62 and the side of the base of the arm 63 slip against the frictional force via the friction plate 64, so that there is no problem. Rotation drive continues. Also arm 35
continues to receive a clockwise rotation biasing force about the shaft pin 61 due to the frictional slipping force, so that the stacked original O is pressed against the upper surface of the sheet feeding bell 16 by the partition plate 36. Loading and document 0 by this cutting board 36
Due to the suppressing action on the bell) 16, the lowest original of the stacked document O can be reliably separated and conveyed one by one by the cooperation of the sheet feeding belt 16 and the separation bell) 17. Further, a roller 70 is attached via the sheet feeding belt 16, which receives the load of the partition plate 36. This further increases the force with which the partition plate 65 presses the document against the bell 16.

The sheet-by-sheet separation and conveyance of the stacked documents 0 on the tray IO progresses sequentially, and the last document on which the partition plate 36 is directly placed is conveyed, and when its trailing edge passes under the partition plate 36, the partition plate 36
The lower surface of the sheet feed belt 16 comes into direct pressure contact with the upper surface of the sheet feeding belt 16. Then, the rotating force of the belt 16, which is continuously being rotationally driven, acts on the partition plate 36 of the sheep in the direction E in FIG.
It is changed to a second posture shown by a two-dot chain line in which it overlaps and is closed, escapes from above the belt 16, and is separated from the belt 16. Then, the arm 35 is rotated in the clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow G in FIG. It crosses the light path and passes through. This will cause the tray
It is detected that all the documents in stack document 0 on O have been conveyed once.

Further, the cam portion 36a of the partition plate 36 in the closed state with respect to the arm 35 contacts and passes the fixed shaft member 72, so that the attitude of the partition plate 36 is changed again to the first attitude in the open state with respect to the arm 35. . Thus, when the arm 35 rotates to the home position, which is the upward substantially vertical rotation position (double-dashed line in FIG. The rotational drive of is stopped and stands by.

45a is a driven roller paired with the sheet feeding belt drive roller 45, and 47a is the roller shaft adjacent to it.Next, the overall operation of the RDF apparatus B of this example will be explained in order. The document circulation feeding mode by this apparatus B is such that the exposure processing of the fed document is carried out at the second sheet processing station.
One side of the platen glass extension facing the reflecting plate 27 (
There are two modes: a first feeding mode, which is carried out in the original illumination section L), and a second feeding mode, which is carried out in the part of the platen glass facing the full-surface bell) 13, which is the first sheet processing station. , the document can be fed by selecting one of these modes.

(2) First feeding mode (1) Original 0 to be copied is stacked and set on the original stacking tray 10 with the image surface facing upward. By setting the original, the optical path of the original presence/absence detection sensors Sa and sb is blocked, and the presence of the original is detected. The document is automatically fed and copied in the first feeding mode by operation I@ (not shown) of the copying machine;
After setting the number of copies, copy magnification, and other necessary copy conditions, press the copy start button.

(2) Then, among the first and second motors Ml@M2 of the drive mechanism (FIG. 5), the first motor Ml starts to be driven, and in conjunction with this, the pair of document conveying rollers in the first sheet path 12 30, document exit section 15 of second sheet path 14
The rotation of the original document ejection roller pair 32 is started. In addition, the electromagnetic clutch 49 is turned on, the clutch 50 is switched to normal inversion and held, and rotational driving of the sheet feeding belt 16 and separation bell 17 of the single sheet separation and conveyance mechanism 11 is started, and the entire surface belt is turned on. ) 13 is driven to rotate in the normal direction, and the entire belt 13 is in the normal rotation state a. Also, the copying machine body A
The movable optical system 3 on the side remains in standby at the home position, and the lamp 4 is turned on.

(3) Sheet separation bell of single sheet separation conveyance mechanism 11)
17, the partition plate 36 is rotated clockwise from the upward home position as described above, and the stacked document 0 on the tray 1O is held down.

(4) Separation and conveyance of the lowest original of the stacked originals O on the tray 1O is started in cooperation with the sheet feeding bell 16 and the separating belt 17.

(5) The document separated and conveyed one sheet from the mechanism 11 enters the first sheet path 12, is relayed to a pair of document conveyance rollers 30, and enters between the left end of the front surface bell (13) and the platen glass l. , is slid and conveyed to the right on the platen glass l with the image plane F oriented by the full-surface belt 13 which is rotating in the forward direction a. Note that the document conveyance speed of the roller pair 30 and the full surface belt 13 is set to approximately twice the sheet conveyance speed of the mechanism 11.

(6) When the sensor sl detects that the trailing edge of the conveyed document passes through the first sheet sensor S1 position, the electromagnetic clutch 49 is turned off at the time of detection, and the drive of the single sheet separation and conveyance mechanism 11 is temporarily stopped. will be stopped.

(7) In (5) above, when the document is conveyed to the right on the platen glass l by the forward rotation a of the full-surface belt 13, the rear end of the document reaches the reference line position jll of the platen glass 1. By stopping the forward rotation drive a of the full-surface belt 13, further conveyance of the platen glass to the right is stopped. The forward rotation drive a of the above-mentioned front surface bell) 13 is stopped by the second sheet sensor S2 at the rear end of the original that has entered between the platen glass l and the front surface bell) 13 in the forward rotation state from the first sheet path 12. When the passing of the position is detected by the sensor S2, a timer is started at the time of detection, and when a predetermined timer period expires, the clutch 50 is switched and held at a position where the driving roller 19 of the full-surface belt 13 is stopped. It will be done.

After the clutch 50 is once switched to the position where the full-surface belt drive roller 19 is stopped, it is immediately switched to the reverse rotation drive side and held, and the full surface belt 13 is turned to reverse rotation drive. By driving the full-surface belt 13 in reverse, the original on the platen glass l is pressed against the conveying roller 28.
It is transported in the reverse direction (switch pack transport).

(8) In the first original pressing, the leading edge of the original that is reversely conveyed toward the transport roller 28 passes through the third sheet path S3 position, and then in the second original pressing, the rotation of which has stopped at that point. is received at the contact nip between the conveying roller 28 and the platen glass extension 1'. For this first document pressing, the conveyance roller 28, together with the second same roller 29 and the pair of document intermediate conveyance rollers 33 and 34 in the second jet nozzle 14, moves the third sheet sensor S3 at the leading edge of the reversely conveyed document. When a predetermined timer period elapses after the passage is detected by the sensor S3, the second motor M2 of the drive mechanism starts driving, thereby starting rotation. In this way, by once catching the leading edge of the reversely conveyed document with the roller 28, the timing is correct (registered) with the paper feeding process on the copying machine A side.
will be done.

(9) In the first document pressing, the conveyance roller 28 starts to rotate, and while the document is pressed against the upper surface of the platen glass extension 1', the document is moved between the reflector 27, which is the second sheet processing stage, and the platen glass extension 1'. Introduced into the gap between the top surfaces,
Next, the second document is pressed down by a conveyance roller 29, and is conveyed between the two rollers 28 and 29 while being tightly placed on the upper surface of the platen glass extension 1'. Hereinafter, the portion between the two rollers 28 and 29 will be referred to as the document illumination section, and the reverse rotation drive of the full-surface bell) 13 is performed when the rotation of the rollers 28 and 2910-ra pair 33φ34 is started by the drive of the second motor M2. Clutch 50 is switched to the stop position and stopped. Even if the full-surface belt rotates in the reverse direction but stops, the leading edge of the original document is already gripped by the conveying roller 28 and the platen glass extension 1' surface, so the rotating force of the roller 28 continues to push the original document forward. The document is transported to the second sheet processing station, the document illumination unit. The document portion that has passed through the document illumination section then enters the second sheet path 14 and is sequentially relayed by a pair of relay conveying rollers 33 and 34 to head toward the document discharge port 15. Conveyance roller 28
・29. The document conveyance speed of the pair of intermediate conveyance rollers 33 and 34 is set to a constant speed corresponding to the rotational drive circumferential speed of the photoreceptor surface on the A side of the copying machine (10), and the document is transferred to the document illumination section. In the process of passing the document, the downward image surface is sequentially illuminated by the lamp 4, and the reflected light from the document surface enters the moving optical system 3 held in standby at the home position, and passes through the optical system onto the photoreceptor surface. The original is imaged and exposed, and the copying process of the original is performed. In other words, the original image is exposed to light and the body is exposed in the original illumination section, which is the second sheet processing station, in an original-to-moment reading (original moving exposure) method.

.

(11) The rear edge of the document is located at the document illumination section; 1. When the sensor S4 detects that the second original document has passed under the conveyance roller 29 and passed the fourth sheet sensor S4 position, the second original motor is activated at that point. M, 2
The driving of the first and second documents is stopped, and the first and second documents are pressed by the conveyance row, and the second document is pressed by the first and second documents. ．． 8.・29. The rotation of the relay conveyance roller pair 33 and 34 in the second sheet path 14 is stopped. Even if the rotation of the pair of transfer conveyance rollers 33 and 34 is stopped, at this point the leading edge side of the document is already in the second sheet path 1.
It is held between the rollers of a pair of discharge rollers 32 which are disposed at the document discharge port 15 of No. 4 and driven in an air-dry manner, and is continuously conveyed by the conveyance force of this pair of rollers 32 to the document loading tray
Kick the image surface upward onto the tray 10, and take it out.
The unexposed original O below the upper partition plate 36 is automatically reloaded with the image side facing upward (as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7), and the unexposed original on the tray 10 is automatically reloaded with the image side facing upward. 0 and the exposed original 0 to be reloaded thereon are distinguished by a partition plate 36.

(12)) The next document from Ray 10 is separated and conveyed by the fourth document at the leading edge of the document that was conveyed earlier and passed through the document illumination section.
When the arrival of the seat sensor S4 position is detected by the sensor S4, the electromagnetic clutch 49 is turned on again and the seat 1
The process starts when the sheet separation and conveyance mechanism 11 is driven again.

(13) Simultaneously with the re-driving of the mechanism 11, the clutch 50 is switched to normal rotation, and the full-surface bell 13 is switched to normal rotation and maintained. In this case, the original size is large,
Even if the trailing edge of the previously reversely conveyed document has not yet cut through the gap between the left end of the full-surface belt 13 and the platen glass l at the time of switching the forward rotation of the full-surface belt 13, the leading edge of the document is already in the first and second directions. 2, the original is pushed and pulled strongly against the upper surface of the platen glass extension 1' by the transport rollers 28 and 29, and the transport force is larger than the original pulling back force caused by the forward rotation of the full-surface belt 13. As a result, the previous document continues to be stably transported and passed through the document illumination section.

(14) The next document separated and conveyed in (12) above enters the first sheet path 12 in the same way as the previous document, is relayed to the pair of document conveyance rollers 30, and is transferred to the platen glass 1. The sheet enters between the front belts 13 and is pulled and conveyed to the right over the platen glass l by the front belt 13 which has been switched to normal rotation drive. Also, when the trailing edge of the document passes the first sheet sensor S1 position, the electromagnetic clutch 49 is activated to drive the single sheet separation and conveyance mechanism ll, as in the case of the previous document.
is stopped by turning off. In addition, when the trailing edge of the document finishes passing the second sheet sensor S2 position, the rotation of the full-surface bell (13) is switched to reverse as in the case of the previous document.

In this case, when the leading edge of the original document reaches the area between the left end of platen glass l and the left end of platen glass l, the leading edge of the original has already been switched to normal rotation drive a, and the trailing edge of the original document is still in front of the entire surface. ) 13 and the platen glass 1, the next original is moved to the right side of the platen glass 1 by the normal rotation force of the full surface belt 13, while slipping occurs between the entire surface belt 13 and the platen glass 1. Also, as explained in (13) above, the rear end of the previous document is pressed in the forward and reverse directions with respect to each other without any problem due to the pull-out force caused by the conveying force of the conveying roller 2B-29. transported to. Specifically, the entire surface (belt) 13 is made of a material with a large friction coefficient such as urethane rubber, so that the frictional force between the originals is stronger than the frictional force between the originals.
13 and that of the manuscript is larger.

(15) The rear end of the forked document is at the 82nd position of the second sheet
: When the trailing edge of the previous document has not yet passed the fourth sheet sensor S4 position, when the position (full-face bell) 13 should be switched to reverse,

The full-face bell) 13 is held in a stopped state until the rear edge passage detection signal of the previous original is issued by the fourth sheet sensor S4, and the next original is temporarily held between the full-face bell) 13 and the platen glass 1. It is switched to reverse from the moment it is issued. This prevents the trailing edge of the previous document from overlapping with the leading edge of the next document.

(18) Then, the next original that is reversely conveyed by the reverse drive of the full-surface belt 13 is also treated in the same manner as the optical original (8) to (8).
According to the process 11), the document illumination part L → the second sheet lot 1
4 is conveyed and returned to the tray 10, and the original is copied.

(17) By automatically repeating the steps (12) to (18) below, the stacked documents 0 on the tray 10 are automatically fed one by one from the bottom, and are returned to the tray 10 one after another. In the document illumination unit, which is the second sheet processing station, exposure of the document image onto the photoreceptor is performed using the document movement reading method, and copies are sequentially and continuously performed for each automatically fed document, and the feeding of stacked document 0 is performed. When it goes through one cycle, one copy of the stacked original is obtained.

(1B) The end detection mechanism for the original 11i (Fig. 6Φ7) operates as described above when the last original of one circulation of originals is fed and its rear end passes under the partition plate 36, and the sensor 71
The end of l circulation is detected.

When the arm 35 and the partition plate 36 rotate to the home position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
9 is turned off and the driving of the single sheet separation and conveyance mechanism 11 is stopped, thereby stopping and waiting at the home position.

(1B) When the set number of copies is 1, the driving of the first motor Ml is stopped when the last fed document is returned to the tray IO and is completely discharged.

(20) When the set number of copies is multiple copies, when the last fed document is returned to the tray IO side and has been ejected, the electromagnetic clutch 49 is turned on by the command to start copying the second copy (
Steps 2) to (18) are automatically executed repeatedly for the number of set copying units to copy a predetermined plurality of copies.

II. Second feeding mode (1) @Note I-(1) As in the case of XJ, the originals O are stacked and set on the tray 10. From the copier's control panel □
After setting the automatic document feed copying in the second feeding mode, the required number of copies of each document, copy magnification, and other necessary copying conditions, press the copy start button.

(2) Then, the steps 1-(2) to (7) above proceed. In addition, when the copy start button is pressed, the second motor M2 of the drive mechanism enters a continuous drive state, and the first and second originals are pressed by the transport rollers 28 and 29 and the second sheet bus 1.
The intermediate roller pairs 33 and 34 in the rollers 4 are also continuously maintained in a forward rotation drive state. However, in the process of item 7), the full-surface belt 13 does not switch to reverse rotation immediately after the forward rotation drive a is stopped when the rear edge of the document reaches the reference line position 1'. It remains in a non-rotating state. That is, the original is held in a fixed set position at a predetermined position between the platen glass 1 (first sheet processing station) and the full surface bell (13).

(3) Then, when the forward rotation drive a of the above-mentioned front surface bell) 13 is stopped, the forward movement of the movable optical system 3 on the side of the copying machine A is started, and thereby the first sheet processing station is The document surface, which is positioned and set at a predetermined position between the platen glass l and the full-surface belt 13 with the image surface facing downward, is sequentially optically scanned from the left side to the left side, and an image is formed and exposed on the photoreceptor surface to perform copying. In other words, exposure of the original image onto the photoreceptor is performed in a portion of the platen glass 1 serving as the first station in a fixed original exposure method.

(4) Moving optical members 4 and 5 that have moved forward to a predetermined forward movement end point
・When the lamp 4 is turned off, the unit 6 turns into a backward movement and returns to the initial home position and waits. However, when the set number of copies is multiple copies (multi-copy), the reciprocating operation of the moving optical system 3 is repeated for the set number of copies, and multi-copy is executed for the original. Lights up when moving, turns off when moving back).

(5) When the moving optical system 3 completes the exposure process once (single copy) or the required number of times (multi-copy) for the document set on the platen glass l, the clutch 5
0, the entire belt 13 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction.

As a result, the exposed original on the platen glass l is reversely conveyed to the left of the platen glass l.

(8) The exposed original that has been transported in the reverse direction is then pressed by the transport rollers 28 and 28, which are in the forward rotation driving state.
With the conveying force of 29, the second sheet processing stage passes through the second sheet path 14 without being illuminated by the main document illumination unit, and is moved by the intermediate roller pair 33, 34 . The document is kicked out onto the document stacking tray 10 with the image surface facing downward by the conveying force of the discharge roller pair 32, and is reloaded on top of the unexposed document on the tray IO.

(7) The next document from the tray IO is fed onto the platen glass L in the same manner as in the steps I-(12) to (14) above, and is positioned and set at a predetermined position on the platen glass L. . (8) Then, as with the optical original, the original is optically scanned by the moving optical system 3 and then ejected onto the tray 10 through the steps (3) to (6) above, and is subjected to the copying process.

(8) The following (?) - (8) are automatically repeated to create tray 1.
The stacked documents 0 on top 0 are automatically fed one by one from the bottom and returned to the tray 10 one after another, and during this time the document image is placed on the platen glass 1, which is the first sheet processing station. Exposure is 1 with original fixed exposure method
Multi-copy is executed repeatedly or a predetermined number of times.

(lO) In the case of multi-copying, each original is repeatedly exposed to light on the platen glass l for the predetermined number of copies N - 1 times. By circulating and feeding only once in the 1-feed mode, the remaining 1 sheet of each document is copied, further shortening the overall copying processing time and speeding up the copying work. . RDF in this case
Device Example 2 Switching from the feeding mode to the first feeding mode may be done manually, or it may be automated.

③ In the case of manual original set When copying by manual original set without using the RDF device, open the entire RDF device unit from above the platen glass platen glass 1' of copying machine A and place it in the specified position on the platen glass 1. When you position and set a document with the image side facing down, place the RDF device on top of it, and close it, the entire surface belt 13 will cover the set document, and the document will be completely covered.)
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Shigara 4-state. Next, when the copy start button is pressed, the movable optical system 3 moves back and forth to optically scan the surface of the document, and copy processing is executed.

FIG. 8 is a detailed view of the reciprocating optical system 3 of the main body A of the copying machine.

The halogen lamp 4 and the first mirror 5 are one first mirror 121
It is fixed to the rail 120 and is mounted so as to be movable in parallel in the direction of the arrow. Wire 1 is attached to the first mirror 121.
23 is fixed, a driving pulley 124 and a driven pulley 125
It's being put on.

On the other hand, the second mirror 6 is fixed to a second mirror unit 122 and is attached to the rail 120F so that it can be moved in parallel in the direction of the arrow. A wire 132 is fixed to the second mirror unit 122, and is hung around a drive pulley 131 and a driven pulley 133.The drive pulley 124 and the drive pulley 131 are fixed to a drive shaft 126, and the shaft pulley 127 is fixed to the The drive from the reversing motor 130 is applied to the motor pulley 129. belt 1
28. The driven pulley 125 and the driven pulleys 13 and 3 are rotatably attached to a driven shaft 135.

Sensors 134 and 134' detect the position of the first mirror unit 121, and the position is detected when the projection 121' of the first mirror unit 121 blocks the sensor 134 or 134'. In particular, the sensor 134 detects the home position of the moving optical system 3.

Pulleys 131 and 13 for the diameter of pulleys 124 and 125
3 is half the diameter, and when the motor 130 is driven in normal rotation, the first mirror 121, that is, the lamp 4 and the first mirror 5
moves forward at a speed V, and the -1 second mirror 122, that is, the second mirror 6 moves forward at a speed V/2 in the same direction. Also motor 1
When reversely driven at step 30, both move back to the initial home position.

If a DC motor or the like is used as the motor 130, the first mirror 121 can be stopped at a predetermined position with relatively high accuracy. It goes without saying that the drive may be transmitted via a clutch, gear, etc. as in the conventional case.

FIG. 9 is an electrical block diagram for controlling operations centered on the RDF device shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Ql is a control section of the main body of the copying machine that includes a well-known microcomputer. Q2 is a control unit consisting of a microcomputer for controlling the RDF device, and is a ROM@R
This is a well-known LSI including an AM-ALV-I10 latch and the like.

IRPT is the interrupt pin of microcomputer Q2,
A.I. ~AI3. BI0 to BI4 are input ports,
AOo "AO3, BOo ~ Boa, CO0~
CO3 is the output boat. CK is a clock pulse detection sensor that detects a slit in a clock plate (not shown) which rotates in synchronization with the first motor Ml.
The time between 1 and 54 is monitored and used for jam detection, etc.

DSW is a switch that detects the opening and closing of the RDF device.
This helps in determining whether the RDF device can be used.

Q3A, Q3B, Q3C, and Q3D are drivers composed of transistors and the like.

The 5TART signal input to input port B■3 is a signal output from the copying machine main body in synchronization with the copy button on the copying machine main body, and when RDF is selected from the operation panel PANEL and the READY signal described later is This signal is activated only when it is output from Q2. Same 5TART
The signal starts the operation of the RDF device.

The signal input to Bi2 is the above-mentioned first signal of RDF.
and a second mode signal for determining one of the two feeding modes.

The 0ENDi number output from the output capo BOo is a signal output when the circulation sensor 71 detects it, and the copying machine main body control Q1 can control the number of copies using this signal.

The READY signal output by the output boat BOI is R
This signal informs the copying machine that the DF device is operable, and is output when the switch DSW is closed, a document is loaded on the RDF device, and the RDF device is not in the JAM state.

The signal output from BO2 is a signal that informs the main body of the RDF feeding mode.

Output capo) 5IZEI- output from Co0 to CO3
The 3IZE4 signal is a signal that informs the copying machine main body of the size (A3, A4, B4, etc.) of the document loaded on the RDF device, and this signal enables the copying machine main body to selectively replenish copy paper. The size is detected using the clock pulse CK, which is the document passage time of the document sensor St or S2.
It is appropriate to measure it by. Also, operation panel P
ANEL is an operation section including an RDF selection button, copy setting number of copies, copy button, magnification setting button, etc., and is inputted to the copying machine main body control section Ql to control the copying machine A-RDF device B.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are schematic flowcharts showing the operation control program of the RDF device.

First, the operation of RDF will be explained.

R due to the 5TART signal being sent from the copying machine body.
The DF device starts operating. First, the feeding mode is determined, and when it is the first feeding mode, the first motor Ml and the clutch 49 are driven, and the clutch 50 is rotated in the forward direction, so that the document is separated from the lower side and fed and conveyed.

Next, when the trailing edge of the document is detected by the first sensor, the clutch 49 is caused to stop driving the 0FFL separating section. During this time, the document is conveyed between the full surface belt and the platen, and after the trailing edge of the document is detected by the document sensor S2, the clutch 50 is set to the stop position after N clock pulses have elapsed, and the conveyance of the full surface belt is stopped. If the previous document is not detected by the document sensor S4 at that time, the clutch 50 is switched to the reverse direction to reversely feed the document on the platen. If the previous document is still detected by the document sensor S4, the clutch 50 is switched to reverse rotation after it passes the sensor S4.

Next, after the sensor S3 is detected and M clock pulses have elapsed, the second motor M2 is turned OWL to adjust the registration with the main body of the copying machine.

After this, when the document is detected by sensor S4, 5T
The control program branches according to the ART signal.

That is, when the 5TART signal is in the ON state, it means that the copying of all the originals has not been completed, and in this case, the process returns to (2) and the same sequence control is repeated.

-15 When the TART signal is in the OFF state, copying of all original documents has been completed, and after the last original is ejected, the process returns to (2) and the RDF operation is completed.

Next, in the case of the second feeding mode, the first motor Ml and the second motor M2 are turned on with the drive clutch 49 ON, and the clutch 50 is rotated in the forward direction to separate and transport the document to the front side. When the trailing edge of the document is detected by the 1 sensor, the clutch 49 is caused to stop driving the 0FFL separating section. During this time, the original is conveyed between the full-surface belt and the platen, and after the trailing edge of the original is detected by the original sensor S21, after N clock pulses have elapsed, the clutch 50 is set to the stop position to stop the conveyance of the full-surface belt and the original is stored on the platen. When a predetermined number of copies have been made, the clutch 50 is reversed.

Next, FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the main body in one embodiment of the present invention.

The operation of the main unit will be explained below.

First, when the copying machine is powered on, initial setting and standby processing are performed, and when a copy button (not shown) is pressed, it is determined whether the St feeding mode or the second feeding mode is selected.

When the first feeding mode is selected, it is confirmed that the optical system is at the home position, and if a READY signal is output from the RDF, a 5TART signal is output to start the RDF. Copying is started a predetermined time after the sensor S3 in the RDF is blocked by the original, and the registration is adjusted. Copying here is performed with the optical system fixed at the home position. Copying is continued until a predetermined number of copies are completed, and after the final original of the final copy is ejected, the RDF stops and returns to the standby state.

9-include #key "Todoroki (1 Parental abuse h-Issu injury l) (Confirm that Hando is in the home position and press REA from RDF.
If the DY signal is output, the 5TART signal is output to start the RDF. Then, when a document is set, the main body copies a predetermined number of sheets by moving the optical system, repeating this process for all the documents, and when the copying is completed, it returns to the standby state after ejecting the last document.

In either of the first and second feeding modes, if the optical system is not located at the home position, an operation is performed to position the optical system to the home position; After confirming the return to , the RDF device starts sheet feeding operation.

In the above embodiment, the home positions of optical systems 4 and 5 are
Second sheet processing station 1 as in model 54
However, as in the model in Figure 2, the distance ip from the #I2 sheet processing station 1 position is
When the home position is set to a position shifted by the amount of time, when the first feeding mode is selected, the optical system 4 and 5 are distance viewing.

The second sheet processing station 1 is moved and driven to stand by in the same state as the model shown in FIG. 3, which corresponds to the second sheet processing station 1 position. Then, the movement of Jlit2 to the sheet processing station 1' position is confirmed, and the same operation steps as in the second feeding mode described above are thereafter executed.

Further, according to the present invention, by placing the paper ejection side of the sheet feeding device on the home position side of the optical system reading section of the copying machine main body, it is possible to reduce the moving distance of the main body optical system when using RDF. Furthermore, by locating the second processing station opposite the home position, the movement described above is unnecessary and a mirror positioning mechanism for reading is no longer required.

In addition, vibrations caused by movement are reduced, and the time required to move the mirror is shortened, resulting in faster copying.

Furthermore, since the main body optical system is used for both the first feeding mode and the second feeding mode, there is an effect that an exposure optical system dedicated to continuous reading is not required.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 are model diagrams of the first and second feeding modes and the positional relationship of the sheet processing means, FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the RDF apparatus constructed according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a drive mechanism. Figures 6 and 7 are respectively an enlarged plan view and a side view of the document lva end detection mechanism, Figure 8 is a perspective view of the optical system of the main body, and Figure 9 shows the device operating in the first feeding mode. Examples of control circuits for performing the above are shown in flowcharts in FIGS. 1θ, 11, and 12. A is the main copying machine, B is the RDF device, l is the platen glass, 3 is the moving optical system, IO is the original loading tray, 0 is the stacked original, IT is the seat) single sheet separation and conveyance mechanism, L is the original illumination unit,
Sa#Sb, S1 to S4 are sheet sensors. Figure 10 Figure 9

Claims (1)

[Claims] (a sheet feeding section; a first sheet processing station; a flat stage for conveying sheets from the sheet feeding section to a predetermined position of the first sheet processing station; and a second sheet processing station). a station; a means for transporting the sheet through the first sheet processing stage or the second sheet processing station; returning the sheet to the sheet feeding section; or transporting the sheet to the sheet discharging section; a movable sheet processing means that waits on the second sheet processing station side or at the station position as a home position, and is driven forward in the direction of the first sheet processing station and reversely driven in the reverse direction; Characteristic sheet feeding device.