Sheet conveying device, image reading device, and imaging device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a sheet conveying device, which includes: a cover unit; a base unit; a roller unit configured to be detachable from the cover unit and including a roller and a holder, the roller being configured to convey a sheet along a conveying path, the holder including an arm portion configured to extend in a width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction; a cam configured to swing the holder by rotation; and a cover member configured to be openable and closable relative to the cover unit and configured to cover at least a part of the arm portion relative to the conveying path in a closed state, and in a case where the roller unit is detached from the cover unit, the cover member is opened by being pressed by the arm portion. The present disclosure also relates to a graphic reading device and an imaging device.

Description

[0001] This divisional application is a divisional application of a Chinese patent application with the application number 201910587001.3, the filing date of July 2, 2019, and the invention title of "Sheet Feeding Device, Image Reading Device, and Imaging Device". Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device for feeding a sheet, an image reading device equipped with the sheet feeding device, and an imaging device. Background Art

[0003] Generally, an imaging device such as a printer is known, which is connected to the upper part of the imaging device body and can read an image on a document. The image reading device can read an image on a document conveyed by an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as ADF).

[0004] Currently, a printer has been proposed, which can open the sheet feeding cover of the ADF to replace a transfer roller unit provided on the sheet feeding cover (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-229538). The pickup roller and the sheet feeding roller are rotatably supported on the transfer roller unit, and the engagement between the sheet feeding cover and the transfer roller unit is released while the holding portion provided on the transfer roller unit is held. By pulling out the transfer roller unit in a state where the engagement between the sheet feeding cover and the transfer roller unit is released, the transfer roller unit can be removed from the sheet feeding cover.

[0005] The transfer roller unit disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-229538 is arranged in a manner that it is exposed to the transfer path, but if there is an area on the transfer roller unit where a document may get stuck, this area can be covered by a cover. However, if such a cover is attached to the sheet feeding cover, this cover must be removed first if the transfer roller unit needs to be replaced, and thus the replaceability becomes poor. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a sheet conveying device includes: a cover unit including a first guide; a base unit configured to support the cover unit in an openable and closable manner and including a second guide, the first guide and the second guide forming a conveying path in a state where the cover unit is closed with respect to the base unit; a roller unit configured to be detachable from the cover unit and including a roller and a holder, the roller configured to convey a sheet along the conveying path, the holder configured to rotatably support the roller, the holder including an arm portion configured to extend in a width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction; a cam disposed outside the conveying path in the width direction and configured to abut against the arm portion, the cam configured to swing the holder by rotation; and a cover member configured to be openable and closable with respect to the cover unit and configured to cover at least a part of the arm portion with respect to the conveying path in a closed state, the cover member being opened by being pressed by the arm portion in a case where the roller unit is detached from the cover unit.

[0007] Additional features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 is an overall schematic view showing a printer according to the present embodiment.

[0009] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an image reading device.

[0010] Figure 3 is a side view showing the image reading device in a state where the cover unit is opened.

[0011] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the cover unit.

[0012] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a sheet feeding unit.

[0013] Figure 6 is a front view showing the sheet feeding unit.

[0014] Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the sheet feeding unit and a lifting unit.

[0015] Figure 8 is a control block diagram according to the present embodiment.

[0016] Figure 9 is along Figure 7A cross-sectional view taken in the direction of arrow P-P, which shows the cover member in a state where the cam surface and the cam follower are in contact.

[0017] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along Figure 7 the direction of arrow P-P, which shows the cover member in a state where the smooth surface and the cam follower are in contact.

[0018] Figure 11 is a perspective view showing the coupling member and the holding lever.

[0019] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along Figure 11 the direction of arrow K-K, which shows the peripheral structure of the coupling member.

[0020] Figure 13 is a perspective view showing the support portion and the shaft clamping portion of the upper guide member.

[0021] Figure 14 is a perspective view showing the support portion, the shaft clamping portion, and the separation arm holding portion.

[0022] Figure 15 is an enlarged perspective view showing the support portion, the shaft clamping portion, and the separation arm holding portion.

[0023] Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along Figure 15 the direction of arrow W-W, which shows the support portion and the shaft clamping portion.

[0024] Figure 17 is a perspective view showing the state where the sheet feeding unit is attached to the cover unit.

[0025] Figure 18 is a perspective view showing the position where the sheet feeding unit is in the middle of being detached from the cover unit.

[0026] Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the opening angle of the cover unit and the cover member.

[0027] Figure 20 is a side view showing the protrusion provided on the cover member.

[0028] Figure 21 is a side view showing the state where the protrusion and the lower guide member are in contact.

[0029] Figure 22 is a side view showing the closed state of the cover member and the cover unit. Detailed Description

[0030] Overall Structure

[0031] Printer 100, which is used as an imaging device, is a laser beam printer that forms a monochromatic toner image using an electrophotographic system. As Figure 1 shown, printer 100 includes a printer main body 100A and an image reading device 101 mounted on the upper part of the printer main body 100A. The printer main body 100A includes: a sheet feeding device 120 for feeding stacked sheets; an imaging unit 114 for forming an image on the sheets fed by the sheet feeding device 120; a fixing unit 106; and a sheet discharge roller pair 109.

[0032] If a command to form an image is output to printer 100, the imaging process by imaging unit 114 starts based on the image information input from an external computer connected to printer 100, image reading device 101, etc. Imaging unit 114 includes a photosensitive drum 110, a charging roller 115, a developing device (not shown), a laser scanner 104, and a transfer roller 111.

[0033] Laser scanner 104 irradiates a laser beam toward photosensitive drum 110 based on the input image information. In this state, photosensitive drum 110 is pre-charged by charging roller 115, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on photosensitive drum 110 by irradiating the laser beam onto the photosensitive drum. Thereafter, the electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device (not shown), and a monochromatic toner image is formed on photosensitive drum 110.

[0034] Simultaneously with the above imaging process, sheet P is fed from sheet feeding device 120. Sheet feeding device 120 includes a cassette 113 for storing sheet P, a pickup roller 105, and a separation roller pair 116. Sheet P stored in cassette 113 is fed by pickup roller 105 and separated one by one by separation roller pair 116. Cassette 113 can support the sheets in a liftable manner by a sheet support part (not shown), and one of the two rollers constituting the separation roller pair 116 can be composed of a separation pad.

[0035] Sheet P separated one by one by separation roller pair 116 abuts against alignment roller pair 117 in a stopped state, the skew of sheet P is corrected by the alignment roller pair, and alignment roller pair 117 conveys sheet P by rotating at a timing matching the transfer of the toner image. The toner image on photosensitive drum 110 is transferred to sheet P conveyed by alignment roller pair 117 by an electrostatic load bias applied to transfer roller 111.

[0036] The predetermined heat and pressure are applied by the fixing unit 106 to the sheet P onto which the toner image has been transferred, whereby the toner is melted and fixed. The sheet P that has passed through the fixing unit 106 is discharged by the sheet discharge roller pair 109 onto the sheet discharge tray 112. The sheet can be fed not only from the cassette 113 but also from the multi-tray 108. The multi-tray 108 is supported relative to the printer main body 100A in an openable and closable manner and is designed to support the sheet in the open state.

[0037] If an image is to be formed on both sides of the sheet P, the sheet P on which the image has been formed on its first side (i.e., the front side) is reversed by the sheet discharge roller pair 109 and sent into the duplex conveyance path 107. The sheet P sent into the duplex conveyance path 107 is conveyed again to the registration roller pair 117, and an image is formed on the second side (i.e., the back side) by the photosensitive drum 110 and the transfer roller 111. The sheet P passes through the fixing unit 106 and is discharged by the sheet discharge roller pair 109 onto the sheet discharge tray 112.

[0038] Image reading device

[0039] Next, the image reading device 101 will be described in detail. As Figure 2 shown, the image reading device 101 includes an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as ADF) 103 that conveys the document D supported on the document tray 15 and discharges the document onto the document discharge tray 16. In addition, the image reading device 101 includes a reading unit 102 that reads the document D conveyed by the ADF 103. The ADF103 serving as a sheet conveying device is pivotally supported by a hinge portion (not shown) relative to the reading unit 102 in the Figure 2 front and back side directions so that the platen document glass 4 can be exposed. In the present embodiment, the sheet includes a recording material on which an image is formed by the imaging unit 114 and a document on which the image is read by the image reading device 101. The document can be a blank sheet of paper or can have an image formed on one or both sides thereof.

[0040] The ADF 103 includes a baffle member 17, a pickup roller 43 serving as a roller, a feed roller 44, a separation roller 20, and a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 251, 252, and 123. The ADF 103 includes a platen roller 121 arranged opposite to the platen glass 2 and a second reading portion 7.

[0041] The reading unit 102 includes a platen glass 2, a platen document glass 4 capable of supporting a document D, and a first reading section 3, and the first reading section 3 is configured to be movable in the sub-scanning direction (i.e., the direction of arrow A). The first reading section 3 and the second reading section 7 include a light source, a photoelectric conversion element, etc. (not shown), and a CCD sensor, a CMOS sensor, etc. can be used as the photoelectric conversion element. The light emitted from the light source is reflected by the document D, and the reflected light from the document D is incident on the photoelectric conversion element. The photoelectric conversion element performs photoelectric conversion of the reflected light from the document D, whereby the image on the document D can be obtained as image information.

[0042] The platen glass 2 is formed of a transparent member such as glass that transmits light. The configuration for reading a document conveyed by the ADF 103 is called document feed reading, and the configuration for reading a document positioned on the platen document glass 4 while the first reading section 3 moves in the sub-scanning direction is called document stationary reading.

[0043] In the case of document stationary reading, the user opens the ADF 103 and places the document on the platen document glass 4. Then, the user operates an operation panel (not shown) to start document stationary reading by the image reading device 101. When document stationary reading is started, the first reading section 3 moves in the sub-scanning direction while reading the image on the document placed on the platen document glass 4.

[0044] In the case of document feed reading, the user places the document D on the document tray 15 while bringing the front edge of the document D into contact with the baffle member 17, and the user operates the operation panel to start document feed reading by the image reading device 101. In this state, the first reading section 3 reads the image while stopped at a position below the platen glass 2. In the state where document feed reading is started, the baffle member 17 retracts upward, and the document D placed on the document tray 15 is conveyed by the pickup roller 43 and separated one by one by the feed roller 44 and the separation roller 20. The document D is conveyed by the conveyor roller pairs 251, 252, and 123 along the document conveyance path 25 serving as a conveyance path, and is pressed against the platen glass 2 by the platen roller 121.

[0045] While the document D is guided by the platen roller 121, the image on the first side (i.e., the front side) of the document D is read by the first reading section 3 through the platen glass 2. If the images on both sides of the document D are to be read, after the image on the document D has been read by the first reading section 3, the image on the second side (i.e., the rear side) of the document D is read by the second reading section 7. The platen glass or the like is provided to face the second reading section 7, but its description is omitted. Then, the document D is discharged to the outside of the device by the sheet discharge roller pair 131 and is supported on the document discharge tray 16.

[0046] As Figure 3 shown in Figure 3 , the ADF 103 includes an ADF main body 103A serving as a base unit and a cover unit 60 serving as a device main body. The cover unit is supported to open and close relative to the ADF main body 103A about a fulcrum 59. The cover unit 60 includes: an upper guide member 61 including a first guide 25a; and a sheet feeding unit 40 serving as a roller unit detachably supported on the upper guide member 61. The ADF main body 103A includes a lower guide member 90 including a second guide 25b, and the second guide forms part of a document conveyance path 25 together with the first guide 25a. The cover unit 60 is opened to process a sheet jammed in the document conveyance path 25 or to replace the sheet feeding unit 40.

[0047] As Figure 4 shown in Figure 4 and described later, the sheet feeding unit 40 is positioned by support portions 65 and 77 formed on the upper guide member 61, and is held by a coupling 66, a shaft clamping portion 64, and a separating arm holding portion 76. A cover member 62 is supported on the upper guide member 61 to open and close about opening and closing shafts 62a and 62b, and the cover member 62 covers the coupling 66 etc. that are transmission-driven to the sheet feeding unit 40. In other words, the cover member 62 is pivotally supported relative to the upper guide member 61 about an axis extending in the width direction. Further, the cover member 62 includes a guide surface 62e for guiding a sheet, and the guide surface 62e forms a document conveyance path 25 for guiding a document D together with the first guide 25a and the second guide 25b (refer to Figure 3 ).

[0048] Sheet feeding unit

[0049] As Figure 5 and 6 shown in Figure 5 and 6 , the sheet feeding unit 40 includes: a feed roller shaft 46 serving as a rotation shaft; a feed roller 44 rotatably supported on the feed roller shaft 46; a holding member 45; and a swing arm 41. The feed roller 44 is attached to the feed roller shaft 46 through a one-way clutch 48, and by driving the feed roller shaft 46, the one-way clutch 48 can rotate in the sheet conveyance direction, i.e., in the direction of arrow E in Figure 6 . At the same time, in a state where the feed roller shaft 46 stops, the feed roller 44 can rotate in the direction of arrow E in Figure 2 by co-rotating with the document D conveyed by a conveyance roller pair 251 (refer to Figure 6 ), but is prevented from rotating in the direction of arrow F.

[0050] The holding member 45 covers the first end portion of the feed roller shaft 46 through the cover portion 45a and is swingably supported on the feed roller shaft 46. The swing arm 41 is swingably supported on the feed roller shaft 46 and is fixed to the holding member 45. The separation arm 55 described later is attached to the holding member 45, and the holding member 45, the swing arm 41, and the separation arm 55 constitute a holding unit 91 serving as a holder.

[0051] The swing arm 41 rotatably supports a pickup shaft 52 that extends in parallel with the feed roller shaft 46, and a pickup roller 43 is rotatably supported on the pickup shaft 52. The pickup roller 43 is composed of two rollers 43a and 43b, and a driven pulley 50 is provided on the end portion of the pickup shaft 52 on the side of the roller 43b through a one-way clutch (not shown). A transmission belt 51 is wound around the driven pulley 50 and a driving pulley 49 provided on the feed roller shaft 46, and the transmission belt 51 rotates by the rotation of the feed roller shaft 46.

[0052] The pickup roller 43 rotates when contacting the sheet and conveys the sheet. At the same time, in a state where the feed roller shaft 46 and the transmission belt 51 are stopped, the pickup roller 43 can rotate in the direction of arrow E along with the document D conveyed by the conveying roller pair 251 (reference Figure 2 ) Figure 6 by co-rotating.

[0053] In addition, the swing arm 41 is connected to a disc spring (not shown) that is loosely fitted to the feed roller shaft 46, and the disc spring serves as a spring clutch. That is, in a state where the feed roller shaft 46 rotates in the forward rotation direction (i.e., the sheet conveying direction), the disc spring becomes tight, and thus the feed roller shaft 46 rotates downward together with the swing arm 41. In a state where the driving force supplied to the feed roller shaft 46 stops after the reading operation is completed, the force for rotating the swing arm 41 downward is lost, and the swing arm 41 is lifted to the standby position by a return spring (not shown).

[0054] The swing arm 41 includes: an arm portion 41a that extends in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction of the pickup roller 43 and has a cam follower 41b formed on its front end portion; and a flag portion 41c for detecting the standby position of the swing arm 41. The cam follower 41b abuts against a lifting cam 85 described later, and the holding unit 91 is lifted along the cam surface of the lifting cam 85. In addition, the swing arm 41 includes a tongue-shaped rib 41d that the user holds together with a pressing portion 55b of the separation arm 55. In addition to the pressing portion 55b, the separation arm 55 serving as a holding portion also includes a protrusion 55a.

[0055] Lifting unit

[0056] Next, we will describe the lifting unit 95 for lifting or swinging the swing arm 41. The lifting unit 95 is provided on the ADF main body 103A (refer to Figure 3 ), and in a state where the cover unit 60 is closed, the lifting unit 95 is arranged adjacent to the driven gear 69 (refer to Figure 4 ), and the driven gear inputs drive to the coupling 66.

[0057] As Figure 7 and 8 shown, the lifting unit 95 includes a lifting motor 80, a motor pulley 81, a driven pulley 82, a transmission belt 83, a camshaft 84, a lifting cam 85, a cam position detection mark 86, and a cam position detection sensor 87. The cam position detection sensor 87 and the lifting motor 80 are connected to the control unit 96, and the control unit 96 controls the lifting motor 80 based on the detection result of the cam position detection sensor 87. The control unit 96 can be provided on the printer main body 100A or the image reading device 101. The motor pulley 81 is attached to the motor shaft of the lifting motor 80, and the transmission belt 83 is wound around the motor pulley 81 and the driven pulley 82.

[0058] The driven pulley 82 is fixed to the camshaft 84. A cam position detection mark 86 serving as a mark portion that rotates integrally with the camshaft 84 is attached to the first end portion of the camshaft 84, and a lifting cam 85 is fixed to the second end portion of the camshaft 84. The lifting cam 85 rotates in the direction of arrow M along with the rotation of the camshaft 84. The cam position detection mark 86 is formed in a disk shape with a part cut off, and can block or open the light path between the light emitting component and the photosensitive portion of the cam position detection sensor 87. The cam position detection sensor 87 serving as a sensor outputs a detection signal according to the position of the cam position detection mark 86. The phase of the lifting cam 85 can be detected by the cam position detection sensor 87 and the cam position detection mark 86 configured in this way.

[0059] The lifting cam 85 serving as a cam is formed in an approximate crescent shape, and includes a smooth surface 85b and a cam surface 85a formed by an arc surface. The lifting cam 85 constantly abuts against the cam follower 41b of the swing arm 41, and the swing arm 41 swings according to the rotation phase of the lifting cam 85. That is, if the reading operation of the document D placed on the document tray 15 is input, the feed roller shaft 46 rotates, the swing arm 41 swings, and the pickup roller 43 abuts against the upper surface of the document D. The document D is fed by rotating the pickup roller 43 in this state.

[0060] In this state, the lifting motor 80 controls the phase of the lifting cam 85 based on the detection result of the cam position detection sensor 87, and when the document D is fed by the pickup roller 43, the smooth surface 85b of the lifting cam 85 abuts against the cam follower 41b. At the same time, when the document D is not fed by the pickup roller 43, the cam surface 85a of the lifting cam 85 abuts against the cam follower 41b. Therefore, the swing arm 41 is slightly lifted, and the pickup roller 43 is separated from the document D.

[0061] Recently, attempts have been made to improve productivity by increasing the sheet transfer speed or shortening the interval between sheets or the distance between the previous and subsequent sheets. In addition, it is also necessary for the printer to transfer various types of sheets including thin paper and thick paper. In a printer with improved productivity and capable of transferring various types of sheets, the pickup roller 43 and the document D must abut against and separate from each other with high precision so as not to cause a document transfer failure. According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the swing arm 41 is lifted by the lifting cam 85, whereby the pickup roller 43 abuts against the document D or separates from the document D with high precision.

[0062] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the Figure 7 direction of arrow P-P, which shows the cover member 62 in a state where the cam surface 85a abuts against the cam follower 41b (i.e., in a state where the document D and the pickup roller 43 are separated). In this state, a gap Q is formed between the cover member 62 and the arm portion 41a. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the Figure 7 direction of arrow P-P, which shows the cover member 62 in a state where the smooth surface 85b abuts against the cam follower 41b (i.e., in a state where the document D abuts against the pickup roller 43). In this state, a gap Q' (0 < Q' < Q) is formed between the cover member 62 and the arm portion 41a. As described, regardless of the phase of the lifting cam 85, the arm portion 41a of the swing arm 41 and the cover member 62 are in a non-contact positional relationship.

[0063] Support structure of the sheet feeding unit

[0064] Next, the support structure of the sheet feeding unit 40 will be described. As Figure 11 shown, the first end side of the feed roller shaft 46 of the sheet feeding unit 40 is positioned by the support portion 77 of the upper guide member 61 and connected to the coupling member 66. The coupling member 66 can be connected to and separated from the feed roller shaft 46. As Figure 5 shown, a spring pin 47 is provided on the first end of the feed roller shaft 46, and in a state where the spring pin 47 and the coupling member 66 are engaged, the rotation of the coupling member 66 is transmitted to the feed roller shaft 46.

[0065] In this configuration, the holding lever 67 is arranged upstream in the sheet conveying direction of the connecting member 66, and the holding lever 67 is pivotally supported on the upper guide member 61. Lever claws 67a and 67b are provided on the holding lever 67, and in a state where the lever claws 67a and 67b are engaged with the engaging hole portions 62c and 62d formed in the lid member 62 (refer to Figure 4 ), the lid member 62 is maintained in the closed state. The holding lever 67 is pushed by a spring (not shown) so that the lever claws 67a and 67b are engaged with the engaging hole portions 62c and 62d. A recessed portion 67c is formed on the upper guide member 61 near the holding lever 67, and the user can open the lid member 62 in the closed state by inserting a finger into the recessed portion 67c.

[0066] As Figure 11 shown, the connecting member 66 is provided on the drive shaft 68, and a driven gear 69 is fixed to an end portion of the drive shaft 68 opposite to the connecting member 66, and rotation from a drive gear (not shown) is transmitted to the driven gear. Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of arrow K-K of Figure 11 . As Figure 12 shown, the drive shaft 68 is rotatably supported on the upper guide member 61 by bearings 70 and 71, and axial movement is controlled by E-rings 72 and 73.

[0067] The connecting member 66 includes: a first cylindrical portion 66a that houses a parallel pin 74 provided at an end portion of the drive shaft 68; and a second cylindrical portion 66b that has a smaller radius than the first cylindrical portion 66a and is slidable on the drive shaft 68. A compression spring 75 is arranged between the second cylindrical portion 66b and the E-ring 72, and the parallel pin 74 is pressed against a stepped portion between the first cylindrical portion 66a and the second cylindrical portion 66b by the driving force of the compression spring 75 in a natural state. The connecting member 66 can slide in the axial direction toward the driven gear 69 against the driving force of the compression spring 75, and when the sheet feeding unit 40 is attached or detached, the connecting member 66 is moved by the user in a sliding motion.

[0068] As Figure 13 and 14As shown in the figure, the second end side of the feed roller shaft 46 of the sheet feeding unit 40 is positioned by the arc-shaped support portion 65 provided on the upper guide member 61. In addition, the shaft clamping portion 64 is arranged adjacent to the support portion 65 on the upper guide member 61, and the pair of shaft holders 64a and 64b are provided on the shaft clamping portion 64. The clamping surfaces 64c for clamping the cover portion 45a covering the first end of the feed roller shaft 46 of the holding member 45 are formed on the corresponding shaft holders 64a and 64b. As Figure 16 shown in the figure, the clamping surface 64c and the support portion 65 are formed in an arc shape along the outer periphery of the cover portion 45a. As described, the downstream side of the shaft clamping portion 64 serving as the holding portion in the disassembly direction in which the sheet feeding unit 40 is disassembled from the cover unit 60 is formed to be open. That is, the shaft clamping portion 64 has an opening portion 64d, and the downstream side of the opening portion along the disassembly direction is open.

[0069] The shaft holders 64a and 64b can be elastically deformed in a direction away from each other by pushing the cover portion 45a, and the cover portion 45a is clamped by the clamping surfaces 64c of the corresponding shaft holders 64a and 64b. That is, the sheet feeding unit 40 is positioned by the support portion 65 through the cover portion 45a of the holding member 45 and the feed roller shaft 46, and can be held by the shaft clamping portion 64.

[0070] As Figure 14 and 15 shown in the figure, the separation arm holding portion 76 serving as the engaged portion is formed on the upper guide member 61 near the shaft clamping portion 64. The separation arm holding portion 76 can be engaged with the protrusion 55a serving as the engaged portion of the separation arm 55 provided on the sheet feeding unit 40. More specifically, as Figure 14 shown in the figure, the separation arm holding portion 76 includes an inclined surface 76a and an engaging surface 76b. In addition, as Figure 5 shown in the figure, the protrusion 55a includes an inclined surface 55c and an engaging surface 55d.

[0071] In the state where the sheet feeding unit 40 is mounted on the cover unit 60, when the inclined surface 76a of the separation arm holding portion 76 slides against the inclined surface 55c of the protrusion 55a, the separation arm holding portion 76 is elastically deformed. Then, if the inclined surface 55c of the protrusion 55a exceeds the inclined surface 76a of the separation arm holding portion 76, the deformation of the separation arm holding portion 76 is restored, and the engaging surface 55d of the protrusion 55a is engaged with the engaging surface 76b of the separation arm holding portion 76. The protrusion 55a of the separation arm 55 is configured to be movable between a first position where the protrusion 55a can be engaged with the separation arm holding portion 76 and a second position where the engagement between the protrusion 55a and the separation arm holding portion 76 is released. AsFigure 15 As shown in Figure 15 , while the user holds the tongue-shaped rib 41d and the pressing portion 55b, the protrusion 55a elastically deforms from the first position to the second position in the direction of arrow L, and the engagement with the separating arm holding portion 76 can be released. The tongue-shaped rib 41d and the pressing portion 55b can also be held when installing the sheet feeding unit 40 to elastically deform the protrusion 55a.

[0072] Attachment and detachment operations of the sheet feeding unit

[0073] Next, the attachment and detachment operations of the sheet feeding unit 40 will be described. First, the detachment operation of the sheet feeding unit 40 will be described. As Figure 3 shown in Figure 3 , when removing the sheet feeding unit 40, the user opens the cover unit 60 from the ADF main body 103A. At this time, as Figure 17 shown in Figure 17 , in the state where the sheet feeding unit 40 is installed in the cover unit 60, the separating arm 55 is engaged with the separating arm holding portion 76. In addition, the cover member 62 is in a closed state with respect to the upper guide member 61.

[0074] The user (including maintenance technicians) holds the tongue-shaped rib 41d and the pressing portion 55b to deform the separating arm 55 in the direction of arrow L. Therefore, as Figure 18 shown in Figure 18 , the engagement of the protrusion 55a of the separating arm 55 with the separating arm holding portion 76 (refer to Figure 14 ) is released, and the sheet feeding unit 40 can be detached. In addition, the user can easily hold the sheet feeding unit 40, for example, by holding the tongue-shaped rib 41d with the right index finger and the pressing portion 55b with the right thumb.

[0075] In the state where the engagement between the protrusion 55a and the separating arm holding portion 76 is released, by pulling the sheet feeding unit 40 in the direction of arrow R, the user can detach the cover portion 45a from the shaft clamping portion 64 (refer to Figure 14 ). In this state, the paired shaft clamping members 64a and 64b of the shaft clamping portion 64 are pressed by the cover portion 45a and deformed in the mutually separating direction, and they recover after the cover portion 45a is detached from the shaft clamping members 64a and 64b.

[0076] If the user pulls on the separation arm 55 side of the sheet feeding unit 40 in this state, the arm portion 41a of the swing arm 41 contacts the cover member 62 in the contact portion S in the closed state. In this state, the coupling member 66 maintains contact with the feed roller shaft 46, and the sheet feeding unit 40 can be tilted in the direction of arrow R corresponding to the amount of clearance between the groove portion of the coupling member 66 and the spring pin 47 provided at the first end portion of the feed roller shaft 46. That is, during the process of detaching the sheet feeding unit 40 from the cover unit 60 in a state where the coupling member 66 is connected to the feed roller shaft 46, the arm portion 41a abuts against the cover member 62. Further, in a state where the sheet feeding unit 40 moves in the detachment direction from the state of being mounted on the cover unit 60, the arm portion 41a abuts against the cover member 62 before the feed roller shaft 46 and the cover portion 45a are separated from the shaft clamping portion 64. The shaft clamping portion 64 can be configured to hold not only the feed roller shaft 46 and the cover portion 45a but also other portions of the sheet feeding unit 40.

[0077] The cover member 62 is arranged to contact the arm portion 41a of the sheet feeding unit 40 in the detachment direction of the sheet feeding unit 40. The detachment direction of the sheet feeding unit 40 is determined, for example, by the shapes of the support portions 65, 77 and the shaft clamping portion 64, and in the configuration of the present embodiment, the support portions 65, 77 and the shaft clamping portion 64 have arcuate, i.e., U-shaped, grooves such that the direction in which the grooves are opened is the detachment direction.

[0078] The lifting cam 85 is provided on the outer side in the width direction of the document conveyance path 25 (refer to Figure 3 ) so as not to interfere with the document conveyance path 25. Therefore, the cam follower 41b that can abut against the lifting cam 85 must also be provided on the outer side in the width direction of the document conveyance path 25, and the pickup roller 43 swingably supported by the swing arm 41 must be provided on the inner side in the width direction of the document conveyance path 25. Therefore, the arm portion 41a of the swing arm 41 extends in the width direction so as to arrange the cam follower 41b on the outer side of the document conveyance path 25.

[0079] In the configuration of the present embodiment, the cover member 62 covers at least a part of the arm portion 41a and the coupling member 66 with respect to the document conveyance path 25, and a guide surface 62e capable of guiding the document D is formed on the lower side of the cover member 62. Therefore, it becomes possible to reduce paper jams caused by the document D being caught by the arm portion 41a or the coupling member 66 that swings due to the rotation of the lifting cam 85.

[0080] By detaching the sheet feeding unit 40 from the cover unit 60, the cover member 62 is pressed by the arm portion 41a of the swing arm 41 in the direction of arrow V. Therefore, the engagement between the cover member 62 and the holding lever 67 (refer to Figure 11 ) is released, and as Figure 19As shown, the cover member 62 opens in the direction of arrow G. After tilting the sheet feeding unit 40 in the direction of arrow R and opening the cover member 62, the connection between the coupling member 66 and the feed roller shaft 46 is released by pulling the sheet feeding unit 40 in the axial direction of the feed roller shaft 46. The release of the connection between the feed roller shaft 46 of the sheet feeding unit 40 and the coupling member 66 can be performed before or after opening the cover member 62. As described, in the state where the sheet feeding unit 40 is removed, the cover member 62 is pushed by the arm portion 41a and the cover member 62 is opened so that the sheet feeding unit 40 can be easily removed.

[0081] In the state where the cover unit 60 is opened, the opening angle T of the cover unit 60 with respect to the ADF main body 103A (refer to Figure 3 ) is set to approximately 80 degrees. Further, in the state where the cover member 62 is opened, the opening angle U of the cover member 62 with respect to the cover unit 60 is set to approximately 60 degrees.

[0082] Next, the installation operation of the sheet feeding unit 40 will be described. In the state where the cover member 62 is opened, the user holds the tongue-shaped rib 41d and the pressing portion 55b of the sheet feeding unit 40 and attaches the sheet feeding unit 40 to the cover unit 60. In this state, the coupling member 66 slides in the axial direction against the driving force of the compression spring 75 (refer to Figure 12 ), whereby the feed roller shaft 46 of the sheet feeding unit 40 is connected to the coupling member 66.

[0083] Then, the user presses the cover portion 45a of the sheet feeding unit 40 into the shaft clamping portion 64 and engages the separating arm 55 with the separating arm holding portion 76. Thus, the sheet feeding unit 40 is held in the cover unit 60. Finally, the user pushes the cover member 62 in the closing direction (i.e., Figure 19 the direction of arrow H) and closes the cover member 62 with respect to the upper guide member 61.

[0084] If the user needs to manually press the cover member 62 to close it, the user may forget to close the cover member 62. Further, the operation of closing the cover member 62 should be omitted for simplification. Therefore, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, as Figure 20 shown, a protruding portion 62f protruding toward the ADF main body 103A is formed on the cover member 62. The protruding portion 62f is provided on the outer side of the document conveyance path 25 (refer to Figure 3 ) in the width direction, and it will not obstruct the conveyance of the document D.

[0085] As Figure 21As shown in the figure, if the cover unit 60 is closed in the direction of arrow C with the cover member 62 open, the protruding portion 62f of the cover member 62 abuts against the lower guide member 90. If the cover unit 60 is further closed in the direction of arrow C in this state, only the cover unit 60 will move closer to the lower guide member 90 while the cover member 62 abuts against the lower guide member 90. Then, as Figure 22 shown in the figure, in the state where the cover unit 60 is closed, the cover member 62 will be held by the holding lever 67 of the cover unit 60 (refer to Figure 11 ) and the closing operation of the cover member 62 will be completed. As described, even if the user does not manually close the cover member 62, the cover member 62 will be in the closed state in association with the closing operation of the cover unit 60, so that it becomes possible to omit the closing operation of the cover member 62 and prevent the cover member 62 from being forgotten to be closed.

[0086] As described, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, during the disassembly operation of the sheet feeding unit 40, the cover member 62 is pressed by the arm portion 41a of the swing arm 41 and the cover member 62 is configured to automatically open. Therefore, when disassembling the sheet feeding unit 40, it is not necessary to manually open the cover member 62, and the sheet feeding unit 40 can be easily removed.

[0087] In addition, since the protruding portion 62f is provided on the cover member 62, even if the cover unit 60 is closed without closing the cover member 62 after the sheet feeding unit 40 is installed in the cover unit 60, the cover member 62 will still automatically close. As described, the attachment and disassembly operations of the sheet feeding unit 40 can be easily performed, and the operability of replacing the sheet feeding unit 40 can be improved.

[0088] In addition, the cover member 62 covers a part of the coupling member 66 and the arm portion 41a, and a guide surface 62e for guiding the document D is formed on the lower side of the cover member 62. Therefore, it becomes possible to reduce the possibility that the document D is jammed due to being caught by the arm portion 41a or the coupling member 66 that swings due to the rotation of the lifting cam 85.

[0089] According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the sheet feeding unit 40 includes the feeding roller 44, but the feeding roller 44 can also be omitted. In addition, the sheet feeding unit 40 can adopt a configuration in which the pickup roller 43 is not supported liftably, but one of the two rollers of the transfer roller pair can be simply configured to move toward or away from the other roller.

[0090] In addition, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the lid member 62 is pivotally supported relative to the upper guide member 61 about an axis extending in the width direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the lid member 62 may be pivotally supported relative to the upper guide member 61 about an axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the width direction, or it may be detachably supported relative to the upper guide member 61. Any configuration may be adopted as long as the lid member 62 is opened relative to the lid unit 60 when the sheet feeding unit 40 is detached from the lid unit 60. The detachment of the lid member 62 includes the opening of the lid member 62 relative to the lid unit 60.

[0091] All of the above configurations are shown based on the printer 100 employing an electrophotographic system, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention can be applied to an inkjet imaging device in which ink is ejected through nozzles to form an image on a sheet.

[0092] Other embodiments

[0093] Embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by a computer of a system or device that reads and executes computer-executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be more fully referred to as a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium") to perform the functions of one or more of the above embodiments, and / or the computer includes one or more circuits (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) that are configured to perform the functions of one or more of the above embodiments, and embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by a method executed by the computer of the system or device, e.g., by reading and executing computer-executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above embodiments and / or controlling one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above embodiments. The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU)), and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors for reading and executing the computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or a storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), the memory of a distributed computing system, an optical disc (e.g., a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), or a Blu-ray disc (BD) TM ), a flash device, a memory card, etc.

[0094] Other embodiments

[0095] Embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by the following method, that is, software (program) that executes the functions of the above embodiments is provided to a system or device through a network or various storage media, and the computer or central processing unit (CPU) or microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program.

[0096] Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims will be given the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications as well as equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An image reading device, the image reading device comprises: a cover unit, the cover unit including a first guide member; a base unit, the base unit configured to support the cover unit in an openable and closable manner, and including a second guide member, the first guide member and the second guide member forming a conveyance path in a state where the cover unit is closed with respect to the base unit; a feeding unit, the feeding unit configured to be detachable from the cover unit, and including a pickup member configured to feed a document, a feeding member configured to convey the document fed by the pickup member along the conveyance path, a rotary shaft configured to rotatably support the feeding member, and a holder swingably supported around the rotary shaft and configured to support the pickup member; a cover member, the cover member supported by the cover unit so as to be pivotable between a closed position where the cover member covers at least a part of the feeding unit and an open position where the part of the feeding unit is exposed; and a reading unit, the reading unit configured to read an image on the document conveyed by the feeding unit, wherein the cover member is moved from the closed position to the open position by being pressed by the holder while the feeding unit is detached from the cover unit.

2. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein, the cover unit includes an engaged portion, the feeding unit includes an engaging portion configured to engage with the engaged portion in a state where the feeding unit is attached to the cover unit, and the engaging portion is configured to move between a first position where the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion and a second position where the engaging portion disengages from the engaged portion.

3. The image reading device according to claim 2, wherein, the feeding unit further includes a holding portion configured to elastically deform the engaging portion from the first position to the second position in a state where the holding portion is held.

4. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein, the cover member is pivotably supported with respect to the cover unit.

5. The image reading device according to claim 1, further comprising a coupling member rotatably supported on the cover unit and configured to be connected to and separated from the rotary shaft, wherein, the cover member is configured to cover the coupling member with respect to the conveyance path in the closed position.

6. The image reading device according to claim 5, wherein, the holder abuts against the cover member during a process of detaching the feeding unit from the cover unit in a state where the coupling member is connected to the rotary shaft.

7. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein, the cover member includes a guide surface configured to form a part of the conveyance path and guide a document in a case where the cover member is positioned in the closed position.

8. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein, The cover unit includes a holding portion, the holding portion includes an opening portion that is open on the downstream side in the detachment direction in which the feeding unit is detached from the cover unit, the holding portion is configured to hold the feeding unit attached to the cover unit, and the cover member is arranged downstream of the rotation axis in the detachment direction.

9. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein, the cover member includes a protruding portion configured to protrude toward the base unit, and in a case where the cover unit is closed with respect to the base unit, the cover member is closed by abutting against the base unit through the protruding portion.

10. An image reading device, the image reading device comprising: a cover unit including a first guide; a base unit configured to support the cover unit in an openable and closable manner and including a second guide, and the first guide and the second guide form a conveyance path in a state where the cover unit is closed with respect to the base unit; a feeding unit configured to be detachable from the cover unit and including a pickup member configured to feed a document, a feeding member configured to convey the document fed by the pickup member along the conveyance path, a rotation axis configured to rotatably support the feeding member, and a holder swingably supported around the rotation axis and configured to support the pickup member; a cover member supported by the cover unit so as to be pivotable between a closed position where the cover member covers at least a part of the feeding unit and an open position where the part of the feeding unit is exposed; and a reading unit configured to read an image on a document conveyed by the feeding unit, wherein the cover member moves from the open position to the closed position by abutting against the base unit while the cover unit is closed with respect to the base unit.

11. The image reading device according to claim 10, wherein, the cover unit includes an engaged portion, the feeding unit includes an engaging portion configured to engage with the engaged portion in a state where the feeding unit is attached to the cover unit, and the engaging portion is configured to move between a first position where the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion and a second position where the engaging portion is disengaged from the engaged portion.

12. The image reading device according to claim 11, wherein, the feeding unit further includes a holding portion configured to elastically deform the engaging portion from the first position to the second position in a state where the holding portion is held.

13. The image reading device according to claim 10, wherein, the cover member is pivotably supported with respect to the cover unit.

14. The image reading device according to claim 10, further comprising a coupling member rotatably supported on the cover unit and configured to be connected to and separated from the rotation axis, wherein, The lid member is configured to cover the coupling member with respect to the conveyance path in the closed position.

15. The image reading device according to claim 14, wherein, during the process of detaching the feeding unit from the lid unit while the coupling member is connected to the rotating shaft, the retainer abuts against the lid member.

16. The image reading device according to claim 10, wherein, the lid member includes a guiding surface configured to form a part of the conveyance path and guide a document when the lid member is positioned in the closed position.

17. The image reading device according to claim 10, wherein, the lid unit includes a holding portion having an opening portion that is open on the downstream side in the detachment direction of the feeding unit from the lid unit, the holding portion being configured to hold the feeding unit attached to the lid unit, and the lid member is disposed downstream of the rotating shaft in the detachment direction.

18. The image reading device according to claim 10, wherein, the lid member includes a protruding portion configured to protrude toward the base unit, and in the case where the lid unit is closed with respect to the base unit, the lid member is closed by abutting against the base unit through the protruding portion.

Images