Sheet conveying device
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023012819
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-01-31
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-29
AI Technical Summary
Existing sheet conveying devices require separate manual operations to tilt and close the regulation guide and paper feed tray, which is time-consuming.
A sheet conveying device with a regulation guide that includes a rotatable and tiltable regulating member, integrated with a paper feed tray, allowing automatic closure and storage without manual tilting.
Saves user effort by automatically closing the regulation guide and paper feed tray during storage, reducing the need for separate operations.
Smart Images
Figure 00000000_0000_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device used in an image reading device such as a scanner, a facsimile, or a copying machine, or an image forming device such as a printer, and to an image reading device equipped with the sheet conveying device. [Background technology]
[0002] A sheet conveying device such as a scanner has a sheet feed tray for stacking sheets to be fed. A pair of regulating guides is provided on the document (sheet) stacking surface of the sheet feed tray to prevent the sheets from skewing when fed.
[0003] It is desirable for such a sheet transport device to be compact.
[0004] In view of this, for example, in the sheet conveying device described in Patent Document 1, a sheet feed tray for stacking sheets is supported on the device body via a hinge portion so as to be openable and closable. Also, a regulating guide is disposed so as to be tiltable with respect to the sheet feed tray. When the device is stored, the sheet feed opening is covered by the sheet feed tray and the pair of tilted regulating guides, thereby making the device smaller when stored. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-39607 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0006] However, in the case of the technology described in Patent Document 1, the user had to manually tilt the regulating guide and then close the paper feed tray every time the device was stored. Therefore, the operation of tilting the regulating guide and the operation of closing the paper feed tray had to be performed separately, which was troublesome.
[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet conveying device and an image reading device that can reduce the user's effort in storing the device. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] In view of the above, a sheet conveying device according to the present invention is a sheet feed tray that holds sheets and is supported openably and closably relative to a device body; the sheet feed tray has a regulating guide having a regulating surface that regulates a position of the sheets in a width direction, the regulating guide including a base member that is movable in the width direction of the sheets, and a regulating member that has the regulating surface and is rotatable relative to the base member; The regulating member is arranged in an upright state for regulating the widthwise position of the sheets loaded in the paper feed tray, and is tiltable from the upright state to the inward or outward direction in the widthwise direction of the sheets, and is characterized in that it tilts from the upright state when the paper feed tray is closed. Effect of the Invention
[0009] According to the present invention, the restriction guide can be closed without manually tilting the restriction guide, thereby saving the user the trouble of performing an operation. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image reading device including a regulating guide according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image reading device shown in FIG. 1; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image reading device when the paper feed tray is closed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a regulating guide according to the present invention; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a regulating member is raised relative to a base member of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a regulating member is housed in an opening of a base member of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the regulating guide showing a state in which the regulating member is raised relative to the base member of the present invention; [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state in which the regulating member is being tilted from an upright state to a base member of the present invention; [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the stopper of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the regulating guide showing a state in which the regulating member is housed in the opening of the base member of the present invention; [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the paper feed tray of the image reading device of the present invention is being closed; [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state of a regulating member when the paper feed tray of the image reading device of the present invention is being closed; [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a regulating guide showing a modified example of the regulating member of the present invention; [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a regulating guide showing a modified example of the regulating member of the present invention; [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a regulating guide showing a modified example of the tilt direction of the regulating member of the present invention; [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modification of the configuration of the regulating guide of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image reading device equipped with a regulating guide according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image reading device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image reading device when the paper feed tray is closed.
[0012] <Device configuration> 1, 2, and 3, in the image reading device 1 of this embodiment, a paper feed tray 2 for stacking sheets is supported openably and closably via a hinge portion 2a relative to the device body 1A. The paper feed tray 2 covers a paper feed opening 13 for sheets when closed (second position) as shown in Fig. 3, and exposes the paper feed opening 13 when open (first position) as shown in Fig. 1 and 2.
[0013] Sheets are stacked on the stacking surface 2b of the sheet feed tray 2, and a pair of regulating guides 300 are arranged to regulate the width direction of the stacked sheets in order to prevent the sheets from skewing or meandering during feeding.
[0014] Then, the multiple sheets stacked on the paper feed tray 2 are separated and fed one by one in the direction D1 starting from the bottom sheet by the feed roller 4 and the retard roller 5, and the sheet fed to the conveying path is conveyed downstream by the conveying roller pair 6. The sheet conveyed to the downstream side of the conveying path has images on both the front and back sides read by the reading sensors 8 and 9, and is then discharged outside the device by the conveying roller pair 7.
[0015] <Structure of the Regulatory Guide> Next, the regulating guide 300 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 10. Since the pair of regulating guides 300 have a bilaterally symmetrical configuration, only one of the regulating guides 300 will be described here.
[0016] As shown in FIG. 4, the regulating guide 300 is made up of a base member 301 and a regulating member 302 .
[0017] The regulating member 302 is intended to regulate the position of the widthwise side of the sheets loaded in the paper feed tray 2, and is rotatable about a rotation axis 302a of the regulating member 302 as a fulcrum, and is supported so as to be tiltable toward the inside of the widthwise direction of the sheets (direction D2) relative to the base member 301.
[0018] The regulating member 302 has a generally rectangular shape that is long in the sheet conveying direction (D1 direction), and a sheet regulating surface 302d of the regulating member 302 shown in FIG. 5 regulates the position of the sheet in the width direction.
[0019] The inclined portion 302e is located at the tip of the regulating member 302 in a range above the top surface of the stacked sheets, and is inclined toward the inside in the sheet width direction (direction D2). By inclining the sheet toward the inside in the sheet width direction, if the edge of the sheet in the width direction is curled, the edge of the sheet and the inclined portion 302e come into contact with each other, and the curl can be suppressed.
[0020] As will be described later, when the paper feed tray 2 is closed to a position (second position) covering the paper feed port 13 of the device main body 1A, the inclined portion 302e comes into contact with the main body top surface 3 of the image reading device 1, and the regulating member 302 falls in the direction D2 and is accommodated within the base member 301.
[0021] The base member 301 has a loading surface 301a on which sheets are loaded, and the loading surface 301a is formed with an opening 301b for accommodating the tilted regulating member 302. A shaft support portion 301d for supporting the shaft 302a is formed in a portion of the inner wall of the opening 301b that corresponds to the shaft 302a.
[0022] Furthermore, a rack portion 301c is extended from the base member 301 at a position on the inner side in the width direction of the sheet (D2 direction), and each rack portion 301c of the pair of regulating guides 300 is connected by a pinion (not shown). This allows each base member 301 of the pair of regulating guides 300 to move symmetrically in the width direction of the sheet (D2 and D2' directions) according to the size of the sheet.
[0023] When the regulating guide 300 is used, the regulating member 302 is used in an upright state (upright state) as shown in FIG. 5, and when the regulating guide 300 is not used, the regulating member 302 is stored in the same plane as the base member 301 (stored state) as shown in FIG. 6.
[0024] In the stored state, the surface 302f of the regulating member 302 is substantially aligned with the loading surface 301a of the base member 301. Thus, even if the regulating member 302 is provided with the inclined portion 302e, the size of the image reading device 1 in the stored state is not affected.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the regulating member 302 is attached to the base member 301 and stands up in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base member 301 so as to be able to regulate the position of the side portions in the width direction of the sheet.
[0026] When the regulating member 302 is in the upright state, a stopper 302c formed on the regulating member 302 abuts against the stacking surface 301a of the base member 301, thereby restricting the regulating member 302 from tilting outward in the width direction of the sheet (in the D2' direction). The regulating member 302 is also provided with a click portion 302b near the rotation shaft 302a, and the click portion 302b can be kept in the upright state by climbing over a protruding portion 301f of the base member 301.
[0027] FIG. 8 shows the restriction member 302 in the process of being tilted from an upright position.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 8, the click portion 302b of the restricting member 302 is disposed so that when the restricting member 302 starts to climb over the protruding portion 301f provided on the base member 301, the angle V of the restricting member 302 becomes an acute angle.
[0029] The position and shape of the stopper that restricts the regulating member 302 from tilting outward in the width direction of the sheet (in the D2' direction) are not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a stopper 301g against which the regulating member 302 abuts may be provided on the base member 301 side.
[0030] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which regulating member 302 is tilted from an upright state to the inside in the sheet width direction (direction D1) relative to base member 301 and stored in opening 301b of base member 301. FIG.
[0031] As described above, in a state in which the regulating member 302 is housed in the opening 301b of the base member 301, the surface 302f of the regulating member 302 is adapted to be substantially flush with the loading surface 301a of the base member 301.
[0032] By forming a notch 301e on the periphery of the opening 301b of the base member 301, it is possible to hook a finger on the inclined portion 302e of the restricting member 302 when opening the restricting member 302, making the operation easier. It is also possible to open the restricting member 302 by hooking a finger on a stopper 302c formed on the restricting member 302.
[0033] Next, the movement of the regulating member 302 when the paper feed tray 2 is closed will be described.
[0034] Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of the image reading device 1 when the paper feed tray 2 is closed as viewed from the front of the device (Y direction in Fig. 1), and Fig. 12 is a schematic enlarged view of the regulating member 302 in Fig. 11. Therefore, the orientation of the regulating member 302 in Figs. 11 and 12 is upside down compared to Figs. 4 to 10.
[0035] When the paper feed tray 2 is tilted (in the X direction in FIG. 1 ) from a position (first position) that opens the paper feed port 13 of the image reading device 1 toward a position (second position) that covers the paper feed port 13, the inclined portion of the regulating member 302 first comes into contact with the top surface 3 of the main body of the image reading device 1.
[0036] 12, when the sheet feed tray 2 is further tilted toward the second position, the regulating member 302 receives a force in the sheet width direction (direction D2) along the inclined portion 302e of the regulating member 302. The click portion 302b of the regulating member 302 receiving the force in the sheet width direction (direction D2) climbs over the protrusion 301f provided on the base member 301.
[0037] When the click portion 302b of the regulating member 302 climbs over the protrusion 301f provided on the base member 301, the angle V of the regulating member 302 becomes an acute angle, and the regulating member 302 is drawn in and tilted toward the paper feed tray 2 side.
[0038] When the sheet feed tray 2 is finally closed to a position (second position) covering the sheet feed opening 13 of the apparatus main body 1A (the state shown in FIG. 3), the restricting member 302 is housed within the base member 301.
[0039] In this way, as the feed tray 2 rotates, the regulating member 302 tilts to the stored state, so there is no need to operate the feed tray 2 and the regulating member 302 separately, which can reduce the effort of operation. In addition, when attempting to store the feed tray 2 in the second position with the regulating member 302 in the upright state, the regulating member 302 collides with the main body top surface 3, preventing the feed tray 2 from being stored and requiring the storage operation to be repeated.
[0040] In this embodiment, the inclined portion 302e is provided over the entire area of the tip of the regulating member 302 in the sheet conveying direction (D1 direction), but it may be provided only in an area (end in the D1 direction) close to the paper feed opening 13 that comes into contact with the main body top surface 3 first when the paper feed tray 2 is closed as shown in Fig. 13. In other words, the inclined portion 302e may be provided only in a part of the side of the paper feed tray 2 close to the hinge portion 2a.
[0041] By providing the inclined portion 302e only in a part of the sheet conveying direction (D1 direction), the inclined portion 302e does not get in the way when loading sheets from upstream in the conveying direction (D1 direction), making it easier to load sheets, compared to when the inclined portion is provided over the entire sheet conveying direction (D1 direction).
[0042] In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, the upstream side of the regulating member 302 in the sheet conveying direction may be shaped so as to come into contact with the main body upper surface 3 first, and the location where the inclined portion 302e is provided is not limited to the side close to the hinge portion 2a of the paper feed tray 2.
[0043] In addition to providing an inclination to the inclined portion 302e of the regulating member 302, it is preferable to provide an R-shape so that the regulating member 302 can easily rotate inward in the sheet width direction (direction D2) when it abuts against the main body upper surface 3 of the image reading device 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the R-shape is not necessary. Although the regulating member 302 is provided with the inclined portion 302e, the inclined portion 302e may be provided as a separate member rather than being integrated with the regulating member 302.
[0044] In this embodiment, the regulating member 302 is arranged so as to be tiltable toward the inside in the sheet width direction (direction D2), but the regulating member 302 may be arranged so as to be tiltable toward the outside in the sheet width direction (direction D2') as shown in Fig. 15. In this case, the inclined portion 302e is located at the tip of the regulating member 302 in a range above the upper surface of the stacked sheets, and is inclined toward the outside in the sheet width direction (direction D2').
[0045] By inclining the inclined portion 302e toward the outer side in the sheet width direction (D2' direction), the sheet is prevented from getting caught on the inclined portion 302e even if the sheet is loaded from the sheet thickness direction instead of from the sheet conveyance direction (D1 direction).
[0046] In addition, since the regulating member 302 is pinched and moved inward in the width direction of the sheet (direction D2) according to the size of the sheet, the regulating member 302 does not fall over during movement, improving workability.
[0047] When the paper feed tray 2 is tilted from the first position toward the second position (X direction in FIG. 1), the regulating member 302 receives a force along the inclined portion 302e of the regulating member 302 toward the outside in the sheet width direction (D2' direction), and the regulating member 302 tilts toward the paper feed tray 2 side.
[0048] Finally, when the paper feed tray 2 is closed to a position (second position) covering the paper feed opening 13 of the apparatus main body 1A (the state shown in FIG. 3), the regulating member 302 is housed within the base member 301.
[0049] The click portion 302b of the regulating member 302 has a click sensation that does not overcome the protrusion 301f of the base member 301 so that the regulating member 302 does not fall over even if the sheet is pressed against the regulating member 302 while being fed.
[0050] In this embodiment, the regulating member 302 is manually switched from the stored state to the standing state. However, the regulating member 302 may be switched in conjunction with the rotation of the paper feed tray 2.
[0051] For example, as shown in FIG. 16(a), a spring 302g, which is an elastic member, is provided on the rotation axis 302a of the regulating member 302. When the paper feed tray 2 is moved to a position (first position) that opens the paper feed port 13 of the device main body 1A, the elastic force of the spring 302g is gradually released, and the regulating member 302 switches to an upright state as shown in FIG. 16(b).
[0052] The elastic force of the spring 302g is set to be weaker than the weight of the paper feed tray 2. This makes it possible to prevent the paper feed tray 2 from floating due to the force of the spring 302g when the paper feed tray 2 is closed to a position (second position) that covers the paper feed opening 13 of the device main body 1A.
[0053] When the paper feed tray 2 is opened to the first position, the regulating member 302 switches to the upright state, so that the user does not need to perform any operation related to the rotation of the regulating member 302, thereby further reducing the effort required for operation.
[0054] In addition, in this embodiment, the regulating member 302 is switched from the upright state to the stored state by the inclined portion 302e of the regulating member 302 abutting against the upper surface 3 of the main body, but it is also possible to provide a linkage mechanism such as a slide mechanism that moves the regulating member 302 in conjunction with the opening and closing of the paper feed tray 2, so that the regulating member 302 is switched in conjunction with the rotational movement of the paper feed tray 2.
[0055] The configuration of the present invention is not limited to that exemplified in the above embodiment, and the material, shape, dimensions, form, number, placement location, etc. can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]
[0056] 1 Image reading device 1A Device body 2 Paper feed tray 3 Body top surface 13 Paper feed port 300 Regulating guide 301 Base member 301a Loading surface 301b Opening 301c Rack portion 301d Shaft support portion 301e Notch portion 301f Convex portion 301g Stopper 302 Regulating member 302a Shaft 302b Click portion 302c Stopper 302d Regulating surface 302e Inclined portion 302f Surface 302g Spring
Claims
1. a sheet feed tray that holds sheets and is supported so as to be openable and closable relative to the device body; a regulating guide provided in the paper feed tray for regulating a position of the sheet in a width direction, The regulation guide is a base member movable in the width direction of the seat; a regulating member that is arranged so as to be tiltable from an upright state to an outer side in the width direction of the sheets, the regulating member regulating the position of the sheets in the width direction relative to the base member and that is loaded on the paper feed tray; A sheet conveying device characterized in that the regulating member is tilted from the upright state when the paper feed tray is closed by an inclined portion provided at the tip of the regulating member and inclined outward in the width direction of the sheet.
2. 2. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member has a click portion for preventing the regulating member from falling over when the regulating member is pressed against the sheets loaded in the paper feed tray.
3. 3. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member tilts from the upright state when the sheet feed tray is closed, with the inclined portion coming into contact with the upper surface of the device body.
4. 2. The sheet transport device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member is brought into the upright position in conjunction with the movement of the paper feed tray when the paper feed tray is opened.
5. The restriction guide has an elastic member, 2. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member is switched to the upright state when the elastic force of the elastic member is released.