Paper feeding device, pressing unit, image reading device, and image forming device

Abstract

To provide a paper feeding device capable of suppressing a pressing member obstructing setting of a sheet bundle to a sheet placement part, to provide a pressing unit, to provide an image reading device, and to provide an image forming device.SOLUTION: An ADF3 includes: a document table 120 which is a sheet placement part; a feeding part for feeding a document which is a sheet placed on the document table 120; and a pressing plate 151 which is a pressing member having a pressing roller which is a pressing part that presses the sheet placed on the document table 120. The pressing plate 151 is rotatably supported by an arm member 152 rotatably supported in a storage member 153 mounted on a paper feeding cover 3a, and can take a pressing position in which the pressing roller presses the document placed on the document table 120 and a retreat position in which the pressing plate retreats and it retreats onto the paper feeding cover 3a which is the position not opposing to the document table.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a feeding device, a pressing unit, an image reading device, and an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a feeding device is known that includes a sheet placement section, a feeding section that feeds a sheet placed on the sheet placement section, and a pressing member having a pressing section that presses the sheet placed on the sheet placement section.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes, as the above-mentioned feeding device, a pressing roller as a pressing part that is rotatably supported at the tip of a rocking part that is a pressing member that is rockably supported on the sheet feeding device body. According to this, it is described that by pressing the sheets placed on the sheet placement part with the pressing roller, when a document stack consisting of multiple documents with different widths is set on the sheet placement part, the occurrence of skew of small-sized documents that are not restricted by the side fence is suppressed. Patent Document 1 also describes an example in which the rocking part as a pressing member is configured to be able to take a pressing position where the pressing roller presses the documents placed on the sheet placement part and a retracted position where the pressing roller is separated from the documents on the sheet placement part. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is a risk that the pressing member may interfere with the setting of the sheet stack on the sheet placement portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a feeding device comprising a sheet placing section, a feeding section which feeds a sheet placed on the sheet placing section, and a pressing member having a pressing section which presses the sheet placed on the sheet placing section, wherein the pressing member is capable of taking a pressing position where the pressing section presses the sheet placed on the sheet placing section, and a retracted position where it is retracted to a position not facing the sheet placing section. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the pressing member from interfering with the setting of the sheet stack on the sheet placement portion. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ADF. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit of the ADF. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the ADF according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a feeding section of the ADF. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a main part showing an example in which a conventional pressing unit is provided in the ADF of the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the ADF when the pressure plate is not used, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the ADF when the pressure plate is used. [Figure 9] 1A is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the pressure plate of the pressing unit of the comparative example is retracted onto the paper feed cover, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the pressure plate of the pressing unit of the present embodiment is retracted onto the paper feed cover. [Figure 10] 11A and 11B are diagrams for comparing a pressing unit of a comparative example with a pressing unit of the present embodiment when the ADF is open and when the paper feed cover is open. [Figure 11]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a mixed document stack is set on a document table. [Figure 12] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining document skew during feeding by the pickup roller when the mixed document stack is not pressed by the pressure rollers of the pressure plate and when the mixed document stack is pressed by the pressure rollers of the pressure plate. [Figure 13] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating document skew when documents are separated by a separation roller pair when the mixed document stack is not pressed by the pressure rollers of the pressure plate and when the mixed document stack is pressed by the pressure rollers of the pressure plate. [Figure 14] FIG. [Figure 15] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating the attitudes of the presser plate when the movable table is located at the lowest position and when the movable table is located at the highest position. [Figure 16] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating the postures of the presser plate when the movable table is at the lowermost position and when the movable table is at the uppermost position in a case where the support portion of the presser plate is located on the upstream side in the feeding direction. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the pressing plate stored in the storage member. [Figure 18] 18 is a schematic diagram seen from the direction of arrow X in FIG. 17 . [Figure 19] 13 is a plan view showing a state in which the pressing plate stored in the storage member is moved to a use position. FIG. [Figure 20] 13 is a perspective view of the pressing unit, showing a state when the pressing plate stored in the storage member is moved to a use position. FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a holding portion is provided in a storage member. [Figure 22] FIG. 13A is a schematic diagram of an ADF3 having a pressing unit with a holding portion on a storage member when the ADF3 is opened, and FIG. 13B is an enlarged view of the area around the pressing unit 150 when the ADF3 having a pressing unit with a holding portion on a storage member is opened. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that a person skilled in the art can easily modify and alter the present invention within the scope of the claims to create other embodiments, and these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the claims. The following description is an example of the best mode for carrying out the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the claims. The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that a person skilled in the art can easily modify and alter the present invention within the scope of the claims to create other embodiments, and these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the claims. The following description is an example of the best mode for carrying out the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the claims. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. The image forming device 1 shown in FIG. 1 combines the functions of a copier, printer, facsimile machine, scanner, etc., and can record and output full-color images or monochrome images on recording paper or in a specified data format based on input data such as scanned image data.

[0009] The image forming apparatus 1 includes a feed section 5, an image forming section 8, and an image reading device 2. The image reading device 2 includes a scanner section 4 and an ADF 3 which is an automatic document feeder.

[0010] The feeding unit 5 includes, for example, multiple paper feed cassettes each storing cut-shaped recording paper, and multiple sets of paper feed rollers that pick up and feed recording paper from any of the paper feed cassettes. The feeding unit also has a paper feed path including various rollers that transport the recording paper fed from any of the paper feed rollers to a predetermined image forming position in the image forming unit 8.

[0011] The image forming section 8 includes, for example, an exposure unit, multiple photosensitive drums, a developing device that uses toner of four colors, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K), an intermediate transfer section, a secondary transfer section and a fixing section.

[0012] Based on the read image read by the image reading device 2, the image forming unit 8 exposes the photosensitive drums of each color with an exposure unit to form an electrostatic latent image on each photosensitive drum, and develops the latent image on each photosensitive drum by supplying toner to the latent image on each photosensitive drum with a developing unit of each color of the developing device. The image forming unit 8 also primarily transfers the toner images on the photosensitive drums of each color to an intermediate transfer belt in the intermediate transfer unit, and then secondarily transfers them onto the recording paper in a superimposed manner in the secondary transfer unit. The toner image secondarily transferred onto the recording paper is fixed by the fixing unit by applying heat and pressure to the toner image on the recording paper, thereby obtaining a color image. Furthermore, the image forming unit 8 is capable of forming an external output image such as an image file or data that can be output to the outside, based on the image read by the scanner unit 4 or a second image reading unit described later. Instead of the electrophotographic image forming unit 8 described above, an image forming unit employing another recording method such as an inkjet method may be used.

[0013] Next, ADF3 will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the ADF 3. As shown in FIG. The ADF 3 has an original setting section A where an original stack is set, a separation and feeding section B which is a feeding section that separates and feeds originals one by one from the set original stack, and a registration section C which performs primary abutment alignment on the fed originals and pulls out and conveys the aligned originals. The ADF 3 also has a turn section D which turns the conveyed originals and conveys the original surfaces toward the reading side (lower in the figure) by the first image reading section 131. The ADF 3 also has a first reading and conveying section E which reads the front image of the original from below the contact glass of the scanner section 4 by the first image reading section 131, and a second reading and conveying section F which reads the back image of the original after the front image has been read by the second image reading section 132. The ADF 3 also has a paper discharge section G which discharges the originals after the front and back images have been read to the outside of the machine, and a stack section H which holds the discharged originals.

[0014] A single document or a stack of two or more documents (hereinafter collectively referred to as a "document stack") to be read is set in the document setting section A. The document stack is set on a document table 120 serving as a placement section including a movable table 121.

[0015] The ADF 3 is provided adjacent to the contact glass of the scanner unit 4. The ADF 3 can be opened and closed by opening and closing the contact glass via a hinge mechanism provided at the rear side of the device.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit of the ADF 3. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the ADF 3 also includes drive units 101-105 that drive the document feeding operations (document transport operations) in each of the mechanical units A-H, and a control unit 160 consisting of circuits that control various operations including the operations of the drive units 101-105.

[0017] The control unit 160 supplies power to each unit arranged in the ADF 3, and controls each unit arranged in the ADF 3 based on control signals transmitted from a main body control unit 6 provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0018] When reading an original image, a stack of originals is set with the original surface (first surface) facing upward on an original table 120 (sheet placement section) including a movable table 121. Furthermore, the width direction (direction perpendicular to the original transport direction) of the original stack is regulated by a side fence 122 as a regulating section, and the side fence 122 is positioned (aligned) according to the width of the original stack. The setting of the original stack (set state) is detected by an original set sensor 115 provided on the movable table 121, and is transmitted to the main body control section 6 via an interface (I / F).

[0019] The movable table 121 is supported so that a rear end (rear in the document feed direction) of the movable table 121 can rotate around a rotation shaft 121a. The movable table 121 is configured so that a tip side (front in the document feed direction) of the movable table 121 can be raised and lowered by rotating around the rotation shaft 121a by a bottom plate lifting motor 105.

[0020] Before the document is placed on the document table 120, the movable table 121 of the document table 120 is located at the home position (lowered position). With the movable table 121 in the home position, the user places a stack of documents on the document table 120. At this time, the top surface of the stack of documents on the movable table 121 in the home position is separated from the pickup roller 141.

[0021] When document set sensor 115 detects that a document has been set, control unit 160 rotates bottom plate lifting motor 105 in the forward direction to lift movable table 121. When movable table 121 is lifted and pickup roller 141, which serves as a feeding member, is pushed up by the upper surface of the document stack on movable table 121, this is detected by table lifting sensor 118. Control unit 160 receives this detection signal and stops driving bottom plate lifting motor 105, so that movable table 121 is stopped at an appropriate position.

[0022] That is, table lift sensor 118 is a sensor for detecting when movable table 121 has reached an appropriate position and for maintaining the top surface of the document stack at an appropriate feeding height. In more detail, when table lift sensor 118 turns ON, the lifting of movable table 121 is stopped, and then, when the position of the top surface of the document stack drops by repeated document feeding and table lift sensor 118 turns OFF, movable table 121 is lifted again. Then, when table lift sensor 118 turns ON again, the lifting of movable table 121 is stopped. By repeating such control operations, the top surface position of the document stack (height of the uppermost document) is maintained within a height range suitable for document feeding.

[0023] Instead of raising and lowering the movable table 121, the table may be fixed and a pickup roller may be raised and lowered. Also, the bottom surface of the stack of originals on the table on which the originals are set may be fed by a feeding member. In this case, a pickup roller that rises and falls is provided below the fixed table, and this pickup roller enters an opening or cutout in the table from below and abuts against the bottom surface of the stack of originals above the table.

[0024] Also, the table and the bottom surface pickup roller protruding from the table for the document stack may be raised together, and the top surface of the document stack may come into contact with the top surface regulating member, so that the bottom surface of the document stack on the table on which the document is set may be fed by the feeding member. Furthermore, the table and the pickup roller protruding from the table may not be raised or lowered, and the top surface regulating member may be lowered to come into contact with the top surface of the document stack, so that the bottom surface of the document stack may be fed by the feeding member. In this case, the contact state in which the pickup roller and the document are in contact with each other is a state in which the top surface of the document stack comes into contact with the top surface regulating member, and there is a contact pressure that allows the pickup roller to properly feed the document. The separation state is a state in which the top surface of the document stack does not come into contact with the top surface regulating member, and there is a light contact pressure that causes the pickup roller to slip and not properly feed the document.

[0025] When all of the originals set on the original table 120 have been fed, the original set sensor 115 turns OFF. When the original set sensor 115 turns OFF, the control unit 160 reverses the bottom plate lifting motor 105 to lower the movable table 121 to the home position so that the next originals can be set on the original table 120. In this embodiment, a bottom plate home position sensor 117 is provided to detect that the movable table 121 is at the home position, and the control unit 160 is able to confirm whether the movable table 121 is at the home position.

[0026] When an original reading instruction operation (feed start instruction) is performed on the operation display unit 130 while the top surface of the original stack on the movable table 121 is in contact with the pickup roller 141, an original feed signal (feed start signal) is sent from the main body control unit 6 to the control unit 160 via the interface. This starts the feeding operation, and while the top surface of the original stack on the movable table 121 is kept at an appropriate feeding height, the pickup roller 141 is rotated by the forward rotation of the feed motor 102, and several sheets (ideally one sheet) of originals on the original table 120 are picked up. The rotation direction at this time is a direction in which the topmost original is transported forward in the feeding direction.

[0027] The separation roller pair 142, which is a separation mechanism, is composed of a feed roller 142A and an opposing reverse roller 142B. The feed roller 142A is rotated in the feed direction by the forward rotation of the feed motor 102, and the reverse roller 142B is rotated in the direction opposite to the feed direction by the forward rotation of the feed motor 102.

[0028] The document separated into one sheet by separation roller pair 142 is further transported by feed roller 142A, and after the leading edge is detected by abutment sensor 111, it proceeds further and abuts against stopped pull-out roller pair 143. Thereafter, the document is transported a predetermined distance from the timing of detection by abutment sensor 111, so that the leading edge is pressed against pull-out roller pair 143 with a predetermined amount of deflection. In this state, by stopping feed motor 102, the drive of feed roller 142A, which is transporting the document, is stopped.

[0029] When the leading edge of the document is detected by the abutment sensor 111, the control unit 160 rotates the pickup motor 101 to move the pickup roller 141 away from the top surface of the document. Therefore, the document is transported only by the transport force of the feed roller 142A of the separation roller pair 142. By such an operation, the leading edge of the document enters the nip portion of the pull-out roller pair 143, and the leading edge is aligned (skew corrected). The pull-out roller pair 143 has a skew correction function and is a roller for transporting the document, which has been separated and skew-corrected, to the intermediate roller 144, and is driven by the reverse rotation of the feed motor 102. Also, when the feed motor 102 is reversed, the pull-out roller pair 143 and the intermediate roller 144 are driven, but the pickup roller 141 and the feed roller 142A are not driven.

[0030] The length of the document in the transport direction is detected from the motor pulse by detecting the leading and trailing ends of the document with the abutment sensor 111. The document is transported from the registration section C to the turn section D by driving the pull-out roller pair 143 and the intermediate roller 144. At this time, the transport speed in the registration section C is set to be faster than the transport speed in the first reading transport section E. This makes it possible to shorten the processing time for sending the document to the first reading transport section E. When the leading edge of the document is detected by the reading entrance sensor 112, deceleration is started to make the document transport speed the same as the reading transport speed before the leading edge of the document enters the nip portion of the reading entrance roller pair 145. At the same time, the reading motor 103 is driven in the forward direction to drive the reading entrance roller pair 145, the first reading exit roller 146, and the second reading exit roller 147.

[0031] When the registration sensor 113 detects the leading edge of the document, the control unit 160 temporarily stops the document just before the first reading and conveying unit E, and transmits a temporary stop signal to the main body control unit 6 via the interface. Next, when the control unit 160 receives a reading start signal from the main body control unit 6, the control unit 160 increases the speed of conveyance so that the conveyance speed reaches a predetermined speed before the leading edge of the document that was temporarily stopped reaches the first reading and conveying unit E. The control unit 160 transmits a gate signal indicating the effective image area of ​​the first surface in the sub-scanning direction to the first image reading unit 131 at the timing when the leading edge of the document detected by the pulse count of the reading motor 103 reaches the first reading and conveying unit E. This gate signal is transmitted until the trailing edge of the document leaves the first reading and conveying unit E.

[0032] In the case of single-sided reading, the document that has passed through the first reading and conveying section E is conveyed to the paper discharge section G via the second reading and conveying section F. At this time, when the paper discharge sensor 114 detects the leading edge of the document, the control section 160 drives the paper discharge motor 104 in the forward direction to rotate the pair of paper discharge rollers 148. In addition, the control section 160 counts the pulses of the paper discharge motor 104 after the leading edge of the document is detected by the paper discharge sensor 114. Then, just before the rear end of the document leaves the nip portion of the pair of paper discharge rollers 148, the control section 160 controls the driving speed of the paper discharge motor 104 to be reduced so that the document discharged onto the paper discharge tray of the stack section H does not fly out.

[0033] In the case of double-sided reading, the control unit 160 detects the leading edge of the document that has passed through the first reading and conveying unit E with the paper discharge sensor 114, and then counts the pulses of the reading motor 103. Next, the control unit 160 transmits a gate signal indicating the effective image area in the sub-scanning direction to the second image reading unit 132 at the timing when the leading edge of the document reaches the second reading and conveying unit F. This gate signal is transmitted until the trailing edge of the document leaves the second reading and conveying unit F. Thereafter, the document that has passed through the second reading and conveying unit F is conveyed to the paper discharge unit G.

[0034] A stack of documents consisting of multiple documents with different document widths (hereinafter, a mixed document stack) may be set on the document table 120. At this time, the widest document in the mixed document stack is restricted in the width direction by the side fence 122, so that it is fed in a stable posture and the occurrence of skew is suppressed.

[0035] However, documents other than the maximum document width are fed without being restricted in the width direction by the side fence 122, and therefore the posture is unstable and skew is likely to occur. In particular, documents that are small, light in weight, and thin are prone to unstable posture during feeding and skew.

[0036] Therefore, in this embodiment, a pressing unit is provided that presses the mixed document stack placed on the document table.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the ADF 3 of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 shows the pressing unit 150 when not in use. The pressing unit 150 is provided at the center in the width direction of the upstream end in the document transport direction of the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a, which is a cover member of the ADF 3. The pressing unit 150 is provided detachably with respect to the ADF 3, and is attached to the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a with, for example, double-sided tape.

[0038] The operating lever 3b for opening the paper feed cover 3a is located closer to the front of the device than the pressing unit 150. This allows the operating lever 3b to be operated without the pressing unit 150 interfering with the operation of the operating lever 3b.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pressing unit 150, and FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the feeding section and its periphery of the ADF 3. As shown in FIG. 5 and 6 show the pressing unit 150 in use. 5, the pressing unit 150 has a pressing plate 151 serving as a pressing member, an arm member 152, and a storage member 153 serving as a base member. The arm member 152 rotatably supports the pressing plate 151, and is rotatably supported by the storage member 153.

[0040] Pressing rollers 154a and 154b as pressing parts are rotatably supported at the center of the width of the upstream and downstream ends of the presser plate 151 in the document feed direction. The presser plate 151 also has a convex cover part 151a that covers the pressing roller 154a rotatably supported at the upstream end in the document feed direction. At least the surface layers of the pressure rollers 154a and 154b, which are contact portions that come into contact with the document, are made of an elastic material such as rubber, and increase the frictional force with the document.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 7, the pressing unit described in Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as the conventional pressing unit) is configured such that pressing arm 157, which has pressing roller 154 at its tip, can slide with respect to arm member 152 as indicated by arrow W in the figure. Pressing arm 157 is slid to adjust the amount of projection of pressing arm 157 from arm member 152, so that pressing roller 154 comes into contact with a document having a short length in the feeding direction. In this way, the conventional pressing unit requires the amount of projection of the pressing member from arm member 152 to be adjusted according to the length of the document to be set in the feeding direction, which is inconvenient.

[0042] However, in this embodiment, pressing rollers 154a, 154b are provided at the upstream end and downstream end of presser plate 151 in the document feed direction. As a result, even if a document has a short length in the document feed direction and the rear end of the document does not protrude from the upstream end of presser plate 151 in the document feed direction when presser plate 151 is positioned in the use position shown in Fig. 6, presser roller 154b at the downstream end can be brought into contact with the document. Thus, unlike the pressing mechanism described in Patent Document 1, this embodiment can bring the presser roller into contact with a document having a short length in the document feed direction without adjustment, improving convenience.

[0043] When the pressing plate 151 is urged by a spring or other urging means to press the document on the document table, the pressing plate 151 is urged by the urging means to rotate toward the use position. Therefore, when moving the pressing plate 151 from the use position to the retracted position, it is necessary to move the pressing plate 151 against the urging force of the urging means, which makes the pressing plate 151 difficult to operate.

[0044] In contrast, in this embodiment, the document on the document table is pressed by the weight of the presser plate 151. This allows the presser plate 151 to be easily moved from the use position to the retracted position, and improves the operability of the presser plate 151 compared to the case where the document on the document table is pressed by the biasing force of a biasing means.

[0045] 8(a), when the pressing plate 151 is not in use, the arm member 152 and the pressing plate 151 are folded over the storage member 153 and stored in the storage member 153. The pressing plate 151 is stored in the storage member 153 so that the surface facing the placement surface of the document table 120 when in use is the upper surface.

[0046] When using the pressing plate 151, the pressing plate 151 stored in the storage member 153 is grasped and rotated approximately 180° to unfold it. Then, as shown in Fig. 8(b), the pressing rollers 154a and 154b of the pressing plate 151 are brought into contact with the placement surface of the document table 120. As a result, the pressing plate 151 is positioned at the usage position, which is a pressing position close to the document on the document table 120.

[0047] Also, a display label 159 is attached to the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a as an instruction means for instructing how to use the pressure plate 151. This display label 159 indicates that when setting a mixed document stack on the document table 120, the pressure plate 151 should be positioned in the use position shown in Fig. 8(b). This display label 159 also indicates how to set a mixed document stack on the document table 120, which will be described later.

[0048] For example, in the case where pressing unit 150 is attached to the shaft of pickup roller 141 and is provided in separation and feeding section B, the pressing function may become unstable due to the lifting and lowering operation of pickup roller 141 for each sheet. In addition, if the member that holds pickup roller 141 and pressing unit 150 so that they can be raised and lowered is made of resin or the like and has low rigidity, there is a concern that the increased weight may cause deformation over time while waiting in the raised position. In addition, using a member with high rigidity as the member that holds pickup roller 141 and pressing unit so that they can be raised and lowered increases costs.

[0049] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the pressing unit 150 is attached to the upper surface of the paper feed cover 3a, and is provided at a location separate from the separation feeding section B, which is a feeding section composed of the pickup roller 141 and the pair of separation rollers 142. This allows the pressing rollers 154a and 154b to be constantly in contact with the document stack on the document table 120 during the feeding operation, and the pressing function can be stabilized. In addition, a member with low rigidity such as resin can be used as a member for holding the pickup roller 141 and the pressing unit 150 so that they can be raised and lowered, thereby reducing the cost of the device.

[0050] In this embodiment, the pressing unit 150 is fixed to the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a with double-sided tape, and can be removed from the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a by peeling the pressing unit 150 off the double-sided tape. This makes the pressing unit 150 recyclable, which contributes to reducing the environmental impact.

[0051] 9(a) shows a state where the pressing plate 151 is retracted to the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a in the pressing unit 150' of the comparative example in which the pressing plate 151 is non-rotatably supported by the arm member 152. FIG. 9(b) shows a state where the pressing plate 151 is retracted to the top surface of the paper feed cover in the pressing unit 150 of the present embodiment in which the pressing plate 151 is rotatably supported by the arm member 152.

[0052] When the occurrence of skew can be suppressed by the regulation of the side fence and the pressing plate 151 is not used, such as when setting a stack of documents in which all documents have the same width size, the pressing plate 151 is retracted to a retracted position on the upper surface of the paper feed cover 3a. This causes the pressing plate 151 to retract to a position not facing the document table 120, and the pressing plate 151 does not get in the way of setting the document stack on the document table. The position not facing the document table 120 means a position where the pressing plate 151 does not overlap the exposed portion of the document placement surface of the document table 120 when viewed from the vertical direction of the document placement surface of the document table 120.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 9(a), in the comparative example of the pressing unit 150′ in which the pressing plate 151 is supported non-rotatably by the arm member 152, when the pressing plate 151 is retracted to the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a, the height from the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a to the top of the pressing unit 150′ is H.

[0054] 9(b), in this embodiment, the pressing plate 151 is rotatably supported by the arm member 152, so that the pressing plate 151 can be retreated to the upper surface of the paper feed cover 3a by folding over the arm member 152. This allows the height h from the upper surface of the paper feed cover 3a to the top of the pressing unit 150 to be lower than that of the pressing unit 150' of the comparative example in which the pressing plate 151 is supported by the arm member 152 so as not to be rotatable.

[0055] In the pressing unit 150' of the comparative example, when the pressing plate 151 is retracted to the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a, the height from the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a is high. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10(a1), when the ADF 3 is opened, the pressing plate 151 may come into contact with the wall K1 facing the back side of the image forming apparatus 1. Also, as shown in FIG. 10(a2), when the paper feed cover 3a is opened, the pressing plate 151 may come into contact with the wall K2 facing the left side surface of the image forming apparatus 1. Thus, in the pressing unit 150' of the comparative example, when the ADF 3 or the paper feed cover 3a is opened, the pressing plate 151 may come into contact with the wall or object around the image forming apparatus and be damaged. Also, the pressing plate 151 may damage the wall or object around the image forming apparatus 1.

[0056] On the other hand, in this embodiment, by supporting the pressing plate 151 rotatably on the arm member 152, when the pressing plate 151 is retreated to the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a, it can be overlapped on the arm member, and the height from the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a can be reduced. This makes it possible to prevent the pressing plate 151 from contacting the walls around the image forming apparatus when the ADF 3 is opened as shown in Fig. 10(b1) or when the paper feed cover 3a is opened as shown in Fig. 10(b2). This makes it possible to prevent the pressing plate 151 from being damaged and the walls and objects around the image forming apparatus from being damaged.

[0057] Furthermore, when the ADF 3 or the paper feed cover 3a is forcefully opened, the arm member 152 or the presser plate 151 may rotate and release the overlapping, causing the presser plate 151 to jump out of the storage member 153. However, even if the presser plate 151 jumps out of the storage member 153 and hits a wall or the like around the image forming apparatus (see the dashed lines in FIG. 10(b1) and FIG. 10(b2)), the presser plate 151 can rotate to release the impact of the hit. This makes it possible to prevent breakage of the presser plate 151 and damage to the wall or the object around the image forming apparatus 1, even if the presser plate 151 hits a wall or object around the image forming apparatus.

[0058] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which a mixed original stack is set on an original table 120. As shown in FIG. 11, the center of the width of the pressure rollers 154a and 154b of the pressure plate 151 is located at the transport reference point O2, and is arranged in a straight line in the feeding direction with the pickup roller 141 and the pair of separation rollers 142. This makes it possible to prevent force from being applied to the document in the width direction during feeding, and effectively prevents skew.

[0059] When setting a mixed original stack consisting of multiple originals with different width sizes, the pressing plate 151 stored in the storage member 153 and positioned at the retreated position is grasped and rotated approximately 180° to unfold it. Then, the pressing rollers 154a and 154b of the pressing plate 151 are brought into contact with the placement surface of the original table 120. As a result, the pressing plate 151 is positioned at the usage position close to the originals on the original table 120.

[0060] As described above, a display label 159 that indicates how to use the pressing plate 151 is attached to the top surface of the paper feed cover 3a. Based on the usage indicated on this display label 159, the user can move the pressing plate 151 to the usage position when setting a mixed document stack.

[0061] In this way, after placing pressure plate 151 in the use position, the user sets the mixed document stack as follows, based on the method of setting the mixed document stack described on display label 159. That is, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 11, the mixed document stack is inserted from the upstream side in the document transport direction, starting from the lowest document in the mixed document stack. At this time, pressure rollers 154a and 154b rotatably supported by pressure plate 151 rotate together with the document being inserted, allowing the document to be smoothly inserted between pressure plate 151 and document table 120.

[0062] At this time, the document is inserted between the pressure plate 151 and the document table 120 so that the widthwise center of the document is located at the widthwise center of the pressure plate 151. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 11, the pressure plate 151 is provided at the widthwise center with a convex cover portion 151a that covers a pressure roller 154a rotatably supported on the upstream side in the document transport direction. Therefore, the user can easily position the widthwise center of the document at the widthwise center of the pressure plate 151 by using this cover portion 151a as a guide. Furthermore, by covering the pressing roller 154a with the cover portion 151a, when the leading edge of the document is curled upward, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the document from riding up onto the pressing roller 154a.

[0063] In addition, the width direction length of the presser plate 151 is set to be equal to or less than the document width size that can be transported by the ADF 3, so that when the document is set, both width direction ends of the document extend beyond the presser plate 151. Therefore, the width direction position of the document on the document table 120 is adjusted so that the amount of the document extending from one width direction end of the presser plate 151 is the same as the amount of the document extending from the other width direction end of the presser plate 151. This makes it possible to align the center of the document in the width direction with the transport reference O2.

[0064] The method of setting the mixed document stack described above (the document is set so that the widthwise center of cover portion 151a of pressure plate 151 is aligned with the widthwise center of the document and the amount of the document protruding from both ends of pressure plate 151 in the width direction is the same) is also indicated on display label 159. Therefore, the user can set the mixed document stack based on the method of setting the mixed document stack indicated on display label 159.

[0065] 11, the upstream end of presser plate 151 in this embodiment in the document feed direction is arc-shaped, with the center in the width direction located upstream of both ends in the feed direction. This allows the leading edge of the document to be inserted between presser plate 151 and document table 120 while allowing the leading edge curl to escape from the center in the width direction to the outside in the width direction by the upstream end of presser plate 151 in the document feed direction. This allows the leading edge of the document with the leading edge curled upward to be inserted without being caught by presser plate 151.

[0066] In this way, by inserting the original from the bottom of the mixed original stack into between the pressing plate 151 and the original table 120 from the upstream side in the original transport direction, the center of each original in the mixed original stack in the width direction can be aligned approximately with the center of the transport path in the width direction (hereinafter referred to as the transport reference position). This makes it possible to suppress skew of the originals other than the one with the maximum width among the mixed original stack.

[0067] Once all the documents in the mixed document stack have been inserted between pressure plate 151 and document table 120, side fence 122 is moved in the width direction until it abuts against the widthwise end of the document with the largest width among the documents in the mixed document stack. This completes the setting of the mixed document stack. Once the setting of the mixed document stack is complete, the user operates operation display unit 130 to start transporting documents in the mixed mode.

[0068] When feeding starts in the mixed mode, feeding is performed at a slower feeding speed than in the normal mode, which is set when a stack of documents with the same document width is set. In this embodiment, the pressure rollers 154a and 154b are rotatably supported by the pressing plate 151 and rotate along with the document being fed. This prevents the document from rubbing against the paper and suppresses the occurrence of scraping of the document.

[0069] Documents of a mixed document stack other than the largest size are not restricted in the width direction by side fence 122. Therefore, documents other than the largest document on document table 120 may move due to the widthwise movement of the document being fed, and the posture of the documents may gradually become unstable. If documents are fed at the feeding speed in the normal mode, the kinetic energy is large, and the force that the document being fed exerts on the documents on document table 120 before being fed becomes large, increasing the possibility that the documents on document table 120 before being fed will move.

[0070] As in this embodiment, by making the feeding speed in the mixed load mode slower than the feeding speed in the normal mode, it is possible to reduce the force that the document being fed exerts on the documents before feeding on the document table 120. This makes it possible to prevent documents other than the largest document on the document table 120 from losing their position, and to prevent feeding failures and the like.

[0071] Since the originals other than the originals of the maximum width size among the mixed original stack are not restricted in the width direction by the side fence 122, there is a risk that the center of the originals in the width direction will be set shifted from the transport reference position. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the originals are set and fed on the original table 120 with the center G of the originals in the width direction shifted by a (mm) to one side in the width direction (toward the back of the device) with respect to the transport reference position. At this time, the transport force of the pickup roller 141 is applied to the other side in the width direction, and the originals rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Therefore, the originals of the mixed original stack other than the originals of the maximum width size that are not restricted by the side fence 122 rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure during feeding, and may become skewed as shown by the dashed line in the figure.

[0072] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the documents of the mixed document stack are fed while being pressed by two pressing rollers 154a and 154b of the pressing plate 151, as shown in Fig. 12(b). As a result, when the document is fed with its widthwise center G shifted by a (mm) to one widthwise side (the back side of the device) with respect to the transport reference position, the pressing force of the pressing rollers 154a and 154b can prevent the document from rotating in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 12(b). As a result, as shown in Fig. 12(b), skew of the document is suppressed.

[0073] As described above, the surface layer of the pressing rollers 154a and 154b that contact the document is made of an elastic material such as rubber, which increases the frictional force with the document. This makes it possible to further prevent the pressing rollers 154a and 154b from rotating the document in the direction of the arrow in Figure 12(b), and effectively prevents the document from being skewed.

[0074] Furthermore, when an original is set on the original table with its widthwise center G shifted by a (mm) to one side in the widthwise direction (toward the back of the device) with respect to the transport reference O2 and fed, skew may occur at the separation roller pair 142 as follows. That is, as shown in Fig. 13(a), when an original other than the topmost one is returned by the reverse roller 142B of the separation roller pair 142, a return force is applied to the other side in the width direction. As a result, the original may rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure and become skewed.

[0075] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the documents in the mixed document stack are pressed by two pressing rollers 154a and 154b of the pressing plate 151. This makes it possible to prevent documents other than the top document returned by the reverse roller 142B from rotating in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 13(b) due to the pressing force of the pressing rollers 154a and 154b. This prevents the documents from being skewed as shown in Fig. 13(b).

[0076] FIG. 14 is a schematic side view of the pressing plate 151. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, support portions 151b rotatably supported by arm members 152 provided on both ends of the presser plate 151 in the width direction are provided downstream in the feed direction from the center of the presser plate 151 in the feed direction.

[0077] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the posture of the presser plate 151 when the movable table 121 is located at the lowest position and when the movable table 121 is located at the highest position. By providing the support portion 151b downstream of the center of the pressing plate 151 in the feeding direction, when the movable table 121 is located at the lowest position, the pressing plate 151 is tilted so that the upstream end in the feeding direction is located downward by its own weight. As a result, when the movable table 121 is located at the lowest position, the pressing roller 154a on the upstream side in the feeding direction can be abutted against the document table 120. As a result, the next document can be inserted between the pressing plate 151 and the document table 120 while the document set on the document table 120 is pressed by the pressing roller 154a. As a result, it is possible to prevent the set document from shifting in the width direction when the next document is inserted between the pressing plate 151 and the document table 120.

[0078] Furthermore, when the presser plate 151 is in the use position, the pressing roller 154b on the downstream side in the feeding direction is hidden by the arm member 152. On the other hand, the pressing roller 154a on the downstream side in the feeding direction is not hidden by the arm member 152. Therefore, by providing the support portion 151b on the downstream side in the feeding direction of the center portion of the presser plate 151 in the feeding direction and bringing the pressing roller 154a on the downstream side in the feeding direction into contact with the movable table 121 as shown in FIG. 15, it becomes easy to confirm that the pressing roller 154a is in contact with the document table 120.

[0079] Also, as described above, when setting a document, it is possible to shorten the distance L1 between the cover portion 151a, which serves as a mark for positioning the widthwise center of the document at the widthwise center of the pressing plate 151, and the document table 120. This reduces the deviation between the apparent position of the cover portion 151a on the movable table 121 and the actual position when viewed from a position shifted from directly above the cover portion 151a. This reduces the deviation between the widthwise center of the set document and the transport reference position.

[0080] When the movable table 121 rises from the lowest position, the pressing plate 151 rotates counterclockwise in the figure with the support portion 151b as a fulcrum. Then, when the movable table 121 is located at the highest position, as shown in Fig. 15, both pressing rollers 154a and 154b come into contact with the movable table 121. Therefore, the document can be fed by pressing both pressing rollers 154a and 154b.

[0081] The support portion 151b may be provided upstream of the center of the pressure plate 151 in the feeding direction. In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 16, when the movable table 121 is at the lowest position, the pressure plate 151 is tilted by its own weight so that the downstream end of the pressure plate 151 in the feeding direction is located downward. This allows the pressure roller 154b on the downstream side in the feeding direction to abut against the document table 120 when the movable table 121 is at the lowest position. Therefore, even when the support portion 151b is provided upstream of the center of the pressure plate 151 in the feeding direction, the next document can be inserted between the pressure plate 151 and the document table while the document set on the document table 120 is pressed by the pressure roller 154b.

[0082] Furthermore, when support portion 151b is provided upstream of the center of presser plate 151 in the feeding direction, the distance between the upstream end of presser plate 151 in the feeding direction and movable table 121 becomes L2, which is wider than the configuration shown in Fig. 15. As a result, compared to the case shown in Fig. 15, it becomes easier to insert a document between presser plate 151 and document table 120 from the upstream side in the feeding direction, which has the advantage of improving the ease of setting the document.

[0083] FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the pressing plate 151 stored in the storage member 153, and FIG. 18 is a schematic view seen from the direction of the arrow X in FIG. As shown in FIG. 17, the pressing plate 151 is stored in a storage member 153 so as to overlap with the arm member 152.

[0084] 18, pedestal-shaped receiving portions 153b are provided on both sides in the width direction of storage member 153. Presser plate 151 stored in storage member 153 is received on both sides in the width direction by receiving portions 153b with a predetermined gap B between presser plate 151 and bottom surface 153c of storage member 153. Gap B between presser plate 151 and bottom surface 153c of storage member 153 is set to a gap that allows part of a user's finger to fit in.

[0085] Further, the upstream end 151c of the pressing plate 151, which is located on the opposite side to the document table when stored, is arc-shaped so that the center in the width direction protrudes. Specifically, when stored in the storage member 153, the distance L10 from the rotation center O1 of the arm member 152 relative to the storage member 153 to the upstream end 151c of the pressing plate 151 is shorter than the distance L11 from the rotation center O1 of the arm member 152 relative to the storage member to the center in the width direction of the left end of the pressing plate in the figure (L10 <L11)。

[0086] Further, a distance L12 from the rotation center O1 of the arm member 152 relative to the storage member 153 to the widthwise center of the upstream end 151c of the bottom surface 153c of the storage member 153 is longer than a distance L11 from the rotation center O1 of the arm member 152 relative to the storage member 153 to the widthwise center of the upstream end 151c of the pressing plate 151 (L12>L11). Therefore, a step is formed between the bottom surface 153c of the storage member 153 and the upstream end 151c of the pressing plate 151.

[0087] FIG. 19 is a plan view showing the state when the pressing plate 151 stored in the storage member 153 is moved to the usage position, and FIG. 20 is an oblique view of the pressing unit 150 showing the state when the pressing plate 151 stored in the storage member 153 is moved to the usage position.

[0088] When the pressing plate 151 stored in the storage member 153 is moved to the use position, the user accesses the upstream end 151c in the feeding direction during use, which is located on the opposite side to the document table side of the pressing plate 151 stored in the storage member, from the front side of the device. In the present embodiment, the upstream end 151c of the pressing plate 151 is formed in an arc shape with the widthwise center protruding, so that the user's finger is caught near the widthwise center of the upstream end 151c. This allows the user to apply a substantially uniform force in the widthwise direction when lifting the pressing plate 151.

[0089] As described above, a gap B is formed between the pressure plate 151 and the bottom surface 153c of the storage member 153 such that part of the user's finger can fit therein, making it easy for the user to hook the finger on the upstream end portion 151c of the pressure plate 151.

[0090] In addition, a step is formed between bottom surface 153c of storage member 153 and upstream end 151c of pressing plate 151. This makes it possible to prevent fingers from getting caught between the end of bottom surface 153c of storage member 153 and upstream end 151c of pressing plate 151, and prevents loss of force when pressing plate 151 is lifted.

[0091] In this manner, in this embodiment, when lifting the pressing plate 151 from the storage member 153, a finger can be easily hooked near the center in the width direction of the upstream end portion 151c of the pressing plate 151, and loss of force can be suppressed. This makes it easy to lift the pressing plate 151 and to move the pressing plate 151 to the use position.

[0092] When the upstream end 151c of the pressure plate 151 is lifted, the arm member 152 rotates around the support portion with the storage member 153 as a fulcrum. After the arm member 152 has been rotated 90° or more, the arm member 152 rotates due to its own weight, and the pressure plate 151 rotates relative to the arm member 152 due to its own weight, and the pressure plate 151 is positioned at the use position.

[0093] 21, a holder 156 for holding the pressing plate 151 on the storage member 153 may be provided on the fulcrum side (the rear side of the device) of the rotation of the ADF 3 relative to the scanner unit 4 of the storage member 153. Holding portion 156 is formed integrally with storage member 153, and has leg portions 156b that are elastically deformable outward in the width direction, and protrusion portions 156a that are provided so as to protrude inward in the width direction from the tops of leg portions 156b. This allows the number of parts to be reduced, and the device to be made less expensive, compared to a case in which holding portion 156 is formed separately from storage member 153.

[0094] When the pressing plate 151 is stored in the storage member 153, one end in the width direction of the pressing plate 151 abuts against the protrusion 156a of the holding portion 156 from above in the vertical direction. When the user presses the pressing plate 151 from this state, the leg 156b of the holding portion 156 elastically deforms, and the protrusion 156a moves outward in the width direction as shown by the dashed line in the figure. As a result, the pressing plate 151 moves over the protrusion 156a and is received by the receiving portion 153b and positioned at the storage position. Also, when the pressing plate 151 moves over the protrusion 156a, the elastic deformation of the leg 156b is released and the protrusion 156a faces the pressing plate from above, and the pressing plate 151 can be held in the storage member.

[0095] FIG. 22(a) is a schematic diagram of the ADF 3 when it is open, and FIG. 22(b) is an enlarged diagram of the periphery of the pressing unit 150 when the ADF 3 is open. 22(a), when the ADF 3 is opened, the force of the opening movement of the ADF 3 prevents the presser plate 151 from jumping out of the storage member 153 by the holding portion 156, and the protrusion 156a of the holding portion 156 prevents the presser plate 151 from hitting the walls or objects around the image forming apparatus 1.

[0096] Also, the presser plate 151 may have a play in the width direction due to dimensional errors of parts, etc. By providing the holder 156 on the fulcrum side (the back side of the device) of the rotation of the storage member 153 with respect to the scanner unit 4 of the ADF 3, the holder 156 can be positioned lower than the presser plate 151 when the ADF 3 is opened, as shown in FIG. 22(b). As a result, when the ADF 3 is opened, the presser plate 151 moves toward the holder 156 by its own weight, and the amount of overlap with the protrusion 156a of the presser plate 151 increases. Therefore, the presser plate 151 can be reliably held on the storage member 153 when the ADF 3 is opened.

[0097] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention described in the claims unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description. For example, the present invention can be applied to a manual feed section of an image forming apparatus 1. Furthermore, the manual feed section to which the present invention is applied can be used not only in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, but also in image forming sections that employ other recording methods such as inkjet methods.

[0098] The above description is merely an example, and each of the following aspects provides unique effects. (Aspect 1) In a feeding device equipped with a sheet placing section such as a document table 120, a feeding section such as a separation feeding section B that feeds sheets such as documents placed on the sheet placing section, and a pressing member such as a pressure plate 151 having pressing sections such as pressing rollers 154a, 154b that press the sheets placed on the sheet placing section, the pressing member can take a pressing position where the pressing section presses the sheets placed on the sheet placing section, and a retracted position where it is retracted to a position not facing the sheet placing section. In Patent Document 1, when the pressing member is located at a retracted position where the pressing roller is separated from the document on the sheet placement section, the pressing member faces the sheet placement section, which may cause the pressing member to interfere with the setting of the sheet stack on the sheet placement section. In contrast, in the first aspect, when a sheet stack with the same sheet width is set, all the sheets of the sheet stack on the sheet placement section can be set in the desired position by the side fence, and when pressing by the pressing section is not required, the pressing member can be moved to a retracted position where it does not face the sheet placement section. This makes it possible to prevent the pressing member from interfering with the setting of the sheet stack on the sheet placement section, compared to Patent Document 1. In addition, a position not facing the sheet loading section means, as described above, a position where the pressing member does not overlap the part of the sheet loading surface exposed from the device when viewed from the perpendicular direction of the sheet loading surface of the sheet loading section.

[0099] (Aspect 2) In the first aspect, the pressing member is rotatably supported by the arm member. According to this, the pressing member is supported by the arm member so as to be freely rotatable. This allows the pressing member to be positioned at the retracted position by folding over the arm member. As a result, it is possible to prevent the pressing member from protruding from the paper feeder body when positioned at the retracted position, and to prevent the pressing member from contacting surrounding objects. Even if the pressing member contacts surrounding objects, the pressing member rotates relative to the arm member, and the impact when the pressing member contacts surrounding objects can be released. This makes it possible to prevent damage to the pressing member.

[0100] (Aspect 3) In the first or second embodiment, the retracted position is on a cover member such as the feed cover 3a that covers the feed unit. According to this, as described in the embodiment, the pressing member serving as the pressing plate 151 can be retreated to a position not facing a sheet placement section such as the document table 120. This prevents the pressing member from interfering with the setting when all sheets of the sheet stack on the sheet placement section can be set at desired positions by the side fences, such as when setting a sheet stack of the same sheet width. In addition, since the pressing member is rotatably supported by the arm member, the pressing member can be retreated by folding over the arm member onto the cover member, preventing the pressing member from protruding from above the cover member. This makes it possible to prevent the pressing member retreated onto the cover member from hitting against objects, etc.

[0101] (Aspect 4) In any of aspects 1 to 3, a feeding section such as separation feeding section B has a feeding member such as pickup roller 141 that feeds a sheet placed on a sheet placing section such as document table 120, and a separation mechanism such as separation roller pair 142 that separates sheets such as documents fed by the feeding member into one sheet, and a pressing section such as pressure rollers 154a, 154b presses the sheet upstream of the feeding member in the sheet feeding direction. According to this, the pressing parts such as the pressing rollers 154a and 154b can press the sheets such as the originals fed by the feeding member, thereby suppressing skew of the sheets during feeding. Also, the pressing parts can press the sheets returned by the separation mechanism, thereby suppressing skew of the returned sheets.

[0102] (Aspect 5) In the fourth embodiment, the pressing parts such as the pressing rollers 154a and 154b, the feeding members such as the pickup roller 141, and the separation mechanism such as the separation roller pair 142 are arranged in a straight line in the feeding direction of the sheet such as the document. As a result, as described in the embodiment, the widthwise position of the conveying load applied by the pressing portion and the widthwise position at which the conveying force of the feeding member and separation mechanism is applied can be made the same, thereby suppressing the occurrence of skew of sheets other than the maximum width size among the mixed sheet stack that is fed without being restricted by the side fence 122.

[0103] (Aspect 6) In any of the first to fifth aspects, the pressing member such as the pressing plate 151 has a plurality of pressing portions such as the pressing rollers 154a and 154b in the sheet feeding direction. According to this, as described in the embodiment, by pressing sheets such as documents at multiple locations with the pressing portion, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of skew of sheets other than the maximum width size among the mixed sheet stack that is fed without being regulated by the side fence 122. Furthermore, a sheet having a short length in the feeding direction can be pressed by the pressing portion disposed downstream in the feeding direction.

[0104] (Aspect 7) In any of aspects 1 to 6, pressing portions such as pressing rollers 154a, 154b are provided at the upstream end of a pressing member such as pressure plate 151 in the sheet feeding direction and at the downstream end of the pressing member in the sheet feeding direction, and the rotation fulcrum of the pressing member is located downstream of the center position of the pressing member in the sheet feeding direction. According to this, as described in the embodiment, the pressing member such as the presser plate 151 is tilted so that the downstream end of the pressing member in the feeding direction is positioned downward due to its own weight, and even when a sheet placing section such as a movable table is in a lowered position, the pressing section at the upstream end of the pressing member in the feeding direction can be brought into contact with the sheet stack placed on the sheet placing section. This makes it possible to hold down sheets such as documents set on the sheet placing section so that they do not move with the pressing section such as the pressing roller. In addition, the pressing portion at the downstream end of the pressing member in the sheet feeding direction is not hidden by the arm member. Therefore, by providing the rotation fulcrum of the pressing member downstream of the center position of the pressing member in the sheet feeding direction and abutting the pressing portion at the downstream end of the pressing member in the sheet feeding direction when a sheet placement unit such as a movable table is in a lowered position, it becomes easy to check whether the pressing portion is abutting the sheet.

[0105] (Aspect 8) In aspect 7, at least the downstream end in the sheet feeding direction has a movable mounting portion such as a movable table 121 that rises and falls, and when the movable mounting portion is in the lowest position, a pressing portion such as a pressing roller 154a provided at the upstream end in the sheet feeding direction of a pressing member such as a pressure plate 151 abuts against the sheet mounting portion. According to this, as described in the embodiment, a sheet such as a document set on the sheet placement section can be held down so as not to move by a pressing section such as the pressing roller 154a provided at the upstream end in the feeding direction.

[0106] (Aspect 9) In the eighth aspect, when the movable placement portion such as the movable table 121 is raised to the feeding position, all the pressing portions such as the pressing rollers 154a and 154b come into contact with the sheets placed on the sheet placement portion. According to this, as described in the embodiment, during the feeding operation, the sheets can be pressed by a pressing portion such as a plurality of pressing rollers, and the skew of sheets other than the maximum size width that can be fed without being restricted by the side fence in the mixed sheet stack can be effectively suppressed.

[0107] (Aspect 10) In any of the first to ninth aspects, the pressing parts such as the pressing rollers 154a and 154b are rotating bodies. According to this, as described in the embodiment, the pressing part rotates with the sheet such as the document fed during feeding, and it is possible to prevent the sheet from sliding with the pressing part and to suppress the occurrence of scraping of the sheet. Also, when inserting a sheet of a mixed sheet stack between a pressing member such as the pressing plate 151 and the sheet placement part, the pressing part rotates with the sheet to be inserted, which makes it easier to insert the sheet.

[0108] (Aspect 11) In any one of the first to tenth aspects, the contact portion of the pressing portion that comes into contact with the sheet is an elastic body. As a result, as described in the embodiment, the frictional force between the pressing portion and sheets such as documents can be increased, and sheets other than the maximum width size in the mixed sheet stack that is fed without being regulated by the side fence 122 can be prevented from being skewed.

[0109] (Aspect 12) In any of the first to eleventh embodiments, the pressing member such as the pressing plate 151 is folded over the arm member 152 and positioned at the retracted position. According to this, as described in the embodiment, when a pressing member such as the pressure plate 151 is positioned in the retracted position, it is possible to prevent the pressing member from protruding from a member of the device main body such as the paper feed cover 3a, and it is possible to prevent the pressing member from hitting surrounding walls or objects.

[0110] (Aspect 13) In aspect 12, a pressing member such as pressure plate 151 is rotatably supported by arm member 152, and has a base member such as storage member 153 that is attached to the device main body and rotatably supports arm member 152, and the pressing member such as pressure plate 151 is positioned at a retracted position so as to be folded together with arm member 152 within the base member, and when the pressing member is positioned at the retracted position, a distance L11 from a support portion of the base member that rotatably supports arm member 152 to the widthwise center of the sheet at the end opposite the support portion side of the pressing member is longer than a distance L10 to both widthwise ends of the sheet at the end opposite the support portion side of the pressing member. According to this, as described in the embodiment, when a pressing member such as the pressing plate 151 is moved from the retracted position to the pressing position, the position where the user's finger comes into contact with the end of the pressing member opposite the support portion can be positioned near the center in the width direction, and the finger force can be applied evenly in the width direction to the pressing member, so that the pressing member can be moved smoothly from the retracted position to the pressing position.

[0111] (Aspect 14) In embodiment 12 or 13, the device has a base member such as a storage member 153 that is attached to the device body and supports arm member 152 so as to be freely rotatable, and a pressing member such as a pressure plate 151 is positioned in a retracted position within the base member so as to be folded against arm member 152, and when the pressing member is positioned in the retracted position, a space is formed between the bottom surface 153c of the base member and the pressing member into which part of a finger can fit. According to this, as described in the embodiment, when a pressing member such as the pressing plate 151 is moved from the retracted position to the pressing position, the user can easily hook his / her finger on the end of the pressing member on the side opposite to the support portion.

[0112] (Aspect 15) In any of aspects 12 to 14, a base member such as storage member 153 is attached to the holder body and rotatably supports arm member 152, and a pressing member such as presser plate 151 is positioned at a retracted position within the base member so as to be folded together with arm member 152, and when the pressing member is positioned at the retracted position, an end of the pressing member opposite to the support part side that rotatably supports the arm member of the base member is positioned within bottom surface 153c of the base member. According to this, as described in the embodiment, a step is formed between the end of the pressing member on the opposite side to the support part side that rotatably supports the arm member of the base member and the bottom surface 153c of the base member. This makes it possible to prevent the finger from getting caught on the end of the bottom surface of the base member when the user hooks the finger on the end of the pressing member on the opposite side to the support part side that rotatably supports the arm member of the base member in order to move a pressing member such as the pressing plate 151 from the retracted position to the pressing position. This makes it possible to lift the pressing member from within the base member without the force of the finger escaping to the bottom surface of the base member.

[0113] (Aspect 16) In any of the aspects 12 to 15, a base member such as a storage member 153 is attached to the stationary body and rotatably supports an arm member 152, and a pressing member such as a pressing plate 151 is positioned at a retracted position within the base member so as to be folded together with the arm member 152, and has a holding portion 156 that holds the pressing member within the base member. According to this, as explained in the embodiment, when a pressing member such as the pressing plate 151 is located at the retracted position, it is possible to prevent the pressing member from jumping out from a base member such as a storage member.

[0114] (Aspect 17) In any of aspects 1 to 16, a pressing member such as a pressure plate 151 is rotatably supported by an arm member 152, and has a base member such as a storage member 153 attached to the device body and supporting the arm member 152 rotatably, and the base member, arm member 152, and pressing member such as the pressure plate 151 are integrally configured as a pressing unit 150 that is detachable from the feeding device. According to this, as described in the embodiment, when replacing the feeding device, the pressing unit 150 can be removed and attached to the replaced feeding device, thereby making it possible to reuse the pressing unit 150 and contributing to reducing the environmental impact.

[0115] (Aspect 18) In the seventeenth embodiment, a base member such as the storage member 153 is fixed to the device body by double-sided tape. As a result, as described in the embodiment, by peeling the base member from the double-sided tape, the pressing unit 150 can be removed from the device body and reused.

[0116] (Aspect 19) In any of aspects 1 to 18, the device has a base member such as a storage member 153 that is attached to a cover member such as a paper feed cover 3a that covers a feeding section such as the separation feeding section B and rotatably supports an arm member 152, the cover member has an operating lever 3b that is operated at least when opening the cover member, and the base member is positioned rearward of the operating lever 3b. This makes it possible to prevent the pressing unit 150 from interfering with the operation of the operating lever 3b, as described in the embodiment.

[0117] (Aspect 20) The pressing unit is provided with a pressing member such as a pressing plate 151 having pressing parts such as pressing rollers 154a, 154b that press a sheet placed on a sheet placement part such as a document table 120, an arm member 152 that rotatably supports the pressing member, and a base member that rotatably supports the arm member 152 and is a storage member that holds the arm member 152 and the pressing member, and is detachably installed in the feeding device. According to this, as described in the embodiment, when replacing the feeding device, the pressing unit 150 can be removed and attached to the replaced feeding device, thereby making it possible to reuse the pressing unit 150 and contributing to reducing the environmental impact. Furthermore, when the pressing member is not in use, the pressing member can be held on the base member and retracted to a retracted position where it does not face the sheet placement section. This makes it possible to prevent the pressing member from interfering with the setting of a sheet stack on the sheet placement section when the pressing member is not in use. Furthermore, by rotatably supporting the pressing member on the arm member, the pressing member can be held on the base member by folding over the arm member. This makes it possible to prevent the pressing member from protruding from the base member when the pressing member is not in use, and to prevent the pressing member from abutting against objects, etc.

[0118] (Aspect 21) In an image reading device including a feeding section and an image reading section that reads an image on a document sheet fed from the feeding section, the feeding device according to any one of the aspects 1 to 19 was used as the feeding section. This makes it possible to suppress skew of documents other than the maximum width size that is not restricted by the side fences in the mixed document stack, and to satisfactorily read images of documents other than the maximum width size.

[0119] (Aspect 22) In an image forming apparatus including a feeding section and an image forming section for forming an image on a sheet fed from the feeding section, the feeding device according to any one of the embodiments 1 to 19 was used as the feeding section. This makes it possible to suppress skew of sheets of the mixed sheet stack other than the maximum width size that is not restricted by the side fences, and to form images satisfactorily on the sheets of the other width size. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 1: Image forming device 2: Image reader 3: ADF 3a: Paper feed cover 3b: Operating lever 4: Scanner section 8: Image forming section 15: Pressing unit 120: Manuscript table 121: Movable table 121a: Rotating shaft 122: Side fence 130: Operation display section 141: Pickup roller 142: Separation roller pair 142A: Feeding roller 142B: Reverse roller 150: Pressing unit 151: Retaining plate 151a: Cover part 151b: Support part 151c: Upstream end 152: Arm member 153: Storage materials 153b: Receiving part 153c: Bottom 154a: Press roller 154b: Press roller 156: Holding part 156a:Protrusion 156b: Legs 157: Pressing arm 159: Display label 160: Control section A: Document loading area B: Separation feeding section [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0121] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-104870 A

Claims

1. A sheet placement section; a feeding section that feeds a sheet placed on the sheet placement section; a pressing member having a pressing portion that presses the sheet placed on the sheet placement portion, A feeding device characterized in that the pressing member can take a pressing position in which the pressing portion presses the sheet placed on the sheet placing portion, and a retracted position in which the pressing portion retracts to a position not facing the sheet placing portion.

2. 2. The feeding device according to claim 1, The feeding device, wherein the pressing member is rotatably supported by an arm member.

3. 2. The feeding device according to claim 1, The feeding device, wherein the retracted position is on a cover member that covers the feeding section.

4. 2. The feeding device according to claim 1, The feeding section includes a feeding member configured to feed a sheet placed on the sheet placement section; a separation mechanism for separating the sheets fed by the feeding member into one sheet, The feeding device, wherein the pressing portion presses the sheet upstream of the feeding member in a feeding direction of the sheet.

5. The feeding device according to claim 4, The feeding device, wherein the pressing portion, the feeding member, and the separation mechanism are arranged in a straight line in a feeding direction of the sheet.

6. 2. The feeding device according to claim 1, The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member has a plurality of pressing portions arranged in a sheet feeding direction.

7. 2. The feeding device according to claim 1, the pressing portion is provided at an upstream end of the pressing member in the sheet feeding direction and a downstream end of the pressing member in the sheet feeding direction, 13. A sheet feeding device, comprising: a rotation fulcrum of the pressing member located downstream of a center position of the pressing member in a sheet feeding direction.

8. 8. The feeding device according to claim 7, the sheet placement section has a movable placement section, at least a downstream end of which in a sheet feeding direction is movable up and down; A sheet feeding device, comprising: a pressing portion provided at an upstream end of the pressing member in a sheet feeding direction, the pressing portion being in contact with the sheet loading portion when the movable loading portion is in a lowermost position.

9. 9. The feeding device according to claim 8, A sheet feeding device, characterized in that when the movable placement portion is raised to a feeding position, all of the pressing portions come into contact with the sheets placed on the sheet placement portion.

10. 2. The feeding device according to claim 1, The feeding device, wherein the pressing portion is a rotating body.

11. 2. The feeding device according to claim 1, The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a contact portion of the pressing portion that comes into contact with the sheet is made of an elastic material.

12. 3. The feeding device according to claim 2, The pressing member is rotatably supported by an arm member, The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is positioned at the retracted position so as to overlap the arm member.

13. 13. The feeding device according to claim 12, a base member attached to a device body and rotatably supporting the arm member; the pressing member is located at the retracted position so as to be folded over the arm member within the base member, a feeding device characterized in that, when the pressing member is positioned at the retracted position, a distance from a support portion of the base member that rotatably supports the arm member to a width center of the sheet at an end portion of the pressing member opposite the support portion side is longer than a distance from both ends of the pressing member in the width direction to the sheet at an end portion of the pressing member opposite the support portion side.

14. 13. The feeding device according to claim 12, a base member attached to a device body and rotatably supporting the arm member; the pressing member is positioned at the retracted position in the base member so as to overlap the arm member, a space for allowing a part of a finger to fit between the bottom surface of the base member and the pressing member when the pressing member is located at the retracted position, the space being defined between the bottom surface of the base member and the pressing member.

15. 13. The feeding device according to claim 12, a base member attached to a device body and rotatably supporting the arm member; the pressing member is positioned at the retracted position in the base member so as to overlap the arm member, a feeding device characterized in that, when the pressing member is located in the retracted position, an end of the pressing member opposite to a support portion that rotatably supports the arm member of the base member is located within a bottom surface of the base member.

16. 13. The feeding device according to claim 12, a base member attached to a device body and rotatably supporting the arm member; the pressing member is positioned at the retracted position in the base member so as to overlap the arm member, The feeding device further comprises a holding portion for holding the pressing member within the base member.

17. 2. The feeding device according to claim 1, The pressing member is rotatably supported by an arm member, a base member attached to a device body and rotatably supporting the arm member; A feeding device, wherein the base member, the arm member and the pressing member are integrally configured as a pressing unit that is detachable from the feeding device.

18. 18. The feeding device according to claim 17, The feeding device, wherein the base member is fixed to the device body by double-sided tape.

19. 2. The feeding device according to claim 1, The pressing member is rotatably supported by an arm member, a base member attached to a cover member that covers the feeding section and rotatably supports the arm member; The cover member has at least an operating lever that is operated when opening the cover member, The feeding device, wherein the base member is disposed rearward of the device relative to the operating lever.

20. a pressing member having a pressing portion that presses the sheet placed on the sheet placement portion; an arm member that rotatably supports the pressing member; a base member that rotatably supports the arm member and holds the arm member and the pressing member, A pressing unit that is detachably installed in a feeding device.

21. A feeding section; an image reading unit that reads an image on the original sheet fed from the feeding unit, 2. An image reading apparatus, comprising: the feeding device according to claim 1 as said feeding section.

22. A feeding section; an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet fed from the feeding unit, 2. An image forming apparatus, comprising: the feeding device according to claim 1 as said feeding section.

Images