Medium conveyance device

Abstract

To provide a medium conveyance device capable of feeding a medium well.SOLUTION: A medium conveyance device has: a placement table; a feed roller that feeds a medium placed on the placement table; a separation roller disposed above the feed roller so as to face the feed roller; a lower surface guide that is disposed at a first position to limit a contact between a lower surface of the medium placed on the placement table and the feed roller before the medium is fed, and is disposed at a second position to allow the contact between the lower surface of the medium placed on the placement table and the feed roller during the medium feeding; a first guide that engages with the lower surface guide disposed at a first position before feeding the medium, thereby limiting the contact between a tip of the medium placed on the placement table and the separation roller; and a second guide disposed between an upstream end of the separation roller in a medium conveyance direction and a center part of the separation roller, and regulates the tip of the medium at a position separated by a prescribed distance upward from a nip part between the feed roller and the separation roller when the medium is being fed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a medium conveyance device, and more particularly to a medium conveyance device having a feed roller and a separation roller.

Background Art

[0002] In a medium conveyance device such as a scanner that feeds and images a plurality of media while separating them using a feed roller and a separation roller arranged opposite to each other, in order to improve the work efficiency of the user, it is required to place a large number of media on a mounting table and feed them together. However, the larger the amount of media placed on the mounting table, the greater the weight of the entire media, the greater the friction between the media, and there is a possibility that the media in contact with the media to be fed will be fed together with the media to be fed, resulting in double feeding of the media. For example, by arranging a guide in front of the nip portion of the feed roller and the separation roller so that a large number of media do not enter the nip portion, the occurrence of double feeding of the media can be suppressed. However, when a guide is arranged in front of the nip portion of the feed roller and the separation roller, when a medium with a curled tip is fed, the tip of the medium may be prevented by the guide from entering the nip portion of the feed roller and the separation roller.

[0003] A medium feeding device is disclosed that includes a plurality of regulating portions spaced apart in the medium width direction, which is a direction intersecting the medium feeding direction, upstream of the nip position between the separation roller and the feed roller (see Patent Document 1). This regulating portion regulates the contact of the tips of the upper media, excluding at least the lowermost medium, with the separation roller by contacting the tips of the upper media of the media bundle regardless of the deformation of the separation roller.

[0004] A sheet conveyance and separation device is disclosed in which the separation roller is made of an elastic body, and a conveyance regulating guide is provided in the vicinity of the separation roller so as to protrude relatively due to the deformation of the elastic body (see Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

[0006] In a medium conveying device, it is required to feed the medium well.

[0007] The purpose of the medium conveying device is to enable good feeding of the medium.

[0008] The medium conveying device according to one aspect of the embodiment includes a feeding roller for feeding a medium, a separation roller disposed opposite to the feeding roller above the feeding roller, a first guide for restricting contact between the leading end of the medium and the separation roller before medium feeding, and a second guide provided on the downstream side in the medium conveying direction from the first guide. The second guide is entirely disposed between the upstream end of the separation roller in the medium conveying direction and the central portion of the separation roller, and the lower end is disposed above the nip portion of the feeding roller and the separation roller. When feeding the medium, the leading end of the medium is restricted at a position separated upward by a predetermined distance from the nip portion.

[0009] According to the present embodiment, the medium conveying device can feed the medium well.

[0010] The objects and effects of the present invention will be recognized and obtained by using the components and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims. Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and do not limit the present invention described in the claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, a media conveyance device, a control method, and a control program according to one aspect of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, note that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to those embodiments, and extends to the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a media conveyance device 100 configured as an image scanner. The media conveyance device 100 conveys and images a media that is a document. The media is paper, thin paper, thick paper, a card, a passport, or the like. The card includes an ID-1 ID card defined by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) / IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 7810. Also, the card includes an ID card having an emboss defined by ISO / IEC 7811-1. The media conveyance device 100 may be a facsimile machine, a copying machine, a printer multifunction peripheral (MFP), or the like. Note that the conveyed media may not be a document but a printing object or the like, and the media conveyance device 100 may be a printer or the like.

[0014] The media conveyance device 100 includes a lower housing 101, an upper housing 102, a placement table 103, a discharge table 104, an operation device 105, a display device 106, and the like.

[0015] In FIG. 1, arrow A1 indicates the media conveyance direction. Hereinafter, upstream refers to the upstream in the media conveyance direction A1, and downstream refers to the downstream in the media conveyance direction A1. Also, in FIG. 1, arrow A2 indicates the width direction orthogonal to the media conveyance direction.

[0016] The upper housing 102 is disposed at a position covering the upper surface of the medium conveyance device 100, and is engaged with the lower housing 101 by a hinge so as to be openable and closable when loading media, cleaning inside the medium conveyance device 100, etc.

[0017] The placement table 103 is engaged with the lower housing 101 and places the media to be fed and conveyed. The placement table 103 is inclined so as to face downward from the upstream side to the downstream side. Thereby, the medium conveyance device 100 can convey the media well by utilizing the weight of the media. The discharge table 104 is engaged with the upper housing 102 and places the discharged media. Note that the discharge table 104 may be engaged with the lower housing 101.

[0018] The operation device 105 has an input device such as a button and an interface circuit that acquires signals from the input device, receives an input operation by the user, and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the user's input operation. The display device 106 has a display including liquid crystal, organic EL (Electro-Luminescence), etc. and an interface circuit that outputs image data to the display, and displays the image data on the display.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the conveyance path inside the medium conveyance device 100.

[0020] The conveyance path inside the medium conveyance device 100 includes a loading amount sensor 111, a medium size sensor 112, a medium sensor 113, a feed roller 114, a separation roller 115, a first conveyance roller 116, a second conveyance roller 117, an imaging device 118, a first discharge roller 119, a second discharge roller 120, etc.

[0021] Note that the number of each of the feed roller 114, the separation roller 115, the first conveyance roller 116, the second conveyance roller 117, the first discharge roller 119, and / or the second discharge roller 120 is not limited to one, and a plurality may be used. In that case, the plurality of feed rollers 114, separation rollers 115, first conveyance rollers 116, second conveyance rollers 117, first discharge rollers 119, and / or second discharge rollers 120 are arranged side by side at intervals in the width direction A2.

[0022] The upper surface of the lower housing 101 forms the lower guide 101a of the medium conveyance path, and the lower surface of the upper housing 102 forms the upper guide 102a of the medium conveyance path.

[0023] The loading amount sensor 111 is a sensor for detecting the loading amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103, and is arranged upstream of the feeding roller 114 and the separating roller 115. The loading amount sensor 111 is, for example, an infrared proximity distance sensor that measures the distance to an object existing at an opposing position from the time difference from the irradiation to the reflection of infrared rays. The loading amount sensor 111 has a light emitter and a light receiver provided on the upper housing 102. The light emitter is an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or the like, and irradiates light (infrared rays) toward the mounting table 103. On the other hand, the light receiver is a photodiode or the like, receives the light irradiated by the light emitter and reflected by the mounting table 103 or the medium placed on the mounting table 103, and generates and outputs a loading amount signal which is an electrical signal corresponding to the received light. The loading amount signal indicates, for example, the time from when the light emitter irradiates light to when the light receiver receives the light. The medium conveyance device 100 detects the height of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 as the loading amount of the medium based on the loading amount signal.

[0024] Note that the loading amount sensor 111 may be a movement amount sensor (actuator). The movement amount sensor includes a contact member that contacts the upper surface of the uppermost medium among the media placed on the mounting table 103 and is provided so as to be movable upward by the contacting medium, and detects the movement amount of the contact member. The loading amount sensor 111 generates and outputs a loading amount signal which is an electrical signal corresponding to the detected movement amount. The medium conveyance device 100 detects the height of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 as the loading amount of the medium based on the loading amount signal.

[0025] Alternatively, the loading amount sensor 111 may be a weight sensor for detecting the weight of the medium placed on the mounting table 103. The weight sensor has a pressure-sensitive sheet (conductive film sheet) disposed between the lower housing 101 and the mounting table 103. The loading amount sensor 111 generates and outputs a loading amount signal, which is an electrical signal corresponding to the magnitude of the pressure sensed by the pressure-sensitive sheet. The greater the weight of the medium placed on the mounting table 103, the greater the force with which the mounting table 103 presses the lower housing 101, and the greater the pressure sensed by the pressure-sensitive sheet. The medium conveyance device 100 detects the weight of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 as the loading amount of the medium based on the loading amount signal.

[0026] The medium size sensor 112 is a sensor for detecting the size of the medium and is disposed upstream of the feeding roller 114 and the separating roller 115. The medium size sensor 112 includes, for example, a plurality of optical sensors arranged at intervals in the width direction A2 and detecting the medium at each arranged position. Each optical sensor includes a light emitter and a light receiver provided on one of the lower housing 101 or the upper housing 102, and a light guide pipe provided at a position of the other of the lower housing 101 or the upper housing 102 facing the light emitter and the light receiver. The light emitter is an LED or the like and irradiates light toward the light guide pipe. On the other hand, the light receiver is a photodiode or the like and receives the light irradiated by the light emitter and guided by the light guide pipe. When a medium exists at a position facing each light emitter and light receiver, the light irradiated from the light emitter is blocked by the medium, so the light receiver does not detect the light irradiated from the light emitter. The medium size sensor 112 generates and outputs a medium size signal indicating whether a medium exists at a position facing each light emitter and light receiver based on the intensity of the light received by each light receiver.

[0027] Note that a reflecting member such as a mirror may be used instead of the light guide pipe. Also, the light emitter and the light receiver may be provided to face each other with the medium conveyance path therebetween.

[0028] Further, the medium size sensor 112 may be an infrared proximity distance sensor that is arranged at intervals in the width direction A2 and measures the distance to an object existing at the opposing position from the time difference from the irradiation of infrared rays to the reflection at each arranged position. In that case, the medium size sensor 112 has a light emitter and a light receiver provided on the upper housing 102. The light emitter is an LED or the like and irradiates light (infrared rays) toward the mounting table 103. On the other hand, the light receiver is a photodiode or the like and receives the light irradiated by the light emitter and reflected by the mounting table 103 or the medium mounted on the mounting table 103. When a medium exists at the position opposing each light emitter and light receiver, the light irradiated from the light emitter is reflected by the medium. Therefore, the time from when the light emitter irradiates light until the light receiver receives the light is shorter than when no medium exists at the position opposing each light emitter and light receiver. The medium size sensor 112 generates and outputs a medium size signal indicating whether a medium exists at the position opposing each light emitter and light receiver based on the time from when each light emitter irradiates light until each light receiver receives the light.

[0029] Further, the medium size sensor 112 may be a contact detection sensor that is arranged at intervals in the width direction A2 and passes a predetermined current when the medium is in contact or not in contact at each arranged position. The medium size sensor 112 generates and outputs a medium size signal indicating whether a medium exists at the position opposing each contact detection sensor based on whether the medium is in contact with each contact detection sensor.

[0030] Further, the media size sensor 112 may have an imaging sensor including an imaging element composed of two-dimensionally arranged CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or CCD (Charge Coupled Device). The media size sensor 112 is arranged so as to be able to image the entire media placed on the mounting table 103. In that case, the media size sensor 112 further has a lens that forms an image on the imaging element, and an A / D converter that amplifies an electrical signal output from the imaging element and performs analog / digital (A / D) conversion. The media size sensor 112 images the media placed on the mounting table 103 to generate an image signal, and outputs it as a media size signal.

[0031] The media sensor 113 is arranged upstream of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115. The media sensor 113 has a contact detection sensor, and detects whether or not a media is placed on the mounting table 103. The media sensor 113 generates and outputs a media signal whose signal value changes between a state where a media is placed on the mounting table 103 and a state where no media is placed. Note that the media sensor 113 is not limited to a contact detection sensor, and as the media sensor 113, any other sensor capable of detecting the presence or absence of a media, such as an optical detection sensor, may be used.

[0032] The feed roller 114 is provided in the lower housing 101, and sequentially separates and feeds the media placed on the mounting table 103 from below. The separation roller 115 is a so-called brake roller or retard roller, and is arranged in the upper housing 102, that is, above the feed roller 114, facing the feed roller 114, and rotates in the direction opposite to the media feed direction.

[0033] The first transport roller 116 and the second transport roller 117 are arranged opposite to each other downstream of the feed roller 114, and transport the media fed by the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115 to the imaging device 118. The first transport roller 116 is provided in the lower housing 101, and the second transport roller 117 is provided in the upper housing 102, above the first transport roller 116.

[0034] The imaging device 118 is arranged on the downstream side of the first conveying roller 116 and the second conveying roller 117, and images the medium conveyed by the first conveying roller 116 and the second conveying roller 117. The imaging device 118 includes a first imaging device 118a and a second imaging device 118b that are arranged opposite to each other with the medium conveying path therebetween. The first imaging device 118a has a line sensor composed of a contact image sensor (CIS) of an equi-magnification optical system type having an imaging element based on CMOS arranged linearly in the main scanning direction. Further, the first imaging device 118a has a lens that forms an image on the imaging element, and an A / D converter that amplifies the electrical signal output from the imaging element and performs analog / digital (A / D) conversion. The first imaging device 118a generates and outputs an input image by imaging the surface of the conveyed medium according to the control from a processing circuit described later.

[0035] Similarly, the second imaging device 118b has a line sensor composed of a CIS of an equi-magnification optical system type having an imaging element based on CMOS arranged linearly in the main scanning direction. Further, the second imaging device 118b has a lens that forms an image on the imaging element, and an A / D converter that amplifies the electrical signal output from the imaging element and performs analog / digital (A / D) conversion. The second imaging device 118b generates and outputs an input image by imaging the back surface of the conveyed medium according to the control from a processing circuit described later.

[0036] Note that the medium conveying device 100 may arrange only one of the first imaging device 118a and the second imaging device 118b and read only one side of the medium. Further, instead of the line sensor composed of a CIS of an equi-magnification optical system type having an imaging element based on CMOS, a line sensor composed of a CIS of an equi-magnification optical system type having an imaging element based on CCD may be used. Further, a line sensor of a reduced optical system type having an imaging element based on CMOS or CCD may be used.

[0037] The first discharge roller 119 and the second discharge roller 120 are arranged opposite to each other on the downstream side of the imaging device 118, and discharge the medium conveyed by the first conveyance roller 116 and the second conveyance roller 117 and imaged by the imaging device 118 onto the discharge table 104. The first discharge roller 119 is provided on the lower housing 101, and the second discharge roller 120 is provided on the upper housing 102 above the first discharge roller 119.

[0038] The medium placed on the placement table 103 is conveyed in the medium conveyance direction A1 between the lower guide 101a and the upper guide 102a by the feeding roller 114 rotating in the direction of arrow A3 in FIG. 2, that is, the medium feeding direction. The medium conveyance device 100 has, as a feeding mode, a separation mode of separating and feeding the medium and a non-separation mode of feeding the medium without separation. The feeding mode is set by the user using the operation device 105 or an information processing device communicatively connected to the medium conveyance device 100. When the feeding mode is set to the separation mode, the separation roller 115 rotates in the direction of arrow A4, that is, the direction opposite to the medium feeding direction, during medium feeding. By the action of the feeding roller 114 and the separation roller 115, when a plurality of media are placed on the placement table 103, only the medium in contact with the feeding roller 114 among the media placed on the placement table 103 is separated. Thereby, the conveyance of the media other than the separated media is restricted (prevention of double feeding). On the other hand, when the feeding mode is set to the non-separation mode, the separation roller 115 rotates in the direction opposite to arrow A4, that is, in the medium feeding direction.

[0039] The medium is fed between the first conveyance roller 116 and the second conveyance roller 117 while being guided by the lower guide 101a and the upper guide 102a. The medium is fed between the first imaging device 118a and the second imaging device 118b by the first conveyance roller 116 and the second conveyance roller 117 rotating in the directions of arrow A5 and arrow A6, respectively. The medium read by the imaging device 118 is discharged onto the discharge table 104 by the first discharge roller 119 and the second discharge roller 120 rotating in the directions of arrow A7 and arrow A8, respectively.

[0040] FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are schematic diagrams for explaining the feeding mechanism 121 of the medium conveyance device 100. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism 121 viewed from the upstream side, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism 121 viewed from the side (from the width direction A2).

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the medium conveyance device 100 includes, as the feeding mechanism 121, in addition to the feeding roller 114 and the separating roller 115, a guide member 122, a separating roller cover 123, a lower surface guide 124, a first guide 125, a second guide 126, and the like. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the medium conveyance device 100 has two feeding rollers 114 and two separating rollers 115.

[0042] The guide member 122 is a plate-like member and is provided on the upper surface of the lower housing 101 so as to form a conveyance surface 122a of the medium, and forms a part of the lower guide 101a. The guide member 122 has an opening at the central portion in the width direction A2 orthogonal to the medium conveyance direction, and the feeding roller 114 is disposed in the opening.

[0043] The separating roller cover 123 is an example of a support portion, and covers and supports the separating roller 115. The separating roller cover 123 is attached to the upper housing 102 via an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring or rubber, and is biased downward by the elastic member. Thereby, the separating roller cover 123 applies a biasing force to the separating roller 115 so that the separating roller 115 presses the feeding roller 114.

[0044] The lower guide 124 is a setting guide for setting the medium. The lower guide 124 is disposed at a position overlapping the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115 when viewed from the width direction A2, that is, at a position overlapping the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115 in the medium conveyance direction A1. The lower guide 124 is provided on the lower housing 101 so as to be swingable (rotatable) downward (in the direction of arrow A9 in FIG. 4) according to a driving force from a motor (not shown). Before feeding the medium, the lower guide 124 is disposed at a first position (the arrangement position shown in FIG. 4) that restricts contact between the lower surface of the medium M1 placed on the mounting table 103 and the feed roller 114, and supports the lower surface of the medium M1 placed on the mounting table 103 on the support surface 124a.

[0045] The lower guide 124 is formed of a member with high slidability (low frictional force against the medium), such as a plastic member. In particular, the lower guide 124 is formed of a member with a frictional force between the lower guide 124 and PPC paper being smaller than the frictional force between two PPC papers.

[0046] To enable the feed roller 114 to feed the medium well, the outer peripheral surface of the feed roller 114 is formed of a rubber member or the like with a large frictional force against the medium. Therefore, the frictional force between the lowermost medium among the media M1 placed on the mounting table 103 and the feed roller 114 becomes larger than the frictional force between the plurality of media M1. Further, in the medium conveyance device 100, the mounting table 103 is inclined so that the downstream side faces downward so that the medium is easily conveyed by its own weight. Therefore, if the medium conveyance device does not have a lower guide, before feeding the medium, the leading end of the medium disposed above the lowermost medium will precede (move to the downstream side) the leading end of the lowermost medium, and double feeding of the medium is likely to occur during medium feeding.

[0047] On the other hand, in the medium conveyance device 100, the lowermost medium among the media M1 placed on the mounting table 103 enters the lower guide 124 and slides thereon until it hits the first guide 125 before feeding the medium. Therefore, the medium conveyance device 100 can suppress the occurrence of double feeding of the medium.

[0048] The first guide 125 is a flap and is a stopper for preventing the medium from entering the nip portion of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115 before medium feeding. The first guide 125 is disposed at a position facing the lower surface guide 124 in the medium conveyance direction A1. The first guide 125 is provided on a feed arm (to be described later) stored in the separation roller cover 123 so as to be swingable (rotatable) downstream (in the direction of arrow A10 in FIG. 4), and is pressed toward the upstream side (opposite to the direction of arrow A10) by an elastic member (not shown) such as a torsion coil spring. Before medium feeding, the first guide 125 engages with the lower surface guide 124 disposed at the first position, and restricts the contact between the tip of the medium M1 placed on the mounting table 103 and the separation roller 115. That is, before medium feeding, the first guide 125 prevents the medium from entering the nip portion of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115. The first guide 125 is provided so as to be interlocked with the feed arm. When the first guide 125 is engaged with the lower surface guide 124, the feed arm is supported by the first guide 125 and the lower surface guide 124, and the downward movement of the feed arm is prevented. Therefore, in FIGS. 3 and 4, the feed arm is stored in the separation roller cover 123.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 4, before medium feeding, the first guide 125 is disposed upstream of the upstream end of the separation roller 115 and in the vicinity of the separation roller 115 in the medium conveyance direction A1. Therefore, the difference between the position (height) of the medium that abuts against the first guide 125 and stops before medium feeding and the position (height) of the medium that abuts against the separation roller 115 and stops immediately after the start of medium feeding is small, and the magnitude of the potential energy generated by the height difference is small. Therefore, immediately after the start of medium feeding, the medium abuts against the separation roller 115 forcefully, and it is suppressed that the separation roller 115 is pushed up by the medium and the force for separating the medium is reduced. Therefore, the medium conveyance device 100 can suppress the occurrence of double feeding of the medium and can separate a plurality of media favorably.

[0050] Further, the first guide 125 engages with the lower surface guide 124 disposed at the first position so as to be inclined with respect to the lower surface guide 124. That is, the angle θ1 formed between the contact surface 125a of the first guide 125 that contacts the tip of the medium M1 and the support surface 124a of the lower surface guide 124 is set to be greater than 0° and less than 90°. In particular, the angle θ1 is set to be greater than 45° and less than 90°. Thereby, when a plurality of media are stacked on the mounting table 103, before media feeding, the tip of the lower medium is disposed more downstream, so that at the start of media feeding, the lowermost medium easily enters the nip portion between the feeding roller 114 and the separating roller 115. Therefore, the medium conveying device 100 can smoothly convey the medium at the start of medium feeding and can reduce the time required for medium feeding.

[0051] In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of sets of the first guide 125 and the lower surface guide 124 are arranged side by side at intervals in the width direction A2 orthogonal to the medium conveying direction, and each first guide 125 is arranged at substantially the same position in the medium conveying direction A1. Further, each set of the first guide 125 and the lower surface guide 124 is arranged at an interval equal to or less than the minimum medium size width (for example, the length in the short side direction of the A8 size) supported by the medium conveying device 100 in the width direction A2. Thereby, even when a medium having the minimum medium size width supported by the medium conveying device 100 is conveyed, the tip of the medium is positioned at at least two points or more by each first guide before medium feeding, so that the tip of the medium is suppressed from being disposed obliquely. Therefore, the medium conveying device 100 can suppress a part of the tip of the medium from contacting the separating roller 115 before medium feeding and can suppress the occurrence of skew of the medium. Note that each set of the first guide 125 and the lower surface guide 124 may be arranged at an interval greater than the minimum medium size width supported by the medium conveying device 100 in the width direction A2.

[0052] The second guide 126 has a contact surface 126a that contacts the leading edge of the fed medium. The second guide 126 is provided on the separation roller cover 123 so as to protrude from the separation roller cover 123 above the nip portion of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115. As shown in FIG. 4, the second guide 126 is disposed between the upstream end of the separation roller 115 in the medium conveyance direction A1 and the center O of the separation roller 115 in the medium conveyance direction A1.

[0053] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the second guide 126 is disposed outside the first guide 125 and in the vicinity of the separation roller 115 in the width direction A2 orthogonal to the medium conveyance direction. For example, in the width direction A2, the inner end of the second guide 126 is disposed within 30 mm from the outer end of the separation roller 115. Thereby, the second guide 126 can regulate the central portion of the medium in the width direction A2, and can appropriately stop the medium. In particular, the second guide 126 can favorably regulate the leading edge of the medium when a plurality of small-sized media are placed on the mounting table 103 and fed together. Note that the first guide 125 and / or the second guide 126 may be disposed between the two separation rollers 115 in the width direction A2.

[0054] The second guide 126 is formed such that the coefficient of friction of the first region 126b above a predetermined position is greater than the coefficient of friction of the second region 126c below the predetermined position on the contact surface 126a. That is, the second guide 126 is formed such that the surface roughness is different between the first region 126b and the second region 126c, or the frictional resistance of the members is different. The predetermined position is set, for example, at the central position between the upper end position and the lower end position of the contact surface 126a. Note that the predetermined position may be set at any position within the contact surface 126a. The coefficient of friction of the first region 126b is set to, for example, 0.5 or more. For example, an uneven shape is formed in the first region 126b. Alternatively, a rubber member may be attached to the first region 126b. On the other hand, the coefficient of friction of the second region 126c is set to, for example, less than 0.5 (for example, about 0.3). The second region 126c is formed of, for example, a resin material. Thereby, the second guide 126 makes it easier to catch the tip of the medium in the upper region of the contact surface 126a and appropriately prevents the medium from entering the downstream side. On the other hand, in the lower region of the contact surface 126a, the second guide 126 smoothly drops the tip of the medium and allows the medium to be well guided to the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115 by a pressing roller described later.

[0055] In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of second guides 126 are arranged side by side at intervals in the width direction A2 orthogonal to the medium conveyance direction, and each second guide 126 is arranged at substantially the same position in the medium conveyance direction A1. Further, each second guide 126 is arranged at intervals of a length equal to or less than the length obtained by adding a margin (for example, 40 mm) to the minimum medium size width supported by the medium conveyance device 100 in the width direction A2. Thereby, when a medium (for example, a medium of A6 size or more) mainly fed by the medium conveyance device 100 is fed, the tip of the medium is positioned at at least two points or more by each second guide 126 before the medium is fed. Therefore, the medium conveyance device 100 can suppress the tip of the medium from being arranged obliquely and suppress the occurrence of skewing of the medium.

[0056] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the lower guide 124 and the first guide 125 during media feeding. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the feeding mechanism 121 during media feeding.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 5, the feeding mechanism 121 further includes a feeding arm 127. As described above, the feeding arm 127 is stored in the separation roller cover 123 so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the separation roller cover 123. The feeding arm 127 is attached to the inside of the separation roller cover 123 via an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring or rubber, and is biased downward with respect to the separation roller cover 123 by the elastic member.

[0058] The feeding arm 127 is provided with a pressing roller 127a. The pressing roller 127a faces the feeding roller 114 and is disposed upstream of the nip portion of the feeding roller 114 and the separation roller 115 in the media conveyance direction A1. The pressing roller 127a presses the media fed by the feeding roller 114 toward the feeding roller 114 from above. The pressing roller 127a sandwiches the media between itself and the feeding roller 114 and applies a conveyance force to the media fed by the feeding roller 114. Thereby, the media conveyance device 100 can feed the media favorably.

[0059] At the start of media feeding, the lower guide 124 swings downward (in the direction of arrow A9) from the conveyance surface 122a of the guide member 122. Thereby, the lower guide 124 is disposed at the second position (the disposed position shown in FIG. 5) that allows contact between the lower surface of the media M1 placed on the mounting table 103 and the feeding roller 114 during media feeding, and is separated from the lower surface of the media M1 placed on the mounting table 103.

[0060] When the lower guide 124 is disposed at the second position, the engagement between the first guide 125 and the lower guide 124 is released. As a result, the first guide 125 is pushed against the tip of the medium M1 placed on the mounting table 103 and swings downstream (in the direction of arrow A10), and the medium M1 can enter the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115. Thus, when the lower guide 124 is disposed at the second position, the first guide 125 allows the medium M1 to enter the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115.

[0061] Also, as described above, since the feed arm 127 is biased downward by an elastic member, when the engagement between the first guide 125 and the lower guide 124 is released, the feed arm 127 moves downward (toward the feed roller 114 side). In the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the amount of the medium M1 placed on the mounting table 103 is sufficiently small. In this case, first, the feed roller 114 contacts the lowermost medium among the media M1 placed on the mounting table 103, and then the pressing roller 127a contacts the uppermost medium among the media M1 placed on the mounting table 103. That is, when the amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 is less than a predetermined amount when the lower guide 124 moves from the first position to the second position, the pressing roller 127a is provided so as to contact the medium placed on the mounting table 103 after the feed roller 114.

[0062] When the amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 is small, if the rotation of the feed roller 114 is started with the pressing roller 127a pressing the medium, the tip of the medium is likely to bend upward and a jam of the medium is likely to occur. When the amount of the medium is less than a predetermined amount, the medium conveyance device 100 starts feeding the medium by bringing the feed roller 114 into contact with the medium before the pressing roller 127a, thereby suppressing the tip of the medium from bending upward and preventing a jam of the medium from occurring.

[0063] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the lower surface guide 124 and the first guide 125 when a large amount of medium M2 is placed on the mounting table 103. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism 121 immediately after the start of medium feeding when a large amount of medium M2 is placed on the mounting table 103, as viewed from the side.

[0064] As described above, when the feeding of the medium starts, the lower surface guide 124 is disposed at the second position, the engagement between the first guide 125 and the lower surface guide 124 is released, and the feeding arm 127 moves downward. As shown in FIG. 6, when a large amount of medium M2 is placed on the mounting table 103, before the lower surface guide 124 completely descends, the feeding arm 127 starts to descend. Therefore, before the feeding roller 114 contacts the lowermost medium placed on the mounting table 103, the pressing roller 127a contacts the uppermost medium placed on the mounting table 103. That is, when the amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 is equal to or more than a predetermined amount when the lower surface guide 124 moves from the first position to the second position, the pressing roller 127a is provided to contact the medium placed on the mounting table 103 before the feeding roller 114.

[0065] When the amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 is large, by starting the rotation of the feeding roller 114 with the pressing roller 127a pressing the medium, the feeding roller 114 can feed the medium well. In particular, when the amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 is large, a larger biasing force is applied to the medium by the elastic member as compared with the case where the amount of the medium is small. For example, when the elastic member is a compression spring, the magnitude of the biasing force is a multiplication value obtained by multiplying the spring constant by the amount of compression of the spring. When the amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 is large, the amount of compression of the spring is large, and a large biasing force is applied to the medium by the pressing roller 127a, so that the feeding roller 114 can feed the medium well.

[0066] In addition, when the amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 is large, the tip of the medium to be fed that is located at the lowermost side is pressed by the weight of the medium placed thereon, so the possibility that the tip of the medium bends upward is low. Therefore, when the amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 is large and the possibility of medium jamming is low, the medium conveying device 100 can prioritize the feedability of the medium and feed the medium well.

[0067] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the second guide 126 when a large amount of the medium M3 is placed on the mounting table 103. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism 121 during medium feeding when a large amount of the medium M3 is placed on the mounting table 103, as viewed from the side.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 7, when a large amount of the medium M3 is placed on the mounting table 103 and the upstream end of the separation roller 115 is pressed downstream and deformed by the medium M3, the second guide 126 abuts against the tip of the medium M3 to prevent the medium M3 from entering downstream. Thereby, the second guide 126 can suppress the separation roller 115 from rising (lifting) due to the medium M3 and reducing the force for separating the medium.

[0069] In particular, during medium feeding, the second guide 126 regulates the tip of the medium at a position separated upward by a predetermined distance D from the nip surface N, which is the extension surface of the nip portion between the feeding roller 114 and the separation roller 115. That is, the second guide 126 is arranged so as not to overlap with the feeding roller 114 when viewed from the width direction A2 orthogonal to the medium conveying direction. Thereby, the second guide 126 abuts only against the medium arranged on the upper side among the medium M3 placed on the mounting table 103. Therefore, the second guide 126 allows the medium arranged on the lower side to enter the nip portion between the feeding roller 114 and the separation roller 115 while restricting the medium arranged on the upper side from entering downstream. Since only the medium arranged on the lower side abuts against the separation roller 115, the second guide 126 can suppress the separation roller 115 from rising (lifting) and reducing the force for separating the medium.

[0070] The predetermined distance D is set based on, for example, the number of ID cards that the media conveyance device 100 can support. For example, when the number of cards that can be conveyed is three, the predetermined distance D is set to a length of at least three times the thickness of an ID-1 ID card defined by ISO / IEC 7810 (0.76 mm × 3 = 2.28 mm). Thereby, when the ID cards corresponding to the number of cards that can be conveyed are fed, the second guide 126 can allow each ID card to pass through and enter the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115. Note that the predetermined distance D may be set to a length of at least three times the thickness of an ID card having an emboss defined by ISO / IEC 7811-1 ((0.76 mm + 0.48 mm) × 3 = 3.72 mm). Thereby, when the ID cards having embosses corresponding to the number of cards that can be conveyed are fed, the second guide 126 can allow each ID card to pass through and enter the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115.

[0071] The ID card is highly rigid compared to paper or the like and does not deform. Therefore, when the media conveyance device 100 attempts to separate a plurality of ID cards at the position of the second guide 126, the conveyance load by the feed roller 114 increases. Therefore, in order to separate a plurality of ID cards at the position of the second guide 126, the media conveyance device 100 needs to increase the force with which the separation roller 115 presses the feed roller 114. However, if the force with which the separation roller 115 presses the feed roller 114 is increased too much, it becomes difficult for the media conveyance device 100 to separate media such as paper. By providing the second guide 126 so as to allow a plurality of ID cards to pass through, each ID card is appropriately separated at the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115, so that the media conveyance device 100 can feed both the ID card and the paper while separating them well.

[0072] In addition, the size of the ID card is small, and when the ID card is fed, it is highly likely that the side guides are not set. Furthermore, since the frictional force between ID cards is small, if an attempt is made to separate a plurality of ID cards at the position of the second guide 126, the ID card staying at the position of the second guide 126 may tilt, increasing the likelihood of media skew. By providing the second guide 126 to allow a plurality of ID cards to pass through, each ID card is appropriately separated at the nip portion of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115, so that the media conveyance device 100 can suppress the occurrence of media skew.

[0073] On the other hand, when the predetermined distance D is too large, a large amount of media contacts the separation roller 115, causing the separation roller 115 to rise and reducing the force for separating the media. As a result of conducting experiments on feeding multiple types of media with various thicknesses such as fine paper, coated paper, and art paper while changing the predetermined distance D, when the predetermined distance D is greater than 7 mm, the frequency of the separation roller 115 lifting off and causing media double feeding increases rapidly. Therefore, the predetermined distance D is preferably set to a length of 7 mm or less.

[0074] Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the separation roller cover 123 has a guide surface 123a formed upstream of the upstream end of the separation roller 115 in the medium conveyance direction A1. The extension surface E obtained by extending the guide surface 123a is arranged so as to pass through the center O of the separation roller 115. That is, the guide surface 123a is formed at the same position as the center O of the separation roller 115 in the height direction. When a large amount of media is placed on the placement table 103 and the media placed on the upper side contacts the upper position of the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 115, the separation roller 115 is pressed from above by the contacting media. The higher the position where the media contacts on the outer peripheral surface, the greater the force with which the media presses the separation roller 115. The greater the force with which the media presses the separation roller 115, the greater the load for lifting the separation roller 115 when feeding the media to be fed into the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115, and the greater the feed force required to convey the media. In particular, when the media contacts the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 115 at a position higher than the center O, there is a possibility that a feeding abnormality in which the media is not properly fed may occur.

[0075] On the other hand, the medium conveyance device 100 can limit the amount of the medium that enters up to the position where it contacts the separation roller 115 when a large amount of media is placed on the placement table 103 by the separation roller cover 123. In particular, since the guide surface 123a is arranged at the same height as the center O of the separation roller 115, the medium conveyance device 100 can prevent the medium from contacting the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 115 at a position higher than the center O, and can suppress the occurrence of a feeding abnormality of the medium.

[0076] Note that the extension surface E obtained by extending the guide surface 123a may be arranged to be positioned below the center O of the separation roller 115. That is, the guide surface 123a may be formed below the center O of the separation roller 115 in the height direction. By arranging the guide surface 123a at a position lower than the center O of the separation roller 115, the medium conveyance device 100 can feed the medium with a sufficiently small feed force.

[0077] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the second guide 126 when the medium M4 with a curled tip is placed on the placement table 103. FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of the feeding mechanism 121 during medium feeding when the medium M4 with a curled tip is placed on the placement table 103. In FIG. 8, for better visibility, the displays of the first guide 125 and the feeding arm 127 are omitted.

[0078] As described above, in the separation mode, when a plurality of media enter between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115, the separation roller 115 rotates in the opposite direction A4 to the medium feeding direction and pushes back the media that is not in contact with the feed roller 114. On the other hand, when a single medium enters between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115, or when there is no medium between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115, the separation roller 115 rotates along with the feed roller 114 in the medium feeding direction A9.

[0079] If the second guide 126 is arranged upstream of the upstream end of the separation roller 115 in the medium conveyance direction A1, the entry of the curled tip of the medium M4 into the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115 is blocked by the second guide 126. Therefore, the medium M4 does not enter the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115, and a jam of the medium occurs. On the other hand, in the medium conveyance device 100, the second guide 126 is arranged downstream of the upstream end of the separation roller 115 in the medium conveyance direction A1. Therefore, the tip of the curled medium M4 is not blocked by the second guide 126 and contacts the separation roller 115, and is guided to the separation roller 115 that rotates in the medium feeding direction A9 and enters between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115. Therefore, the medium conveyance device 100 can suppress the occurrence of jams of the medium with a curled tip.

[0080] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the inclination of the second guide 126. FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of the second guide 126. In FIG. 9, for better visibility, the displays of the first guide 125 and the feeding arm 127 are omitted.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 9, the second guide 126 is arranged such that the contact surface 126a that contacts the leading end of the medium is inclined with respect to the nip surface N of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115. That is, the angle θ2 formed between the contact surface 126a of the second guide 126 and the nip surface N is set to be greater than 0° and less than 90°. In particular, the angle θ2 is set to be greater than 45° and less than 90°. As a result, among the media that contact the contact surface 126a, the leading end of the lower medium is arranged on the downstream side. Therefore, when the lower medium separates from the contact surface 126a, it easily enters the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115. Therefore, the medium conveyance device 100 can smoothly feed the medium at the start of medium feeding, and can reduce the time required for medium feeding.

[0082] Also, when the feed roller 114 rotates in the medium feed direction A3, the separation roller 115 is pulled by the feed roller 114 at the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115. By being pulled by the feed roller 114, the downstream end portion of the nip portion of the separation roller 115 bulges, and accordingly, the upstream end portion of the nip portion of the separation roller 115 is recessed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, a recess 115a is formed in the upstream and lower portion of the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 115. Since the contact surface 126a of the second guide 126 is inclined with respect to the nip surface N and is arranged substantially parallel to the recess 115a, the leading ends of the respective media that contact the contact surface 126a contact the contact surface 126a uniformly. As a result, the second guide 126 can apply a uniform load to the respective contacting media and can appropriately align the leading ends of the respective media. As a result, the medium conveyance device 100 can feed the medium better.

[0083] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the medium conveyance device 100.

[0084] In addition to the above-described configuration, the medium conveyance device 100 further includes a motor 131, an interface device 132, a storage device 140, a processing circuit 150, and the like.

[0085] The motor 131 has one or more motors, and rotates the feed roller 114, the separation roller 115, the first conveyance roller 116, the second conveyance roller 117, the first discharge roller 119, and the second discharge roller 120 according to a control signal from the processing circuit 150 to convey the medium. Note that one of the first conveyance roller 116 and the second conveyance roller 117 may be a driven roller that rotates in accordance with the other roller. Also, one of the first discharge roller 119 and the second discharge roller 120 may be a driven roller that rotates in accordance with the other roller. Further, the motor 131 moves the lower surface guide 124 between the first position and the second position according to a control signal from the processing circuit 150.

[0086] The interface device 132 has an interface circuit conforming to a serial bus such as USB, for example, and is electrically connected to an information processing device (for example, a personal computer, a portable information terminal, etc.) (not shown) to transmit and receive an input image and various types of information. Further, instead of the interface device 132, a communication unit having an antenna for transmitting and receiving wireless signals and a wireless communication interface device for transmitting and receiving signals through a wireless communication line according to a predetermined communication protocol may be used. The predetermined communication protocol is, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The communication unit may have a wired communication interface device for transmitting and receiving signals through a wired communication line according to a communication protocol such as a wired LAN.

[0087] The storage device 140 includes a memory device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), a fixed disk device such as a hard disk, or a portable storage device such as a flexible disk or an optical disk. Further, the storage device 140 stores computer programs, databases, tables, etc. used for various processes of the media transport device 100. The computer program may be installed in the storage device 140 from a computer-readable portable recording medium using a known setup program or the like. The portable recording medium is, for example, a CD-ROM (compact disc read only memory), a DVD-ROM (digital versatile disc read only memory), or the like.

[0088] The processing circuit 150 operates based on a program stored in the storage device 140 in advance. The processing circuit is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). As the processing circuit 150, a DSP (digital signal processor), an LSI (large scale integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or the like may be used.

[0089] The processing circuit 150 is connected to the operation device 105, the display device 106, the load sensor 111, the media size sensor 112, the media sensor 113, the imaging device 118, the motor 131, the interface device 132, the storage device 140, etc., and controls these respective parts. The processing circuit 150 performs drive control of the motor 131, imaging control of the imaging device 118, etc. based on the media signal received from the media sensor 113, acquires an input image from the imaging device 118, and transmits it to the information processing device via the interface device 132.

[0090] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the storage device 140 and the processing circuit 150.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 11, the storage device 140 stores a control program 141, an image acquisition program 142, a detection program 143, and the like. Each of these programs is a functional module implemented by software operating on a processor. The processing circuit 150 reads each program stored in the storage device 140 and operates according to each read program. Thereby, the processing circuit 150 functions as a control unit 151, an image acquisition unit 152, and a detection unit 153.

[0092] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the medium reading process of the medium transport device 100.

[0093] Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the medium reading process of the medium transport device 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 12. The flow of the operation described below is mainly executed by the processing circuit 150 in cooperation with each element of the medium transport device 100 based on a program stored in the storage device 140 in advance. Before the flowchart shown in FIG. 12 is executed, that is, before the medium is fed, the lower surface guide 124 is arranged at the first position.

[0094] First, the control unit 151 waits until an instruction to read the medium is input by the user using the operation device 105 or the information processing device, and a control signal instructing the reading of the medium is received from the operation device 105 or the interface device 132 (step S101).

[0095] Next, the control unit 151 acquires a medium signal from the medium sensor 113 and determines whether a medium is placed on the mounting table 103 based on the acquired medium signal (step S102). If no medium is placed on the mounting table 103, the control unit 151 ends a series of steps.

[0096] On the one hand, when a medium is placed on the mounting table 103, the control unit 151 drives the motor 131 to move the lower surface guide 124 from the first position to the second position. Further, the control unit 151 drives the motor 131 to rotate the feed roller 114, the separation roller 115, the first conveyance roller 116, the second conveyance roller 117, the first discharge roller 119, and / or the second discharge roller 120 to convey the medium (step S103).

[0097] Next, the image acquisition unit 152 causes the imaging device 118 to image the medium, acquires an input image from the imaging device 118, and outputs the acquired input image by transmitting it to the information processing device via the interface device 132 (step S104).

[0098] Next, the control unit 151 determines whether or not a medium remains on the mounting table 103 based on the medium signal received from the medium sensor 113 (step S105). If a medium remains on the mounting table 103, the control unit 151 returns the process to step S104 and repeats the processes of steps S104 to S105.

[0099] On the other hand, when no medium remains on the mounting table 103, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 to stop the feed roller 114, the separation roller 115, the first conveyance roller 116, the second conveyance roller 117, the first discharge roller 119, and / or the second discharge roller 120. Further, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 to move the lower surface guide 124 from the second position to the first position (step S106), and ends a series of steps.

[0100] As described in detail above, the medium conveying device 100 has a first guide 125 that restricts contact between the leading end of the medium and the separation roller 115 before the medium is fed. Further, the medium conveying device 100 has a second guide 126 that is disposed downstream of the upstream end of the separation roller 115 and regulates the leading end of the medium at a position a predetermined distance above the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115. Thereby, the medium conveying device 100 guides only an appropriate amount of the medium among the media whose restriction by the first guide 125 has been released to the nip portion, and suppresses other media from pressing against the separation roller 115. As a result, the medium conveying device 100 can suppress the separation roller 115 from rising (lifting) and reducing the force for separating the medium. Therefore, the medium conveying device 100 can satisfactorily separate a plurality of media and can suppress the occurrence of double feeding of the media. Further, the medium conveying device 100 can suppress the leading end of the medium with a curled tip from being prevented from entering the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115 by the second guide 126. Therefore, the medium conveying device 100 can feed the medium satisfactorily.

[0101] Generally, as the amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 increases, the force with which the medium presses the separation roller 115 increases, and the possibility of double feeding of the medium increases. By regulating the leading end of the medium at a position a predetermined distance above the nip portion between the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115, the medium conveying device 100 can suppress the occurrence of double feeding of the medium and can stably feed the medium regardless of the amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103.

[0102] Further, the medium conveying device 100 can satisfactorily feed various types of media such as plain paper, thin paper whose leading end is likely to curl, cards, thick paper, passports, etc.

[0103] In this way, the media conveyance device 100 has become capable of stably feeding media regardless of the number or type of the media to be fed. Therefore, the user does not need to change the settings of the media conveyance device 100 according to the number or type of the media to be fed, and the media conveyance device 100 has become capable of improving the convenience for the user. Along with this, the media conveyance device 100 has become capable of suppressing the occurrence of setting errors by the user and suppressing the occurrence of malfunction due to the setting errors. Further, the media conveyance device 100 does not need to be provided with special parts for feeding special types of media or for feeding a large amount of media, and has become capable of suppressing an increase in the device cost.

[0104] FIGS. 13 and 14 are schematic views for explaining the separation roller cover 223 and the second guide 226 in a media conveyance device according to another embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the separation roller cover 223 viewed from the upstream side. FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the separation roller cover 223 viewed from the side. In FIGS. 13 and 14, the display of the guide member 122 is omitted for enhancing visibility.

[0105] As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the media conveyance device according to the present embodiment has a separation roller cover 223 and a second guide 226 instead of the separation roller cover 123 and the second guide 126.

[0106] The separation roller cover 223 and the second guide 226 have the same configuration as the separation roller cover 123 and the second guide 126. However, the second guide 226 has a fixed portion 226a and a movable portion 226b. The fixed portion 226a is provided so as to be fixed to the separation roller cover 223. The fixed portion 226a is provided on the upper side by a predetermined distance D from the nip surface N which is the extension surface of the nip portion of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115. The movable portion 226b is provided between the fixed portion 226a and the nip portion of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115 so as to be movable by the leading end of the medium to be fed. The movable portion 226b is provided at the lower end of the fixed portion 226a so as to be swingable (rotatable) in the downstream direction (the direction of arrow A11 in FIG. 14), and is pressed by an elastic member (not shown) such as a torsion coil spring toward the upstream side (the opposite direction of arrow A11).

[0107] When a plurality of media are placed on the mounting table 103, a force toward the downstream side is applied to each medium by the feed roller 114, and a force toward the upstream side is applied by the separation roller 115. The pressing force applied to the movable portion 226b by the elastic member is set to be smaller than the force toward the downstream side applied to the medium in contact with the feed roller 114 and larger than the force toward the downstream side applied to the medium not in contact with the feed roller 114. Thereby, when a plurality of media are placed on the mounting table 103, while guiding the medium to be fed to the nip portion of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115, entry of other media into the nip portion is prevented. Therefore, the second guide 226 can suppress the occurrence of double feeding of the media while guiding the medium to be fed (including cards, etc.) well to the nip portion of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115.

[0108] As described in detail above, even when the second guide 226 has the fixed portion 226a and the movable portion 226b, the medium conveyance device can feed the medium well.

[0109] Figs. 15 and 16 are schematic diagrams for explaining the separation roller cover 323 and the second guide 326 in a media conveyance device according to still another embodiment. Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram of the separation roller cover 323 as viewed from the upstream side. Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram of the separation roller cover 323 as viewed from the side. In Figs. 15 and 16, the display of the guide member 122 is omitted for better visibility. Figs. 15 and 16 show the second guide 326 before media feeding (initial state).

[0110] As shown in Figs. 15 and 16, the media conveyance device according to the present embodiment has a separation roller cover 323 and a second guide 326 instead of the separation roller cover 123 and the second guide 126.

[0111] The separation roller cover 323 and the second guide 326 have the same configuration as the separation roller cover 123 and the second guide 126. However, the second guide 326 has a shaft 326a, a contact portion 326b, and an arm 326c. In the example shown in Figs. 15 and 16, the second guide 326 has two contact portions 326b and two arms 326c.

[0112] The shaft 326a is rotatably provided on the separation roller cover 323 about a rotation axis extending in the width direction A2, and is pressed toward the upstream side (opposite direction of the arrow A12) by an elastic member (not shown) such as a torsion coil spring.

[0113] The contact portion 326b has a first contact surface that contacts the leading end of the fed media, and is provided on the shaft 326a so as to be rotatable (oscillatable) following the rotation of the shaft 326a. Before media feeding (initial state), the first contact surface is disposed at a non-contact position (the disposed position shown in Figs. 15 and 16) where it does not contact the leading end of the media. The contact portion 326b is disposed outside the first guide 125 and in the vicinity of the separation roller 115 in the width direction A2 orthogonal to the media conveyance direction. Each contact portion 326b is disposed at substantially the same position in the media conveyance direction A1. Also, the contact portions 326b are disposed at intervals not exceeding a length obtained by adding a margin to the minimum media size width supported by the media conveyance device 100 in the width direction A2.

[0114] The arm 326c has a second contact surface that contacts the upper surface of the medium to be fed, and is provided on the shaft 326a so as to rotate the shaft 326a as the arm 326c moves (swings). The arm 326c is disposed outside the contact portion 326b in the width direction A2 orthogonal to the medium conveyance direction. Each arm 326c is arranged at an interval greater than the longitudinal length (85.6 mm) of the ID-1 ID card defined in ISO / IEC 7810, or the longitudinal length (125 mm) of the folded passport. Each arm 326c is arranged at substantially the same position in the medium conveyance direction A1.

[0115] FIGS. 17 and 18 are schematic views for explaining the second guide 326 in a state where the contact portion 326b is set. FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the separation roller cover 323 viewed from the upstream side. FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the separation roller cover 323 viewed from the side. In FIGS. 17 and 18, the display of the guide member 122 is omitted for enhanced visibility.

[0116] As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, when a group of media having a height equal to or higher than a predetermined height is placed on the mounting table 103 and the upper surface of the group of media contacts the second contact surface of the arm 326c, the arm 326c is pushed up by the group of media and moves upward. As the arm 326c moves upward, the shaft 326a rotates in the direction of arrow A12, and as the shaft 326a rotates, the contact portion 326b swings in the direction of arrow A12. Thereby, the contact surface of the contact portion 326b is set at a contact position (the arrangement position shown in FIGS. 17 and 18) that contacts the leading end of the medium to be fed.

[0117] The abutting portion 326b set at the abutting position is provided above the nip portion of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115, and is arranged so as not to overlap the feed roller 114 when viewed from the width direction A2 orthogonal to the medium conveyance direction. Further, the abutting portion 326b set at the abutting position is arranged between the upstream end of the separation roller 115 in the medium conveyance direction A1 and the center O of the separation roller 115 in the medium conveyance direction A1.

[0118] In this way, the second guide 326 is movably provided by the medium when the height of the medium in contact with the separation roller 115 is equal to or greater than a predetermined height. Thereby, when a group of media having a width longer than the distance between the two arms 326c and having a height in contact with the arm 326c is placed on the mounting table 103, the second guide 326 abuts on the tip of the group of media and prevents the group of media from entering the downstream side. Therefore, the second guide 326 can suppress the separation roller 115 from rising (lifting) due to the group of media and reducing the force for separating the media. On the other hand, when a medium such as an ID card or a passport having a width shorter than the arrangement interval of the arms 326c is placed on the mounting table 103, the arms 326c do not abut on the medium, so the abutting portion 326b is arranged at a non-abutting position. Therefore, the abutting portion 326b can feed the medium well without preventing the feeding of a medium having a thickness such as an ID card or a passport.

[0119] As described in detail above, the medium conveyance device can feed the medium well even when the second guide 326 is movably provided according to the height of the medium.

[0120] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram for explaining the separation roller cover 423 and the second guide 426 in a medium conveyance device according to still another embodiment. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of the separation roller cover 423 viewed from the side. In FIG. 19, the display of the guide member 122 is omitted for enhanced visibility. FIG. 19 shows the second guide 426 before medium feeding (initial state).

[0121] As shown in FIG. 19, the media conveyance device according to the present embodiment has a separation roller cover 423, a second guide 426, and a cam 427 instead of the separation roller cover 123 and the second guide 126.

[0122] The separation roller cover 423 and the second guide 426 have the same configuration as the separation roller cover 123 and the second guide 126. However, the second guide 426 is provided on the separation roller cover 423 so as to be swingable (rotatable) in the upstream direction (the direction of arrow A13 in FIG. 19), and is pressed by an elastic member (not shown) such as a torsion coil spring toward the downstream side (the direction opposite to arrow A13). Before media feeding (initial state), the second guide 426 is disposed at a non-contact position (the disposed position shown in FIG. 19) where it does not contact the tip of the media.

[0123] The cam 427 is provided on the separation roller cover 423 so as to be swingable (rotatable) in the direction of arrow A14 in FIG. 19 by the driving force of the motor 131. Before media feeding (initial state), the cam 427 is disposed at a position separated from the second guide 426.

[0124] FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram for explaining the second guide 426 in a set state. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of the separation roller cover 423 viewed from the side. In FIG. 20, the display of the guide member 122 is omitted for enhanced visibility.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 20, when the cam 427 rotates in the direction of arrow A14 by the driving force of the motor 131 and contacts the second guide 426, the second guide 426 swings upstream (the direction of arrow A13) by the cam 427. As a result, the second guide 426 is set at a contact position (the disposed position shown in FIG. 20) where it contacts the tip of the fed media.

[0126] At the contact position, the second guide 426 is provided above the nip portion of the feed roller 114 and the separation roller 115, and is arranged so as not to overlap the feed roller 114 when viewed from the width direction A2 orthogonal to the medium conveyance direction. Further, the second guide 426 set at the contact position is arranged between the upstream end of the separation roller 115 in the medium conveyance direction A1 and the central portion O of the separation roller 115 in the medium conveyance direction A1.

[0127] When the second guide 426 is arranged at the contact position, it contacts the leading end of the medium and prevents the medium from entering the downstream side, while when arranged at the non-contact position, it allows the medium to be fed without preventing the feeding of the medium.

[0128] FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the medium reading process of the medium conveyance device having the second guide 426 and the cam 427.

[0129] Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the medium reading process of the medium conveyance device will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 21. The flow of the operation described below is mainly executed by the processing circuit 150 in cooperation with each element of the medium conveyance device 100 based on a program stored in the storage device 140 in advance. The flowchart shown in FIG. 21 is executed instead of the flowchart shown in FIG. 12. The processes of steps S201 to S203 and S211 to S213 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 21 are the same as the processes of steps S101 to S103 and S104 to S106 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 12, and thus the description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, only the processes of steps S204 to S210 will be described. Before the flowchart shown in FIG. 21 is executed, that is, before the medium is fed, the second guide 426 is arranged at the non-contact position.

[0130] In step S204, the control unit 151 determines whether the feeding mode is set to the separation mode or the non-separation mode (step S204).

[0131] When the feeding mode is set to the non-separating mode, the control unit 151 drives the motor 131 to place the second guide 426 at the non-contact position (step S205), and transfers the process to step S211. In this way, when the medium conveyance device 100 operates in the non-separating mode, the control unit 151 retracts the second guide 426. Thereby, when a booklet having a thickness such as a passport is fed in the non-separating mode, the control unit 151 can retract the second guide 426 and feed the booklet satisfactorily. When the second guide 426 is already placed at the non-contact position, the control unit 151 transfers the process to step S211 without particularly executing a process.

[0132] On the other hand, when the feeding mode is set to the separating mode, the detection unit 153 receives a loading amount signal from the loading amount sensor 111, and detects the loading amount of the medium placed on the placement table 103 based on the received loading amount signal (step S206). The medium conveyance device 100 stores in advance in the storage device 140 a table showing the relationship between the signal value of the loading amount signal and the loading amount (height or weight) of the medium. The detection unit 153 refers to the table and specifies, as the loading amount of the medium placed on the placement table 103, the loading amount corresponding to the signal value of the received loading amount signal.

[0133] Next, the control unit 151 determines whether or not the detected loading amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (step S207). The predetermined amount is set in advance to the loading amount that requires regulation of the medium by the second guide 426.

[0134] When the loading amount is less than the predetermined amount, the control unit 151 drives the motor 131 to place the second guide 426 at the non-contact position (step S205), and transfers the process to step S211. When the second guide 426 is already placed at the non-contact position, the control unit 151 transfers the process to step S211 without particularly executing a process.

[0135] On the other hand, when the loading amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the detection unit 153 receives a medium size signal from the medium size sensor 112 and detects the size of the medium placed on the mounting table 103 based on the received medium size signal (step S208). When the medium size signal indicates whether a medium exists at a position facing each light emitter and light receiver, the detection unit 153 detects the arrangement interval between the two outermost sets among the sets of the light emitter and light receiver where a medium exists at the facing position as the size in the width direction A2 of the medium. When the medium size signal indicates whether a medium exists at a position facing each contact detection sensor, the detection unit 153 detects the arrangement interval between the two outermost sensors among the sensors where a medium exists at the facing position as the size in the width direction A2 of the medium. When the medium size signal is an image signal, the detection unit 153 uses a known image processing technique to detect the size of the medium in the medium conveyance direction A1 and / or the width direction A2 from the image signal.

[0136] Next, the control unit 151 determines whether the detected size of the medium is equal to or greater than a predetermined size (step S209). The predetermined size is set to, for example, the length in the longitudinal direction (85.6 mm) of an ID-1 ID card defined by ISO / IEC 7810, or a size obtained by adding a margin to the length in the longitudinal direction (125 mm) of a folded passport. When the detection unit 153 has detected the sizes of the medium in the medium conveyance direction A1 and the width direction A2, the control unit 151 determines whether the longer size among the detected sizes of the medium is equal to or greater than the predetermined size. In that case, the control unit 151 may also determine whether the shorter size among the detected sizes of the medium is equal to or greater than the predetermined size.

[0137] When the size of the medium is less than the predetermined size, the control unit 151 drives the motor 131 to place the second guide 426 in the non-contact position (step S205) and shifts the process to step S211. When the second guide 426 is already placed in the non-contact position, the control unit 151 shifts the process to step S211 without performing any particular process.

[0138] On the other hand, when the size of the medium is equal to or greater than a predetermined size, the control unit 151 drives the motor 131 to place the second guide 426 at the contact position (step S210). If the second guide 426 is already placed at the contact position, the control unit 151 proceeds to step S211 without performing any particular processing.

[0139] In this way, the control unit 151 moves the second guide 426 according to the loading amount of the medium placed on the mounting table 103. As a result, when the loading amount of the medium is large, the control unit 151 can set the second guide 426, and when the loading amount of the medium is small, the control unit 151 can retract the second guide 426. Therefore, when the loading amount of the medium is large, the control unit 151 can satisfactorily separate the medium, and when the loading amount of the medium is small, the control unit 151 can suppress the occurrence of jams in the medium with a curled tip due to the second guide 426.

[0140] In addition, the control unit 151 moves the second guide 426 according to the size of the medium placed on the mounting table 103. As a result, when a small and thick medium such as a passport or a card is fed, the control unit 151 can retract the second guide 426, and when general paper or the like is fed, the control unit 151 can set the second guide 426. Therefore, the control unit 151 can satisfactorily feed a small and thick medium such as a passport or a card and satisfactorily separate general paper or the like.

[0141] Note that the control unit 151 may place the second guide 426 at the contact position when at least one of the conditions that the loading amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount or the size of the medium is equal to or greater than a predetermined size is satisfied. Also, the processing in step S204 may be omitted. Also, the processing in steps S206 - S207 and / or steps S208 - S209 may be omitted.

[0142] As described in detail above, even when the second guide 426 is provided so as to be movable according to the control by the control unit 151, the medium conveyance device can satisfactorily feed the medium.

[0143] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a processing circuit 550 in a medium conveyance apparatus according to still another embodiment. The processing circuit 550 is used in place of the processing circuit 150 of the medium conveyance apparatus 100, and executes medium reading processing and the like in place of the processing circuit 150. The processing circuit 550 includes a control circuit 551, an image acquisition circuit 552, a detection circuit 553, and the like. Note that each of these units may be configured by an independent integrated circuit, microprocessor, firmware, or the like.

[0144] The control circuit 551 is an example of a control unit and has the same function as the control unit 151. The control circuit 551 receives an operation signal from the operation device 105 or the interface device 132, a medium signal from the medium sensor 113, and detection results of the loaded amount and size of the medium from the detection circuit 553. The control circuit 551 controls the motor 131 based on each received piece of information.

[0145] The image acquisition circuit 552 is an example of an image acquisition unit and has the same function as the image acquisition unit 152. The image acquisition circuit 552 acquires an input image from the imaging device 118 and outputs it to the interface device 132.

[0146] The detection circuit 553 is an example of a detection unit and has the same function as the detection unit 153. The detection circuit 553 receives a loaded amount signal from the loaded amount sensor 111 and a medium size signal from the medium size sensor 112. The detection circuit 553 detects the loaded amount and size of the medium based on each received signal and outputs the detection result to the control circuit 551.

[0147] As described in detail above, the medium conveyance apparatus can also feed the medium well even when the processing circuit 550 is used.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0148] 100 Media conveyance device, 103 Mounting table, 114 Feeding roller, 115 Separation roller, 123 Separation roller cover, 123a Guide surface, 124 Lower surface guide, 125 First guide, 126, 226, 326, 426 Second guide, 151 Control unit, 153 Detection unit, 226a Fixed part, 226b Moving part

Claims

1. a feeding roller for feeding the medium; a separation roller disposed above the feed roller so as to face the feed roller and form a nip portion with the feed roller; a first guide that limits contact between the leading edge of the medium and the separation roller before the medium is fed; a second guide that is entirely disposed between the upstream end of the separation roller in the medium conveying direction and the center of the separation roller, and has a lower end that is disposed above the nip portion and that regulates the leading edge of the medium; A medium transport device comprising:

2. The medium conveying device further includes a guide portion provided with a guide surface that forms a part of the medium conveying path, The medium transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the second guide is provided in the guide portion.

3. The medium transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the second guide is disposed so as not to overlap with the feed roller when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the medium transport direction.

4. Further, a lower surface guide for the medium is provided.

4. The medium transport device according to claim 1, wherein the first guide engages with the lower surface guide so as to be inclined relative to the lower surface guide.

5. A media transport device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first guides are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the media transport direction, with spacing between them equal to or less than the minimum media size width supported by the media transport device.

6. 6. The medium transport device according to claim 1, wherein the second guide is disposed outward of the first guide in a direction perpendicular to the medium transport direction.

7. 7. The medium transport device according to claim 1, wherein the second guide is disposed so that a contact surface that contacts the leading edge of the medium is inclined with respect to a nip surface between the feed roller and the separation roller.

8. The guide surface is formed upstream of the upstream end of the separation roller in the medium conveying direction, The medium transport device according to claim 2 , wherein an extension surface extending the guide surface downstream in the medium transport direction is positioned so as to pass through the center of the separation roller or to be positioned below the center.

9. The second guide is a fixed portion provided at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the nip portion; 9. The medium transport device according to claim 1, further comprising: a moving portion disposed between the fixed portion and the nip portion and movable by a leading edge of the medium being fed.

10. 9. The medium transport device according to claim 1, wherein the second guide is provided so as to be movable by the medium when the height of the medium contacting the separation roller is equal to or greater than a predetermined height.

11. a detection unit that detects the amount or size of the media loaded; 9. The medium transport device according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that moves the second guide in accordance with the load amount or the size.

12. the medium transport device has a separation mode in which the medium is separated and fed, and a non-separation mode in which the medium is fed without being separated; The medium transport device according to claim 1 , further comprising a control unit that retracts the second guide when the medium transport device operates in the non-separation mode.

13. A medium transport device described in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the friction coefficient of an area of ​​the contact surface of the second guide that contacts the leading edge of the medium is greater than the friction coefficient of an area of ​​the contact surface that is farther from a predetermined position than the transport surface of the medium than the friction coefficient of an area closer to the transport surface than the predetermined position.

Images