Document transport device and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide a document transport device and an image forming apparatus that allow for easy adjustment of the document transport direction while keeping costs down with a simple configuration. [Solution] The document transport device 20 comprises a device body 21 and a document tray 22 positioned above the device body 21 and having a regulating plate 221 that restricts the position of the stack of documents placed on it in the width direction. The document tray 22 is capable of rotating around a rotation axis in the vertical direction relative to the device body 21.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a document conveyance device and an image forming device.

Background Art

[0002] In an image forming device having an automatic document reading mode, a document conveyance device is included. In the document conveyance device, adjustment of the document conveyance direction (skew correction) can be performed to prevent skew feeding (skewing) of the document. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for performing angle adjustment with respect to the sheet conveyance direction by changing the angle of a regulating plate provided in a sheet feeding device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, there are problems such as an increase in the number of parts, leading to a complicated structure and cost increase. Further, since the regulating plate to be adjusted is also a part that moves when adjusting the width direction of the paper, there is also a problem that the angle easily deviates during width direction adjustment.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a document conveyance device and an image forming device that can easily adjust the document conveyance direction while suppressing cost increase with a simple configuration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, the document transport device of this disclosure comprises a device body and a document tray positioned above the device body and having a regulating plate that restricts the position of the stack of documents placed on it in the width direction, wherein the document tray is capable of rotating about a rotation axis in the vertical direction relative to the device body.

[0007] Furthermore, in the above-described document transport device, the document tray is fixed to the main body of the device by fastening screws, and the document tray can be configured to be rotatable relative to the main body of the device when the screws are loosened.

[0008] Furthermore, the document transport device may be equipped with a cover member that can be opened and closed and attached to the main body of the device, and the screws may be configured to be fastened in a position that is visible from above when the cover member is opened.

[0009] Furthermore, the document transport device may be configured such that the document tray and the main body of the device have recognition units that indicate the amount and direction of rotation when the document tray is rotated.

[0010] Furthermore, in the above-described document transport device, the recognition unit can be configured to be formed below the document transport path.

[0011] The image forming apparatus disclosed herein is characterized by comprising the document transport device described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The document transport device and image forming apparatus of this disclosure offer the advantages of being able to adjust the document transport direction by a simple method such as rotating the document tray relative to the main body of the apparatus, and also being able to simplify the configuration of the document transport device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the document transport device. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing the document transport device with the cover removed. [Figure 4] This is a plan view of the document tray. [Figure 5] This is a plan view of the main body of the device. [Figure 6] (a) and (b) are plan views showing examples of recognition units provided in a document transport device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] [First Embodiment] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Although the image forming apparatus 10 in Figure 1 is a color image forming apparatus capable of forming color images, the present invention is also applicable to a monochrome image forming apparatus that only forms monochrome images.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the image forming apparatus 10 comprises a main body 11, a document reading unit 12, a document transport device 20, and a paper feed device 13. For the sake of explanation, in this embodiment, the arrows X, Y, and Z in Figure 1 are defined as the left-right direction, the front-back direction, and the up-down direction, respectively.

[0016] The main unit 11 has an image forming unit inside for forming (printing) an image on the recording paper. The document reading unit 12 is located above the main unit 11 and reads the document when copying the document. In automatic reading mode, the document transport device 20 sequentially transports the document placed on the document tray toward the document placement table of the document reading unit 12. The paper feed device 13 has at least one paper feed cassette for storing recording paper, separates the recording paper one sheet at a time from the selected paper feed cassette and transports it toward the main unit 11. The main unit 11 performs image formation on the recording paper sent from the paper feed device 13.

[0017] The image data handled in the image forming apparatus 10 corresponds to a color image using each of the colors black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), or a monochrome image using a single color (e.g., black). Therefore, the image forming apparatus 10 has four process units Pa to Pd associated with black, cyan, magenta, and yellow as an image forming unit. Each of the process units Pa to Pd forms a toner image corresponding to the image data using a known electrophotographic technique.

[0018] Each toner image formed by each of the process units Pa to Pd is sequentially transferred and superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 14. The toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 14 is transferred onto a recording sheet by the transfer device 15, and the recording sheet is heated and pressurized by the fixing unit 16 to fix the toner image on the recording sheet.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the document conveying apparatus 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the document conveying apparatus 20 includes an apparatus main body 21, a document tray 22, and a cover member 23, and is configured such that the document tray 22 and the cover member 23 are attached to the apparatus main body 21.

[0020] The document tray 22 is disposed above the apparatus main body २१, and a stack of documents before reading is placed on the document tray 22. The document tray 22 is provided with a regulating plate 221. The regulating plate 221 is movable along the width direction (front-rear direction) of the document on the document tray 22, and regulates the position of the stack of documents placed on the document tray 22 in the width direction. The regulating plate 221 also has a role of defining the document conveying direction of the document conveyed from the document tray 22.

[0021] The cover member 23 is attached to the apparatus main body 21 via a hinge shaft (not shown) and can be opened and closed by rotating around the hinge shaft. The closed cover member 23 covers the document conveying path in the document conveying apparatus 20, and when a conveyance jam occurs in the document conveying path, the cover member 23 can be opened to perform jam processing.

[0022] In the main body of the device 21, the output tray 211 is located below the document tray 22. In automatic reading mode, the document transport device 20 separates documents one by one from the stack of documents placed on the document tray 22 and transports them to the output tray 211, while the document reading unit 12 reads the documents during this transport.

[0023] When no skew occurs in the document transport device 20, the horizontal component of the document transport direction is parallel to the left-right direction (X direction). In other words, in order to prevent skew in the document transport device 20, the horizontal component of the document transport direction must be adjusted to be parallel to the X direction. The adjustment mechanism and adjustment method for the document transport direction in the document transport device 20 will be described below.

[0024] Figure 3 is a plan view of the document transport device 20 with the cover member 23 (and parts such as the pickup roller attached to the cover member 23) removed. Figure 4 is a plan view of the document tray 22. Figure 5 is a plan view of the main body of the device 21.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the document tray 22 is fixed to the main body 21 of the device using two screws 24. For this purpose, the document tray 22 is provided with two through holes 222 (see Figure 4) for passing the screws 24 through, and the main body 21 is provided with two screw holes 212 (see Figure 5) opposite the through holes 222. The screws 24 pass through the through holes 222 from the top side of the document transport device 20 and are fastened into the screw holes 212. The fastening points of the screws 24 are located in positions visible from above when the cover member 23 is opened. Note that although Figure 3 shows the cover member 23 removed, it is not necessary to remove the cover member 23 in order to fasten the screws 24, and the screws 24 can be fastened with the cover member 23 open.

[0026] In the document tray 22, one of the through-holes 222 is formed to be larger than the other. In this embodiment, the diameter of the front through-hole 222 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the rear through-hole 222. More specifically, the diameter of the rear through-hole 222 is made approximately equal to the diameter of the screw 24 that passes through it. The diameter of the front through-hole 222 is made larger than the diameter of the screw 24 that passes through it.

[0027] The document transport direction in the document transport device 20 is adjusted by rotating the document tray 22 relative to the device body 21. The rotation of the document tray 22 can be adjusted with two screws 24 loosened. That is, since the diameter of the through hole 222 on the front side is larger than the diameter of the screw 24, the document tray 22 can rotate relative to the device body 21 with the rear screw 24 as the axis of rotation (center of rotation). When the document tray 22 is rotated, the regulating plate 221 rotates integrally with the document tray 22, thereby adjusting the document transport direction. After the rotation of the document tray 22 has been adjusted, the loosened screws 24 are fully tightened to fix the document tray 22 to the device body 21.

[0028] Since the screw 24 is fastened in the vertical direction (Z direction), the rotation of the document tray 22 is in the horizontal direction (in-plane direction of the XY plane), and the rotation of the document tray 22 (rotation around the vertical rotation axis) makes it possible to adjust the horizontal component of the document transport direction so that it is parallel to the X direction. Compared to the conventional method of adjusting the regulating plate, the above adjustment method allows for a simpler configuration of the document transport device 20, thus reducing the cost of the document transport device 20. In addition, it does not require complicated work that would normally be performed by a service technician, and can be easily adjusted by the user.

[0029] In the example above, the larger through-hole 222 (the front through-hole 222) is a circular hole with a diameter larger than the diameter of the screw 24. However, the shape of the larger through-hole 222 is not limited to a circular hole, as long as it has enough play to allow the document tray 22 to rotate relative to the screw 24. For example, the larger through-hole 222 may be an elongated hole extending along the rotational direction of the document tray 22 (see Figure 6).

[0030] [Second Embodiment] When adjusting the rotation of the document tray 22 using the method described above, it is preferable that the document transport device 20 has a recognition unit that allows the operator performing the adjustment to easily recognize the amount of rotation and the direction of rotation.

[0031] As an example of such a recognition unit, a scale can be provided on the document tray 22, as shown in Figure 6(a). In this case, the amount and direction of rotation of the document tray 22 can be recognized by determining which position on the scale of the document tray 22 corresponds to the screw 24 fastened to the main body 21. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6(b), a scale can be provided on the document tray 22, and an arrow corresponding to this scale can be provided on the main body 21. That is, the amount and direction of rotation of the document tray 22 can be recognized more reliably by determining which position on the scale of the document tray 22 the arrow on the main body 21 is pointing to. Conversely, the main body 21 can be provided with a scale, and an arrow corresponding to this scale can be provided on the document tray 22.

[0032] In the above example, the scale and arrows are preferably formed by engraving on the device body 21 and the document tray 22. Furthermore, the scale and arrows formed by engraving are preferably formed below the document transport path so as not to affect document transport.

[0033] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be restrictive. Therefore, the technical scope of this disclosure is not to be interpreted solely by the embodiments described above, but rather by the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 10 Image forming apparatus 20 Document transport device 21 Main unit of the device 211 Paper output tray 212 screw holes 22 Document tray 221 Restriction board 222 Through hole 23 Cover component 24 screws

Claims

1. The main body of the device, The device comprises a document tray positioned above the main body of the device and having a regulating plate that restricts the position of the stack of documents placed on it in the width direction, The document transport device is characterized in that the document tray is capable of rotating about a rotation axis in a vertical direction relative to the main body of the device.

2. A document transport device according to claim 1, The document tray is fixed to the main body of the device by fastening screws. The document transport device is characterized in that the document tray is rotatable relative to the main body of the device when the screws are loosened.

3. A document transport device according to claim 2, The device body is equipped with a cover member that can be opened and closed, The document transport device is characterized in that the screws are fastened in a position visible from above when the cover member is opened.

4. A document transport device according to claim 1, A document transport device characterized in that the document tray and the main body of the device are provided with recognition units that indicate the amount and direction of rotation when the document tray is rotated.

5. A document transport device according to claim 4, The document transport device is characterized in that the recognition unit is formed below the document transport path.

6. An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising a document transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images