Paper separation structure

Abstract

To provide a paper separation structure which is simplified in structure and in which a driven paper separation torque and a driven paper separation torque can be easily adjusted. [Solution] The paper separation structure 100 installed between the paper feed path and the paper feed tray includes a drive motor, a roller shaft 30 installed between the paper feed path and the paper feed tray, a paper separation roller 31 coaxially fitted onto the roller shaft, a paper separation torque limiting part 40 connected and installed between the roller shaft and the paper separation roller, a transmission shaft connected to the drive motor to transmit power, a ratchet 70 connected to the roller shaft to limit the rotation direction of the roller shaft, and a manually operated torque limiting part 60 connected between the transmission shaft and the ratchet.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a paper separation mechanism for a scanner, and more particularly to a manual paper separation mechanism that is installed at the paper feed port of a scanning device and prevents multiple sheets of paper from being fed into the paper feed path at the same time. [Background technology]

[0002] In modern scanners and printers, the manual paper separator roller is an important component for ensuring stable operation. Its main function is to precisely separate paper and prevent multiple sheets of paper from entering the paper path at the same time, thereby avoiding paper jams and printing errors. Through the cooperation of the drive motor, separator plate, and pressure adjustment system, the manual paper separator roller can efficiently process paper of various materials and thicknesses, demonstrating extremely high efficiency, especially in processing business documents.

[0003] However, the structure of a conventional driven paper separation roller is relatively complicated, including multiple components such as a drive motor, a sensor, and a pressure adjustment system, which not only increases production and assembly costs but also increases the difficulty of maintenance and operation. In addition, some driven paper separation rollers can perform paper separation actively, and also have the function of remaining stationary and not rotating to perform paper separation passively.

[0004] In this case, the active paper separation roller needs to set different paper separation torques for active and passive paper separation to prevent thin paper from being bent and damaged during active paper separation. However, the structure of a typical paper separation roller often cannot accommodate such fine adjustments, or even if it can, it often requires the addition of complex adjustment mechanisms such as a precision pressure control system or a multi-stage torque adjustment device, which further increases production costs and increases the complexity of the structure.

[0005] In view of the above drawbacks, there is a need to provide a paper separation structure that is simple in structure and allows easy adjustment of the active paper separation torque and the passive paper separation torque. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a paper separation mechanism that is simple in structure and allows easy adjustment of the active paper separation torque and the passive paper separation torque. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the paper separation structure of the present invention is installed between the paper feed path and the paper feed tray, and includes a drive motor, a roller shaft installed between the paper feed path and the paper feed tray, a paper separation roller fitted coaxially onto the roller shaft, at least one paper separation torque limiting component fitted onto the roller shaft and connected to the paper separation roller, a ratchet fitted onto the roller shaft and connected to the paper separation torque limiting component, which limits the rotation direction of the paper separation torque limiting component, and a actively driven torque limiting component fitted onto the roller shaft and connected between the ratchet and the drive motor.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the talk threshold of the paper separation talk limiting component is greater than the talk threshold of the active talk limiting component.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the ratchet includes a ratchet gear fitted to the roller shaft, a pawl bracket coaxially installed on the roller shaft, and a pawl movably pivotally attached to the pawl bracket and meshing with the ratchet gear.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, both ends of the ratchet gear are respectively provided with a transmission gear and a transmission slot, which are meshed with the driven torque limiting element and the paper separation torque limiting element, respectively.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the paper separation roller includes a hub fitted onto the roller shaft, and two rubber rollers fitted onto both ends of the hub.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the hub is provided with a hollow connecting shaft and two sleeves respectively installed on both ends of the connecting shaft, the connecting shaft is fitted onto the roller shaft, the rubber roller is installed outside the sleeve, and the paper separation torque limiting component is installed inside the sleeve.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the paper separating mechanism further comprises a transmission gear set connected between the active torque limiting element and the driving motor. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a scanning device equipped with a paper separation structure according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a paper separation structure according to the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the paper separation structure of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of a paper separation structure according to the present invention, showing a passive paper separation; [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram of a paper separation structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a passive paper separation; [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram of the paper separation structure of the present invention actively separating paper; [Figure 7] 10 is a schematic diagram of the paper separation structure of the present invention, showing the paper separation actively performed; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] In order to explain in detail the technical content, structural features, objectives and effects achieved by the present invention, the following examples are given in conjunction with the drawings.

[0016] Referring to Figure 1, a scanning device equipped with the paper separation structure 100 shown in the figure includes a housing 10, a paper feed path 11 installed inside the housing 10 and having a paper feed inlet 12 and a paper discharge outlet 13, at least one optical scanner 16 installed in the path of the paper feed path 11, a paper feed tray 14 installed upstream of the paper feed inlet 12, a paper discharge tray 15 installed downstream of the paper discharge outlet 13, a drive motor 17 fixed within the housing 10, a plurality of paper feed rollers 18 installed in the path of the paper feed path 11 and connected to the drive motor 17 to feed paper to be scanned and pass through the paper feed path 11, at least one paper feed roller 20 installed between the paper feed inlet 12 and the paper feed tray 14, and a paper separation structure 100 installed between the paper feed inlet 12 and the paper feed path 11.

[0017] The paper separation structure 100 blocks multiple sheets of paper from being fed simultaneously into the paper feed path 11. For the sake of convenience in describing the rotation direction of each roller and rotating shaft, the specification does not directly state the specific rotation direction of each part, but rather indicates it as a forward direction and a reverse direction. Among these, the "forward direction" is defined as the direction in which the parts rotate to move the paper feed roller 20 and the paper feed roller 18 to feed paper from the paper feed opening 12 to the paper discharge opening 13, and the "reverse direction" is defined as the direction in which the parts rotate to move the paper feed roller 20 and the paper feed roller 18 to feed paper from the paper discharge opening 13 to the paper feed opening 12.

[0018] 2 and 3, in this preferred embodiment, the paper separation structure 100 includes a roller shaft 30 installed in the paper feed inlet 12, a paper separation roller 31 coaxially fitted onto the roller shaft 30 and in contact with the paper feed roller 20 to separate multiple sheets of paper that are to be fed simultaneously, two paper separation torque limiting members 40 connected between the roller shaft 30 and the paper separation roller 31 to limit the maximum torque of the paper separation roller 31, a ratchet 70 fitted onto the roller shaft 30 and connected to one of the paper separation torque limiting members 40 to limit the rotation direction of the paper separation torque limiting member 40, and a actively driven torque limiting member 60 fitted onto the roller shaft 30 and connected between the ratchet 70 and the drive motor 17 to limit the torque transmitted to the paper separation torque limiting member 40 by the drive motor 17.

[0019] 3, one end of the driven torque limiting member 60 is connected to the drive motor 17 via a transmission gear set. The ratchet 70 includes a ratchet gear 71 fitted on the roller shaft 30, a pawl bracket 72 coaxially installed on the roller shaft 30, and a pawl 73 movably pivotally mounted on the pawl bracket 72. A transmission gear 71a and a transmission slot 71b are installed on both ends of the ratchet gear 71, which mesh with the driven torque limiting member 60 and the paper separation torque limiting member 40, respectively.

[0020] Meanwhile, the pawl bracket 72 is fitted onto the roller shaft 30 to cover the paper separation roller 31, and the pawl 73 meshes with the ratchet gear 71 to restrict reverse rotation of the ratchet gear 71. The paper separation roller 31 includes a hub 32 fitted into the paper separation torque restricting part 40 and two rubber rollers 33 fitted onto both ends of the hub 32, respectively.

[0021] In this preferred embodiment, the hub 32 is provided with a hollow connecting shaft 32a and two sleeves 32b respectively installed on both ends of the connecting shaft 32a, the connecting shaft 32a is fitted onto the roller shaft 30, the rubber roller 33 is installed outside the sleeve 32b, and the paper separation torque limiting members 40 are installed inside the two sleeves 32b. Through the paper separation torque limiting member 40 and the active torque limiting member 60, which are independently installed, the paper separation structure of the present invention can respectively adjust the paper separation resistance during active and passive paper separation.

[0022] 4 to 7, in this preferred embodiment, the torque threshold of the paper feed roller 20 is set to be greater than the torque threshold of the paper separation torque limiting element 40, which is set to be greater than the torque threshold of the active torque limiting element 60, and both the torque thresholds of the paper separation torque limiting element 40 and the active torque limiting element 60 are greater than the frictional force between stacked sheets of paper. Therefore, the specific flow of paper separation is as follows:

[0023] 1, 3 and 4, the scanner of the present invention is set in a passive paper separation mode, and only one sheet of paper is fed into the paper separation mechanism 100. In the passive paper separation mode, the driving motor 17 is kept off, and the roller shaft 30 cannot rotate forward due to the restriction of the ratchet 70.

[0024] At this time, the sheet of paper is driven by the paper feed roller 20 and fed to the paper separation roller. The torque threshold of the paper feed roller 20 is set larger than the torque threshold of the paper separation torque limiting component 40, so that when the sheet of paper is fed to the paper separation roller, the paper separation torque limiting component slips, and finally the sheet of paper is fed smoothly to the paper feed path 11.

[0025] 1, 3 and 5. In Fig. 5, the scanner of the present invention is set in a passive paper separation mode, in which multiple sheets of paper are stacked and fed into the paper separation mechanism 100. In the passive paper separation mode, the driving motor 17 is kept off, so the roller shaft 30 cannot rotate forward due to the restriction of the ratchet 70.

[0026] At this time, the stacked sheets are driven by the paper feed roller 20 and fed to the paper separation roller. Because the torque threshold of the paper separation torque limiting component 40 is greater than the frictional force between the stacked sheets, the sheets slip when fed to the paper separation roller, and ultimately the sheets that come into contact with the paper feed roller 20 are fed into the paper feed path 11, and all other sheets are blocked by the paper separation roller.

[0027] 1, 3, and 6. In FIG. 6, the scanner of the present invention is set in a manual paper separation mode, and only one sheet of paper is fed into the paper separation structure 100. In the manual paper separation mode, the drive motor 17 rotates in the reverse direction, thereby rotating the roller shaft 30 in the reverse direction as well. At this time, the sheet of paper is driven by the paper feed roller 20 to be fed into the paper separation roller. The torque threshold of the paper feed roller 20 is set higher than the torque thresholds of the paper separation torque limiting element 40 and the manual torque limiting element 60. Therefore, when the sheet of paper is fed into the paper separation roller, the manual torque limiting element 60 slips, and finally the sheet of paper is fed smoothly into the paper feed path 11.

[0028] 1, 3 and 7, the scanner of the present invention is set in a manual paper separation mode, and multiple sheets of paper are fed in a stack into the paper separation mechanism 100. In the manual paper separation mode, the driving motor 17 rotates in the reverse direction, thereby rotating the roller shaft 30 in the reverse direction as well.

[0029] At this time, the stacked sheets are driven by the paper feed roller 20 and fed to the paper separation roller. Since the torque thresholds of the paper separation torque limiting component 40 and the active torque limiting component 60 are greater than the frictional force between the stacked sheets, the sheets slip when fed to the paper separation roller, and ultimately the sheets in contact with the paper feed roller 20 are fed into the paper feed path 11, while all the other sheets are fed in the reverse direction into the paper feed tray 14 by the paper separation roller.

[0030] In summary, the paper separation structure of the present invention is installed between the paper feed path and the paper feed tray, and includes a drive motor, a roller shaft installed between the paper feed path and the paper feed tray, a paper separation roller coaxially fitted onto the roller shaft, a paper separation torque limiter installed between the roller shaft and the paper separation roller, a transmission shaft connected to the drive motor for transmitting power, a ratchet connected to the roller shaft for limiting the rotation direction of the roller shaft, and a driven torque limiter connected between the transmission shaft and the ratchet, thereby achieving the objective of further simplifying the structure and making it easy to adjust the driven paper separation torque and the driven paper separation torque. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 10. Housing 11 Paper feed path 12 Paper feed slot 13 Paper output slot 14 Paper tray 15 Paper output tray 16 Optical Scanner 17 Drive motor 18 Paper feed roller 20 Paper feed roller 100 paper separation structure 30 Roller shaft 31 Paper separation roller 32 Hub 33 Rubber Roller 40 Paper Separation Talk Restriction Parts 60 Active torque limiting components 70 Ratchet 71 Ratchet Gear 71a Transmission gear 71b Transmission slot 72 Paul Bracket 73 Paul

Claims

1. A paper separation structure installed between a paper feed path and a paper feed tray, A drive motor; a roller shaft disposed between the paper feed path and the paper feed tray; a paper separation roller that is coaxially fitted onto the roller shaft; At least one paper separation torque limiting component fitted to the roller shaft and connected to the paper separation roller; a ratchet fitted on the roller shaft and connected to the paper separation torque limiting component to limit the rotation direction of the paper separation torque limiting component; a actively driven torque limiting component fitted to the roller shaft and connected between the ratchet and the drive motor;

2. The paper separation structure according to claim 1 , wherein the talk threshold of the paper separation talk limiting component is greater than the talk threshold of the active talk limiting component.

3. 2. The paper separation structure according to claim 1, wherein the ratchet includes a ratchet gear fitted to the roller shaft, a pawl bracket installed coaxially on the roller shaft, and a pawl movably pivotally attached to the pawl bracket and meshing with the ratchet gear.

4. The paper separation structure according to claim 3 , wherein a transmission gear and a transmission slot are respectively provided at both ends of the ratchet gear, which mesh with the driven torque limiting element and the paper separation torque limiting element, respectively.

5. 2. The paper separation structure according to claim 1, wherein the paper separation roller includes a hub fitted onto the roller shaft and two rubber rollers fitted onto both ends of the hub.

6. The paper separation structure of claim 5, wherein the hub is provided with a hollow connecting shaft and two sleeves respectively installed on both ends of the connecting shaft, the connecting shaft is fitted onto the roller shaft, the rubber roller is installed outside the sleeve, and the paper separation torque limiting part is installed inside the sleeve.

7. The paper separating structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a transmission gear set connected between the active torque limiting element and the drive motor.

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