Paper feed mechanism

Abstract

To provide a paper feed mechanism having a function of automatically closing a roller cover. [Solution] A paper feed mechanism provided in a sheet-fed office equipment includes a lower housing (10), an upper housing, a paper feed path defined by the upper and lower housings together, a paper feed unit provided in the lower housing, a paper feed roller groove provided in the upper housing, a paper feed roller cover (22) movably pivoted to the paper feed roller groove, a paper feed roller (24) movably pivoted within the paper feed roller groove, a paper separation roller groove provided in the lower housing, a paper separation roller cover movably pivoted to the paper separation roller groove, a paper separation roller movably pivoted within the paper separation roller groove, and an actuator (40) connected to a drive motor, wherein the actuator is movably pivoted within the lower housing and has a control arm (41) extending toward the upstream side, an actuator arm (42) extending toward the downstream side, and a convex block (43) on the terminal edge of the actuator arm.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a paper feed mechanism with an automatic roller cover closing function to ensure that the paper feed path is free of jams before the start of a scanning operation, reduce operation errors, and improve the user experience. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional sheet-fed office automation equipment is primarily designed to process large volumes of documents at high speed, and is equipped with a paper feed mechanism to feed sheets of paper to be processed one by one quickly and continuously into the sheet-fed office automation equipment. The paper feed mechanism generally includes a paper feed roller for feeding the sheets into the sheet-fed office automation equipment and a paper separation roller for preventing overlapping of sheets of paper.

[0003] However, since the paper feed roller and the paper separation roller are subjected to continuous and frequent use, they are prone to becoming dirty and worn, and therefore, to facilitate regular cleaning and replacement by users, the paper feed roller and the paper separation roller are made replaceable and housed inside a foldable paper feed roller cover and a foldable paper separation roller cover.

[0004] However, in current designs, the paper feed roller cover and paper separation roller cover often need to be closed manually by the user, and if they are not closed properly, problems such as paper feed abnormalities, incorrect sensor detection, and interference with the mechanism are likely to occur, which will have a significant impact on the smoothness and reliability of scanning operations. In view of these shortcomings, it is necessary to provide a paper feed mechanism with a function to automatically close the roller covers, so as to ensure that the paper feed path is free of jams before scanning begins, reduce operational errors, and improve the user experience. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a paper feed mechanism with an automatic closing function for the roller cover. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the paper feed mechanism of the present invention is provided in a sheet-fed office automation equipment and includes a lower housing, an upper housing movably and pivotally attached to the lower housing, a paper feed path defined by the upper and lower housings together, a drive motor provided within the lower housing, a paper feed unit provided in the lower housing and partially exposed within the paper feed path, a paper feed roller groove provided on the underside of the upper housing and recessed upward, a paper feed roller cover movably and pivotally attached to the paper feed roller groove to close the paper feed roller groove, a paper feed roller movably and pivotally attached within the paper feed roller groove, a paper separation roller groove provided on the top side of the lower housing and recessed downward, a paper separation roller cover movably and pivotally attached to the paper separation roller groove to close the paper separation roller groove, and a paper feed roller movably and pivotally attached within the paper separation roller groove. and an actuator connected to the drive motor via a transmission structure, wherein the actuator has a control arm that is movably pivoted within the lower housing, extends toward the upstream side, and is movably pivoted to the paper feed roller cover, an actuator arm that extends toward the downstream side, and a convex block provided on the distal side edge of the actuator arm, and when the paper feed mechanism is driven by the drive motor to start feeding paper from the paper feed tray to the paper feed path, the actuator is driven by the drive motor and starts to rotate eccentrically, causing the control arm to rotate downward to close the paper feed roller cover, and the actuator arm to rotate upward while pressing the convex block against the paper separation roller cover to close the paper separation roller cover.

[0007] In one preferred embodiment, the paper separation roller cover is provided with a paper separation roller opening, and a portion of the paper separation roller is exposed to the paper feed path through the paper separation roller opening.

[0008] In one preferred embodiment, the paper feed roller cover is provided with a paper feed roller opening, and a portion of the paper feed roller is exposed to the paper feed path through the paper feed roller opening.

[0009] In one preferred embodiment, the paper separation roller cover is provided with a slide rail that is approximately perpendicular to the paper feed path, and a guide member that is connected to the slide rail and can move along the slide rail is provided with a guide slope on one side of the guide member near the upstream side.

[0010] In one preferred embodiment, the guide member is further provided with at least one paper stop arm that is movably pivotally attached to the guide member and extends downward into the paper feed path, with its end contacting the actuator arm. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a paper feed mechanism according to the present invention and an office automation equipment equipped with the same; [Figure 2] 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a paper feed mechanism according to the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a paper separation structure according to the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the paper feed mechanism according to the present invention. [Figure 5] 2 is an exploded view of the paper separation structure of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the paper feed mechanism of the present invention with the roller cover open; FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a cross-sectional view of the paper feed mechanism of the present invention, showing a state in which the roller cover is in the middle of closing; [Figure 8] 1 is a cross-sectional view of the paper feed mechanism of the present invention with the roller cover closed; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and examples to explain in detail the technical contents, structure and features, objectives achieved, and effects achieved by the present invention.

[0013] Please refer to Figure 1. A paper feed mechanism 100 according to the present invention is provided at a paper feed port 13 of a sheet-fed office equipment 200. In this preferred embodiment, the sheet-fed office equipment 200 includes a lower housing 10, an upper housing 11 movably pivotally mounted to the lower housing 10, a paper feed path 12 defined by the upper housing 11 and the lower housing 10, a paper feed tray 14 provided above the paper feed path 12, a paper discharge tray 15 provided below the paper feed path 12, a drive motor M provided within the lower housing 10, and the paper feed mechanism 100 and a paper feed mechanism 16 provided along the paper feed path 12.

[0014] The paper feed mechanism 100 and the paper feed mechanism 16 are connected to the drive motor via a transmission structure 60, and feed paper in conjunction with the drive motor. In practice, there are various different designs for the transmission structure 60, and since the transmission structure 60 is not a primary feature of the present invention, it will be simply shown here with a line segment. Furthermore, for the sake of convenience in the following explanation, the terms "upstream" and "downstream" referred to in this specification are defined by the direction in which the paper passes through the paper feed path 12.

[0015] The paper feed mechanism 100 is provided on the upstream side of the paper feed path 12, closer to the paper feed tray 14. The paper feed mechanism 16 is provided on the downstream side of the paper feed mechanism 100. Therefore, the paper sheets placed in the paper feed tray 14 tend to pile up in front of the paper feed mechanism 100 due to their own weight. When the drive motor operates, the paper sheets are fed into the paper feed path 12 by the paper feed mechanism 100 and sent to the paper output tray 15 by the paper feed mechanism 16.

[0016] 1 again, the paper feed mechanism includes a paper feed unit 20 provided in the lower housing 10 and partially exposed in the paper feed path 12, a paper separation unit 30 provided in the upper housing 11 and partially exposed in the paper feed path 12, and an actuator 40 connected to the drive motor via the transmission structure 60.

[0017] 1, 2, and 4. The paper feed unit 20 includes a paper feed roller groove 21 recessed downward and provided on the upper surface of the lower housing 10, a paper feed roller cover 22 pivotally attached to the paper feed roller groove 21 to close the paper feed roller groove 21 and having a paper feed roller opening 23, and a paper feed roller 24 connected to the drive motor via the transmission structure 60 and pivotally attached to the paper feed roller groove 21, with a portion of the paper feed roller 24 exposed to the paper feed path 12 through the paper feed roller opening 23.

[0018] 1, 3, and 5. The paper separation unit 30 includes a paper feed roller groove 31 recessed upward and provided on the underside of the upper housing 11, a paper feed roller cover 32 pivotally attached to the paper feed roller groove 31 to close the paper feed roller groove 31 and having a paper feed roller opening 33, and a paper feed roller 34 connected to the drive motor via the transmission structure 60 and pivotally attached to the paper feed roller groove 31, with a portion of the paper feed roller 34 exposed to the paper feed path 12 through the paper feed roller opening 33.

[0019] 2, 4, 6 to 8 again. The actuator 40 is pivotally mounted within the lower housing 10 and connected to the drive motor via the transmission mechanism 60. The actuator 40 also includes a control arm 41 extending upstream and pivotally mounted to the feed roller cover 22, an actuator arm 42 extending downstream, and a protruding block 43 provided on the distal end edge of the actuator arm 42.

[0020] When the paper feed mechanism 100 is driven by the drive motor and begins to feed paper from the paper feed tray 14 to the paper feed path 12, the actuator 40 is driven by the drive motor and begins to rotate eccentrically, causing the control arm 41 to rotate downward to close the paper feed roller cover 22, and the actuator arm 42 to rotate upward while pressing the convex block 43 against the paper separation roller cover 32 to close the paper separation roller cover 32.

[0021] 6 to 8. In one possible embodiment, the transmission structure 60 includes a lift-up arm 61 pivotally mounted within the lower housing 10, and a transmission gear set (not shown) connected between the lift-up arm 61 and the drive motor. The lift-up arm 61 is configured to abut against the actuator arm 42, and when the paper feed mechanism 100 starts to feed paper into the paper feed path 12, the lift-up arm 61 rotates the control arm 41 downward and the actuator arm 42 upward.

[0022] 1 and 5 to 8. To ensure that the paper enters the paper feed path 12 smoothly, the paper feed mechanism 100 of the present invention is further provided with a guide structure 50. The guide structure 50 includes at least one slide rail 51 provided on the paper separation roller cover 32, and a guide member 52 connected to the slide rail 51 and movable along the slide rail 51.

[0023] A guide slope 53 is provided on one side of the guide member 52 near the upstream side to guide the paper so that it contacts the paper feed roller 24. The guide member 52 is further provided with at least one paper stop arm 54 to prevent the paper from entering the paper feed path 12 before removal of the paper has begun. The paper stop arm 54 is movably pivotally attached to the paper pressure contact member and extends downward into the paper feed path 12. In this way, the end of the paper stop arm 54 contacts the actuator arm 42.

[0024] Therefore, when no paper has been removed, the paper stop arm 54 can prevent the paper from entering the paper feed path 12. On the other hand, when the paper feed mechanism 100 is driven by the drive motor and begins to feed paper from the paper feed tray 14 to the paper feed path 12, the actuator arm 42 begins to lift up and pushes the paper stop arm 54, making it possible to feed the paper into the paper feed path 12.

[0025] To summarize the above, the paper feed mechanism of the present invention is installed in a sheet-fed office automation device and includes a movably pivoted paper feed roller cover, a movably pivoted paper separation roller cover, and an actuator connected to the drive motor via the transmission structure.

[0026] The actuator is pivotally mounted within the housing and connected to a drive motor via a transmission mechanism. When the actuator is driven by the drive motor, it begins to rotate eccentrically, thereby rotating to close the paper feed roller cover and the paper separation roller cover. In this way, the purpose of automatically closing the roller covers is achieved, which ensures that the paper feed path is free from jams before the start of scanning, reduces operation errors, and improves user experience. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 100 Paper feed mechanism 200 Sheet-fed office equipment 10 Lower housing 11 Upper housing 12 Paper feed path 13 Paper feed slot 14 Paper tray 15 Paper output tray 16 Paper feed mechanism 20 Paper feed unit 21 Paper feed roller groove 22 Paper feed roller cover 23 Paper feed roller slot 24 Paper feed roller 30 Paper Separation Unit 31 Paper separation roller groove 32 Paper separation roller cover 33 Paper separation roller opening 34 Paper separation roller 40 Actuator 41 Control Arm 42 Actuator Arm 43 Convex Block 50 Guide structure 51 Slide rail 52 Guide member 53 Guide slope 54 Paper stop arm 60 Transmission Structure 61 Lift-up arm M drive motor

Claims

1. A paper feed mechanism provided in a sheet-feed office automation device, A lower housing; an upper housing pivotally attached to the lower housing; a paper feed path defined by the upper housing and the lower housing together; a drive motor provided in the lower housing; a paper feed unit provided in the lower housing and partially exposed within the paper feed path; a paper feed roller groove provided on the lower surface of the upper housing and recessed upward; a paper feed roller cover pivotally attached to the paper feed roller groove so as to close the paper feed roller groove; a paper feed roller pivotally mounted movably within the paper feed roller groove; a paper separation roller groove provided on the upper surface of the lower housing and recessed downward; a paper separation roller cover pivotally attached to the paper separation roller groove so as to close the paper separation roller groove; a paper separation roller pivotally mounted movably within the paper separation roller groove; an actuator connected to the drive motor via a transmission structure; the actuator is pivotally mounted movably within the lower housing; a control arm extending toward the upstream side and pivotally attached to the paper feed roller cover; an actuator arm extending toward the downstream side; a protruding block provided on a distal edge of the actuator arm; When the paper feed mechanism is driven by the drive motor and starts to feed paper from the paper feed tray to the paper feed path, the actuator is driven by the drive motor and starts to rotate eccentrically, whereby the control arm rotates downward to close the paper feed roller cover, and the actuator arm rotates upward to close the paper separation roller cover while pressing the convex block against the paper separation roller cover. A paper feed mechanism characterized by:

2. The paper separation roller cover is provided with a paper separation roller opening, a portion of the paper separation roller is exposed to the paper feed path through the paper separation roller opening; 2. The paper feed mechanism according to claim 1.

3. The paper feed roller cover is provided with a paper feed roller opening, a portion of the paper feed roller is exposed to the paper feed path through the paper feed roller opening; 2. The paper feed mechanism according to claim 1.

4. The paper separation roller cover is provided with a slide rail that is approximately perpendicular to the paper feed path, A guide member movable along the slide rail is connected to the slide rail, A guide slope is provided on one side of the guide member closer to the upstream side.

2. The paper feed mechanism according to claim 1.

5. The guide member is further provided with at least one paper stop arm; The paper stop arm is a movable pivotally mounted on the guide member and extending downward into the paper feed path, such that an end of the actuator arm contacts the actuator arm; 5. The paper feed mechanism according to claim 4.

6. The transmission structure includes: a lift-up arm pivotally mounted within the lower housing; a transmission gear set connected between the lift-up arm and the driving motor, The lift-up arm is a control arm that is adapted to abut against the actuator arm, and that rotates the actuator arm upward while rotating the control arm downward when the paper feed mechanism starts to feed paper into the paper feed path; 2. The paper feed mechanism according to claim 1.

Images