Sheet conveying device

Abstract

To avoid interference between a lock lever and a side guide while suppressing increase of a dimension in an upward-downward direction of a whole device.SOLUTION: A sheet conveying device includes: a supply tray 12 for placing a sheet SH; a device body for supporting the supply tray 12; a side guide 17 contactable to front and rear end portions of the sheet SH placed on the supply tray 12, that is movably supported by the supply tray 12 in a front and rear direction; an opening / closing cover 32 for covering a conveyance path P1, that is provided turnably to the device body; and a lock lever 71 for locking the opening / closing cover 32 at the device body, that is provided at a position overlapped with the side guide 17 in an upward-downward direction. The lock lever 71 is turnably constituted between a rock position where the opening / closing cover 32 is locked at the device body and a release position where it is released that the opening / closing cover 32 is locked at the device body. The side guide 17 comprises a notch part 17a opposed to a rotation locus of the lock lever 71 via a gap t1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device having side guides that guide widthwise ends of a sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, a configuration is known in which a sheet transport device aligns both sides of a document loaded on a document placement table by using a slider that is slidable in a direction perpendicular to the document transport direction. In this sheet transport device, an upper document guide that guides the document at the top of the transport path is provided so as to be openable and closable relative to a lower document guide that faces the upper document guide in the vertical direction. The upper document guide is locked to the lower document guide by a guide lock. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-18704 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If the position of the lock lever that locks the cover covering the conveying path to the device body and the position of the side guide that guides both widthwise ends of the sheet overlap in a direction that intersects the conveying direction, i.e., for example, in the vertical direction, there is a problem that the vertical dimension of the entire device becomes large in order to avoid interference between the lock lever and the side guide.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet transport device that can avoid interference between a lock lever and a side guide while suppressing an increase in the vertical dimension of the entire device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a sheet transporting device comprising: a tray on which a sheet is placed; a device main body having a transport path for transporting the sheet in a transport direction and supporting the tray; a side guide supported by the tray so as to be movable in a first direction intersecting the transport direction, the side guide being capable of abutting an end of the sheet placed on the tray in the first direction; a cover rotatably provided with respect to the device main body and covering the transport path; and a lock lever for locking the cover to the device main body, the lock lever being provided at a position overlapping with the side guide in a second direction intersecting the transport direction and the first direction, the lock lever being configured to be rotatable between a lock position for locking the cover to the device main body and an release position for releasing the lock of the cover to the device main body, and the side guide having a first notch portion facing a rotation trajectory of the lock lever via a predetermined gap.

[0007] In the present invention, the side guide supported by the tray is movable in a first direction intersecting the conveying direction. This allows the user to place a sheet on the tray, align the sheet by abutting the side guide against the end of the sheet in the first direction, and smoothly feed the sheet into the conveying path. A cover covering the conveying path is provided rotatably on the device body having the tray, and the user can expose the conveying path as appropriate by opening the cover. When the cover is closed, the cover is locked to the device body by a lock lever.

[0008] If the position of the lock lever and the position of the side guide overlap in the conveying direction and in the second direction intersecting the first direction, there is a risk that the entire device will become larger in the second direction in order to avoid their interference. Therefore, in the present invention, a first cutout portion is provided in the side guide that faces the rotation trajectory of the lock lever with a predetermined gap therebetween. This allows the positions of the lock lever and the side guide to be positioned close to each other in the second direction by the dimension of the cutout shape, thereby suppressing an increase in the size of the entire device in the second direction.

[0009] As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent interference between the lock lever and the side guide while suppressing an increase in the vertical dimension of the entire device. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent interference between the lock lever and the side guide while suppressing an increase in the vertical dimension of the entire device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conceptual overall configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of the multifunction peripheral. [Diagram 3] 11 is a plan view illustrating an external configuration in a state where the first side guide and the second side guide are spaced apart from each other. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a plan view showing an external configuration in a state in which a first side guide and a second final guide are close to each other. FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the reading unit as viewed from the rear. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure shown in FIG. 5 with the opening / closing cover open. [Figure 7] 6 is a perspective view illustrating the structure shown in FIG. 5 with the opening / closing cover open. [Figure 8] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure shown in FIG. 5 with the opening / closing cover omitted, taken substantially horizontally. [Figure 9] 8 is a perspective view of a main portion of the structure shown in FIG. 7, illustrating a structure mainly related to a sheet detection unit. FIG. [Figure 10] 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing the arrangement positions of sensors and actuators, taken along a cross section different from that shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, as viewed from the rear side. FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a cross section different from that in FIG. 10, as viewed from the rear side. [Figure 12]10 is an enlarged view of a main portion of FIG. 9, illustrating a detailed arrangement of sensors and actuators. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor and the actuator shown in FIG. [Figure 14] 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the stopper is engaged with the lock lever, as viewed from the rear side, and a partially enlarged view thereof; FIG. [Figure 15] 11A and 11B are a side cross-sectional view and a partial enlarged view of the state in which the stopper and the lock lever are disengaged, as viewed from the rear side; [Figure 16] 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion, showing an enlarged view of the vicinity of a cutout portion of a side guide shown in FIG. 15. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is an external view illustrating a detailed structure of a side guide. [Figure 18] 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion seen from the front, showing an engagement structure by an engagement claw of a side guide together with a sheet detection portion. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings are used to explain technical features that may be adopted in the present disclosure, and the configurations of the devices described are not intended to be limiting, but are merely illustrative examples.

[0013] <Overall configuration of the multifunction device> Fig. 1 conceptually shows the overall schematic configuration of a multifunction printer 1 of this embodiment. The side facing the multifunction printer 1 shown in Fig. 1 is defined as the front of the device, and the side facing the left hand side of the paper is defined as the left, and the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are indicated. The directions shown in the subsequent figures are all indicated in accordance with the directions shown in Fig. 1.

[0014] 1, the multifunction device 1 includes a main unit 2 and a reading unit 3. The reading unit 3 includes an ADF section 9 and an FB section 5. An operation panel (not shown) such as a touch panel is provided on the front side of the FB section 5 of the ADF section 9. The ADF section 9 is an example of a sheet conveying device.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the main body unit 2 is a flat substantially box-shaped body and includes an image forming unit 4 inside. The image forming unit 4 forms an image on a recording paper based on, for example, image data received from a personal computer connected to the multifunction machine 1 by an inkjet method or a laser method, image data generated by reading an image of a document by the reading unit 3, etc. The reading unit 3 is disposed above the main body unit 2. The FB unit 5 is used when reading an image of a document placed on a document support surface 101A described later. The ADF unit 9 has a supply tray 12, a discharge tray 14, and a conveyance unit 6. The conveyance unit 6 conveys the sheet SH placed on the supply tray 12 along the conveyance path P1 and discharges it to the discharge tray 14. The ADF unit 9 is used when causing the image of the sheet SH placed on the supply tray 12 to be read while sequentially conveying it along the conveyance path P1. Note that the sheets to be read include not only sheets such as paper and OHP sheets but also documents and the like.

[0016] <Appearance of ADF unit> The external configuration of the ADF unit 9 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ADF unit 9 is swingably supported around an opening / closing axis X9 extending in the left-right direction by a hinge (not shown) disposed at the rear. In the closed state shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ADF unit 9 covers the document support surface 101A described later from above. Although not shown, the ADF unit 9 swings around the opening / closing axis X9 so that its front end portion is displaced upward and rearward, thereby exposing the document support surface 101A. Thereby, the user can support the document to be read on the document support surface 101A.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the supply tray 12 is formed in the right part of the ADF unit 9. The supply tray 12 is an example of a tray. The upper surface of the supply tray 12 is a sheet feed surface 12A that supports the sheets SH from below. A plurality of sheets SH to be read and transported by the transport unit 6 are stacked on the sheet feed surface 12A. The sheet feed surface 12A is a flat surface that slopes downward to the left. The supply tray 12 is provided with a first side guide 17F and a second side guide 17R that are slidable in the front-rear direction. The first side guide 17F and the second side guide 17R are examples of side guides. The first side guide 17F and the second side guide 17R approach or move away from each other to sandwich a plurality of types of sheets SH of different sizes supported by the supply tray 12 from the front and rear. That is, the rear end of the first side guide 17F abuts against the front end of the sheet SH, and this front end is an example of an end in the first direction. The front end of the second side guide 17R abuts against the rear end of the sheet SH, and this rear end is another example of the end in the first direction. FIG. 3 shows the state where the first side guide 17F and the second side guide 17R are separated, and FIG. 4 shows the state where the first side guide 17F and the second side guide 17R are close to each other. In the following, the first side guide 17F and the second side guide 17R are collectively referred to simply as "side guide 17" as appropriate. The same applies to the illustrations. As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the discharge tray 14 is located below the supply tray 12. The upper surface of the discharge tray 14 is a sheet discharge surface 14A that supports the sheet SH from below. The image sensor 3S reads the image on the sheet discharge surface 14A, and the sheet SH discharged by the conveying unit 6 is stacked on the sheet discharge surface 14A. The sheet discharge surface 14A is a flat surface that inclines upward from left to right.

[0018] As shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, an opening / closing cover 32 is provided on the upper part of the ADF unit 9. The opening / closing cover 32 is a substantially flat plate member extending in the front-rear and left-right directions from substantially the center of the ADF unit 9 to the left end. The opening / closing cover 32 is an example of a cover. The left end of the opening / closing cover 32 is bent downward. The opening / closing cover 32 is supported at its left end and lower end so as to be swingable about an opening / closing axis X32 extending in the front-rear direction. This allows the opening / closing cover 32 to be displaced between a closed position shown by solid lines in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 and an open position shown in Fig. 6, etc., which will be described later. In the closed position, the opening / closing cover 32 functions to cover the transport path P1.

[0019] <Cross-sectional structure of the reading unit> Fig. 5 is a rear view of the cross-sectional structure of the main parts of the reading unit 3, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the opening / closing cover 32 is open. In Figs. 5 and 6, a platen glass 101 is disposed on the upper surface of the FB section 5. An original support surface 101A is formed by the upper surface of the platen glass 101. The image sensor 3S is provided below the platen glass 101 within the FB section 5 so as to be movable in the left-right direction. The original support surface 101A supports the original from below when the image of the original in a stationary state is read by the image sensor 3S.

[0020] A reading surface 101B is formed by the upper surface of the platen glass 101. The reading surface 101B guides the conveyed sheet SH from below when the image of the sheet SH conveyed one by one by the conveying unit 6 is read by the image sensor 3S in the FB unit 5. In this embodiment, the object whose image is read using the document support surface 101A is referred to as a document, and the object whose image is read while being conveyed by the conveying unit 6 is referred to as a sheet SH. The document and the sheet SH may be substantially the same thing.

[0021] The FB unit 5 has the image sensor 3S, a scanning mechanism (not shown), and the platen glass 101. The scanning mechanism reciprocates the image sensor 3S in the left-right direction below the document support surface 101A and the reading surface 101B. When reading an image of a document supported on the document support surface 101A, the image sensor 3S reads the image while moving below the document support surface 101A. When reading an image while the sheet SH is being conveyed by the conveying unit 6, the image sensor 3S is stopped at a predetermined stationary reading position. Here, the stationary reading position where the image sensor 3S stops is a position facing the reading surface 101B from below. As the image sensor 3S, a well-known image reading sensor such as a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is used.

[0022] A base member 9A is provided at the lower portion of the ADF unit 9. The base member 9A constitutes the bottom portion of the ADF unit 9. The right portion of the base member 9A constitutes the discharge tray 14 described above. The transport unit 6 is provided between the opening / closing cover 32 of the ADF unit 9 and the left portion of the base member 9A. The transport unit 6 has an upper chute member 130 and a lower chute member 140 assembled to the base member 9A. The lower chute member 140 is located below the upper chute member 130. The base member 9A is located below the lower chute member 140. Note that the portions of the ADF unit 9 other than the supply tray 12 and the opening / closing cover 32, i.e., the base member 9A, the upper chute member 130, and the lower chute member 140, and the FB unit 5, are an example of the device main body.

[0023] As shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, a plurality of guide ribs 32R extending in the left-right direction are formed in a line in the front-rear direction on the inner surface of the opening / closing cover 32. The upper guide surface 32A is formed by the lower end edges of the guide ribs 32R. The upper guide surface 32A defines the upper path P1A, which will be described later, from above among the conveying path P1. As shown in Figs. 7, 8, and the above-mentioned Figs. 5 and 6, lock levers 71F and 71R for locking the opening / closing cover 32 to the device body are provided near the front end and rear end of the inner periphery of the opening / closing cover 32, respectively. Hereinafter, these lock levers 71F and 71R will be collectively referred to simply as "lock levers 71" as appropriate. The same applies to the illustrations. As shown in the above-mentioned Fig. 5, the lock lever 71 is provided at a position overlapping the side guide 17 in the up-down direction. In Fig. 8, the lock lever 71 and the side guide 17 are shown in a cross-sectional cutaway shape. Figures 5 and 7 show a state in which the lock lever 71 is in a lock position in which the opening / closing cover 32 is locked to the device body. Figures 6 and 7 show a state in which the lock lever 71 is in an unlock position in which the opening / closing cover 32 is unlocked from the device body. The lock lever 71 is supported by the opening / closing cover 32 so as to be rotatable between the lock position and the unlock position.

[0024] A first upper transport surface 130A and a second upper transport surface 130B are formed on the upper surface of the upper chute member 130. The first upper transport surface 130A is adjacent to the left end of the supply tray 12 and is a flat surface that slopes downward to the left. The first upper transport surface 130A of the upper chute member 130 and the paper feed surface 12A of the supply tray 12 form a stacking surface 150A that supports the sheets SH. A plurality of sheets SH to be read and transported by the transport unit 6 are stacked on the stacking surface 150A. The first upper transport surface 130A is an example of a support surface. The second upper transport surface 130B is a substantially flat surface that slopes upward to the left following the first upper transport surface 130A.

[0025] Lower guide surfaces 140A1 and 140A2 are formed on the lower surface of the lower chute member 140. The lower guide surface 140A1 is a substantially flat surface that slopes down to the right from the vicinity of the left end portion of the ADF unit 9 toward the reading surface 101B. The lower guide surface 140A2 is a substantially flat surface that slopes up to the right following the lower guide surface 140A1. The upper surface of the base member 9A is formed with a lower conveying surface 140B1 that faces the lower guide surface 140A1 from below, and a lower conveying surface 140B2 that faces the lower guide surface 140A2 from below.

[0026] The conveying path P1 in the conveying section 6 is defined as a space surrounded by the first upper conveying surface 130A and the second upper conveying surface 130B of the upper chute member 130, the lower guide surfaces 140A1 and 140A2 of the lower chute member 140, the upper guide surface 32A of the opening / closing cover 32, the lower conveying surfaces 140B1 and 140B2 of the base member 9A, various conveying rollers, etc. More specifically, the conveying path P1 includes an upper path P1A that is a portion extending leftward from the paper feed surface 12A of the supply tray 12 along the first upper conveying surface 130A and the second upper conveying surface 130B of the upper chute member 130. Next, the conveying path P1 includes a curved path P1B that is a portion connected to the upper path P1A and curved downward. Next, the conveying path P1 includes a lower path P1C that is connected to the curved path P1B, and includes a portion that slopes downward from the lower end of the curved portion toward the reading surface 101B, then extends short to the right along the reading surface 101B, and a portion that slopes upward from the right end of the reading surface 101B to the right and reaches the discharge tray 14. The upper path P1A and the lower path P1C overlap in the vertical direction. The conveying direction of the sheet SH conveyed by the conveying unit 6 is leftward in the upper path P1A of the conveying path P1. Correspondingly, the front-rear direction is an example of a first direction that intersects with the conveying direction, and the up-down direction is an example of a second direction that intersects with the first direction and the conveying direction. In addition, in the curved path P1B of the conveying path P1, the conveying direction of the sheet SH changes from leftward to rightward, and in the lower path P1C of the conveying path P1, the conveying direction of the sheet SH is rightward. Note that the extending direction and shape of the conveying path P1 are merely examples. In addition, in the conveying path P1, the upper path P1A except for the portion above the sheet feeding surface 110A of the supply tray 12, the curved path P1B, and the lower path P1C are examples of a conveying path.

[0027] <Structure of sheet detection unit> A sheet detector that detects that a sheet SH is placed on the supply tray 12 is provided near the side guide 17 on the upstream side of the supply tray 12 in the conveying direction. In this example, as shown in FIG. 9, three sheet detectors 180A, 180B, and 180C are provided from the front side to the rear side. The sheet detectors 180A, 180B, and 180C have almost the same configuration, and each includes an optical sensor 189 having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, and an actuator 182. Hereinafter, these sheet detectors 180A, 180B, and 180C are simply collectively referred to as "sheet detectors 180" as appropriate. The same applies to the illustrations. The sheet detector 180 is an example of a detector. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a cross section different from that of FIGS. 5 and 6, seen from the rear side, showing the arrangement positions of the sensor 189 and the actuator 182. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of a cross section different from that of FIG. 10, seen from the rear side. A detection signal output by the sensor 189 in response to the rotation of the actuator 182 is input to a control unit (not shown). Based on this detection signal, the control unit determines whether or not the sheet SH is supported on the first upper conveying surface 130A and detects the size of the conveyed sheet SH in the front-rear direction.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 12, the actuator 182 has a transmission shaft 182S, a protruding piece 182B provided so as to protrude toward the upper path P1A side, and a detected part 182A. As shown in FIG. 13, the transmission shaft 182S is supported rotatably around the axis X1 by the actuator rotation support parts 188F and 188R shown in FIG. 12. The protruding piece 182B is located on the rear end side of the transmission shaft 182S, and a detected part 182A having a substantially rectangular plate shape is formed at the front end part of the protruding piece 182B. The actuator 182 is biased so that the protruding piece 182B rotates toward the right front direction in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 around the axis X1 by the spring 182J. The actuator 182 is held in a position where the detected part 182A opens the optical path 189P of the sensor 189 by the protruding piece 182B being stopped by a stopper not shown. 12 and 13 about axis X1 against spring 182J, the actuator 182 is adapted to cause the detected portion 182A to block the optical path 189P of the sensor 189. The spring 182J and the stopper are attached to an internal frame (not shown).

[0029] <Separation rollers, separation pads, feed rollers, etc.> 5, 6, and 7, the conveying section 6 includes a separation unit 50 and a separation pad 56A. The separation unit 50 includes a separation roller 54, a holder 51, and a paper feed roller 92, which will be described in detail later.

[0030] The separation roller 54 is located to the left of the feed roller 92, that is, downstream in the conveying direction of the conveying path P1. The separation roller 54 is provided at a position facing the second upper conveying surface 130B of the upper chute member 130 from above.

[0031] 5, the separation pad 56A, together with the second upper conveying surface 130B, forms a conveying surface for the sheet SH. The separation pad 56A is provided at a position facing the separation roller 54 from below. The separation pad 56A is a plate-like body made of a soft material such as rubber or elastomer. The separation pad 56A is pressed against the separation roller 54 by, for example, a biasing spring (not shown).

[0032] 5, 6, and 7, the holder 51 holds the separation roller 54 in a sandwiched state from the front and rear while covering the separation roller 54 from above. The holder 51 is supported on the rotation shaft of the separation roller 54 so as to be able to swing.

[0033] As shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, the sheet feed roller 92 is provided at a position facing the first upper conveying surface 130A of the upper chute member 130 from above. The position of the sheet feed roller 92 in the conveying direction partially overlaps with the position of the side guide 17 in the conveying direction (see also Figs. 14 and 15 described later). The sheet feed roller 92 is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the sheets SH stacked on the stacking surface 150A from above. The sheet feed roller 92 is located to the right of the separation roller 54 and is housed in the holder 51. The sheet feed roller 92 is rotatably supported by the holder 51. Therefore, the holder 51 is configured to be able to swing upward or downward around the axis of the rotation shaft of the separation roller 54, so that the sheet feed roller 92 can be displaced between a position approaching the stacking surface 150A and a position away from the stacking surface 150A. The sheet feed roller 92 is an example of a conveying roller.

[0034] When a motor (not shown) is driven, the separation roller 54 and the paper feed roller 92 rotate in synchronization. The outer peripheral surface 92A of the paper feed roller 92 applies a conveying force to the uppermost sheet SH among the sheets SH stacked on the stacking surface 150A, and sends the sheet SH toward the separation roller 54. As shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, the separation roller 54 cooperates with the separation pad 56A to separate the sheets SH conveyed by the paper feed roller 92 one by one, and conveys them downstream in the conveying direction on the conveying path P1.

[0035] <Conveyor roller> 5, the conveying section 6 has a first conveying roller 44 and a pinch roller 44P on the upper path P1A of the conveying path P1 to the left of the separation roller 54, i.e., downstream in the conveying direction from the separation roller 54. The first conveying roller 44 and the pinch roller 44P nip the sheets SH separated one by one by the separation roller 54 and the separation pad 56A, and convey them downstream in the conveying direction.

[0036] The conveying section 6 also has a curved guide surface 45G, a curved guide surface 45H, a second conveying roller 45, and a pinch roller 45P in the curved path P1B of the conveying path P1. The curved guide surface 45G and the curved guide surface 45H face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween. The curved guide surface 45G defines the portion of the curved path P1B that curves downward from the outside. The curved guide surface 45H defines the portion of the curved path P1B that curves downward from the inside. The second conveying roller 45 and the pinch roller 45P are disposed at the lower end of the curved path P1B. The second conveying roller 45 and the pinch roller 45P nip the sheet SH conveyed by the first conveying roller 44 and the pinch roller 44P, and further convey the sheet SH toward the reading surface 101B. Between the first conveying roller 44 and the pinch roller 44P and the reading surface 101B, a lower guide surface 140A1 and a lower conveying surface 140B1 face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween, thereby defining the left portion of the lower path P1C.

[0037] The conveying section 6 further includes a discharge roller 48 and a pinch roller (not shown). A lower guide surface 140A2 and a lower conveying surface 140B2 face each other at a predetermined interval between the reading surface 101B and the discharge roller 48 and pinch roller, thereby defining a right portion of the lower path P1C.

[0038] The path formed by the lower guide surface 140A2 and the lower conveying surface 140B2 is inclined upward toward the discharge roller 48 and the pinch roller, to the right of the pressing member 49. The discharge roller 48 is equipped with a drive shaft 48a, and is located at the right end of the lower guide surface 140A2 of the lower chute member 140. The pinch roller is located at the right end of the lower conveying surface 140B2. The discharge roller 48 and the pinch roller nip the sheet SH that has passed over the reading surface 101B, and discharge it onto the discharge surface 14A of the discharge tray 14.

[0039] <Stopper> 6 and 7, the ADF unit 9 of this embodiment is provided with a pair of front and rear stoppers 80F, 80R that are located between the separation roller 54 and the paper feed roller 92 and come into contact with the leading edge of the sheet SH in the transport direction to restrict the movement of the sheet SH. Hereinafter, the front stopper 80F and the rear stopper 80R will be collectively referred to simply as "stopper 80" as appropriate. This is the same in the drawings.

[0040] The stopper 80 is configured to be able to switch between a restricted state shown in FIG. 14(a) and FIG. 14(b) and a restricted release state shown in FIG. 15(a) and FIG. 15(b). In this example, in the restricted state, the stopper 80 is engaged with the stopper lever 100 as described later, so that the stopper 80 protrudes toward the first upper transport surface 130A that defines the transport path P1 of the sheet SH, thereby restricting the passage of the sheet SH. The position of the stopper lever 100 at this time is an example of a first position. In the restricted release state, the stopper 80 is released from the engagement with the stopper lever 100 as described later and becomes free, so that the stopper 80 is pushed by the leading edge of the sheet SH, rotates from the first position, and retreats upward so as to move away from the first upper transport surface 130A, thereby allowing the sheet SH to move downstream, i.e., to pass the sheet SH. The position of the stopper lever 100 at this time is an example of a second position. The stopper 80 is supported by the opening / closing cover 32 together with the holder 51 having the separation roller 54 and the paper feed roller 92 .

[0041] <Stopper switching mechanism> Next, the switching of the state of the stopper 80 will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. As described above, the separation roller 54 and the paper feed roller 92 are provided in the holder 51, and the holder 51 is supported by the rotation shaft of the separation roller 54 so as to be swingable. For example, when the motor described above rotates in a predetermined direction in the state shown in Figures 14(a) and 14(b), the holder 51 swings around the axis of the rotation shaft of the separation roller 54 so that the paper feed roller 92 side is lowered based on the driving force as shown in Figures 15(a) and 15(b). As a result, the paper feed roller 92 comes into contact with the sheet SH.

[0042] As described above with reference to Figs. 6 and 7, the stopper 80 is provided on the opening / closing cover 32. The stopper 80 is supported on the opening / closing cover 32 so as to be rotatable about a shaft member 80c shown in Figs. 14(b) and 15(b) as a rotation center, and has a stepped portion 80a and a sheet regulating portion 80b. A stopper lever 100 is rotatably supported on the holder 51 near the paper feed roller 92. The stopper lever 100 is biased in the S direction shown in Figs. 14(b) and 15(b) by an appropriate spring member (not shown). Before the holder 51 swings so that the paper feed roller 92 side is lowered as described above, the tip portion 100a of the stopper lever 100 abuts and engages with the stepped portion 80a as shown in Figs. 14(a) and 14(b). This prevents the stopper 80 from rotating, resulting in the aforementioned regulated state.

[0043] When the holder 51 swings so that the feed roller 92 side is lowered, the abutment surface 100b of the stopper lever 100 abuts against the abutment rib 132 provided on the opening / closing cover 32. This causes the stopper lever 100 to be displaced so as to rotate in the direction opposite to the S direction as shown in Figures 15(a) and 15(b). As a result, the engagement between the tip 100a of the stopper lever 100 and the stepped portion 80a is released, and the stopper 80 is in a state in which it is free to rotate, that is, in the aforementioned released state. This allows the feed roller 92 to transport the sheet SH to the curved path P1B.

[0044] On the other hand, for example, when the motor rotates in the opposite direction to the above, the holder 51 swings so that the feed roller 92 side rises as shown in Figures 14(a) and 14(b). This causes the feed roller 92 to move away from the sheet SH. As described above with reference to Figures 15(a) and 15(b), the stopper lever 100, which has been lifted by the abutment of the abutment surface 100b against the abutment rib 132, is displaced so as to rotate in the S direction as shown in Figures 14(a) and 14(b). As a result, the tip 100a of the stopper lever 100 engages with the stepped portion 80a, and the stopper 80 enters the aforementioned restricted state.

[0045] <Features of the embodiment> In the ADF unit 9 having the above configuration, the present embodiment is characterized by the shapes of the side guide 17 and the lock lever 71. The details thereof will be described below step by step.

[0046] <Side guide cutout and support wall> FIG. 17 shows an external view seen from the front, showing the detailed shape of the side guide 17. In this embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 5 and the like, the position of the lock lever 71 and the position of the side guide 17 overlap in the vertical direction. Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, which are enlarged views of the main part of FIG. 15, the side guide 17 is provided with a notch 17a that faces the rotation trajectory of the lock lever 71 with a predetermined gap t1 therebetween. The rotation trajectory is shown by a curve R1 in FIG. 16. The notch 17a is an example of a first notch. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the position of the stopper lever 100 and the position of the side guide 17 overlap in the vertical direction. Correspondingly, the side guide 17 is provided with a notch 17b that faces the rotation trajectory of the stopper lever 100 that rotates between the restricted state shown in FIG. 14 and the unrestricted state shown in FIG. 15 with a predetermined gap t2 therebetween. The notch 17b is an example of a second notch.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 17 and Figs. 14 and 15, a support wall 17c is provided downstream of the cutout 17a of the side guide 17 in the transport direction and upstream of the cutout 17b in the transport direction, in other words, between the cutouts 17a and 17b. The support wall 17c has a substantially vertical dimension, in other words, a height dimension h, that is equal to or greater than the thickness dimension of a predetermined number of sheets SH. The predetermined number is, for example, the maximum number of sheets that can be loaded on the supply tray 12, for example, about several tens to 100 sheets.

[0048] <Lock lever arrangement and guide surface> As described above, in this embodiment, the side guides 17F and 17R abut against the front and rear ends of the sheets SH placed on the supply tray 12. Correspondingly, in this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the inner end of each lock lever 71 in the front-rear direction is located on the outer side in the front-rear direction of the side guide 17, i.e., on the opposite side to the sheets SH. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, the front end 71Ra of the lock lever 71R is located rearward of the portion 17Ra of the second side guide 17R that faces the lock lever 71R. The rear end 71Fa of the lock lever 71F is located forward of the portion 17Fa of the second side guide 17F that faces the lock lever 71F.

[0049] A guide surface 71m is provided at an inner portion of each lock lever 71 in the front-rear direction to guide the sheet SH to be placed in the supply tray 12. Specifically, as shown in Figures 7, 8, 10, etc., near the right end of the lock lever 71R, the guide surface 71m is formed as a slope that faces the right front side when the opening / closing cover 32 is in the closed position. Near the right end of the lock lever 71F, the guide surface 71m is formed as a slope that faces the right rear side when the opening / closing cover 32 is in the closed position.

[0050] <Side guide lift prevention structure, etc.> As shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, etc., an engagement claw 17d for preventing the sheet from floating up is provided near the downstream end of the side guide 17 in the conveying direction, i.e., near the left end, in a hook-shaped manner so as to protrude substantially downward. The engagement claw 17d is an example of an engagement portion. Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 18, an opening OP extending linearly in the front-rear direction is formed in the first upper conveying surface 130A of the upper chute member 130 to receive and engage with the engagement claw 17d. The opening OP is an example of an engaged portion. As shown in FIG. 18, a sheet detection unit 180 consisting of a sensor 189 and an actuator 182 is provided at a position overlapping with the opening OP in the vertical direction. A light shielding portion 190 for blocking external light entering through the opening OP is provided between the sensor 189 of the sheet detection unit 180 and the opening OP. The light shielding portion 190 includes a horizontal wall portion 191 arranged substantially horizontally along the tip side of the engagement claw 17d, and a vertical wall portion 192 arranged substantially vertically.

[0051] <Effects of the embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, the side guides 17 supported by the supply tray 12 are movable in the front-rear direction. This allows the user to place the sheets SH on the supply tray 12, align the sheets SH by bringing the side guides 17 into contact with the front-rear ends of the sheets SH, and smoothly feed the sheets SH into the transport path P1. The opening / closing cover 32 that covers the transport path P1 is provided rotatably on the device body including the supply tray 12, and the user can expose the transport path P1 as appropriate by opening the opening / closing cover 32. When the opening / closing cover 32 is closed, the opening / closing cover 32 is locked to the device body by the lock lever 71.

[0052] If the position of the lock lever 71 and the position of the side guide 17 overlap in the vertical direction, there is a risk that the entire device will become larger in the vertical direction in order to avoid interference between them. In this embodiment, a cutout portion 17a is provided in the side guide 17, which faces the rotation trajectory of the lock lever 71 across a gap t1. This allows the positions of the lock lever 71 and the side guide 17 to be disposed close to each other in the vertical direction by the dimension of the cutout shape, thereby suppressing an increase in the size of the entire ADF unit 9 in the vertical direction.

[0053] As a result, according to this embodiment, interference between the lock lever 71 and the side guide 17 can be avoided while suppressing an increase in the overall vertical dimension of the ADF portion 9.

[0054] In particular, in this embodiment, a stopper 80 and a stopper lever 100 for switching the state of the stopper 80 are provided. When the stopper lever 100 rotates to the first position, the stopper 80 enters a restricting state in which the stopper 80 restricts the passage of the sheet SH placed on the supply tray 12 in the conveying direction. As a result, the stopper abuts against the leading edge of the sheet SH inserted by the user to retain the sheet SH, thereby positioning the sheet SH at a predetermined position on the conveying path P1. When the stopper lever 100 rotates to the second position, the stopper enters a non-restricting state in which the stopper allows the sheet SH to pass in the conveying direction. As a result, the sheet SH retained as described above can be sent downstream of the conveying path P1.

[0055] If the position of the stopper lever 100 and the position of the side guide 17 overlap in the vertical direction, there is a risk that the entire device will become larger in the vertical direction in order to avoid interference, as with the above-mentioned lock lever 71. In this embodiment, to address this issue, the side guide 17 is provided with a notch 17b that faces the rotation trajectory of the stopper lever 100 across a gap t2. As a result, as with the above, the positions of the stopper lever 100 and the side guide 17 can be disposed close to each other in the vertical direction, which also makes it possible to suppress an increase in the size of the entire device in the vertical direction.

[0056] In this embodiment, a support wall 17c is provided between the notches 17a and 17b of the side guide 17. The vertical dimension h of the support wall 17c is preset to a size equal to or larger than the thickness dimension of a predetermined number of sheets SH. As a result, even if the side guide 17 has a vertically cutout shape as described above, the support wall 17c can appropriately guide the sheets SH stacked on the supply tray 12.

[0057] Particularly in the embodiment, the sheet SH placed on the supply tray 12 is sent to the transport path P1 by the sheet feed roller 92. The sheet feed roller 92 is disposed so that its position in the transport direction partially overlaps with the position in the transport direction of the side guide 17. The side guide 17 is extended to a position close to the sheet feed roller 92 in the transport direction, and the sheet SH is introduced into the sheet feed roller 92 while being properly aligned by the side guide 17, thereby improving the transport accuracy of the sheet SH.

[0058] As described above, the side guide 17 abuts against the front-rear end of the sheet SH placed on the supply tray 12. In this embodiment, the inner ends 71Fa, 71Ra of the lock levers 71F, 71R in the front-rear direction are located on the outer side in the front-rear direction than the corresponding side guides 17F, 71R, i.e., on the opposite side to the sheet SH. This prevents the lock lever 71 from interfering with the transport of the sheet SH placed on the inner side of the side guide 17.

[0059] As described above, the lock lever 71 is located on the opposite side of the sheet SH from the side guide 17. However, when a user places a sheet SH on the inner side of the side guide 17 in the front-rear direction, there is a possibility that the sheet SH may be placed so as to protrude outward in the front-rear direction of the side guide 17 due to some misalignment. In this embodiment, a guide surface 71m is provided on the inner side in the front-rear direction of the lock levers 71F, 71R located on the outer side in the front-rear direction of the side guides 17F, 17R. As a result, even if the user places the sheet SH protruding outward slightly as described above, the sheet SH can be guided inward by the guide surface 71m and placed properly. That is, the lock lever 71 has both a locking function for the opening and closing cover 32 and a guiding function for the sheet SH.

[0060] The side guide 17, which is provided on the supply tray 12 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, may have some rattle with respect to the supply tray 12 due to its movable structure. In this embodiment, an engagement claw 17d is provided at the end of the side guide 17 on the downstream side in the conveying direction, and the engagement claw 17d engages with an opening OP provided in the first upper conveying surface 130A that supports the sheet SH in the conveying path P1. This engagement structure can prevent the downstream end of the side guide 17 from floating up from the supply tray 12, so that the side guide 17 can be moved without being twisted by hand when operated. As a result, the operability of the side guide 17 can be improved.

[0061] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the sheet SH supported on the first upper conveying surface 130A is optically detected by the sheet detection unit 180. In the structure in which the engagement claw 17d on the side guide 17 engages with the opening OP on the first upper conveying surface 130A side as described above, if the sheet detection unit 180 is provided at a position overlapping with the opening OP in the vertical direction, there is a risk that external light may enter through the engagement structure portion and adversely affect the detection performance of the sensor 189 of the sheet detection unit 180. In this embodiment, by providing a light shielding unit 190 between the opening OP and the sheet detection unit 180, it is possible to block the external light that has entered as described above, thereby suppressing a decrease in the detection performance of the sheet detection unit 180 and maintaining the detection accuracy.

[0062] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and technical concept of the present invention. Such modifications are described below. These modifications are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0063] That is, in the above, the opening / closing cover 32 and the lock lever 71 are configured as separate parts, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the opening / closing cover and the lock lever may be configured as one unit. In this case as well, the same effects as those described above can be obtained.

[0064] In the above, two lock levers 71F, 71R and stoppers 80R, 80R are provided, and two side guides 17F, 17R face the corresponding lock levers 71F, 71R and stopper lever 100, respectively, but this is not limited to the above. That is, only one lock lever 71 and one stopper 80 may be provided, and any one of the pair of side guides 17F, 17R may face one lock lever 71 and one stopper lever 100. In these cases, the same effects as those described above can be obtained.

[0065] Although not specifically illustrated, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1 Multifunction device 5 FB section (example of device body) 9 ADF section (an example of a sheet transport device) 9A Base member (an example of the device body) 12 Supply tray (example of tray) 17a Notch (an example of a first notch) 17b Notch (an example of a second notch) 17c Support wall section 17d Engagement claw (an example of an engagement part) 17F First side guide (example of a side guide) 17R Second side guide (example of a side guide) 32 Opening and closing cover (example of cover) 71F,R Lock lever 80F,R Stopper 92 Paper feed roller (an example of a transport roller) 100 Stopper lever 130 Upper chute member (an example of the device body) 130A First upper conveying surface (an example of a supporting surface) 140 Lower chute member (an example of the device body) 180 Sheet detection unit (an example of a detection unit) 182 Actuator 189 Sensors 190 Shading section h Vertical dimension of support wall OP Opening (an example of the engaged part) P1 Transport route R1 Lock lever rotation trajectory SH Seat

Claims

1. A tray on which sheets are placed; an apparatus body having a conveying path for conveying the sheet in a conveying direction and supporting the tray; a side guide supported by the tray so as to be movable in a first direction intersecting the conveying direction, the side guide being capable of contacting an end of the sheet placed on the tray in the first direction; a cover that is rotatably provided with respect to the device body and covers the transport path; a lock lever for locking the cover to the apparatus body, the lock lever being provided at a position overlapping with the side guide in a second direction intersecting the transport direction and the first direction; A sheet conveying device comprising: The lock lever is The cover is configured to be rotatable between a lock position where the cover is locked to the device body and an unlock position where the cover is unlocked from the device body, The side guide is a first cutout portion that faces a rotation trajectory of the lock lever across a predetermined gap in a portion that is located under the cover when the lock lever is located at the lock position; A support wall portion having a predetermined height dimension in the vertical direction; having The first cutout portion has a dimension smaller than the predetermined height dimension. A sheet conveying device comprising:

2. A tray on which a sheet is placed; an apparatus body having a conveying path for conveying the sheet in a conveying direction and supporting the tray; a side guide supported by the tray so as to be movable in a first direction intersecting the conveying direction, the side guide being capable of contacting an end of the sheet placed on the tray in the first direction; a cover that is rotatably provided with respect to the device body and covers the transport path; a lock lever for locking the cover to the apparatus body, the lock lever being provided at a position overlapping with the side guide in a second direction intersecting the transport direction and the first direction; A sheet conveying device comprising: The lock lever is The cover is configured to be rotatable between a lock position where the cover is locked to the device body and an unlock position where the cover is unlocked from the device body, The side guide is a first cutout portion that faces a rotation trajectory of the lock lever with a predetermined gap therebetween; a stopper that is displaceable between a restricting state in which the stopper contacts a leading edge of the sheet placed on the tray to restrict passage of the sheet in the conveying direction and a restricting release state in which the stopper allows passage of the sheet in the conveying direction; a stopper lever rotatable between a first position for placing the stopper in the restricted state and a second position for placing the stopper in the released state; Further equipped with The side guide further includes: a second cutout provided downstream of the first cutout in the conveying direction and facing a rotation trajectory of the stopper lever with a predetermined gap therebetween; A sheet conveying device comprising:

3. The side guide further includes: a support wall portion provided at a location downstream of the first cutout portion in the transport direction and upstream of the second cutout portion in the transport direction, The dimension of the support wall portion in the second direction is The thickness dimension of the sheet is equal to or larger than a predetermined number of the sheets.

3. The sheet transport device according to claim 2.

4. A tray on which a sheet is placed; an apparatus body having a conveying path for conveying the sheet in a conveying direction and supporting the tray; a side guide supported by the tray so as to be movable in a first direction intersecting the conveying direction, the side guide being capable of contacting an end of the sheet placed on the tray in the first direction; a cover that is rotatably provided with respect to the device body and covers the transport path; a lock lever for locking the cover to the apparatus body, the lock lever being provided at a position overlapping with the side guide in a second direction intersecting the transport direction and the first direction; A sheet conveying device comprising: The lock lever is The cover is configured to be rotatable between a lock position where the cover is locked to the device body and an unlock position where the cover is unlocked from the device body, The side guide is a first cutout portion that faces a rotation trajectory of the lock lever with a predetermined gap therebetween; a conveying roller that conveys the sheet placed on the tray to the conveying path, The position of the transport roller in the transport direction is The position of the side guide in the conveying direction is partially overlapped. A sheet conveying device comprising:

5. The position of the inner end of the lock lever in the first direction is outward from the position of the corresponding side guide in the first direction.

5. The sheet transport device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet transport device is a sheet conveying device.

6. The lock lever is a guide surface for guiding the sheet to be placed on the tray at a portion on the inner side in the first direction; 6. The sheet transport device according to claim 5.

7. The side guide is an engaging portion for preventing the side guide from floating up at an end portion on the downstream side in the conveying direction; The device body includes: a support surface that supports the sheet in the conveying path; an engaged portion provided on the support surface and engaged with the engaging portion; 7. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising:

8. A tray on which a sheet is placed; an apparatus body having a conveying path for conveying the sheet in a conveying direction and supporting the tray; a side guide supported by the tray so as to be movable in a first direction intersecting the conveying direction, the side guide being capable of contacting an end of the sheet placed on the tray in the first direction; a cover that is rotatably provided with respect to the device body and covers the transport path; a lock lever for locking the cover to the apparatus body, the lock lever being provided at a position overlapping with the side guide in a second direction intersecting the transport direction and the first direction; A sheet conveying device comprising: The lock lever is The cover is configured to be rotatable between a lock position where the cover is locked to the device body and an unlock position where the cover is unlocked from the device body, The side guide is a first cutout portion that faces a rotation trajectory of the lock lever with a predetermined gap therebetween; The side guide is an engaging portion for preventing the side guide from floating up at an end portion on the downstream side in the conveying direction; The device body includes: a support surface that supports the sheet in the conveying path; an engaged portion provided on the support surface and engaged with the engaging portion; a detection unit for optically detecting the sheet supported on the support surface, the detection unit being provided at a position overlapping the engaged portion in the second direction; a light blocking portion provided between the engaged portion and the detection portion; A sheet conveying device comprising:

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