JP2018023125A - Image reader and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an opening/closing member from being half closed.SOLUTION: An image reader comprises: a sheet conveyance unit that conveys a document; an opening/closing member 5 provided so as to be opened/closed with respect to the sheet conveyance unit; a document platen glass on which a document is placed; and image reading means for reading a conveyance document and a placed document. In the image reader, a hook member 6 mounted so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 6b with respect to the opening/closing member 5 is structured so as to lock the opening/closing member 5 by engaging with an engagement shaft 7 provided in the sheet conveyance unit. In a case that the sheet conveyance unit is in an open state, the opening/closing member 5 closes the sheet conveyance unit from an unlocked state, force with which the opening/closing member 5 is pushed up is generated from the point in time that an interfering part 6a of the hook member 6 comes into contact with a white plate 22 supported by the document platen glass. When the sheet conveyance unit is further closed, the engagement shaft 7 moves downwards while sliding over an inclined surface 6c of the hook member 6 and moves up to an engagement position, thereby locking the opening/closing member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying mechanism that conveys a sheet such as a document or transfer paper in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a complex machine using an open / close member locking mechanism and an electrophotographic system using the same. Relates to the device.

  In recent years, in an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a facsimile, or a scanner apparatus, a sheet conveyance path is configured to improve paper jam (jam) handling in the apparatus or to clean the apparatus from the viewpoint of improving usability. There is a demand for a configuration in which the transport guide plate is arranged to be openable and closable. That is, the jammed sheet is easily removed by opening the conveyance guide plate during jamming. When the conveyance guide plate can be opened and closed in this way, a lock mechanism is required to securely hold the open / close member in the closed state after the jam processing.

  Therefore, in the prior art, as a technique for preventing the closing of the opening / closing member, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a lock mechanism provided with a plurality of hook members provided on the cover of the image forming apparatus. Then, the closing timing of the plurality of hook members is shifted to prevent the closing of the opening / closing member.

  Specifically, in the handle member having three hook members corresponding to both ends and the central portion, the timing at which the hook member provided at the center is locked is configured to be slower than the hook members at both ends. . Therefore, when the opening / closing member is closed, the hook members provided at both ends do not lock unless the hook member at the center is closed to the locked position. In this way, only the end portion of the opening / closing member is prevented from being partially closed.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, a plurality of hook members are provided at both ends of the opening / closing member so as to be rotatable with play on the shaft member, so that the hook member swings within a predetermined range in the vicinity of the position where the hook member engages with the engaging portion. A configuration that can move freely has been proposed. This makes it possible to lock the hook members at both ends even when the locking timing of the hook members provided at both ends of the opening / closing member is shifted.

JP 2000-096881 A JP 2004-123317 A

  However, in the conventional configuration, when the opening / closing member is closed, it is necessary to reliably press the opening / closing member to the closing position. For example, when the conveyance guide plate existing in the apparatus can be opened and closed, the opening and closing member is provided inside the opening and closing member. At this time, it is necessary to urge the inner opening / closing member to a position where it is surely closed by the operation of closing the outer opening / closing member.

  In particular, when the inside of the sheet conveyance path is exposed to remove the jammed sheet, one of the conveyance roller pairs is provided in the apparatus main body, and the other is provided in the opening / closing member. Then, by opening the opening / closing member, the pressing of the conveying roller pair is released, and the jammed sheet can be removed from the sheet conveying path.

  In such a case, when closing the opening / closing member, it is necessary to close the opening / closing member with a force larger than the nip pressure of the conveying roller pair. When the lock of the opening / closing member is in a single-closed state, the nip pressure of the conveying roller pair is not sufficient, and it may be difficult to convey the sheet.

  An object of this invention is to suppress that the lock | rock of an opening-and-closing member becomes a single closure.

  To achieve this object, an image reading apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a sheet conveying unit that conveys a sheet, and an image reading unit that reads an image of the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying unit. In the apparatus, the image reading unit includes an original platen glass and an image reading unit that reads an image of a sheet on the original platen glass, and the sheet conveying unit is provided to be openable and closable with respect to the image reading unit. The sheet conveying unit includes a main body, an opening / closing member provided to be openable / closable downward with respect to the main body, and a pressing member provided below the opening / closing member to press the sheet on the platen glass. The main body includes a first conveying roller for conveying the sheet, and the opening / closing member is configured such that the opening / closing member is closed with respect to the main body. A second conveying roller that contacts the first conveying roller to convey the sheet when the sheet is opened, the opening / closing member includes an engaging member, and the main body is opened with respect to the main body. An engagement member that is engaged with the engagement member when the opening / closing member is closed with respect to the main body, and the sheet conveying unit is the image reading unit. When the sheet conveying unit is closed with respect to the image reading unit from a state where the pressing member is opened with respect to the main body, And the pressing member pushes up the opening and closing member, and the engaging member and the engaged member are engaged with each other without contacting the engaging member and the upper surface of the image reading unit. Body Wherein the closed against.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can suppress that the lock | rock of an opening-and-closing member becomes one side closure.

It is a perspective view which shows the scanner apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. 1A shows a state in which the sheet conveyance unit is closed, FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a main part showing a state in which the sheet conveyance unit is opened, and FIG. The white plate attached so that opening and closing is possible, and the opening and closing member are opened. It is sectional drawing of the scanner apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is the state which closed the opening-and-closing member used for the sheet conveyance unit of the scanner apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. 3A shows a state where the opening / closing member is closed, and FIG. 3B shows a state where the opening / closing member is opened. It is a principal part top view which shows the movement of opening and closing of the hook member used for the scanner apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. 4 (a) shows the open state, FIG. 4 (b) shows the beginning of closing, FIG. 4 (c) shows the semi-closed state, FIG. 4 (d) shows the lock start state, FIG. 4E shows a locked state. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the hook member used for the scanner apparatus which is embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Overall configuration>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a scanner device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The scanner device 1 (main body, sheet conveying device) includes a sheet conveying unit 2 and an image reading unit 3 that convey a sheet from which an image is to be read. FIG. 1A shows a state in which the sheet conveying unit 2 is closed, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a main part showing a state in which the sheet conveying unit 2 is opened. FIG. 1C shows a state where the white plate 22 and the opening / closing member 5 attached to the sheet conveying unit 2 so as to be further opened and closed are opened. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the scanner device 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the sheet conveying unit 2 is attached to the image reading unit 3 so as to be rotatable. In the scanner apparatus 1, a plurality of sheets are separated one by one using a fixed reading method in which an image is read while setting the sheet on the image reading unit 3 and moving the image reading means 19 and the sheet conveying unit 2. There is a flow reading method for reading an image while conveying a sheet.

  In the fixed reading method, a sheet is set on an original table glass 21 (glass plate) arranged on the image reading unit 3 and an image on the sheet is read while moving the image reading means 19. At this time, the white plate 22 provided on the lower surface of the sheet conveying unit 2 presses the sheet to prevent wrinkles and the like generated on the sheet from floating.

  The white plate 22 is attached to the white support plate 23 via an elastic member (not shown) such as a sponge member in order to press the sheet.

  On the other hand, in the flow-reading method, sheets are stacked on the feeding tray 9, the sheets stacked by the pickup roller 10 shown in FIG. 2 are transported toward the sheet transport unit 2, and one by one by the separation unit 11. To separate. The sheet transported into the sheet transport unit 2 is pulled out of the separation unit 11 by the pulling roller 12, and the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the resist roller 13 in a stopped state to form a deflection and correct skew.

  The sheet whose skew has been corrected passes through the bending path, is supplied to the reading glass 20 for flow reading by the conveying roller 14, is conveyed on the reading glass 20 by the platen roller 15, and is conveyed by the image reading means 19. An image is read. The sheet that has passed through the image reading unit 19 is conveyed toward the discharge tray 18 by the conveyance roller 16 (first conveyance roller), and is discharged onto the discharge tray 18 by the discharge roller 17.

  As shown in FIG. 1C, when a jam occurs in the sheet conveying unit 2, a part of the conveying path from the conveying roller 16 to the discharge roller 17 can be opened in order to remove the sheet without damaging the sheet. Yes.

<Configuration of lock mechanism>
Next, the lock mechanism of the opening / closing member 5 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the opening / closing member 5. The opening / closing member 5 is provided in the sheet conveying unit 2 so as to be opened and closed. FIG. 3A shows a state where the opening / closing member 5 is closed, and FIG. 3B shows a state where the opening / closing member 5 is opened.

  As shown in these drawings, the opening / closing member 5 is attached to the frame 4 of the sheet conveying unit 2 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 5a. Two hook members 6 (locking members) attached to the opening / closing member 5 so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 6 b with respect to the opening / closing member 5 are attached to the front and rear end portions of the opening / closing member 5. It has been.

  The hook member 6 is applied with an urging force by an elastic member (not shown) so as to rotate in a direction in which the hook member 6 is locked (locked). Two engaging shafts 7 (locked members) that engage with the hook members 6 are attached to the frame body 4 in the front-rear direction of the frame body. In FIG. 3, the hook member 6 on the back side is invisible. The opening / closing member 5 holds a conveyance roller 16a (second conveyance roller) opposed to the conveyance roller 16, and the hook member 6 engages with the engagement shaft 7 to be in the locked state. The conveying force of the roller 16a is generated. When the sheet is conveyed, the conveyance rollers 16 and 16a convey the sheet while sandwiching the sheet.

  Further, the hook member 6 is provided with an interference portion 6a (abutting portion) that can come into contact with the white plate 22, and when the sheet conveying unit 2 is closed, the hook member 6 is placed on the original platen glass 21 (abutting portion). A force for rotating the hook member 6 is applied by abutting against the white plate 22 (contact portion). The interference portion 6a may be directly abutted against the original platen glass 21 instead of the white plate 22.

  When the sheet is jammed in the lower conveyance path in the sheet conveyance unit 2, the sheet conveyance unit 2 is first rotated to the open state with respect to the image reading unit 3 (FIG. 1B). Then, by opening and closing the opening / closing member 5 with respect to the frame 4 of the sheet conveying unit 2 and separating the conveying roller 16a from the conveying roller 16, it is possible to take out a jammed sheet in the sheet conveying unit 2. (FIG. 1 (c)).

  After processing the jammed sheet, the opening / closing member 5 is closed, and the hook member 6 is engaged with the engagement shaft 7 to be in a locked state (FIG. 3A), and then the sheet conveying unit 2 is moved to the image reading unit 3. Needs to be closed. However, it is also assumed that the operation of closing the sheet conveying unit 2 is performed in a state in which the opening / closing member 5 is forgotten to be closed, semi-closed, or partially closed. If the sheet is conveyed while the opening / closing member 5 holding the conveyance roller 16a is in the closed state and is not securely locked, the conveyance force may become unstable, leading to skewing of the sheet and deterioration of the scanned image. . Therefore, even when the sheet conveying unit 2 is closed with the opening / closing member 5 open, the opening / closing member 5 needs to be reliably closed.

  Further, in the scanner device 1, the sheet conveyance unit 2 is operated with respect to the image reading unit 3 in order to secure an operation force for opening / closing operation of the sheet conveyance unit 2 or landing of the sheet conveyance unit 2 with respect to the image reading unit 3. A plurality of abutting portions provided in the sheet conveying unit 2 are set so as to contact the image reading unit 3.

  Note that the lower surface of the sheet conveying unit 2 other than the abutting portion is held so as to obtain a predetermined clearance with respect to the image reading unit 3 for conveying the sheet. Therefore, a predetermined clearance must be secured for the image reading unit 3 when the opening / closing member 5 provided on the lower surface of the sheet conveying unit 2 is closed.

<Opening and closing operation of the opening and closing member>
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating how the opening and closing member 5 and the hook member 6 are opened and closed when the sheet conveying unit 2 is closed with the opening and closing member 5 open.

  FIG. 4A shows a state where the sheet conveying unit 2 is opened and the opening / closing member 5 is opened as shown in FIG. 4B and 4C show a process in which the sheet conveying unit 2 approaches the closed state and the opening / closing member 5 approaches the closed state from the open state, and FIG. FIG. 4C shows a state in which the hook member 6 is semi-closed with respect to the engagement shaft 7. FIG. 4D shows a state where the sheet conveying unit 2 is further closed and the hook member 6 provided on the opening / closing member 5 starts to be locked, and FIG. 4E shows that the sheet conveying unit 2 is further closed. The hook member 6 is completely locked to the engagement shaft 7.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the open state where the hook member 6 is not locked to the engagement shaft 7, the opening / closing member 5 is rotated downward by gravity and is brought into contact with the white plate 22 to be positioned. It has been decided. When the sheet conveying unit 2 is closed from this state, the sheet conveying unit 2 and the white plate 22 approach each other, and the opening / closing member 5 approaches the engaging shaft 7 fixed to the sheet conveying unit 2 accordingly.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, an inclined surface 6c is formed at the tip of the hook portion of the hook member 6. When the sheet conveying unit 2 is closed, the engaging shaft 7 comes into contact with the inclined surface 6c. And press. By this pressing, the inclined surface 6c of the hook member 6 slides with respect to the engagement shaft 7, and the hook member 6 rotates clockwise. Then, when the hook member 6 rotates clockwise, the interference portion 6 a provided on the hook member 6 comes into contact with the white plate 22. At this time, since the lower surface of the white plate 22 is supported on the platen glass 21, a force that pushes the opening / closing member 5 upward acts with the corresponding contact portion as a fulcrum, and the opening / closing member 5 is against the white plate 22. Pushed up. That is, the engagement shaft 7 presses the inclined surface 6c, the contact point is a force point, the contact point with the white plate 22 of the interference portion 6a is a fulcrum, and the rotation shaft 6b is an action point. A force to lift the upper side is transmitted. When the opening / closing member 5 is lifted, the rotating shaft 6b of the hook member 6 is lifted, and the hook member 6 is further rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. 4C, and the opening / closing member 5 is further lifted.

  When the opening / closing member 5 is lifted as described above and the tip of the hook portion of the hook member 6 is lifted to a position exceeding the central portion of the engagement shaft 7 as shown in FIG. When the hook member 6 is rotated counterclockwise in the locking direction by the force of the urging elastic member (not shown), the opening / closing member 5 is in the closed state shown in FIG. At this time, the tip of the interference portion 6 a is separated from the surface of the white plate 22.

  The force that the inclined surface 6c of the hook member 6 receives from the engagement shaft 7 and the force that the interference portion 6a of the hook member 6 receives from the white plate 22 is the force that causes the hook member 6 to rotate in opposite directions. It is. For this reason, it is necessary to adjust the protrusion amount of the interference part 6a of the hook member 6 according to the rotation amount of the hook.

  That is, if the protruding amount of the interference part 6a is too large, the hook member 6 stops when the inclined surface 6c contacts the engagement shaft 7, and the opening / closing member 5 is not closed any more.

  On the other hand, if the protruding amount of the interference portion 6a is too small, a sufficient force for lifting the opening / closing member 5 cannot be applied to the rotating shaft 6b. For this reason, the protruding amount of the interference portion 6a can lift the opening / closing member 5, and the inclined surface 6c of the hook member 6 slides on the engaging shaft 7 so that the hook member 6 and the engaging shaft 7 can be engaged. It is necessary to adjust to.

  As described above, when the sheet conveying unit 2 is closed in a state where the hook member 6 is not locked, the interference portion 6a of the hook member 6 comes into contact with the white plate 22 supported by the platen glass 21, and the opening / closing member 5 is moved. The hook member 6 is locked to the engagement shaft 7 by being pushed up. For this reason, the opening / closing member 5 can be reliably locked without impairing the operability of the user. Further, since the opening / closing member 5 is pushed up so that the hook member 6 is locked to the engagement shaft 7, the interference portion 6a can be separated from the platen glass or the white plate after locking. For this reason, after the lock, the opening / closing member 5 is secured to the image reading unit 3 with a predetermined clearance.

<Another configuration example of the hook member>
In the scanner apparatus 1, the sheet conveying unit 2 is fixed to the image reading unit 3 by a hinge, and the hinge may have a configuration for adjusting the height of the sheet conveying unit 2 with respect to the image reading unit 3.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the hook member 61 adapted to such a case and the opening / closing member 5 provided with the hook member 61.

  As shown in the figure, by providing elasticity to the interference part 61a of the hook member 61, the opening / closing member 5 is lifted to a predetermined position while absorbing the force generated by the rotation of the hook by the elasticity of the interference part 61a of the hook member 61. Is possible. When the interference part 61a causes the hook member 61 to bend within a predetermined range, the rotation range of the hook member 61 can be expanded.

  Further, the rotating shaft 6b of the hook member 61 is lifted by the restoring force to cancel the deflection of the interference portion 61a, and the opening / closing member 5 can be moved to the lock start position of the hook member 61. Also, in the locking direction of the hook member 61. By assisting the rotation of the hook member 61, the hook member 61 can be locked more reliably.

  Furthermore, since the hook member 61 is rotated by elasticity and is locked to the engagement shaft 7, it is not necessary to be as strict as the adjustment of the protrusion amount of the interference portion 6a described above.

  In the above-described embodiment, the interference portions 6 a and 61 a of the hook members 6 and 61 are configured to interfere with the white plate 22 disposed on the lower surface of the sheet conveying unit 2. In this case, the opening / closing member 5 is closed by the operation of closing the sheet conveyance unit 2 and the operation of closing the white plate 22, and can be configured to lock in this state.

  Note that the interference portions 6 a and 61 a of the hook members 6 and 61 do not interfere with the white plate 22 but directly interfere with the document table glass 21. In this case, the opening / closing member 5 is closed by the operation of closing the sheet conveying unit 2 and can be locked in this state. After the lock, the interference portion is separated from the platen glass 21, so that the hook member is not pressed from the platen glass 21, and the nip force between the conveyance paths and the conveyance roller is stably held. .

  The present invention can be used in a sheet conveying apparatus that conveys a sheet such as a document or transfer paper in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile using an electrophotographic system.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Scanner apparatus 2 ... Sheet conveyance unit 3 ... Image reading unit 4 ... Frame body 5 ... Opening / closing member 6 ... Hook member 6a ... Interference part 6b ... Rotary shaft 6c・ Inclined surface 7 ... Engagement shaft 16 ・ ・ Conveying roller 16a ・ Conveying roller 20 ・ ・ Reading glass 21 ・ ・ Original glass 22 ・ ・ White plate 61 ・ ・ Hook member 61a ・ Interference part

In the conventional configuration, when the opening / closing member is closed, it is necessary to reliably press the opening / closing member to the closed position .

When exposing the inside of the sheet conveyance path to remove the jammed sheet , one of the conveyance roller pairs is provided in the apparatus main body, and the other is provided in the opening / closing member. Then, by opening the opening / closing member, the pressing of the conveying roller pair is released, and the jammed sheet can be removed from the sheet conveying path.

In such a case, when closing the opening / closing member, it is necessary to close the opening / closing member with a force larger than the nip pressure of the conveying roller pair .

An object of the present invention is to suppress forgetting to close an opening / closing member.

To achieve this object, an image reading apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a sheet conveying unit that conveys a sheet, and an image reading unit that reads an image of the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying unit. In the apparatus, the image reading unit includes an original platen glass and an image reading unit that reads an image of a sheet on the original platen glass, and the sheet conveying unit is openable and closable with respect to the image reading unit. The sheet conveying unit includes a sheet conveying unit main body, an opening / closing member that can be opened downward with respect to the sheet conveying unit main body , and an opening / closing member that is provided below the opening / closing member and is openable / closable with respect to the sheet conveying unit main body. and a pressing member for pressing the sheet on the table glass, the sheet transport unit body, the sea Comprising a first conveying roller for conveying said opening and closing member includes a first for conveying the first conveying roller abuts seat when the closing member is closed with respect to the sheet conveying unit body 2, the opening / closing member includes an engagement unit having a hook part rotatably provided, and a force applying part that applies a force for rotating the hook part to the hook part, sheet transport unit body, the engagement and the engagement unit not engage when the closing member is opened with respect to the sheet transport unit body, the when the closing member is closed with respect to the sheet conveying unit body comprising a engaged member engaged with the engagement unit, a state where the sheet conveying unit is opened with respect to the image reading unit, is and the closing member with respect to the sheet conveying unit body He state, and the pressing member is the sheet - the state of being open to preparative transport unit body, by closing the sheet conveying unit to the image reading unit, wherein the pressing member of the image reading unit top abuts, said closing member via the pressing member is pushed up, the engaged member and the engaging unit without said engaging unit and the upper surface of the image reading unit abuts is engaged the The opening / closing member is closed with respect to the sheet conveying unit main body .

Claims (9)

In an image reading apparatus comprising: a sheet conveying unit that conveys a sheet; and an image reading unit that reads an image of a sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying unit.
The image reading unit includes a platen glass and image reading means for reading an image of a sheet on the platen glass,
The sheet conveying unit is provided to be openable and closable with respect to the image reading unit,
The sheet conveying unit includes a main body, an opening / closing member provided to be openable / closable downward with respect to the main body, and a pressing member provided below the opening / closing member to press the sheet on the platen glass.
The main body includes a first conveyance roller for conveying the sheet,
The opening / closing member includes a second conveying roller for contacting the first conveying roller and conveying the sheet when the opening / closing member is closed with respect to the main body,
The opening / closing member includes an engaging member,
The main body does not engage with the engaging member when the opening / closing member is opened with respect to the main body, and is engaged with the engaging member when the opening / closing member is closed with respect to the main body. With a joint member,
By closing the sheet conveying unit with respect to the image reading unit from a state where the sheet conveying unit is opened with respect to the image reading unit and the opening / closing member being opened with respect to the main body, The pressing member abuts on the upper surface of the image reading unit, the pressing member pushes up the opening / closing member, and the engaging member and the engaged member are brought into contact with each other without contacting the engaging member and the upper surface of the image reading unit. And the opening / closing member is closed with respect to the main body. The engaging member is a hook member;
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the engaged member is an engaging shaft.   The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an elastic member that urges the hook member in a direction in which the hook member is engaged with the engagement shaft.   The hook member moves the sheet conveying unit to the image reading unit from a state where the sheet conveying unit is opened with respect to the image reading unit and a state where the opening / closing member is opened with respect to the main body. Provided with an inclined surface that rotates the hook member in the direction opposite to the direction in which the hook member is engaged with the engagement shaft by the elastic member by contacting the engagement shaft when closing. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3.   5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the image reading unit that does not contact the engaging member is the original platen glass. 6.   The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is a white plate.   The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is provided so as to cover the platen glass. The opening and closing member is provided so as to be openable and closable around a rotating shaft,
The rotating shaft is provided at one end of the opening and closing member,
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the engagement member is provided at the other end of the opening / closing member.   9. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the engaging member is provided on one end side and the other end side of the opening / closing member in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. 10. apparatus.

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