JPH0244278Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Field of industrial application] The present invention is a document feeding device that automatically feeds a document onto a document setting surface and sets the document at a predetermined position in preparation for image forming operation of the main unit. Regarding.

[Conventional technology]

In general, devices that automatically feed copies of originals onto a loading surface (platen) have a conveyor belt, rollers, or other feeding devices installed on the loading surface that are hinged to open and close, and are connected to a conveyor belt or roller that can be opened and closed. When copying a document that can be copied, the feeding device is pushed up to open the set surface.

Conventionally, in order to make it easier for the operator to open and close the device, the device is suspended by a spring to reduce its own weight, but when the force of this spring is strong,
If the device is not placed tightly on the set surface and it floats up, making it impossible to transport the document, on the other hand, if the device is weakened, it will be difficult to operate when opening, and at the same time, it will fall suddenly when closed, causing injury to the user or damage to the set. Documents and other materials on the surface may be damaged.

Therefore, it has already been proposed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. 18945/1983 to solve the above drawbacks by using an auxiliary coil spring to act on the suspension spring.

[The problem that the idea aims to solve]

However, the method disclosed in Utility Model Application Publication No. 56-18945 has the following disadvantages.

In other words, since the auxiliary coil spring applies the same force when opening the feeding device as when closing it, the operating force to open the device increases.
The disadvantage is that it is difficult for the user to handle it.

The purpose of the present invention is to facilitate the opening operation of the device by providing a coil spring in conjunction with the suspension spring of the device, which does not act when the feeding device is opened but brakes it when the device is closed. The purpose of the device closure is to provide a gentle and safe document feeding device with a simple structure.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the feature of the present invention is that a coil spring 7 is provided at the hinge connecting portion 5' between the image forming apparatus main body 4 side and the feeding device 3 side, so that the coil spring 7 is tightened when the feeding device 3 is rotated in the closing direction. The closing movement of the feeding device 3 is braked by the tight resistance force between the coil spring 7 and the hinge connection portion 5'.

[Effect]

The coil spring 7 does not act when the feeding device 3 is opened, but when it is closed, it contracts and is braked by the resistance force of contact with the hinge connection portion 5'.

〔Example〕

The illustrated embodiment will be described in detail below.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a main body of the copying machine, which has a built-in normal copying optical system (not shown), and 2 indicates a document setting surface (platen) thereof.

When a document is set at a prescribed position on the document setting surface 2, the copying optical system scans and copies the document.

Therefore, there are two copy document feeders that automatically feed and set the document onto the document setting surface 2: one in which the user manually feeds the document one sheet at a time onto the document table 1, and the other in which the user manually feeds the document one sheet at a time onto the document table 1. Various formats are known, such as one that automatically separates and feeds documents and one that circulates a set of documents multiple times, and the present invention can be applied to any of these formats. explain.

The feeding device indicated by the general symbol 3 includes a document table 1, a conveyance means 20 such as a conveyor belt shown in the figure, a conveyor roller, a vacuum belt, etc., which feeds the document from the document table 1, and a predetermined position on the document set surface 2. A document stopper (not shown) provided at a position and a paper discharge stacker 21
It is composed of.

22 is a drive motor, 23 is a transmission system, 24
is an electromagnetic clutch, which is combined with a conventional mechanism to drive the conveying means 20.

Therefore, the original from the original table 1 enters the apparatus as the conveyance means 20 is driven, and is fed along the original setting surface 2 to its predetermined position. Therefore, a document stopper (not shown) protrudes from the document setting surface 2 so as to abut and stop the document, and at the same time, the conveyance means 20 is also stopped.

After the original is scanned and the copying process is completed, the conveyance means 4 is driven again, the original stopper is retracted from the original setting surface 2, and the original is discharged to the paper discharge stacker 21.

Such a device is assembled into a machine frame 25 and installed on the document setting surface 2 of the copying machine main body 4. This feeding device 3 is attached to the copying machine main body 4 with a hinge shaft 5, and this hinge By rotating the feeding device 3 up and down about the shaft 5,
The document setting surface 2 of the copying machine main body 4 can be opened and closed.

To explain its structure, a pair of left and right brackets 11 protrude from the copying machine main body 4, and from the feeding device 3 side, the brackets 11 are also inserted from the machine frame 25.
A pair of left and right brackets 2 are protruded, and a hinge connecting portion 5' is constructed by connecting these two brackets 11 and 12 with a hinge shaft 15. Therefore, although the feeding device 3 can freely rotate around the hinge shaft 5, it becomes difficult to open and close the feeding device 3 in this state.A spring 6 biases upward in FIG. 2 to relieve the weight of the feeding device 3. It is suspended.

The illustrated spring 6 is a pair of left and right torsion coil springs stretched between the hinge shaft 5 and the machine frame 25 of the feeding device 3. It is fixed in one piece. Therefore, the free end of the spring 6 always urges the feeding device 3 upward in FIG. The feeding device 3 can be opened and closed with light force.

However, this spring 6 must hold the feeding device 3 in the closed position (θ=0 degrees in the figure) and the open position (θ=80 degrees in the figure) on the document setting surface 2, so the device is It is necessary to provide a dead point between the feeding device 3 and its own weight, and to design it so that the force of the spring 6 exceeds the weight of the feeding device 3 above a certain angle. When transitioning from the open position to the closed position, the feeding device 3 gradually accelerates after passing the dead point and suddenly descends onto the document setting surface 2, causing danger.

Therefore, in the present invention, the coil spring 7 is tightly wound around the hinge connecting portion 5' in the winding direction that tightly contacts the feeding device 3 when the feeding device 3 is rotated in the closing direction, so that the sliding of the coil spring 7 causes the feeding device 3 to close. This is the braking of the closing motion.

In the illustrated embodiment, a collar 8 is integrally extended to the bracket 11 on the copying machine main body 4 side, and a collar 9 is integrally protruded from the bracket 12 on the feeding device side. Connect collars 8 and 9 to hinge shaft 5
A coil spring 7 is wound around both collars 8 and 9. This coil spring 7
The right side of FIG. 1 is wound clockwise, and the left side is wound tightly around collars 8 and 9, respectively.

Therefore, when the feeding device 3 is released from the document setting surface 2 position, the collar 9 on the feeding device 3 side rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the coil spring 7 loosens and the collars 8, 9 The device is released by the suspension spring 6 and the operating force of the user, and the coil spring 7 does not function as a brake.

Conversely, when closing from the open position, feed device 3
The side collar 9 rotates in the opposite direction to the direction of the illustrated arrow, and the coil spring 7 contracts. The coil spring 7 then creates a frictional resistance force between the collars 8 and/or 9 and controls the closing movement of the device.

In the present invention, the coil spring 7 is not fixed to either of the collars 8, 9, but it is of course possible to fix it to either one of the collars 8, 9 as shown. Instead of providing the coil spring 9, the coil spring 7 with one end fixed to the feeding device 3 side may be tightly wound around the hinge shaft 5.

Furthermore, by kicking up the coiled end of the coil spring 7 in the tightened braking state just before the feeding device 3 reaches the document setting surface 2, the feeding device 3 can be more reliably fitted to the document setting surface 2. In addition, the operating force at the initial stage of opening can be reduced, and the structure can be achieved by providing a kick-up piece, cam, etc. protruding from the copying machine main body 4 side.

Further, although the entire feeding device 3 has been shown to be hingedly connected to the copying machine main body 4, only a portion of the device, for example, a portion of the conveying means 20, may be hingedly connected so as to be openable and closable.

[Effect of idea]

Since the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, when the feeding device 3 is opened from the document setting surface 2, there is no effect, and on the other hand, when the feeding device 3 is closed from the open position, the coil spring 7 is tightened and the main body of the image forming apparatus is A frictional resistance force is created between the hinge connection part 5' of 4 and the falling movement of the device is damped, and a gentle and safe closure is obtained.

Moreover, since the braking force of the coil spring 7 is tightened and increased in accordance with the rotation of the hinge connection part 5', even if the feeding device 3 suddenly falls due to some reason, the braking force will be reliably applied and the wear and tear caused by use over time will be prevented. There is also little impact.

Further, the coil spring 7 has a very simple structure and can be easily incorporated into the limited space of the hinge connection portion 5', which has remarkable effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a plan view, FIG. 2 is a side view of the main parts, and FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the main parts. 1... Original table, 2... Original setting surface, 3... Feeding device, 4... Copying machine main body, 5... Hinge shaft,
5'...Hinge connection part, 6...Spring, 7...
…coil spring.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A feeding device 3 that feeds and sets the original from the document table 1 onto the original setting surface 2 is connected to the original setting surface 2 of the image forming apparatus main body 4 by a hinge shaft 5 so as to be openable and closable. In the document feeding device, the image forming apparatus main body 4 is suspended by a spring 6 that always urges the document setting surface 2 upward.
A coil spring 7 is tightly wound around the hinge connection portion 5' between the side and the feeding device 3 side in a direction that tightens when the feeding device 3 is rotated in the closing direction. A document feeding device characterized in that the closing movement of the feeding device 3 is braked by contact resistance force.