JPH04134332A - Copying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately position a slider at an image reading position and to prevent excessive load from acting on a driving mechanism by moving the slider in a return direction and making it abut on a stopper at the time of a planning copying mode. CONSTITUTION:The stopper 61 on which the slider 6 is made to abut and which regulates the position thereof at the time of the planning copying mode is provided. Then, a torque limiter mechanism 71 which is actuated with respect to the driving of the slider 6 in the return direction is made to intervene on the driving path of the slider 6. Thus, by moving the slider 6 to the return direction from a a stop position further and making it abut on the stopper 61 at the time of the planning copying mode, the slider 6 is accurately positioned at the image reading position and the excessive load is prevented from acting on the driving mechanism because the torque limiter mechanism 71 is actuated at the moment of the abutting.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a copying apparatus, and more particularly to a copying apparatus having a mirror scan mode and a flow-through mode.

(Prior Art) In a copying machine, there are two modes: a mirror scan mode in which a document placed on a platen glass is read by reciprocating a slider equipped with an exposure lamp and a mirror, and a mirror scan mode in which the document is conveyed with the slider stopped. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 49-65837 has a scanning mode for reading, in which the document conveyance means is moved to the exposure position and the slider is held at the scan reference stop position by a holding means in the scanning mode. A copying apparatus is disclosed.

However, such a copying apparatus requires a mechanism for moving the original conveying means to the exposure position, which complicates the apparatus configuration and increases costs.

Therefore, the image reading position in panning mode is set to a position moved in the return direction from the reciprocating range of the slider in mirror scan mode, and in panning mode, the slider is moved to this image reading position and positioned. 2. Description of the Related Art A copying apparatus has been proposed in which a document is conveyed to an image reading position by a document conveying means.

When positioning the slider at the image reading position in the scanning mode in this copying apparatus, the return clutch in the scanning mechanism is turned on to move the slider toward the image reading position and also to move the slider to the image reading position. The slider is positioned by abutting the stopper.

(Issues to be Solved by the Invention) However, although the slider positioning mechanism in the above-mentioned flow mode is simple in structure and has high accuracy and reliability, the driving force is excessive when the slider hits the stopper. There is a problem that the return clutch may be damaged.

In particular, the above problem is unavoidable when the slider is driven by the main motor without providing a dedicated motor for the scan mechanism.

On the other hand, if a scan motor is provided exclusively for the scan mechanism, the above problem can be solved by installing an encoder to detect the speed of the slider and performing delicate speed control using a control circuit, but the encoder and expensive There is a problem in that it requires a separate control device and is costly. It goes without saying that even when driving with a scan motor, if speed control is not performed, the same problems as when driving with a main motor will occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a copying device that can accurately position a slider at an image reading position with a simple and inexpensive configuration and without generating excessive driving force. .

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a mirror scan mode in which a document placed on a platen glass is read by reciprocating a slider equipped with an exposure lamp and a mirror; A copying machine is equipped with a scanning mode in which a document is conveyed and read while the scanner is stopped, and in the scanning mode, the slider is moved from the stop position in the mirror scan mode to image reading position 1, which is further moved in the return direction. The slider is characterized in that a stopper is provided for abutting the slider to restrict its position in the flow-through mode, and a torque limiter mechanism is interposed in the drive path of the slider to operate when the slider is driven in the return direction. .

(Function) Since the present invention has the above configuration, the slider can be accurately positioned at the image reading position by moving the slider further from the stop position in the return direction and coming into contact with the stopper in the panning mode. Furthermore, the torque limiter mechanism is activated at the moment of contact, thereby preventing excessive load from being applied to the drive mechanism. Further, if the torque limiter mechanism is configured to act only in the return direction, there is no risk of synchronization deviation even if the load changes during scanning. Furthermore, in the mirror scan mode, the torque limiter mechanism absorbs the shock at the start of the return, so even if the return speed is set to a high speed, the copying apparatus does not shake.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

In FIG. 4 showing the overall configuration of the copying device and FIG. 1 showing the main parts of the present invention, 1 is the main body of the copying device, on the top surface of which the original is placed stationary in the mirror scan mode, and the original is placed on the top surface of the main body of the copying device. A document table glass 2 that guides the conveyance of the document in the mode is fixed. The document platen glass 2 is provided with a fixed scale 3 that serves as a reference for setting a document in the mirror scan mode. At the top of the main body 1 is an automatic document feeder 3.
0 is provided so that it can be opened and closed freely.

In mirror scan mode, exposure lamp 4 and mirror 5
A first slider 6 equipped with a mirror 7.8 and a second slider 9 equipped with a mirror 7.8 are moved back and forth in the direction of arrow a along the lower surface of the platen glass 2, and are placed stationary on the platen glass 2. The original is exposed and scanned.

In the panning mode, the document is conveyed at a constant speed by the automatic document feeder 30 in the direction indicated by the arrow to an image reading position 10 that has moved in the return direction from the fixed scale 3 on the document table glass 2. At this time, the first slider 6 is stopped at an image reading position 10 that has been moved further toward the return side from the stop position in the mirror scan mode, and the original is exposed and scanned as it is conveyed.

The light reflected from the original by the light irradiation of the exposure lamp 4 is reflected by the mirror 5.7.8, passes through the lens 11, is reflected by the mirror 12.13.14, is guided to the photoreceptor drum 15, and is directed to the photoreceptor drum 15. is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 15. The photosensitive drum 15 rotates in the direction of arrow C, and first, the surface is uniformly charged by the charger 16.

The image is then exposed to slit light to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface. This electrostatic latent image is visualized by a developing device 17 containing toner. Further, the paper P is fed one by one by the paper feeding device 18, guided to the timing roller 20 by the guide member 19, and sent to the transfer charger 21. The visible image on the photosensitive drum 15 is transferred onto the paper P by the action of the transfer charger 21. The transferred paper P is peeled off by a peeling claw 22, sent to a fixing device 24 through a conveyance guide 23, where the transferred image is fixed, and then discharged onto a discharge section 26a and a discharge tray 26b by a discharge roller 25. In addition, the photosensitive drum 1 after transfer
5, residual toner on the surface is removed by a cleaner 27, and afterimages are erased by a static elimination lamp 28.

Next, the automatic document feeder 30 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5. Lower frame body 31 of automatic document feeder 30
A document holding mat 33 having elasticity for holding down the document placed on the document platen glass 2 in the mirror scan mode is provided on the lower surface of the document holding mat 33. Also, automatic document feeder 3
A document setting table section 34 is formed on the upper frame body 32 of 0, and movable guides 35a and 35b regulate the width of the document.
is movable. This movable guide 35a,
35b is configured to move in conjunction with an interlocking mechanism (not shown) consisting of a rack and a pinion.

The paper feed section 36 of the automatic document feeder 30 is provided on the downstream side of the document setting table section 34 between the lower frame 31 and the upper frame 32. 34a is an opening through which the leading edge of the document is inserted into the paper feed section 36. The paper feeding unit 36 includes a detection unit 37 that detects the inserted original, a push-up plate 38 that pushes up the original when feeding the original, a spring 39 that provides a pushing force, and a spring 39 that presses the original in contact with the top surface of the stacked original. It is composed of a pickup roller 40 that feeds the paper to a sorting section 41. Judging section 4
1 is a forward rotating roller 42 that sends the sent document to the conveyance section 44;
, a reversing sorting roller 43 that is in pressure contact with the forward rotating roller 42 and rotates in the opposite direction to the paper feeding direction to return the upper document in the case of double feeding.

The transport section 44 includes a document timing roller 45 that sends the document to the document reading position 10, guide members 46 and 47 that are located before and after the roller and guides the document to the document reading position 10, and guides the exposed document to the ejection side. A guide member 48 in the form of a flexible thin sheet (for example, a polyester film with a thickness of about 0.1 to 0°211III+) provided on the lower frame 31, and an ejection member 48 for detecting the original after being exposed to light. Sensor 49, intermediate roller 5 that sends the original to the discharge section 51
0 is set. Original table glass 2 of guide member 46
The exposure surface facing the sheet P is formed in white to prevent the back from becoming black even when the width of the document is narrower than that of the paper P or the document is transparent or translucent. The document sent by the intermediate roller 50 is guided by guide members 52 and 53 while changing its direction, is sent to the discharge roller 54, and is sent to the upper frame body 3.
The liquid is discharged to a discharge table portion 55 formed in the concave portion of No. 2. Reference numeral 56 denotes a cover that can be opened and closed, and is provided on a part of the ejection table section 55 to facilitate the removal of jammed documents.

Next, the optical system will be explained. A first slider 6 equipped with an exposure lamp 4 and a mirror 5 is configured to be movable from a stop position in the mirror scan mode toward an image reading position 10 further moved in the return direction, and is located at an image reading position lO! A stopper 61 made of a buffer member made of rubber or the like is provided on the main body 1, with which the locking protrusion 6a extending from the first slider 6 comes into contact. Further, the first slider 6 is provided with a light shielding part 72 for detecting when it reaches the vicinity of the stop position during the return operation in the mirror scan mode.
A scan sensor 73 is provided in the main body 1 to detect the.

The first slider 6 is driven to move by a drive section shown in FIG. Wires 62 are attached to the front and rear of one end of the first scanner 6.
．． 63 are fixed and these wires 62,63 are wound around drive pulleys 64,65 so as not to slip. The drive pulleys 64 and 65 are fixed to a rotatably supported scan drive shaft 66.
A drive gear 67 is rotatably provided at one end of the drive gear 6 .

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, a cylindrical portion 68 is provided protruding from the drive pulley 65 toward the drive gear 67, and a cylindrical portion 69 is provided protruding from the drive gear 67 toward the drive pulley 65. A kick spring 70 is wound around the outer periphery between the cylindrical parts 68 and 69, and the first slider 6 is connected to the cylindrical parts 68 and 69 and the kick spring 70.
A torque limiter 71 is configured, which operates only when driving in the return direction. That is, kick spring 7
The direction of winding 0 is such that when the drive pulley 65 is stopped and the drive gear 67 is rotated in the direction of arrow d, the kick spring 70 loosens and slips, and the slipping torque at that time causes the first slider 6 to rotate. The tightening margin of the kick spring 70 is set to be 1.2 to 2 times the driving torque required for return movement. The drive gear 67 is
It is connected to the drive path by the main motor via a return clutch (not shown).

The operation of the above configuration will be explained next. Normally, the mirror scan mode is used, and when the automatic document feeder 30 is opened, a document is placed on the document table glass 2, and the print button is pressed, a copy operation starts.

At this time, the first slider 6 and the second slider 9 perform a scanning operation and a return operation. When the first slider 6 approaches the stop position during the return operation, the light shielding part 72 provided on the first slider 6 is detected by the scan sensor 73, and based on this, the return clutch is turned off and the drive is cut off, and then the inertia It will stop with a slight delay. This stop position is set in front of the image reading position 10. This causes the first slider 6 to stop quietly, so even if the exposure lamp 4 remains lit during multi-copying, the lifespan will not be shortened.

In the flow transfer mode, when a document is set on the document setting table section 34 of the automatic document feeder 30, the detection sensor 37 is activated to enter the flow transfer mode, and the copying operation is started by pressing the print button. First, the return clutch (not shown) is turned on, and the drive gear 67 moves toward the arrow d.
direction, and the first slider 71 is driven to move in the return direction. The first slider 6 stops when its engagement protrusion 6a abuts against the stopper 61, and then the return clutch is turned off and the drive is stopped. Furthermore, after stopping the machine midway, the return clutch may be first turned on, the position of the first slider 6 detected by the scan sensor 73, and then turned off after a certain period of time (for example, one second).

Thereafter, the automatic document conveyance device 30 is driven, the intermediate roller 50 and the discharge roller 54 rotate, and the document can be conveyed. On the other hand, the paper feeding section 18 of the main body 1 is operated to feed the paper, and the leading end of the paper is engaged with the timing roller 20 to be put on standby. By detecting this paper feeding, the pickup roller 4
0, the forward rotation roller 42 and the reverse rotation roller 43 are rotated. Next, the push-up plate 38 is raised by the biasing force of the spring 39, and the uppermost original is pressed against the pickup roller 40, and feeding of the original is started, and the original is sent to the original timing roller 45.

Next, the document is conveyed by rotating the document timing roller 45, passes between the guides 46 and 47, and passes the image reading position 10 on the document table glass 2, at which time the bottom surface of the document is exposed to the exposure lamp 4. exposed by.

In order to align the original image position and the copy image position, the timing roller 20 starts rotating at a timing delayed by a timer means that starts when the original timing roller 45 is turned on, and conveys the paper P. This timer means determines the timer value by counting the number of pulses generated in accordance with the rotation of the shaft that is constantly driven during the flow control mode, and determines the timer value by counting the number of pulses generated according to the rotation of the shaft that is constantly driven during the flow control mode. Even if the rotation speed changes, the ratio between the timer value and the rotation speed remains constant.

The document that has passed the image reading position 10 is guided by the guide member 48
After being guided by, the paper is sent to intermediate rollers 50, guided between guide plates 52 and 53, sent to discharge rollers 54, and then discharged onto discharge table section 55.

At the timing when the trailing edge of the document is detected by the ejection sensor 49 downstream of the image reading position 10, if there is a document on the document set-pull section and the detection sensor 37 is in the on state, the main body feeds the document again. Activate the paper section, perform the same copying operation as for the first copy, and copy the number of sheets set in the original.

In the above embodiment, the torque limiter 71 is interposed between the return clutch driven by the main motor and the scan drive pulley 65, but the present invention is not limited to this. and the drive pulley 65. Furthermore, although the torque limiter 71 is exemplified using the loosening torque of the kick spring 70, other configurations of torque limiters such as those using pressing friction force may also be used.

However, in that case, torque limiter characteristics will act in the scan direction and return direction.

Furthermore, the present invention is applicable not only to copying devices but also to image reading devices.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, according to the copying apparatus of the present invention, by moving the slider in the return direction and bringing it into contact with the stopper in the panning mode, the slider is accurately positioned at the image reading position. It can be positioned, and the torque limiter mechanism is activated at the moment of contact to prevent excessive load from being applied to the drive mechanism.Furthermore, the structure is simple and inexpensive because it is only necessary to install the torque limiter mechanism in the drive path. It can be configured as follows. In addition, if the torque limiter mechanism acts only in the return direction, there is no risk of synchronization during scanning, and the torque limiter mechanism absorbs the shock at the start of return in scan mode, so the return speed can be reduced. This has the effect of not causing shaking in the copying machine even at high speeds.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the upper part of the main body and the automatic document feeder, and Figure 2 is an exploded view of the slider showing the torque limiter. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the torque limiter, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the entire copying apparatus, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the automatic document feeder. 2-----------
・−・−−−−1・−−1−−・Exposure lamp 5−・・
・・−・−・−・・−Mirror 6・−・・−・・・−
・−・−First slider 10−−−−−−−−・−・−
...-Image reading position 61...-----
−・−−−−Stopper 71−−−−−−−1・−−
−−・・・−・Torque limiter.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Mirror scan mode, in which a document placed still on the platen glass is read by reciprocating a slider equipped with an exposure lamp and mirror, and panning mode, in which the document is conveyed and read with the slider stopped. In a copying machine, the slider is moved to an image reading position that is further moved in the return direction from the stop position in the mirror scan mode during the scanning mode, and the slider is brought into contact with the slider during the scanning mode to regulate the position. What is claimed is: 1. A copying apparatus comprising: a stopper; and a torque limiter mechanism interposed in the drive path of the slider, which operates when the slider is driven in the return direction.