JPH04201929A - Hopper device of optical type image reading scanner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the rotational moment of a hopper table from being applied to an elevator part by furnishing a driving means which moves vertically an elevating/sinking arm while supporting it in such a direction that the load of the hopper table is applied in the direction of the elevating/sinking arm longitudinal axis and which, thereby, moving the hopper table vertically along with rotation of a supporting arm. CONSTITUTION:A pressure roller 22 and pinion 18 pinch a rack 16 in cooperation and thereby support it so that the load of a hopper table 13 on which a data sheet 2 is set, is applied in the direction of the rack 16 longitudinal axis. This load of hopper table 13 is chiefly borne by the pinched part by pressure roller 22 and pinion 18 with the rack 16 interposed. Because the center of gravity of the hopper table 13 is supported in this manner, the elevator part EA is free from application of a large load due to the rotational moment of the hopper table 13, but receives only the load of the hopper table 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a hopper device in an optical image reading scanner, and particularly to a hopper device that can prevent rotational moment of a hopper stand from being applied to an elevator section.

[Conventional technology]

Figure 3 shows a conventional optical character reading scanner (hereinafter referred to as O
In this hopper device, data sheets 2 such as paper on which data are recorded are placed one by one or on a hopper stand 3 provided outside the frame F of the OCR main body 1. Multiple sheets are set in a stacked state. The hopper stand 3 is moved up and down by a drive arm 6, a wire, etc. so that the data sheet 2 to be supplied next to the reading section in the OCR main body 1 is at a predetermined height position P in the data sheet introduction port 4. It is moved up and down as appropriate by an elevator section EB consisting of a linear driver 7 and a guide shaft 8. In other words, hopper stand 3
is a cantilever type (supported at one point) for the linear driver 7.
fixedly connected to the drive arm 6 fixed to the
As the linear driver 7 slides up and down along the guide shaft 8, it also moves up and down via the drive arm 6.

The reason why the drive arm 6 is fixed to the linear driver 7 in a cantilevered manner rather than in a surface supported manner (supported at two points) is as follows. In other words, in the case of a single-carrying type, the drive system is made into two by providing a linear driver 7 and a guide shaft 8 at each of the two opposing support points of the drive arm 6, and furthermore, a linear driver 7 and a guide shaft 8 are provided at each of the two opposing support points on the drive arm 6, and the drive system is divided into two. It is necessary to equalize the machining accuracy and mechanical accuracy of the guide shaft 8 and the like. However, it is extremely inverted to achieve such precision equivalence. Therefore, if the accuracy equalization as described above is not achieved for the two support locations, a difference in accuracy will occur between the two linear drivers 7, so that the drive arm 6
Both linear drivers 7 in the form of interconnection via the guide shaft 8 may tend to tilt relative to the respective guide shaft 8 and thus stop sliding along the guide shaft 8.

In this way, accurate vertical movement of the drive arm 6 and thus of the hopper stand 3 is no longer possible. For these reasons,
Recently, hopper devices in which the drive arm 6 is cantilevered have become mainstream.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in the conventional hopper device, since the drive arm 6 is cantilevered with respect to the linear driver 7 as described above, the load on the hopper stand 3 (hereinafter referred to as the load on the hopper stand 3) Data sheet 2 set on the table 3
(including the load), a large electrical charge due to the rotational moment M of the hopper stand 3 is applied to the elevator section EB. Therefore, the rigidity of the elevator part EB, that is, the drive arm 6, the fixed part between the drive arm 6 and the linear driver 7, the linear driver 7, and the guide shaft 8 must be increased, which increases the cost and increases the size of the elevator part. is inviting.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and can reliably move the hopper stand up and down, and can prevent rotational moment of the hopper stand from being applied to the elevator section. An object of the present invention is to provide a hopper device in an optical image reading scanner.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, a hopper device in an optical image reading scanner according to the present invention includes a hopper table on which a data sheet to be supplied to a data reading section is set, and a hopper device on which a data sheet to be supplied to the reading section is next supplied from the hopper table. an elevator section that moves the hopper table up and down so that the data sheet to be processed comes to a predetermined supply height;
A rotatable support arm connected to the hopper stand; an elevating arm rotatably connected to the approximate center of gravity of the hopper stand; a drive means for moving the hopper table up and down while supporting it in an axial direction, thereby moving the hopper table up and down while rotating the support arm;
The rotational moment of the hopper stand can be prevented from being applied to the elevator section.

[Effect]

The lifting arm is connected to the approximate center of gravity of the hopper stand,
By being supported by the drive means, the load of the hopper stand is supported in the longitudinal axis direction thereof. By supporting the elevating arm in this manner, no rotational moment is generated on the hopper stand, and only the load of the hopper stand (including the data sheet) is applied to the elevator section. The driving means moves the lifting arm in the vertical direction together with the hopper table while rotating the support arm.

In this way, in one aspect of the present invention, the hopper table is moved up and down by moving the lifting arm up and down while supporting the lifting arm so that the load of the hopper table is applied in the longitudinal axis direction. Therefore, there is no need to increase the rigidity of the elevator section. Furthermore, since the elevator section has one drive system, the hopper table can be moved up and down accurately.

In addition, especially when a rack is used as the lifting arm and a pinion is used as the driving means, the best effect can be obtained.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a hopper device fH according to an embodiment of the present invention, which embodiment was implemented in OCR. 1st
Elements in the figure labeled with the same reference numerals as in FIG. 3 have the same functions as those in the same figure.

In the hopper installation [H, the hopper stand 13 is the OCR main body 1
This is for setting data sheets 2 to be supplied to a data reading section (not shown) inside the OCR body 1 one by one or in a stacked state, and is stored outside the frame F of the OCR main body 1. The hopper stand 13 is arranged so that the data sheet 2 to be supplied next to the data reading unit (the uppermost data sheet on the hopper stand 13) is placed at a predetermined height [P As if to come,
It is moved upward or downward as appropriate by the elevator section EA.

In the elevator section EA, the support arm 14 is rotatably connected to the support shaft 15 at one end thereof, and fixed at the other end to the lower surface of one end side of the hopper stand 13 (the data sheet introduction port 4 side). connected. Support shaft 15
extends in a direction perpendicular to the data sheet feeding direction A and is fixed by suitable means.

In addition, the rack 16 as a lifting arm has a protrusion 1 provided at its upper end on the lower surface side of the center of gravity of the hopper stand 13.
3a via a support shaft 17 so as to be rotatable. The support shaft 17 extends in the same direction as the support shaft 15. Therefore, in the direction in which the rack 16 rotates relative to the hopper stand 13 about the support shaft 17, the support arm 14 extends in the same direction as the support shaft 15.
The direction is the same as the direction of rotation about 5. The rack 16 substantially hangs down from the protrusion 13a, and meshes with a pinion 18 serving as a driving rotating body at its teeth. The pinion 18 is attached to a drive shaft 19 fixed by suitable means within the frame extension F', and is rotated via the drive shaft 19 by a motor (not shown). Such rotation of the pinion 18 causes the rack 16 to move linearly upward or downward, thereby causing the hopper stand 13 to move upward or downward while being supported by the support arm 14. A sensor (not shown) outputs a detection signal indicating that the uppermost data sheet 2 has reached the predetermined height [P] to a control unit (not shown) when the hopper table 13 moves up or down. Also.

A pressing roller 22 is provided on the surface of the rack 16 opposite to the toothed portion, which constantly presses the rack 14 against the pinion 18 by the elastic force of a spring 20. The pressing roller 22 and pinion 18 work together to clamp the rack 16, thereby supporting the rack 14 so that the load of the hopper table 13 on which the data sheet 2 is set is applied in the longitudinal axis direction of the rack 16. As a result, the load on the hopper stand 13 is
Mainly, the pressure roller 22 and pinion 1 are connected to each other via the rack 16.
8 and is supported by a clamping portion. Also, rack 1
Since the center of gravity of the display stand 13 is supported by the clamping portion formed by the roller 22 and the pinion 18 via the hopper stand 13, a large load due to the rotational moment M of the hopper stand 13 is not applied to the elevator section EA. , only the load of the hopper stand 13 is applied to the elevator section EA.

Hereinafter, the hopper device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
An example of the operation of EH will be explained.

First, a plurality of data sheets 2 are set on the hopper stand 13, for example, in a stacked state. Therefore, the sensor issues a detection signal indicating that the data sheet 2 has been set, and the control section starts the motor based on this signal. In this way, the rack 16 is pulled down by the pinion 1B rotating in the opposite clockwise direction in FIG. The support arm 14 descends while rotating downward about the support shaft 15.

During this descent, the sensor emits a detection signal indicating when the uppermost data sheet 2 on the hopper stand 13 reaches a predetermined height [P]. In this way, the control section stops the motor in response to the detection signal. Thus,
As shown in FIG. After the data sheet 2 is introduced into the OCR main body 1 through the introduction port 4 by a roller or the like, by repeating the above-mentioned operation, the data sheet 2 that has reached the uppermost position on the hopper stand 13 is sequentially introduced into the OCR main body 1. be introduced.

In the above-described embodiment, a rack is used as the lifting arm and a pinion is used as the driving rotor to move the hopper table up and down while supporting it at its center of gravity.
In the present invention, a lifting arm other than a rack, and
A driving rotating body other than a pinion may be used, and the present invention may be used in an optical image reading scanner other than OCR.

[Effects of the Invention] As mentioned above, in one aspect of the present invention, the hopper stand is moved up and down by moving the lifting arm up and down while supporting the lift arm so that the load of the hopper stand is applied in the direction of its longitudinal axis. Therefore, there is no rotational moment of the hopper table, and therefore, there is no need to increase the rigidity of the elevator section, and,
Since there is only one drive system for the elevator section, an excellent effect is achieved in that the hopper table can be moved up and down accurately.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing extracted main parts of a hopper device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating an example of the operation of the hopper device according to the same embodiment, and FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a hopper device of a conventional optical character reading scanner. 2...Data sheet, 13...Hopper stand, 14...
・Support arm, 16...Rack, 18...Pinion, 22...Press roller, EA...Elevator Department Roganto Hitachi Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd. Agent Patent attorney Yoshihito Iizuka

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A hopper stand on which the data sheet to be supplied to the data reading section is set, and the hopper stand is arranged so that the data sheet to be next supplied from the hopper stand to the reading section is at a predetermined feeding height position. A hopper device for an optical image reading scanner comprising an elevator part that moves up and down, the elevator part comprising: a rotatable support arm connecting the hopper stand, and a substantially center of gravity of the hopper stand. A lifting arm that is rotatably connected; and the lifting arm is moved up and down while being supported in a direction such that the load of the hopper stand is applied in the longitudinal axis direction of the arm, thereby controlling the rotation of the support arm. What is claimed is: 1. A hopper device for an optical image reading scanner, comprising a drive means for moving the hopper table up and down while preventing rotational moment of the hopper table from being applied to an elevator section. (2) The hopper in the optical image reading scanner according to claim 1, wherein the elevating arm is a rack, the driving means is a pinion, and pressing means for pressing the elevating arm against the driving means is provided. Device.