JPH0442665B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a document table locking device for a copying machine, etc., in which a document table having a document holder that can be opened and closed on the top surface of the device body is provided so as to be movable back and forth. .

(Prior art) Conventionally, in copying machines with a moving document table, the movement of the document table has been regulated to prevent the document table from moving under its own weight or being moved unnecessarily by the user, causing inconvenience. Some devices are known that are equipped with a locking device. This type of locking device is used in cases where the main body of the copying machine is divided into upper and lower parts, and the upper part can be rotated to open for jam handling or maintenance. This is especially necessary in order to prevent accidents caused by slipping down in the direction of inclination due to its own weight (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 164352/1983,
(Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 138662/1983).

By the way, when such a copying machine with a moving document table is provided with a function that can detect the document size and automatically select the copy paper size,
It is difficult to adopt a configuration in which the timing of document size detection is determined by opening and closing the normal document holder. For example, if a detection switch that is activated by opening and closing the document holder is installed on the document table, the document table moves, so the document table and the copying machine are connected using electric wires to guide the detection signal. This is because there is a problem that the electric wire for detection is easily disconnected.

In addition, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned detection wire, if a detection switch is provided on the copying machine main body side, and a lever is provided that protrudes from the document table to operate this switch by opening and closing the document holder, it is possible to A separate operating mechanism or the like for retracting the lever is required so that movement of the document table is not hindered, resulting in a complicated configuration.

In addition, when a document size detection mechanism is provided in a copying machine with a moving document table as described above, the document size detection sensor is generally provided on the main body of the copying machine, so it is possible to detect the document size while the document table is held in a predetermined position. There is a problem in that accurate document size detection cannot be performed unless document size detection is performed.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and by using the lock lever itself that locks the document table also as an actuator for detecting the opening/closing of the document holder or as an actuator for detecting the document size. It is an object of the present invention to provide a document table locking device that has a small number of parts, is simple in construction, does not require a detection wire between a moving document table and the main body of the device, and does not erroneously detect the document size. purpose.

(Structure of the Invention) The present invention is a locking device for a document table having a document holder which is reciprocatably provided on the upper surface of an apparatus main body and which can be opened and closed, wherein the document table is located at a predetermined position on the side of the device main body. A lock mechanism includes a retractable lock lever that engages with a receiving portion provided at a proper position on the lower surface of the document table to restrict its movement; The lock lever is raised and lowered by a predetermined amount, and an opening/closing detection mechanism is provided which operates a switch for detecting opening and closing of the document holder by raising and lowering the lock lever.

The present invention also provides a document table locking device having a document holder which is reciprocatably provided on the upper surface of an apparatus main body and which can be opened and closed, and which locks the document table when the document table is at a predetermined position on the device main body side. a lock mechanism having a retractable lock lever that engages with a receiving portion provided at a proper position on the lower surface of the document table to restrict its movement; The device is provided with an opening/closing detection mechanism that raises and lowers the lock lever by a predetermined amount and operates a switch for driving a document size detecting means by this raising and lowering.

With this configuration, the lock lever performs a locking function for regulating the movement of the document table, a means for detecting opening/closing of the document holder, and a function as an actuator for driving the means for detecting the document size.

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

1 to 3 show the overall structure of a copying machine to which the present invention is applied, in which a copying machine main body 1 consists of an upper housing 2 and a lower housing 3. and are pivoted at one end to each other via a hinge (not shown) so that they can be opened and closed. A rotatable photoreceptor 4 formed in the shape of a drum is provided on the upper housing 2 side. A charging device 5, an exposure device 6, a developing device 7, a transfer device 8, a separating device 9, and a cleaning device 10 are arranged around the photoreceptor 4. Further, a document table 11 is provided on the upper surface of the upper housing 2 so as to be able to reciprocate by means of rails 12 . On one side of the lower housing 3, paper feed cassettes 13 and 14 containing copy paper are removably disposed, and a manual paper feed section 15 for manually feeding paper is provided. A conveying path 16 is provided for conveying the copy paper from these paper feeding devices to the transfer section between the photoreceptor 4 and the transfer device 8, and further this conveying path 16 is extended toward the other side via the separating device 9. A fixing device 17 is arranged in the middle, and a paper discharge tray 18 is provided at the end.

In a copying machine having such a configuration, when performing maintenance and inspection on each device in the copying machine main body 1 or when removing jams from copy paper, the upper housing 2 is rotated upward as shown in FIG. At this time, a lock mechanism 27, which will be described later, prevents the document table 11 from moving in the direction of inclination and sliding down.

Detection sensors 19a to 19d and 20a to 20d, which are comprised of light emitting and light receiving elements, are provided on the inner surface of the upper part of the copying machine body 1 facing the document table 11 to detect the size of the document placed on the document table 11. It is provided.

FIG. 4 shows the upper surface of the main body of the copying machine, in which the document table 11 includes a document table frame 21 and a contact glass 22 fixed to the document table frame 21 and on which the document is placed.
A hinge portion 24 is provided at both rear ends of the document frame 21.
A document presser 23 that can be opened and closed via a document presser 24
FIG. 4 shows a state in which the document presser 23 is opened, and the detection sensors 19a to 19d and 20a to 20d are placed below the contact glass 22 on the main body 1 side in a horizontal and vertical direction corresponding to a predetermined document size. arranged vertically.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the document table 11 of the copying machine, in which the document presser 23 is closed using the hinge portion 24 as a fulcrum, and when it reaches a predetermined angle, it is placed on the contact glass 22. The size of the original document D is also detected at the activation timing of an opening/closing detection mechanism 39, which will be described later.

6 and 7 show the locking mechanism 27 of the document table 11.
FIG. 8 to FIG. 11 are diagrams for explaining the structure and operation of each of the above-mentioned mechanisms. The following will explain based on these figures.

The exposure device 6 in the copying machine main body 1 exposes the original platen 11.
The position at which the original placed on the copying machine 1 is exposed and irradiated is always the part covered by the original table 11 regardless of the reciprocating movement of the original table 11. A lock mechanism 27 is provided which has a lock lever 26 that can freely move in and out. When the document table 11 is at a predetermined position, that is, the home position, the lock lever 2
Receiving portions 25, 25 are provided on the lower surface of the document frame 21 of the document table 11 so as to be engaged with the document table frame 21 of the document table 11. The lock mechanism 27 has a mounting plate 29 provided on a side plate 28 attached to the copying machine main body 1.
A guide plate 30 for guiding the lock lever 26 up and down freely is attached to the lock lever 9, and a lock release solenoid 31 for releasing the lock is attached.A spring 33 is fitted into the plunger 32 of this solenoid 31. Further, the tip of the plunger 32 is pivotally supported at the intermediate portion of an arm 34 whose one end is rotatably supported, and the other end of this arm 34 is engaged with a protrusion 26a of the lock lever 26.

With this configuration, when the solenoid 31 is off, the tension force of the spring 33 causes the arm 34 to
The lock lever 26 is pushed upward through the lever, and when the document table 11 is located at a predetermined home position, it enters between the receivers 25 and 25 and locks the document table 11. On the other hand, when the lock release solenoid 31 is turned on, the plunger 32 is sucked and the arm 3
4 to push down the lock lever 26, thereby releasing the locked state.

Further, a lever 35 is provided on the hinge portion 24 of the original presser 23 and is biased downward by a spring 36. The lever 35 is configured to be able to slightly raise and lower the lock lever 26 via a presser plate 37, and by raising and lowering the lock lever 26, the protrusion 26b can also operate a switch 38 for driving the document size detecting means. It's getting old. That is, the lever 3 provided on the hinge portion 24
5, presser plate 37, lock lever 26, switch 3
8 and the like constitute an opening/closing detection mechanism 39 that detects opening/closing of the document presser 23 and thereby obtains timing for driving means for detecting document size. In other words, the lock lever 26 in the lock mechanism 27 is also used as part of the actuator of the opening/closing detection mechanism 39 that detects whether the document presser 23 is opened or closed. Further, the spring 36 has a larger spring force than the spring 33 provided in the solenoid 31.

Note that the presser plate 37, which is interposed between the lever 35 provided on the hinge portion 24 and the lock lever 26 as described above, is rotatably supported on the lower surface of the document frame 21 within a predetermined range, and the lever 35 is attached to the document frame 21. It can come into contact with the upper surface of the holding plate 37 through the opening provided in the holding plate 21. This configuration is used because the lock lever 26 is always provided at a position covered by the document table 11 as described above, whereas the lever 35 of the hinge portion 24 of the document presser 23 is located at a position apart from the lock lever 26. It depends on what is provided.

In addition, cams 40, 41, 42, etc. of a predetermined shape are provided on the lower surface of the document frame 21 of the document table 11, and the copying machine main body 1 is provided in correspondence with these cams.
Micro switches 44a, 4 are mounted on the side mounting plate 29.
4b are arranged in series. and these cams 4
0, 41, 42, etc., and micro switch 44a,
44b detects the position of the document table 11,
The detected signal is used to control the movement of the document table 11 and drive the lock release solenoid 31.

Furthermore, the opening/closing detection mechanism 39 operates when the document table 11 is located at the home position and the document table 11 is locked by the locking mechanism 27, that is, when the lock lever 26 protrudes upward. Therefore, even if the lock lever 26 moves up and down as much as necessary to activate the opening/closing detection mechanism 39 by opening and closing the document presser 23, the locked state by the locking mechanism 27 is maintained.

8 and 9 show a state in which the document table 11 is located at the home position, the document table 11 is locked, and the document presser 23 is open. When the document presser 23 is closed from this state, the lever 35 comes into contact with the presser plate 37 as described above and pushes the presser plate 37 down within the permissible rotation range, causing the locking lever 26 to descend slightly. As a result, the protrusion 26b turns the switch 38 from on to off, thereby making it possible to set the timing for driving the document size detecting means.

10 and 11 show a state in which the lock release solenoid 31 is turned on at the start of copying, thereby lowering the lock lever 26 and releasing the lock.

12 and 13 show another embodiment of the locking mechanism 27 and the opening/closing detection mechanism 39. In this embodiment, a cam lever 45 is provided integrally with the hinge portion 24, and when the document presser 23 is opened or closed, the cam lever 45 is The lock lever 26 is raised and lowered by the lock lever 26.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the lock lever 26 is slightly pushed down by the cam lever 45 with the document holder open, and the switch for driving the document size detecting means (not shown) is in the OFF state.

Next, as the document holder is closed as shown in FIG. 13, the cam lever 45 comes off from the lock lever 26 at a certain angle, so the lock lever 26 is pushed up by the spring provided in the solenoid, and the document size drive switch is turned on. The document size can be detected even at this timing. Note that the document table 11 is locked even when the document presser is opened, that is, when the lock lever 26 is pushed down, and as in the previous embodiment, the amount of movement of the lock lever 26 due to opening and closing of the document presser is determined by the above switch. Only the amount of movement required to turn on and off is sufficient.

In any of the above embodiments, the lock lever 26 of the lock mechanism 27 that locks the document table 11 is used as the actuator of the opening/closing detection mechanism 39 that operates the switch 38 for driving the document size detection means in response to the opening and closing of the document presser 23. Since it is also used, the number of parts is small, the mechanism is simple, and space can be saved. Furthermore, since the document table 11 does not have a detection switch 38, there is no need for an electric wire between the document table 11 and the copying machine main body 1. Therefore, if the electric wire is disconnected due to movement of the document table 11, Never before. Furthermore, the timing of detecting the document size is
Since this is always carried out when the document table 11 is at a predetermined position, there is no possibility that the document size will be erroneously detected.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, on the device main body side,
A lock mechanism has a retractable lock lever that restricts the movement of the document table when the document table is in a predetermined position, and the lock lever is raised and lowered by a predetermined amount in response to the opening and closing of the document holder, thereby detecting the opening and closing of the document holder. The lock lever itself can also be used as an actuator for the open/close detection mechanism for detecting the opening/closing of the document holder, reducing the number of parts, simplifying the configuration, and saving space. can be achieved.

In addition, by providing an opening/closing detection mechanism that moves the lock lever up and down by a predetermined amount and thereby operating a switch for driving the document size detection means, the lock lever itself can also be used as an actuator of the opening/closing detection mechanism for detecting the document size. As a result, the number of parts can be reduced, the configuration can be simplified, and space can be saved. Furthermore, since the document size is detected with the document table locked at a predetermined position, accurate document size detection is possible at all times.

Further, since there is no need to provide an electric wire between the moving document table and the main body of the copying machine, disconnection failures and the like will not occur.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a copying machine equipped with the document table locking device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of the copying machine, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the upper case of the copying machine rotated. FIG. 4 is a top view of the document table of the copying machine, FIG. 5 is a side view of the document table, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the hinge of the document table, and FIG.
The figure is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the locking mechanism and opening/closing detection mechanism in the same device, FIG. 8 is a front view of the main parts of the locking mechanism and opening/closing detection mechanism, FIG. 8th in unlocked state
11 is a schematic side sectional view of FIG. 10, FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the locking mechanism and opening/closing detection mechanism according to another embodiment with the document holder open, and FIG. 13 is the side sectional view of FIG. FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 in a state where the document holder is closed; 1...Copy machine main body, 11...Original table, 23...
Document holder, 25... Receiving portion, 26... Lock lever, 27... Lock mechanism, 38... Switch for driving document size detection means, 39... Opening/closing detection mechanism, 45... Cam lever.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A locking device for a document table having a document holder that is reciprocally movable on the top surface of the device body and can be opened and closed, when the document table is at a predetermined position on the device body side. a lock mechanism having a retractable lock lever that engages with a receiving portion provided at a proper position on the lower surface of the document table and restricts its movement; A document table locking device characterized in that it is provided with an opening/closing detection mechanism that raises and lowers the lock lever by a predetermined amount and operates a switch that detects opening and closing of a document holder by raising and lowering the lock lever. 2. The document table locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lock lever is configured to protrude and retract from the upper surface of the main body of the device, which is always covered by the document table. 3. A locking device for a document table, which is reciprocatably provided on the top surface of the device main body and has a document holder that can be opened and closed, and is placed on the bottom surface of the document table in an appropriate position when the document table is in a predetermined position. a lock mechanism having a retractable lock lever that engages with a receiving portion provided on the document plate and restricts its movement; and a lock mechanism that moves the lock lever by a predetermined amount in response to opening and closing of the document holder when the document table is at the predetermined position. What is claimed is: 1. A document table locking device, characterized in that it is provided with an opening/closing detection mechanism that raises and lowers the document table and operates a switch for driving a document size detecting means by raising and lowering the document table. 4. The document table lock according to claim 3, wherein a switch for driving the document size detection means can be operated by opening and closing the document holder while the document table is locked by the lock mechanism. Device. 5. The document table locking device according to claim 3, characterized in that the lock lever is configured to protrude and retract from the upper surface of the main body of the device, which is always covered by the document table.