JPS622357B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a form hopper device, and more particularly to a form hopper device for an optical character reading device and an optical mark reading device that use a form as a recording medium.

In recent years, as a means of inputting information into an electronic computer, characters or marks are recorded on a form, this form is read with an optical character reader or an optical mark reader, and the information is input into an electronic computer to read various information. The method of processing is widely used. This optical character reading device or optical mark reading device has a table on which forms are placed, and is equipped with a form feeding mechanism that sequentially takes out the forms one by one from the forms on the table. The information is conveyed to a target reading section and the information in the form of characters or marks is read. This form hopper device generally has the structure shown in FIG. That is, the form 1 is placed on the table 2, the top surface of the form 1 contacts the form feeding mechanism 3, the roller 4 of the form feeding mechanism 3 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, and the form is pulled out by the frictional force between the belt 5 and the form 1. Roll out 1.
Of course, a gate (not shown) is provided for feeding out the forms 1 one by one. Here, in order to bring the form 1 into contact with the form feeding mechanism 3, the form 1 must be moved in the vertical direction. This vertical movement is performed by moving the table 2 shown in the figure in the vertical direction, and Alternatively, a pulley or gear 7 is attached to the shaft of the pulse motor 6, and a belt or chain 8 is pressed against the pulley or gear 7.
In the conventional structure, the point B is fixed to the table 2 and the reversible motor or pulse motor 6 is operated to move the table 2 up and down along the guide rods 9 and 9'. However, in the conventional structure, not only the belt or chain 8 and the pulley or gear 7 are required, but also the accuracy of the sliding surfaces of the guide rods 9 and 9' and the table 2, and the parallelism of the guide rods 9 and 9' are required. The drawback is that it is expensive to manufacture and assemble because of the required amount.

The present invention has been made to address the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide a form hopper device that is easy to manufacture and inexpensive. To summarize the present invention, a form hopper device includes a motor capable of forward and reverse rotation, and a swing arm whose one end is driven to rotate forward and backward in accordance with the forward and reverse rotation of the motor, and whose other end swings. , a shaft for supporting one end of the table on which the form is placed, a detection means for detecting that the form is in contact with the form feeding mechanism, and a swing arm on the other end side of the lower surface of the table. The other end is provided so as to be in contact with the table, and the table is further configured to drive a motor in accordance with the output of the detection means, so that the table swings about the axis and comes into contact with the form. .

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which the same parts as in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same symbols, 10 is a shaft, 11 is a swing arm,
12 is a roller. A shaft 10 is fixed to a form hopper device, one end of a table 2 is pivotally supported on the shaft 10, and the table 2 has a structure in which the other end of the table 2 is swung vertically around the shaft 10. be. A roller 12 pivotally supported by a swinging arm 11 is in contact with the back surface on which the form 1 is placed on the other end of the table 2, and the opposite end of the swinging arm 11 from the roller 12 is connected to a reversible motor or a pulse motor 6. It is fixed to the shaft of. The operation will be explained based on FIG. 2. At the start of the operation, the swing arm 11 drives the reversible motor or pulse motor 6 in the direction of the thick arrow, that is, in the downward direction. As a result of this drive, the left side of the swinging arm 11 in the drawing is lowered, and the table 2 that contacts the roller 12 is lowered around the shaft 10, thereby increasing the gap between the form feeding mechanism 3 and the table 2. The form 1 is stacked and placed in this gap. When the device is activated, the reversible motor or pulse motor 6 moves the swinging arm 11 in the direction of the thin arrow, that is, upward. Therefore, the table 2 moves upward around the shaft 10 via the rollers, and the form 1 comes into contact with the form feeding mechanism 3 at point A. Furthermore, there is a position (not shown) at which it is detected that the form 1 has reached point A. A signal is generated by the detector to stop driving the reversible motor or pulse motor 6. Of course, as the number of forms 1 gradually decreases, the position detector drives the reversible motor or pulse motor 6, so that the upper surface of the form 1 is always maintained at a constant position. When the form 1 to be placed becomes empty, an optical sensor (not shown) sends a signal indicating that there is no form 1, and the reversible motor or pulse motor 6 is reversed to move the table 2 downward and maintain the initial state. Note that the reversible motor or pulse motor 6 used here has a built-in brake.

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the feeding pressure of the feeding mechanism against the form does not change depending on the amount of forms placed on the table, and the number of manufactured parts is small, and assembly accuracy is improved. This provides an inexpensive form hopper device that does not require a form hopper device, and is extremely advantageous when used in an optical form reading device that uses a form hopper device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a conventional form hopper device, and FIG. 2 shows a side view of an embodiment according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a form, 2 is a table, 3 is a ledger feeding mechanism, and 10 is a shaft.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A form hopper device that feeds out a form by bringing the form placed on a table into contact with a form feeding mechanism, which includes a motor capable of forward and reverse rotation, and one end of which is driven to rotate forward and backward in accordance with the forward and reverse rotation of the motor. a swinging arm whose other end swings when the form is placed thereon; and a shaft that pivots one end of the table on which the form is placed;
a detecting means for detecting that the form is in contact with the form feeding mechanism, the other end of the swinging arm is provided in contact with the other end of the lower surface of the table; A form hopper device, characterized in that the motor is driven in accordance with the output of the means, so that the table swings about a shaft and comes into contact with a form.