JP2626720B2 - Sheet material supply device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus and, more particularly, to a sheet feeding apparatus having a function of preventing a state in which a plurality of sheets are fed one upon another (double feeding).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 shows a conventional automatic sheet material feeding apparatus. In this apparatus, the retard member 74 is moved so that the opposing surface 72 is close to the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 70 rotated by a driving means (not shown) and extends in the axial direction of the separation roller 70 (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 9). Are located. A paper guide 76 extending in the axial direction of the separation roller 70 is attached to the retard member 74 on the side where the leading end side of the original 56 placed on the hopper 78 is supplied.

The original 56 placed on the hopper 78 is transported by a transport mechanism (not shown) to a position where the original 56 is sandwiched between the paper guide 76 and the separation roller 70. And supplied to a rotary camera (not shown) for photographing microfilms.

In this case, the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 70 and the opposing surface 72 of the retard member 74, the arrangement angle of the retard member 74, and the angle at which the document 56 enters between the retard member 74 and the separation roller 70 are adjusted. By doing so, double feeding of the document 56 is prevented.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when the originals 56 having different thicknesses or the originals 56 having different paper qualities (for example, friction coefficients) are mixed, it is difficult to appropriately set the gap or the like. It is difficult, and double feeding of the document 56 is inevitable. Further, when trying to convey a thick original 56 or a folded or wrinkled original 56, the original 56 cannot be conveyed because the gap between the retard member 74 and the separation roller 70 becomes jammed.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and has as its object to provide a sheet material supply apparatus that can reliably separate and convey a plurality of paper sheets having various paper thicknesses and paper qualities one by one.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic sheet material feeding apparatus comprising: a separation roller rotated by a driving unit; and a separation roller having an opposing surface facing an outer peripheral surface of the separation roller. A separation member having a retard member forming a conveyance path for the sheet material between the separation member and the separation roller and the retard member being provided so as to be relatively movable; and conveying the sheet material and inserting the sheet material into the conveyance path. Transport means;
A pressing surface having a smaller coefficient of friction than the opposing surface is provided, and when one sheet material is inserted, the pressing surface protrudes from the opposing surface and presses the inserted sheet material from the retard member toward the separation roller. A pressing member which is moved to the first position and is pressed by these sheet materials when a plurality of sheet materials are inserted and moved to a second position where the sheet material comes into contact with the facing surface; And changing means for moving at least one of the retard members to change the distance between the outer peripheral surface and the facing surface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet material supply apparatus having a separation roller rotated by a driving means and an opposing surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller, and a sheet material conveyance path is provided between the separation roller and the separation roller. A separating member having a retard member to be formed and a separating roller and a retard member provided so as to be relatively movable; a conveying means for conveying the sheet material and inserting the sheet material into the conveying path; When only one sheet material is provided with a pressing surface having a small coefficient of friction, the pressing surface protrudes from the opposing surface and moves to the first position for pressing the inserted sheet material from the retard member toward the separation roller. When a plurality of sheet materials are moved and inserted, the pressing member is pressed by these sheet materials and moved to a second position where the sheet material and the facing surface are in contact with each other,
A sensor for detecting whether or not the leading edge of the conveyed sheet material is inserted into the transport path; and a sensor for stopping transport of the sheet material when the sensor detects that the distal end of the sheet material is inserted into the transport path. And control means for controlling the transport means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet material supply apparatus having a separation roller rotated by a driving means and an opposing surface opposing an outer peripheral surface of the separation roller. A separating member having a retard member to be formed and a separating roller and a retard member provided so as to be relatively movable; a conveying means for conveying the sheet material and inserting the sheet material into the conveying path; A first position for pressing the inserted sheet material from the retard member toward the separation roller when the number of inserted sheet materials is one, and when the number of inserted sheet materials is one, the pressing surface protrudes from the opposing surface. When a plurality of sheet members are moved and inserted, the pressing member is pressed by these sheet members and moved to a second position where the sheet member comes into contact with the facing surface; A pressure contact member that is disposed on the upstream side in the sheet material conveyance direction and that has a pressure contact surface that presses the sheet material against the outer peripheral surface, and that has a pressure contact member that can move the pressure contact surface toward and away from the outer peripheral surface. It is characterized by.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a single sheet material is supplied to the conveyance path by the conveyance means without being in the superposed state, the sheet material is reduced in frictional resistance between the separation roller and the pressing member. The sheet is conveyed while being held between the small pressing surfaces. That is, the sheet material is conveyed in a state where it is at least partially separated from the retard member and is in contact with the pressing surface having low frictional resistance, so that the sheet material is satisfactorily supplied one by one to a desired device.

On the other hand, when the sheet material is supplied while being superposed (for example, two sheets) between the separation roller and the pressing surface,
The pressing member is pressed against the sheet material, and the pressing surface is farther away from the separation roller than when one sheet is conveyed and retracted. With this, the surface of the sheet material on the opposite side of the separation roller of the two stacked sheet materials hits the opposing surface of the retard member whose frictional resistance is larger than the pressing surface. The conveyance of the sheet material is prevented. Therefore, in this case, in addition to the case where the pressing surface enters the opposite side of the separation roller from the opposing surface, even if the pressing surface is at the same level as the opposing surface or slightly protrudes from the opposing surface, the lower sheet material of the two sheets is opposed. What is necessary is just a state which prevents it from hitting a surface. The sheet material on the separation roller side is supplied to a desired device or the like by the separation roller.

When the sheet material on the separation roller side of the two-ply sheet material is removed from above the pressing surface, the pressing force of the sheet material is reduced, and the pressing surface of the pressing member is separated from the opposing surface by the separation roller. Project to the side. Thus, the sheet material on the side opposite to the separation roller is satisfactorily conveyed while being sandwiched between the separation roller and the pressing surface, and is supplied to a desired device.

Further, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a changing means for moving at least one of the separation roller and the retard member to change the distance between the outer peripheral surface and the facing surface. Therefore, when conveying a thick sheet material, a sheet material having folds, wrinkles, or the like, the distance between the outer peripheral surface and the opposing surface can be increased by the changing means, so that the distance between the outer peripheral surface and the opposing surface is increased. It is possible to prevent a sheet material from being clogged or the like, thereby preventing the sheet from being transported. In this case, the sheet material may be automatically conveyed by the conveying means, or the sheet material may be manually set one by one and inserted into the conveying path by the conveying means.

On the other hand, when a relatively thin sheet material is transported, the distance between the outer peripheral surface and the opposing surface is reduced by the changing means, so that the sheet material can be automatically transported without occurrence of double feeding.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a sensor for detecting whether or not the leading end of the conveyed sheet material has been inserted into the conveying path, and when the sensor detects that the leading end of the sheet material has been inserted into the conveying path. Is provided with control means for controlling the conveyance means so as to stop the conveyance of the sheet material. Therefore, when the leading end of the sheet material is inserted into the conveyance path, the sheet material is prevented from being conveyed by the conveyance means, and the double feeding of the sheet material can be more reliably prevented.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the pressing member is disposed upstream of the separating member in the conveying direction of the sheet material and has a pressing surface for pressing the sheet material against the outer peripheral surface, and the pressing surface approaches and separates from the outer peripheral surface. A pressure contact member that can move in the direction is provided. Accordingly, by changing the force of pressing the sheet material against the outer peripheral surface in accordance with the material of the sheet material to be conveyed (the friction resistance of the sheet material surface, the thickness of the sheet material, etc.), the separation of the sheet material (the stacked sheet material) (The sheet is conveyed one by one) more reliably, so that the double feeding of the sheet material can be more reliably prevented. In addition, since the pressing member can be moved in a direction in which the pressing surface approaches or separates from the outer peripheral surface according to the thickness of the sheet material, sheet materials having various thicknesses can be conveyed.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sheet material supply device 30 according to the present invention.

A hopper 32, one end of which is rotatably supported about a horizontal shaft 32A, is provided in a cover 31 of the sheet material supply device 30. The hopper 32 is rotated about a shaft 32A by a cam 35 driven by a motor 33 from an inclined position (a position where the paper mounting surface of the hopper 32 is inclined) to a horizontal position. The motor 33 is connected to the control means 65 as shown in FIG. The sheet supply device 30 is provided with a start key (not shown), and the motor 33 can be operated by operating the start key.

As shown in FIG. 1, at the other end of the hopper 32, a stopper 34 is disposed substantially vertically, and a plurality of originals (sheet materials) are placed in a state where the leading end abuts the stopper 34.
56 is mounted on the hopper 32.

An original detection sensor 36 is provided on the lower surface of the hopper 32 (the surface opposite to the surface on which the original 56 is installed). In this embodiment, a reflection type photo-interrupter is used as the document detection sensor 36 so that light emitted from a light-emitting element constituting the photo-interrupter passes through a through hole (not shown) formed in the hopper 32. Has become. Therefore, it can be detected whether or not the original 56 is set on the hopper 32. The output of the document detection sensor 36 is input to the control unit 65. Although not shown, a positioning sensor is provided below the hopper, and the operation of the motor 33 is stopped when the hopper 32 is rotated downward by a predetermined amount.

A pre-feed roller 40 is disposed above the tip of the hopper 32. The pre-feed roller 40 is supported by a solenoid (not shown) controlled by the control means 65 so as to be vertically movable. A moving plate 37 is attached to the pre-feed roller 40. Above the pre-feed roller 40, a positioning sensor 38 is provided.

In the present embodiment, a limit switch is used as the positioning sensor 38. The limit switch is pressed off by the tip of the movable plate 37 which moves upward together with the pre-feed roller 40, and is turned off. With the positioning sensor 38 turned off, the uppermost document 56 set on the hopper 32 reaches the sheet feeding position. At this paper feeding position, the uppermost document 56 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pre-feed roller 40, and is moved in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
The paper is conveyed to the guide plate 42 side by the pre-feed roller 40 rotated clockwise. As shown in FIG.
The output of the positioning sensor 38 is input to the control means 65.

The guide plate 42 is provided downstream of the hopper 32 (downstream of the original 56 in the transport direction, hereinafter referred to as the downstream side in the transport direction). As shown in FIG. The guide member 42A is formed to extend in a substantially horizontal direction in proximity to the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 44 and to have a through hole (not shown). The separation roller 44 is disposed downstream of the pre-feed roller 40 in the transport direction. A pair of support plates (not shown) are provided in the case 31. Each support plate has a bottom portion on the side of the facing surface 48 and a groove extending from the bottom in a direction perpendicular to the facing surface 48. Both ends of the shaft 69 are inserted into each of these grooves. The separation roller 44 is connected to the motor 4 via a separation roller clutch 71.
5 is connected.

On the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 44, a pin 77A is provided downstream of the lowermost portion of the outer peripheral surface in the transport direction of the document 56.
And a cam 77 rotatably supported about a pin 77B. The switching knob 5 has one end protruding outside the case 31 inside the case 31.
4 are provided. An elongated hole 54A is formed at an end of the switching knob 54 on the separation roller 44 side, and a pin 77A is inserted into the elongated hole 54A. The cam 77 is connected to the switching knob 5
4 by rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 1;
It is arranged so that the outer peripheral surface of the cam 77 can press the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 44. FIG. 1 of the switching knob 54
A mode detection sensor 59 is disposed at the top end on the upper side. A reflection type photo interrupter is used as the mode detection sensor 59, and is turned off when the switching knob is at a position shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 and turned on when it is at a position shown by a broken line in FIG.

The separation roller 44 is connected to a pre-feed roller 40 via an endless belt 39. Further, the separation roller 44 is connected to a motor 45 via an endless belt 41, and is connected to the separation roller clutch 7.
In the state where 1 is turned on, it is driven by the motor 45.
When the separation roller 44 is rotated, the rotational force of the separation roller 44 is transmitted via the belt 39, and the pre-feed roller 40 is also rotated.

A transport detection sensor 43 is provided on the lower surface of the guide member 42A. As the transport detection sensor 43, a reflection type photo interrupter is used. Light emitted from the light emitting element constituting the photo interrupter passes through a through hole (not shown) of the guide member 42A. Therefore, the document 56 conveyed on the guide member 42A can be detected.

One end of a spring member 47 is attached to the lower surface of the base of the guide plate 42. The other end of the spring member 47 is attached to the upper surface of the plate member 51. The outer peripheral surface of the cam 49 is in contact with the lower surface of the plate member 51.
The cam 49 is driven by a solenoid 68 whose operation is controlled by the control means 65. Accordingly, the distance between the separation roller 44 and the guide member 42A, that is, the pressing force of the guide member 42A on the separation roller 56 against the separation roller 56 can be adjusted. By operating an adjustment switch (not shown), the interval between the separation roller 44 and the guide member 42A can be changed according to the paper quality of the original 556.

On the downstream side of the guide plate 42 in the transport direction,
As shown in FIG. 2, the retard plate 46 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction is along the axial direction of the pre-feed roller 40. The retard plate 46 has a surface 48 facing the separation roller 44 arranged tangentially in the vicinity of the lowermost portion of the separation roller 44, and from the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the document 56 on the opposite surface 48 toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction. It is provided so as to be inclined upward. The retard plate 46 is formed of a material having a high frictional resistance such as urethane rubber.

The opposed surface 48 is formed with a pair of rectangular grooves 48A extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3A, 3B and 4, the groove 48A is formed on the side surface 52 (FIG. 2) of the retard plate 46 on the side where the document 56 is inserted.
It communicates with B. Spring 5 in groove 48A, 48B
0 is arranged.

The spring 50 is shown in FIGS.
(B), as shown in FIG. 4, a leaf spring having a substantially L-shape. The spring 50 includes a base 50A and an elastically deformable portion 50C that extends from the distal end 50B of the base 50A to the downstream side in the transport direction. Base 50A
Is attached to the bottom 48C of the groove 48A by means such as bonding. A substantially central portion of the elastic deformation portion 50C is curved so as to protrude toward the separation roller 44 side, so that the original 56 can be securely adhered to the separation roller 44. The spring 50 is formed of an elastic member such as a stainless steel plate having a smaller friction resistance than the retard plate 46.

The elastic deformation portion 50C is brought into close contact with the separation roller 44 by an elastic force when the original 56 is not in contact with the original. Also, as shown in FIG.
When two or more documents 56 are conveyed in a stack, the elastically deforming portion 50C is pressed by the document 56 and retracts into the groove 48A. As a result, the pressing surface 50D of the elastic deformation portion 50C facing the separation roller 44 reaches a position where the pressing surface 50D does not protrude from the facing surface 48 toward the separation roller 44.

In the vicinity of the separation roller 44, the separation roller 4
A guide portion 58 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of No. 4. The guide portion 58 is composed of an upper plate 58B and a lower plate 58C. The guide portion 58 is connected to the separation roller 44.
Between the outer peripheral surface and the opposing surface 48 (hereinafter referred to as a gap)
Is extended from a position close to the paper feeder to a paper feed unit of a rotary camera (not shown) for photographing microfilms. An end portion of the guide portion 58 on the downstream side in the transport direction is inserted into a paper feed portion of a rotary camera for microfilm photographing (not shown).

At an intermediate portion of the guide portion 58, transport rollers 53 and 55 are rotatably supported. The rotational force of the motor 45 is transmitted to the transport roller 53 via the endless belt 41.

On the lower surface of the lower plate 58, the transport roller 5
A transport detection sensor 57 constituted by a reflective photointerrupter is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of 3, 55. The transport detection sensor 57 is arranged so that light emitted from the light emitting element constituting the photo interrupter passes through a through hole (not shown) formed in the lower plate 58C.
Thus, the presence or absence of the document 56 on the guide portion 58 can be detected.

On the guide portion 58, a drive shaft 61 and a driven roller 60 supported by a driven shaft 63 and a driven roller 62 supported by a driven shaft 63 are provided on the outer periphery of the driving shaft 61 and the driven shaft 63, respectively, which are arranged parallel to each other on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the conveyance detecting sensor 57. The motor 4 and the separation roller 44 are provided rotatably with the surfaces in contact with each other.
5 to rotate.

The drive roller 60 is arranged in the axial direction of the separation roller 44, and is provided in a pair at an intermediate portion of a drive shaft 61 which is rotated clockwise in FIG. 1 by drive means (not shown) (FIG. 8). The driven roller 62 is a driven shaft 63 disposed in parallel with the drive shaft 61.
Are provided in the middle of the pair. This driven roller 62
In a state in which the document 56 is sandwiched together with the drive roller 60, the rotational force of the drive roller is transmitted through the document 56 and rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. Therefore, the driven roller 62
The rotation speed of a single original 56 is
In the state in which is held, it becomes equal to the rotation speed of the drive roller.

At one end of the drive shaft 61, there is provided an encoder 64 for converting the rotation speed of the drive roller 60 into a corresponding pulse train and outputting it to the control means 65. Further, one end of the driven shaft 63 is provided with a driven roller 6.
An encoder 66 is provided for converting the rotation speed of No. 2 into a corresponding pulse train and outputting the pulse train to the control means 65. Further, an electric brake 80 is provided at a distal end portion of the driven shaft 63, and the brake can be applied to the driven shaft 63 when the electric brake 80 is turned on. Electric brake 80 is driven roller 63
The control unit 65 controls the turning-on when the document 56 reaches the driving roller 60. The drive roller 60, the driven roller 62, and the encoders 64 and 66 constitute double feed detecting means. The double feed detecting means is provided in consideration of a special case where double feed cannot be prevented for some reason by the separation roller 44 and the retarded plate 46.

The double feed detection by the double feed detecting means will be briefly described below. Document 56 guided to guide section 58
Is transported while being held between the driving roller 60 and the driven roller 62. When the document 56 reaches the driving roller 60 and the driven roller 63, the electric brake 80 is turned on and the brake is applied to the driven shaft 63. Encoder 6
4 and 66 are taken into the control means 65 and the brake is applied to the driven shaft 63.
Calculates the rotation speed V1 of the driving roller 60 and the rotation speed V2 of the driven roller 62. The control means 65 compares | V1−V2 | with the predetermined value a. If | V1−V2 | is smaller than the predetermined value a, the above processing is repeated and the drive roller 60 and the driven roller 62 It is detected whether or not the original 56 sent in the middle is multi-fed. When the conveyance detection sensor 57 is turned on, the electric brake 80 is turned off, and the comparison between | V1−V2 | and the predetermined value a ends. When the documents 56 are being conveyed one by one, the rotation of the driving roller 60 is transmitted to the driven roller 62 via the document 56, and the driven roller 62 rotates at a rotation speed substantially equal to that of the driving roller 60. Therefore, | V1-V2 |
Becomes less than the predetermined value a. On the other hand, when the original 56 is overlaid, the brake of the driven shaft 63 is applied, so that the original 56 and the original 56 slip and the driven roller 6
Since the driving force is not transmitted to the document 2, the double feeding of the document 56 can be prevented. It is not transmitted to the original 56 and the driving roller 60 or the driven roller 62, and the rotational force of the driven roller 62 is reduced. For this reason, when | V1-V2 | is equal to or greater than the predetermined value a and | V1-V2 | Is displayed.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, the automatic paper feed mode or the manual paper feed mode can be set by operating the switching knob 54 according to the paper quality or the like.

The automatic paper feed mode will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the switching knob 54 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1, the separation roller 44 moves along the groove (not shown) so that the outer peripheral surface approaches the opposing surface 48. Thereby, the interval between the separation roller 44 and the pressing surface 50D is set to 0.00 to
It is set within the range of 0.03mm. This range is 0.05-0.09
When automatically feeding a document 56 of about mm
The range is such that even if there are a plurality of documents 56 between the sheet 4 and the retard plate 46, each of the documents 56 can be separated.

In step 100, the mode detection sensor 5
It is determined whether or not 9 has been turned off, that is, whether or not the automatic paper feed mode has been set. If it is determined that the mode detection sensor 59 has been turned off, in step 102,
The motor 33 is moved so that the hopper 32 is lowered to a predetermined position.
Is controlled. As a result, the original 56 can be set on the hopper 34. If it is determined that the mode detection sensor 59 has not been turned off, a manual paper feed mode described later is executed in step 101. By switching a switching switch (not shown) as necessary, the solenoid 68 is controlled by the guide member 42A so that the original 56 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 44 with an optimal pressing force according to the paper quality of the original 56. I do. In the case of an original 56 having a high surface frictional resistance such as pressure-sensitive paper, a pressing force of about 1
It is preferably set to 50 g, and in the case of plain paper or thick paper, it is set to about 400 g, which is higher than in the case of pressure-sensitive paper. Thereby, the document 56 can be smoothly transported.

In step 104, it is determined whether or not the document detection sensor 36 has been turned on, that is, whether or not the document 56 has been set on the hopper 32. If it is determined that the document detection sensor 36 has been turned on, step 1
At step 06, it is determined whether or not a start key (not shown) has been turned on. If it is determined that the document detection sensor 36 has been turned off, step 106 is repeated. If it is determined in step 106 that the start key has been turned on, the motor 33 is controlled so that the hopper 32 is raised.

Next, it is determined whether or not the positioning sensor 38 has been turned off in step 110, that is, whether or not the uppermost document 56 among the documents 56 set on the hopper 32 is located at the sheet feeding position. You. When it is determined that the positioning sensor 38 has been turned off, the movement of the hopper 32 is stopped in step 112, and when it is determined that the positioning sensor 38 has been turned on, step 1 is performed.
Repeat 10

Next, at step 114, the motor 45 is driven, whereby the separation roller 44 and the transport roller 5 are driven.
3 and the drive roller 60 are rotated clockwise in FIG.
Also, at step 116, the separation roller clutch 71 is turned on slightly after the driving of the motor 45, and the prefeed roller 40 is rotated clockwise in FIG. As a result, the uppermost document 56 is conveyed by the pre-feed roller 40.

In step 118, the conveyance detection sensor 43
Is turned on, that is, whether the leading end of the conveyed document 56 has passed the conveyance detection sensor.
If it is determined that the pre-feed roller 40 has been turned on, a solenoid (not shown) is moved up so that the pre-feed roller 40 is raised after a predetermined time has elapsed at step 120, that is, after the leading end of the document 56 has been conveyed to the gap position by the feed roller 40. Is controlled. As a result, the new document 56 is not conveyed, and when the document 56 is at the gap position, the document 56 is not newly conveyed, so that double feeding of the document 56 can be suppressed. Transport detection sensor 4
If it is determined to be 3 off, step 118 is repeated until the leading end is detected.

In step 122, after the separation roller clutch 71 is turned on, the transport detection sensor 5 is turned on within T1 seconds.
It is determined whether or not 7 has been turned on. Transport detection sensor 5
If it is determined that the switch 7 is not turned on, a jam is generated, so that the jam is displayed in step 124 and the driving of the motor 45 is stopped. Transport detection sensor 43
Is determined to be on, that is, if it is determined that the document 56 is being conveyed favorably without occurrence of a jam, the separation roller clutch 71 is turned off in step 126. Therefore, the feed roller 40
Is stopped, and no new document 56 is conveyed.

Next, at step 128, it is determined whether or not the conveyance detection sensor 57 has been turned off within T2 seconds.
If it is determined that the power is not turned off within T2 seconds, a jam has occurred, so that the jam is displayed in step 130 and the driving of the motor 45 is stopped. If it is determined that the power has been turned off within T2 seconds, step 132
It is determined whether or not the document detection sensor 36 has been turned on, that is, whether or not the document 56 exists in the hopper 32.
If it is determined that the document detection sensor 36 has been turned off, the document 56 newly conveyed by the feed roller 40
In step 134, the motor 33 is controlled so that the hopper 32 is lowered in step 134, so that the original 56 can be set, and the process returns to step 104.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the document detection sensor 36 has been turned on, it is determined whether or not the positioning sensor 38 has been turned on in step 136, that is, whether or not the uppermost document 56 is present at the sheet feeding position. Is determined. If it is determined that the positioning sensor 38 has been turned on, step 1
At step 38, the motor 33 is controlled so that the hopper 32 rises and the uppermost document 56 reaches the sheet feeding position, and when it is determined that the positioning sensor 38 is turned off, step 136 is repeated.

Next, at step 140, it is determined whether or not the positioning sensor 38 has been turned off, that is,
It is determined whether or not 6 is located at the sheet feeding position. If it is determined that the positioning sensor 38 has been turned off, the driving by the motor 33 is stopped in step 142, and
The upward movement of the hopper 32 is stopped. If it is determined that the positioning sensor 38 has been turned on, step 14
At 4, it is determined whether or not the conveyance detection sensor 43 has been turned on.

If it is determined in step 144 that the conveyance detection sensor 43 is turned on, the original 56 located below the original 56 has been also conveyed by the conveyance of the original 56, and thus, in step 146. Feed roller 4
A solenoid (not shown) is controlled so as to maintain the rising state of 0. Further, the separation roller clutch 71 is turned on, and steps 122 to 146 are repeated. When it is determined that the conveyance detection sensor 43 is turned off, that is,
If the lower document 56 is not being conveyed due to the conveyance of the document 56, the separation roller clutch is turned on in step 148. At step 150, a solenoid (not shown) is controlled so that the pre-feed roller 40 is lowered. As a result, the document 56 is conveyed toward the separation roller 44. In step 152, the pre-feed roller 40
Is raised, that is, a solenoid (not shown) is controlled so that a new document 56 is not conveyed. Next, in step 154, it is determined whether or not the start key (not shown) has been turned off. If it is determined that the start key has not been turned off, the process returns to step 122.

In the automatic paper feeding state, when the originals 56 are supplied one by one, the originals 56 are in contact with the pressing surface 50 D protruding from the facing surface 48, that is, when the originals 56 are The sheet is conveyed to the guide section 58 by the rotation of the separation roller 44 in a state of floating from the sheet. In this case, since the frictional resistance of the pressing surface 50D is reduced, the document 56 is satisfactorily conveyed without a large resistance.

Since the original 56 is conveyed by being pressed against the separation roller 44 by the elastically deforming portion 50C,
Wrinkles are extended. Original 5 placed on hopper 32
6 is guided by the guide plate 42 by the rotation of the pre-feed roller 40, and the separation roller 44 and the elastic deformation portion 50C
Is supplied between In this case, originals 5 of different thicknesses
Even if the sheets 6 are sequentially supplied one by one, the elastic deformation portion 50C is elastically deformed, and the original 56 is pressed against the separation roller 44 by the elastic deformation portion 50C. Therefore, originals 56 having different thicknesses can be conveyed without adjusting the gap between the separation roller 44 and the opposing surface 48.

The document 56 guided to the guide portion 58 is conveyed while being sandwiched between the driving rollers 60 and 61, and is supplied to a rotary camera (not shown) for photographing a microfilm.

On the other hand, when the originals 56 conveyed from the hopper 32 as described above are superimposed (for example, two sheets) and supplied between the separation roller 44 and the elastically deformable portion 50C, the elastically deformable portion 50C becomes Is retracted into the groove 48A by the pressing force of the original 56, and the pressing surface 50D is
To a position where it does not protrude. Therefore, the original 56 located below (the retard plate 46 side) of the two sheets
Is a retard plate 46 having a large frictional resistance.
Abuts on the facing surface 48 of Therefore, the conveyance of the lower document 56 of the two multi-fed sheets is prevented, and only the upper document 56 is conveyed by the conveyance force of the separation roller 44.

The conveyed document 56 is conveyed in the same manner as described above, and is discharged to the discharge table 15. When the upper document 56 is conveyed and no longer positioned on the pressing surface 50D, the pressing surface 50D protrudes from the opposing surface 48, and the surface of the remaining multi-fed document 56 does not contact the retard plate 46. And the original 56 is satisfactorily conveyed.

Next, the manual paper feed mode will be described.
When supplying a thick document of 0.15 mm or more, a thin document of 0.04 mm or less, and a document having a crease, the switching knob 54 is used.
Is rotated clockwise in FIG. As a result, the separation roller 44 moves along the groove (not shown) so that the outer peripheral surface is separated from the opposing surface 48, and the interval between the separation roller 44 and the retard plate 46 is set within a range of 0.5 to 1.0 mm. . In the manual paper feed mode, the operator can set the document 5 one sheet at a time.
6 is set in the hopper 32.

In step 200, it is determined whether or not the mode detection sensor 59 has been turned on, that is, whether or not the manual paper feed mode has been set. Mode detection sensor 5
If it is determined that No. 9 has been turned on, step 202
When the motor 33 is controlled so that the hopper 32 is raised and the paper placing surface is horizontal, and the mode detection sensor 59 is determined to be turned off, the step 202 is repeated.

In step 204, the positioning sensor 38
Is turned off, that is, it is determined whether the original 56 reaches the sheet feeding position when one original 36 is set in the hopper 32. In this embodiment, the positioning sensor 38 is turned off in a state where the paper placing surface of the hopper 32 is horizontal. If it is determined that the positioning sensor 38 has been turned off, the hopper 32 is stopped in step 206.
Next, in step 208, a solenoid (not shown) is controlled so that the pre-feed roller 40 is raised. In step 210, the motor 45 is turned on. This allows
The drive roller 60 and the transport roller 53 are rotated. Further, the separation roller clutch 71 is turned on in step 212, whereby the driving force of the motor 45 is reduced.
And the separation roller 44 is rotated.

Next, it is determined in step 214 whether the document detection sensor 36 has been turned on, that is, whether the document 56 has been manually set in the hopper 32. If it is determined that the document detection sensor 36 has been turned on,
At step 216, a solenoid (not shown) is controlled so that the pre-feed roller 40 descends. As a result, the document 56 is conveyed by the feed roller 40.

Next, in step 218, it is determined whether or not the conveyance detection sensor 43 has been turned on, that is,
It is determined whether or not the leading end has passed the conveyance detection sensor 43. If it is determined that the conveyance detection sensor 43 has been turned on, a solenoid (not shown) is controlled so that the pre-feed roller 40 is lowered at step 220 after a predetermined time has elapsed. If it is determined that the conveyance detection sensor 43 has been turned off, step 218 is repeated.

Next, in step 222, it is determined whether or not the conveyance detection sensor 57 has been turned on within T1 seconds after the separation roller clutch 71 has been turned on. If it is determined that the conveyance detection sensor 57 has been turned on within T1 seconds, the separation roller clutch 71 is turned off in step 224, and conveyance of a new document 56 is stopped. If it is determined that the conveyance detection sensor 57 has been turned off, a jam has occurred, so that the jam is displayed and the driving of the motor 45 is stopped in step 226.

In step 228, the conveyance detection sensor 57
Is turned off within T2 seconds, that is, whether a jam has occurred. If it is determined that the conveyance detection sensor 57 has been turned off, steps 214 to 228 are repeated, and if it is determined that the conveyance detection sensor 57 has been turned on, a jam is displayed in step 230 and the motor 45 is stopped. . Note that, even in the manual paper feed mode, when a plurality of originals 56 are inserted between the separation roller 44 and the retard plate 46, as described above, the micro originals 56 are not illustrated in a state where the originals 56 are made into a single sheet. It can be supplied to a rotary camera for film photography.

In the above embodiment, since the automatic paper feed mode and the manual paper feed mode can be set in the above-described embodiment, even a thin original 56 can be used for paper having a fold or the like. Even if there is a double feed, the original 56 can be satisfactorily fed to a predetermined feeding section in a state where double feeding is prevented.

Further, in the above embodiment, the solenoid 71 is controlled so that the guide plate 42 approaches and separates from the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 44 in accordance with the paper quality, and the original 56 is separated by the pressing force in accordance with the paper quality. Since the document 56 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface, the document 56 can be transported more smoothly.

In the above embodiment, the automatic paper feed mode and the manual paper feed mode are switched by moving the separation roller 44. However, the retard plate 46 is moved close to and away from the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 44. The automatic feeding mode and the manual mode may be switched by moving the retard plate 46 so that the automatic feeding mode is possible.

After a predetermined time has passed after the trailing end of the original 56 sent by the conveyance detection sensor 57 is detected, the separation roller clutch 71 is turned on to set the original 5 to be fed next.
6 may be transported. Thus, the original 56 and the original 56 conveyed regardless of the size of the original 56
Can be kept constant.

In the above description, the driving of the motor 45 is stopped when a jam occurs, but the driving of the motor 45 may be stopped when a double feed occurs.

[0068]

As described above, according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, it is possible to reliably separate and transport papers having various paper qualities one by one. Can be

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sheet material supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a retard plate and a spring.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views showing a retard plate and a spring.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a sheet material is conveyed by a sheet material supply device.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control unit and a motor and the like controlled by the control unit;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in an automatic paper feed mode.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a manual sheet feeding mode.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a double feed detection mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a conventional automatic sheet material feeding apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 40 Pre-feed roller 42 Guide plate 44 Separation roller 46 Retard plate 48 Opposite surface 50 Spring 54 Switching knob 65 Control means

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A separation roller that is rotated by a driving unit; and a retard member that has a surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller and forms a sheet material conveyance path between the separation roller and the separation roller. A separating member provided with a roller and a retard member movably relative to each other, conveying means for conveying the sheet material and inserting the sheet material into the conveying path, and a pressing surface having a smaller coefficient of friction than the facing surface. When the number of the inserted sheet material is one, the pressing surface protrudes from the opposing surface and is moved to the first position where the inserted sheet material is pressed from the retard member toward the separation roller, and the inserted sheet is also inserted. When there are a plurality of members, the pressing member is pressed by these sheet members and is moved to a second position where the sheet member comes into contact with the facing surface, and at least one of the separation roller and the retard member is moved. Changing means for changing the distance between the outer peripheral surface and the opposing surface. 2. A separation device comprising: a separation roller rotated by a driving means; and a retard member having a surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller and forming a sheet material conveyance path between the separation roller and the separation roller. A separating member provided with a roller and a retard member movably relative to each other, conveying means for conveying the sheet material and inserting the sheet material into the conveying path, and a pressing surface having a smaller coefficient of friction than the facing surface. When the number of the inserted sheet material is one, the pressing surface protrudes from the opposing surface and is moved to the first position where the inserted sheet material is pressed from the retard member toward the separation roller, and the inserted sheet is also inserted. When there are a plurality of sheets, the pressing member is pressed by these sheet members and moved to a second position where the sheet members come into contact with the opposing surface, and whether or not the leading end of the conveyed sheet members has been inserted into the conveying path. A sheet supply comprising: a sensor for detecting; and control means for controlling the conveyance means so as to stop conveyance of the sheet material when the sensor detects that the leading end of the sheet material has been inserted into the conveyance path. apparatus. 3. A separation roller, comprising: a separation roller rotated by a driving means; and a retard member having a surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller and forming a sheet material conveyance path between the separation roller and the separation roller. A separating member provided with a roller and a retard member movably relative to each other, conveying means for conveying the sheet material and inserting the sheet material into the conveying path, and a pressing surface having a smaller coefficient of friction than the facing surface. When the number of the inserted sheet material is one, the pressing surface protrudes from the opposing surface and is moved to the first position where the inserted sheet material is pressed from the retard member toward the separation roller, and the inserted sheet is also inserted. When there are a plurality of sheets, the pressing member is pressed by these sheet members and is moved to a second position where the sheet members come into contact with the opposing surface, and the pressing member is disposed upstream of the separating member in the sheet conveying direction. And a pressing member which has a pressing surface for pressing the sheet material against the outer peripheral surface, and which can move in a direction in which the pressing surface approaches and separates from the outer peripheral surface.