Patent Application
20210187972
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-229578, filed on Dec. 19, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments discussed in the present specification relate to medium ejection.
Recently, a medium ejecting apparatus such as a scanner, is required to convey, image and eject various types of media such as a business card, a receipt, a Plain Paper Copier (PPC) paper, a passport. When a plurality of media are conveyed together and ejected by the medium ejecting apparatus, the user typically aligns the front ends of the ejected media to organize the imaged media. It is desirable that positions of the media ejected from the medium ejecting apparatus are aligned so that the user can easily align the front ends of the media.
A discharge sheet loading apparatus including a document holding member having a holding portion to hold a sheet discharged to a discharge document stacking tray, a base portion located above the discharge document stacking tray, and a node portion provided between the holding portion and the base portion is disclosed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2015-229549).
An image forming apparatus including a front end pressing member to move in a direction away from a support surface by contacting with a downstream end in a discharge direction of a paper discharged to a discharge tray and apply a force by its own weight to the downstream end of the sheet is disclosed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2014-198615).
An image forming apparatus including a pressing member to press a sheet when a sheet waved in a width direction perpendicular to a sheet discharging direction and stiffened is discharged toward a discharge tray is disclosed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2019-89608).
According to some embodiments, a medium ejecting apparatus includes a housing including an ejection port to eject a medium, a tray provided below the ejection port, to load the medium ejected from the ejection port, and a medium regulating member accommodated in the housing so as to be drawn out. The medium regulating member includes a medium contacting portion capable of regulating a position of a front end of the medium on the tray in a medium ejecting direction, a first supporting portion to support the medium contacting portion, and a second supporting portion to swingably support the first supporting portion.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory, and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
Hereinafter, a medium ejecting apparatus according to an embodiment, will be described with reference to the drawings. However, it should be noted that the technical scope of the invention is not limited to these embodiments, and extends to the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents.
The medium ejecting apparatus 100 conveys, images, and ejects a medium that is a document. A medium is paper, thick paper, a card, a booklet, a passport, etc. A paper or a thick paper includes a small-sized medium such as a business card or a receipt. The small-sized medium is, for example, a medium in which a size in a longitudinal direction is a longitudinal size of A8 (74 mm) or less. The small-sized medium may be a medium, etc., in which a size in a lateral direction is a horizontal size of A8 (52 mm) or less. A paper also includes PPC paper, such as A4 size or A3 size. The medium ejecting apparatus 100 may be a fax machine, a copying machine, a multifunctional peripheral (MFP), etc. A conveyed medium may not be a document but may be an object being printed on etc., and the medium ejecting apparatus 100 may be a printer etc. An arrow A1 in
The media ejecting apparatus 100 includes a lower housing 101, an upper housing 102, a medium tray 103, an ejection tray 104 and a medium regulating member 105, etc.
The lower housing 101 and the upper housing 102 are an example of a housing. The upper housing 102 is located at a position covering the upper surface of the medium ejecting apparatus 100 and is engaged with the lower housing 101 by hinges. The upper housing 102 is provided so as to be opened and closed in a direction of an arrow A3 at a time of medium jam, during cleaning the inside of the medium ejecting apparatus 100, etc. The lower housing 101 and the upper housing 102 include an ejection port 101a to eject the medium. The upper housing 102 includes an accommodation portion 106 to accommodate the medium regulating member 105.
The medium tray 103 is engaged with the lower housing 101 in such away as to be able to place a medium to be conveyed.
The ejection tray 104 is an example of a tray, and is provided below the ejection port 101a, and engages with the lower housing 101 so as to load the medium ejected from the ejection port 101a. The ejection tray 104 includes a first tray 104a, a second tray 104b, a third tray 104c and a stopper 104d.
The first tray 104a is accommodated inside the lower housing 101 when the medium ejecting apparatus 100 is not used. The first tray 104a is pulled out from the lower housing 101 in the medium ejecting direction A1, and loads the medium ejected from the ejection port 101a when the medium ejecting apparatus 100 is used. The second tray 104b is provided so as to be pulled out from the first tray 104a in the medium ejecting direction A1 so that a medium having a large size is placed on the ejection tray 104. The third tray 104c is provided so as to be able to be pulled out from the second tray 104b in the medium ejecting direction A1 so that the medium having a larger size is placed on the ejection tray 104. The first tray 104a, the second tray 104b and the third tray 104c have a first placing surface 104e, a second placing surface 104f and a third placing surface 104g on which the ejected medium is placed, respectively.
The stopper 104d is foldably provided at the downstream end of the third tray 104c. The stopper 104d stops the front end of the medium of the maximum size supported by the medium ejecting apparatus 100, for example, A4 size or A3 size, ejected to the ejection tray 104, by being raised, and aligns the front end of each medium. On the other hand, the first tray 104a, the second tray 104b and the third tray 104c can be accommodated in the lower housing 101 when the stopper 104d is folded.
The ejection tray 104 may be fixed to the lower housing 101 so as not to be drawn and accommodated. The second tray 104b and/or the third tray 104c may be omitted. When the third tray 104c is omitted, the stopper 104d is provided on the second tray 104b. When the second tray 104b and the third tray 104c are omitted, the stopper 104d is provided on the first tray 104a.
The medium regulating member 105 is a stopper for a small-sized medium, regulates the front end (downstream end) position of the medium on the ejection tray 104 in the medium ejecting direction A1. The medium regulating member 105 is accommodated in the upper housing 102 so as to be drawn out. As shown in
The medium regulating member 105 includes a medium contacting portion 105a, a first supporting portion 105b, and a second supporting portion 105c. The medium contacting portion 105a, the first supporting portion 105b and the second supporting portion 105c are formed of a resin material or a metal material, etc., respectively. The medium contacting portion 105a and the first supporting portion 105b are formed of an integral member. A pair of the medium contacting portion 105a and the first supporting portion 105b, and the second supporting portion 105c are formed of separate members. The medium contacting portion 105a, the first supporting portion 105b and the second supporting portion 105c may be formed of an integral member. The medium contacting portion 105a, the first supporting portion 105b and the second supporting portion 105c may be formed of separate members.
The medium contacting portion 105a is capable of regulating a position of the front end of the medium on the ejection tray 104 in the medium ejecting direction A1. The medium contacting portion 105a is linearly formed along the width direction A2 perpendicular to the medium ejecting direction so as to be in contact with the front end of the medium ejected to the ejection tray 104 over both ends of the medium contacting portion 105a. Thus, the medium contacting portion 105a can stop the small-sized medium so that the front ends of the ejected small-sized media are linearly aligned.
Further, as shown in
The first supporting portion 105b supports the medium contacting portion 105a. The first supporting portion 105b is provided with an opening 105d at the center thereof. The opening 105d is provided so as to adjust a load applied from the medium contacting portion 105a to the ejection tray 104. In other words, a position of a center of gravity of the medium regulating member 105 is positioned on the downstream side, and the load applied from the medium contacting portion 105a to the ejection tray 104 is increased, as the opening 105d is provided on the upstream side in the medium ejecting direction A1. On the other hand, the position of the center of gravity of the medium regulating member 105 is positioned on the upstream side, and the load applied from the medium contacting portion 105a to the ejection tray 104 is reduced, as the opening 105d is provided on the downstream side in the medium ejecting direction A1. Further, the smaller the opening 105d is, the larger a weight of the entire medium regulating member 105 is, and the larger the load applied from the medium contacting portion 105a to the ejection tray 104 is. On the other hand, the larger the opening 105d is, the smaller the weight of the entire medium regulating member 105 is, and the smaller the load applied from the medium contacting portion 105a to the ejection tray 104 is.
The media regulating member 105 is used to stop the front end of the small-sized medium when the small-sized medium is ejected to the ejection tray 104. Therefore, it is desirable that the load applied from the medium contacting portion 105a to the ejection tray 104 is set to a magnitude such that the medium contacting portion 105a does not float up by a force by the small-sized medium ejected by an ejection roller (described later)(and away from the ejection roller) advancing in the medium ejecting direction A1. On the other hand, when the medium of a size larger than the small-sized medium is ejected to the ejection tray 104, the medium regulating member 105 needs to pass the medium without stopping so that the medium does not deflect. Therefore, it is desirable that the load applied from the medium contacting portion 105a to the ejection tray 104 is set to a magnitude such that the medium contacting portion 105a floats by a force by the medium ejected by the ejection roller (and in contact with the ejection roller) advancing in the medium ejecting direction A1. By the opening 105d provided in the first supporting portion 105b, the medium ejecting apparatus 100 can suitably adjust the load applied from the medium contacting portion 105a to the ejection tray 104 while maintaining the strength of the medium regulating member 105.
In particular, it is preferable that the opening 105d is provided so that the position of the center of gravity of the medium regulating member 105 is positioned on the upstream side of the center position in the medium ejecting direction A1. Thus, the medium regulating member 105 can suitably stop the front end of the small-sized medium without disturbing an ejection of a medium larger than the small-sized medium.
Further, by the opening 105d provided in the first supporting portion 105b, the user can confirm a state in which the medium is ejected from the opening 105d, and the medium ejecting apparatus 100 can improve a convenience of the user.
The second supporting portion 105c swingably (rotatably) supports the first supporting portion 105b. In particular, the second supporting portion 105c swingably supports the first supporting portion 105b in a vertical direction A4 which is a direction substantially perpendicular to the first placing surface 104e of the first tray 104a. Thus, the medium regulating member 105 is located along the accommodation portion 106 to be compactly accommodated when accommodated in the upper housing 102, the medium regulating member 105 can contact the medium contacting portion 105a to the ejection tray 104 when drawn out from the upper housing 102.
The first supporting portion 105b is swingably provided upward with respect to the second supporting portion 105c when the upper housing 102 is opened in a state where the medium regulating member 105 is pulled out from the upper housing 102. Thus, when the user accidentally opens the upper housing 102 in a state where the medium regulating member 105 is pulled out from the upper housing 102, it is suppressed that the medium regulating member 105 is sandwiched between the upper housing 102 and the ejection tray 104 to be damaged.
As shown in
As shown in
The medium contacting portion 105a is provided so as to be in contact with the first placing surface 104e of the first tray 104a and so as not to be in contact with the second placing surface 104f of the second tray 104b, in a state where the medium regulating member 105 is pulled out from the upper housing 102. Thus, the medium contacting portion 105a is not dragged by the second placing surface 104f even when the second tray 104b is accommodated in the first tray 104a while the medium regulating member 105 is pulled out from the upper housing 102, thereby, it is suppressed that the medium regulating member 105 is damaged.
As described above, the medium regulating member 105 is used for stopping the front end of the small-sized medium when the small-sized medium is ejected to the ejection tray 104. Therefore, a distance L1 from the ejection port 101a to the medium contacting portion 105a is set to be less than the maximum size of the medium supported by the medium ejecting apparatus 100 and equal to or larger than the size of the small-sized medium. The maximum size of the medium supported by the medium ejecting apparatus 100 is, for example, a longitudinal size (297 mm) of A4 or a longitudinal size (420 mm) of A3, etc. The size of the small-sized medium is, for example, a longitudinal size of A8 (74 mm) or a lateral size of A8 (52 mm). Thus, the medium contacting portion 105a can stop the front end of the small-sized medium when the small-sized medium is ejected to the ejection tray 104.
On the other hand, a distance L2 from the ejection port 101a to the stopper 104d is set to be substantially the same as the maximum size of the medium supported by the medium ejecting apparatus 100. Thus, the stopper 104d can stop the front end of the medium when the medium of the maximum size supported by the medium ejecting apparatus 100 is ejected to the ejection tray 104.
As shown in
As described above, the medium contacting portion 105a is linearly formed over both ends, and the front surface of the medium contacting portion 105a and the front surface 102a of the upper housing 102 are arranged so as to be flush with each other in a state where the medium regulating member 105 is accommodated in the upper housing 102. Thus, the medium ejecting apparatus 100 has a design with a sense of unity in a state where the medium regulating member 105 is accommodated.
The conveyance path inside the medium ejecting apparatus 100 includes a feed roller 111, a brake roller 112, a first conveyance roller 113, a second conveyance roller 114, a first imaging device 115a, a second imaging device 115b, a first ejection roller 116 and a second ejection roller 117, etc. The numbers of each roller is not limited to one, and may be plural. A top surface of the lower housing 101 forms a lower guide 107a of a conveyance path of a medium, and a bottom surface of the upper housing 102 forms an upper guide 107b of the conveyance path of a medium.
The first imaging device 115a includes a line sensor based on a unity-magnification optical system type contact image sensor (CIS) including an imaging element based on a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) linearly located in a main scanning direction. Further, the first imaging device 115a includes a lens for forming an image on the imaging element, and an A/D converter for amplifying and analog-digital (A/D) converting an electric signal output from the imaging element. The first imaging device 115a generates and outputs an input image imaging a front side of a conveyed medium, in accordance with control from a processing circuit to be described later.
Similarly, the second imaging device 115b includes a line sensor based on a unity-magnification optical system type CIS including an imaging element based on a CMOS linearly located in a main scanning direction. Further, the second imaging device 115b includes a lens for forming an image on the imaging element, and an A/D converter for amplifying and A/D converting an electric signal output from the imaging element. The secondary imaging device 115b generates and outputs an input image acquired by imaging a back surface of the conveyed medium, in accordance with control from a processing circuit to be described later.
Only either of the first imaging device 115a and the second imaging device 115b may be located in the medium ejecting apparatus 100 and only one surface of a medium may be read.
Further, a line sensor based on a unity-magnification optical system type CIS including an imaging element based on charge coupled devices (CCDs) may be used in place of the line sensor based on a unity-magnification optical system type CIS including an imaging element based on a CMOS. Further, a line sensor based on a reduction optical system type line sensor including an imaging element based on CMOS or CCDs.
A medium placed on the medium tray 103 is conveyed between the lower guide 107a and the upper guide 107b in the medium ejecting direction A1 by the feed roller 111 rotating in a direction of an arrow A11 in
The medium is fed between the first conveyance roller 113 and the second conveyance roller 114 while being guided by the lower guide 107a and the upper guide 107b. The medium is fed between the first imaging device 115a and the second imaging device 115b by the first conveyance roller 113 and the second conveyance roller 114 rotating in directions of an arrow A13 and an arrow A14, respectively. The medium read by the first imaging device 115a and the second imaging device 115b is ejected onto the ejection tray 104 by the first discharge roller 116 and the second discharge roller 117 rotating in directions of an arrow A15 and an arrow A16, respectively.
As described above in detail, in the medium ejecting apparatus 100, the medium regulating member 105 to regulate the position of the front end of the small-sized medium ejected onto the ejection tray 104 is provided, and the accommodation portion 106 to accommodate the medium regulating member 105 is provided. Thus, the medium ejecting apparatus 100 can reduce the device size when not in use, while suitably aligning the front ends of the ejected media.
In particular, since the medium ejecting apparatus 100 stops the small-sized medium by the medium regulating member 105, it is suppressed that the small-sized medium that has been previously ejected is extruded by the small-sized medium ejected later. Further, it is suppressed that the later ejected small-sized medium slips under the extruded small-sized medium and an order of the media is changed, as a result of the previously ejected small-sized medium being extruded. Further, by the medium regulating member 105, the ejected small-sized medium is prevented from popping out from the ejection tray 104. Thus, the user can easily align the plurality of ejected media, thereby, the medium ejecting apparatus 100 can improve the convenience of the user and reduce the total time required for the medium reading processing.
Further, since the medium regulating member 105 can be accommodated in the upper housing 102 when not in use, the medium ejecting apparatus 100 can reduce a possibility that the medium regulating member 105 is lost when not in use. Further, since the user can accommodate the medium regulating member 105 when opening and closing the upper housing 102, the medium ejecting apparatus 100 can suppress that the opening and closing of the upper housing 102 is prevented by the medium regulating member 105.
The load member 208 is a detachable weight to the first supporting portion 105b. An attaching position of the load member 208 to the first supporting portion 105b in the medium ejecting direction A1 is changeably provided from the downstream end to the upstream end. As described above, the medium regulating member 105 needs to pass the medium larger size than the small-sized medium without stopping, while stopping the small-sized medium. The user can change the attaching position of the load member 208 according to the type of the conveyed medium, and the medium ejecting apparatus 100 can more suitably adjust the load applied from the medium contacting portion 105a to the ejection tray 104. The shape of the load member 208 is not limited to the shape shown in
As described in detail above, the medium ejecting apparatus 200 can reduce the device size when not in use, while suitably aligning the front ends of the ejected media, even when using the load member 208.
According to the embodiment, the medium ejecting apparatus can reduce the device size when not in use, while suitably aligning the front ends of the ejected media.
All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority of the invention. Although the embodiment(s) of the present inventions have been described in detail, it should be understood that the various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-229578 | Dec 2019 | JP | national |
