This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 095134959, filed on Sep. 21, 2006.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an office machine, and more particularly to a paper feeding apparatus mounted on an office machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
Due to the pushing force of the spring 5 toward the housing 2 and the rear paper-feeding roller 101, when the driving shaft 1 is rotated, the housing 2 pivots about the driving shaft 1. As such, the housing 2 is pivotable between a first position whereat a paper loading operation can be performed such that a stack of papers can be placed onto a paper-supporting member (not shown), and a second position whereat a paper pickup operation can be performed such that one sheet of the stacked papers can be picked up by the paper feeding apparatus.
Since the spring 5 is sleeved on the driving shaft 1, the moment arm associated with the pushing force of the spring 6 applied to the driving shaft 1 and the housing 2 for pivoting the housing 2 about the driving shaft 1 is short. This necessitates the use of a large amount of power for rotating an assembly of the driving shaft 1 and the housing 2. Furthermore, it is difficult to mount the spring 5 between the driving shaft 1 and the housing 2.
The object of this invention is to provide a paper feeding apparatus that allows for paper loading and pickup operations without the use of a large amount of power and that can be assembled with ease.
According to an aspect of this invention, a paper feeding apparatus comprises:
a driving shaft rotatable about an axis and including a first roller and a first gear connected coaxially and fixedly to the first roller;
a swing arm unit having a connecting end portion sleeved rotatably on the driving shaft, a free end portion opposite to the connecting end portion, and an intermediate portion interconnecting the connecting end portion and the free end portion;
a pickup shaft disposed rotatably on the free end portion of the swing arm unit and parallel to the driving shaft, the pickup shaft including a second roller aligned with the first roller, and a second gear connected coaxially and fixedly to the second roller and aligned with the first gear; and
an idle wheel unit disposed between the driving shaft and the pickup shaft and including an idle wheel body that is disposed rotatably on the intermediate portion of the swing arm unit and that meshes with the first and second gears, a locking member extending through the idle wheel body, and a friction member clamped between the locking member and the idle wheel body and in frictional contact with the idle wheel body.
According to another aspect of this invention, a paper feeding apparatus comprises:
a driving shaft rotatable about an axis and including a first roller and a first gear connected coaxially and fixedly to the first roller;
a swing arm unit having a connecting end portion sleeved rotatably on the driving shaft, a free end portion opposite to the connecting end portion, and an intermediate portion interconnecting the connecting end portion and the free end portion;
a pickup shaft disposed rotatably on the free end portion of the swing arm unit and parallel to the driving shaft, the pickup shaft including a second roller aligned with the first roller, and a second gear connected coaxially and fixedly to the second roller and aligned with the first gear; and
a damping gear disposed between the driving shaft and the pickup shaft and including an idle wheel body that is disposed rotatably on the intermediate portion of the swing arm unit and that meshes with the first and second gears, and a damping member disposed between the idle wheel body and the intermediate portion of the swing arm unit for damping rotation of the idle wheel body relative to the swing arm unit.
Since the friction member and the damping gear are attached to the intermediate portion of the swing arm unit, the moment arm associated with the force applied between the driving shaft and the swing arm unit for pivoting the swing arm unit about the driving shaft is increased. Thus, a power necessary for rotating an assembly of the driving shaft and the swing arm unit can be reduced significantly. Furthermore, the paper feeding apparatus can be assembled with ease.
These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail in connection with the preferred embodiments, it should be noted that similar elements and structures are designated by like reference numerals throughout the entire disclosure.
Referring to
The driving shaft 10 is disposed rotatably on a housing of the office machine, is driven by a power source of the office machine to rotate about a central axis (A) thereof, and includes a first roller 11 and a first gear 12 connected coaxially and fixedly to the first roller 11.
The swing arm unit 20 includes a first side plate 21, a top plate 22 connected fixedly to a top side of the first side plate 21, and a second side plate 23 having a top side connected removably to the top plate 22 by bolts and aligned with the first side plate 21. The swing arm unit 20 has a connecting end portion 24 sleeved rotatably on the driving shaft 10, a free end portion 25 opposite to the connecting end portion 24, and an intermediate portion 26 interconnecting the connecting end portion 24 and the free end portion 25. The second side plate 23 is provided with a shaft tube 231 disposed fixedly thereon. The shaft tube 231 is disposed on the intermediate portion 26 of the swing arm unit 20.
The pickup shaft 30 is disposed rotatably on the free end portion 25 of the swing arm unit 20, is parallel to the driving shaft 10, and includes a second roller 31 aligned with the first roller 11, and a second gear 32 connected coaxially and fixedly to the second roller 31.
The idle wheel unit 40 includes an idle wheel body 41 meshing with the first and second gears 12, 32, a locking member 42 extending through the idle wheel body 41, and a friction member 43 clamped between the locking member 42 and the idle wheel body 41 and in frictional contact with the idle wheel body 41. The idle wheel body 41 is sleeved rotatably on the shaft tube 231. The locking member 42 is configured as a lock bolt that engages a threaded hole 232 in the shaft tube 231 and that has a bolt head 421. The friction member 43 is made of rubber or silica gel, is sleeved on the locking member 42, and is clamped between the bolt head 421 of the locking member 42 and the idle wheel body 41.
As shown by the solid lines in
As shown by the phantom lines in
As such, the moment arm associated with the frictional force for pivoting the swing arm unit 20 about the driving shaft 10 is greater than the moment arm in the above-mentioned prior art. Thus, the power necessary for rotating an assembly of the driving shaft 10 and the swing arm unit 20 can be reduced significantly. Furthermore, since the second side plate 23 is connected removably to the top plate 22, the idle wheel unit 40 can be assembled to the second side plate 23 prior to mounting of the second side plate 23 to the top plate 22. As a result, the paper feeding apparatus can be assembled with ease.
The damping gear 40′ includes a mounting seat 41′, an idle wheel body 42′, and a damping member 43′. The mounting seat 41′ is disposed fixedly on the second side plate 23′, and is formed with an integral shaft rod 411′. The wheel body 42′ is sleeved rotatably on the shaft rod 411′, meshes with the first and second gears 12, 32 (see
As such, a frictional force generated between the damping member 43′ and the idle wheel body 42′ and between the damping member 43′ and the shaft rod 411′ is converted into a torque for pivoting the swing arm unit 20′ about the driving shaft 10 (see
With this invention thus explained, it is apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. It is therefore intended that this invention be limited only as indicated by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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95134959 A | Sep 2006 | TW | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20020084573 | Yu et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
20080024288 | Kageyama et al. | Jan 2008 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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479023 | Mar 2002 | TW |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20080073826 A1 | Mar 2008 | US |