This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 99144525, filed on Dec. 17, 2010. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a paper-feeding device and a multi-functional printers, and more particularly, to a paper-feeding device insuring the paper to be fed in level and a multi-functional printers using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Along with the advent of informational society, office automatic equipments such as scanner, photocopier, fax machine or printer would be disposed in an office, and users can conduct word processing work by means of the office automatic equipments. When the above-mentioned office automatic equipments are simultaneously disposed in an office, it will occupy a lot of spaces. Hence, a multi-function printers (MFP) integrating the functions of photocopying, printing, scanning and the like has been developed to solve the above-mentioned space problem.
Usually, a user places a pile of paper at the MFP to conduct photocopying, printing or scanning. In order to make the MFP working with one piece of paper at a time, usually the paper-feeding device employs a paper-separating part, wherein an often paper-separating way is to utilize the buckling of paper for taking the paper; for example, it makes paper buckling by means of a friction action provided by a friction plate or a saw-teeth shape structure. However, the said paper-separating way has a certain operation limitation; namely, the paper must occupy a specific angle range relatively to the paper-separating part so as to effectively separate paper. In other words, if it fails to organize the paper to occupy the above-mentioned specific angles relative to the paper-separating part prior to separating the paper, the chance of successively feeding paper one piece by one piece would be reduced.
Accordingly, the invention is directed to a paper-feeding device insuring the paper to be fed in level.
The invention provides a paper-feeding device suitable to feed paper, which includes a base, a driving axle, a position-limiting element and a retaining element. The base has a first assembling portion, and all of the driving axle, the position-limiting element and the retaining element are disposed in the base, wherein the position-limiting element and the retaining element are located above the driving axle, and the retaining element is located at a side of the position-limiting element. The position-limiting element has a second assembling portion, a first position-limiting portion and a second position-limiting portion, and the first position-limiting portion and the second position-limiting portion are located on radial directions having an included angle with each other of the second assembling portion. The retaining element includes a swing frame, a paper-separating element and a spring. The swing frame has a body, a first pivoting portion and a second pivoting portion, wherein the body is located between the first position-limiting portion and the second position-limiting portion of the position-limiting element, the first pivoting portion and the second pivoting portion are connected to the body from below, located at the opposite sides of the body and coaxial with each other. The first pivoting portion is pivoted to the first assembling portion and the second pivoting portion is pivoted to the second assembling portion. The paper-separating element has an inserting portion and a paper-separating portion, wherein the inserting portion is sheathed by and disposed at the body of the swing frame and the paper-separating portion leans against the driving axle. The spring is disposed between the inserting portion of the paper-separating element and the body of the swing frame.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned body has a datum plane and an accommodation space located under the datum plane, the driving axle is located in the accommodation space and the first assembling portion is protrudent out of the datum plane. The base further has a third assembling portion disposed on the datum plane, the third assembling portion has an assembling inclination surface having an included angle with the datum plane, the position-limiting element further has a fourth assembling portion connecting the second assembling portion, a normal direction of the fourth assembling portion is perpendicular to the normal direction of the second assembling portion and the fourth assembling portion is fixed at the assembling inclination surface. The paper-feeding device further includes a fastener going through the fourth assembling portion and locked in the third assembling portion.
In an embodiment of the present invention, both the first assembling portion and the second assembling portion respectively have an open hole or a pivot, and both the first pivoting portion and the second pivoting portion respectively and correspondingly have a pivot or an open hole.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned second assembling portion is in sector shape.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned driving axle includes a shaft rod and a paper-picking roller, wherein the shaft rod is sheathed by and disposed in the paper-picking roller and both ends of the shaft rod are disposed at and passing through the base.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned body of the swing frame has an accommodation recess and two guiding walls located at opposite sides of the accommodation recess, there are two position-limiting grooves at the two opposite sides of the inserting portion of the paper-separating element and the guiding walls are correspondingly located in the position-limiting grooves, and the inserting portion further has two position-limiting hooks disposed on the position-limiting grooves, and each of the position-limiting hook has a hooking portion correspondingly located in the accommodation recess and the positions of the hooking portions are limited by the guiding walls. The body of the swing frame further has a first shaft located in the accommodation space and the inserting portion further has a second shaft located between the position-limiting hooks, the first shaft and the second shaft are coaxial with each other and both ends of the spring sheathe the first shaft and the second shaft.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned paper-feeding device further includes a soft material pad disposed on a surface facing the driving axle of the paper-separating portion and contacting the driving axle.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned included angle between the first position-limiting portion and the second position-limiting portion ranges between 0° and 180°.
In an embodiment of the present invention, when the driving axle rotates along a first direction, the body of the swing frame takes the first pivoting portion and the second pivoting portion as the rotation shaft to rotate until the body leans against the first position-limiting portion so as to retain the paper from feeding; when the driving axle rotates along a second direction opposite to the first direction, the body of the swing frame takes the first pivoting portion and the second pivoting portion as the rotation shaft to rotate until the body leans against the second position-limiting portion so that the paper-separating element contacts the edge of the driving axle to make the paper fed in level.
The invention also provides a multi-functional printer, which includes a casing and an above-mentioned paper-feeding device. The casing has a rail and the paper-feeding device is installed in the casing and located at the inlet of the rail.
Based on the mentioned above, when the driving axle rotates in reverse, the paper-feeding device of the invention would drive the swing frame of the retaining element rotating around the rotation axis of the first pivoting portion and the second pivoting portion coaxial with each other so as to retain. When the driving axle rotates forward, the paper-feeding device would drive the retaining element rotating around the rotation axis of the first pivoting portion and the second pivoting portion so as to feed the paper and meanwhile the retaining element would keep applying an even force to make the paper fed in level.
In order to make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the invention comprehensible, several exemplary embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
The base 1100 has a datum plane 1110a and an accommodation space S located under the datum plane 1110a, and the driving axle 1200 is located in the accommodation space S. The driving axle 1200 includes a shaft rod 1210 and a paper-picking roller 1220, wherein the shaft rod 1210 is sheathed by and disposed in the paper-picking roller 1220. Both ends of the shaft rod 1210 are disposed at and passing through the base 1100, wherein one end is further connected to a motor (not shown) so that the rotating motor would bring the shaft rod 1210 for rotation.
In addition, the base 1100 further has a third assembling portion 1110 in triangle pillar shape. The third assembling portion 1110 is disposed on the datum plane 1110a and has an assembling inclination surface 1120a with an acute included angle towards the datum plane 1110a. The position-limiting element 1300 further has a fourth assembling portion 1340 connected to the second assembling portion 1310, wherein the normal direction N1 of the fourth assembling portion 1340 is perpendicular to the normal direction N2 of the second assembling portion 1310, and the fourth assembling portion 1340 is fixed at the assembling inclination surface 1120a. In the embodiment, the paper-feeding device 1000 further includes a fastener 1500 going through the fourth assembling portion 1340 and locked in the third assembling portion 1110.
In addition, the body 1412 of the swing frame 1410 further has a first shaft 1412d located in the accommodation recess 1412a, the inserting portion 1422 further has a second shaft 1422e located between the two position-limiting hooks 1422c, the first shaft 1412d and the second shaft 1422e are coaxial with each other, and both ends of the spring 1430 sheathe the first shaft 1412d and the second shaft 1422e.
The paper-feeding device 1000 further includes a soft material pad 1600 disposed on a surface 1420a facing the driving axle 1200 of the paper-separating portion 1424. The soft material pad 1600 contacts the driving axle 1200.
In addition, the shaft rod 1210 makes the paper-picking roller 1220 keep rotating along the first direction D1 so as to reach the object of organizing the paper P and avoiding the paper P from skew.
When the retaining element 1400 is acted by the rotating driving axle 1200 in a rotation direction to rotate relatively to the position-limiting element 1300 and during the paper P is entering between the paper-picking roller 1220 and the retaining element 1400, due to the rolling action of the paper-picking roller 1220 or the effect of the thickness of the paper P, the paper-separating element 1420 would move up and down relatively to the swing frame 1410 along an axis formed by the first shaft 1412d of the body 1412 and the second shaft 1422e of the inserting portion 1422 wherein the first shaft 1412d and the second shaft 1422e are coaxial with each other. At the time, the guiding walls 1412b and 1412c of the body 1412 of the swing frame 1410 and the position-limiting grooves 1422a and 1422b of the inserting portion 1422 of the paper-separating element 1420 function to ensure the paper-separating element 1420 only moving up and down relatively to the swing frame 1410 without left and right deflections. On the other hand, limited by the profile of the accommodation recess 1412a and the disposition of the guiding walls 1412b and 1412c, the up and down moving distance of the paper-separating element 1420 relatively to the swing frame 1410 can be limited, while the elastic resuming force provided by the spring 1430 is steadily applied to the body 1412 of the swing frame 1410 and the inserting portion 1422 of the paper-separating element 1420, which makes the paper-separating portion 1424 steadily contacting the paper-picking roller 1220.
In summary, the retaining element of the paper-feeding device in the invention is able to change the position thereof relative to the driving axle by means of the rotation direction of the driving axle so as to decide whether the paper is retained or fed. In addition, by disposing the spring of the retaining element, the spring can steadily apply a force to the paper-separating element of the retaining element, which makes the paper-separating element steadily with an even force contact the paper-picking roller of the driving axle and makes the paper-separating element with an even force contact the paper-picking roller of the driving axle. During retaining paper, the paper-feeding device of the invention can get a good retaining effect and make the paper-picking roller organize the paper to avoid the paper from skew; during feeding paper, the paper-feeding device can achieve the object of feeding the paper smoothly.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the descriptions above are several preferred embodiments of the invention only, which does not limit the implementing range of the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. The claim scope of the invention is defined by the claims hereinafter.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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99144525 | Dec 2010 | TW | national |