US20090008860A1 - Automatic document feeder having document size detecting device - Google Patents
Automatic document feeder having document size detecting device Download PDFInfo
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- US20090008860A1 US20090008860A1 US11/952,840 US95284007A US2009008860A1 US 20090008860 A1 US20090008860 A1 US 20090008860A1 US 95284007 A US95284007 A US 95284007A US 2009008860 A1 US2009008860 A1 US 2009008860A1
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- Prior art keywords
- paper
- guide plate
- input tray
- rack
- document
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H1/00—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated
- B65H1/04—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated adapted to support articles substantially horizontally, e.g. for separation from top of pile
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2403/00—Power transmission; Driving means
- B65H2403/40—Toothed gearings
- B65H2403/41—Rack-and-pinion, cogwheel in cog railway
- B65H2403/411—Double rack cooperating with one pinion, e.g. for performing symmetrical displacement relative to pinion
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
- B65H2511/10—Size; Dimensions
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
- B65H2511/20—Location in space
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2553/00—Sensing or detecting means
- B65H2553/40—Sensing or detecting means using optical, e.g. photographic, elements
- B65H2553/41—Photoelectric detectors
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2553/00—Sensing or detecting means
- B65H2553/60—Details of intermediate means between the sensing means and the element to be sensed
- B65H2553/61—Mechanical means, e.g. contact arms
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2801/00—Application field
- B65H2801/39—Scanning
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an automatic document feeder, and more particularly to an automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device.
- an automatic document feeder is used with for example a scanning apparatus for successively feeding many documents at a time. Since A4-sized documents are the most frequently used, the paper input tray and the eject tray of the common automatic document feeder are designed to accommodate A4-sized documents therein. In a case that only A4-sized documents need to be transported by the automatic document feeder, it is not necessary to include a document size detecting device in the automatic document feeder. As known, the automatic document feeder which is able to transport A3-sized documents may be used to transport the A4-sized documents because the area of the A3-sized document is two times as much as the A4-sized document. Under this circumstance, the A4-sized documents may be transported in the width direction.
- the document size detecting device For discriminating whether the document to be transported by the automatic document feeder are A3-sized documents or A4-sized documents, the document size detecting device is required. Similarly, for transporting documents of various other sizes, for example those of sizes A5, B4, B6, etc., the automatic document feeder should contain a document size detecting device.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device as disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Gazette No. 588545.
- the automatic document feeder has a first paper guide unit 14 and a second paper guide unit 16 on bilateral sides of a paper input tray 10 of the automatic document feeder.
- the first paper guide unit 14 and the second paper guide unit 16 may be moved in the direction close to or far from each other.
- the paper input tray 10 has a paper supporting surface 13 for placing paper sheets thereon.
- the first paper guide unit 14 and the second paper guide unit 16 are protruded from the paper supporting surface 13 .
- the opposite side of the paper supporting surface 13 is also referred as the bottom 15 of the paper input tray 10 .
- the document size detecting device is arranged on the bottom 15 of the paper input tray 10 .
- FIG. 2 is a schematic partial enlarged view illustrating the document size detecting device disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. 588545.
- the document size detecting device 20 is arranged on the bottom 15 and principally includes a sensing module 30 , a first channel 33 , a second channel 35 , a third channel 37 and a plurality of ribs 42 .
- the ribs 42 are moved with movement of the first paper guide unit 14 .
- the sensing module 30 includes a first sensor set 32 , a second sensor set 34 and a third sensor set 36 .
- the first sensor set 32 is composed of two first sensors 32 A and 32 B, which are disposed on both sides of the first channel 33 .
- the second sensor set 34 is composed of two second sensors 34 A and 34 B, which are disposed on both sides of the second channel 35 .
- the third sensor set 36 is composed of two third sensors 36 A and 36 B, which are disposed on both sides of the third channel 36 .
- the first paper guide unit 14 and the second paper guide unit 16 are moved to proper positions according to the size of the document such that the document may lie flat on the paper supporting surface 13 of the paper input tray 10 .
- the ribs 42 are also moved along with the first paper guide unit 14 . That is, the positions of the first paper guide unit 14 and the ribs 42 are varied according to the size of the document. Since the ribs 42 are movable, the distances of the ribs 42 relative to the multiple channels 33 , 35 and 37 are diverse.
- the document size detecting device 20 (as shown in FIG. 1 ) may discriminate the size of the document by judging the diverse situations whether the ribs 42 enter the channels.
- the operation principles of discriminating the document size will be illustrated as follows.
- the high-level logic value “1” and the low-level logic value “0” of a digital signal are used as indexes to indicate a conduction state and an interruption state, respectively.
- the definitions of the conduction state and the interruption state are written in the document size detecting device 20 .
- all ribs 42 have not been moved into the first channel 33 , the second channel 35 and the third channel 37 , it is meant that the first sensor set 32 , the second sensor set 34 and the third sensor set 36 of the sensing module 30 are not shielded by the ribs 42 and are all at the conduction states.
- a three-bit digital signal (1, 1, 1) is obtained by the document size detecting device 20 .
- the first sensor set 32 is sheltered by one of the ribs 42 but the second sensor set 34 and the third sensor set 36 of the sensing module 30 are not shielded by the ribs 42 , the first sensor set 32 is at the interruption state but the second sensor set 34 and the third sensor set 36 are at the conduction states.
- a three-bit digital signal (0, 1, 1) is obtained by the document size detecting device 20 .
- the conventional document size detecting device 20 still has some drawbacks.
- the structure of the document size detecting device 20 is very complicated.
- an automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device.
- the automatic document feeder further includes a paper input tray for placing a document thereon.
- the document size detecting device includes a first paper guide plate, a second paper guide plate, a first elongated perforation, a second elongated perforation, a rack movement mechanism and a plurality of sensing members.
- the first paper guide plate includes a first paper stopping slice for positioning the document on a surface of the paper input tray, a first rack on a bottom of the paper input tray, and a rib on the bottom of the paper input tray.
- the second paper guide plate includes a second paper stopping slice for positioning the document on the surface of the paper input tray and a second rack on the bottom of the paper input tray.
- the first elongated perforation is formed in the paper input tray.
- the first paper guide plate is partially penetrated through the first elongated perforation such that the first paper stopping slice is disposed on the surface of the paper input tray and the first rack and the rib are disposed on the bottom of the paper input tray.
- the second elongated perforation is formed in the paper input tray.
- the second paper guide plate is partially penetrated through the second elongated perforation such that the second paper stopping slice is disposed on the surface of the paper input tray and the second rack is disposed on the bottom of the paper input tray.
- the rack movement mechanism is engaged with the first rack and the second rack such that the first paper guide plate and the second paper guide plate are movable along the first elongated perforation and the second elongated perforation, respectively.
- the sensing members are disposed under the bottom of the paper input tray and have respective optical emitters and respective optical receivers. The rib is moved with movement of the first paper guide plate to a selected location between the optical emitter and the optical receiver of a specified sensing member, thereby realizing the size of the document.
- the first paper stopping slice, the first rack and the rib of the first paper guide plate are integrally formed into one-piece.
- the second paper stopping slice and the second rack of the second paper guide plate are integrally formed into one-piece.
- the rack movement mechanism includes a gear, a rotating disc and a rotating shaft.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device as disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. 588545;
- FIG. 2 is a schematic partial enlarged view illustrating the document size detecting device disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. 588545;
- FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic document feeder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic partial enlarged view illustrating the document size detecting device of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic partial perspective view illustrating the detailed structure of the rack movement mechanism
- FIG. 6 is a schematic partial perspective view of the document size detecting device taken from the rear side.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic partial perspective view of a document size detecting device taken from the rear side according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- the present invention provides an automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device.
- FIG. 3 a schematic perspective view of an automatic document feeder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated.
- the automatic document feeder 100 has a paper input tray 140 .
- the paper input tray 140 has a surface 1401 for placing thereon a document (not show).
- a document size detecting device 110 is mounted in the paper input tray 140 .
- the document size detecting device 110 principally includes a first paper guide plate 120 , a second paper guide plate 130 , a rack movement mechanism (not shown) and a plurality of sensing members (not shown).
- the first paper guide plate 120 includes a first paper stopping slice 1201 , a first rack 1202 and a rib (not shown).
- the second paper guide plate 130 includes a second paper stopping slice 1301 and a second rack 1302 .
- a first elongated perforation 150 and a second elongated perforation 160 are formed in the surface 1401 of the paper input tray 140 .
- the first paper stopping slice 1201 , the first rack 1202 and the rib of the first paper guide plate 120 are integrally formed into one-piece, and the second paper stopping slice 1301 and the second rack 1302 of the second paper guide plate 130 are also integrally formed into one-piece.
- the first paper guide plate 120 is partially penetrated through the first elongated perforation 150 such that the first paper stopping slice 1201 is disposed on the surface 1401 of the paper input tray 140 and the first rack 1202 and the rib are disposed on the bottom of the paper input tray 140 .
- the second paper stopping slice 1301 is partially penetrated through the second elongated perforation 160 such that the second paper stopping slice 1301 is disposed on the surface 1401 of the paper input tray 140 and the second rack 1302 is disposed on the bottom of the paper input tray 140 .
- the first rack 1202 and the second rack 1302 which are disposed on the bottom of the paper input tray 140 , are engaged with the rack movement mechanism.
- the rack movement mechanism By means of the rack movement mechanism, the first paper stopping slice 1201 and the second paper stopping slice 1301 are movable on the paper input tray 140 , thereby properly placing various types of documents having different sizes on the paper input tray 140 .
- FIG. 4 is a schematic partial enlarged view illustrating the document size detecting device of the present invention.
- the first paper stopping slice 1201 , the first rack 1202 and the rib 1203 of the first paper guide plate 120 are integrally formed into one-piece.
- the first rack 1202 is engaged with the rack movement mechanism 170 .
- the rack movement mechanism 170 includes a gear (not shown), a rotating disc 1702 and a rotating shaft 1703 .
- the document size detecting device includes two sensing members 180 and 181 .
- the first sensing member 180 includes a first optical emitter 1801 and a first optical receiver 1802 .
- the second sensing member 181 includes a second optical emitter 1811 and a second optical receiver 1812 .
- the light beams emitted from the optical emitters 1801 and 1811 may be received by the optical receivers 1802 and 1812 , respectively.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic partial perspective view illustrating the detailed structure of the rack movement mechanism 170 .
- the rack movement mechanism 170 is disposed on the bottom 1402 of the paper input tray 140 .
- the gear 1701 of the rack movement mechanism 170 is engaged with the first rack 1202 and the second rack 1302 . Since the gear 1701 is engaged with the first rack 1202 and the second rack 1302 , the second paper guide plate 130 is synchronously moved when the first paper guide plate 120 is moved by the user.
- the gear 1701 is fixed by the rotating disc 1702 .
- the gear 1701 and the rotating disc 1702 are sheathed around the rotating shaft 1703 such that the rack movement mechanism 170 is fixed on the bottom 1402 of the paper input tray 140 .
- FIG. 6 is a schematic partial perspective view of the document size detecting device taken from the rear side.
- the document size detecting device 110 may detect A4-sized documents and A3-sized documents.
- the first paper guide plate 120 is partially penetrated through the first elongated perforation 150 such that the first paper stopping slice 1201 is disposed on the surface 1401 of the paper input tray 140 and the first rack 1202 and the rib 1203 are disposed on the bottom of the paper input tray 140 .
- the first rack 1202 and the second rack 1302 are engaged with the rack movement mechanism 170 .
- the rack movement mechanism 170 By means of the rack movement mechanism 170 , the first paper guide plate 120 and the second paper guide plate 130 are synchronously moved.
- the first sensing member 180 and the second sensing member 181 are disposed under the bottom 1402 of the paper input tray 140 .
- the first sensing member 180 the light beam emitted from the first optical emitter 1801 is received by the first optical receiver 1802 .
- the second sensing member 181 the light beam emitted from the second optical emitter 1811 is received by the second optical receiver 1812 .
- the first sensing member 180 and the second sensing member 181 are used to detect the A3-sized documents and A4-sized documents, respectively.
- the locations of the sensing members are determined according to the sizes of the documents to be transported by the automatic document feeder.
- the distance between the first paper guide plate 120 and the second paper guide plate 130 is adjusted to be approximately equal to the width of the A3-sized document (e.g. 297 mm) in order to detect the A3-sized document.
- the first sensing member 180 is disposed under the rib 1203 of the first paper guide plate 120 and the rib 1203 is located between the first optical emitter 1801 and the first optical receiver 1802 of the first sensing member 180 .
- the document size detecting device 110 may include other sensing members, and the above concepts may be applied to these sensing members for detecting other types of documents of different sizes.
- the operations of the document size detecting device 110 will be illustrated as follows.
- the user may move the first paper guide plate 120 to adjust the distance between the first paper guide plate 120 and the second paper guide plate 130 to be approximately equal to the width of the document to be transported by the automatic document feeder.
- the document is placed on the surface 1401 of the paper input tray 140 and between the first paper guide plate 120 and the second paper guide plate 130 .
- the rib 1203 of the first paper guide plate 120 is moved to the location between the first optical emitter 1801 and the first optical receiver 1802 of the first sensing member 180 .
- the light beam emitted from the first optical emitter 1801 is shielded by the rib 1203 and fails to be received by the first optical receiver 1802 .
- the first optical receiver 1802 will output a signal indicative of an A3-sized document such that the document size detecting device 110 may realize the actual size of the document to be transported by the automatic document feeder.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic partial perspective view of a document size detecting device taken from the rear side according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- the document size detecting device 110 of this embodiment may discriminate three types of documents, e.g. A3-sized documents, A4-sized documents and A5-sized documents.
- the document size detecting device includes three sensing members 180 , 181 and 182 .
- the first sensing member 180 includes a first optical emitter 1801 and a first optical receiver 1802 for detecting the A3-sized documents.
- the second sensing member 181 includes a second optical emitter 1811 and a second optical receiver 1812 for detecting the A4-sized documents.
- the third sensing member 182 includes a third optical emitter 1821 and a third optical receiver 1822 for detecting the A5-sized documents.
- the principle of detecting the A3-sized documents by the first sensing member 180 has been illustrated above, and is not redundantly described herein.
- the distance between the first paper guide plate 120 and the second paper guide plate 130 is adjusted to be approximately equal to the width of the A4-sized document (e.g. 210 mm).
- the second sensing member 181 is disposed under the rib 1203 of the first paper guide plate 120 and the rib 1203 is located between the second optical emitter 1811 and the second optical receiver 1812 of the second sensing member 181 .
- the distance between the first paper guide plate 120 and the second paper guide plate 130 is adjusted to be approximately equal to the width of the A5-sized document (e.g. 148 mm).
- the third sensing member 182 is disposed under the rib 1203 of the first paper guide plate 120 and the rib 1203 is located between the third optical emitter 1821 and the third optical receiver 1822 of the third sensing member 182 .
- the conventional document size detecting device is very complicated in its structure and its digital circuitry system.
- the structure of the present document size detecting device is simplified.
- the document size detecting device of the present invention may detect diverse types of documents with different sizes. Since the locations of the sensing members may be changed according to the user's requirement, the applications of the document size detecting device are very flexible and broad. Without the need of the complicated digital circuit, the document size detecting device of the present invention can realize the actual size of the document by discriminating which optical sensor has not received the light beam. Consequently, the present invention is very cost-effective.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device. The document size detecting device includes a first paper guide plate, a second paper guide plate, a first elongated perforation, a second elongated perforation, a rack movement mechanism and a plurality of sensing members. The first paper guide plate includes a first paper stopping slice, a first rack and a rib, wherein the rib is disposed on the bottom of the paper input tray. The second paper guide plate includes a second paper stopping slice and a second rack. By moving the first paper guide plate to have the rib located between an optical emitter and an optical receiver of a specified sensing member, the size of the document placed on the paper input tray is realized.
Description
- The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder, and more particularly to an automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device.
- Generally, an automatic document feeder is used with for example a scanning apparatus for successively feeding many documents at a time. Since A4-sized documents are the most frequently used, the paper input tray and the eject tray of the common automatic document feeder are designed to accommodate A4-sized documents therein. In a case that only A4-sized documents need to be transported by the automatic document feeder, it is not necessary to include a document size detecting device in the automatic document feeder. As known, the automatic document feeder which is able to transport A3-sized documents may be used to transport the A4-sized documents because the area of the A3-sized document is two times as much as the A4-sized document. Under this circumstance, the A4-sized documents may be transported in the width direction. For discriminating whether the document to be transported by the automatic document feeder are A3-sized documents or A4-sized documents, the document size detecting device is required. Similarly, for transporting documents of various other sizes, for example those of sizes A5, B4, B6, etc., the automatic document feeder should contain a document size detecting device.
- In Taiwanese Patent Gazette No. 588545, an automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device is disclosed.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device as disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Gazette No. 588545. As shown inFIG. 1 , the automatic document feeder has a firstpaper guide unit 14 and a secondpaper guide unit 16 on bilateral sides of apaper input tray 10 of the automatic document feeder. The firstpaper guide unit 14 and the secondpaper guide unit 16 may be moved in the direction close to or far from each other. Thepaper input tray 10 has apaper supporting surface 13 for placing paper sheets thereon. The firstpaper guide unit 14 and the secondpaper guide unit 16 are protruded from thepaper supporting surface 13. The opposite side of thepaper supporting surface 13 is also referred as thebottom 15 of thepaper input tray 10. The document size detecting device is arranged on thebottom 15 of thepaper input tray 10. - Please refer to
FIG. 2 , which is a schematic partial enlarged view illustrating the document size detecting device disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. 588545. The documentsize detecting device 20 is arranged on thebottom 15 and principally includes a sensing module 30, afirst channel 33, asecond channel 35, athird channel 37 and a plurality ofribs 42. Theribs 42 are moved with movement of the firstpaper guide unit 14. The sensing module 30 includes afirst sensor set 32, a second sensor set 34 and a third sensor set 36. Thefirst sensor set 32 is composed of twofirst sensors first channel 33. Thesecond sensor set 34 is composed of twosecond sensors second channel 35. Thethird sensor set 36 is composed of twothird sensors third channel 36. - When a document (not shown) is placed in the paper input tray 10 (as shown in
FIG. 1 ), the firstpaper guide unit 14 and the secondpaper guide unit 16 are moved to proper positions according to the size of the document such that the document may lie flat on thepaper supporting surface 13 of thepaper input tray 10. During the process of moving the firstpaper guide unit 14, theribs 42 are also moved along with the firstpaper guide unit 14. That is, the positions of the firstpaper guide unit 14 and theribs 42 are varied according to the size of the document. Since theribs 42 are movable, the distances of theribs 42 relative to themultiple channels FIG. 1 ) may discriminate the size of the document by judging the diverse situations whether theribs 42 enter the channels. - Hereinafter, the operation principles of discriminating the document size will be illustrated as follows. First of all, the high-level logic value “1” and the low-level logic value “0” of a digital signal are used as indexes to indicate a conduction state and an interruption state, respectively. The definitions of the conduction state and the interruption state are written in the document
size detecting device 20. In a case that allribs 42 have not been moved into thefirst channel 33, thesecond channel 35 and thethird channel 37, it is meant that the first sensor set 32, the second sensor set 34 and the third sensor set 36 of the sensing module 30 are not shielded by theribs 42 and are all at the conduction states. Under this circumstance, a three-bit digital signal (1, 1, 1) is obtained by the documentsize detecting device 20. - In another case that the
first sensor set 32 is sheltered by one of theribs 42 but the second sensor set 34 and the third sensor set 36 of the sensing module 30 are not shielded by theribs 42, thefirst sensor set 32 is at the interruption state but the second sensor set 34 and the third sensor set 36 are at the conduction states. Under this circumstance, a three-bit digital signal (0, 1, 1) is obtained by the documentsize detecting device 20. The rest may be deduced by analogy. Since eight (i.e. 23=8) different digital signals are obtained, this documentsize detecting device 20 can determine eight types of documents with different sizes. - The conventional document
size detecting device 20, however, still has some drawbacks. For example, the structure of the documentsize detecting device 20 is very complicated. In addition, it is necessary to define the relationships between the three-bit digital signals and the document types. Therefore, the digital circuit of the documentsize detecting device 20 is also complicated and not cost-effective. - In views of the above-described disadvantages resulted from the prior art, the applicant keeps on carving unflaggingly to develop an automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device according to the present invention through wholehearted experience and research.
- It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device, and more particularly to provide an automatic document feeder having a simplified document size detecting device.
- In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device. The automatic document feeder further includes a paper input tray for placing a document thereon. The document size detecting device includes a first paper guide plate, a second paper guide plate, a first elongated perforation, a second elongated perforation, a rack movement mechanism and a plurality of sensing members. The first paper guide plate includes a first paper stopping slice for positioning the document on a surface of the paper input tray, a first rack on a bottom of the paper input tray, and a rib on the bottom of the paper input tray. The second paper guide plate includes a second paper stopping slice for positioning the document on the surface of the paper input tray and a second rack on the bottom of the paper input tray. The first elongated perforation is formed in the paper input tray. The first paper guide plate is partially penetrated through the first elongated perforation such that the first paper stopping slice is disposed on the surface of the paper input tray and the first rack and the rib are disposed on the bottom of the paper input tray. The second elongated perforation is formed in the paper input tray. The second paper guide plate is partially penetrated through the second elongated perforation such that the second paper stopping slice is disposed on the surface of the paper input tray and the second rack is disposed on the bottom of the paper input tray. The rack movement mechanism is engaged with the first rack and the second rack such that the first paper guide plate and the second paper guide plate are movable along the first elongated perforation and the second elongated perforation, respectively. The sensing members are disposed under the bottom of the paper input tray and have respective optical emitters and respective optical receivers. The rib is moved with movement of the first paper guide plate to a selected location between the optical emitter and the optical receiver of a specified sensing member, thereby realizing the size of the document.
- In an embodiment, the first paper stopping slice, the first rack and the rib of the first paper guide plate are integrally formed into one-piece.
- In an embodiment, the second paper stopping slice and the second rack of the second paper guide plate are integrally formed into one-piece.
- In an embodiment, the rack movement mechanism includes a gear, a rotating disc and a rotating shaft.
- The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device as disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. 588545; -
FIG. 2 is a schematic partial enlarged view illustrating the document size detecting device disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. 588545; -
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic document feeder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 4 is a schematic partial enlarged view illustrating the document size detecting device of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is a schematic partial perspective view illustrating the detailed structure of the rack movement mechanism; -
FIG. 6 is a schematic partial perspective view of the document size detecting device taken from the rear side; and -
FIG. 7 is a schematic partial perspective view of a document size detecting device taken from the rear side according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. - In views of the above-described disadvantages resulted from the prior art, the present invention provides an automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device. Referring to
FIG. 3 , a schematic perspective view of an automatic document feeder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Theautomatic document feeder 100 has apaper input tray 140. Thepaper input tray 140 has asurface 1401 for placing thereon a document (not show). In addition, a documentsize detecting device 110 is mounted in thepaper input tray 140. The documentsize detecting device 110 principally includes a firstpaper guide plate 120, a secondpaper guide plate 130, a rack movement mechanism (not shown) and a plurality of sensing members (not shown). The firstpaper guide plate 120 includes a firstpaper stopping slice 1201, afirst rack 1202 and a rib (not shown). The secondpaper guide plate 130 includes a secondpaper stopping slice 1301 and asecond rack 1302. In addition, a firstelongated perforation 150 and a secondelongated perforation 160 are formed in thesurface 1401 of thepaper input tray 140. - In this embodiment, the first
paper stopping slice 1201, thefirst rack 1202 and the rib of the firstpaper guide plate 120 are integrally formed into one-piece, and the secondpaper stopping slice 1301 and thesecond rack 1302 of the secondpaper guide plate 130 are also integrally formed into one-piece. The firstpaper guide plate 120 is partially penetrated through the firstelongated perforation 150 such that the firstpaper stopping slice 1201 is disposed on thesurface 1401 of thepaper input tray 140 and thefirst rack 1202 and the rib are disposed on the bottom of thepaper input tray 140. The secondpaper stopping slice 1301 is partially penetrated through the secondelongated perforation 160 such that the secondpaper stopping slice 1301 is disposed on thesurface 1401 of thepaper input tray 140 and thesecond rack 1302 is disposed on the bottom of thepaper input tray 140. Thefirst rack 1202 and thesecond rack 1302, which are disposed on the bottom of thepaper input tray 140, are engaged with the rack movement mechanism. By means of the rack movement mechanism, the firstpaper stopping slice 1201 and the secondpaper stopping slice 1301 are movable on thepaper input tray 140, thereby properly placing various types of documents having different sizes on thepaper input tray 140. -
FIG. 4 is a schematic partial enlarged view illustrating the document size detecting device of the present invention. As can be seen inFIG. 4 , the firstpaper stopping slice 1201, thefirst rack 1202 and therib 1203 of the firstpaper guide plate 120 are integrally formed into one-piece. Thefirst rack 1202 is engaged with therack movement mechanism 170. Therack movement mechanism 170 includes a gear (not shown), arotating disc 1702 and arotating shaft 1703. Please refer toFIG. 4 again. The document size detecting device includes two sensingmembers first sensing member 180 includes a firstoptical emitter 1801 and a firstoptical receiver 1802. Thesecond sensing member 181 includes a secondoptical emitter 1811 and a secondoptical receiver 1812. The light beams emitted from theoptical emitters optical receivers -
FIG. 5 is a schematic partial perspective view illustrating the detailed structure of therack movement mechanism 170. Therack movement mechanism 170 is disposed on thebottom 1402 of thepaper input tray 140. Thegear 1701 of therack movement mechanism 170 is engaged with thefirst rack 1202 and thesecond rack 1302. Since thegear 1701 is engaged with thefirst rack 1202 and thesecond rack 1302, the secondpaper guide plate 130 is synchronously moved when the firstpaper guide plate 120 is moved by the user. Thegear 1701 is fixed by therotating disc 1702. Thegear 1701 and therotating disc 1702 are sheathed around therotating shaft 1703 such that therack movement mechanism 170 is fixed on thebottom 1402 of thepaper input tray 140. -
FIG. 6 is a schematic partial perspective view of the document size detecting device taken from the rear side. In this embodiment, the documentsize detecting device 110 may detect A4-sized documents and A3-sized documents. As shown inFIG. 3 , the firstpaper guide plate 120 is partially penetrated through the firstelongated perforation 150 such that the firstpaper stopping slice 1201 is disposed on thesurface 1401 of thepaper input tray 140 and thefirst rack 1202 and therib 1203 are disposed on the bottom of thepaper input tray 140. Thefirst rack 1202 and thesecond rack 1302 are engaged with therack movement mechanism 170. By means of therack movement mechanism 170, the firstpaper guide plate 120 and the secondpaper guide plate 130 are synchronously moved. Thefirst sensing member 180 and thesecond sensing member 181 are disposed under thebottom 1402 of thepaper input tray 140. In thefirst sensing member 180, the light beam emitted from the firstoptical emitter 1801 is received by the firstoptical receiver 1802. Likewise, in thesecond sensing member 181, the light beam emitted from the secondoptical emitter 1811 is received by the secondoptical receiver 1812. Thefirst sensing member 180 and thesecond sensing member 181 are used to detect the A3-sized documents and A4-sized documents, respectively. The locations of the sensing members are determined according to the sizes of the documents to be transported by the automatic document feeder. For example, the distance between the firstpaper guide plate 120 and the secondpaper guide plate 130 is adjusted to be approximately equal to the width of the A3-sized document (e.g. 297 mm) in order to detect the A3-sized document. As a consequence, thefirst sensing member 180 is disposed under therib 1203 of the firstpaper guide plate 120 and therib 1203 is located between the firstoptical emitter 1801 and the firstoptical receiver 1802 of thefirst sensing member 180. Alternatively, the documentsize detecting device 110 may include other sensing members, and the above concepts may be applied to these sensing members for detecting other types of documents of different sizes. - Hereinafter, the operations of the document
size detecting device 110 will be illustrated as follows. First of all, the user may move the firstpaper guide plate 120 to adjust the distance between the firstpaper guide plate 120 and the secondpaper guide plate 130 to be approximately equal to the width of the document to be transported by the automatic document feeder. Then, the document is placed on thesurface 1401 of thepaper input tray 140 and between the firstpaper guide plate 120 and the secondpaper guide plate 130. In a case that the document is A3-sized for example, therib 1203 of the firstpaper guide plate 120 is moved to the location between the firstoptical emitter 1801 and the firstoptical receiver 1802 of thefirst sensing member 180. As a consequence, the light beam emitted from the firstoptical emitter 1801 is shielded by therib 1203 and fails to be received by the firstoptical receiver 1802. Under this circumstance, the firstoptical receiver 1802 will output a signal indicative of an A3-sized document such that the documentsize detecting device 110 may realize the actual size of the document to be transported by the automatic document feeder. -
FIG. 7 is a schematic partial perspective view of a document size detecting device taken from the rear side according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. The documentsize detecting device 110 of this embodiment may discriminate three types of documents, e.g. A3-sized documents, A4-sized documents and A5-sized documents. The document size detecting device includes three sensingmembers first sensing member 180 includes a firstoptical emitter 1801 and a firstoptical receiver 1802 for detecting the A3-sized documents. Thesecond sensing member 181 includes a secondoptical emitter 1811 and a secondoptical receiver 1812 for detecting the A4-sized documents. Thethird sensing member 182 includes a thirdoptical emitter 1821 and a thirdoptical receiver 1822 for detecting the A5-sized documents. The principle of detecting the A3-sized documents by thefirst sensing member 180 has been illustrated above, and is not redundantly described herein. In a case that the document to be transported is A4-sized, the distance between the firstpaper guide plate 120 and the secondpaper guide plate 130 is adjusted to be approximately equal to the width of the A4-sized document (e.g. 210 mm). As a consequence, thesecond sensing member 181 is disposed under therib 1203 of the firstpaper guide plate 120 and therib 1203 is located between the secondoptical emitter 1811 and the secondoptical receiver 1812 of thesecond sensing member 181. In a case that the document to be transported is A5-sized, the distance between the firstpaper guide plate 120 and the secondpaper guide plate 130 is adjusted to be approximately equal to the width of the A5-sized document (e.g. 148 mm). As a consequence, thethird sensing member 182 is disposed under therib 1203 of the firstpaper guide plate 120 and therib 1203 is located between the thirdoptical emitter 1821 and the thirdoptical receiver 1822 of thethird sensing member 182. - As previously described, the conventional document size detecting device is very complicated in its structure and its digital circuitry system. In comparison with prior art, the structure of the present document size detecting device is simplified. By moving the rib of the paper guide plate to a predetermined location to hinder the light beam from being received by a corresponding light receiver, the actual size of the document to be transported by the automatic document feeder is realized. Moreover, instead of configuring multiple channels, only a path is required for moving the rib therein. Since more than three sensing members are arranged along the path, the document size detecting device of the present invention may detect diverse types of documents with different sizes. Since the locations of the sensing members may be changed according to the user's requirement, the applications of the document size detecting device are very flexible and broad. Without the need of the complicated digital circuit, the document size detecting device of the present invention can realize the actual size of the document by discriminating which optical sensor has not received the light beam. Consequently, the present invention is very cost-effective.
- While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
Claims (4)
1. An automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device, said automatic document feeder including a paper input tray for placing a document thereon, and said document size detecting device comprising:
a first paper guide plate including a first paper stopping slice for positioning said document on a surface of said paper input tray, a first rack on a bottom of said paper input tray, and a rib on said bottom of said paper input tray;
a second paper guide plate including a second paper stopping slice for positioning said document on said surface of said paper input tray and a second rack on said bottom of said paper input tray;
a first elongated perforation formed in said paper input tray, wherein said first paper guide plate is partially penetrated through said first elongated perforation such that said first paper stopping slice is disposed on said surface of said paper input tray and said first rack and said rib are disposed on said bottom of said paper input tray;
a second elongated perforation formed in said paper input tray, wherein said second paper guide plate is partially penetrated through said second elongated perforation such that said second paper stopping slice is disposed on said surface of said paper input tray and said second rack is disposed on said bottom of said paper input tray;
a rack movement mechanism engaged with said first rack and said second rack such that said first paper guide plate and said second paper guide plate are movable along said first elongated perforation and said second elongated perforation, respectively; and
a plurality of sensing members disposed under said bottom of said paper input tray and having respective optical emitters and respective optical receivers, wherein said rib is moved with movement of said first paper guide plate to a selected location between said optical emitter and said optical receiver of a specified sensing member, thereby realizing the size of said document.
2. The automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device according to claim 1 wherein said first paper stopping slice, said first rack and said rib of said first paper guide plate are integrally formed into one-piece.
3. The automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device according to claim 1 wherein said second paper stopping slice and said second rack of said second paper guide plate are integrally formed into one-piece.
4. The automatic document feeder having a document size detecting device according to claim 1 wherein said rack movement mechanism includes a gear, a rotating disc and a rotating shaft.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
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TW096124755A TWI333931B (en) | 2007-07-06 | 2007-07-06 | Automatic document feeder with a document size detecting device |
TW096124755 | 2007-07-06 |
Publications (1)
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US20090008860A1 true US20090008860A1 (en) | 2009-01-08 |
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US11/952,840 Abandoned US20090008860A1 (en) | 2007-07-06 | 2007-12-07 | Automatic document feeder having document size detecting device |
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US (1) | US20090008860A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2009012978A (en) |
TW (1) | TWI333931B (en) |
Cited By (5)
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WO2012012273A1 (en) * | 2010-07-20 | 2012-01-26 | Eastman Kodak Company | A document scanner |
US20120301202A1 (en) * | 2011-05-23 | 2012-11-29 | Source Technologies, Llc | Sensing apparatus for detecting and determining the width of media along a feed path |
TWI426045B (en) * | 2011-07-01 | 2014-02-11 | Primax Electronics Ltd | Document location limiting mechnism |
US20180095401A1 (en) * | 2016-09-30 | 2018-04-05 | Kyocera Document Solutions Inc. | Sheet stacking unit, and sheet conveying device and image forming apparatus each including the sheet stacking unit |
DE102020125601A1 (en) | 2020-09-30 | 2022-03-31 | Safety Tax Free GmbH | Document Feeder Module and Tax Refund Device with the Document Feeder Module |
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TWI409174B (en) * | 2010-12-20 | 2013-09-21 | Primax Electronics Ltd | Automatic document feeding device |
CN102862394B (en) * | 2012-09-29 | 2015-01-14 | 深圳邦健生物医疗设备股份有限公司 | Printer structure and medical equipment |
TWI712485B (en) * | 2018-11-16 | 2020-12-11 | 東友科技股份有限公司 | Additive manufacturing method of movable components in one piece |
CN111196075B (en) * | 2018-11-16 | 2022-06-14 | 东友科技股份有限公司 | Integrated lamination manufacturing method of movable assembly |
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US20070138737A1 (en) * | 2005-12-16 | 2007-06-21 | Kyocera Mita Corporation | Sheet loading device and image forming apparatus |
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JP3305918B2 (en) * | 1995-05-16 | 2002-07-24 | 株式会社リコー | Paper width guide |
JP2002347949A (en) * | 2001-05-21 | 2002-12-04 | Canon Inc | Image formation device |
JP4626442B2 (en) * | 2005-08-18 | 2011-02-09 | 富士ゼロックス株式会社 | Automatic document feeder |
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- 2007-07-06 TW TW096124755A patent/TWI333931B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2007-11-08 JP JP2007290979A patent/JP2009012978A/en active Pending
- 2007-12-07 US US11/952,840 patent/US20090008860A1/en not_active Abandoned
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US6213015B1 (en) * | 1998-01-09 | 2001-04-10 | Tohoku Ricoh Co., Ltd. | Printer |
US20070138737A1 (en) * | 2005-12-16 | 2007-06-21 | Kyocera Mita Corporation | Sheet loading device and image forming apparatus |
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2012012273A1 (en) * | 2010-07-20 | 2012-01-26 | Eastman Kodak Company | A document scanner |
CN102959935A (en) * | 2010-07-20 | 2013-03-06 | 柯达公司 | A document scanner |
US20120301202A1 (en) * | 2011-05-23 | 2012-11-29 | Source Technologies, Llc | Sensing apparatus for detecting and determining the width of media along a feed path |
US9219836B2 (en) * | 2011-05-23 | 2015-12-22 | Datamax-O'neil Corporation | Sensing apparatus for detecting and determining the width of media along a feed path |
TWI426045B (en) * | 2011-07-01 | 2014-02-11 | Primax Electronics Ltd | Document location limiting mechnism |
US20180095401A1 (en) * | 2016-09-30 | 2018-04-05 | Kyocera Document Solutions Inc. | Sheet stacking unit, and sheet conveying device and image forming apparatus each including the sheet stacking unit |
US10459394B2 (en) * | 2016-09-30 | 2019-10-29 | Kyocera Document Solutions Inc. | Sheet stacking unit, and sheet conveying device and image forming apparatus each including the sheet stacking unit |
DE102020125601A1 (en) | 2020-09-30 | 2022-03-31 | Safety Tax Free GmbH | Document Feeder Module and Tax Refund Device with the Document Feeder Module |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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JP2009012978A (en) | 2009-01-22 |
TW200902419A (en) | 2009-01-16 |
TWI333931B (en) | 2010-12-01 |
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