Sheet Conveying Device and Image Reading Device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016200533-A1
Application number	US-201615074546-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 18, 2016
Priority date	Sep 27, 2013
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sheet conveying device includes a conveyor, a supporting section which supports a sheet to be fed to the conveyor and a guide section which is provided on the supporting section and configured to guide a sheet to the conveyor. The supporting section includes a first support region and a second support region which support a sheet. The first support region is provided at a position on an upstream side from the second support region in a sheet conveyance direction. The first support region extends substantially horizontally, and the second support region is inclined in a lower direction toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction. The guide section includes a first portion which extends substantially horizontally along the first support region, and a second portion which is connected to the first portion and extends obliquely in the lower direction along the second support region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A sheet conveying device comprising:
a conveyor that conveys a sheet along a conveyance path in a conveyance direction; a first cover that covers the conveyor from above; a first supporting section that supports a sheet to be fed to the conveyor from a lower side of the sheet; and a guide section that is provided on the first supporting section and has a guiding face that abuts an edge in widthwise direction of the sheet supported by the first supporting section, the widthwise direction being perpendicular to the conveyance direction, the guide section being configured to guide the sheet fed from the first supporting section to the conveyor along the guiding face, wherein the first supporting section includes a first support region and a second support region which are capable of supporting the sheet, wherein the first support region is arranged at a first position that is upstream with respect to the conveyance direction from a second position at which the second support region is arranged, wherein at least a part of the second support region is covered by the first cover, wherein the guide section includes:
a first portion that extends along the first support region;
a second portion that is continued from the first portion and extends along the second support region; and
a projection portion that extends upward from an upper edge of the second portion, and
wherein the first cover includes an accommodating section that is provided at a position corresponding to the projection portion and has a concave shape to accommodate the projection portion.

2 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second support region is inclined downward with respect to the first support region.

3 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the projection portion prevents the sheet to deform and override the upper edge of the second portion.

4 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the guide section is configured to be movable in the widthwise direction, and wherein the projection portion is configured to move in the widthwise direction within the accommodating section when the guide section is moved.

5 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 further comprising:
a second cover that covers the first portion of the guide section from above, the second cover being configured to be movable between an opened position and a closed position.

6 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the second cover covers the first portion of the guide section from above when the second cover is in the closed position, and wherein the second cover serves as a part of the first supporting section and supports the sheet to be fed to the conveyor from a lower side of the sheet when the second cover is in the opened position.

7 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the conveyor includes a separation roller that separates the sheet to be fed in the conveyance direction from a stack of sheets supported on the first supporting section, and wherein the second portion of the guide section has an end portion at a downstream side in the conveyance direction, the end portion being extended to a position near the separation roller.

8 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second portion of the guide section includes a part at a downstream side in the conveyance direction from the projection portion, the part having a shape that has a length from an upper edge to a lower edge which gradually decreases toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction.

9 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first cover is movable between a closed position at which the first cover covers the conveyor from above and an opened position at which the conveyor is exposed at above, and wherein the first cover includes a rib that extends along the conveyance direction at a position facing the second support region in the closed position.

10 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 9 , wherein the accommodating section is provided in the rib.

11 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first supporting section further includes a third support region at an upstream side with respect to the conveyance direction from the first support region, the third support region being configured to support the sheet to be fed to the conveyor from a lower side of the sheet.

12 . The sheet conveying device according to claim 11 further comprising:
a second cover that covers the first portion of the guide section from above, the second cover being configured to be movable between an opened position and a closed position,
wherein the second cover covers the third support region from above when the second cover is in the closed position.

13 . An image scanning apparatus comprising:
a conveyor that conveys a sheet along a conveyance path in a conveyance direction; a first cover that covers the conveyor from above; a first supporting section that supports a sheet to be fed to the conveyor from a lower side of the sheet; a guide section that is provided on the first supporting section and has a guiding face that abuts an edge in widthwise direction of the sheet supported by the first supporting section, the widthwise direction being perpendicular to the conveyance direction, the guide section being configured to guide the sheet fed from the first supporting section to the conveyor along the guiding face; and an image sensor that scans an image on the sheet conveyed by the conveyor, wherein the first supporting section includes a first support region and a second support region which are capable of supporting the sheet, wherein the first support region is arranged at a first position that is upstream with respect to the conveyance direction from a second position at which the second support region is arranged, wherein at least a part of the second support region is covered by the first cover, wherein the guide section includes:
a first portion that extends along the first support region;
a second portion that is continued from the first portion and extends along the second support region; and
a projection portion that extends upward from an upper edge of the second portion, and
wherein the first cover includes an accommodating section that is provided at a position corresponding to the projection portion and has a concave shape to accommodate the projection portion.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Miura Katsuro
• Suganuma Tsuyoshi
• Naniwa Takuya

Classifications

• B65H3/0661

  for separating inclined-stacked articles with separator rollers above the stack · CPC title

• B65H3/66 Primary

  Article guides or smoothers, e.g. movable in operation · CPC title

• B65H5/06

  by rollers {or balls, e.g. between rollers (transport by suction rollers B65H5/226)} · CPC title

• B65H31/02

  with stationary end support against which pile accumulates · CPC title

• B65H1/04 Primary

  adapted to support articles substantially horizontally, e.g. for separation from top of pile · CPC title