US-20260129133-A1 - DOCUMENT CONVEYING DEVICE, AND DOCUMENT CONVEYING AND READING APPARATUS

Abstract

A document conveying device includes a sheet feeding tray, a sheet feeding unit, an actuator, a sensor, and a control part. The sheet feeding unit includes a drive shaft, a holder, and a pickup roller. The actuator includes a rotational shaft, a detecting piece, and a light-shielding piece. When a signal different from a signal outputted from the sensor when the actuator is driven with the document set on the sheet feeding tray is input, the control part returns the sheet feeding unit to an initial posture in which the pickup roller is separated upward from the sheet feeding tray.

Inventors

• Ren ISODA

Assignees

• KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251103

Priority Date

20241107

Claims (5)

1. 1 . A document conveying device comprising: a sheet feeding tray on which a document is set; a sheet feeding unit which feeds the document set on the sheet feeding tray in a predetermined conveying direction; an actuator activated by the document set on the sheet feeding tray; a sensor which outputs a predetermined signal in response to an activation of the actuator; and a control part which receives the signal output from the sensor and controls the sheet feeding unit based on the signal, wherein the sheet feeding unit includes: a drive shaft rotatably supported above the sheet feeding tray; a holder whose upstream side end portion in the conveying direction is rotatably supported by the drive shaft and is turnable upward and downward together with the drive shaft; and a pickup roller which is rotatably supported at a downstream side end portion of the holder in the conveying direction and rotates in contact with the document set on the sheet feeding tray, the actuator includes: a rotational shaft rotatably supported above the sheet feeding tray; a detecting piece which is provided integrally with the rotational shaft, suspended from the rotational shaft by its own weight, and rotates the rotational shaft by being pushed by the document set on the sheet feeding tray; and a light-shielding piece which is provided integrally with the rotational shaft, suspended from the rotational shaft by its own weight, and switches an output of the sensor by the rotation of the rotational shaft, wherein when a signal different from a signal outputted from the sensor when the actuator is driven with the document set on the sheet feeding tray is input, the control part returns the sheet feeding unit to an initial posture in which the pickup roller is separated upward from the sheet feeding tray.
2. 2 . The document conveying device according to claim 1 , comprising: a conveying frame having a conveying path along which the document set on the sheet feeding tray is conveyed, and a conveying cover which is turnably provided upward and downward, and exposes the conveying path by being turned upward, wherein the sheet feeding unit and the actuator are supported by the conveying cover.
3. 3 . The document conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein when the signal shorter than the signal outputted from the sensor when the actuator is driven with the document set on the sheet feeding tray is input, the control part returns the sheet feeding unit to the initial posture in which the pickup roller is separated upward from the sheet feed tray.
4. 4 . The document conveying device according to claim 2 , wherein a rotational shaft of the conveying cover and the rotational shaft of the actuator are parallel.
5. 5 . A document conveying and reading apparatus, comprising: an image reading device which reads an image of the document at a predetermined reading position, and the document conveying device according to claim 1 , which is turnably supported by the image reading device and conveys the document whose image is to be read by the image reading device to the reading position.

Description

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese patent application No.2024-195048 Nov. 7, 2024, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a document conveying device including a sheet feeding unit, and a document conveying and reading apparatus including the document conveying device. BACKGROUND A document conveying device includes a sheet feeding tray on which a document is set, a conveying frame having a conveying path along which the document is conveyed, a sheet feeding unit which feeds the document set on the sheet feeding tray to the conveying path, and a conveying cover which is provided so as to be turnable upward and downward relative to the conveying frame and exposes the conveying path by being turned upward. The sheet feeding unit includes a drive shaft rotatably supported by the conveying cover, a holder rotatably supported by the drive shaft, and a pickup roller rotatably supported by the holder. The upstream end portion of the holder in the conveying direction is rotatably supported by the drive shaft. The pickup roller is rotatably supported at the downstream end portion of the holder in the conveying direction. In a state where the conveying cover is closed, the drive gear fixed to the drive shaft is meshed with the output gear of the motor provided in the conveying frame. When the drive shaft is rotated by the motor, the holder is turned upward and downward to move the pickup roller up and down between a sheet feeding position where it abuts on the document set on the sheet feeding tray and a retracted position where it is separated upward from the document. When the sheet feeding operation is started, the sheet feeding unit returns to the initial posture in which the holder is turned upward and the pickup roller is moved up to the retracted position. SUMMARY A document conveying device according to the present disclosure includes a sheet feeding tray, a sheet feeding unit, an actuator, a sensor, and a control part. On the sheet feeding tray, a document is set. The sheet feeding unit feeds the document set on the sheet feeding tray in a predetermined conveying direction. The actuator is activated by the document set on the sheet feeding tray. The sensor outputs a predetermined signal in response to an activation of the actuator. The control part receives the signal output from the sensor and controls the sheet feeding unit based on the signal. The sheet feeding unit includes a drive shaft, a holder, and a pickup roller. The drive shaft is rotatably supported above the sheet feeding tray. The holder whose upstream side end portion in the conveying direction is rotatably supported by the drive shaft, and the holder is turnable upward and downward together with the drive shaft. Thea pickup roller is rotatably supported at a downstream side end portion of the holder in the conveying direction and rotates in contact with the document set on the sheet feeding tray. The actuator includes a rotational shaft, a detecting piece, and a light-shielding piece. The rotational shaft is rotatably supported above the sheet feeding tray. The detecting piece is provided integrally with the rotational shaft, suspended from the rotational shaft by its own weight, and rotates the rotational shaft by being pushed by the document set on the sheet feeding tray. The light-shielding piece is provided integrally with the rotational shaft, suspended from the rotational shaft by its own weight, and switches an output of the sensor by the rotation of the rotational shaft. When a signal different from a signal outputted from the sensor when the actuator is driven with the document set on the sheet feeding tray is input, the control part returns the sheet feeding unit to an initial posture in which the pickup roller is separated upward from the sheet feeding tray. A document conveying and reading apparatus according to the present disclosure includes an image reading device which reads an image of the document at a predetermined reading position, and the document conveying device which is turnably supported by the image reading device and conveys the document whose image is to be read by the image reading device to the reading position. The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure is shown by way of illustrative example. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a document conveying and reading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the document conveying and reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a conveying cover viewed from below, in the