Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Kosuke Takaki

Takao Araki

Takeshi Nakayama

Junichi Suematsu

Yasushi Okamura

Junichi Mutoh

Yoshihiro Itoh

Hiroshi Matsumoto

Katsuzi Ichimaru

Tetsurou Fukuzoe

Toshiro Sosogi

An image reader comprising a reading glass plate facing an optical scanning system and a platen roller provided opposite to the reading glass plate; both being grounded. It is combined with an automatic sheet feeder, which comprises a retardation roller containing torque limiters and corrugation rollers. An optimized combination of these rollers provides an ideal sheet transfer and avoids overlaid sheet transfer. Generation of paper dust and toner particles is minimized in the optimized sheet transfer. Furthermore, sticking of such dust and particles on the reading glass plate and the platen roller is prevented in an image reader of the present invention. Thus the image reader reads out high quality images without being affected by dispersed paper dust or toner particles, while overlaid transfer of mother document sheets is prevented in the sheet feeder.

Sheet separation roller configuration

There are disclosed a pressing force adjustable roller unit, a sheet member or transport system in an image processing apparatus provided with the roller unit, and a sheet member supply system in which multi-transport can securely be prevented. In a holder to which a roller is attached via a holding shaft to move the roller in a load direction from a peripheral surface, a torsion spring is connected in a direction in which the holding shaft is pressed downward, a windup degree of a winding portion of the torsion spring is adjusted by engagement of an engaging arm projecting from the winding portion with a first or second stopper disposed on a holder side, and a roller pressing force can therefore be adjusted. There are also provided a hopper for piling sheets, a supply roller for picking up and feeding out the sheet, and a multi-transport preventing roller pair of a separation roller and a retard roller so that the hopper can vertically move with respect to the supply roller. When the sheet multi-transport is detected by a multi-transport detection sensor, disposed on an immediate downstream side of the separation roller and retard roller, for detecting the sheet multi-transport, the hopper is shifted in a downward direction apart from the supply roller, a nipping force between the separation roller and retard roller is reduced, and a retard roller rotation torque is increased.

Pressing force adjustable roller unit, transport system of sheet member in image processing apparatus therewith and supply system of sheet member in image processing apparatus

A rotating shaft coupling has a plurality of rotating-shaft-coupling-members. One of the rotating-shaft-coupling-members is multi-layered by a coupler connecting a shaft thereto, an elastic body and an inertia body which has a mass activating a torsion load in a rotating direction when the elastic body is rotating. A plurality of the rotating-shaft-coupling-members are assembled into the rotating shaft coupling. By this construction, transmission of the vibration from a motor side to a driven side can be effectively suppressed.

Image scanning apparatus having a rotating shaft coupling

In order to provide a paper feeding apparatus which is miniaturized by inclining a conveying passage and can quickly feed a manuscript even if the manuscript is thick, there is provided a paper feeding apparatus in which a conveying passage for a manuscripts is formed so as to continuously connected with a hopper on which the manuscripts are placed, and the manuscripts placed on the hopper are picked up one by one from an uppermost one thereof and fed to the conveying passage, wherein the conveying passage is inclined in the height direction so that the hopper side thereof is downward, and the angle of the hopper can be set so as to be arranged in a straight line in accordance with the inclination of the conveying passage.

Paper feeding apparatus

An image reading apparatus is activated when continuous documents are stacked on a table so that the table is raised. The table stops being raised when the upper most sheet of the documents contacts a pick-up roller. After the pick-up roller is driven and starts sending out the documents, the documents are transmitted to a discharging outlet after undergoing a readout process. When the document arrives at a given location in the apparatus, the table is lowered so that the continuous documents can avoid being damaged.

Image reading apparatus

In the case of handling an independent document, a transmission switch is set at 'L' position and the document is transmitted and read out at a high speed, and the document is discharged to the front side of the image reading apparatus. In the case of handling a continuous document, the transmission switch is set at 'H' position, and the document is transmitted at a low speed subjected to the processing capacity of an image processor, and the document is read out before being discharged to a rear face of the apparatus. At this time, when the document arrives at a given location in the apparatus, a table apparatus lowers the table and prevents the continuous documents from being damaged.

An image reading and printing apparatus having a housing, a printing part located in the upper part of the housing, an image reading part located in the lower part of the housing, a sheet feeding part located in the lower part of the housing below the image reading part and receiving thereinto a sheet inserted from the lower part of the front face of the housing, a C-like shape sheet conveying path through which the sheet is led from the sheet feed part to the printing part, and is discharged outside of the housing from the upper part of the front surface thereof, and a C-like shape document conveying path through which a document inserted from the lower part of the front face of the housing is led to the image reading part, and is then discharged outside of the housing from the front face of the housing, the C-like document conveying path being surrounded by the C-like sheet conveying path, thereby making it possible to miniaturize the image reading and printing apparatus and to absorb a shift between the timing of the reading operation and the timing of the printing operation caused by the printing speed of the printing part which is relatively lower than the reading speed of the image reading part.

Apparatus for reading images from documents and printing information on

A scanner printer includes a scanner portion for reading written information on an original manuscript paper and a printer portion for printing written information on printing paper, both of which are integrally combined within a single casing. The respective paper feeding into the scanner portion and the printer portion is performed through a common feeding passage. Thus, the overall dimension of the scanner printer can be downsized. A pointer directs the original manuscript and the printing paper into an original manuscript passage and into the printer portion, respectively. Hence, wear an on a surface of a photo-sensitive drum of the printer portion can be greatly reduced thus maintaining accurate and sharp printing characteristics.

Image scanning and printing system having a common paper feeding passage

A machine tool which has a chassis, a chuck support rotatably mounted on the chassis and removably carrying a plurality of chucks in a circular row and each holding an associated rotatable processing tool and a chuck carrier operable to remove one of the chucks, carried by the chuck support and brought to a predetermined position relative to the chassis, from the chuck support, and a chuck drive unit for driving the chuck, removed from the chuck carrier, to bring the processing tool into a condition ready to process a workpiece.

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Fukuoka, Japan

Kosuke Takaki