Patent ID: 7775515
Filing Date: 2010-08-17
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A sheet conveying device comprising: a first tray on which a plurality of sheet members before feeding are allowed to be placed; a second tray on which a plurality of sheet members after discharge are allowed to be placed; an opening portion provided above the first tray; a sheet conveying path which connects the first tray and the second tray to the opening portion through a reading position; a feeding unit provided on the sheet conveying path to press-contact with a sheet member placed on the first tray, thereby feeding the sheet member sequentially to the sheet conveying path; a sheet conveying unit provided on the sheet conveying path; a driving source that generates a rotational driving force in a first rotational direction or a second rotational direction that is opposite to the first rotational direction; a control unit configured to switch the rotational direction of the driving source to the first rotational direction or the second rotational direction; a first detecting unit provided downstream of the feeding unit in the conveying direction on the sheet conveying path to detect the trailing end of the sheet member conveyed on the sheet conveying path; a transfer unit that transfers a rotational driving force according to the position of the sheet member on the sheet conveying path from the driving source to the sheet conveying unit, the transfer unit configured to transfer the rotational driving force in the first rotational direction from the driving source to the feeding unit and the transfer unit configured to block the transfer of the rotational driving force from the driving source to the feeding unit when the driving source is driven to a second rotational direction; and wherein, the sheet conveying unit is configured to convey the sheet member on the sheet conveying path from the first tray to the second tray in accordance with a first conveyance mode selected from one or more conveyance modes, the first conveyance mode comprising a first path, a second path and a third path which are arranged in this order, the first path on which, after being fed from the first tray and passing through the reading position, the sheet member returns to the sheet conveying path upstream of the reading position in the conveying direction through the opening portion, the second path on which the sheet member having returned to the sheet conveying path again returns through the reading position and the opening portion to the sheet conveying path upstream of the reading position in the conveying direction, and the third path on which the sheet member having again returned to the sheet conveying path is discharged through the reading position onto the second tray, and wherein, when the sheet member is conveyed according to the first conveyance mode, the control unit switches the driving source from the first rotational direction to the second rotational direction based on a result of the trailing end of the sheet member detected by the first detecting unit on conveyance of the sheet member on the first path.