Method of controlling driving of conveyor means in automatic document conveying device

Abstract: A method of controlling the driving of a conveyor means in an automatic document conveying device comprising said conveyor means (36) positioned opposite to a transparent plate (2) disposed in an image processing machine and a reversibly rotating electric motor (14) for driving the conveyor means (36). In the automatic document conveying device, a sheet-like document fed between the transparent plate (2) and the conveyor means (36) is conveyed in a predetermined direction on the transparent plate (2) by applying a normally rotating voltage to the electric motor (14) to rotate the electric motor (14) in a normal direction and drive the conveyor means (36) in a predetermined direction. Thereafter, it is stopped at a required site on the transparent plate (2) by producing a braking action in the electric motor (14) and thus stopping the conveyor means. The conveying speed of the conveyor means (36) when it is driven in the predetermined direction by applying the normally rotating voltage is detected. According to the detected conveying speed, the time (T-3) at which to produce a braking action in the electric motor (14), and/or at least one of the time (T-1) at which to stop the application of the normally rotating voltage and the time (T-3) at which to produce the braking action in the electric motor (14) is controlled. The above braking action is produced by applying an inversely rotating voltage to the electric motor (14) after the lapse of some time from the stopping of applying the normally rotating voltage to the electric motor (14).

Description: Field of the Invention This invention relates to a method of controlling the driving of a conveyor means in an automatic document conveying device to be applied to an image-forming machine such as an electrostatic copying machine. Description of the Prior Art To automate the handling of documents in a copying operation or the like, it is the widespread commercial practice to provide an automatic document conveying device in an image processing machine such as an electrostatic copying machine. A typical example of such an automatic document conveying device (as shown in US-A-4 667 951) is provided with an opening-closing frame member and a document table. A transparent plate on which to place a document is disposed on the upper surface of a housing of an image processing machine. The opening and closing frame member is mounted on the housing so that it can move freely between a closing position at which it covers the transparent plate and an opening position at which it leaves the transparent plate open to view. The document table is mounted on the housing adjacent to the opening-closing frame member. A delivery means is provided in relation to the document table, and a conveyor means is disposed in the opening-closing frame member. When the opening-closing frame member is brought to the closing position, the conveyor means is positioned opposite to the transparent plate. In using the above-described automatic document conveying device, the opening-closing frame member is held at the closing position and a sheet-like document to be positioned on the transparent plate is placed on the document table. The document is delivered from the document table by the delivery means and fed between the transparent plate and the conveyor means. By rotating an electric motor drivingly connected to the conveyor means in a normal direction and thus driving the conveyor means in a required direction, the document is conveyed onto the transparent plate. Then, by producing a braking action in the electric motor, and thus stopping the conveyor means, the conveying of the document is stopped. The conventional automatic document conveying device of the above-described type, however, has a problem to be solved. Specifically, there are considerable variations in the effect of stopping the conveyor means by producing a braking force in the electric motor, and therefore, the document cannot be stopped stably at a required site on the transparent plate. Depending upon the material or size of the document, the stopping position will be considerably varied. To solve this problem, it was proposed to attach a special braking mechanism, such as an electromagnetic braking mechanism capable of producing a very strong braking action to stop the conveyor means instantaneously, to the conveyor means. This, however, will result in a greatly increased cost of production. US-A-4 739 231 discloses a method for stopping a scanner at a predetermined position. Summary of the Invention It is a primary object of this invention to improve a conventional method of controlling the driving of the conveyor means in the automatic document conveying device, without involving the increase of the cost of production and other problems, and to stop any type of document stably and precisely at a required site on the transparent plate. Another object of this invention is to accurately circumvent adverse effects which a control of the driving of a conveyor means in an automatic document conveying device may exert on the controlling of the actions of various movable means in the automatic document conveying device or the controlling of the action of an image processing machine in which the automatic document conveying device is provided. The present inventors made extensive investigations on the action of the conveyor means in the automatic document conveying device, and found that a conveying load on the conveyor means varies considerably depending upon the material or size of a document to be conveyed and causes considerable variations in the conveying speed of the conveyor means at the time of producing a braking action on the electric motor; and that these variations in conveying speed causes variations in the effect of stopping the conveyor means and therefore lead to variations in the stopping position of the document. Further research and experimental work based on the above finding has now led to the discovery that any document can be precisely and stably stopped at a required site on the transparent plate by detecting the conveying speed of the conveyor means which is driven in a predetermined direction by the rotation of the electric motor in a normal direction and according to this detected conveying speed, controlling the time at which a braking action is produced in the electric motor, or by controlling at least one of the time when application of a normally rotating voltage to the electric motor is stopped and the time when a braking action begins to be produced in the electric motor. The present inventor further found that it is preferred to produce a braking action in the electric motor by applying an inversely rotating voltage to the electric motor; and that in this case, too, by producing a braking action in the electric motor after some time interval from the stopping of the application of the normally rotating voltage to the electric motor, it is possible to accurately circumvent adverse effects which a control of the driving of the conveyor means in the automatic document conveying device may exert on the controlling of the actions of various movable means in the automatic document conveying device or on the controlling of the action of an image processing machine in which the automatic document conveying device is provided. According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling the drive of a conveyor means in an automatic document conveying device of the type comprising said conveyor means positioned opposite a transparent plate disposed in an image processing machine and a reversible electric motor for driving the conveyor means, the device being adapted to convey a sheet-like document between the transparent plate and the conveyor means in a predetermined direction on the transparent plate, said method comprising the steps of: (a) applying a voltage to the electric motor for rotation in a normal direction to thereby drive the conveyor means in a predetermined direction; (b) detecting the conveying speed of the document; (c) stopping application of the voltage for normal rotation of the electric motor; (d) stopping the document at a required site on the transparent plate by producing a braking action some time after step (c) thereby stopping the conveyor means; and is characterized in that the braking action for stopping the conveyor means in step (d) is provided by continuous application of a voltage for reverse rotation of the electric motor during a time-period determined according to the detected conveying speed. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a partial simplified sectional view showing one example of an automatic document conveying device to which the control method of this invention is applied. Figure 2 is a partial perspective view showing a conveying means in the automatic document conveying device of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the application of a voltage to the electric motor in a preferred embodiment of the controlling method of this invention. Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are diagrams respectively showing the document conveying speeds and the amounts of the movement of the document by inertia in Comparative Examples 1 and 2 and Examples 1 and 2, respectively. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments Preferred embodiments of the method of controlling the driving of the conveyor means in the automatic document conveying device improved in accordance with this invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 illustrates in a simplified manner the principal parts of an automatic document conveying device to which the control method of this invention is applied. A transparent plate 2, which may be made of glass, is disposed on the upper surface of the housing of an image processing machine such as an electrostatic copying machine (the image processing machine is shown only at its transparent plate 2). The automatic document conveying device shown generally at 4 and disposed in relation to the transparent plate 2 includes an opening-closing frame member 6 and a document table 8. The opening-closing frame member 6 is mounted on the housing of the image processing machine such that it is free to pivot about an axis extending in the left-right direction in Figure 1 between a closing position at which it covers the transparent plate 2 and an open position at which it leaves the transparent plate 2 open to view. The document table 8 is mounted on the housing of the image processing machine with its downstream end being in contact or proximity with the left edge of the transparent plate 2. A box-like case 10 is provided in the downstream portion of the document table 8, and a delivery means 12 is disposed within the case 10. A DC reversible electric motor 14 and a detector 16 are also disposed within the case 10. The delivery means 12 is of a known type including a delivery roller mechanism 18 and a separating roller mechanism 20, and separates a plurality of sheet-like documents placed on the document table 8 and delivers them one by one toward the transparent plate 2. The electric motor 14 constitutes a driving source for the delivery means 12 and concurrently a driving source of a conveyor means to be described. The detector 16 has a detecting arm 24 extending upwardly through an opening 22 formed in the document table 8, and detects a sheet-like document delivered toward the transparent plate 2 from the document table 8. The opening-closing frame member 6 is box-like with an open bottom, and its left end portion is raised upwardly toward its main portion 28. A document discharge opening 30 is formed in the right side surface of the left end portion 26. A plate member 34 is fixed to the main portion 28 via a suspending pillar 32. When the opening-closing frame member 6 is held at the closing position shown, the plate member 34 is positioned opposite to the transparent plate 2. The under surface of the plate member 34 is colored white. A conveyor means 36 is disposed in the left end portion 26 of the opening-closing frame member 6. With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the conveyor means 36 has a rotating shaft 38 mounted rotatably on the opening-closing frame member 6. When the opening-closing frame member 6 is held at the closing position, the rotating shaft 38 extends substantially horizontally on the left end portion of the transparent plate 2. To the rotating shaft 38 are fixed a relatively wide central roller 40 and relatively narrow side rollers 42 positioned on both sides of the central roller 40. The surface layers of these rollers may conveniently be formed of a foamed synthetic resin such as polyurethane foam. If desired, the conveyor means 36 may be constructed of a suitable endless belt mechanism instead of the central roller 40 and the side rollers 42. A gear 44 is mounted rotatably on the rear end portion of the rotating shaft 38, and a control clutch 46 is also mounted on it. The control clutch 46 connects the gear 44 selectively to the rotating shaft 38. The gear 44 is drivingly connected to the electric motor 14 via a suitable transmission means (not shown). Accordingly, when the control clutch 46 is set in motion and the gear 44 is connected to the rotating shaft 38, the rotating shaft 38 is drivingly connected to the electric motor 14. A detection disc 48 is also fixed to the rear end portion of the rotating shaft 38. A plurality of (for example, 45) holes 50 are formed at equidistant positions on the disc 48 in the circumferential direction. In relation to the disc 48, a detector 52 is provided. The detector 52 has a light emitting element positioned on one side of the disc 48 and a light receiving element on its other side. When the rotating shaft 38 is rotated and the disc 48 is correspondingly rotated, the detector 52 produces a pulse every time one hole 50 passes between the light emitting element and the light receiving element. By counting the number of such pulses, the amount of rotation of the rotating shaft 38 (and therefore, the amount of conveyance of the conveyor means 36) can be detected. By measuring the time interval from one pulse to the next, the rotating speed of the rotating shaft 38 (and therefore, the conveying speed of the conveyor means 36) can be detected. The mechanical structure of the illustrated automatic document conveying device 4 does not constitute the novel features of the present invention, and may be substantially the same as that of the automatic document conveying device disclosed in the specification and the drawings of the Applicant's copending Japanese Patent Application No. 61,333/1988 (filed on March 15, 1988; entitled "AUTOMATIC DOCUMENT CONVEYING DEVICE). Accordingly, for a detailed description of the mechanical structure of the illustrated automatic document conveying device 4, see the specification and drawings of Japanese Patent Application No. 61,333/1988. The operations of the conveyor means 36 in the automatic document conveying device 4 and the controlling of its driving will now be described. In feeding a document on the document table 8 onto the transparent plate 2, the operator depresses a document feeding switch (not shown). As a result, application of a normally rotating voltage to the electric motor 14 is started, and the electric motor 14 begins to rotate in a normal direction. Then, the control clutch means (not shown) of the delivery means 12 is actuated for some time and the delivery means 12 is connected to the electric motor 14 for some time. A sheet-like document is delivered from the document table 8 by the action of the delivery means 12. As a result, the detector 16 detects the leading edge of the delivered document (in other words, the leading edge of the delivered document acts on the detecting arm 24 of the detector 16). When a predetermined period of timehas elapsed from the time when the detector 16 detected the leading edge of the document, the control clutch 46 of the conveyor means 36 is set in operation, and thus, the rotating shaft 38 is drivingly coupled to the electric motor 14. The above predetermined time is set at a time period slightly shorter than the time required for the leading edge of the document delivered from the document table 8 to arrive at a site between the rollers 40 and 42 of the conveyor means 36 and the transparent plate 2 after it acted on the detector 16. When the rotating shaft 38 is drivingly connected to the electric motor rotating in a normal direction via the control clutch 46, the rollers 40 and 42 of the conveyor means 36 begin to be rotated counter-clockwise in Figure 1, and therefore, the conveyor means 36 conveys the document fed between the rollers 40 and 42 and the transparent plate 2 to the right in Figure 1. Thereafter, the detector 16 detects the trailing edge of the document (in other words, the trailing edge of the document passes the detection arm 24 of the detector 16, and the document departs from the detection arm 24). With reference to Figure 3 in conjunction with Figures 1 and 2, when a predetermined time T-1 elapses from the time when the detector 16 detected the trailing edge of the document, the application of the normally rotating voltage to the electric motor 14 is stopped. Then, by applying an inversely rotating voltage to the electric motor 14 for a required period of time, a braking action is produced in the electric motor 14. Thus, the rotation of the rollers 40 and 42 of the conveyor means 36 is stopped, and the document is stopped at a required position on the transparent plate 2 (for example, a site at which the trailing edge of the document is in alignment with a standard position of the left end portion of the transparent plate 2). Furthermore, the control clutch 46 is consequently rendered inoperative. Preferably, some time interval of, for example, about 10 ms is provided between the stopping of application of the normally rotating voltage to the electric motor 14 and the starting of application of the inversely rotating voltage. When the stopping of application of the normally rotating voltage to the electric motor 14 and the starting of application of the inversely rotating voltage to it are carried out at the same time, an abrupt increase in load current is likely to exert undesirable electrically adverse effects on the automatic document conveying device 4 and the control means for the image processing machine in which the automatic document conveying device is provided. When the document is positioned on the transparent plate 2 as above, it is scanned and exposed if the image processing machine is an electrostatic copying machine. Thereafter, the inversely rotating voltage is applied to the electric motor 14 to rotate the motor 14 in an inverse direction. Furthermore, the control clutch 46 is actuated to connect the rotating shaft 38 drivingly to the electric motor 14. Thus, the rollers 40 and 42 of the conveyor means 36 are rotated clockwise in Figure 2, and the document on the transparent plate 2 is conveyed along the peripheral surfaces of the rollers 40 and 42 by the guiding action of a deflecting piece (not shown) and discharged through the document discharge opening 30. Then, the application of the inversely rotating voltage to the electric motor 14 is stopped and the control clutch 46 is rendered inoperative. When the document is positioned at a required site on the transparent plate 2, a braking action is produced in the electric motor by applying the inversely rotating voltage to the electric motor 14 after the application of the normally rotating voltage to the electric motor 14 is stopped, as stated above. But as can be clearly understood from comparative examples given hereinbelow, considerable variations exist in the stopping effect of the document by the braking action, depending upon the material or size of the document fed to the transparent plate 2. Accordingly, to position the document stably and precisely at the required site on the transparent plate 2, the variations have to be properly compensated for. Investigations of the present inventors show that the conveyance load on the conveyor means 36 considerably differs depending upon the material and size of the document and therefore, the conveying speed of the document by the conveyor means 36 at the time of applying the normally rotating voltage to the electric motor 14 considerably differ, and thus considerable variations occur in the stopping effect of the document by the braking action. Accordingly, in this invention, the conveying speed of the conveyor means 36 is detected when the electric motor 14 is rotated in a normal direction by applying a normally rotating voltage to it and the document is conveyed by the conveyor means 36. Conveniently, this conveying speed can be detected by measuring the time TS between the time when after the detection of the trailing edge of the document conveyed by the conveyor means 36 by the detector 16, the detector 52 detects the first hole 50 of the disc 48 fixed to the rotating shaft 38 and produces the first pulse and the time when the detector 52 detects the second hole 50 and produces the second pulse. With reference to Figures 1 to 3, to compensate for the variations in the stopping effect of the document dependent on the document conveying speed by the conveyor means 36, the present invention controls the time T-2 during which an inversely rotating voltage is applied to the electric motor 14 to produce a braking action, according to the conveying speed detected. When the conveying speed by the conveyor means 36 is relatively large, the time T-2 is set at a relatively long period of time, and when the conveying speed by the conveying means 36 is relatively small, the time T-2 is set at a relatively short period of time. In addition to, or in place of, controlling the time T-2, it is possible to control the time T-1 between the time when the detector 16 detects the trailing end of the document and the time when the application of the normally rotating voltage to the electric motor 14 is stopped. It is also possible to control the time T-3 between the time when the detector 16 detected the trailing end of the document and the time when the application of the inversely rotating voltage to the electric motor 14 is started. When the conveying speed by the conveyor means 36 is relatively large, the time T-1 or time T-3 is present at a relatively short period of time, and when the conveying speed is relatively low, the time T-1 or T-3 is set at a relatively long period of time. By properly compensating for the variations in the stopping effect of the document by the braking action, the document can be stably and precisely positioned at the required site on the transparent plate 2 irrespective of its material or size. Examples and Comparative Examples Comparative Example 1 In the automatic document conveying device shown in Figures 1 and 2, sheet-like plain papers of the various materials and sizes shown below were used as documents and introduced onto the transparent plate. The electric motor in the automatic document conveying device was a reversible DC motor sold as "Mini DC Motor (rated rotation speed 200 rpm) by Copal Co., Ltd. The surface layers of the central roller and side rollers in the conveyor means were formed of foamed polyurethane sold under the tradename "EMO" by Inoue MTP Co., Ltd. The outside diameters of these rollers were 33 mm. Forty-five holes were formed circumferentially at equidistant positions in the detection disc fixed to the rotating shaft of the conveyor means. The circumferential width of each hole and the circumferential distance between adjacent holes were both 0.9 mm. By detecting the holes, the number of pulses produced and spaces between the pulses per revolution of the rotating shaft was 90. The plain papers used as documents were as follows: Standard paper (basis weight 64 g/m²) sold under the tradename "SK" by Sanyo Kokusaku Pulp Co., Ltd.; standard paper (basis weight 64 g/m²) sold under the tradename "BM" by Daishowa Papermaking Co., Ltd.; standard paper (basis weight 75 g/m²± called "NEKOOSA No. 4" which is widely used in U. S. A.; and standard paper (basis weight 80 g/m²) called "NEUSIEDLER" and widely used in European countries. The sizes were A-3, A-4, A-5, B-4, B-5 and B-6 under JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards). The time between the time when after the detection of the trailing end of the document by the detector for detecting the introduced document, the detector for detecting the holes of the disc produced the first pulse and the time when it produced the second pulse was measured, and the speed of conveying the document by the conveying means was determined. After the lapse of T-1=50 ms from the time when the detector detected the trailing edge of the document, the application of a normally rotating voltage (24 V) to the electric motor was stopped (no braking action was produced in the electric motor). The amount of the rotation of the rotating shaft of the conveyor means by inertia until it completely stopped, (i.e., the amount of the movement of the document by inertia), was determined by counting the number of pulses produced by the detector and spaces between the pulses. The results are shown in Figure 4. There were very great variations in the amount of movement of the document by inertia. Comparative Example 2 The document conveying speed oy the conveyor means and the amount of movement of the document by inertia were determined in the same way as in Comparative Example 1 except that 10 ms after the stopping of the application of the normally rotating voltage to the electric motor, an inversely rotating voltage (24 V) was applied to the electric motor for T-2=20 ms to produce a braking action in the electric motor. The results are shown in Fig. 5. The variations in the amount of movements of the document by inertia became fairly less than those in Comparative Example 1, but were still great. Example 1 The document conveying speed by the conveyor means and the amount of movement of the document by inertial were determined in the same way as in Comparative Example 2 except that when the document conveying speed by the conveyor means was relatively high and the pulse interval was 3 to 5.5 ms , the time during which the inversely rotating voltage was applied was set at T-2=27 ms and that when the document conveying speed by the conveyor means was relatively low and the pulse interval was 5.5 to 7 ms , the time during which the inversely rotating voltage was applied was set at T-2=20 ms . The results are shown in Figure 6. The variations in the amount of movement of the document by inertial were very small. Example 2 The document conveying speed by the conveyor means and the amount of movement of the document which moved by inertia were determined in the same way as in Example 1 except that when the document conveying speed by the conveyor means was relatively low and corresponded to a pulse interval of 5.5 to 7 ms , both the time at which the application of the normally rotating voltage to the electric motor was stopped (therefore, T-1) and the time at which the application of the inversely rotating voltage to the electric motor was started (therefore, T-3) were delayed by the pulse interval (that is, 5.5 to 7 ms ). The results are shown in Figure 7, and the variations in the amount of movement of the document by inertia were very small.

Claims: A method of controlling the drive of a conveyor means in an automatic document conveying device of the type comprising said conveyor means (36) positioned opposite a transparent plate (2) disposed in an image processing machine and a reversible electric motor (14) for driving the conveyor means (36), the device being adapted to convey a sheet-like document between the transparent plate (2) and the conveyor means (36) in a predetermined direction on the transparent plate (2), said method comprising the steps of: (a) applying a voltage to the electric motor (14) for rotation in a normal direction to thereby drive the conveyor means (36) in a predetermined direction; (b) detecting the conveying speed of the document; (c) stopping application of the voltage for normal rotation of the electric motor (14); (d) stopping the document at a required site on the transparent plate (2) by producing a braking action some time after step (c) thereby stopping the conveyor means (36); characterized in that the braking action for stopping the conveyor means (36) in step (d) is provided by continuous application of a voltage for reverse rotation of the electric motor during a time-period determined according to the detected conveying speed.

Inventors: SHIBANAKA MITSUGU, YAMAMOTO HARUO, SHIBANAKA, MITSUGU, YAMAMOTO, HARUO
Applicants: MITA INDUSTRIAL CO LTD, MITA INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: G03G15
IPC codes: G03G15, H02P3, B65H5, G03B27, B65H9, B65H7