Patent Publication Number: US-7594650-B2

Title: Paper feeding and sheet separating differential device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 95147718 filed in Taiwan, R.O.C. on 2006 Dec. 19, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a differential device, and more particularly to a differential device adapted to paper feeding and sheet separating. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Accompany the development of technology, business machines such as facsimile machine, printer, scanner, duplicating machine and etc already become indispensable electronic products in our life. However, not matter what kind of business machine it is, a paper separating device must be installed therein so that paper can be fed one by one. 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 A and  2 B. A conventional paper separating device includes a paper separating roller A 1  and a friction wheel A 2 , in which the paper separating roller A 1  is driven by a first rotating shaft A 3  to turn and the uses friction force to drive the friction wheel to turn. The friction wheel A 2  is constituted by a hollow circular cylinder A 21 , spring A 22 , friction sheet A 23 , fixing element A 24  and two C-typed retainer rings A 25 . The C-typed retainer rings A 25  are respectively buckled on two ends of the second rotating shaft Q$, used for providing the spring A 22  with an axial force along the second rotating shaft A 4  and providing a friction force between the friction sheet A 23  and a friction surface A 241  of the fixing element. When a paper A 5  enters a passageway between the paper separating roller A 1  and the friction wheel A 2 , the friction where Q 2  is not turned to allow other papers to be unable to enter, the paper in the passageway can be slid relatively to the friction wheel A 2  but not relatively to the paper separating roller A 1  so as to attain to the paper separating effect. 
     However, in such kind of paper separating apparatus, the assembly is very time wasting and laborious to cause the production and assembly costs to be rather high because the C-typed retainer ring is not easy to be manufactured and components therein are too many. 
     Therefore, for improving the structure of a paper feeding and sheet separating structure and solving the problems such as too many components and complicated structure, the present invention is proposed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the deficiencies mentioned above, the present invention proposes a paper feeding and sheet separating differential device, it includes a rotating shaft, an insertion pin, a first roller and a second roller. The insertion pin is passed through and installed on the rotating shaft; the first roller is positioned on one end of the rotating shaft and includes a first outer frame and a first raised mass disposed on an inner side of the first outer frame; the second roller is putting around the rotating shaft and includes a second outer frame, an accepting hole disposed inside the second outer frame and used for accepting the rotating shaft, a groove extended radially from the engaging hole to the second outer frame and used for accepting the insertion pin and a second raised mass disposed on a circumference of the engaging hole and used for propping against the first raised mass. When the second roller is turned with the shaft, it drives the second raised mass to move in the first outer frame to prop against the first raised mass, and the first roller is then allowed to turn to drive the paper to move. 
     The structure according to the present invention further includes a supporter module installed below the first roller, and a passageway is formed between the supporter module and the first roller to allow a paper to be moved in the passageway. On the basis of this, the structure according to the present invention still further includes a paper feeding roller used for driving a paper to move into the passageway. 
     Furthermore, the structure according to the present invention further includes a paper delivering roller, and a rotating speed of the paper delivering roller is faster than the rotating shaft. When a paper is moved to the paper delivering roller after the first roller is turned, the paper delivering roller will then drive the paper to displace forward, and the first roller is driven to turn faster by means of the paper displacement. 
     Whereby, a speed difference is formed between the first roller and the second roller to attain to the paper feeding and the sheet separating objects and to solve the problems such as too many components and the complicated structure in a conventional paper separating device so as to elevate the convenience of the assembly and further to lower down the assembly and the production costs. 
     The present invention also proposes a paper feeding and sheet separating differential device includes a rotating shaft, an insertion pin, a first roller, a passageway, a second roller, a paper feeding roller and a paper delivering roller. The insertion pin is passed through and installed on the rotating shaft; the first roller is installed on one end of the rotating shaft and includes a first outer frame and a first raised mass disposed on an inner side of the first outer frame; a passageway is positioned below the first roller and a paper in the passageway is moved following the rolling of the first roller; the second roller is put around the rotating shaft and includes a second outer frame, an accepting hole disposed inside the second outer frame and used for accepting the rotating shaft, a groove extended axially from the accepting hole to the second outer frame and used for accepting the insertion pin and a second raised mass disposed on the circumference of the accepting hole and used for propping against the first raised mass to allow the first roller to be turned; the paper feeding roller is used for driving a paper to move into the passageway; the paper delivering roller is used for separating the paper to enter the passageway, and the first roller is driven to change a rotating speed by means of the paper displacement; wherein, a speed difference between the first roller and the second roller allows a spacing yielded between the first raised mass and the second raised mass to cause the first roller to be turned intermittently to process paper feeding and sheet separating. 
     The structure according to the present invention further includes a supporter module installed below the first roller, and a passageway is formed between the supporter module and the first roller to allow a paper to be moved therein. 
     Furthermore, a rotating speed of the paper delivering roller is faster than the shaft. When a paper is moved to the paper delivering roller after the first roller is turned, the delivering roller will then drive the paper to move and the first roller is turned faster by means of the paper displacement. 
     Whereby, a speed difference between the first roller and the second roller to attain to the paper feeding and sheet separating object and to solve the problems such as too many components and the complicated structure in a conventional paper separating device so as to elevate the convenience of the assembly and further to lower down the assembly and the production costs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention can be more fully understood by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a conventional paper separating device; 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of a friction wheel shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of a friction wheel shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view, showing a paper feeding and sheet separating 
       differential device of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view, showing a paper feeding and sheet separating differential device of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view, showing a first roller and a second roller of a paper feeding and sheet separating differential device of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 6A to 6E  are schematic views, showing a first roller and a second roller in action while being turned according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 .  FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a paper feeding and sheet separating differential device of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention.  FIG. 4  is an exploded view showing a paper feeding and sheet separating differential device of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention.  FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing a first roller and a second roller of a paper feeding and sheet separating differential device of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention. 
     A paper feeding and sheet separating differential device includes a rotating shaft  10 , an insertion pin  20 , a first roller  30  and a second roller  40 . 
     Two ends of the rotating shaft  10  can be accepted on a seat, and a through hole  11  is disposed on the rotating shaft  10 . 
     The insertion pin  20  is passed through the through hole  11  of the rotating shaft  10 . Here, the insertion pin  20  and the rotating shaft  10  can be formed separately and then combined each other together, or formed into one body by means of extension formation depending on a practical need. 
     The first roller  30  is installed on one end of the rotating shaft  10  and includes an outer frame  31 . Furthermore, a first raised mass  32  is disposed on an inner side of the first outer frame  31 . 
     The second roller  40  includes a second outer frame  41  and the second outer frame  41  is slightly smaller than the first outer frame  31  to allow a circumference of the second outer frame to be positioned inside the first outer frame  31 . The accepting hole  42  is disposed in the second outer frame  41  to allow the second roller  40  to be engaged with the rotating shaft  10 , and a groove  421  used for allowing the insertion pin  20  to be placed therein is disposed on the second roller  40  and extended radially from the accepting hole  42  to the second frame  41 . Furthermore, a second raised mass  43  used for propping against the first raised mass  32  of the first roller  30  is extended from the circumference of the accepting hole  42  of the second roller  40 . 
     A paper feeding and sheet delivering differential device according to the present invention further includes a supporter module  50  installed below the first roller  30  and a passageway  51  is formed between the supporter module  50  and the first roller  30  to allow a paper  9  to be moved therein. Basing on this, the device according to the present invention further includes a paper delivering roller  70  installed at the end of the passageway  51 , and a rotating speed of the paper delivering roller  70  is faster than a rotating speed of the rotating shaft  10  and the second roller  40 . Besides, the device according to the present invention also includes a driver module  80  used for driving the rotating shaft  10  and the paper feeding roller  60  to drive. 
     At least one rib used for partitioning a space inside the first outer frame  31  into a plurality of small spaces can also be disposed in the first roller  30 . The distance that the second raised mass  43  of the second roller  40  is moved in the first outer frame  31  can be adjusted by disposing different ribs. 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 6A and 6B .  FIGS. 6A and 6B  are schematic views showing actions of a first roller and a second roller while being turned of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention. 
     The driver module  80  first drives the rotating shaft  10  and the paper feeding roller  60  to turn. Thereafter, the rotating shaft  10  drives the second roller  40  to turn through the insertion pin  20  in the groove  421  to allow the second raised mass  43  of the second roller  40  to prop against the first raised mass  32  of the first roller to drive the first roller  30  to turn. In the meantime, the turned paper feeding roller  60  drives a paper  9  to enter the passageway  51  and the paper  9  is driven to move by the first roller  30 . 
     The paper  9  is moved to the paper delivering roller  70  at the end of the passageway  51  after the first roller  30  is turned and then moved by the paper delivering roller  70 . Because a rotating speed of the paper delivering roller  70  is faster to allow a moving speed of the paper  9  also become faster and the rotating speed of the first roller  70  is driven to be faster through the movement of the paper  9 . In the meantime, a speed difference between the first roller  30  and the second roller  40  causes the first raised mass  32  to eliminate the propping of the second raised mass  43  and a distance between the first raised mass  32  and the second raised mass  43  to be gradually enlarged. 
     When an end of the paper  9  is separated from the passageway  51 , the first roller  30  will loose power and stop turning to allow a following paper  9  not to be moved in the passageway through the second roller  30 . In the meantime, the driver module  80  still continues driving the rotating shaft  10  to turn to drive the second roller  40  to turn to allow the distance between the first raised mass  32  and the second raised mass  43  to be gradually reduced. When the second raised mass  43  is propped against the first raised mass  32  again, it can then drive the first roller  30  once more to enable the following paper  9  to be moved. 
     The speed difference is allowed to form between the first roller  30  and the second roller  40  and the first roller  30  is allowed to be turned intermittently through the structure according to the present invention to attain to the paper feeding and sheet delivering object. Furthermore, the present invention has the merits of few components and simple structure; this allows the assembly of the device to be more convenient and further allows the assembly and the product costs to be decreased. 
     Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.