JP2000261621A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the setting area of a device by integrating respective devices, and to make satisfactory the operability of the input and output of a recording medium, and to easily confirm the presence or absence of the recording medium by arranging a recording medium insertion port opened on the front face of a main body case in parallel and adjacently to either the horizontal upper side or right and left sides of a display means. SOLUTION: An image reader 10 is provided with an original feeding part 16 on the front face, and an original discharging part 18 provided near the center of the upper face. The upper face of the image reading device 10 is formed in a chevron shape, and a rectangular liquid crystal display board 20 is mounted on an inclined face at the front side. An original 30 is inputted from the original input port of the original feeding part 16 and transmitted to a conveying part one by one. A disk drive device 84 is arranged adjacent to the right side of the display board 20. A recording medium insertion port for inputting and outputting an optical magnetic disk is arranged parallel to the right side of the display board 20, and an eject button for ejecting the optical magnetic disk and a display lamp for indicating that the disk drive device 84 is in operation are arranged near the insertion port.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image used for reading an image of a document being conveyed by an image sensor, displaying the image on a display means, recording the image on a recording medium, and connecting a printer to print out the image. It relates to a reading device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a scanner for reading an image of a document, an image processing device for processing the read image and recording the image on a recording medium, a display device for displaying the image processed image, and a keyboard for operating these devices Devices having the following are known. That is, an independent scanner, image processing device, display device, and keyboard are connected to each other to perform a certain function as a whole. It is also known to connect a printer to these and print out an image recorded on a recording medium on print paper.

[0003] In the case where such independent devices are connected to each other, the size of the whole becomes large and the occupied area is remarkably increased. In addition, the operator must frequently change the orientation of the body for each device and operate the device, and there is a problem that operability is poor.

[0004] In view of the above, an integrated device has been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2683601). In the proposed device, a display means is provided on the front surface of the main body case, an operation switch and a document insertion port are provided below the display means, and a document discharge port is provided above the display means. Further, the image information recording section is provided on the side surface of the main body case, and the recording medium is inserted and removed to the side of the main body case. Furthermore, the operation switches only select basic operations such as starting / stopping the reading of a document and selecting a manual feed operation. When recording an image, inputting index information of each image and searching for reading a target image from a recording medium. Input of information and the like was performed from another keyboard.

[0005]

For this reason, it is necessary to provide a space for inserting and removing a recording medium on at least one side of the main body case, that is, a side provided with an insertion opening for inserting and removing a recording medium. However, there is a problem that the installation area increases. In addition, to connect a keyboard different from the main body case, a desk or table on which the keyboard is placed is required. Therefore, the installation area of the device similarly increases.

Further, since the image information recording means for taking in and out the recording medium cannot be seen from the front of the main body case, the operator changes the posture every time the recording medium is taken out or confirmed or the recording medium is inserted. You have to look at the side. For this reason, there has been a problem that the posture must be changed frequently and the operability is poor.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and integrates the respective devices to reduce the installation area of the devices, thereby improving the operability of inserting and removing the recording medium and making it easy to confirm the presence or absence of the recording medium. It is an object to provide an image reading device.

[0008]

According to the present invention, an object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus which reads an image of a continuously conveyed document by an image sensor by a slit exposure method and records the image on a recording medium.
A rectangular display means provided on the main body case so as to be visible from the front; a document feeder located at the front of the main body case and below the display means and having a horizontally long document input port; A document discharge section located at an upper portion and having a document discharge port parallel to an upper side of the display means; a transport section for guiding a document from the document feed section to the document discharge section through the rear of the display means; Document reading means for reading an image of a document in the middle of the unit and outputting it as an image signal; and a recording medium insertion opening opened in the front surface of the main body case in parallel with or close to either the horizontal upper side or the left or right side of the display means. And an image information recording means for recording image information on the recording medium based on the image signal.

[0009]

FIG. 1 is an external view of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a left side view of the same, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a mirror group, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing the mirror group and an optical system. ,
5 is a diagram showing an outline of the arrangement of each unit, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an optical system, FIG. 7 is a left side view in which the vicinity of an image reading unit is enlarged, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a control system.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes an image reading device, which is mounted on a base box 14 for housing a printer 12.
The image reading apparatus 10 is provided with a document feeder 16 at the front thereof and a document discharger 18 near the center of the upper surface. The upper surface is formed in a mountain shape in a side view, and a liquid crystal display panel 20 as a rectangular display means is mounted on a slope on the front side thereof. The document inlet 16A of the document feeder 16 is located below the display panel 20 and is long in the horizontal direction. Document discharge unit 18
Is located above the display panel 20 and is horizontal with the upper side of the display panel 20.

The image reading apparatus 10 has a substantially box-shaped main body case 2.
2 and the upper part of the main body case 22
Side view mountain-shaped lid 26 that can be opened and closed upward (Figure 2)
It has become. The display panel 20 can be opened and closed upward about a fulcrum 28 (FIG. 2). Therefore, the internal inspection and maintenance can be performed by opening the display panel 20 or the lid 26 upward.

The original 30 is an original inlet 1 of the original feeder 16.
6A, the sheet is divided into single sheets by the double feed prevention unit 32, and enters the conveyance unit 40. The double feed prevention unit 32 includes the sheet feeding motor 3
4 includes a feed roller 36 driven by a belt and a reverse roller 38 driven to rotate in a reverse direction.
The document 30 enters between the feed roller 36 and the reverse roller 38, and the double feed is prevented, so that only one document 30 is separated.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a transport unit. The transport section 40 is driven by a reduction shaft 44 driven by a belt by a transport motor 42, a drive roller group 51 driven by a belt 46 wound around the reduction shaft 44, and an intermediate shaft 48 driven by the belt 46. Holding a plurality of driven rollers 52 that are sequentially arranged in the vertical direction facing the belt 46, and a group of driven rollers that are placed on the conveyor belt 50 from above and are sequentially arranged in a substantially L-shape. And a detachable pressing roller support 54.

The transport belt 50 and the pressing roller support 54 transport the original 30 sent from the double feed prevention unit 32 substantially horizontally while sandwiching the original 30 from above and below, and further drive the drive roller group 51 and the driven roller group 51 upward. The group 52 is entered. The document 30 is sandwiched between the driving roller group 51 and the driven roller group 52 and is sent almost vertically upward, discharged to the document discharge section 18 and collected at the document discharge port 18A. The holding roller support 54 can be put in and out from above by opening the document feeding unit 31 forward (front side) around the fulcrum 35, and the document 30 jammed in the transport path 40 can be put in and out.
Can be removed.

In the middle of the vertical transport path of the driving roller group 51, a pair of photographing glasses 56 sandwiching the original 30 from both sides is provided.
(56a, 56b) are provided. Glass for photography 5
6, a horizontal and long light source lamp 58 (58a, 58a) is provided.
b) is provided (see FIGS. 2 and 7). Here, each of the lamps 58a and 58b has a different height. That is, the lamp 58a that illuminates the front side of the document 30 is lower than the lamp 58b that illuminates the back side, and therefore, the front image reading position 60a is lower than the back image reading position 60b (FIG. 7).

A black light-shielding film 62 (62a, 62b) is formed on each of the glasses 56a, 56b in order to prevent light transmitted from the opposite lamps 58b, 58a from being incident. Each of the lamps 58a and 58b is provided with a light shielding plate 64 (64
a, 64b) and a light shielding plate 66 to block unnecessary light. Reference numeral 68 denotes a reflector, which is a lamp 5 for illuminating the front side.
A part of the light 8a is reflected and guided to the surface of the document 30 before entering the space between the glasses 56.

The illuminance on the surface of the document 30 illuminated by the light reflected by the reflection plate 68 is detected by a phototransistor 70 serving as an AE sensor, and the illuminance of the lamp 58 is automatically controlled by the output of the phototransistor 70. That is, automatic exposure control is performed. The incident angle theta ₂ with respect to the document 30 in reflected light of the reflector 68 here, by equalizing the incident theta ₁ with respect to the image reading position 60a of the lamp 58a, align the illumination condition of the image reading position 60a and the illuminance detection position I have.

The images on the front and back sides of the original 30 are
When passing between a and b, the image is read by the slit exposure method at the respective image reading positions 60a and 60b. That is, the images on the front and back sides are the slits 7 shown in FIG.
2 (72a, 72b) and further through a mirror group shown in FIG. 6 to one image forming lens 74, where an image is formed on one CCD line sensor 76 as image reading means. Here, each of the mirror groups includes a pair of first mirrors 78.
(78a, 78b) and the second mirror 80 (80a, 80
b) and a third mirror 82 (82a, 82b).

The first mirror 78 has a distance of about 4
The wiring is horizontally arranged so as to form an angle of 5 °, and the images on the front and back surfaces of the document 30 are guided horizontally to the left side surface of the main body case 22 through the glass 56. Second mirror 80 (80a, 80b)
Is arranged along the upper left corner of the main body case 22,
The reflection image of the first mirror 78 is guided downward. Third mirror 8
2 is arranged along the lower left corner of the main body case 22,
The light reflected by the second mirror 80 is received and guided to the imaging lens 78.

Here, the first mirror 78a and the second mirror 80a with respect to the front surface are set at the same height as the image reading position 60a, and the first mirror 78b and the second mirror 80b with respect to the back surface are similarly positioned with the image reading position 60b. They are set at the same height. That is, the difference A between the heights of the image reading positions 60a and 60b is, as shown in FIG.
Equal to the height difference of 80b. The distances B ₁ and C ₁ between the original 30 and the first mirrors 78a and 78b (for example, the distance between the center of the image of the original 30) are lower than the distance B ₁ between the lower first mirror 78a and the higher first mirror 78a. It is larger than the interval C1 between the _first and second electrodes 78b.

The image reading position 6 of the imaging lens 74
The intervals B and C are set so that the conjugate lengths for 0a and 60b are the same. Here, the conjugate length is equivalent to the optical path length here, and the first mirror 78 and the second mirror 80
The distance as B _2, C _{2 and, A + (C 1 + C} 2) = B 1 +
B ₂ . Here, the third mirror 82a,
82b is formed by one common mirror. In the drawing, reference numeral 84 denotes a magneto-optical disk drive device, which is opened to the right as viewed from the front of the main body case 22. The image data read by the CCD line sensor 76 is processed by an image processing device described later, and a magneto-optical disk (M
O) Recorded at 84A.

Here, the disk drive device 84 is disposed close to the right side of the display panel 20. The recording medium insertion opening 84B for inserting and removing the magneto-optical disk 84A is parallel to the right side of the display panel 20. An eject button 84C for ejecting the magneto-optical disk 84A and an indicator lamp 84D for indicating that the disk drive 84 is writing or reading information are provided near the insertion slot 84B (FIG. 9). 3, 4).
If the disk drive 84 is exposed inside the opening when the display panel 20 is opened upward, maintenance of the disk drive 84 can be easily performed by opening the display panel 20.

5, reference numeral 86 denotes a trailing edge sensor for detecting the trailing edge of the original 30 being conveyed; 88, a skew sensor for detecting the inclination of the original 30; 90, a start detection sensor for determining a reference position for starting image reading; Is a paper ejection sensor.

Reference numeral 94 denotes a transparent touch panel provided on the surface of the display panel 20 (FIGS. 2 and 8). The touch panel 94 is used for performing various settings of the image reading apparatus 10 and controlling the operation thereof. That is, from the touch panel 94, the conditions for reading and recording the image, such as the density and resolution of the image to be recorded, the setting of whether to read the front or back or both sides, and the search index are set. The touch panel 94 also instructs various operation controls such as reading start / end, index information of an image retrieved from the magneto-optical disk 84A, enlargement / reduction / rotation / printing start of the image read from the magneto-optical disk 84A. .

The control system of the apparatus 10 is configured as shown in FIG. In this figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a control unit, 102
Denotes an image processing unit, and 104 denotes a mechanical control unit, each of which is constituted by a microcomputer, and transmits and receives signals to and from each other. An input signal from a touch panel 94 provided on the display panel 20 is input to the control unit 100. In addition, the control unit 100 operates the printer 12 and the disk drive device 84 based on a command from the touch panel 94 and displays various images on the display panel 20. For example, it displays image information processed by the image processing unit 102, a selection display screen for selection on the touch panel 94, and the like.

The image processing unit 102 starts reading an image by the line sensor 76 at a predetermined position of the document 30 based on signals from the rear end sensor 86, the skew sensor 88, the start detection sensor 90, the paper ejection sensor 92, and the like. Then, the image signal is read and various processes are performed. That is, the output signal of the line sensor 70 is converted into a digital signal, and processing such as shading correction, background processing, edge enhancement, and binarization is performed. When reading the front and back sides simultaneously, the phase shift between the front and back images is corrected, and appropriate processing such as enlargement, reduction, and rotation of the image is performed. These processes are performed in parallel with the image reading, and the results are sequentially sent to the control unit 100 and recorded on the disk drive 84. It is also displayed on the display panel 20.

When reading a target image from the magneto-optical disk 84A, the image processing section 102 applies appropriate image processing such as enlargement, reduction, rotation, and editing of the read image information to the display panel. 20 and the printer 12 prints out.

The mechanism control unit 104 controls the conveyance of the original when reading the image of the original 30 and the illuminance of the light source lamp 58. That is, the paper feed motor 34 and the transport motor 42 are controlled in synchronization with the image reading operation by the image processing unit 102. The brightness of the light source lamp 58 is controlled based on the output of the AE sensor 70.

In the embodiment described above, the disk drive 84 is also used as the image information recording means.
However, the present invention may be provided at a position indicated by imaginary lines A and B in FIG. 1, that is, at a position parallel and close to the upper side and the left side of the display means 20.

In this embodiment, the number of components is further reduced because the number of CCD line sensors 76 is one, but separate line sensors may be arranged on a straight line to read front and rear images separately. The front and back images are formed by the imaging lens 74.
May form a mirror group so as to form two upper and lower images. In this case, two line sensors may be arranged in parallel. A two-dimensional area sensor may be used instead of the two line sensors. The line sensor and the optical system may be provided separately for the front and back of the document.

[0031]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a document inlet is provided below the rectangular display means visible from the front of the main body case, and a document outlet is provided above the rectangular display means, and the document is displayed behind the display means. While reading the image through the transport unit passing through, the recording medium insertion opening of the image information recording means for recording the image information is provided in parallel and close to either the upper side or the left or right side of the display means, from the front of the main body case The recording medium is taken in and out. Therefore, the operator can take in and out the recording medium using the space in front of the main body case. At this time, since the display means and the recording medium insertion port are close to each other, there is no need to change the posture. Therefore, the operability is good and it is extremely easy to check whether or not the recording medium is inserted. Further, since it is not necessary to provide a space for taking the recording medium in and out of the side of the main body case, the set area of the image reading apparatus can be reduced.

If the display means can be opened and closed forward or upward, opening the display means makes it possible to inspect the image information recording means from the opening side.
The workability of inspection and maintenance is improved (claim 2).

If a transparent touch panel is provided on the surface of the display means and the touch panel can be used to instruct all control of the image reading apparatus, such as setting of image recording conditions and setting of image reading conditions from a recording medium, a keyboard is provided. There is no need to separately prepare such items. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately prepare a desk or a table for operating the keyboard, and the installation area of the entire apparatus is further reduced (claim 3). If the image information recording means is a magneto-optical disk drive device and the recording medium is a magneto-optical disk, an extremely large amount of information can be recorded on one magneto-optical disk, and the handling thereof is easy. (Claim 4).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of mirror groups.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a mirror group and an optical system.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of an arrangement of each unit.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an optical system.

FIG. 7 is a left side view in which the vicinity of an image reading unit is enlarged.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 image reading device 16 document feeder 16A document inlet 18 document discharger 18A document outlet 20 liquid crystal display panel as display means 22 body case 30 document 40 transporter 74 imaging lens 76 line sensor as image reading means 84 Disk Drive Device as Image Information Recording Means 84A Magneto-Optical Disk as Recording Medium 94 Touch Panel

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] March 24, 1999 (1999.3.2
4)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG.

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Figure 2

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 2

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Figure 3

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 3

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 4

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 4

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 6

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 6

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image reading apparatus which reads an image of a continuously conveyed document with an image sensor by a slit exposure method and records the image on a recording medium, wherein a rectangular display means is provided in a main body case so as to be visible from the front; A document feeder located at the front of the case and below the display means and having a horizontally long document input port; and a document discharge section located at the top of the main body case and having a document discharge port parallel to the upper side of the display means. A paper section; a transport section for guiding a document from the document feed section through the rear of the display section to the document discharge section; a document reading section for reading an image of the document in the middle of the transport section and outputting it as an image signal; The recording device has a recording medium insertion opening that is open to the front surface of the main body case in parallel with or close to any of the horizontal upper side or the left and right sides of the display means. Image reading apparatus characterized by comprising; an image information recording means for recording the recording medium. 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display means can be opened or closed forward or upward. 3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a touch panel is provided on a surface of the display means, and the touch panel enables setting of image recording conditions and setting of image reading conditions from a recording medium. 4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium is a magneto-optical disk.