JP2002118699A - Image input/output device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image input/output device which is capable of surely controlling the reciprocating motion of a carriage. SOLUTION: A carriage 32 is moved to a home position, the swinging end of a closed scanner housing 3 is lifted up, and a second arm 33a can be swung. The second arm 33a can be swung by a bare hand because it protrudes from below the scanner housing. When the second arm 33a is swung so as to engage a lock pin 32d with the recess 33e of a first arm 33b for closing the scanner housing 3, the second arm 33a is engaged with a first recess 23. In a state in which the scanner housing 3 is closed when the first arm 33a is engaged with the first recess 23, the first arm 33a is restrained from swinging by a projection 24, so that a carriage engaging member 33 never rotates. Therefore, the lock pin 32d is engaged with the recess 33e of the first arm 33b to close the scanner housing once, and the carriage 32 is never moved as far as the scanner housing 3 is kept closed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image input / output device having the functions of a scanner and a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A flatbed type image reading apparatus is provided with a carriage which reciprocates inside a housing in parallel with a document surface. A carriage that carries a CCD line sensor and the like reciprocates in the sub-scanning direction. The image input / output device is generally provided with a mechanism for restricting the movement of the carriage in order to prevent a failure such as a failure due to an impact of an optical component or a decrease in reading accuracy due to a movement of the carriage due to a shock during transportation. .

As a mechanism for restricting the movement of a carriage provided in an image input / output device, for example, a mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-331519 shown in FIG. 8 is known. An L-shaped arm (not shown) extends radially outward from the annular member 112, and the arm is hooked on a pin provided on the carriage to lock the carriage to the housing 100. Rotating member 1
The cross-sections of the through-hole 107 and the spring portions 108 and 109 of the annular member 112 are D-shaped so that 13 does not rotate with respect to the annular member 112. The rotating member 113 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate along the through hole 107 of the annular member 112. In order to lock the annular member 112 at two rotational positions, the first concave portion 103 and the second concave portion (not shown) are formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the annular concave portion 105,
A projection 104 that fits into the recess 103 or the second projection is formed on the rotating member 113. As shown in FIG. 8A, when the projection 104 is fitted in the first recess 103, the carriage can freely reciprocate. When the user rotates the rotating member 113 by applying a force equal to or greater than a predetermined rotational force, the protrusion 104 comes out of the recess 103 and rides on the annular recess 112 as shown in FIG.
The rotating member 113 moves outward of the housing 100 (upward in FIG. 8), and the protrusions 106 of the springs 108 and 109,
The rotation member 1 is brought into contact with the inclined groove
13 is urged toward the inside of the housing 100 (downward in FIG. 8). When the protrusion 104 moves to the rotation position corresponding to the second concave portion, an arm (not shown) hooks on a pin provided on the carriage to restrict the movement of the carriage, and the rotation member 113 is moved by the elasticity of the spring portions 108 and 109. The housing 104 is moved by being urged inward, and the protrusion 104 is fitted into the second recess, so that the rotation of the rotating member 113 is restricted.

[0004]

However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
According to the mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 331519, when a strong impact is applied to the carriage, the carriage may rotate the arm, the annular member, and the rotating member 113, and the arm may come off the pins of the carriage. Further, in order to switch between the restriction and the release of the reciprocation of the carriage, it is necessary to prepare a coin or the like, insert the coin or the like into the groove 102, and rotate the rotating member 113, which is troublesome. Was.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image input / output device that reliably controls the reciprocal movement of a carriage. It is another object of the present invention to provide an image input / output device that can easily switch between reciprocation of a carriage and restriction release.

[0006]

According to the image input / output device of the present invention, a printer engine for recording an image on a print medium is housed in a printer housing, and a carriage is supported by the scanner housing so as to be reciprocally movable. Have been. The scanner housing is swingably supported by the printer housing so as to open and close the upper opening of the printer housing. The scanner housing supports a rotation shaft of the carriage locking member. The rotation axis of the carriage locking member is oriented in the main scanning direction. The carriage locking member has a first arm, and the first arm swings from a first rotation angle that restricts reciprocal movement of the carriage to a second rotation angle that releases restriction of reciprocation of the carriage. The printer housing is provided with regulating means for regulating the rotation of the carriage locking member when the scanner housing closes the upper opening. In this specification, the carriage is a movable member provided with at least one of an image sensor, a lamp, a mirror, and a condenser lens, and refers to a movable member that conveys optical components in the sub-scanning direction. I do.

According to the image input apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, the scanner housing and the printer housing are provided separately, and the scanner housing is swingable with respect to the printer housing. Since the printer housing is provided with the restricting means for restricting the rotation of the carriage locking member when closing the opening, the reciprocating movement of the carriage can be reliably restricted.

According to the image input / output device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the carriage locking member has the second arm swinging integrally with the first arm and projecting from the scanner housing toward the printer housing. The restricting means restricts the swing of the second arm when the scanner housing closes the upper opening. Therefore, when the scanner housing is swung in a direction in which the upper opening of the printer housing is opened, the second arm is exposed, so that it is easy to switch between the reciprocation of the carriage and the restriction release.

According to the image input / output device of the third aspect of the present invention, since the regulating means is provided near the swinging end of the scanner housing, it is easy to switch between the regulation of the reciprocation of the carriage and the regulation release. is there.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a plurality of examples showing embodiments of the present invention will be described. (First Embodiment) FIGS. 2 to 4 show an image input / output device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The image input / output apparatus 1 has a two-story structure in which a printer housing 2 containing a printer engine (not shown) is provided in a lower part, and a scanner housing 3 containing a carriage 32 is provided in an upper part.

The printer housing 2 houses a printer engine (not shown) including an ink jet head, a paper transport mechanism, and the like. An opening (not shown) for maintaining the printer engine is provided on the upper surface of the printer housing 2. Hinges 21 and 22 are provided on the back of the printer housing 2. Hinge 21,
Reference numeral 22 supports the scanner housing 3 swingably. The hinges 21 and 22 are provided with springs (not shown) for urging the scanner housing 3 in a direction to open the opening of the printer housing 2. The printer housing 2 is provided with a lock mechanism (not shown) that can lock the swinging end of the scanner housing 3.

A transparent document table (not shown) is provided above the scanner housing 3. The scanner housing 3 swings to close or open the opening of the printer housing 2. A guide rod 31 is provided on the scanner housing 3 with its longitudinal direction facing the sub-scanning direction. The carriage 32 is provided with sliders 32a and 32b through which the guide rod 31 passes. The inner walls of the through holes formed in the sliders 32a and 32b are slidably supported by the outer wall of the guide rod 31.

The carriage 32 houses a CCD line sensor (not shown), a mirror, a lens, a lamp, and the like. C
The CD line sensor constitutes the optical sensor described in the claims. The mirror and the lens constitute the optical system described in the claims, and the light emitted from the lamp is reflected by the original placed on the original table to form an optical path to the CCD line sensor, and the original image is transmitted to the CCD line sensor. It is to project. In this embodiment, the explanation is made assuming that the CCD accommodates the CCD line sensor in the carriage.
The line sensor and the lens may be fixed to the scanner housing 3. In addition, a contact type line sensor (CIS; Contact Imag) is attached to the carriage.
e Sensor) may be provided.

A lock pin 32d is provided at the end of the carriage 32 on the side opposite to the guide rod, as shown in FIGS. The lock pin 32d protrudes from the end of the carriage 32 in the main scanning direction.

The scanner housing 3 rotatably supports the carriage locking member 33. The carriage locking member 33 has a rotation axis O near the swing end of the scanner housing 3.
Are provided so as to face the main scanning direction. The position in the sub-scanning direction where the carriage locking member 33 is provided in the scanner housing 3 is near the so-called home position where the carriage 32 is located when the power is turned off. That is, the carriage locking member 33 is provided in the vicinity of the corner on the swing end side of the scanner housing 3. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the carriage locking member 33. The carriage locking member 33 includes a substantially disk-shaped main body 33f, a shaft portion 33c, a substantially L-shaped first arm 33b, and a substantially I-shaped second arm 33a.

The shaft portion 33c protrudes from the main body 33f in the main scanning direction and is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) provided in the scanner housing 3. The shaft 33
A shaft hole may be formed in the main body 33f instead of c, and a shaft rod inserted into the shaft hole may be provided in the scanner housing 3.

The first arm 33b is a substantially L-shaped rod-shaped member, extending from the base end in the radial direction of the main body 33f, and further has the distal end extending in the circumferential direction. Therefore, a circumferential gap 33d is formed between the first arm 33b and the main body 33f. A recess 33e for receiving the lock pin 32d with a predetermined play is formed at the circumferential gap side end of the first arm 33b. The recess 33e is formed to prevent the lock pin 32d from contacting the first arm 33b. When the carriage 32 is at the home position, the rotation shaft O, the circumferential gap 33d, the lock pin 32d enters the circumferential gap 33d and fits into the recess 33e by the rotation of the carriage locking member 33.
The positional relationship between the center axes of the lock pins 32d is set.

The second arm 33a is a rod-like member extending radially from the main body 33f. From the rotation axis O to the second arm 3
The distance to the tip of 3a is longer than the distance from the rotation axis O to the bottom of the scanner housing 3. Accordingly, the distal end of the second arm 33a protrudes from the bottom surface of the scanner housing 3 as shown in FIG. Scanner housing 3
Is closing the opening of the printer housing 2,
That is, when in the state shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the second arm 33a is inserted into one of the first concave portion 23 and the second concave portion 25 provided in the scanner housing 3, The positional relationship and the shape between the first arm 33b and the second arm 33a are set. A projection 24 as a regulating means is formed between the first recess 23 and the second recess 25 of the printer housing 2. When the scanner housing 3 closes the opening of the printer housing 2, the distance from the tip of the projection 24 to the rotation axis O is longer than the distance from the rotation axis O to the base of the second arm 33 a, and It is shorter than the distance from the axis O to the tip of the second arm 33a.

As shown in FIG. 1A, when the second arm 33a is fitted in the first concave portion 23, a line connecting the second arm 33a and the rotation axis O, and as shown in FIG. When the second arm 33a is fitted in the second concave portion 25, the second
The angle formed by the line connecting the arm 33a and the rotation axis O is larger than the angle formed by the line connecting the rotation axis O and the recess 33e and the line connecting the rotation axis O and the tip of the first arm 33b. . Also, the first arm 33b, the second arm 33a, and the first recess 2
3, the second recess 25 and the lock pin 32d
As shown in FIG. 1, when the second arm 33a fits in the first recess 23, the lock pin 32d fits in the recess 33e, and when the second arm 33a fits in the second recess 25, the first arm 33b reciprocates the lock pin 32d. It does not intersect with the movement locus ML.

The configuration of the image input / output device 1 has been described above. Hereinafter, the operation of the image input / output device 1 will be described. In the following description, the state in which the scanner housing 3 closes the opening of the printer housing 2, that is, the state shown in FIGS. The state in which the scanner housing 3 has opened the opening of the printer housing 2, that is, the state shown in FIG.

Image reading is performed in the closed state, and maintenance of the printer engine and operation of the carriage locking member 33 are performed in the open state. When shifting from the closed state to the open state, the scanner housing 3
Is urged in the opening direction by hinges 21 and 22.

(1) Image reading Image reading is performed with the lock pin 32d protruding from the circumferential gap 33d in the closed state as shown in FIG. 1B. In this state, the rotation of the carriage locking member 33 is restricted at an angle at which the first arm 33b does not intersect the reciprocating locus ML of the lock pin 32d. The carriage 32 can move in the sub-scanning direction from the home position shown in FIG. An original image is read in the main scanning direction by a CCD line sensor housed in the carriage 32, and the original image is read in the sub-scanning direction by moving the carriage 32.

In the closed state, the second arm 33a
If the second arm 33a is locked in the recess 25, the carriage locking member 33 does not rotate since the swing of the second arm 33a is restricted by the protrusion 24. Therefore, the circumferential gap 33
When the lock pin 32d is moved out of the position d and closed, the movement of the carriage 32 is not restricted unless the lock pin 32d is opened.

(2) Operation of Carriage Locking Member When the image input / output device 1 is carried, it is necessary to restrict the movement of the carriage 32. When restricting the movement of the carriage 32, the carriage 32 is moved to the home position, and the swinging end of the scanner housing 3 in the closed state is lifted to open. In the open state shown in FIG. 6, the second arm 33a is exposed from the lower surface of the scanner housing 3. Therefore, in the open state, the second arm 33a
Can be swung with bare hands.

(3) Fixing the carriage The first arm 3 is moved by swinging the second arm 33a.
When the lock pin 32d is closed in the recess 33e of the second arm 33a, as shown in FIG.
Fits in the first concave portion 23. When the first arm 33a is fitted in the first concave portion 23 in the closed state, the swing of the first arm 33a is restricted by the protrusion 24,
The carriage locking member 33 does not rotate. Therefore, once the lock pin 32d is housed in the recess 33e of the first arm 33b and closed, the carriage 32 does not move unless it is opened.

According to the image input / output device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the carriage locking member 33 does not rotate unless the scanner housing 3 is swung to be opened, so that the scanner housing 3 is provided by the packing material. , The reciprocal movement of the carriage 32 during transportation can be prevented. Therefore, reciprocation of the carriage 32 can be reliably restricted. Further, since the second arm 33a is exposed from the lower surface of the scanner housing 3 in the open state, the second arm 33a can be swung with bare hands, and it is possible to easily switch between the reciprocation of the carriage 32 and the restriction release. Can be. Further, since the second arm 33a protrudes from the vicinity of the swing end of the scanner housing 3, the second arm can be swung by one hand while supporting the scanner housing 3 with one hand. That is, it is possible to switch between the restriction of the reciprocation of the carriage 32 and the restriction release with one hand.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the second embodiment, a first concave portion 33f and a second concave portion 33g are provided in the carriage locking member 33 instead of the second arm in the first embodiment, and the first concave portion and the second concave portion of the printer housing 2 are replaced. The projection 26 protruding from the upper surface of the printer housing 2 is provided on the printer housing 2. The protrusion 26 constitutes a restricting means described in the claims.

When the lock pin 32d is accommodated in the concave portion 33e of the first arm 33b and is in the closed state, the projection 26 is fitted in the second concave portion 33g of the printer housing 2, and the lock pin 32d comes out of the circumferential gap 33d and is closed. When in the state, the protrusion 26 is in the first recess 33 of the printer housing 2.
f, the first recess 33f, the second recess 33g,
The positional relationship between the protrusion 26 and the first arm 33b is set.

According to the image input / output device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the carriage locking member 33 does not rotate unless the scanner housing 3 is swung to be opened, so that the scanner housing 3 is provided by the packing material. , The reciprocal movement of the carriage 32 during transportation can be prevented. Therefore, reciprocation of the carriage 32 can be reliably restricted.

The carriage locking member 3 is rotated so that the carriage locking member 33 can be rotated with bare hands in the open state.
The shaft 3 may project from the side wall of the scanner housing 3.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view for explaining an operation of an image input / output device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing an image input / output device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a carriage locking member according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the image input / output device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic partial sectional view showing an image input / output device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic partial sectional view showing a conventional image input / output device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image input / output device 2 Printer housing 3 Scanner housing 24 Projection (restriction means) 26 Projection (restriction means) 32 Carriage 33 Carriage locking member 33a Second arm 33b First arm

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C061 AP10 BB02 CD07 CD13 CD14 5C062 AB17 AB21 AD01 AD02 AD06 5C072 AA01 AA03 BA20 CA02 DA02 DA04 EA05 MA01 MA10

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printer engine for recording an image on a print medium, a printer housing having an upper surface opening for accommodating the printer engine, and an optical system for projecting the image onto an optical sensor for reading an image in a main scanning direction. A carriage that conveys in the scanning direction; a scanner housing that is swingably supported by the printer housing to open and close the upper opening, and that supports the carriage so that it can reciprocate in the sub-scanning direction; and rotation in the main scanning direction. A carriage locking member having a shaft supported by the scanner housing and having a first arm that swings from a first rotation angle that regulates reciprocation of the carriage to a second rotation angle that releases restriction of reciprocation of the carriage; The carriage provided in the printer housing when the scanner housing closes the top opening; Image output apparatus characterized by comprising: a regulating means for regulating the rotation of the stop member. 2. The carriage locking member has a second arm that swings integrally with the first arm and protrudes from the scanner housing to a printer housing side. 2. The image input / output device according to claim 1, wherein the swing of the second arm is restricted when the upper surface opening is closed. 3. An image input / output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said restricting means is provided near a swing end of said scanner housing.