JP2002247306A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent dirt, e.g. dust, from adhering to the mirror face without having any effect on the stability of carriage operation or the load of a drive motor. SOLUTION: A member (8) covering the entire region in the main scanning direction of a mirror is secured to the body of a reader. The covering member (8) is formed of a black bendable sheet member and provided with a guide member (9) formed of a sliding member.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus such as a scanner used for an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile machine and a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an image reading apparatus used in an image forming apparatus irradiates an original placed on a contact glass, reflects the original on mirrors provided on a first carriage and a second carriage, and forms an image. If dust adheres to the contact glass or the mirror, the image is disturbed. Therefore, in order to obtain a good image, the image must always be free of dust. However, although it is easy to wipe off the dust from the contact glass, the mirror is inside the device, so the market is frequently cleaned by services,
Expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, in order to prevent dust from adhering to the mirror, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-210201 proposes to cover the upper part of the second carriage. However, in the above proposal, the balance of the second carriage is poor, and the reading operation becomes unstable. Also, the first
The mirror of the carriage is configured to be shielded only during standby and not shielded during operation.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention is directed to preventing dust and dirt from adhering to the mirror surface without affecting the stability of the carriage operation and the load on the drive motor. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image reading apparatus which prevents a good image.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first carriage having a light source and a first mirror, the first carriage being movable along a document surface, and 2
A second carriage having a mirror and a third mirror, the second carriage being capable of moving at a half speed along the document surface together with the first carriage, and reflected light from the document illuminated by the light source is
In an image reading apparatus in which a photoelectric conversion element reads an image of a document by being incident on the photoelectric conversion element through a first mirror, a second mirror, a third mirror, and an imaging lens,
A cover member fixed above the first mirror of the first carriage and fixed to an apparatus housing below the carriage along the back side of the reflection surfaces of the second mirror and the third mirror of the second carriage. Image reading device. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the cover member covers at least the entire area of the mirror in the main scanning direction.
The image reading device described in (1). According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image reading apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising a guide member for guiding a cover member on the back side of the second carriage. The present invention according to claim 4 provides:
The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is formed of a sliding member. The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the cover member is a bendable sheet member.
The image reading device described in (1). According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image reading apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the cover member is formed of a black member.

[0005]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of an image reading apparatus according to the present invention. When a document is placed on the contact glass (1), the light emitted from the light source (2) on the first carriage (10) is transmitted to the first mirror (3), the second mirror (4), and the third mirror (5). ), An image is formed on the photoelectric conversion element (7) by the imaging lens (6). The cover member (8) has one end fixed to the base member of the first carriage (10), and the other end fixed to the base portion of the apparatus. First carriage (1
0) and the second carriage (20) run in parallel with the contact glass (1) by driving means (not shown). First
The traveling speed of the carriage (10) is V, and the traveling speed of the second carriage is 1 / 2V. The first mirror (3) is disposed at θ with respect to the optical axis toward the second mirror (4), and is located below the cover member (8).

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the image reading apparatus of the present invention. The cover member (8) is provided so as to cover almost the entire area of the first carriage (10) in the main scanning direction, and covers the first mirror (3), the second mirror (4), and the third mirror (5). It is always located above the scanning direction. The cover member (8) is formed of a bendable and lightweight sheet member, and the load does not increase, so that a conventional drive means can be used. The cover member (8) has its upper part fixed above the first mirror (3) of the first carriage (10), and has the second mirror (4) and the third mirror (3).
The mirror (5) is bent along the rear side of the reflection surface, and the lower portion is fixed to the reading device housing below the carriage. Further, the cover member (8) is formed of a black member so that external light and light reflected by the lamp are not diffused. Second
Guide members (9a) and (9b) for guiding the cover member (8) are provided at both ends of the carriage (20), and regulate the position of the cover member (8) in the main scanning direction. Since the guide members (9a) and (9b) are formed of sliding members, a stable reading operation can be performed during operation.

[0007]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In the device of claim 1, since the covering member is always located above the first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror,
It is possible to provide an image reading apparatus in which dust is prevented from adhering from above. In the apparatus according to the second aspect, since the cover member is provided in the entire effective range of the mirror, it is possible to provide an image reading apparatus in which dust is prevented from adhering to the effective range. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the cover member is provided with the guide member, the cover member does not move in the main scanning direction during operation, so that an image reading apparatus with a stable reading operation can be provided. In the apparatus according to the fourth aspect, since the guide member is formed by the sliding member, it is possible to provide an image reading apparatus that does not catch during operation and has a stable reading operation.
In the apparatus according to the fifth aspect, since the covering member is formed of a lightweight sheet material and the load does not increase, it is possible to provide an image reading apparatus capable of providing the covering member without changing the driving means. In the apparatus according to the sixth aspect, since the cover member is formed of a black member, external light and reflected light of the lamp are not diffused to the carriage, and an image reading apparatus with improved image quality can be provided. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a configuration of an image reading device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Contact glass 2 Light source 3 1st mirror 4 2nd mirror 5 3rd mirror 6 Imaging lens 7 Photoelectric conversion element 8 Covering member 9 Guide member 10 1st carriage 20 2nd carriage

Claims (6)

[Claims] A first carriage having a light source and a first mirror and movable along the original surface; and a first carriage having a second mirror and a third mirror along the original surface together with the first carriage.
And a second carriage movable at a speed of 2. The reflected light from the document irradiated by the light source is reflected by a first mirror and a second mirror.
In an image reading apparatus for reading an image of a document by being incident on a photoelectric conversion element through a mirror, a third mirror, and an imaging lens, the photoelectric conversion element is fixed above a first mirror of a first carriage, An image reading device, comprising: a cover member fixed to the device housing below the carriage along the back side of the reflection surfaces of the second mirror and the third mirror. 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the covering member covers at least the entire area of the mirror in the main scanning direction. 3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a guide member on a rear side of the second carriage for guiding a cover member. 4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is formed by a slide member. 5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cover member is a bendable sheet member. 6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cover member is formed of a black member.