JP2004061768A - Image reading apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reading apparatus that prevent defocusing by keeping the distance between a read element and a document constant without entailing a rise in cost. <P>SOLUTION: The image reading apparatus 2 which reads an image of the document placed on a document glass 8 covered with an openable/closable document cover 10 by moving a CIS (read element) 12 below the document glass 8 is equipped with a body cover 7 which covers the circumferential part of the document glass 8 and the height of the document glass 8 at the position of the body cover 7 corresponding to at least one side is set nearly equal to the top surface of the document glass 8. Consequently, no step is formed between the top surface of the document glass 8 and the position of the body cover 7 corresponding to at least one side of the document cover 8, so a part of the document which projects from the document glass 8 is mounted on the part to eliminate flotation of the document and the distance between the document and read element is held constant. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus that reads an image of a document placed on a document glass by moving a reading element below the document glass.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, multifunctional peripheral devices having many functions such as a copy function and an image reading function in addition to a telephone function and a facsimile function have appeared, but as an image reading device provided in such a multifunctional peripheral device, An original is placed on an original glass covered by an openable and closable original cover, and a reading element (image sensor) such as a CCD or a CIS is moved below the original glass, whereby the original is placed on the original glass. A device that reads an image of an original document is known.
[0003]
By the way, such a multifunctional peripheral device is required to be thin, and in order to meet this demand, a CIS which is generally said to have a smaller depth of focus than a CCD as a reading element of an image reading device is required. Is adopted as a reading element of an image reading apparatus, thereby reducing the height of the image reading apparatus.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional image reading apparatus, the entire periphery of the rectangular plate-shaped original glass is covered with the main body cover. Therefore, as shown in FIG. Surface), and a step occurs between the two. For example, when reading an original 120 that is larger than the original placing area of the original glass 108 and has a high stiffness (high rigidity), the original 120 protrudes from the original glass 108. In the reading by CIS, which is generally said to have a shallower depth of focus as compared with the CCD, there is a problem in that the raised portion of the document is likely to be out of focus. Was.
[0005]
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10, when the thick book 121 is placed on the original glass 108 and the image is read, a portion of the book 121 that protrudes from the original glass 108 is placed on the main body cover 107. A part of the page from which the image of the book 121 is to be read (a part close to the binding margin) rises by Δh1 as shown in the drawing, and the blur is likely to be out of focus in reading the raised part by the CIS as described above. There was a problem.
[0006]
By changing the material of the CIS lens from conventional plastic to glass, it is possible to slightly increase the depth of focus of the CIS, but there is a problem that the cost is inevitable.
[0007]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and an object thereof is to provide an image capable of keeping the distance between a reading element and a document constant and preventing the occurrence of out-of-focus without increasing costs. A reading device is provided.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1, wherein an original is placed on an original glass covered by an openable and closable original cover, and a reading element is moved below the original glass, whereby the original glass is moved. An image reading apparatus for reading an image of a document placed thereon, further comprising a body cover that covers a peripheral portion of the document glass, wherein a height of a portion of the body cover corresponding to at least one side of the document glass is a height of the document glass. Characterized by being substantially equal to the upper surface of.
[0009]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the document placing area of the document glass is formed in a rectangular shape, and a portion of the main body cover corresponding to the one side is a long side of the document placing area. Side.
[0010]
Therefore, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, there is no step between the upper surface of the original glass and the portion of the main body cover corresponding to at least one side of the original glass. If the protruding portion is placed, the document will not be lifted, the distance between the document and the reading element will be kept constant, and even if the reading element is a CIS with a small depth of focus, the image reading will be out of focus. Will not be done. As the reading element, the same element as that of the related art can be used, and a large change is not required in the apparatus main body, so that an increase in the cost of the apparatus can be avoided.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an operation panel having various keys capable of inputting an instruction by a user, wherein a portion of the main body cover corresponding to one side is the operation panel. It is a side connected to the panel.
[0012]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the upper surface of the one side of the document glass and the upper surface of the operation panel connected thereto are substantially the same height.
[0013]
Therefore, according to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, there is no step between the upper surface of the original glass and the upper surface of the operation panel, so that the original does not float and the distance between the original and the reading element is constant. , And there is no out-of-focus in reading the image.
[0014]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the upper surface of the one side of the document glass is set slightly higher than the upper surface of the operation panel connected thereto.
[0015]
Therefore, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the upper surface of the original glass is slightly higher than the upper surface of the operation panel connected thereto, the floating of the original placed on the original glass is more reliably prevented, The distance between the original and the reading element is kept constant, so that the out of focus does not occur when reading an image.
[0016]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of any one of the third to fourth aspects, a panel cover for covering the operation panel is further provided, and the panel cover has an upwardly convex curved surface. Thus, a portion of the original protruding from the original glass is prevented from touching various keys on the operation panel.
[0017]
Therefore, according to the sixth aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent a problem that a part of the original protruding from the original glass touches various keys on the operation panel and malfunctions the apparatus.
[0018]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the third to sixth aspects, when the document cover is closed, a high light-shielding property is provided so as to straddle the document glass and the body cover. An elastic member is attached to the document cover.
[0019]
Therefore, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the document cover is closed for reading the document, the flat document glass having no step and the gap between the main body cover and the document cover are closed by the elastic member. Since the elastic member prevents light from entering through the gap, the reading of the document is performed satisfactorily and stably.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0021]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multifunction peripheral device 1 including an image reading device according to the present invention. The illustrated multifunction peripheral device 1 is an information communication device having a telephone function, a facsimile function, a copy function, and an image reading function. In addition, an image reading device 2 according to the present invention is provided on an upper portion thereof.
[0022]
When the multifunctional peripheral device 1 is used as, for example, a copy machine, image data of a document read by the image reading device 2 is input into the device main body via a dedicated interface, and is embedded in the device main body. Is printed on recording paper by an ink jet printer (not shown).
[0023]
Here, assuming that the side on which the operation panel 3 is provided in the image reading apparatus 2 is the front side, the paper discharge port 4 and the paper discharge tray 5 are provided on this front side, and the paper supply tray 6 is provided on the back side. I have.
[0024]
Therefore, the recording paper set in the paper supply tray 6 is conveyed into the apparatus main body by a paper supply mechanism (not shown), and after the read image is printed by the inkjet printer, the recording paper is discharged from the paper output port 4 as copy paper. Is stacked on the discharged paper tray 5.
[0025]
Next, details of the configuration of the image reading apparatus 2 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0026]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image reading apparatus according to the present invention with a document cover opened, FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the image reading apparatus, and FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of an operation panel unit of the image reading apparatus. 5 is an enlarged detail view of a portion A in FIG.
[0027]
The illustrated image reading apparatus 2 has a main body cover 7 formed of a resin into a rectangular box shape, and the upper opening of the main body cover 7 is covered with a horizontal original glass 8. The original glass 8 is rotatably supported by two left and right hinges 9 provided on the back side of the main body cover 7 (the side on which the operation panel 3 is provided is the front side, and the opposite side is the back side). It is opened and closed by the rectangular document cover 10 formed.
[0028]
An original to be read is placed on the original glass 8, and the original placing area of the original glass 8 is formed in a rectangular shape. A document holding sponge 11 of a rectangular shape covering the document placing area is attached by bonding. Although not shown, a white resin film is adhered to the surface of the document holding sponge 11.
[0029]
In a space covered by the document glass 8 in the main body cover 7, a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) 12 as a reading element that reciprocates right and left (left and right when viewed from the near side) below the document glass 8 is provided. Have been. That is, guide shafts 13 are horizontally installed on the left and right inside the main body cover 7, and a carriage 14 is slidably held on the guide shafts 13, and the CIS 12 is mounted on the carriage 14. Here, the CIS 12 is formed to be long in the front-back direction (front-back as viewed from the operation panel 3 side), and guide rollers 15 that roll along the lower surface of the original glass 8 are rotatable at both ends as shown in FIG. It is provided in.
[0030]
Accordingly, when the motor (not shown) is driven to reciprocate the carriage 14 right and left along the guide shaft 13, the CIS 12 mounted on the carriage 14 also reciprocates right and left below the original glass 8, and the original glass 8 Read the image of the original placed on top.
[0031]
By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, the main body cover 7 is vertically divided into two parts, which are composed of a rectangular box-shaped bottom cover 7A having an open upper surface and a rectangular frame-shaped top cover 7B covering the outer periphery thereof. The operation panel 3 made of resin is provided on the upper surface of a portion extending toward the near side of the bottom cover 7A.
[0032]
Here, the operation panel 3 has a slope that descends toward the near side, and as shown in FIG. 2, a substantially elliptical concave portion 3a that is long in the lateral direction is formed at the center in the width direction. The concave portion 3a is provided with a plurality of various keys 16 and a liquid crystal display (LCD) 17 to which a user can input an instruction. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the concave portion 3a of the operation panel 3 is covered with a panel cover 18 made of resin, and the upper surface of the panel cover 18 is formed into an upwardly convex curved surface. Is penetrated through the panel cover 18 and a part thereof is exposed to the outside. Further, convex portions 18a projecting upward are formed at the front and rear (front and back) of the panel cover 18.
[0033]
As shown in FIG. 3, the document glass 8 has its peripheral edge supported by the upper end of the bottom cover 7A of the main body cover 7, and has one side closer to it (one side closer to the operation panel 3). The other three sides are covered by a flange 7C of the top cover 7B.
[0034]
That is, the front side of the top cover 7B is not formed with the flange portion 7C, and therefore, the front side of the document glass 8 is not covered with the flange portion 7C of the top cover 7B. For this reason, as shown in detail in FIG. 5, the height of one side on the near side of the top cover 7B is substantially equal to the height of the upper surface of the original glass 8, and the height of the upper surface of the original glass 8 via the top cover 7B. The height of the upper surface of the continuous operation panel 3 is also set substantially equal to the height of the upper surface of the document glass 8. The difference between the height of the upper surface of the original glass 8 and the height of the upper surface of the operation panel 3 does not cause any problem as long as it is within ± 0.5 mm.
[0035]
Therefore, on the near side where the operation panel 3 is provided, the upper surface of the document glass 8, the upper end surface on the near side of the top cover 7 </ b> B, and the upper surface of the operation panel 3 connected thereto constitute a continuous substantially flat plane. Although there is almost no step between them, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the original glass 8 is slightly smaller than the upper end surface of the top cover 7B connected thereto and the upper surface of the operation panel 3. Is set high.
[0036]
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, when the original cover 10 is closed, the original glass 8 and the main body cover 7 (top cover 7B) are provided on the back surface of the original cover 10 at the free end side (front side). A light-shielding sponge 19 as an elastic member having a high light-shielding property, which straddles and contacts with, is long attached in the width direction. In the present embodiment, the light-shielding sponge 19 is provided separately from the document holding sponge 11, but the document holding sponge 11 may be extended to the near side so that the sponge 11 also functions as a light-shielding sponge. .
[0037]
Here, the portion of the main body cover 7 corresponding to one side on the front side of the original glass 8 (one side not covered by the main body cover 7 (flange portion 7C of the top cover 7B)) corresponds to the above-mentioned original mounting plate forming a rectangle of the original glass 8. It corresponds to the long side of the placement area.
[0038]
In order to read a document image in the document reading device 2, as shown in FIG. 2, the document cover 10 is rotated upward about the hinge 9 and opened, and the document is placed on the document glass 8. It is placed with its image side down.
[0039]
When the reading operation is supported by the key operation on the operation panel 3, the CIS 12 reciprocates right and left below the original glass 8 to read the original image as described above. In this case, as described above, the light-shielding sponge 19 attached to the back surface of the document cover 10 straddles the document glass 8 and the main body cover 7 and is elastically deformed. A minute gap between the main body cover 7 and the document cover 10 is securely closed by the light-blocking sponge 19, and light from the gap is prevented by the light-blocking sponge 19, so that the document can be read in a good and stable manner. Done.
[0040]
By the way, when the document to be read is large and strong (high rigidity), a part of the document 20 protrudes from the document glass 8 to the near side as shown in FIG. The upper surface of the document glass 8, the upper end surface on the front side of the top cover 7 </ b> B, and the upper surface of the operation panel 3 connected to the document glass 8 form a continuous and substantially same plane, and there is almost no step between them. The lifting of the document 20 is eliminated, the distance between the document 20 and the CIS 12 is kept constant, and even when the image is read by the CIS 12 having a small depth of focus, the image is not defocused. In particular, in the present embodiment, the upper surface of the original glass 8 is slightly higher than the upper surfaces of the main body cover 7 (top cover 7B) and the operation panel 3 connected thereto, so that the portion of the original 20 that protrudes from the original glass 8 hangs down. As a result, the document 20 is prevented from floating on the document glass 8 more reliably.
[0041]
Further, in the present embodiment, since the upper surface of the panel cover 18 is formed in a curved shape convex upward, a part of the document 20 protruding from the document glass 8 touches the various keys 16 of the operation panel 3 to allow the apparatus to operate. A malfunction such as malfunction is prevented. Further, since convex portions 18a (see FIG. 4) higher than the upper surface are formed at the front and rear ends of the panel cover 18, pressing of the various keys 16 by protruding portions of a book or the like is prevented by the convex portions 18a.
[0042]
As described above, in the image reading apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the substantially upper surface of the original glass 8 and the upper surface of the front side of the top cover 7B and the upper surface of the operation panel 3 connected to the upper surface are continuous. By configuring such that there is almost no step between them, the document 20 can be prevented from floating and the distance between the document 20 and the CIS 12 can be kept constant. Can be used, and a major change is not required in the apparatus main body, so that an increase in the cost of the apparatus can be avoided.
[0043]
As shown in FIG. 7, even when the original is a thick book 21, as described above, the upper surface of the original glass 8, the upper end surface on the near side of the top cover 7B, and the upper surface of the operation panel 3 connected thereto. And a portion protruding from the original glass 8 of the book 21 is placed on a plane having almost no step, and a main body that forms a step like the conventional document reading apparatus shown in FIG. Since the book 21 is not placed on the cover 107, the lift Δh2 of the book 21 on the original glass 8 is suppressed to be smaller than the conventional lift Δh1 (see FIG. 10), and the distance between the book 21 and the CIS 12 is kept substantially constant. Even when reading is performed by the CIS 12 having a small depth of focus, it is difficult for the image reading to be out of focus.
[0044]
FIG. 8 shows a case where the original is a book 21 'larger than the book shown in FIG. 7. In this case as well, the lifting of the book 21' on the original glass 8 is minimized, and the book 21 ' Even if the portion protruding from the original glass 8 covers the entire surface of the operation panel 3, the various keys 16 are not accidentally pressed.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, there is no step between the upper surface of the original glass and the portion of the main body cover corresponding to at least one side of the original glass. If a portion of the document that protrudes from the document glass is placed on the portion, the document is not lifted up, the distance between the document and the reading element is kept constant, and even if the reading element is a CIS with a small depth of focus, the image can be read. The effect of eliminating the occurrence of defocus in reading can be obtained. As the reading element, the same element as that of the related art can be used, and a large change is not required in the apparatus main body, so that an increase in the cost of the apparatus can be avoided.
[0046]
According to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, there is no step between the upper surface of the original glass and the upper surface of the operation panel, so that the original does not float and the distance between the original and the reading element is kept constant. As a result, there is obtained an effect that a focus shift does not occur in reading an image.
[0047]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the upper surface of the document glass is slightly higher than the upper surface of the operation panel connected thereto, so that the document placed on the document glass can be more reliably prevented from floating. And the reading element can be kept at a constant distance, so that an out-of-focus state does not occur in reading an image.
[0048]
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, an effect is obtained that a problem that a part of the original protruding from the original glass touches various keys of the operation panel and the apparatus malfunctions is prevented.
[0049]
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, when the document cover is closed for reading the document, the elastic member prevents light from entering between the document glass and the main body cover where no step is formed. The effect of good and stable reading can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multifunctional peripheral device including an image reading device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image reading apparatus according to the present invention with a document cover opened.
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the image reading apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of an operation panel unit of the image reading apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail view of a portion A in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a large-sized original having a strong stiffness is read in the image reading apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view showing a state in which a small-sized book is read by the image reading apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view showing a state in which a large-sized book is read by the image reading apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a large-sized original having a strong stiffness is read by a conventional original reading apparatus.
FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a book is read by a conventional document reading apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Multifunctional peripheral device 2 Document reading device 3 Operation panel 7 Body cover 7A Bottom cover 7B Top cover 7C Flange section 8 Document glass 10 Document cover 11 Document holding sponge 12 CIS (reading element)
16 Various keys 18 Panel cover 19 Shading sponge (elastic member with high shading property)
20 manuscripts 21, 21 'book (manuscript)

Claims (7)

An image reading apparatus for reading an image of a document placed on the document glass by placing the document on a document glass covered by an openable document cover and moving a reading element below the document glass. ,
An image reading apparatus, comprising: a body cover that covers a peripheral portion of the document glass, wherein a height of a portion of the body cover corresponding to at least one side of the document glass is substantially equal to an upper surface of the document glass. 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document placing area of the document glass is formed in a rectangular shape, and a portion of the main body cover corresponding to the one side is a long side of the document placing area. . 3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an operation panel having various keys capable of inputting an instruction by a user, wherein a portion of the main body cover corresponding to the one side is a side connected to the operation panel. Image reading device. 4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an upper surface of the one side of the document glass and an upper surface of the operation panel connected thereto are substantially at the same height. 5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an upper surface of the one side of the document glass is set slightly higher than an upper surface of the operation panel connected thereto. Furthermore, a panel cover for covering the operation panel is provided, and the shape of the panel cover is a convexly curved surface, so that a part of the document protruding from the document glass does not touch various keys of the operation panel. The image reading device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein: 7. The document cover according to claim 3, wherein an elastic member having a high light-shielding property and straddling the document glass and the main body cover when the document cover is closed is attached to the document cover. The image reading device according to any one of the above.

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