JP2004245992A - Optical document reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in which a contact type optical document reader has trouble such that when a document on which ink or cinnabar seal ink is not dry is read, a glass or the document is stained. <P>SOLUTION: The optical document reader where the document 2 is set with its read surface up and which reads the document 2 by moving a read part 4 above it has a fixed-interval gap 5 formed between the read surface of the document 2 and the glass 5 above it. Incident light 8 emitted by a light source 4a passes through the glass 5 to impinge on the read surface of the document 2 and is reflected there and its reflected light 9 passes through the glass 5 again and is read by the read part 4 to recognize image data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical document reading apparatus used for a facsimile, a copying machine, a scanner, and the like, and particularly to a method of setting a document so that a reading surface faces upward, and performing a reading operation by a reading unit provided above the document. The present invention relates to an optical document reading apparatus, and more particularly, to an optical document reading apparatus that reads one sheet-like document such as a form or cut sheet, instead of a form bound in a booklet.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional optical document reading apparatus, there is an optical document reading apparatus in which a document is placed so that a reading surface faces upward, and a reading operation is performed by a reading unit provided above the document. One example is a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-66762, "Image Reading Apparatus". Hereinafter, this prior art will be briefly described with reference to the drawings.
[0003]
As shown in FIG. 9, the original 102 is placed on the original placing table 101 so that the reading surface faces upward, and is further pressed by the glass plate 105 from above, thereby suppressing the original from bending or undulating. It has a structure that provides flatness. When performing a reading operation, the reading scanning unit 104 scans the glass plate 105 to read the document 102 through the glass plate 105. The optical document reading apparatus of this type is suitable for continuously reading a book-like document such as a book while turning pages. This is an optical document reading device that sets the document face down and reads the document from below.To read a page and then read the next page, open the document cover and turn the book upward. After turning the page, an operation of closing the original cover with the book facing down again is required. On the other hand, in the case of an apparatus of a document-upside-down type, it is only necessary to open the glass plate 105, turn pages, and return the glass plate to its original position.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the above-described conventional document reader of the upward installation type has the following problems.
[0005]
First, in the above-mentioned method, since the glass plate has a structure in which the glass plate is in close contact with the surface of the reading surface of the document, the ink is not dried immediately after printing, or the vermilion is not dried immediately after stamping, for example, a seal. If the original is read as it is, ink and vermilion adhere to the glass plate and become dirty, so that not only a correct read image cannot be obtained but also a subsequent read image may be affected. In addition, the manuscript itself may be stained by friction with a glass plate with ink or vermilion.
[0006]
Further, in this method, since a large pressure is applied to a document using a glass plate to obtain flatness, there is a possibility that old documents and the like may be damaged when they are read as a document.
[0007]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an optical document reading apparatus capable of reading a document in a state where ink, vermilion or the like is not dried, without soiling a glass plate or the document itself in the apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical document reading apparatus capable of reading a document such as an old book which cannot be contacted or exerted a large pressure.
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-62-66762 [Patent Document 2]
JP-A-11-24180
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In view of the above problems, the optical document reading device of the present invention includes a document table,
A document cover portion formed integrally with the apparatus main body and covering the upper surface of the document mounting table, and provided on the document cover portion, and irradiating a reading surface of the document mounted on the document mounting table with laser light; In an optical document reading apparatus comprising scanning optical scanner means for recognizing light reflected from a reading surface of the document and reading the document, a fixed distance is provided between the document cover and the document table. Are formed.
[0009]
Further, as a second configuration of the present invention, a document table, a document cover portion that is pivotally supported on one side end to open and close, and covers an upper surface of the document table, and provided on the document cover portion, A scanning optical system that irradiates a reading surface of a document placed on the document placing table with laser light in a state where the document cover is closed, and recognizes reflected light from the reading surface of the document to read the document. In an optical document reading device constituted by scanner means,
A certain minute gap is formed between the reading surface of the document and the document cover.
[0010]
Further, a third configuration example of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the above-described configuration, a portion of the optical document cover portion above the document reading surface is formed of a transparent member.
[0011]
Further, a fourth configuration example of the present invention is characterized in that a position fixing means for fixing the document is formed on the document table.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 1, a document 2 is placed on a document placing table 1 with its reading surface facing upward. The document cover 3 has a box-like structure, and a reading unit 4 in which a light source for illuminating the document 2 and a light receiving element for converting reflected light from the document 2 into an electric signal or the like are mounted. Is stored. The reading unit 4 is moved inside the document cover unit 3 by the force of a motor or the like. Glass 5 is fitted into the lower surface (bottom surface) of the document cover 3.
[0014]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the document cover 3 is closed in the embodiment of FIG. In this figure, when the document cover 3 is closed, the protrusion 3 a comes into contact with the document table 1, so that a gap 6 having a constant width is formed between the document cover 3 and the document table 1.
[0015]
FIG. 3 is a side view of the document reading apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the side. The projections 3 a provided on the document cover 3 form a gap 6 having a uniform width between the document setting table 1 and the glass 5 attached to the lower surface of the document cover 3. The document 2 is structured to fit between the gaps 6. Actually, the document 2 is set on the document setting table 1 so that the reading surface faces upward, so that a gap 6 is formed between the reading surface of the document 2 and the glass 5. The gap 6 makes it possible to perform a reading operation without touching the reading surface of the document 2, and it is possible to perform reading without any problem even when the ink or the vermilion is in an undried state. As the reading unit 3 in FIGS. 1 and 3, a method using a contact image sensor (CIS), a method using a reduction optical system in which light is condensed by a lens using a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), or the like is used. However, since this is a matter well known to those skilled in the art and is not directly related to the gist of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
[0016]
Subsequently, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
[0017]
In FIG. 1, a document 2 is placed on a document placing table 1 with a reading surface facing upward, and after a document cover 3 is closed and a reading operation is started, a reading unit 4 in the document cover 3 is turned on. The original 2 is driven by a motor or the like and scanned along the reading surface of the original 2.
At the same time, a circuit for causing a light source for illuminating the original to emit light inside the reading unit 4 and converting reflected light from the original to an electric signal is activated. The details of this portion will be described below with reference to FIG.
[0018]
In FIG. 4, incident light 8 emitted from a light source 4a mounted on a reading unit 4 passes through a glass 5 and a gap 6, and illuminates the original 2 thereunder. Then, the reflected light 9 having information such as the color and density of the reading surface passes through the gap 6 and the glass 5 again, enters the light receiving element of the reading unit 4, and is converted into an electric signal by an internal circuit. The light receiving elements are arranged in a row inside the reading section 4, and the entire original 2 can be read by scanning in a direction perpendicular to the light receiving element row. As can be seen from a comparison between FIG. 4 and FIG. 10, in the present embodiment, since a fixed gap is formed between the reading surface of the original 2 and the glass 5 placed thereon, Thus, the reading operation can be performed without any problem even if the original is in a state where the ink and vermilion are not dried, without contact.
[0019]
Further, in the present embodiment, since the original 2 and the glass 5 are not in contact with each other, the original 2 is not subjected to pressure from the glass 5 and a reading operation can be performed without problem even for an easily damaged original such as an old book. Becomes possible.
[0020]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 5, the basic configuration is almost the same as that of the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, the glass 10 is attached not only to the lower surface of the original cover 3 but also to the upper surface. The feature is that. By adopting such a configuration, when the document cover 3 is closed, the document 2 can be directly checked with the naked eye, and the displacement and the readable range of the document 2 can be visually recognized. It is possible to improve the performance.
[0022]
Further, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, the basic configuration is almost the same as that of the first embodiment. However, in the first embodiment, the portion that was the document cover 3 is not an openable / closable type in this embodiment but is integrated with the main body. Have been. The portion into which the document is inserted is slit-shaped, and has a structure capable of securing a gap having a certain width, which is one of the features of the present invention. This eliminates the need for the projection 3a on the document cover 3 and allows the document position to be moved freely. Further, since there is no need to open and close the document cover 3, reading preparation can be performed more easily. However, in the case of a small original, there is a possibility that the original may enter the gap. Therefore, this embodiment is effective when a part of a relatively large original is to be read. Further, in the present embodiment, the upper surface is made of glass similarly to the second embodiment, so that the position to be read can be more easily and reliably aligned.
[0023]
Finally, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a document clip 11 for fixing the document 2 on the document table 1 is added. In each of the embodiments described so far, the document 2 is not fixed, but is merely placed on the document table 1. Therefore, when the document 2 is lifted up or warped in advance for some reason, the reading surface may come into contact with the glass 5 and the effect of the present invention cannot be sufficiently obtained. However, by fixing the document 2 on the document table 1 with the document clip 11, it is possible to prevent the document 2 from being lifted or warped and to obtain the effect of increasing the flatness of the reading surface.
[0024]
Although the protrusions 3a are shown in FIGS. 1 and 8 and the like, these are merely examples, and the shape, quantity, mounting position, and the like of the protrusions 3a are items that can be appropriately selected depending on the case. However, the present invention is not limited to the drawings describing the embodiments.
[0025]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the document reading apparatus of the present invention is configured so as to provide a constant gap between the glass and the document, so that the reading process can be performed without contacting the reading surface of the document. This makes it possible to read even a document whose ink is not dry immediately after writing (or printing) or a document whose vermilion is not dry immediately after imprinting a seal, without soiling the glass or the document. . This has the effect of eliminating the need to wait for the document to dry, for example, when facsimile transmission of the document with the signature or seal is required. Also, there is an effect that prompt processing can be performed even in a seal registration operation at a local government window.
[0026]
Furthermore, the reading process can be performed without applying pressure to the document surface, and a document that is easily damaged such as an old book can be read safely. As a result, there is an effect that it is possible to obtain finer image data than photographing a valuable material.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a first embodiment of an optical document reading apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a document cover is closed in the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the first embodiment.
4 is an enlarged sectional view showing a detailed configuration of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is an external perspective view showing a second embodiment of the optical document reading apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is an external perspective view showing a third embodiment of the optical document reading apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a side view of the third embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an external perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the optical document reading apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a side view showing the configuration of a conventional optical document reading apparatus.
FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view showing a detailed configuration of a conventional optical document reading apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 document table 2 document 3 document cover 3 a projection 4 reading unit 4 a light source 5 bottom glass 6 gap 7 ink 8 incident light 9 reflected light 10 top glass 11 document clip

Claims (4)

A document table,
A document cover portion formed integrally with the apparatus main body and covering the upper surface of the document mounting table, and provided on the document cover portion, and irradiating a reading surface of the document mounted on the document mounting table with laser light; In an optical document reading apparatus configured by scanning optical scanner means for reading the document by recognizing reflected light from the reading surface of the document,
An optical document reading device, wherein a predetermined minute interval is formed between the document cover and the document table. A document table,
A document cover portion rotatably supported at one side end to open and close, and provided on the document cover portion to cover an upper surface of the document placing table, and placed on the document placing table in a state where the document cover is closed; In an optical original reading apparatus configured by irradiating a laser light to a reading surface of the original and recognizing reflected light from the reading surface of the original and scanning optical scanner means for reading the original by reading the original,
An optical document reading device, wherein a fixed minute gap is formed between the document reading surface and the document cover. The optical document reading device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the optical document cover portion above the document reading surface is formed of a transparent member. 4. The optical document reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a position fixing means for fixing the document is formed on the document table.

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