JP2005079961A - Image input/output apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image input/output apparatus facilitating the attachment of a foreign-matter avoiding cover for preventing a foreign matter placed on a document cover from entering a sheet feed opening. <P>SOLUTION: The image input/output apparatus comprises a housing having a table for mounting a document, a substantially planar foreign-matter avoiding cover having a shaft, a section for supporting the foreign-matter avoiding cover to oscillate between the oscillation axis of a document cover and a sheet feed opening comprising a bearing having a U-shaped recess, a resiliently deformable hook for stopping the shaft engaging with the recess, and a means for regulating further oscillation in the tilting direction when the foreign-matter avoiding cover oscillates at a specified angle in the tilting direction from a standing attitude to project obliquely upward from the housing, and a recess formed between the oscillation axis of the foreign-matter avoiding cover and the sheet feed opening and receiving a foreign matter lowering along the foreign-matter avoiding cover. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image input / output device.

  2. Description of the Related Art As an image input / output device capable of reading an image and printing an image, there is known a multifunction machine in which an image scanner as an image reading unit and a printer as a printing unit are integrated. Among such multifunction peripherals, there are known those in which a paper feed port is formed below the swing axis of the document cover. In the case of such a multi-function peripheral, when a foreign matter avoidance cover is provided, foreign matter can be prevented from entering the housing through the paper feed port and causing a failure.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a conventional multi-function device 80 having a foreign matter avoidance cover. The MFP 80 in the example shown in the figure includes a casing 82 having a document table 81, a document cover 83 covering the document table 81, a paper feed port 84, a sheet table 85 supporting a print medium 91 such as paper, a scanner unit 86, and a printer. A part 87 and the like. The document cover 83 is connected to the housing 82 by a hinge 92, and swings around a swing axis 90a perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. The housing 82 is generally box-shaped, and the side wall portion is composed of four wall portions. The hinge is provided at the upper corner of the wall, and the paper feed port 84 is provided at the wall provided with the hinge at the upper corner as shown in the figure. That is, the paper feed port 84 is formed below the swing axis 90a. As shown in FIG. 10, when a foreign matter avoiding cover 88 and a foreign matter receiving groove 89 projecting from the housing 82 and covering the vicinity of the paper feed opening 84 of the paper base 85 are provided, the foreign matter 90 falling from the original cover 83 is avoided. Since it can be received by the cover 88 and stored in the foreign material receiving groove 89, the foreign material 90 can be prevented from entering the inside of the housing 82 from the paper feed port 84.

  Also known is a printer that includes a sheet feeding unit cover that covers a sheet feeding port (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to the printer described in Patent Document 1, dust enters from the paper feed port into the housing by covering the space between the recording material (print medium) and the insertion port (paper feed port) with the paper feed unit cover. Can be prevented.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-293981

  When the foreign matter avoidance cover is protruded from the housing, if the foreign matter avoidance cover is detachable, it can be removed during transportation to increase the volume during transportation or damage the foreign matter avoidance cover due to some impact during transportation. Can be prevented. In this case, it is desirable that the user who has purchased the multi-function device be attached easily because the user does the work to attach the foreign matter avoidance cover.

  In the printer described in Patent Document 1, a fitting hole is formed in the bearing portion, and two protrusions that protrude in the swing axis direction from the sheet feeding port cover are fitted into the fitting holes and supported by the shaft. Yes. In the case of this printer support structure, one projection is first fitted into one fitting hole, and then the other projection is fitted into the other fitting hole, but the other projection is fitted. When the projection hits the bearing part, it must be pushed in with a strong force. Therefore, there is a risk that the protrusion may be damaged, and the user must work carefully, so that the attachment is not easy.

  In addition, as one of the methods for supporting the shaft portion so as to be detachable and swingable, the end portion 93 of the swing shaft is formed in a D-cut shape as shown in FIG. There is also a method in which the shaft portion 93 is supported narrower than the outer diameter of the portion where the D-cut of the shaft portion 93 is not formed. In this case, in order to engage the foreign matter avoidance cover 95 with the bearing portion 94, the foreign matter avoidance cover 95 is placed in an upright posture, and the horizontal width of the end portion where the D-cut is formed becomes the smallest in the bearing portion 94. Since it will be engaged, the tolerance | permissible_range with respect to the inclination of the rocking | fluctuation direction of the foreign material avoidance cover 95 at the time of attachment is narrow, and attachment is not easy.

  The present invention was created to solve the above-described problem, and is an image input / output that facilitates the installation of a foreign matter avoidance cover that prevents foreign matter placed on the document cover from entering the paper feed port. To provide an apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image input / output apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing having a document table for placing a document, and a document cover that is swingably connected to the housing and covers the document table. An image reading unit that scans a document placed on the document table to create a digital image; a printing unit that prints an image on a print medium; and a housing that is provided below the swing axis of the document cover. A paper supply port for supplying a printing medium to the printing means, a paper base for holding the print medium, and a paper base provided to protrude from a lower end of the paper supply port, and a shaft A substantially plate-shaped foreign matter avoidance cover having a portion, and a support portion for pivotally supporting the foreign matter avoidance cover between a swing axis of the document cover and the paper feed port, A bearing portion having a recess, and the shaft portion engaged with the recess. An elastically deformable hook that stops, and when the foreign matter avoidance cover is swung by a predetermined angle from the standing posture in a tilting direction and protrudes obliquely upward from the housing, further swinging in the tilting direction is further performed. A support portion having a restricting means for restricting, and a concave portion that is provided between a swing axis of the foreign matter avoidance cover and the paper feed port and receives the foreign matter descending along the foreign matter avoidance cover. And When the foreign matter avoidance cover is attached, the hook is elastically deformed when the shaft portion is pushed into the bearing portion while the shaft portion is in contact with the hook. Therefore, the shaft portion can be engaged with the bearing portion by further pushing. Since the hook is elastically deformed, the shaft portion or the hook is not damaged during the attachment, and the attachment is easy. In addition, if a U-shaped recess is provided in the bearing portion, the allowable range with respect to the tilt of the swinging direction of the foreign matter avoidance cover when being pushed in becomes wider, and attachment is easier. Therefore, according to this image input / output apparatus, it is easy to attach a foreign matter avoidance cover for preventing foreign matters placed on the document cover from entering the paper feed port.

  Further, in the image input / output device according to the present invention, the hook includes an elastic portion provided on an extension line of the swing axis of the foreign matter avoidance cover, and a claw protruding from the elastic portion in the swing axis direction of the foreign matter avoidance cover. Part. According to this image input / output device, since the elastic portion is located on the extension line in the swing axis direction of the foreign matter avoidance cover, the movement of the shaft portion in the swing axis direction can be restricted by the hook. For this reason, it is not necessary to separately provide means for restricting movement in the swing axis direction, and the configuration of the image input / output device can be simplified.

Further, in the image input / output device according to the present invention, the support portion includes two hooks, and both ends of the shaft portion are locked. When two hooks are provided, the order of attachment is not defined, and attachment is further facilitated.
Further, in the image input / output device according to the present invention, the restricting means has a fulcrum portion that is provided in the vicinity of the swing axis of the foreign matter avoiding cover and abuts against the foreign matter avoiding cover and restricts swinging, and the foreign matter The avoidance cover swings about the fulcrum portion as a fulcrum and comes off the hook when a predetermined force or more is applied in a tilting direction when the fulcrum is restricted by the fulcrum portion. According to this image input / output device, the foreign matter avoidance cover is not damaged even if a force of a predetermined level or more is applied in the reverse direction.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described based on examples.
2 and 3 are cross-sectional views showing the multifunction machine 1 as an image input / output device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multifunction device 1 includes a scanner unit 2 as an image reading unit and a printer unit 3 as a printing unit. The housing 12 of the multifunction machine 1 is composed of a scanner unit 12a that houses the scanner unit 2 and a printer unit 12b that houses the printer unit 3. The scanner unit 12a is swingable by a hinge (not shown) on the printer unit 12b. It is connected.

The document table 61 is formed of a transparent plate such as a substantially rectangular glass plate, and closes a substantially rectangular opening formed in the upper wall portion of the scanner unit 12a. A document such as a photograph or a printed document is placed on the document table 61.
The document cover 60 is connected to the scanner unit 12a so as to be swingable from a posture in which the plate surface of the document table 61 is opened by a hinge 62 to a posture in which the plate surface of the document table 61 is covered. The document cover 60 presses down the document placed on the surface of the document table 61, and light other than the radiated light from the transmissive document light source 33a (see FIG. 4) or the reflected document light source 33b (see FIG. 4) illuminates the document. The document table 61 is covered so as not to occur. The document cover 60 includes an arm portion 60a that protrudes from both ends in the swing axis direction toward the swing axis, and the tip of the arm portion 60a is connected to a hinge. The two arm portions 60a are separated from each other by a distance corresponding to the width in the longitudinal direction of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65.

The paper feed port 63 is an opening provided on the side wall of the printer unit 12 b below the swing axis of the document cover 60. A print medium on which the printer unit 3 prints an image is supplied from a paper feed port 63.
The paper tray 64 is provided so as to protrude from the lower end of the paper feed port 63. The paper base 64 of this embodiment is provided so as to tilt upward toward the housing 12 as shown in the figure. The paper base 64 holds a print medium such as paper supplied from the paper supply port 63 at an angle, and the held print paper is conveyed from the paper supply port 63 to the printer unit 3 one by one by a paper supply mechanism (not shown). The

  The foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is supported so as to be swingable between a swing axis of the document cover 60 and the paper feed port 63 by a support portion described later. Details of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 and the support portion will be described later. Here, the X direction shown in FIG. 2 is the falling direction of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65. The foreign matter avoidance cover 65 can swing in the anti-X direction from the posture shown in FIG. 2, and the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 can be in a standing posture by swinging in the anti-X direction.

The foreign matter receiving groove 66 as a concave portion is provided in a groove shape in the printer unit 12 b along the swing axis of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 between the swing axis of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 and the paper feed port 63. The foreign matter that has fallen to the surface side facing upward of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is guided by the surface of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 and received by the foreign matter receiving groove 66.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the multifunction device 1, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the multifunction device 1.

The scanner unit 2 includes a linear image sensor 30, an optical system 32, a first main scanning drive unit 36 (see FIG. 5), a first sub-scanning driving unit 37 (see FIG. 5), and an AFE (Analog Front End) unit 41 (see FIG. 5). 5) and a digital image processing unit 42 (see FIG. 5), etc., and are accommodated in the scanner unit 12a.
The linear image sensor 30 is mounted on the carriage 31 in such a manner that the light receiving elements of RGB colors are arranged in a straight line in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. The linear image sensor 30 scans the optical image on the scanning line input by the optical system 32 and outputs an electrical signal correlated with the density of the optical image. The linear image sensor 30 accumulates charges obtained by photoelectric conversion of light in a predetermined wavelength region such as visible light, infrared light, and ultraviolet light in a light receiving element such as a photodiode for a certain period of time, and the amount of light received for each light receiving element. An electrical signal corresponding to the above is output using a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a MOS transistor switch or the like.

  The optical system 32 includes a transmissive original light source 33a, a reflective original light source 33b, a mirror 34, a lens 35, and the like. The reflective original light source 33 b, the mirror 34, and the lens 35 are mounted on the carriage 31, and the transparent original light source 33 a is accommodated in the original cover 60. The transmissive original light source 33a and the reflective original light source 33b are constituted by a tube illumination device such as a fluorescent tube lamp. The mirror 34 and the lens 35 form an optical image on the scanning line of the irradiated document on the linear image sensor 30. As a result, the optical image on the main scanning line of the document is input to the linear image sensor 30.

The first main scanning drive unit 36 is a drive circuit that outputs drive pulses necessary for driving the linear image sensor 30 to the linear image sensor 30. The first main scanning drive unit 36 includes, for example, a synchronization signal generator, a driving timing generator, and the like.
The first sub-scanning drive unit 37 includes a slide shaft 38 that is installed perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the scan line and that holds the carriage 31 slidably, a carriage motor 39, a drive belt 40, a drive circuit, and the like. Since the carriage motor 39 pulls the carriage 31 with the drive belt 40, the linear image sensor 30 and the document M move relative to each other in the direction W (sub-scanning direction) perpendicular to the scanning line, so that a two-dimensional image can be scanned. Become.

  The AFE unit 41 includes an analog signal processing unit, an A / D converter, and the like. The analog signal processing unit subjects the electrical signal output from the linear image sensor 30 to analog signal processing such as amplification and noise reduction processing, and outputs the result. The A / D converter quantizes the electrical signal output from the analog signal processing unit into an output signal in a digital representation having a predetermined bit length, and outputs the output signal.

  The digital image processing unit 42 performs processing such as gamma correction, interpolation of defective pixels by a pixel interpolation method, shading correction, and sharpening of an image signal on the output signal output from the AFE unit 41 to create a digital image. . The various processes performed by the digital image processing unit 42 may be replaced with processes by a computer program executed by the control unit 56.

  The printer unit 3 includes a recording head 43, a head driving unit 48 (see FIG. 5), a second main scanning driving unit 49 (see FIG. 5), a second sub-scanning driving unit 54 (see FIG. 5), and the like. 12b. In this embodiment, the case where printing is performed by an ink jet method will be described as an example. However, printing may be performed using a laser printer, a dot impact printer, or the like.

  The recording head 43 is provided on the carriage 44 and includes a nozzle 45 for ejecting ink, a piezo element 46, an ink passage 47, an ink cartridge (not shown), and the like. The piezo element 46 is provided at a position in contact with the side wall of the ink passage 47 that guides ink. When a driving voltage is applied, the piezo element 46 rapidly expands and deforms the side wall of the ink passage 47. The volume of the ink passage 47 contracts according to the expansion of the piezo element 46, and ink corresponding to the contraction is ejected from the nozzle 45 at a high speed. Thereby, the recording head 43 records an image on the printing medium.

The head drive unit 48 is a circuit that applies a drive voltage to the piezo element 46 based on the print signal output from the control unit 56.
The second main scanning drive unit 49 includes a slide shaft 51 that is laid in parallel with the axis of the platen 50 and slidably holds the carriage 44, a carriage motor 52, a drive belt 53, a drive circuit, and the like. When the carriage motor 52 pulls the carriage 44 by the drive belt 53, the recording head 43 reciprocates in the axial direction (main scanning direction X) of the sliding shaft 51 (main scanning direction axis).

  The second sub-scanning drive unit 54 includes a paper feed motor 55, a gear train that transmits the rotation of the paper feed motor 55 to the platen 50 and a paper transport roller (not shown), a drive circuit, and the like. As the paper feed motor 55 rotates the platen 50 and a paper transport roller (not shown), the printing paper moves in a direction (sub-scanning direction) perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 4 intersecting the main scanning direction axis.

  The control unit 56 includes a CPU 57, a ROM 58, and a RAM 59. The CPU 57 executes computer programs stored in the ROM 58 and controls each unit of the multifunction machine 1. The ROM 58 is a memory that stores a program for causing the CPU 57 to execute processing for controlling each unit, various data, and the like, and the RAM 59 is a memory that temporarily stores a program, various data, and the like. The control unit 56 functions as both the scanner unit 2 and the printer unit 3.

Next, the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 and a part of the support portion will be described.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 and a part of the support portion as viewed from the front side. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 viewed from one side in the swing axis direction, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view viewed from the other side.
The foreign matter avoidance cover 65 includes a substantially plate-shaped semi-transparent cover plate 71 and a columnar shaft portion 72 made of plastic or the like as a raw material. The cover plate 71 is formed so that the upper end portion 71a is curved to the side of the housing 12 and becomes almost vertical as shown in FIG. ing. The shaft portion 72 is integrally formed with the longitudinal edge portion of the cover plate 71. As shown in FIG. 6, on the back side of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65, a contact portion 73 protruding from the cover plate 71 is formed at one end portion in the swing axis direction and near the shaft portion 72. Yes. Further, two notches 74 and 75 are formed at the end of the shaft portion 72 so as to face each other with the swing axis line interposed therebetween. When the notches 74 and 75 are provided, the width of the shaft portion 72 becomes narrower than the entrance 76a of the bearing portion 76 described later. Therefore, when the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is attached in a posture close to an upright posture, the horizontal position is allowed. The range becomes wide and positioning when mounting is easy. The foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is formed such that the width in the direction intersecting the shaft portion 72, that is, the width in the short side direction is a predetermined width or more. Specifically, the width is equal to or greater than the width corresponding to the distance between the end 60b of the document cover 60 and the swing axis of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 shown in FIG. For example, if the width of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is set to a predetermined width or less, when the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is swung to the housing 12 side with the document cover 60 opened, the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is swung until it comes into contact with the scanner unit 12a. It moves. In this case, a part of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 covers the scanner unit 12a, and when the original cover 60 is closed in this state, the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is sandwiched between the original cover 60 and the scanner unit 12a. As a result, the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 may be damaged. If the width of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is longer than a predetermined length, such pinching can be prevented.

  The support portion is provided in the printer unit 12b in the vicinity of the foreign matter receiving groove 66, and as shown in FIG. 1, includes two bearing portions 76, two hooks 77, and a fulcrum portion 78 (see FIG. 6) as a restricting means. I have. The swing axis 72 a of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is defined by the two bearing portions 76. The hook 77 includes an elastically deformable elastic portion 77a protruding vertically upward from the printer unit 12b, and a claw portion 77b protruding from the elastic portion 77a in the direction of the swing axis 72a. The elastic part 77a is located on an extension line of the swing axis 72a as shown in the figure, and the two hooks 77 respectively lock the ends of the shaft part 72 from the direction of the swing axis 72a. When the elastic portion 77 a is positioned on the extension line of the swing axis 72 a, the movement of the shaft portion 72 in the swing axis 72 a direction can be restricted by the hook 77. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for restricting movement in the direction of the swing axis 72a, and the configuration of the multifunction machine 1 can be simplified. The claw portion 77b has a slope formed by chamfering a corner portion formed by an upper surface facing the anti-oscillation axis 72a and a side surface facing the other hook 77 side. When chamfering is performed, the force for elastically deforming the hook 77 is smaller than in the case where chamfering is not performed, and attachment is further facilitated. The hook 77 may be provided in a direction intersecting the swing axis 72a, and the claw portion 77b may be protruded in the direction intersecting the swing axis 72a to lock the shaft 72. In this case, it is preferable to separately provide means for restricting movement in the direction of the swing axis 72a.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the bearing portion 76 has a U-shape in which the width of the entrance 76 a matches the horizontal width of the shaft portion 72 when the shaft portion 72 is swung to a predetermined angle in the swinging direction. The shaft portion 72 is engaged with the U-shaped recess. In this embodiment, since the notches 74 and 75 are formed, the width of the recessed entrance 76a may be narrower than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 72. However, if the notch is not provided, the width of the entrance 76a is the shaft. It corresponds to the outer diameter of the part 72 or more. For example, it may have a shape with a large opening when viewed from the direction of the swing axis 72a, such as a vertical section of the mortar. When the width of the entrance 76a is equal to or larger than the horizontal width of the shaft portion 72 when it swings to a predetermined angle, the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is vertical when the shaft portion 72 is engaged with the bearing portion 76. Even if it is inclined with respect to the line, it can be engaged. For this reason, the tolerance | permissible_range with respect to the inclination of the rocking | fluctuation direction of the foreign material avoidance cover 65 at the time of attachment becomes wide, and attachment becomes easy.

  Next, attachment of the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 will be described. When the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 is attached, for example, the shaft portion 72 is tilted so that one end portion is first engaged with the hook 77 and then the other end portion is pushed into the bearing portion 76 side. When the other end portion is pushed in, the elastic portion 77a is elastically deformed and curved, so that the shaft portion 72 can be engaged with the bearing portion 76 by further pushing in as it is. When two hooks 77 are provided, since either end of the shaft portion 72 may be engaged with the hook 77 first, the order of attachment is not defined, and attachment is further facilitated. Note that only one hook 77 may be provided. In that case, a locking means for locking the other end of the shaft portion 72 is provided, and the locking means is locked with the hook 77 after first locking with the locking means. However, in this case, since it is necessary to be locked by the locking means before the hook 77, the order of attachment is defined. The attached foreign matter avoidance cover 65 can swing around the swing axis 72a, and when the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 swings upward to a posture inclined by a predetermined angle in the upward direction, as shown in FIG. Comes into contact with the fulcrum part 78 and further swinging in the inclining direction is restricted.

Next, an operation when a force directed in the reverse direction is applied to the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the scanner unit 12a is opened, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the document cover 60 is further opened from the state shown in FIG. For example, when replacing the ink cartridge of the printer unit 3, the user swings the scanner unit 12a and opens it as shown in FIG. 8, and performs ink replacement in that state. At this time, the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 and the scanner unit 12a and the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 and the document cover 60 are not yet in contact with each other. In this state, when the document cover 60 swings with respect to the scanner unit 12a, the document cover 60 comes into contact with the foreign matter avoiding cover 65, and the weight of the original cover 60 increases the predetermined amount or more in the direction facing the foreign matter avoiding cover 65. Force acts. When a force exceeding a predetermined level is applied, the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 swings around the fulcrum portion 78 as a fulcrum, and the shaft portion 72 moves upward. At this time, since a large force acts on the shaft portion 72 according to the principle of the lever, the shaft portion 72 pushes the claw portion 77b upward by the force and elastically deforms the hook 77. As a result, the shaft 72 is detached from the hook 77. Here, the predetermined force or more is a force that is more than a force necessary for the shaft portion 72 to come off the hook 77. If the shaft portion 72 is detached from the hook 77 when a predetermined force or more is applied, the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 can be prevented from being damaged.

  According to the multifunction machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, since the hook 77 is elastically deformed, the shaft portion 72 or the hook 77 is not damaged at the time of attachment, and the attachment is easy. Further, since the U-shaped recess is provided in the bearing portion 76, the allowable range with respect to the inclination of the swinging direction of the foreign matter avoidance bar 65 when being pushed in is widened, and the attachment is further facilitated. Therefore, according to the multifunction device 1, it is easy to attach the foreign matter avoidance cover 65 that prevents foreign matters placed on the document cover 60 from entering the paper feed port 63.

Sectional drawing of the foreign material avoidance cover which concerns on one Example of this invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image input / output device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image input / output device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image input / output device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of an image input / output device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Sectional drawing of the foreign material avoidance cover which concerns on one Example of this invention. Sectional drawing of the foreign material avoidance cover which concerns on one Example of this invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image input / output device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image input / output device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram of a conventional image input / output device. The schematic diagram of the support structure of the conventional axial part.

Explanation of symbols

1 MFP (image input / output device), 2 scanner unit (image reading unit), 3 printer unit (printing unit), 12 housing, 60 document cover, 61 document table, 63 sheet feed port, 64 sheet table, 65 foreign material Avoiding cover, 66 Foreign matter receiving groove (recessed part), 72 Shaft part, 76 Bearing part, 77 Hook, 78 Supporting part (regulating means)

Claims (4)

A housing having a document table for placing a document;
A document cover that is swingably coupled to the housing and covers the document table;
Image reading means for creating a digital image by scanning a document placed on the document table;
Printing means for printing an image on a print medium;
A paper feed port provided in the housing below the swing axis of the document cover, and a paper feed port for supplying a printing medium to the printing unit;
A paper base for holding the print medium, the paper base provided to protrude from the lower end of the paper feed port;
A substantially plate-shaped foreign matter avoidance cover having a shaft portion;
A support portion that pivotally supports the foreign matter avoidance cover between the swing axis of the document cover and the paper feeding port, and a bearing portion having a U-shaped recess and engages with the recess An elastically deformable hook that locks the shaft portion, and the foreign matter avoidance cover is swung by a predetermined angle from a standing posture in a tilted direction and protrudes obliquely upward from the housing. A support portion having a restricting means for restricting swinging in the inclining direction;
A recess for receiving a foreign matter that is provided between the swing axis of the foreign matter avoidance cover and the paper feed port and descends along the foreign matter avoidance cover;
An image input / output device comprising:   The hook includes an elastic portion provided on an extension line of a swing axis of the foreign matter avoidance cover, and a claw portion protruding from the elastic portion in the swing axis direction of the foreign matter avoidance cover. 2. The image input / output device according to 1.   The image input / output device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion includes two hooks and latches both end portions of the shaft portion. The restricting means has a fulcrum portion that is provided in the vicinity of the swing axis of the foreign matter avoidance cover and that regulates swinging by contacting the foreign matter avoidance cover,
2. The foreign matter avoidance cover swings about the fulcrum portion as a fulcrum and comes off the hook when a predetermined force or more is applied in a tilting direction when the fulcrum portion is restricted from swinging. 2. The image input / output device according to 2 or 3.

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