JP2006084808A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of surely obtaining information from a radio tag attached to an original even when the original is placed at any position on platen glass. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus is provided with a loop antenna 31 for reading out information from the radio tag 41 attached to the original 40 and the loop antenna 31 is arranged on almost the same plane as an original reading area 34 of the platen glass 33 so as to surround the whole original reading area 34. While covering the whole original reading area 34 as a communication range, a communication range to a direction orthogonal to the face of the original reading area 34 can be narrowed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that acquires information stored in a wireless tag from a wireless tag of a document placed on a document reading area of a platen glass.

  In this type of image forming apparatus such as a digital copying machine, a loop antenna for communicating with a wireless tag attached to a document is attached to a part of a cover for holding a document to be copied, or on a front panel of the image forming apparatus. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-160117 A

In the case where a loop antenna is provided in a partial area of the cover that holds the document, good communication with the wireless tag cannot be performed unless the wireless tag of the document is positioned directly below the partial area.
In the case where a loop antenna is provided on the front panel of the image forming apparatus, the loop surface of the loop antenna faces a direction perpendicular to the platen glass at a position deviating downward from the platen glass, so that the document placed on the platen glass Wireless tag is out of the directivity range of the loop antenna. If this is compensated by increasing the sensitivity of the antenna, an unintended wireless tag enters the communication range or noise is easily picked up, which causes a problem that the reliability of communication is lowered.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a wireless tag regardless of the position of the original wireless tag on the platen glass. Yes.

The invention according to claim 1 includes a platen glass for placing a document, and a loop antenna for acquiring information stored in the wireless tag from a wireless tag attached to the document,
The platen glass has an original reading area which is an area for reading an image of an original,
The loop antenna is an image forming apparatus characterized in that the loop antenna is substantially flush with the document reading area and is disposed so as to surround the entire document reading area.

  According to the above invention, since the loop antenna is substantially flush with the document reading area and is disposed so as to surround the entire document reading area, the loop antenna includes the entire document reading area in the communication range, and It has directivity in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the document reading area. On the other hand, no matter what orientation the original is placed on the original reading area, the wireless tag attached to the original is in the original reading area and is located on substantially the same plane as the original reading area. Therefore, no matter where the platen glass is located on the platen glass, the wireless tag is positioned within the communication range of the loop antenna. The loop antenna only needs to have a narrow communication range in the direction orthogonal to the surface of the document reading area.

  You may arrange | position a loop antenna in the upper surface of a platen glass, a lower surface, a surrounding surface, or its inside. Further, a groove may be formed on the upper surface, the lower surface or the peripheral surface of the platen glass, and the loop antenna may be accommodated in the groove.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a platen glass for placing a document, a document guide for positioning the document, and a wireless tag attached to the document for acquiring information stored in the wireless tag. With a loop antenna,
The platen glass has an original reading area which is an area for reading an image of an original,
The document guide is formed so as to surround the entire document reading area,
The loop antenna is an image forming apparatus that is positioned below the document guide and is disposed so as to surround the entire document reading area.

  According to the above invention, the document guide is formed so as to surround the entire document reading area. Therefore, if the loop antenna is arranged along the document guide, the loop antenna surrounds the entire document reading area. By arranging the loop antenna below the document guide, the loop antenna becomes invisible from above. A loop antenna may be arranged on the lower surface of the document guide.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the document guide is disposed above the peripheral edge of the platen glass,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the loop antenna is disposed between the document guide and a peripheral portion of the platen glass.

  According to the above invention, the loop antenna is disposed between the document guide and the peripheral portion of the platen glass. In this position, the loop antenna is protected from external contact. If the document guide is opaque, the presence of the loop antenna does not affect the aesthetic appearance. If there is a gap between the document guide and the peripheral edge of the platen glass, a loop antenna may be arranged in the gap. If there is no gap, a groove may be formed in one or both of the document guide and the peripheral edge of the platen glass, and a loop antenna may be disposed in the groove.

The invention according to claim 4 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the loop antenna is disposed on a lower surface side of the platen glass.

  According to the above invention, when the document is set, neither the document nor the user's hand touches the loop antenna on the lower surface side of the platen glass. The loop antenna may be disposed on the lower surface of the platen glass, or may be disposed below the platen glass.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a platen glass for placing a document, a document guide for positioning the document, and a wireless tag attached to the document for acquiring information stored in the wireless tag. With a loop antenna,
The platen glass has an original reading area which is an area for reading an image of an original,
The document guide is formed so as to surround the entire document reading area,
The loop antenna is an image forming apparatus that is located above the document guide and is disposed so as to surround the entire document reading area.

  According to the above invention, the document guide is formed so as to surround the entire document reading area. Therefore, if the loop antenna is arranged along the document guide, the loop antenna surrounds the entire document reading area. Since the loop antenna is positioned above the document guide, the loop antenna is positioned higher than the document reading area. For example, when a document placed in the document reading area is a printed material having a thickness such as a book, a wireless tag is attached to the cover of the book, and the wireless tag is positioned higher than the document reading area, The distance from the loop surface of the loop antenna is reduced. The loop antenna may be positioned on the upper surface of the document guide, or may be embedded in the document guide so that it cannot be seen from the outside.

The invention according to claim 6 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the loop antenna is formed of conductive ink.

  According to the invention, the pattern of the loop antenna may be printed on the platen glass or the document guide using the conductive ink.

The invention according to a seventh aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the first, second, third, fourth or fifth aspect, wherein the loop antenna is formed in a seal shape.

  According to the above invention, the loop antenna can be attached to the platen glass or the document guide by attaching the seal-like loop antenna to the platen glass or the like. The loop antenna may be formed as a so-called seal antenna.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, in the case where the loop antenna is substantially flush with the original reading area and surrounds the entire original reading area, the original is located anywhere in the original reading area. The wireless tag attached to the document is included in the communication range of the loop antenna. As a result, it is possible to communicate with the wireless tag attached to the original regardless of where the small original is placed in the original reading area or where the wireless tag is attached to the original as large as the original reading area. become.
In addition, since the loop antenna is arranged almost on the same plane as the document reading area, even if the communication range of the loop antenna is slightly expanded in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the document reading area, the wireless tag of the document is within the narrow communication range. It is always located and there is no risk of picking up noise generated from anything other than the wireless tag.

  In the case where the loop antenna is disposed below the document guide, the loop antenna is not visible from above, and the appearance quality can be improved.

  If the loop antenna is disposed between the document guide and the peripheral portion of the platen glass, or the loop antenna is disposed on the lower surface side of the platen glass, damage to the loop antenna can be prevented.

  In the case where the loop antenna is arranged on the upper part of the document guide, the loop antenna is positioned higher than the document reading area. Therefore, when the RFID tag is attached to the cover of a thick book, the loop surface of the loop antenna And the wireless tag are reduced by the thickness of the document guide, and the communication state is improved.

  In the case where the loop antenna is formed of conductive ink, it is not necessary to attach the loop antenna, and the assembly cost can be reduced.

  When the loop antenna is formed in a seal shape, simply attaching the loop antenna to the platen glass or document guide completes the installation of the loop antenna, making the installation of the loop antenna easier and reducing assembly costs. Can do.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a multifunction machine 20 as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multifunction machine 20 has a scanner function for reading an original image, a copy function for reading an original image and forming a duplicate image on the recording paper, a printer function for forming an image corresponding to print data on the recording paper, and a facsimile for transmitting the original image. It has functions.

  The multifunction machine 20 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, and RAM (Random Access Memory) 23 as main parts as a control unit that performs overall control of the operation. It consists of a circuit. The ROM 22 stores programs executed by the CPU 21 and various fixed data. The RAM 23 functions as a work memory that temporarily stores various data when the CPU 21 executes a program, and a page memory that stores at least one page of image data for performing a rotation process.

  The reading unit 24 has a function of reading a document image and taking in corresponding image data. The reading unit 24 includes a light source that irradiates the document, a line image sensor that reads the document for one line in the width direction thereof, a moving unit that moves the reading position in units of lines in the length direction of the document, and reflected light from the document. And an optical path made up of a lens and a mirror for guiding the light to a line image sensor. The line image sensor is composed of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). The analog image signal output from the line image sensor is A / D converted and captured as digital image data.

  The recording unit 25 functions to form and output an image corresponding to the image data on a recording sheet by an electrophotographic process. The recording unit 25 is configured as a so-called laser printer having a recording paper transport device, a photosensitive drum, a charging device, a laser unit, a developing device, a transfer separation device, a cleaning device, and a fixing device. ing. The facsimile unit 26 functions to control the reading unit 24 and the recording unit 25 to operate the multifunction machine 20 as a facsimile apparatus. Specifically, it performs a function of compressing / decompressing image data by a compression method corresponding to a facsimile, and a function of controlling various communication procedures for facsimile transmission / reception.

  The display unit 27 is composed of a liquid crystal display and displays various types of guidance information and status information. The operation unit 28 includes a touch panel provided on the screen of the display unit 27 and other switches. The image processing unit 29 has a function for compressing / decompressing image data, a function for enlarging / reducing an image, a function for rotating an image, a “N-in-1” function for reducing an image and arranging a plurality of pages on one page, etc. Fulfill. The network I / F unit 30 performs a function of communicating with an external device through a LAN or the Internet.

  The loop antenna 31 is an antenna for communicating with the wireless tag 41 attached to the document 40, and the wireless control unit 32 transmits / receives data to / from the wireless tag 41 through the loop antenna 31 and supplies power to the wireless tag 41. Communication control is performed. The loop antenna 31 and the wireless control unit 32 function as wireless tag reading means.

  The wireless tag 41 is an electronic tag having a wireless communication function, and includes an IC chip and an antenna that operate by receiving power supply from the outside electromagnetically. The wireless tag 41 uses an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) method. The IC chip of the wireless tag 41 includes a nonvolatile memory, and has a function of reading data (tag information) stored in the nonvolatile memory and wirelessly transmitting the data. The wireless tag 41 attached to the document 40 stores ID information (identification information) for identifying the document 40 as tag information.

  The wireless tag reading unit performs polling to ask whether there is a transmission request from the wireless tag 41. When the document 40 is placed on the document reading area 34, the wireless tag reading unit can read ID information (identification information) from the wireless tag 41 attached to the document 40.

  FIG. 2 shows the mounting position of the loop antenna 31 in the multifunction machine 20. The multifunction machine 20 includes a platen glass 33 on which the document 40 is placed. The platen glass 33 has a document reading area 34 that is an area for reading an image of the document 40. The document reading area 34 is an inner area slightly smaller than the platen glass 33. The loop antenna 31 is located on the peripheral edge of the platen glass 33 and is disposed so as to surround the entire document reading area 34. Therefore, the loop antenna 31 is almost flush with the document reading area 34 and has a size that fits within the document reading area 34. The entire document 40 is surrounded.

  FIG. 3 shows the loop antenna 31 located on the platen glass 33 as viewed from above. The loop antenna 31 is formed so that a conducting wire is wound in a loop shape a plurality of times. An insulating member (not shown) is inserted in the gap between the loops so that the loops do not overlap each other. Moreover, you may use the thing of a vinyl cord as a conducting wire. The loop may be only one round.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which the loop antenna 31 is located in the gap between the peripheral portion of the platen glass 33 and the document guide 35. This figure conceptually shows a state in which the loop antenna 31 is viewed from the front of the multi-function device 20. The document guide 35 is used for positioning the document 40 and is formed so as to cover the peripheral edge of the platen glass 33 from above. Therefore, the loop antenna 31 located on the peripheral edge of the platen glass 33 is covered from above by the document guide 35. The gap between the peripheral edge of the platen glass 33 and the document guide 35 is about 1 mm. In FIG. 4, this gap is emphasized for convenience of explanation.

  FIG. 5 shows a state in which the loop antenna 31 is located on the lower surface side of the platen glass 33. The loop antenna 31 is located on the lower surface side of the peripheral edge of the platen glass 33, is covered from above by the document guide 35, and is disposed at a position that does not interfere with exposure scanning.

  FIG. 6 shows a state in which the loop antenna 31 is positioned above the document guide 35. The document guide 35 is formed so as to surround the entire document reading area 34, and the loop antenna 31 is also disposed so as to surround the entire document reading area 34 by arranging the loop antenna 31 along the document guide 35. Is done. The loop antenna 31 is arranged at a position higher than the plane of the document reading area 34. The document 40 placed in the document reading area 34 includes a thick printed material such as a book with a wireless tag 41 attached to its cover. When such a book is placed on the document reading area 34, the wireless tag 41 attached to the cover is positioned higher than the plane of the document reading area 34. As a result, the distance between the wireless tag 41 and the loop surface of the loop antenna 31 is shortened compared to the cases shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and a good communication state is ensured.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to that shown in the embodiment, and there are changes and additions within the scope of the present invention. Are also included in the present invention.

  The identification information may be written to the wireless tag with a separate system. For example, a writing system in which a terminal device such as a personal computer and a reader / writer of a wireless tag are connected by a serial cable or a USB cable may be constructed. Further, the system configuration may be such that a reader / writer of a wireless tag is connected to the multifunction device by a serial cable or a USB cable, and the identification information of the document is written on the wireless tag by control from the multifunction device.

  Further, a system capable of reading and writing information of the wireless tag 41 may be constructed by connecting the terminal device and the wireless tag reading means via a cable such as a serial cable or a USB cable.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the attachment position of the loop antenna in a multifunctional device. It is a top view which shows the state which looked at the loop antenna arrange | positioned on platen glass from upper direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the loop antenna is located between the peripheral part of platen glass and the document guide. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the loop antenna is located in the lower surface side of platen glass. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the loop antenna is located in the upper part of a document guide.

Explanation of symbols

20. Multifunction machine (image forming device)
21 ... CPU
22 ... ROM
23 ... RAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 24 ... Reading part 25 ... Recording part 26 ... Facsimile part 27 ... Display part 28 ... Operation part 29 ... Image processing part 30 ... Network I / F part 31 ... Loop antenna 32 ... Wireless control part 33 ... Platen glass 34 ... Original reading area 35 ... Document guide 40 ... Document 41 ... Wireless tag

Claims (7)

A platen glass for placing a document, and a loop antenna for acquiring information stored in the wireless tag from a wireless tag attached to the document,
The platen glass has an original reading area which is an area for reading an image of an original,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the loop antenna is substantially flush with the original reading area and is disposed so as to surround the entire original reading area. A platen glass for placing a document, a document guide for positioning the document, and a loop antenna for acquiring information stored in the wireless tag from a wireless tag attached to the document,
The platen glass has an original reading area which is an area for reading an image of an original,
The document guide is formed so as to surround the entire document reading area,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the loop antenna is located below the document guide and surrounds the entire document reading area. The document guide is disposed above the peripheral edge of the platen glass,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the loop antenna is disposed between the document guide and a peripheral portion of the platen glass. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the loop antenna is disposed on a lower surface side of the platen glass. A platen glass for placing a document, a document guide for positioning the document, and a loop antenna for acquiring information stored in the wireless tag from a wireless tag attached to the document,
The platen glass has an original reading area which is an area for reading an image of an original,
The document guide is formed so as to surround the entire document reading area,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the loop antenna is located above the document guide and is disposed so as to surround the entire document reading area. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the loop antenna is formed of conductive ink. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the loop antenna is formed in a seal shape.

Images