JP2007300352A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reader of a PPF type with a means of stably supporting an ADF frame while lowering the cost by commonalizing a hinge member and a bottom chassis with the image reader of an MPF type. <P>SOLUTION: The image reader 1 includes a device body 3 accommodating an image read means of reading an original image, the ADF frame 5 accommodating an automatic document conveying device 4 conveying a document from a document tray 6 to a paper discharge tray 7 through a read position of the device body 3, and the hinge member 76 supporting the ADF frame 5 rotatably on the device body 3, and includes an auxiliary spindle 27 supporting a side part 5B of the ADF frame 5 rotatably on the device body 3 to assist its rotation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus in which an ADF frame containing an automatic document transport mechanism is provided so as to be openable and closable via a hinge member with respect to an apparatus main body containing image reading means.

  Copiers, facsimiles, scanners, and the like are equipped with an image reading device for reading an image of a document to be copied or a document to be facsimile-transmitted. This image reading apparatus conveys an image of a document that is conveyed along a conveyance path and a flat bed type that reads an image of an original while an image reading unit moves below the document placed on the platen glass. There is a sheet-through type which is read by an image reading unit arranged at a predetermined position on the road. The flat bed method is realized by a flat bed scanner (hereinafter referred to as “FBS”), and the sheet through method is realized by an automatic document feeder (auto document feeder, hereinafter referred to as “ADF”).

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral) type image reading apparatus 70 that is mounted on a multi-function machine equipped with both FBS and ADF and integrating functions such as facsimile, copy, scanner, and printer. It is a perspective view. As shown in the drawing, an image reading apparatus 70 includes an apparatus main body 72 having a platen glass 71 disposed on the upper surface thereof, and a document pressing plate 74 provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 72 so as to be opened and closed and equipped with an ADF 73. Are provided. In the image reading apparatus 70, when performing image reading by the flat bed method, the document pressing plate 74 is opened and the document is placed on the platen glass 71, and then the document pressing plate 74 is closed and the document is brought into close contact with the platen glass 71. Then, an image reading means (not shown) accommodated in the apparatus main body 72 reads the image through the platen glass 71 while moving along the document. On the other hand, when image reading is performed by the sheet-through method, the originals stacked on the original tray 75 are sequentially transferred into the ADF 73 and wait for the image reading that is directly below when the original passes through the reading position X of the apparatus main body 72. The document image is read by the means.

  In this image reading apparatus 70, since the document pressing plate 74 can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 72, two positions on the back side of the document pressing plate 74 can be rotated by an MFP hinge 76 as shown in FIG. I support it. More specifically, the apparatus main body 72 includes a bottom chassis 77 having an upper opening, and a chassis cover 78 in which a platen glass 71 is disposed to cover the upper opening of the bottom chassis 77. The bottom chassis 77 and the chassis cover On the back side of 78, a fitting hole 79 for fitting the MFP hinge 76 is formed. The MFP hinge 76 is fixed to the apparatus main body 72 by inserting the base end portions thereof into the insertion holes 79 of the bottom chassis 77 and the chassis cover 78, and is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the base end portion. The leading end is fixed to the document pressing plate 74. Thereby, the document pressing plate 74 is rotatably supported on the apparatus main body 72.

  On the other hand, FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional PPF (Plain Paper Facsimile) type image reading apparatus 80 equipped with only ADF and mounted on plain paper facsimile. The image reading apparatus 80 includes an apparatus main body 81 that accommodates an image reading unit (not shown) and an ADF frame 83 that accommodates an ADF 82, and the documents stacked on the document tray 84 are stored in the ADF 82. When the document image is read by the image reading means disposed immediately below the reading position X of the apparatus main body 81 and then passes through the reading position X of the apparatus main body 81, it is discharged to the discharge tray 85. . In the image reading apparatus 80, an ADF frame 83 is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the apparatus main body 81 so that a document jammed in the ADF 82 is removed and maintenance of the ADF 82 is easy.

  In this image reading apparatus 80, the ADF frame 83 can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 81, so that the back portion of the ADF frame 83 is rotated by a PPF hinge 86 different from the MFP hinge 76 as shown in FIG. Supports movable. The reason why the dedicated PPF hinge 86 is used is to support the ADF frame 83 more stably on the apparatus main body 81. That is, the PPF type image reading device 80 is also provided with a bottom chassis 87 having an opening at the top, a document tray 84 and a paper discharge tray 85, similarly to the MFP type image reading device 70. An apparatus main body 81 is constituted by a chassis cover 88 that covers the upper opening of the chassis 87. In order to reduce the cost of newly producing a mold for the bottom chassis 87, the bottom chassis 87 is used as an MFP type image reading apparatus. 70 bottom chassis 77 may be shared. However, in this case, the position of the insertion hole (not shown) formed in the bottom chassis 87 is a position determined in consideration of the position of the center of gravity of the document pressing plate 74 so that it can be stably supported. If the MFP hinge 76 is diverted as it is to the image reading device 80 and attached to the fitting hole of the bottom chassis 87, the attachment position of the MFP hinge 76 to the ADF frame 83 is bad, and the ADF frame 83 is stably supported. I can't. Therefore, the PPF hinge 86 that can be attached to the insertion hole of the bottom chassis 87 and includes the pair of left and right frame support portions 89 provided in consideration of the center of gravity of the ADF frame 83 is referred to as the MFP hinge 76. Are made separately. This makes it possible to support the ADF frame 83 in a more stable state on the apparatus main body 81 while making the bottom chassis 87 common with the MFP type image reading apparatus 70.

  Further, in the MFP type image reading device 70 and the PPF type image reading device 80, details are not shown in the figure, but sensors and the like constituting the ADFs 73 and 82 are not shown in the figure provided below the image reading devices 70 and 80. It is electrically connected to the circuit board of the image forming apparatus via electric wiring. In the MFP type image reading apparatus 70, the electric wiring is once pulled out of the document pressing plate 74 and then pulled into the image forming apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A portion exposed to the outside of the document pressing plate 74 in the electrical wiring is subjected to a so-called tubing process in which it is covered with an insulating member or the like in order to prevent electric shock or leakage. On the other hand, the PPF type image reading device 80 is similarly configured such that the electrical wiring is once pulled out of the ADF frame 83 and then pulled into the image forming apparatus. Tubing is applied to the exposed part. As a result, it is possible to share electrical wiring between the MFP type image reading device 70 and the PPF type image reading device 80, thereby reducing costs and facilitating component management.

JP 2003-069654 A

  However, in the conventional PPF type image reading device 80, when the bottom chassis 87 is shared with the bottom chassis 77 of the MFP type image reading device 70, the MPF hinge is used to stably support the ADF frame 83. 76 cannot be diverted, and a dedicated PPF hinge 86 needs to be prepared separately, which causes a problem that a new mold cost is generated and the cost is increased.

  In addition, in the conventional image reading devices 70 and 80, the number of types of paper that can be read is small, and the number of sensors and the like constituting the ADFs 73 and 82 is also small. Therefore, as described above, each sensor and the circuit board of the image forming apparatus Were directly connected by electrical wiring. However, in recent image reading apparatuses, the types of paper sizes that can be read are increasing, and accordingly, the number of sensors and the like constituting the ADF is also increasing. Therefore, in order to avoid routing many electrical wires over a long distance, a relay board is provided between the ADF 73, 82 and the circuit board, each sensor is connected to the relay board, and one relay board and one circuit board are connected. A configuration of connecting with electrical wiring is adopted.

  In the case of the PPF type image reading apparatus 80, the relay board is disposed at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body 81. In this case, since the plurality of electrical wirings from the ADF 82 are once drawn out of the ADF frame 83 and connected to the relay board, it is necessary to perform a tubing process on the exposed portions of the electrical wiring. On the other hand, in the case of the MFP type image reading apparatus 70, the relay board is disposed inside the document pressing plate 74. In this case, since the plurality of electrical wirings from the ADF 73 are routed around the inside of the document pressing plate 74 and connected to the relay board, it is not necessary to perform a tubing process on the electrical wiring. As a result, the PPF type image reading device 80 and the MPF type image reading device 70 cannot share electric wiring, which causes a problem of increased costs and complicated parts management.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and in a PPF type image reading apparatus in which an ADF frame is supported on an apparatus body through a hinge member so as to be opened and closed, the hinge member and the apparatus body are configured. A means for stably supporting the ADF frame is provided while reducing the cost by sharing the bottom chassis with the MPF type image reading apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an apparatus main body including image reading means for reading an original image, and an original from the original tray to a discharge tray through a reading position of the apparatus main body. An image reading apparatus comprising: an ADF frame that accommodates an automatic document feeder that conveys; and a hinge member that rotatably supports the ADF frame with respect to the apparatus main body. Is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body, and an auxiliary support shaft is provided to assist the rotation.

  The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a hole for wiring is formed through the auxiliary support shaft, and the auxiliary support shaft is inserted into a support shaft insertion hole formed in a side portion of the ADF frame, The electrical wiring of the automatic document feeder is drawn into the apparatus body through the wiring hole of the auxiliary support shaft.

  The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the electrical wiring is a harness in which a connector for connection is provided at an end portion of an electrical cable, and the peripheral surface of the auxiliary support shaft is partially cut away. The slit formed is formed over the axial direction.

  According to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the ADF frame is rotatably supported by the hinge member, and the rotation of the ADF frame is assisted by the side portion being rotatably supported by the auxiliary support shaft. Therefore, more stable support of the ADF frame becomes possible.

  Further, according to the image reading apparatus according to the present invention, since the electrical wiring drawn out from the ADF frame is drawn into the apparatus main body without being exposed to the outside, it is not necessary to perform a tubing process on the electrical wiring. As a result, it is possible to share the electrical wiring with the MPF type image reading apparatus, and it is possible to reduce costs and facilitate component management.

  Further, according to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, only the electric cable portion of the harness can be easily inserted through the wiring hole of the auxiliary support shaft through the slit. Thereby, the troublesome operation | work which inserts the connector part of a harness in the hole for wiring of an auxiliary | assistant spindle becomes unnecessary, and work efficiency can be improved.

  Hereinafter, an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the external appearance of the image reading apparatus 1. The image reading apparatus 1 is a PPF type image reading apparatus 1 equipped with only an ADF, and includes an apparatus main body 3 having a slit glass 2 disposed on the upper surface thereof, and an openable and closable structure provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 3. An ADF frame 5 that accommodates the ADF 4, a document tray 6 for placing a document to be read, a paper discharge tray 7 for storing a document that has been read, and a front surface of the apparatus main body 3. And an operation panel 8 for operating the image reading apparatus 1.

  In this image reading apparatus 1, when a user operates the operation panel 8 to issue a reading start command, the originals stacked on the original tray 6 are fed out one by one from the uppermost sheet and supplied to the ADF 4. This document is transported along a predetermined transport path provided in the ADF 4 and passes through the slit glass 2 by an image reading means (not shown) housed in the apparatus body 3 when passing directly above the slit glass 2. The image is read. Then, the document that has been read is discharged from the ADF 4 and stored in the paper discharge tray 7.

  Here, in the image reading apparatus 1, the ADF frame 5 is opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 3 as shown in FIG. 1 so that a document jammed inside the ADF 4 can be removed or maintenance work of the ADF 4 can be easily performed. It is provided as possible. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged exploded perspective view in which one side portion 5A of the ADF frame 5 is enlarged in FIG. As shown in the figure, one side 5A of the ADF frame 5 is rotatably supported on the apparatus main body 3 by an MFP hinge 76.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 3 includes a housing-like bottom chassis 9 having an upper opening, and a lid-like chassis cover 10 that seals the upper opening of the bottom chassis 9. The bottom chassis 9 is the same as the bottom chassis 77 of the MFP-type image reading apparatus 70, and details are not shown in the drawing, but an MFP hinge 76 is inserted into the left and right ends of the rear side. The insertion hole is formed. Thus, by sharing the bottom chassis 9 with the MFP type image reading apparatus 70, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to newly manufacture a mold for the bottom chassis 9 and cost can be reduced. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, mounting recesses 11 for mounting the MFP hinges 76 are formed at the left and right end portions on the rear side of the chassis cover 10, and correspond to the insertion holes at the bottom of the mounting recesses 11. In the position, a through hole 12 is formed through the chassis cover 10. In addition, a pair of left and right boss portions 14 formed with screw holes 13 are provided on the left and right sides of the through hole 12, respectively.

  In the present embodiment, the positions of the two insertion holes formed in the bottom chassis 9 are determined so as to stably support the document pressing plate 74 in the MFP type image reading apparatus 70, and one of them is The insertion holes formed in the left and right end portions on the back side are also used in the PPF type image reading apparatus 1. However, the position of the insertion hole is not limited to the present embodiment, and can be appropriately changed according to the position of the center of gravity of the document pressing plate 74.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the MFP hinge 76 has a frame support portion 15 that supports one end in the width direction of the ADF frame 5, and a base portion 16 that is attached to the apparatus main body 3 so as to be rotatable via a hinge pin 17. The base portion 16 is fixed to the upper surface of the chassis cover 10 by a fixing screw 18.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the base 16 includes a mounting plate 19 attached to the mounting recess 11 of the chassis cover 10, a substantially U-shaped hinge pin support piece 20 provided on the upper surface of the mounting plate 19, and a mounting plate. 19 and a fitting piece 21 projecting downward from the bottom surface. The mounting plate 19 is formed by forming a pair of boss insertion holes 22 through which the boss portions 14 are inserted in a flat plate having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The planar shape of the mounting plate 19 is substantially the same as the planar shape of the mounting recess 11, and the mounting plate 19 is difficult to be displaced by fitting the mounting plate 19 to the mounting recess 11. Further, the thickness of the mounting plate 19 is substantially equal to the depth of the mounting recess 11, and the upper end surface of each boss portion 14 is the upper surface of the mounting plate 19 when each boss portion 14 is inserted into each boss insertion hole 22. Protrudes from. In addition, a pair of pin insertion holes 23 through which the hinge pins 17 are inserted are formed in the hinge pin support pieces 20 so as to face each other. ing. Further, the insertion piece 21 positions the MFP hinge 76 with respect to the apparatus main body 3 by being inserted into the insertion hole of the bottom chassis 9 through the through hole 12 of the chassis cover 10. It is substantially equal to the through hole 12 and the fitting hole.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the frame support portion 15 includes an arm member 25 in which a pin insertion hole 24 for inserting the hinge pin 17 is formed in a base end formed in an arc shape, and a distal end of the arm member 25. The fixed plate 26 provided is provided. The frame support portion 15 has a fixing plate 26 at the tip thereof fixed to the ADF frame 5 with screws or the like, and a hinge pin 17 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 24 at the base end. As a result, the ADF frame 5 is rotatably supported with the hinge pin 17 as a fulcrum.

  On the other hand, FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged exploded perspective view in which the other side portion 5B of the ADF frame 5 is enlarged in FIG. As shown in the drawing, the other side portion 5B of the ADF frame 5 is rotatably supported by an auxiliary support shaft 27 fixed to the apparatus main body 3. In addition, a plurality of harnesses (electrical wirings) 28 drawn out from the ADF frame 5 are connected to relay boards 29 on the apparatus main body 3 through the auxiliary support shafts 27. This will be described in more detail below.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a recess 30 is formed in the apparatus body 3 at a position close to the other side 5 </ b> B of the ADF frame 5 by a predetermined depth from the upper surface thereof, and is adjacent to the recess 30. In this way, the rib 31 having a predetermined height is provided so as to protrude. An attachment groove 32 for attaching the auxiliary support shaft 27 and an engaging claw 33 for engaging the auxiliary support shaft 27 are provided on the top of the rib 31. The relay substrate 29 is fixed to the bottom of the recess 30, while the auxiliary support shaft 27 is fixed to the top of the rib 31. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the opening of the recess 30 is usually covered with a lid member so that dust does not enter the recess 30.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the relay board 29 includes a plurality of harnesses 28 from sensors and the like constituting the ADF 4, and is connected to the circuit board of the image forming apparatus by collecting the harnesses 28 together. Is to prevent the cable from being routed over a long distance. The relay board 29 is a flat plate member provided with a harness connection part 35 and the like for connecting the harness 28, and its four corners are fixed to the bottom part of the recess 30 by screws 36.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the external appearance of the auxiliary support shaft 27. The auxiliary support shaft 27 has a cylindrical shape and a frame support piece 37 that supports the ADF frame 5 and a mounting piece 38 that has a flat plate shape and is attached to the rib 31. The attachment piece 38 is formed by forming a screw insertion hole 39 in a flat plate member having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. On the other hand, the frame support piece 37 is formed by penetrating a cylindrical member to form an annular portion for wiring 40, and its axial length is longer than the width dimension of the attachment piece 38. A small-diameter portion 41 having a slightly reduced diameter is formed in a portion of the frame support piece 37 that protrudes outward from the mounting piece 38. In addition, the frame support piece 37 is formed with slits 42 formed by partially cutting the peripheral surface in the axial direction, so that the harness 28 can be easily inserted. As shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary support shaft 27 configured in this way has the attachment piece 38 facing upward and the small diameter portion 41 in a state where the harness 28 is inserted into the wiring annular portion 40 as will be described later. It is fitted into the mounting groove 32 of the rib 31 so as to face the ADF frame 5, and one end side of the mounting piece 38 is locked by the locking claw 33 and the other end side is fixed by the screw 43. Here, in a state where the auxiliary support shaft 27 is fixed to the rib 31, the center axis of the frame support piece 37 is positioned substantially on the same straight line as the hinge pin 17 of the MFP hinge 76 shown in FIG. As a result, the center of rotation coincides between the one side portion 5A and the other side portion 5B of the ADF frame 5, so that the ADF frame 5 can be supported more stably. Note that the shape of the auxiliary support shaft 27 is not limited to this embodiment as long as the ADF frame 5 can be rotatably supported, and the design can be changed as appropriate.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ADF frame 5 has the other side portion 5 </ b> B supported by inserting the small-diameter portion 41 of the auxiliary support shaft 27 into the support shaft insertion hole 44 formed through the side surface. The support shaft 27 is supported as a pivot so as to be rotatable. Thus, the ADF frame 5 is supported on the apparatus main body 3 by the MFP hinge 76 so as to be rotatable, and the rotation is assisted by the auxiliary support shaft 27. Therefore, even when the position of the MFP hinge 76 deviates from the position of the center of gravity of the ADF frame 5, the ADF frame 5 can be stably supported.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the harness 28 is provided with a connection connector 46 at the end of the electric cable 45. Although not shown in detail in FIG. 3, the end of the harness 28 opposite to the connector 46 is connected to various sensors constituting the ADF 4, while the end of the connector 46 is inserted into the ADF frame 5. The auxiliary support shaft 27 is drawn into the concave portion 30 of the apparatus body 3 through the wiring annular portion 40, and the connectors 46 are connected to the harness connection portions 35 of the relay substrate 29. As described above, since the harness 28 pulled out from the ADF frame 5 is drawn into the apparatus main body 3 without being exposed to the outside, it is not necessary to perform a tubing process for preventing electric shock or electric leakage on the electric cable of the harness 28. . As a result, the MFP type image reading apparatus 70 and the harness 28 can be shared, and cost reduction and parts management can be facilitated. Further, as described above, since the slit 42 is formed in the frame support piece 37 of the auxiliary support shaft 27, the harness 28 can be attached to the auxiliary support by an easy operation of pushing the electric cable 45 from the slit 42 into the wiring annular portion 40. The shaft 27 can be inserted. Thereby, the troublesome operation | work which passes the connector 46 through the cyclic | annular annular part 40 of the auxiliary | assistant support shaft 27 becomes unnecessary, and can improve work efficiency.

  The present invention is applicable to an image reading apparatus in which an ADF frame that accommodates an automatic document conveyance mechanism is provided so as to be openable and closable via a hinge member with respect to an apparatus main body that accommodates image reading means.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an external appearance of an image reading apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged exploded perspective view in which one side portion 5A of the ADF frame 5 is enlarged in FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged exploded perspective view in which the other side portion 5B of the ADF frame 5 is enlarged in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of an auxiliary support shaft 27. FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of an MFP type image reading apparatus according to a conventional example. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing an external appearance of a PPF type image reading apparatus according to a conventional example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Image reading device 3 Device body 4 ADF (automatic document feeder)
5 ADF frame 6 Document tray 7 Output tray 27 Auxiliary spindle 28 Harness (electrical wiring)
40 Annular portion for wiring 42 Slit 44 Support shaft insertion hole 45 Electric cable 46 Connector 76 Hinge for MFP (hinge member)

Claims (3)

An apparatus body containing image reading means for reading an original image; an ADF frame containing an automatic document feeder for conveying an original from a document tray to a discharge tray through a reading position of the apparatus body; and the ADF A hinge member that rotatably supports the frame with respect to the apparatus main body, and an image reading apparatus comprising:
An image reading apparatus comprising an auxiliary support shaft that assists the rotation of the ADF frame by supporting the side portion of the ADF frame so as to be rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body.   An annular portion for wiring is formed through the auxiliary support shaft, the auxiliary support shaft is inserted into a support shaft insertion hole formed in a side portion of the ADF frame, and the electric wiring of the automatic document feeder is The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus is drawn into the apparatus main body through a wiring annular portion of the auxiliary support shaft.   The electrical wiring is a harness in which a connector for connection is provided at an end portion of an electrical cable, and a slit formed by partially cutting a peripheral surface of the auxiliary support shaft is formed in an axial direction. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

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