JP2007306411A - System, mechanism and method for assembling document feeder to image reader, image reader, image forming apparatus, and image forming apparatus with image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To completely eliminate assembly failure causing a skew image not only in a finished state but in a semi-finished state when a document feeder is assembled to an image reader or an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: An assembly system 400 for assembling the document feeder 1 to the image reader comprises: a positional information detection part 402 which detects at least positional information 401 of the document feeder 1 to the image reader; a reference position information storage part 404 for storing predetermined reference position information 403 of the document feeder 1 to the image reader; a recognition part 405 which compares the positional information 401 with the reference position information 403 to recognize displacement of the document feeder 1 to the image reader and a notification part 406 which receives information regarding the displacement to notify an operator in charge of assembling. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an assembling system that is assembled to an image reading apparatus of an original conveying apparatus, and more particularly to an image reading apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an assembling mechanism, and an assembling method to which such assembling system is applied. It is.

  In general, it is known that the state of assembling the document conveying apparatus to the image reading apparatus affects the distortion characteristics of the image. For example, when the document transport direction and the scanning direction of the reading device (scanner) are parallel, as shown in FIG. 12, image distortion due to assembly does not occur. However, as shown in FIG. 13, when the document conveying apparatus is not properly assembled to the image forming apparatus, that is, when the document conveying apparatus is assembled obliquely, the document is conveyed obliquely with respect to the scanning direction of the scanner. And is read as an oblique image.

  As a result, there is a problem that a distorted image called a skew image as shown in FIG. 14B is generated. In order to prevent such a problem, there is a method in which an assembly process and a serviceman in factory production repeatedly perform assembly and paper passing and adjust the position, which can be said to be a laborious assembly operation.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a correction control unit of an original conveying apparatus performs image correction when an end user actually passes a sheet. However, the oblique assembly state is not fundamentally solved, and correction is required every time the power is turned on or every time an image is formed. Therefore, correction control is performed prior to image formation, and the user is forced to wait. There was a problem that.

Also, in image distortion correction control, even if a slight distortion can be corrected, there is a limit to the amount that can be corrected by image control, and the position of the document feeder is greatly shifted. It may be impossible to do this. Further, in the technique of Patent Document 1, the correction control is based on the premise that paper is passed in a finished product state in which an electric circuit or the like normally operates and paper feeding operation is possible. It can be said that this method cannot be used for the work of eliminating the deviation of the original document conveying device in the assembling process where paper cannot be passed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-111153

  The present invention solves these problems described above, and a set that causes a skew image not only in a completed state but also in a semi-completed state when the document conveying apparatus is assembled to the image reading apparatus or the image forming apparatus. An assembly system for assembling an original reading apparatus capable of eliminating the attachment abnormality to the image reading apparatus, an image reading apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus with an image reading apparatus, and an original conveying apparatus to the image reading apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide an assembling mechanism for assembling and an assembling method for assembling an original conveying apparatus to an image reading apparatus.

  The present invention is characterized by the following constitution.

(1) In an assembling system for assembling the document conveying device to the image reading device, at least a position information detecting unit for detecting position information of the document conveying device with respect to the image reading device and the predetermined image reading device. A reference position information storage unit for storing reference position information of the document conveying device, a recognition unit for comparing the position information with the reference position information and recognizing a deviation of the position of the document conveying device with respect to the image reading device; An assembling system for assembling the document conveying device to the image reading device, comprising: a notifying unit for receiving information regarding the deviation and notifying an operator who performs assembling.

(2) In an image reading apparatus to which a document conveying device is assembled, based on a position information detection unit that detects position information of the document conveying device, the position information, and reference position information of the document conveying device that is determined in advance. An image reading apparatus comprising: an informing unit for informing a positional deviation between the original conveying apparatus and the image reading apparatus, wherein the original conveying apparatus is assembled based on the deviation.

(3) In the image forming apparatus configured integrally with the image forming apparatus to which the document conveying apparatus is assembled, the image reading apparatus is the image reading apparatus described in (2). .

(4) An image forming apparatus with an image reading apparatus, wherein the image reading apparatus according to (2) is wired and wirelessly connected for image information transmission.

(5) In an assembling mechanism for assembling the document conveying device to the image reading device, at least a supporting portion that supports the document conveying device, a fixing member that fixes the supporting portion to the image reading device, and the supporting portion or the It has a shaft provided in either one of the image reading devices, and a shaft hole provided in a position facing the shaft and fitted in the shaft, and the position is determined by rotating the support portion around the shaft. An assembling mechanism for assembling an original conveying apparatus to an image reading apparatus, wherein the supporting portion is fixed by the fixing member after adjustment.

(6) In the image reading apparatus described in (2) above, the document conveying device and the image reading device are assembled using the assembly mechanism described in (5). apparatus.

(7) In the image forming apparatus described in (3) or (4) above, the document conveying device and the image forming apparatus are assembled using the assembly mechanism described in (5). An image forming apparatus.

(8) In an assembling method for assembling the document conveying device to the image reading device, the reference position information of the document conveying device with respect to the image reading device is stored in a reference position information storage unit, and the reference position information is stored in the reference position information. An assembling method for assembling an original conveying apparatus to an image reading apparatus, wherein the original conveying apparatus is assembled to the image reading apparatus on the basis of the extracted reference position information. .

(9) In the assembling method for assembling the document conveying device according to (8) above to the image reading device, the communication means is an electronic terminal electrically connected to the reference position information storage unit in a wired or wireless manner. And the electronic terminal includes an informing unit for informing a deviation between the original conveying apparatus and the image reading apparatus, and an assembling method for assembling the original conveying apparatus to the image reading apparatus.

(10) In the assembling method for assembling the document conveying device according to (8) above to the image reading device, the communication means is connected to both an electronic terminal having a notification unit and the reference position information storage unit. An assembling method for assembling an original conveying apparatus to an image reading apparatus, wherein a recording medium capable of transferring the reference position information is used.

(11) In the assembling method described in any one of (8) to (10) above, the document conveying device is assembled to the image reading device using the assembling mechanism described in (5). An assembling method for assembling the document conveying device characterized by the above to the image reading device.

  According to the first to eleventh aspects of the present invention, when assembling the document conveying apparatus to the image reading apparatus or the image forming apparatus, an assembling abnormality that causes a skew image not only in a completed state but also in a semi-completed state. It can be solved from the root.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which is the same or it corresponds, The duplication description is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  First, with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the configuration and operation of an original conveying apparatus, an image reading apparatus, and an image forming apparatus in the entire image forming apparatus 2 targeted by the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which the document feeder 1 is assembled to the image forming apparatus 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the document conveying apparatus 1 is assembled to the image forming apparatus 2 and the document conveying apparatus 1 is opened. The image forming apparatus 2 including the document conveying device 1 further includes a reading window 3 and a back pressure plate 4. When the operator actually uses it, the document feeder 1 is used in a closed state.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the document conveying apparatus 1 that is assembled above the image forming apparatus 2 and closed. In the present embodiment, the image reading apparatus (scanner) is configured integrally with the image forming apparatus 2 at the upper part of the image forming apparatus 2 with the bottom surface of the document conveying apparatus 1 facing. The document conveying device 1 places an image document (hereinafter referred to as document 5) on the upper side, and extends the document 5 from the tray 9 and the tray 9 that extend obliquely upward so that the document 5 enters inside by gravity. It includes a conveying roller 6 that receives and conveys, a reversing unit 10 that reverses the document in the direction of the scanner, and a back pressure plate 4 that presses the document 5 output from the reversing unit 10 toward the scanner and improves reading accuracy. In the image forming apparatus 2, a portion corresponding to the scanner is a portion facing the back pressure plate 4 and a reading window 3 through which an image surface of the document 5 output from the reversing unit 10 passes, and an image surface of the document. And a mirror 8 for sending image light reflected from the image plane in the direction of the arrow in the figure.

  In the above configuration, the image reading operation of the scanner in the image forming apparatus 2 will be described. The document 5 set on the tray 9 of the document conveying device 1 is conveyed by the conveying roller 6 to the reading window 3 of the document conveying device configured in the image forming apparatus 2. The light source 7 continues to be lit during the conveyance period of the document 5, and the reflected light returns to the mirror 8 and is sent to a CCD (not shown) below the arrow direction. The CCD is electrically connected to a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU (not shown)) in the apparatus, and image information is converted into an electrical signal and sent to the CPU. It is. The back pressure plate 4 has an effect of suppressing the floating / flapping of the document 5 being conveyed.

  Here, the image forming apparatus 2 exemplifies a copying machine in which an image forming unit (not shown) and an image reading apparatus are integrated. However, a desktop type scanner and a printer (image forming apparatus) are configured separately. A scanner-equipped printer in which the scanner and the printer are electrically connected by wire or wirelessly for image information transmission is also an object of mounting the present invention described later. Further, it is assumed that the scanner includes a printer with a scanner of a type on which a base with a caster having a storage space in which a printer can be stored is placed and which is electrically connected to the printer.

  The operator as used in the present invention is intended to be an assembly worker, a service person, an end user, or other person using an assembly method in factory production. Therefore, the assembling method described in the present embodiment includes a process that is one step at the assembling stage in factory production. Further, after the product is released, the reassembling performed by the service person or the end user himself / herself in the market. Including the attachment.

  In this embodiment, the document conveying device 1 can be assembled to the image reading device. However, the document conveying device 1 may be assembled to the image forming device 2 or the like, and the object to be assembled is an image. It is not limited to a reading device.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the assembling system 400 for the document conveying apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a conceptual configuration of an assembling system 400 for assembling the document conveying apparatus to the image reading apparatus. The assembling system 400 stores a position information detection unit 402 that detects position information 401 of the document conveying apparatus 1 with respect to the image reading apparatus, and a reference position that stores reference position information 403 of the document conveying apparatus 1 with respect to a predetermined image reading apparatus. Central processing that is a recognition unit that compares the storage DB 404 that is an information storage unit, the positional information 401 detected by the positional information detection unit 402 and the reference positional information 403 stored in the storage DB 404 and recognizes their deviations. Unit (having the same function as the above-described CPU, also referred to as CPU 405 in the present embodiment), and a notification unit 406 that receives information about the shift and notifies the operator.

  Next, the flow of information (signal) will be described. The position information detection unit 402, the storage DB 404 that stores the reference position information 403, and the notification unit 406 are each connected to the CPU 405. The detection unit 402 and the storage DB 404 need not be connected. The position information 401 is detected by the position information detection unit 402, and the position information detection unit 402 is connected to the CPU 405 so as to be able to transmit information. The position information 401 is sent to the CPU 405 and compared with the reference position information 403 in the storage DB 404 to recognize the deviation. This recognition is performed by a calculation process by the CPU 405. Thereafter, the information regarding the deviation is notified to the operator by the notification unit 406.

  The correspondence between each concept of the assembly system 400 and an actual device will be described. The position information 401 corresponds to the angle shift amount between the document conveying device 1 and the image reading device shown in FIG. The position information detection unit 402 corresponds to a portion corresponding to the scanner of the image reading apparatus shown in FIG. The reference position information 403 refers to information relating to an allowable range of deviation, and corresponds to, for example, dimension values relating to tolerances and parallelism information between the document conveying device 1 and the image reading device. The storage DB 404 corresponds to a memory element arranged inside or outside the image forming apparatus 2 as will be described later. The CPU 405 will be described later in detail in the same manner as the memory element, but corresponds to a CPU inside or outside the image forming apparatus 2. In the case where the CPU 405 is provided inside the image forming apparatus 2, it has a function of performing part or all of other operations of the image forming apparatus 2 in addition to processing such as deviation calculation which is an operation of the present invention. It may be. The notification unit 406 corresponds to the display panel 20 of the image forming apparatus 2 shown in FIG. The display panel 20 uses a liquid crystal panel in which the internal liquid crystal is driven by receiving a control signal from the CPU or the finger pressure of the operator to change the display screen.

  The schematic configuration of the block diagram will be further described in detail by replacing it with the following two specific embodiments. As a first embodiment, the assembly system 400 may be built in the image reading apparatus. As the second embodiment, the position information detection unit 402 is built in the image reading apparatus or the image forming apparatus 2, but other blocks may exist outside those apparatuses.

  A case where the assembly system 400 according to the first embodiment is incorporated in the image reading apparatus will be described below. FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the back pressure plate 4 of the document feeder 1. The back pressure plate 4 has adjustment marks including reference marks 501 and detection marks 502 in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction in order to detect actual position information 401 in the assembled state. The reference mark 501 is on the attachment side of the document conveying device 2, and the detection mark 502 is on the operator side of the document conveying device 2. These adjustment marks correspond to the current position information 401 of the document conveying apparatus 1 and can be said to be information indicating a temporarily assembled state.

  Next, an operation of detecting the assembly state of the document feeder 1 corresponding to the flow in which the position information 401 in the block diagram of FIG. 4 is transmitted to the CPU 405 built in the image reading apparatus via the position information detection unit 402 is performed. explain. After the document conveying apparatus 1 is temporarily assembled to the image reading apparatus, the scanner is driven while the light source 7 and the mirror 8 are stationary to read the image (position information 401) of the adjustment mark. This is converted from CCD to electronic information and transmitted to the CPU 405.

  Since the light source 7 and the mirror 8 are read while still, only the image information for one scanning line in the longitudinal direction is input to the CCD. As a result, the height of the reference mark 501 and the detection mark 502 cut off is 2 which is one scanning line width. One trapezoidal image is read, converted into electronic data, and sent to the CPU 405.

  Further, it can be said that the cut one scanning line data is a read image perpendicular to the scanner moving direction recognized by the CPU 405 through the scanner. Although all aspects of the position adjustment will be described later, the position adjustment can be performed while the light source 7 and the mirror 8 remain stationary. Therefore, the position adjustment can be performed even in a semi-finished state before the assembly of the driving drive parts of the scanner such as a motor. Can do.

  Next, the comparison target image of the adjustment mark corresponding to the reference position information 403 will be described using the state shown on the display panel 20 which is the notification unit 406 of FIG. The display panel 20 is configured integrally with the image reading apparatus, and its screen is minutely a set of horizontal lines in which horizontal grid dots are arranged in the drawing. This horizontal line corresponds to the scanning line input to the CCD. The two congruent isosceles triangles in FIG. 6A are images to be compared with the adjustment mark described above, and are based on the virtual reference mark data 601 corresponding to the reference mark 501 and the virtual detection mark data 602 corresponding to the detection mark 502. Become. The virtual mark data is represented on the display panel 20 as a trapezoidal aggregate having one scanning line width by the above-described grid dots. The virtual mark data is stored as electronic data in a memory element in the image forming apparatus 2 and can be updated.

  Next, details of the position information 401 will be described. FIGS. 6A and 6B show an embodiment of the position information image notified by the display panel 20 that is the notification unit 406. One scanning line data 605 shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to one scanning line read by the above-described scanner, that is, current position information 401 of the document conveying apparatus 1, and trapezoid data 603 and virtual detection mark data of the virtual reference mark data 601. The trapezoidal data 604 of 602 is obtained by reading the reference mark 501 and the detection mark 502 for one scanning line by a scanner and converting it into electronic data. Hereinafter, when these data are collectively described, they are referred to as adjustment mark data.

  Next, an outline of the rules for determining the deviation performed by the CPU 405 will be described. Since one scanning line (one scanning line data 605) cut out as described above corresponds to a read image perpendicular to the scanner movement direction recognized by the CPU 405 via the scanner, it is a virtual reference mark which is left and right trapezoid data. When the trapezoid data 603 of the data 601 and the trapezoid data 604 of the virtual detection mark data 602 have the same area, the scanning line input to the CCD is perpendicular to the moving direction of the scanner, and the document feeder 1 Can be assembled to the image reading apparatus without deviation.

  Next, the process of calculating and notifying deviation will be described. In the CPU 405, first, trapezoid data 603 of virtual reference mark data 601 whose area matches the reference mark 501 is selected, and the virtual reference mark data 601 is superimposed on the trapezoid data. As a result, the detection mark 502 is also superimposed on any trapezoidal data 604 on the virtual detection mark data 602. At this time, when all the four electronic data of the left and right virtual mark trapezoidal data and the adjustment mark data are on the same scanning line, there is no deviation and it is determined that the assembling is normal.

  If there is a deviation, the read adjustment mark data has different areas on the left and right. In that case, the notification on the display panel 20 causes the triangle of the virtual detection mark data 602 to be shifted in the scanner movement direction so that the adjustment mark data matches the scanning line. At this time, the state of deviation corresponds to an oblique line connecting the trapezoid data 604 with the trapezoid data 603 of the same area on the left and right. By shifting the position of the triangle in this manner, the visibility of the operator is improved, and the notification performance is improved.

  Also, information about the amount of deviation is displayed as numerical data between the two triangles, and the operator is notified of the necessity of readjustment, for example, “correction of OOmm” in FIG. 6B. The notification of the present invention only needs to indicate whether or not the detection mark 502 is read out of the reference mark 501, and may be displayed in the form shown in FIG.

  In the present invention, for the sake of convenience, the description has been made using large grid dots. However, in an actual liquid crystal display panel, the dot display is finer, and the triangle has a fine pyramid-shaped rectangular slope. The comparison also compares the number of light emitting dots representing the virtual reference mark data 601 with the number of light emitting dots representing the virtual detection mark data 602, and the number of dots in the trapezoid data 603 of the virtual reference mark data 601 = the trapezoid data 604 of the virtual detection mark data 602. If the numbers are the same, such as the number of dots, it is determined that they are not obliquely assembled. When the number of dots is different and the difference is out of the tolerance range leading to the skew image, the CPU 405 determines that the difference is out of the reference position information 403 and notifies the display panel 20 of the shift state and the shift amount. To do. In accordance with this, the operator performs reassembly.

  Next, the deviation amount calculation rule will be described. When the CPU 405 superimposes the respective data as described above, the CPU 405 aligns the center of gravity 606 of the superimposed virtual reference mark data 601, the center of gravity 608 of the virtual detection mark data 602, and a line perpendicular to the scanner movement direction. A tangent function of a triangle connecting three points with the center of gravity 607 of the corresponding trapezoid data is calculated. More specifically, first, the amount of deviation in the sub-scanning direction between the virtual detection mark data 602 and the virtual reference mark data 601 and the trapezoidal data corresponding to the line perpendicular to the scanner movement direction is specified. Since the distance between the reference mark 501 and the detection mark 502 is a constant set value, the deviation angle of the document conveying apparatus 1 can be obtained using a tangent function.

  In the present embodiment, the document 5 passes between the reading window 3 and the back pressure plate 4 so that the document back plate 4 does not become a reflection surface when the document is passed, and further, the reference mark 501 and the detection mark 502 are provided. By providing, it is possible to avoid image output due to unnecessary paper passing when position detection is performed. In addition, unlike the case of paper passing, by detecting a pure deviation amount that does not include the transportability of the original 5, it is possible to quickly eliminate an assembly error that causes a skew image not only in a completed state but also in a semi-completed state. can do.

  FIG. 8 is a flow chart when assembling the document conveying apparatus 1 in which a series of steps of the assembling system shown in FIG. Deviations between step 801 for temporarily assembling the document conveying apparatus 1 due to the start of assembly, step 802 for starting the position detection mode, step 803 for detecting the position information 401 of the document conveying apparatus 1, and the reference position information 403 Step 804 for determining whether the deviation is within the allowable range, Step 806 for determining whether the adjustment direction is the positive direction, Step 807 for calculating the adjustment amount, and Step 808 for notifying the adjustment amount And step 809 for ending the assembling of the document conveying apparatus 1, and the process is ended by the end.

  In the present embodiment, an assembling mode of the document conveying apparatus 1 is built in the image reading apparatus, and the above-described series of assembling flows is provided as an assembling mode to an end user who is an operator. Furthermore, each step may be displayed on the display panel 20 as a sentence or the like. As a modification of the present embodiment, the assembling system 400 is built in the image forming apparatus 2 integrated with the image reading apparatus, and is applied to the assembling of the image forming apparatus 2 and the document conveying apparatus 1. It may be a thing. In that case, the display panel corresponding to the notification unit 406 may be provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 2 or the display panel 20.

  Further, the CPU 405 needs to connect the position information detection unit 402 and the CPU 405 in order to calculate the deviation between the position information 401 of the document feeder 1 and the reference position information 403 transmitted to the CPU 405. This connection need not be wired, and may be a detachable recording medium such as Universal Serial Bus (hereinafter, USB) or wireless communication. Further, the position information detection unit 402 and the scanner may be separate. In this case, the CPU 405 that determines misalignment may be incorporated in the main body of the image forming apparatus 2 or the image reading apparatus. In addition, the mobile terminal such as a completely different mobile phone, that is, the CPU 405 in the mobile terminal may be used to determine the deviation. In this case, transmission of the position information 401 from the position information detection unit 402 to the mobile CPU 405 may be transmitted by wireless communication between the position information detection unit 402 and the mobile, for example, e-mail. In order to identify the mobile terminal prior to wireless communication mail transmission, mail may be transmitted. And you may specify by address information, such as an e-mail address and a telephone number. With this configuration, for example, a service person who performs maintenance of the image forming apparatus 2 calls the reference position information 403 stored in the service center DB on the mobile terminal, and the position information 401 of the target document feeder 1 on the mobile terminal. There is an effect that adjustment based on highly accurate information such as input and adjustment can be performed on site.

  Further, the position information detection unit 402 described above may be the same as or different from the reading unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 2 or the image reading apparatus. Further, the CPU 405 may be assembled by comparison by a person based on the calculation result by the CPU 405. For example, even in an embodiment that does not include the CPU 405 and the notification unit 406, a person may make a comparison by measurement or the like. Further, the notification unit 406 may be a Cathode Ray Tube (hereinafter, CRT) or the like, and the information notified to the CRT may be compared with the information indicating the reference position information 403 in advance.

  Further, the above-described notification unit 406 has been described as being displayed on the liquid crystal operation panel surface of the image reading apparatus or the image forming apparatus 2 as characters or images. However, the notification of the shift there is image information or “right ○ ° Character information such as “tilt” may be displayed. Moreover, the structure displayed on an external terminal may be employ | adopted, for example, you may display by connecting display apparatuses, such as CRT. Further, the notification may be made by printout inside or outside the image forming apparatus 2 in a state where the apparatus is completed, or may be notified by sound from the image forming apparatus 2 or an external terminal. With such a configuration, even if an operator such as a factory worker or a serviceman is away from the apparatus, it is possible to recognize a shift in position information.

  Further, the storage DB 404 described above may be in the image forming apparatus 2 or the image reading apparatus. Further, it may be an external memory device, for example, the above-described USB, and may be wired or wireless. Then, it may be stored in a specific location by an information providing form through a telecommunication line such as the Internet. For example, a serviceman or end user who is an operator may connect to a communication line, acquire predetermined reference position information 403 as model information, and adjust the position. With this configuration, it is not necessary to store the reference position information 403 determined in advance in the image forming apparatus 2 one by one. Further, it is not necessary for the service person to carry the reference position information 403 with a USB memory or the like. Furthermore, the predetermined reference position information 403 in the storage DB 404 may be specified by the above-described mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or address information. With this configuration, even when the reference position information 401 is changed due to a version upgrade after the product is released, it is possible to smoothly perform assembly in accordance with the update.

  Further, the CPU 405, the storage DB 404, and the notification unit 406 that determine the above-described deviation may be provided outside the image forming apparatus 2. For example, it can be replaced with a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC).

  Assuming that the assembling system 400, which is a modification of the first embodiment, is built in the image forming apparatus 2 integrated with the image reading apparatus, the original used in the assembling method of the original conveying apparatus 1 in particular. An embodiment of an assembling mechanism between the conveying apparatus 1 and the image forming apparatus 2 on the assembling side will be described below.

  FIGS. 9A, 9 </ b> B, and 9 </ b> C show the assembly mechanism of the document feeder 1. The support unit 901 includes a flat plate 910 placed on the back side as viewed from the operator on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 2 as a main body, and includes two hinges 912 on the flat plate 910. These hinges 912 are juxtaposed on the flat plate 910 so that the rotation is coaxial, and the document conveying section 911 of the document conveying apparatus 1 is assembled to these hinges 912 so as to be rotatable with respect to the support section 901. It is configured. The flat plate 910 has three holes. The flat plate 910 includes a substantially central shaft hole 903 and two fixing member holes 905 that are concentrically centered on the shaft hole 903 and are located at both ends of the flat plate 910. As the name suggests, the shaft hole 903 is configured to fit into a shaft 904 provided in the image forming apparatus 2, and the document conveying apparatus 1 rotates in a horizontal plane around the shaft hole 903. . Further, a female screw is provided on the side of the image forming apparatus 2 corresponding to the two fixing member holes 905, and the flat plate 910 is formed by tightening the fixing member 902 with the male screw as the fixing member 902 through the fixing member hole 905. It can be fixed to the device 2. An arc-shaped hole is adopted as the fixing member hole 905. Further, a reference position mark 908 indicating the position of the document feeder 1 is printed or stamped on the flat plate 910. Further, on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 2 and in the vicinity of the reference position mark 908, a scale 907 indicated by the reference position mark 908 is printed or stamped.

  With the above-described configuration, the document conveying device 1 includes the support portion 901 in the configuration, makes the rotation stop at the position intended by the operator while rotating about the shaft hole 903, and forms an image with the fixing member 902. It can be fixed to the device 2. A scale 907 provided in the image forming apparatus 2 is located at a position opposite to the reference position mark 908 provided on the flat plate 910 and serves as a scale for clearly indicating the position adjustment amount when performing the position adjustment. By making the assembly state of the document conveying apparatus 1 and the image forming apparatus 2 operable in the rotation direction, the assembly state can be made parallel and an obliquely fed image can be prevented. By fixing the fixing member hole 905 in a semicircular arc shape, the hole of the female screw can be released in accordance with the rotation trajectory of the document feeder 1.

  FIG. 9C is a modified example of FIG. 9A showing a shaft 904 c that is not at the center of the support portion 901. With this configuration, the number of fixing members 902 can be reduced, so that the cost can be made relatively low.

  The present assembling mechanism will be described in relation to the determination by the CPU 405 of the assembling system 400 described above. First, a scale 907 indicated by the reference position mark 908 when the operator temporarily assembles the document conveying apparatus 1. In order to verify whether or not the assembly is finally good while visually recognizing, the position information 401 is read by the above-described scanner drive and transmitted to the CPU 405 in the image forming apparatus 2, and the CPU 405 determines. When there is a deviation, the display panel 20 notifies the correction amount of the scale 907 from the current state.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since it has the axis | shaft 904 used as a center axis | shaft, a movable range can be made still smaller than before by making a movable range the same. And it becomes configurable in space-saving. Further, by providing the shaft 904 provided in the image forming apparatus 2, the document conveying device 1 can move in a circular shape, and even if the document conveying device 1 is a large heavy device, the operator can easily operate with both hands. be able to.

  In the case where the fixing member hole 905 is provided, the fixing member hole 905 is not limited to the semicircular arc shape as long as the screw hole matched with the rotation locus can be escaped. For example, as shown in FIG. A square hole in which the screw hole is sufficiently escaped may be used like the member hole 913. Accordingly, the support portion 901 can be fixed to the image forming apparatus 2 with sufficient strength at an arbitrary position rotated. Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the fixing member holes 905 and 913 are not provided in the supporting portion 901 described above, the fixing portion 902 may be fixed at the end of the supporting portion 901. Good.

  With this configuration, the assembled state of the document feeder 1 and the image forming apparatus 2 can be easily visually confirmed. Further, by adjusting the relationship between the scale 907 and the reference position mark 908, the assembly state of the document conveying apparatus 1 and the image forming apparatus 2 is changed. Can do. The shaft hole 903 facing the shaft 904 and the shaft 904 may be provided on either the document conveying apparatus 1 side or the image forming apparatus 2 side. Similarly, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 2 is shown, but the object to be assembled may be an image reading apparatus.

  The position information detection unit 402 according to the second embodiment is built in the image reading apparatus or the image forming apparatus 2, and an assembling method when other blocks exist outside those apparatuses will be described.

  The schematic diagram on the left side of FIG. 11 shows a state where the operator 1201 is performing assembly adjustment on the original conveying apparatus 1 and the image forming apparatus 2 temporarily assembled by the assembly mechanism shown in FIG. The document conveying device 1 is supported by an assembly mechanism including a flat plate 910, a hinge 912, and the like, which are not shown in the figure, with respect to the image forming device 2, and the scanner surface is open. The scale 1201 corresponds to the scale 907 in FIG. 9. In this case, the position detection is not performed by the scanner, and the operator 1202 directly reads the position. The operator 1202 confirming the scale 1201 after temporary assembly inputs the read scale amount to the communication means 1203. As the communication unit 1203, for example, a mobile phone or a personal digital assistance (hereinafter referred to as PDA) can be used. The communication unit 1203 transmits information related to the scale amount to the information transmitting / receiving device 1205. The information transmission / reception device 1205 includes a storage DB 1204 that stores an ideal scale amount of predetermined assembly. In addition, the information transmitting / receiving apparatus 1205 can perform bidirectional communication that allows transmission as well as reception from the communication unit 1203.

  When describing the relationship with the assembly system 400 in FIG. 4, the scale 1207 and a reference position mark (not shown) correspond to the position information detection unit 402 in the block diagram of FIG. The scale amount read by the operator corresponds to the position information 401. The ideal scale amount of the predetermined assembly corresponds to the reference position information 403, the communication unit 1203 corresponds to the connection between the position information detection unit 402 and the CPU 405 in the block diagram of FIG. 4, and the storage DB 1204 corresponds to the storage DB 404. The information transmitting / receiving device 1205 corresponds to the CPU 405.

  With the above configuration, the assembly flow will be described with reference to 1 to 6 shown in the figure. The operator 1202 accesses the information transmitting / receiving device 1205 using the communication unit 1203. 2. The operator 1202 reads the current scale amount (position information 401) from the scale 1201 (position information detection unit 402), inputs the position information 401 to the communication unit 1203, and transmits it to the information transmitting / receiving device 1205. A specific method of input will be described later. 3. The information transmission / reception device 1205 includes a triangle and a virtual detection mark of the virtual reference mark data 601 stored in the storage DB 1204 (corresponding to the storage DB 404 in FIG. 4) by a CPU (corresponding to the CPU 405 in FIG. 4) provided in the information transmission / reception device 1205. The triangular area data (corresponding to the reference position information 403 in FIG. 4) of the data 602 is called, and the deviation amount is calculated by comparing the reference position information 403 and the position information 401. 4). The electronic information that is the calculated deviation amount is transmitted to the communication unit 1203 by the information transmitting / receiving device 1205. 5. When receiving the electronic information, the communication unit 1203 notifies the notification unit (corresponding to the notification unit 406 in FIG. 4) including a CRT and a liquid crystal display screen in the drawing. 6). The operator 1202 reassembles the document conveying apparatus 1 to the image forming apparatus 2 based on the notified information.

  The form of notification by the notification unit 406 is not limited to visual display. In addition, the form of information transmission by the communication unit 1203 may be a form in which, for example, the operator 1202 calls a predetermined number and informs the amount of positional information deviation by a telephone exchange or automatic voice. Moreover, the form which performs the alerting | reporting by e-mail or transmission of a positional information may be sufficient.

  The specific method of inputting the position information 401 includes connecting the position information detection unit 402 of the image forming apparatus 2 and the communication unit 1203 with a communication cable, connecting them wirelessly such as transmission / reception using an antenna, USB, or the like. It is possible to use the one that transmits information when the operator 1202 attaches and detaches through the temporary recording medium.

  As a form of transmission of location information by telephone, which is one of the communication terminals 1203, for example, the operator 1202 accesses the information transmission / reception device 1205 via a push line and transmits it by pushing the model information to identify the model information. can do. Also, model information and position information may be transmitted by e-mail. Furthermore, information transmission / reception may be performed by a facsimile terminal (not shown).

  The present invention is not limited to the assembling method particularly in factory production, and can also be used for position adjustment after shipment.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, the above-described embodiments are appropriately modified in addition to those suggested in the above-described embodiments. Obviously it can be done. In addition, the number, position, shape, and the like of the constituent members described above are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be set to a suitable number, position, shape, and the like for carrying out the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a state in which the document feeder 1 is assembled to the image forming apparatus 2. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a state in which the document conveying device 1 is assembled to the image forming apparatus 2 and the document conveying device 1 is opened. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the document feeder 1 is assembled to the image forming apparatus 2 and closed. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an assembling system 400 of the document feeder 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a back pressure plate 4 of the document conveying device 1. 6 is a diagram showing image data displayed by a notification unit 406. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing other image data displayed by a notification unit 406. It is a figure which shows a series of steps of an assembly | attachment system. FIG. 2 is a view showing an assembly mechanism of the document feeder 1. FIG. 10 is a view showing another modification of the assembly mechanism of the document conveying device 1. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modification of the assembling method in the assembling mechanism of the document conveying device 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a case where the document conveying apparatus is attached to the image reading apparatus in a normal state. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a case where the document conveying apparatus is not properly assembled to the image reading apparatus. It is a figure which shows the transfer image at the time of normal assembly | attachment, and the transfer image at the time of diagonal assembly | attachment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Document conveying apparatus 2 Image forming apparatus 3 Reading window 4 Back surface pressure plate 5 Document 6 Conveying roller 7 Light source 8 Mirror 9 Tray 10 Reversing part 20 Display panel 401 Position information 402 Position information detection part 403 Reference position information 404 Storage DB
405 Central processing unit 406 Notification unit 501 Reference mark 502 Detection mark 601 Virtual reference mark data 602 Virtual detection mark data 603 Trapezoid data of virtual reference mark data 604 Trapezoid data of virtual detection mark data 605 Single scan line data 606 Virtual reference mark data 607 center of gravity of trapezoid data 608 center of gravity of virtual detection mark data 901 support portion 902 fixing member 903 shaft hole 904 shaft 904c shaft 905 fixing member hole 907 scale 908 reference position mark 910 flat plate 911 document conveying portion 912 hinge 913 fixing member Hole 1201 Scale 1202 Operator 1203 Communication means 1204 Storage DB
1205 Information transmitting / receiving device

Claims (11)

In the assembly system for assembling the document conveying device to the image reading device,
A position information detection unit that detects at least position information of the document conveying device with respect to the image reading device;
A reference position information storage unit for storing reference position information of the document conveying device with respect to the predetermined image reading device;
A recognition unit for comparing the position information with the reference position information and recognizing a position shift of the document conveying device with respect to the image reading device;
An assembling system for assembling the document conveying device to the image reading device, comprising: a notifying unit that receives information about the deviation and notifies an operator who performs assembling. In the image reading apparatus to which the document conveying device is assembled,
A position information detection unit that detects position information of the document conveying device;
A notification unit for notifying a positional deviation between the document conveying device and the image reading device based on the position information and predetermined reference position information of the document conveying device;
An image reading apparatus, wherein the document conveying device is assembled based on the deviation. In the image forming apparatus configured integrally with the image forming apparatus to which the document conveying device is assembled,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image reading apparatus is an image reading apparatus according to claim 2.   An image forming apparatus with an image reading apparatus, wherein the image reading apparatus according to claim 2 is wired and wirelessly connected for image information transmission. In an assembling mechanism for assembling the document conveying device to the image reading device,
A support unit that supports at least the document conveying device;
A fixing member for fixing the support portion to the image reading device;
A shaft provided in either the support section or the image reading device;
A shaft hole provided at a position facing the shaft and fitted into the shaft;
An assembly mechanism for assembling the document conveying apparatus to the image reading apparatus, wherein the support section is fixed by the fixing member after the position is adjusted by rotating the support section about the axis. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2,
The image reading apparatus, wherein the document conveying device and the image reading device are assembled using the assembly mechanism according to claim 5. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the document conveying device and the image forming device are assembled using the assembly mechanism according to claim 5. . In an assembling method for assembling the document conveying device to the image reading device,
Storing reference position information of the document conveying device with respect to the image reading device in a reference position information storage unit;
The reference position information is extracted from the reference position information storage unit using communication means,
An assembling method for assembling the document conveying device to the image reading device, wherein the document conveying device is assembled to the image reading device based on the extracted reference position information. An assembly method for assembling the document conveying device according to claim 8 to an image reading device,
The communication means is an electronic terminal electrically connected to the reference position information storage unit in a wired or wireless manner,
The electronic terminal includes an informing unit for informing a deviation between the original conveying apparatus and the image reading apparatus, and an assembling method for assembling the original conveying apparatus to the image reading apparatus. An assembly method for assembling the document conveying device according to claim 8 to an image reading device,
As the communication means, a recording medium that is connected to both the electronic terminal having a notification unit and the reference position information storage unit and enables the transfer of the reference position information is used. Assembling method to assemble to the device. In the assembling method according to any one of claims 8 to 10,
An assembling method for assembling the document conveying device to the image reading device, wherein the document conveying device is assembled to the image reading device using the assembling mechanism according to claim 5.

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