JP2008022285A - Image reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, manuscript size detecting method, manuscript size detecting program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reading apparatus, an image forming apparatus, a manuscript size detecting method, a manuscript size detecting program, and a recording medium , capable of detecting a manuscript size in a sub-scanning direction using a manuscript reading line sensor. <P>SOLUTION: A carriage is moved to a final end position of a manuscript reading maximum size (step S1), and image data are read to detect a manuscript size up to a home position. Necessary preparation is performed for detecting the manuscript size (step S2). When it is detected that a pressure plate is closed (step S3/Yes), manuscript size detection is started. Images over a plurality of lines are read and stored in a plurality of line memories 29. After the manuscript reading is completed, the irradiation of the manuscript is finished (step S6). The read manuscript image data are taken out(step S7), and the image data are analyzed (step S8). When the size detection becomes successful (step S9/Yes), the manuscript size is determined (step S10). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an original size detection method, an original size detection program, and a recording medium, and more particularly, to an image reading apparatus that performs original size detection in the sub-scanning direction using an original reading line sensor, and an image The present invention relates to a forming apparatus, a document size detection method, a document size detection program, and a recording medium.

  Conventionally, in an original reading apparatus, an infrared sensor is used as a method for detecting an original size when reading a book. However, in recent years, as a part of cost reduction, an infrared sensor is not used, and an original size is determined by using an original reading line sensor. A method for detecting this has been proposed.

  For example, when the pressure plate is opened, the size of the document in the main scanning direction is judged assuming that the inside of the document is white and the outside of the document is black. If black comes in the document, the line sensor reading position is moved and the inside of the document is moved. A document size detection apparatus has been proposed in which size detection is performed with a white line (see Patent Document 1).

Similarly, when the pressure plate is opened, the inside of the document is white and the outside of the document is black, and the size of the document in the main scanning direction is judged, but data is taken under two conditions: when the lamp is turned on and when the lamp is turned off. Detecting a plurality of types of document sizes at the same time by using a document size detection device (see Patent Document 2) characterized by eliminating the influence of ambient light and line sensor reading data at a plurality of points in the main scanning direction. A document size detection device (see Patent Document 3) is proposed.
JP-A-10-257255 JP 2000-138798 A JP 2003-198809 A

  However, all the above prior arts refer only to the document size detection in the main scanning direction, and the conventional infrared sensor is used for size detection in the sub-scanning direction. There is a problem that cost reduction is not sufficient unless the size detecting infrared sensor in the sub-scanning direction is removed.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an original size detecting device that detects an original size in the sub-scanning direction using a line sensor for reading an original document, except for an infrared sensor for detecting the size in the sub-scanning direction. The purpose is to provide. When document size detection in the sub-scanning direction is performed using a document reading line sensor, it is necessary to read about the size of the document to be detected (movement of the line sensor). However, if the original reading (pre-scan) for size detection is performed for each original original reading (main scan), it takes time and the reading productivity is reduced. An object is to provide an apparatus.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, document irradiating means for irradiating a document, image reading means for scanning the document by the document irradiating means to read image data of the document line by line, and opening / closing for detecting opening / closing of the document pressing plate The main scanning size and the sub-scanning of the document using the reading image data at an arbitrary position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction from the detection unit and the plurality of lines of image data obtained by the image reading unit. Size detecting means for determining a size, and the image reading means controls the document reading position by detecting the state of the document pressing plate by the opening / closing detecting means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the first aspect, the image reading unit is positioned at a maximum size of the original reading size before the size detection, and the document pressing plate is opened by the open / close detection unit. When it is detected that the position has changed from the closed position to the closed position, the document moves from the maximum position of the original reading size to the original reading start position, and reads the original image data in that section.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the first aspect, before the size detection, the image reading means is positioned at a maximum reading size required from a document size to be detected, and the open / close detection means When it is detected that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed, the document size to be detected is moved from the required maximum reading size position to the document reading start position, and the document image data in that section is read. Features.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus of the first aspect, the image reading unit is positioned at a start position where normal reading is performed before size detection, and the document pressing plate is closed by the open / close detection unit. Is moved from the start position to the maximum document reading size position, and then when the opening / closing detection means detects that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed, the maximum size of the document is read. It moves from the position to the original reading start position, and reads the original image data in that section.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus of the first aspect, before the size detection, the image reading unit is positioned at a start position where normal reading is performed. When it is detected that the document has changed from closed to open, the document moves from the original size to be detected from the start position to the required maximum reading size position, and then the document holding plate is changed from open to closed by the open / close detection means. When detected, it moves from the position of the maximum size to the document reading start position, and reads the document image data in that section.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus of the first aspect, the image reading means is positioned at a start position where normal reading is performed before size detection, and the document holding plate is moved by the open / close detection means. When it is detected that the position has changed from open to closed, the document is moved from the start position to the position of the maximum document reading size, and the document image data in that section is read.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the first aspect, the image reading means is positioned at a start position where normal reading is performed before the size detection is performed, and the document holding plate is moved by the open / close detection means. When it is detected that the position has changed from open to closed, the necessary reading moves from the start position to the position of the maximum size from the size to be detected, and the original image data in that section is read.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reading apparatus comprising a selection unit that selects any one of the image reading units according to the first to seventh aspects.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including the image reading device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the document reading position is controlled by the step of detecting the open / close state of the document pressing plate and the detection of the state of the document pressing plate by the detecting step, and scanning is performed while irradiating the document. The process of reading the original image data line by line, and using the read image data at an arbitrary position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently from the read multiple lines of image data in the main / sub-scanning direction, And a step of determining the sub-scanning size and detecting the document size.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the step of positioning the image reading means for reading the image data of the document while irradiating the document at the maximum size of the document reading size, and detecting that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed. Scanning the image reading means from the maximum size position of the document reading size to the document reading start position while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line, and a plurality of lines read Determining the main scanning size and the sub-scanning size of the document by using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently from the image data in the main / sub-scanning direction, and detecting the document size; Is a document size detecting method.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the image reading means for reading the image data of the document while irradiating the document is positioned at the maximum reading size required from the size of the document to be detected, and the document pressing plate is opened to closed. A step of detecting the change, and while irradiating the original, the image reading means is scanned from the required maximum reading size position to the original reading start position from the original size to be detected, and the original image data in the section is obtained. A step of reading line by line, a step of reading image data of a document in the section for each line, and a read image at an arbitrary position in the main / sub scanning direction independently of the main / sub scanning direction from the read image data of a plurality of lines And a step of determining a main scanning size and a sub-scanning size of the document by using the data and detecting the document size. It is a diagram detection method.

  According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the image reading means for reading the image data of the document while irradiating the document is positioned at the start position where the normal reading is performed, and the document pressing plate is changed from closed to open. A step of detecting, a step of moving from the start position to the maximum document reading size position, a step of detecting that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed, and the position of the maximum size while irradiating the document. Scanning the image reading means to the document reading start position and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line, and the main / sub scanning direction independently from the read / unscanned image data of the plurality of lines A step of determining a main scanning size and a sub-scanning size of a document using read image data at an arbitrary position and detecting the document size. A manuscript size detection method.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the step of positioning the image reading means for reading the image data of the original while irradiating the original at the start position where the normal reading is performed, and the change of the original holding plate from closed to open. A step of detecting, a step of moving from the original size to be detected from the start position to a required maximum reading size position, a step of detecting that the original pressing plate has changed from open to closed, and irradiation of the original. While scanning the image reading means from the position of the maximum size to the document reading start position and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line, the main / sub scanning direction from the read image data of a plurality of lines Independently, using the read image data at an arbitrary position in the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and the sub-scanning size of the document are determined, and the document size is detected. And extent, an original size detecting method, characterized in that it comprises a.

  According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the step of positioning the image reading means for reading the image data of the document while irradiating the document at the start position where the normal reading is performed, and that the document pressing plate is changed from open to closed. A step of detecting, scanning the image reading means from the start position to the position of the maximum document reading size while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line; A step of determining the main scanning size and the sub-scanning size of the document by using the read image data at an arbitrary position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction from the image data, and detecting the document size; A document size detection method characterized by comprising:

  According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the image reading means for reading the image data of the document while irradiating the document is positioned at a start position where normal reading is performed, and the document pressing plate is changed from open to closed. A step of detecting and scanning the image reading means from the start position to a position where the required reading is the maximum size while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in that section for each line From the read image data of a plurality of lines, the main scanning size and the sub scanning size of the document are determined using the read image data at any position in the main / sub scanning direction independently of the main / sub scanning direction, and the document size And a step of detecting the document size.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the document reading means is controlled by the process of detecting the open / close state of the document pressing plate and the detection of the state of the document pressing plate by the detecting process, and the document is scanned while being irradiated. A process for reading image data of a document line by line, and using the read image data at an arbitrary position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction from the read image data of a plurality of lines. A document size detection program that causes a computer to execute a process of determining a sub-scanning size and detecting a document size.

  The invention according to claim 18 detects that the image reading means for reading the image data of the document while irradiating the document is positioned at the maximum size of the document reading size, and that the document pressing plate is changed from open to closed. Processing, scanning the image reading means from the maximum size position of the document reading size to the document reading start position while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line, and a plurality of read lines A process for determining the main scanning size and the sub-scanning size of the document using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently from the image data in the main / sub-scanning direction, and detecting the document size; Is a document size detection program characterized by causing a computer to execute.

  According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the image reading means for reading the image data of the document while irradiating the document is positioned at the maximum reading size required from the document size to be detected, and the document pressing plate is opened to closed. The image reading means scans the image reading means from the maximum reading size position required from the original size to be detected to the original reading start position while irradiating the original and irradiating the original. A process for reading line by line, a process for reading image data of a document in that section for each line, and a read image at an arbitrary position in the main / sub scanning direction independently from the read multiple lines of image data in the main / sub scanning direction Using data to determine the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document, and causing the computer to execute processing for detecting the document size A document size detection program which is characterized.

  According to the twentieth aspect of the invention, the image reading means for reading the image data of the document while irradiating the document is positioned at the start position where the normal reading is performed, and the document pressing plate is changed from closed to open. A process of detecting, a process of moving from the start position to the document reading maximum size position, a process of detecting that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed, and the position of the maximum size while irradiating the document. Scanning the image reading means to the document reading start position, reading the image data of the document in that section for each line, and the main / sub-scanning direction independently from the read multiple-line image data in the main / sub-scanning direction Using the read image data at an arbitrary position, the computer performs a process of determining the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document and detecting the document size. It is document size detection program characterized.

  According to the twenty-first aspect of the present invention, the image reading means for reading the image data of the document while irradiating the document is positioned at the start position where normal reading is performed, and the document pressing plate is changed from closed to open. Detection processing, processing for moving from the original size to be detected from the start position to the required maximum reading size position, processing for detecting that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed, and irradiation of the original. Meanwhile, a process of scanning the image reading unit from the position of the maximum size to the document reading start position and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line, and the main / sub scanning direction from the read image data of a plurality of lines Independently, using the read image data at an arbitrary position in the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and the sub-scanning size of the document are determined, and the document size is detected. A document size detection program for causing the execution and management, to the computer.

  According to the twenty-second aspect of the present invention, the image reading means for reading the image data of the document while irradiating the document is positioned at the start position where the normal reading is performed, and the document pressing plate is changed from open to closed. A process of detecting, scanning the image reading means from the start position to a position of the maximum document reading size while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line; A process of determining the main scanning size and the sub-scanning size of the document by using the read image data at an arbitrary position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently from the image data, and detecting the document size. An original size detection program to be executed by a computer.

  According to the twenty-third aspect of the present invention, the image reading means for reading the image data of the document while irradiating the document is positioned at the start position where normal reading is performed, and the document pressing plate is changed from open to closed. Processing for detecting and scanning the image reading means from the start position to the position where the required reading is the maximum size while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in that section for each line From the read image data of a plurality of lines, the main scanning size and the sub scanning size of the document are determined using the read image data at any position in the main / sub scanning direction independently of the main / sub scanning direction, and the document size A document size detection program that causes a computer to execute a process for detecting image data.

  A twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium for recording the program according to any one of the seventeenth to twenty-third aspects.

  According to the present invention, document size detection in the sub-scanning direction can be performed using a line sensor for reading a document, except for the size detecting infrared sensor in the sub-scanning direction.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This image reading apparatus irradiates a document 10 placed on a contact glass 1 forming a document surface with light from a lamp 2 and reflects light reflected by a first mirror 3, a second mirror 4, and a third mirror 5. The light is collected by the lens 8 and imaged on the CCD 9. While the lamp 2 and the first mirror 3 travel a distance L, the second mirror 4 and the third mirror 5 travel a distance L / 2. This keeps the optical path length of the optical system constant and scans the entire document.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the image reading apparatus of FIG. The first carriage 6 including the lamp 2 and the first mirror 3 is attached to the drive wire 11, and the second carriage 7 including the second mirror 4 and the third mirror 5 is wound around the pulley 12. The drive wire 11 is wound around the wire pulley 15 connected to the drive shaft 14, and the drive of the motor 18 is transmitted by the timing pulley 16 and the timing belt 17. A position where a certain distance is returned after one end of the first carriage 6 crosses the home position sensor 13 is defined as a home position. FIG. 6 is an external view of a scanner 20 that is an example of an image reading apparatus.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration necessary for a series of copying operations after an image is read by the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment. The scanner 20 (image reading device), IPU (image processing unit) 21, printer 22, CPU 23, operation unit 24, CPU 25, display unit 26, and RAM 27 are included.

  When an original is set on the contact glass 1 of the scanner 20 (image reading apparatus) and the start key is pressed, the original is read by the scanner 20 and a series of image processing is performed in the IPU (image processing unit; image processing unit) 21. The image data is output to the printer 22 and the paper is discharged. Necessary parameters in the scanner 20, the IPU 21, and the printer 22 are held in the RAM 27, and settings are made for each device by the CPU 23. In addition, mode information necessary for parameter setting is configured to be specified by the user using the operation unit 24, and information is exchanged by communication between the CPU 25 in the operation unit 24 and the CPU 23. .

  FIG. 4 is a configuration block diagram around the IPU 21 according to the present embodiment. The IPU 21 includes an image processing module 28, a multi-line memory 29, and a memory control 30. The IPU 21 performs desired image processing on the document read data received from the scanner 20. When the original size detection operation according to the present invention is performed, the image data is stored in a multi-line memory 29 connected to the image processing module 28. The memory control 30 controls the multiple line memory 29. Further, the memory control 30 can read / write data from the multi-line memory 29 from the CPU 23.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the present invention, and thus various technically preferable limitations are given. However, the scope of the present invention is particularly limited in the following description. Unless otherwise stated, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation process of the document size detection method according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a view showing the movement of the image reading means (hereinafter referred to as a carriage. In FIG. 2, the first carriage 6 and the second carriage 7) according to the present embodiment. First, the carriage is moved from the home position to the document size detection position (see step S1, FIG. 8A). The document size detection position according to the present embodiment is the end position of the maximum document reading size. FIG. 8A shows an example in which the maximum document reading size of the scanner 20 is A3 size. In this embodiment, the carriage (image reading means) is scanned from the end position of the maximum document reading size to the home position (document reading start position), and image data is read for document size detection.

  After that, preparations necessary for document size detection are made (step S2). Necessary preparations are performed by setting the document reading timing for document size detection as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 and, if necessary, setting necessary for shading correction. FIG. 10 is a timing chart of the memory control 30 in the sub scanning direction. FIG. 11 is a timing chart in the main scanning direction of the memory control 30.

  Thereafter, when it is detected that the pressure plate is closed (open → close → open) (step S3 / Yes), document size detection is started. Alternatively, when the user gives an instruction to start reading a document from the operation unit 24, document size detection is started (pre-scan). It can be considered that the opening / closing of the pressure plate (step S3) is detected by ON / OFF of the DF opening / closing sensor. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing detection of the pressure plate closing of the scanner 20 according to the present embodiment.

  The document size detection is started by first irradiating the document with the lamp 2 for reading the document (step S4). Next, the original is read (step S5). Document reading is performed by generating a write signal for a document size and reading image data within the valid period of the write signal. FIG. 8B shows the movement of the carriage according to this embodiment. The write signal is sent from the memory control 30. This will be described in detail below.

  FIG. 9 is a configuration block diagram around the memory control 30 according to the present embodiment. The memory control 30 receives an XFSYNC signal, an XLSYNC signal (Line Synchronous), and PCLK (Pixel Clock) from the image processing module 28. The XFSYNC signal indicates a line sensor reading start trigger. The XLSYNC signal is a reference for one line read by the line sensor. PCLK is a pixel clock. Then, the memory control 30 passes a write reset (XWRST) signal and a write enable (XWE) signal to the multi-line memory 29.

  The memory control 30 receives parameters from the CPU 23 along with the exchange between the image processing module 28 and the multi-line memory 29, and determines the memory write position from the two reference signals XFSYNC and XLSYNC. The parameters received from the CPU 23 are four parameters that indicate the memory write area: main scan start, main scan width, sub scan start, and sub scan width. FIG. 10 shows a timing chart in the sub-scanning direction, and FIG. 11 shows a timing chart in the main scanning direction.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of patch reading according to the present embodiment. The memory control 30 can write the data of a plurality of patches in the two-dimensional direction simultaneously into the memory as shown in FIG. A hatched portion indicates a memory write area.

  In the document reading (step S5), the carriage is moved from the document size detection position as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to read images at different positions on the document and read image data at a plurality of positions in the sub-scanning direction. Multiple line images can be read. The read image data is stored in the multiple line memory 29. The carriage moves to the original document reading (main scan) position (home position) at the same time as reading for document size detection (step S5) (see FIG. 8B).

  When the reading of the original is completed, the irradiation of the original is terminated (step S6). If the main scan is started immediately after the reading of the document for size detection (steps S4 and S5) is completed, the irradiation of the document is not finished and the lamp for irradiating the document is kept on. You can also think about that. In this case, a determination process for determining whether or not to execute the main scan is performed between steps S5 and S6 in FIG.

  Further, it can be considered that the process of step S6 is performed in parallel with the process (image data extraction) of step S7 described below. In this case, when the document reading (step S5) is completed, the read document image data is taken out (step S7), and the image data is analyzed (step S8). A hatched portion shown in FIG. 12 is a memory write area. Such patch data is stored in the multiple line memory 29 (step S5). Therefore, the patches are read from the multi-line memory 29 one by one to the RAM 27 of the CPU 23 (step S7).

  Image data analysis (step S8) will be described in detail below with reference to Table 1, FIG. 13 and FIG. Table 1 below is a document size detection determination table. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the monochrome determination processing operation according to the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing image data reading positions and document sizes according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 14, SEN11, SEN12, SEN21, and SEN22 are used as read patches. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the document size to be detected is A3, A4 horizontal, A4 vertical, and others. Image data is taken out (step S7), and black / white determination of each patch is performed (see FIG. 13) to determine white / black of each read patch.

  The monochrome determination process will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. First, the number of pixels in one patch is set (step S81). Thereafter, reading is performed from the multi-line memory 29 in units of one pixel (step S82), and it is determined whether the number of pixels is equal to or more than the set N pixels (step S83). If it is less than N (step S83 / No), pixel addition (n + 1) is performed (step S84).

  When N is greater than or equal to N (step S83 / Yes), an average value in one patch is obtained (step S85), and the binarization of the patch is performed (step 86). Binarization is discriminated based on a threshold (TH). From the result, the black pixel (step S86 / No, S88) and the white pixel (step S86 / Yes, S87) of the patch are determined, and the monochrome determination flow ends. The flow for obtaining the average value is the total average after the total addition of N pixels (steps S83, S84, S85). For example, the addition in only the main scanning direction is performed to obtain the average in one line, and then the next line is obtained. A method of repeating the addition and averaging and performing the final determination can be considered. Based on the determined white / black, the document size is determined from Table 1 below.

  As shown in Table 1, when all of SEN11, SEN12, SEN21, and SEN22 are white, it is determined that there are documents at all four reading positions, and the document is determined to be A3 size. If SEN11 and SEN12 are white and SEN21 and SEN22 are black, it is determined that there is no document behind the sub-scanning direction, and it is determined that the document is A4 horizontal.

  If SEN11 and SEN21 are white and SEN12 and SEN22 are black, it is determined that there is no document at the rear side in the main scanning direction, and it is determined that the document is A4 vertical. If SEN11, SEN12, SEN21, SEN22 are all black, it is determined that there are no documents at all four reading positions, and a size smaller than A4 or no document is determined. If none of the above four patterns is applicable, it is determined that a detection error has occurred somewhere, and the document size is not detected.

  As described above, when the size detection is successful (step S9 / Yes), the document size is determined (step S10). Specifically, the determination of the document size is to store the document size information in the program execution RAM 27 connected to the CPU 23 (see FIG. 4), and thereafter, the document size information determined as necessary. Is read and used. After the document size is determined, the document size detection operation is completed.

  On the other hand, if the determination of the document size fails (step S9 / No), the document size detection operation is completed without determining the document size. Examples of document size determination failures include a black document, the influence of external light on the document table, and the illumination state of the document illumination lamp (when the lamp is turned on but reading is not stable) It is conceivable that the size of the original cannot be determined from the read data due to the execution of the program.

  According to the above embodiment, before the size detection, the position of the document reading means is positioned at the maximum size of the document reading size, and when the opening / closing detection means of the document holding plate is changed from open to closed, the position of the original is read from the position of the maximum size. By moving the original reading means to the reading start position (home position) and reading the original in that section, the overhead time until the original reading plate is closed and the original is read is reduced. (Can) is not performed, and productivity reduction can be suppressed as much as possible. In addition, it is possible to simultaneously detect the document size in the sub-scanning direction.

  In addition, by setting the position of the document reading means before performing size detection to the maximum size of the document reading size, it is not necessary to switch the control depending on the type of document size to be detected, and control common to all models is possible. In addition, since the conventional reading sequence is used positively or as close to the original size detection sequence as possible in the main scanning direction, the control change is small. It is also conceivable to reduce the cost by making the memory size for document size detection as close as possible to the size required for document size detection in the main scanning direction.

  Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing document size detection operation processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 16 is a schematic side view showing closing detection (pressure plate: closed → open → closed) of the document pressing plate of the scanner 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating movement of the carriage according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the carriage is first moved from the home position (FIG. 17 (a) left, dotted carriage position) to the document size detection position (FIG. 17 (a) right, solid carriage position) (step S11). . The document size detection position according to the present embodiment is the maximum reading size position required from the size to be detected. For example, when it is desired to detect three types of document sizes of A3 / A4 width / A4 length, the maximum reading position is required in the vicinity of the outside of A4 length. This point is different from the above embodiment.

  After the carriage is moved (step S11), preparations necessary for document size detection are made (step S12). Thereafter, it is detected that the pressure plate is closed (step S13 / Yes) (see FIG. 16), or when the user starts reading the document, the document size detection operation is started (step S14 and subsequent steps). Steps S12 to S20 are the same processes as those in step S6 and subsequent steps in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, unlike the above embodiment, the carriage reads image data for document size detection from the maximum value necessary for size detection reading to the home position (see FIG. 17B). Simultaneously with the reading, the carriage is moved to the original document reading (main scanning) position (see FIG. 17B).

  According to the above embodiment, the position of the document reading means before the size detection is positioned at the maximum reading size required from the size to be detected, and when the opening / closing detection means of the document holding plate changes from open to closed, By moving the document reading means from the maximum size position to the document reading start position and reading the document in that section, the overhead time from closing the document pressing plate to reading the document can be reduced, so productivity is reduced as much as possible. It can be suppressed. In addition, by placing the position of the original reading means before size detection at the maximum reading size required from the size to be detected, it is possible to achieve optimal control of the model, further reducing overhead time and reducing productivity. Can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the processing operation according to this embodiment. FIG. 19 is a schematic side view for explaining open detection (pressure plate: closed → open) of the document pressing plate of the scanner 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 20 is a schematic side view illustrating detection of closing of the document pressing plate of the scanner 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention (pressure plate: open → close).

  As shown in FIG. 18, first, opening / closing of the pressure plate is detected (step S21). The carriage normally remains at the original reading start position (home position). As shown in FIG. 19, when the pressure plate is changed from the closed state to the opened state (step S21 / Yes), the carriage is moved to the document size detection position (step S22). The document size detection position is located at the end of the maximum document reading size. This is the same as FIG. The present embodiment is characterized in that the carriage is moved to the document size detection position when the pressure plate is opened.

  Thereafter, the document size is determined (step S31) from the document size detection preparation (step S23) in the same manner as steps S2 to S10 in FIG. Step S24 refers to FIG.

  According to the above embodiment, before the size detection, the position of the document reading means is located at the start position where normal reading is performed, and when the opening / closing detection means of the document pressing plate (pressure plate) changes from closed to open, From the maximum size position to the original reading start position, the original reading means moves from the maximum size position to the original reading position, and size detection is performed by reading the original in that section. When the original is not read, the original reading means does not need to be moved, overhead time is not required, and productivity is not reduced.

  In addition, since the overhead time from when the document pressing plate is closed to when the document is read can be reduced, productivity reduction can be suppressed as much as possible. In addition, by setting the position of the document reading means before performing size detection to the maximum size of the document reading size, it is not necessary to switch the control depending on the type of document size to be detected, and control common to all models is possible.

  Hereinafter, a document size detection method according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing document size detection operation processing according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the carriage (image reading means) is moved when the pressure plate is opened (step S32), which is the same as step S21 in FIG. 18, except that the document size detection position where the carriage is moved is shown. 18 is different. In this embodiment, as in step S11 in FIG. 15, the carriage is moved from the size to be detected to the required maximum reading size position (step S33). Therefore, the process in step S33 is the same as the process according to step S11 in FIG. In the present embodiment, the sizes to be detected are also three types of document sizes of A3 / A4 width / A4 length as described in step S11. Thereafter, the operation process from step S34 to S42 according to the present embodiment is the same process as step S2 to S10 in FIG.

  According to the above embodiment, before the size detection, the position of the image reading means is located at the start position where normal reading is performed, and when the open / close detection means of the document holding plate changes from closed to open, the detection is performed from the start position in the previous period. Move from the desired size to the position of the required maximum reading size, and when it changes from open to closed, the original reading means moves from the maximum size position to the original reading start position, and reads the original in that section. Thus, when reading a document without size detection, there is no need to move the document reading means, no overhead time, and no reduction in productivity. In addition, by placing the position of the original reading means before size detection at the maximum reading size required from the size to be detected, it is possible to achieve optimal control of the model, further reducing overhead time and reducing productivity. Can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, a document size detection method according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an operation process according to the present embodiment. FIG. 23 is a schematic side view showing closing detection (pressure plate: closed → open → closed) of the document pressing plate of the scanner 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the carriage according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 22, this embodiment is different from the above embodiments in that preparation for document size detection is first performed (step S43). In each of the above embodiments, the document size detection preparation is performed after the carriage is moved. Therefore, in the standby state, the image reading means (hereinafter referred to as the carriage) is kept at the normal document reading start position (home position), and preparations necessary for document size detection are made (step S43). The document size detection preparation process itself is the same as step 2 in FIG. 5, and the setting of the document reading timing for document size detection and the necessary setting for shading correction are executed as necessary.

  Steps S44 and S45 are the same as steps S3 and S4 in FIG. After starting the document irradiation (step S45), the document is read for the maximum size while moving the carriage. For reading the original, a write signal for the original size is generated as in step S5 in FIG. 5, and the image data is read within the valid period of the write signal, and the process is terminated.

  In the present embodiment, the carriage starts from the home position, and scans a document of a maximum size (for example, A3 size, see FIG. 24) as image data for document size detection while scanning (step S46). Simultaneously with the reading, the carriage is moved to the original document reading (main scanning) position. After the end of document irradiation (step S47), the process is the same as step S6 to step S10 in FIG.

  According to the above embodiment, before the size detection, the position of the document reading means is located at the start position where the normal reading is performed, and when the opening / closing detection means of the document holding plate changes from open to closed, the document reading from the start position in the previous period is performed. By moving the original reading means to the position of the maximum size and reading the original in that section, when reading the original without detecting the size, the original reading means does not need to be moved, overhead time is not required, and productivity is eliminated. Further, since the size detection reading control can be made the same as the normal document reading, the control change can be reduced and the development efficiency can be improved. Further, by setting the size detection reading size to the maximum size, it is not necessary to switch the control depending on the type of document size to be detected, and control common to all models is possible.

  Hereinafter, a document size detection method according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing document size detection operation processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the carriage according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 25, the operation process of this embodiment is the same as the operation process (steps S43 to S45 and S47 to S51) of the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 22 except for the process of step S58. In the present embodiment, the carriage scans from the home position, and a document corresponding to the maximum read size required from the size to be detected is read as image data (step S58). Specifically, a write signal for a document size is generated and image data is read within the valid period of the write signal, and the reading process itself is the same as step S4 in FIG. At this time, reading is executed while moving the carriage and scanning the document.

  In the case of this embodiment, the size to be detected is set to three types of document sizes of A3 / A4 width / A4 length (see FIG. 26). Accordingly, the document is the maximum read size document that requires an area closer to the outside than the A4 vertical size, and reading is performed up to this position (see FIG. 26). Simultaneously with the reading, the carriage is moved to the original document reading (main scanning) position.

  According to the above embodiment, before the size detection, the position of the document reading means is located at the start position where normal reading is performed, and when the opening / closing detection means of the document pressing plate changes from open to closed, the detection is performed from the start position in the previous period. The original reading unit moves from the desired size to the position where the required reading is the maximum size. By reading the original in that section, it is not necessary to move the original reading unit when reading the original without detecting the size, and overhead time is required. There is no loss of productivity. In addition, by setting the size detection reading size to the required maximum reading size, optimal control of the model can be realized, overhead time can be further reduced, and productivity reduction can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, a document size detection method according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing the size detection operation process according to the present embodiment.

  This embodiment is characterized in that any one of the above embodiments can be selected. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 27, the control number is set in the CPU 23 (see FIG. 4) before entering the size detection flow (step S70). The control number is NO. 1, NO. It is shown by 2 etc. In this embodiment, “NO.1” shown in FIG. 27 is the same as FIG. 5, “NO.2” is FIG. 15, “NO.3” is FIG. 18, “NO.4” is FIG. .5 ”indicates the embodiment described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 22 and“ NO.6 ”is set as a control number.

  After that, the operation processing (see FIGS. 5, 15, 18, 21, 22, and 25) corresponding to the set control number is performed (steps S71 to S80).

  According to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to suppress a decrease in productivity, reduce the burden of control change and cost increase, switch the control method according to the system request, and obtain a more versatile system. .

  Note that the program for the CPU 23 to execute the processing shown in the flowcharts of the drawings constitutes a program according to the present invention. As a recording medium for recording the program, a semiconductor storage unit, an optical and / or magnetic storage unit, or the like can be used. By using such a program and a recording medium in a system having a configuration different from that of each of the above-described embodiments and causing the CPU to execute the program, substantially the same effect as the present invention can be obtained.

  Although the present invention has been specifically described above based on the preferred embodiments, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described ones and can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a configuration block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the configuration around the IPU according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating document size detection operation processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an external view of a scanner 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view for explaining detection of closing of a document pressing plate of the scanner 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention (pressure plate: closed → open → closed). It is a figure which shows the movement of the reading carriage which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration around a memory control 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the sub-scanning direction timing chart of the memory control 30 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the main scanning direction timing chart of the memory control 30 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the patch reading which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the monochrome determination process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the patch reading position for size detection determination which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating document size detection operation processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view for explaining detection of closing of a document pressing plate of the scanner 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention (pressure plate: closed → open → closed). It is a figure which shows the movement of the reading carriage which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating document size detection operation processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view for explaining open detection (pressure plate: closed → open) of the document pressing plate of the scanner 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view illustrating detection of closing of a document pressing plate of the scanner 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention (pressure plate: open → close). 6 is a flowchart illustrating document size detection operation processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating document size detection operation processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view for explaining detection of closing of a document pressing plate of the scanner 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention (pressure plate: closed → open → closed). It is a figure which shows the movement of the reading carriage which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating document size detection operation processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the movement of the reading carriage which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating document size detection operation processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

20 Scanner 21 IPU
22 Printer 23, 25 CPU
24 Operation unit 26 Display unit 27 RAM
28 Image processing module 29 Multiple line memory 30 Memory control

Claims (24)

A document irradiation means for irradiating a document;
An image reading unit that scans the document by the document irradiation unit and reads image data of the document line by line;
Open / close detecting means for detecting opening / closing of the document pressing plate;
The main scanning size and the sub-scanning size of the document are determined by using the read image data at an arbitrary position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction from the plurality of lines of image data obtained by the image reading unit. A size detection means,
The image reading device controls the document reading position by detecting the state of the document pressing plate by the open / close detection unit.   The image reading unit is positioned at the maximum size of the document reading size before the size detection, and when the open / close detection unit detects that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed, the image reading size 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus moves from a maximum size position to a document reading start position and reads document image data in the section.   The image reading unit is positioned at the maximum reading size required from the size of the document to be detected before the size detection, and when the open / close detection unit detects that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus moves from a required maximum reading size position to an original reading start position from the original size to be detected, and reads original image data in that section.   The image reading means is positioned at a start position where normal reading is performed before size detection, and when the open / close detection means detects that the document pressing plate has changed from closed to open, the image reading means starts from the start position. When it moves to the maximum reading size position and then the open / close detection means detects that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed, it moves from the maximum size position to the document reading start position, and the document image data in that section The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The image reading unit is positioned at a start position where normal reading is performed before size detection. When the image detection unit detects that the document pressing plate has changed from closed to open, the image reading unit starts from the start position. Move from the original size you want to detect to the required maximum reading size position, and then when the open / close detection means detects that the original pressing plate has changed from open to closed, from the maximum size position to the original reading start position 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus moves and reads the original image data in the section.   The image reading unit is positioned at a start position where normal reading is performed before size detection, and when the open / close detection unit detects that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed, the image reading unit starts from the start position. 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus moves to a position of a maximum document reading size and reads document image data in the section.   The image reading unit is positioned at a start position where normal reading is performed before size detection, and when the open / close detection unit detects that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed, the image reading unit starts from the start position. 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the necessary reading moves from the size to be detected to the position of the maximum size, and the original image data in that section is read.   8. An image reading apparatus comprising: a selecting unit that selects any one of the image reading units according to claim 1.   An image forming apparatus comprising the image reading apparatus according to claim 1. Detecting the open / close state of the document pressing plate;
A step of controlling the document reading means by detecting the state of the document pressing plate in the detecting step and scanning the image data of the document for each line while irradiating the document;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection method comprising: a step of: A step of positioning image reading means for reading image data of the document while irradiating the document at a maximum size of the document reading size;
Detecting the change of the document pressing plate from open to closed;
Scanning the image reading means from the maximum size position of the document reading size to the document reading start position while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection method comprising: a step of: Positioning the image reading means for reading image data of the document while irradiating the document at a maximum reading size required from the size of the document to be detected;
Detecting the change of the document pressing plate from open to closed;
Scanning the image reading means from the maximum reading size position required from the original size to be detected to the original reading start position while irradiating the original, and reading the original image data of the section for each line;
Reading the image data of the document in that section for each line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection method comprising: a step of: A step of positioning image reading means for reading image data of the original while irradiating the original at a start position where normal reading is performed;
Detecting the change of the document holding plate from closed to open;
A step of moving from the start position to the maximum document reading size position;
Detecting the change of the document pressing plate from open to closed;
Scanning the image reading means from the position of the maximum size to the document reading start position while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection method comprising: a step of: A step of positioning image reading means for reading image data of the original while irradiating the original at a start position where normal reading is performed;
Detecting the change of the document holding plate from closed to open;
A step of moving from the original position to be detected from the start position to a required maximum reading size position;
Detecting the change of the document pressing plate from open to closed;
Scanning the image reading means from the position of the maximum size to the document reading start position while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection method comprising: a step of: A step of positioning image reading means for reading image data of the original while irradiating the original at a start position where normal reading is performed;
Detecting the change of the document pressing plate from open to closed;
Scanning the image reading means from the start position to the position of the maximum document reading size while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in that section line by line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection method comprising: a step of: A step of positioning image reading means for reading image data of the original while irradiating the original at a start position where normal reading is performed;
Detecting the change of the document pressing plate from open to closed;
Scanning the image reading means from the size to be detected from the start position to the position where the required reading is the maximum size while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection method comprising: a step of: A process for detecting the open / close state of the document holding plate;
By detecting the state of the document pressing plate by the detection process, the document reading unit is controlled to scan the image data of the document line by line while irradiating the document,
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection program that causes a computer to execute a process for A process of positioning image reading means for reading image data of the document while irradiating the document at the maximum size of the document reading size;
A process for detecting that the document holding plate has changed from open to closed;
Scanning the image reading means from the maximum size position of the original reading size to the original reading start position while irradiating the original, and reading the image data of the original in that section for each line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection program that causes a computer to execute a process for A process of positioning image reading means for reading image data of the document while irradiating the document at a maximum reading size required from the size of the document to be detected;
A process for detecting that the document holding plate has changed from open to closed;
A process of scanning the image reading unit from the maximum reading size position required from the original size to be detected to the original reading start position while irradiating the original, and reading the original image data of the section for each line;
A process of reading the image data of the document in that section line by line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection program that causes a computer to execute a process for A process of positioning image reading means for reading image data of the original while irradiating the original at a start position where normal reading is performed;
A process of detecting that the document pressing plate has changed from closed to open;
Processing to move from the start position to the maximum document reading size position;
A process of detecting that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed;
Scanning the image reading means from the position of the maximum size to the document reading start position while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection program that causes a computer to execute a process for A process of positioning image reading means for reading image data of the original while irradiating the original at a start position where normal reading is performed;
A process of detecting that the document pressing plate has changed from closed to open;
A process of moving from the start position to the required maximum reading size position from the document size to be detected;
A process of detecting that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed;
Scanning the image reading means from the position of the maximum size to the document reading start position while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection program that causes a computer to execute a process for A process of positioning image reading means for reading image data of the original while irradiating the original at a start position where normal reading is performed;
A process of detecting that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed;
A process of scanning the image reading unit from the start position to the position of the maximum document reading size while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection program that causes a computer to execute a process for A process of positioning image reading means for reading image data of the original while irradiating the original at a start position where normal reading is performed;
A process of detecting that the document pressing plate has changed from open to closed;
A process of scanning the image reading means from the size desired to be detected from the start position to the position where the required reading is the maximum size while irradiating the document, and reading the image data of the document in the section for each line;
Using the read image data at any position in the main / sub-scanning direction independently of the main / sub-scanning direction, the main scanning size and sub-scanning size of the document are determined and the document size is detected. A document size detection program that causes a computer to execute a process for   A computer-readable recording medium for recording the program according to any one of claims 17 to 23.

Images