JP2008312043A - Medium aligning device, and image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medium aligning device and an image reader capable of properly aligning an ejected medium according to a medium size, and capable of properly storing an aligning member not in use. <P>SOLUTION: The medium aligning device includes: a first turning control means 150 which is rotatably supported in an eject direction of the medium by a placing means 110 and can turn between a first aligning position for aligning the medium by its protrusion from a placement face 111 and a first waiting position accommodated by an accommodation part 130; and a second turning control means 170 which is rotatably supported in the eject direction of the medium by the first turning control means 150 and can turn between a second aligning position for aligning the medium by its protrusion from the placement face 111 at an upper side than the first waiting position in the eject direction and a second waiting position accommodated by the accommodation part 130 when the first turning control means 150 is at the first waiting position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medium aligning apparatus and an image reading apparatus, and more particularly to an image reading apparatus configured by integrally assembling a flatbed type image reading mechanism and an automatic paper feed type reading mechanism (ADF: Auto Document Feeder). The present invention relates to a medium aligning apparatus and an image reading apparatus that are suitable for application.

  As a conventional image reading apparatus applied to an image scanner, a copying machine, a facsimile, a character recognition device, etc., for example, a medium such as a book or a magazine is placed on a platen and the line image sensor is moved relative to the medium. The image reading apparatus having a flatbed type image reading mechanism for reading image information of the medium and the sheet-like medium stacked on the sheet are continuously fed, and the medium is moved with respect to the fixed line image sensor. Thus, there is an image reading apparatus provided with an automatic document feeder (ADF) that reads image information of the medium. A flat bed type image reading apparatus places a medium on a document table and reads the image by covering the medium with a document pressing cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the document table. A thick medium can be read. On the other hand, the ADF type image reading apparatus can automatically feed a large number of sheet-like media because it can separate the stacked media one by one and automatically feed them continuously to perform image reading processing. Can be read and conveyed. In addition, some of such ADF type image reading apparatuses can handle a plurality of sizes of media.

  As a conventional image reading apparatus provided with both a flat bed type image reading mechanism and an automatic paper feed type reading mechanism, for example, the image reading apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is a document transport of an automatic paper feed type document reading mechanism. The automatic paper feed type document reading mechanism is arranged so that the tip is on the document pressing cover of the flat bed type document reading mechanism. A groove is formed in the document pressing cover along the document conveyance direction, and a locking portion is provided on the side wall of the groove. Further, the stopper has a locking portion that locks the locking portion of the groove, and has a base member that can move in the document transport direction using the groove as a guide, and an upright member that stands upright from the base member. A member is provided. In this image reading apparatus, by inserting the stopper member into the groove of the document holding cover of the flat bed type document reading mechanism, the stopper member can be moved along the document conveying direction according to the document size. it can. Accordingly, the stopper member is moved in the document conveying direction according to the size of the document discharged from the automatic paper feed type document reading mechanism, and the document is aligned at a predetermined position on the document pressing cover by the stopper member. The document pressing cover can be made to function as a so-called stacker, and as a result, downsizing of the apparatus is realized.

Japanese Patent No. 3479471

  However, in the image reading apparatus described in Patent Document 1 described above, the stopper member that can move in the groove in the document transport direction is always protruded from the document placement surface of the document pressing cover. In addition to the improvement of the aesthetic appearance, for example, when the document pressing cover is opened and closed when using a flatbed document reading mechanism, this stopper member becomes an obstacle and obstructs the user's document placement operation. There was a risk that it could be trapped or something could get caught on the ledge.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a medium aligning device and an image reading device capable of properly aligning discharged media according to the medium size and storing an aligning member properly when not in use. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a medium aligning apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is a medium aligning apparatus for aligning a plurality of sizes of media ejected from an ejecting unit at a predetermined position according to the size on a placement surface. The mounting surface is formed with a mounting surface formed with a recess-shaped accommodation portion on the mounting surface, and is supported by the mounting device so as to be rotatable along the discharge direction of the medium. First rotation restricting means capable of rotating between a first alignment position that protrudes from the mounting surface and aligns the medium, and a first standby position that is accommodated in the accommodating portion, and the first rotation restriction And is supported by the means so as to be rotatable along the discharge direction of the medium, and when the first rotation restricting means is at the first standby position, it is upstream from the first standby position with respect to the discharge direction. A second alignment position protruding from the mounting surface on the side and aligning the medium; Characterized in that it comprises a second rotation restricting means rotatable between a second standby position, which is accommodated in the accommodation section.

  In the medium aligning device according to the second aspect of the invention, the first rotation restricting means rotates around the base end supported by the placing means as the rotation center, while the second rotation restricting means. Rotates around the base end supported by the distal end of the first rotation restricting means, and the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means are both formed in a plate shape. The rotation center forms a horizontal rotation axis along a direction orthogonal to the discharge direction.

  In the medium aligning device according to the third aspect of the present invention, the first alignment position of the first rotation restricting means and the second alignment position of the second rotation restricting means are in contact with the medium. Both are set at positions facing the discharge portion, and the inclination of the contact surface with respect to the placement surface at the second alignment position of the second rotation restricting means is the first alignment of the first rotation restricting means. The position is set to be smaller than the inclination of the contact surface with respect to the placement surface.

  In the medium aligning device according to the fourth aspect of the invention, the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means may be configured such that the second rotation restricting means is located at the second standby position when the second rotation restricting means is at the second standby position. The back surface of the abutting surface abuts, and the depth of the accommodating portion is set to be equal to the thickness of the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means.

  In the medium aligning device according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the accommodating portion is formed on a main body portion that accommodates the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means, and an end wall surface of the main body portion. It has a depression part.

  In the medium aligning device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, an engagement portion that relatively rotatably engages the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means, and the second rotation restricting means. The first abutting portion provided in the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation when the means is rotated to the discharge portion side by a predetermined angle or more relative to the first rotation restricting means. It is characterized by comprising a disengagement portion that abuts against a second abutting portion provided in the restricting means and releases the engagement by the engaging portion.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image reading apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention includes a flat bed type image reading mechanism that reads an image of the original by covering the original placed on the original table with an openable / closable original cover. An image reading apparatus constructed by integrally assembling an automatic paper feeding type reading mechanism that automatically feeds stacked sheet-like originals continuously, reads an image, and discharges the image onto a placement surface on the original cover The document cover includes a cover body in which the placement surface is formed and a recess-shaped accommodation portion is formed on the placement surface, and the cover body is rotatable along the discharge direction of the document. A first rotation restricting means that is supported and capable of rotating between a first alignment position that protrudes from the placement surface and aligns the original and a first standby position that is accommodated in the accommodating portion; Before the first rotation restricting means It is supported so as to be rotatable along the document discharge direction, and when the first rotation restricting means is at the first standby position, the front is upstream of the first standby position with respect to the discharge direction. A second rotation restricting means capable of rotating between a second alignment position that protrudes from the writing surface and aligns the original and a second standby position that is accommodated in the accommodating portion is provided.

  According to the medium aligning device of the first aspect of the present invention, when the medium discharged from the discharge portion is, for example, a large medium, the first rotation restricting means is rotated from the first standby position to the first alignment position. By moving and deploying, the first rotation restricting means can guide the downstream end of the large medium discharged from the discharge portion and place it at a predetermined position on the placement surface. The media can be stacked together without the order being reversed. On the other hand, when the medium discharged from the discharge unit is, for example, a small medium, the second rotation restricting unit is moved from the second standby position to the second position while the first rotation restricting unit is at the first standby position. By rotating and unfolding to the alignment position, the small medium discharged from the discharge portion comes into contact with the second rotation restriction means at a position closer to the discharge portion side than the first alignment position of the first rotation restriction means. Therefore, the small medium can be aligned and laminated at a predetermined position on the mounting surface. When the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means are not used, the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means are respectively rotated to the standby positions, and are accommodated and stored in the accommodating portion. As a result, the entire medium aligning device has no flat surface on the mounting surface and has a flat plate shape with very few grooves, so that the appearance can be a uniform shape and the aesthetic appearance can be improved. It can prevent that a rotation control means and a 2nd rotation control means become obstructive. As a result, the discharged media can be properly aligned according to the medium size, and the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means as the aligning members can be properly stored when not in use.

  According to the medium aligning apparatus of the second aspect of the invention, the first rotation restricting means rotates around the base end supported by the mounting means as the rotation center, while the second rotation restricting means is the first. The base end supported by the distal end of the rotation restricting means rotates around the rotation center, and the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means are formed in a plate shape, and the rotation center is wide. Since the horizontal rotation axis is formed along the direction, the first alignment position of the first rotation restriction means and the second alignment position of the second rotation restriction means can be set to appropriate positions, and Since the surface that contacts the medium can be secured widely by the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means, the media can be more easily aligned.

  According to the medium aligning device of the third aspect of the present invention, the downstream end portion of the large-sized medium discharged from the discharge portion is guided by the contact surface of the first rotation restricting means, and on the contact surface and the placement surface. It can be placed at a predetermined position. On the other hand, since the small medium discharged from the discharge portion comes into contact with the contact surface of the second rotation control means having a smaller inclination angle than the contact surface of the first rotation control means, the weight of the medium itself is relatively small. A small medium that is easily blown off during discharge can be firmly stopped by the second rotation restricting means.

  According to the medium aligning device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means are accommodated in the accommodating portion, the accommodating portions are arranged so that their back surfaces are in contact with each other and folded. Since it is accommodated, it can be set as a more compact structure. At this time, since the depth of the accommodating portion is set to be equal to the thickness of the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means, the contact surface of the second rotation restricting means and the placement means are placed. The placement surface is substantially flush with the flat plate shape of the entire media aligning device, and the thickness of the entire media aligning device can be made relatively thin.

  According to the medium aligning device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the pressing portion is provided adjacent to the housing portion main body portion that houses the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means, When the movement restricting means is rotated from the first standby position to the first alignment position and deployed, and the second rotation restriction means is rotated from the second standby position to the second alignment position and deployed, the user must Since a finger can be inserted into the depressed portion and both end portions in the width direction of the second rotation restricting means can be pinched to cause the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means to be easily aligned. Can be deployed.

  According to the medium aligning device of the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the second rotation restricting means rotates relative to the first rotation restricting means toward the discharge portion by a predetermined angle or more, the first contact portion And the second abutting portion are in contact with each other and continue to rotate, so that the second abutting portion and the first abutting portion act like a lever, whereby the second rotation restricting means by the engaging portion And the first rotation restricting means are disengaged, and the second rotation restricting means is disengaged from the first rotation restricting means. Therefore, even if an excessive force acts on the second rotation restricting means, Damage to the two rotation restricting means and the first rotation restricting means can be prevented.

  According to the image reading apparatus of the seventh aspect, since both the flat bed type image reading mechanism and the automatic paper feed type reading mechanism are provided, it is possible to read a relatively thick original such as a book or a magazine. In both cases, a large amount of sheet-like documents can be automatically conveyed and read. Since the original cover of the flat bed type image reading mechanism is also used as a stacker for the automatic paper feed type reading mechanism, the image reading apparatus can be made compact. At this time, the first rotation restricting means provided so that the document cover is rotatable with respect to the cover body, and the second rotation restricting means provided rotatably with respect to the first rotation restricting means. And a storage unit that stores and stores the first rotation control unit and the second rotation control unit when not in use, and properly arranges the discharged documents according to the document size. In addition, when not in use, the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means as the aligning member can be properly stored.

  Embodiments of an image reading apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily replaced by those skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the configuration of the document cover provided in the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sectional view in the paper discharge direction showing the configuration of the document cover provided in the image reading apparatus according to the example.

  5A is a plan view of a cover body included in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5-2 is provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the cover main body shown in FIG. 5A, FIG. 5-3 is a perspective view of the cover main body included in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a portion B shown in FIG. 5-3 of the cover body provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment.

  6A is a plan view of a large stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6-2 is provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view of the large stopper shown in FIG. 6A, and FIG. 6-3 is a partial side view of the D portion shown in FIG. 6A of the large stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 6A and 6B are partial cross-sectional views taken along line EE shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B of the large stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5 is a perspective view of a large stopper provided in a document cover of the image reading apparatus according to FIG.

  7A is a plan view of a small stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7B is provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 7-3 is a side view of the small stopper, FIG. 7-3 is a partial side view of the F portion shown in FIG. 7-2 of the small stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 7A is a partial cross-sectional view of the small stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7-5 shows the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the small stopper provided.

  8 is a perspective view of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when the small stopper is deployed. FIG. 9 is a side view of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when the small stopper is deployed. FIG. 11 is a sectional view in the paper discharge direction when the small stopper of the document cover included in the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is deployed. FIG. 11 is the small stopper expansion of the document cover included in the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when the large stopper is deployed, and FIG. 13 is a side view of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when the large stopper is deployed. 14 and 14 are cross-sectional views in the paper discharge direction when the large stopper of the document cover provided in the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is deployed, and FIG. 15 is a document cover provided in the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view at the time of this large stopper expansion | deployment.

  Hereinafter, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a document cover 100 as a medium aligning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is abbreviated as a so-called flatbed image reading mechanism 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as “flatbed mechanism 2”). And an automatic paper feed type reading mechanism 3 (ADF: Auto Document Feeder, hereinafter simply abbreviated as “ADF mechanism 3”). However, the present invention is not limited to this. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this, but can be applied to various apparatuses that align a plurality of discharged media at predetermined positions on the mounting surface. Applicable.

  For example, the flatbed mechanism 2 is configured to read a document image information by placing a document as a medium such as a book or a magazine on a document table and moving a line image sensor that forms an optical reading unit with respect to the document. It is. The flatbed mechanism 2 arranges a medium on a document table, covers a document disposed by a document cover 100 provided to be openable and closable with respect to the document table, and reads an image of the document. Therefore, a relatively thick medium such as a book or a magazine can be read.

  Specifically, the flat bed mechanism 2 includes an apparatus housing 21 in which an optical reading unit (not shown) is provided, and a document cover 100. The apparatus casing 21 of the flat bed mechanism 2 is provided with a transparent document table made of a glass plate or the like at the center opening on the upper surface, and the document placed on the transparent document table travels below the transparent document table. Read by optical reading unit.

  This optical reading unit reads an image of a document and includes a light source, an image sensor, a lens, and the like. The optical reading unit irradiates light from a light source toward a document placed on a transparent document table, and converts the reflected light reflected by the document and focused by a lens into an electric signal by an image sensor, thereby converting an image of the document. Can be read. The document cover 100 is provided to face the transparent document table on the upper surface of the apparatus housing 21 and can be freely opened and closed with respect to the apparatus housing 21 with the fulcrum portion 112 as a rotation center, as indicated by a dashed line in FIG. It is attached to this device casing 21. The flat bed mechanism 2 sequentially reads images while moving the optical reading unit at a constant speed in the sub-scanning direction. The optical reading unit moves on the carrier axis arranged in the apparatus housing 21 and moves in the sub-scanning direction. In addition, the optical reading unit is provided with a driven roller, and is in contact with a driven rail disposed in the apparatus housing 21.

  Therefore, when the flatbed mechanism 2 reads an image of an original, the original is placed on the transparent original table, and the original cover 100 is closed so as to be close to the transparent original table. By bringing them into close contact, it is possible to prevent the original from floating from the transparent original table during reading due to bending or bending of the original. In particular, in recent image reading apparatuses, a lens with a short focal length is used in the optical system of the optical reading unit for downsizing the apparatus, and the sharpness of the read image is greatly reduced even by a slight lifting of the document. In order to obtain a highly accurate read image, it is important to ensure that the document is brought into close contact with the transparent document table as described above.

  On the other hand, the ADF mechanism 3 continuously feeds stacked sheet-like originals, and reads the original image by moving the originals with respect to a fixed line image sensor forming an optical reading unit. is there. The ADF mechanism 3 separates the stacked documents one by one and continuously automatically feeds them to perform image reading processing. Therefore, a large amount of media can be automatically conveyed and read. In addition, such an ADF mechanism 3 may be compatible with a plurality of sizes of media.

  Specifically, the ADF mechanism 3 includes an apparatus housing 31 in which an optical reading unit (not shown) is provided, a paper feed unit 32, and a paper discharge unit 33 as a discharge unit. The paper feed unit 32 feeds a sheet-like document to a conveyance unit (not shown) provided in the apparatus housing 31 and includes a shooter 32a, a pick roller (not shown), and a separation pad (not shown). Etc. The paper feed unit 32 feeds sheet-like originals of a predetermined size stacked on the shooter 32a by a pick roller that is driven to rotate, and separates the papers one by one by a separation pad and automatically feeds them to the transport unit. Can do. The paper feed unit 32 supports a plurality of types of originals, that is, can feed a plurality of types of originals to the transport unit.

  The transport unit transports a document fed from one end to a paper discharge unit 33 provided at the other end, and is driven by a drive roller that can be driven to rotate, and is driven by the drive roller. And a pressure roller which can be rotated, and a guide (not shown) provided along the conveyance path. The conveying unit sandwiches the document between the outer peripheral surface of the driving roller and the outer peripheral surface of the pressure roller, and rotates the driving roller so that a plurality of types are fed one by one from the paper feeding unit 32. A document of a size can be conveyed while being guided to the paper discharge unit 33 by a guide. The optical reading unit is fixedly provided in the transport path of the transport unit, and reads an image of a document transported by the transport unit. Similar to the optical reading unit of the flat bed mechanism 2 described above, An image of a document can be read by irradiating light from a light source toward the document conveyed by the conveyance unit, and converting reflected light reflected by the document and focused by a lens into an electric signal by an image sensor.

  The paper discharge unit 33 discharges (discharges) the document to the outside of the apparatus housing 31, and includes a paper discharge opening 33 a formed in the apparatus housing 31. The paper discharge unit 33 can discharge a document, which has been transported by the transport unit and whose image has been read by the optical reading unit, from the inside to the outside of the apparatus housing 31 through the paper discharge opening 33a.

  Further, the ADF mechanism 3 also uses the document cover 100 of the flat bed mechanism 2 described above as a so-called stacker. That is, the paper discharge unit 33 discharges and stacks the original on a placement surface 111 (the back of the surface facing the transparent original table) formed on the upper surface of the original cover 100. Accordingly, the upper surface of the document cover 100 of the flat bed mechanism 2 is used as the placement surface 111 of the document discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 of the ADF mechanism 3, so that the document cover 100 is also used as a stacker of the ADF mechanism 3. be able to.

  Since the image reading apparatus 1 configured as described above includes both the flat bed mechanism 2 and the ADF mechanism 3, it can read a relatively thick original such as a book or a magazine, and can also produce a large number of sheets. Can be automatically conveyed and read. In other words, since the flatbed mechanism 2 places an original on a transparent original table and covers the original with an original cover 100 provided to be openable and closable with respect to the transparent original table, the image is read. A relatively thick medium can be read. On the other hand, since the ADF mechanism 3 can separate the stacked sheet-like originals one by one by the paper feeding unit 32 and continuously automatically feed the images to read an image, a large amount of media can be automatically read. Can be read and conveyed. The upper surface of the document cover 100 of the flat bed mechanism 2 is used as the placement surface 111 of the document ejected from the paper ejection unit 33 of the ADF mechanism 3, so The paper is discharged onto the mounting surface 111 and stacked there. As a result, the document cover 100 can also be used as a stacker for the ADF mechanism 3, and thus the image reading apparatus 1 can be downsized.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the document cover 100 provided in the image reading apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a large stopper 150 as a first rotation restricting unit rotatably with respect to the cover body 110. At the same time, the small stopper 170 as the second rotation restricting means is rotatably provided with respect to the large stopper 150, so that the document ejected from the paper ejection unit 33 is properly aligned according to the document size and is not used. Sometimes the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 as the alignment members are properly stored.

  The document cover 100 includes a cover main body 110 as placement means, a large stopper 150 as first rotation restriction means, and a small stopper 170 as second rotation restriction means. As described above, the cover main body 110 is formed on the upper surface of the cover main body 110 as the mounting surface 111 on which the documents discharged from the paper discharge section 33 are stacked, and on the ADF mechanism 3 side via the fulcrum section 112. The body 21 is rotatably supported.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4, the cover main body 110 is discharged in the discharge direction in a state where it is attached to the apparatus housing 21. It is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape whose direction is the longitudinal direction. The cover main body 110 is provided with a pair of left and right fulcrum portions 112 at both ends of one side of a rectangle. In the cover main body 110, the side where the fulcrum portion 112 is provided (the upper side in FIG. 5A) is the upstream side in the paper discharge direction. Each fulcrum portion 112 is provided with an engagement shaft portion 113 for engaging the cover main body 110 with the apparatus housing 21. Each engagement shaft portion 113 is set along a direction (hereinafter, referred to as “width direction”) in which the central axis is horizontally orthogonal to the paper discharge direction. By being engaged with an engagement hole (not shown) provided on the housing 21 side, the device is rotatably attached to the apparatus housing 21 as described above. Therefore, in the cover main body 110, the central axis of the engagement shaft portion 113 forms a rotation axis, that is, the rotation axis is set along the width direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction. In addition, the cover body 110 is provided with a handling portion 114 serving as a handling location for the user on the side opposite to the side where the fulcrum portion 112 is provided in the rectangle, that is, on the downstream side in the paper discharge direction. Furthermore, the cover main body 110 has a bottomed recessed receiving portion 130 formed on the mounting surface 111.

  The accommodating part 130 is formed in the approximate center of the mounting surface 111. This accommodating part 130 has the accommodating part main-body part 131 as a main-body part, and the finger dent 132 for stopper raising as a depression part. The housing main body 131 is a portion that houses a large stopper 150 and a small stopper 170, which will be described later, and is a substantially rectangular shape in which the paper discharge direction is the longitudinal direction when the cover main body 110 is attached to the apparatus housing 21. Formed as a groove portion. Further, the depth of the accommodating portion main body 131 is set to be equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 described later. The stopper raising finger dents 132 are formed in a pair of left and right recesses on the wall surfaces at both ends in the width direction of the housing main body 131. The stopper raising finger dents 132 are respectively provided at the upstream end of the storage unit main body 131 in the paper discharge direction.

  Further, the accommodating portion 130 has an accommodating portion concave portion 133, an accommodating portion inclined wall portion 134, an accommodating portion protrusion 135, an accommodating portion engaging hole 136, an accommodating portion at the end of the accommodating portion main body 131 on the downstream side in the paper discharge direction. A protrusion 137 is provided. The accommodating portion concave portion 133 is provided in a concave shape along the width direction at the bottom of the end portion of the accommodating portion main body 131 on the downstream side in the paper discharge direction so as not to hinder the rotation of the large stopper 150 described later. The accommodating portion inclined wall portion 134 is a wall surface on the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction of the accommodating portion recess 133, and is inclined from the bottom of the accommodating portion recess 133 to the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction. The accommodating portion protrusion 135 is provided so as to protrude from the wall surface on the upstream side in the paper discharge direction of the accommodating portion recess 133 toward the accommodating portion inclined wall portion 134. One accommodating portion protrusion 135 is provided at one end in the width direction of the wall surface of the accommodating portion recess 133. The accommodating portion engaging holes 136 are provided as a pair on the left and right wall surfaces in the width direction of the accommodating portion recess 133. Each accommodating portion engaging hole 136 is formed as a long hole along the depth direction of the accommodating portion main body 131, and a large stopper engaging shaft protrusion 155 (see FIG. 6-1) of the large stopper 150 described later is provided. Engaged. The accommodating portion ridge portion 137 is formed as a linear projecting portion extending from the rectangular wall surface on the downstream side in the paper discharge direction toward the upstream side at the bottom of the accommodating portion main body 131. The accommodating portion ridge portion 137 is provided substantially at the center of the accommodating portion main body 131 in the width direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, and 6-5, the large stopper 150 is attached to the cover main body 110 and the discharge direction is the longitudinal direction. It is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape. The large stopper 150 is formed in a size that is slightly smaller than the housing main body 131 of the housing 130. The large stopper 150 forms a large stopper contact surface 151 as a contact surface capable of contacting one side of the discharged document, and the other surface includes the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 in the accommodating portion 130. A back surface 152 capable of contacting the small stopper 170 in the accommodated state is formed. Further, the large stopper 150 is formed to be curved so that the large stopper contact surface 151 side is slightly depressed. The large stopper 150 has a base end portion 153 supported by the cover body 110, and is provided so as to be rotatable along the document discharge direction with the base end portion 153 as a rotation center. Further, the large stopper 150 is provided with a small stopper 170 described later at a distal end portion 154 facing the base end portion 153 so as to be rotatable.

  Specifically, the large stopper 150 is provided with a large stopper engaging shaft protrusion 155 and a slit 156 at the end on the base end 153 side. The large stopper engaging shaft protrusion 155 is provided in a pair of left and right at both ends on one side of the base end 153 side. The central axis of each large stopper engaging shaft protrusion 155 is set along the width direction. The large stopper 150 is engaged with the accommodating portion engaging hole 136 (see FIG. 5-4) of the accommodating portion 130 provided on the cover body 110 side with the large stopper engaging shaft protrusion 155. As described above, the cover body 110 is rotatably attached to the cover body 110. In other words, the accommodating portion engaging hole 136 and the large stopper engaging shaft protrusion 155 are configured to engage the large stopper 150 with the large stopper 150 so as to be rotatable relative to the cover body 110 (FIG. 3). FIG. 4 etc.). Therefore, the large stopper 150 is set along the width direction in which the central axis of the large stopper engaging shaft protrusion 155 forms a rotation axis, that is, the rotation axis is orthogonal to the paper discharge direction. In the large stopper 150, the slit 156 is formed to extend from one side of the base end portion 153 toward the tip end portion 154 with a length slightly shorter than the above-described accommodating portion protrusion 137. The slit 156 is provided substantially at the center of the large stopper 150 with respect to the width direction.

  Each large stopper engaging shaft protrusion 155 has a taper 155a on the end surface in the axial direction, as shown in FIG. 6-3. Accordingly, the large stopper 150 can be easily attached to the cover body 110 by inserting and engaging the large stopper engaging shaft protrusion 155 into the accommodating portion engaging hole 136 so as to be guided by the taper 155a.

  Therefore, the large stopper 150 can be rotated by the large stopper engaging portion 157 between the first standby position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the first aligned position shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. Supported by The first standby position of the large stopper 150 is a position where the large stopper 150 is accommodated in the accommodating portion main body 131 of the accommodating portion 130 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). At this time, the large stopper 150 is formed in a size slightly smaller than the accommodating portion main body 131, so that it is accommodated in the accommodating portion main body 131 with almost no gap. In the state where the large stopper 150 is accommodated in the accommodating portion main body 131 of the accommodating portion 130 at the first standby position, the base end portion 153 is positioned on the downstream side in the sheet discharging direction, while the distal end portion 154 is disposed in the sheet discharging direction. Located upstream. Further, at this time, the storage portion protrusion 137 (see FIG. 5A) of the storage portion 130 is inserted and engaged with the slit 156, so that the large stopper 150 is stored in the storage portion main body 131. It is possible to prevent the original from entering the gap between the rear portion where the slit 156 of the large stopper 150 is formed and the housing main body 131.

  On the other hand, the first alignment position of the large stopper 150 is a position where the large stopper 150 protrudes from the placement surface 111 of the cover body 110 and the large stopper contact surface 151 contacts the document discharged from the paper discharge unit 33. (See FIGS. 14 and 15). When the large stopper 150 is rotated about 120 degrees from the first standby position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and deployed to the first alignment position, the back surface 152 is placed on the accommodating portion inclined wall portion 134 (FIG. 5-4). The large stopper 150 is stopped and positioned at a predetermined alignment position by contacting the edge of the base end portion 153 and the accommodating portion protrusion 135 (see FIG. 5-4).

  Further, the large stopper 150 is provided at the end on the tip end 154 side as a large stopper recess 158, a large stopper engagement hole 159, a large stopper projection 160, a large stopper fitting hole 161, and an engagement release portion described later. A disengagement protrusion 162 is provided as a first abutting portion that forms the small stopper disengagement portion 180. The large stopper recess 158 is provided in a recessed shape along the width direction at the end of the large stopper 150 on the front end 154 side so as not to hinder the rotation of the small stopper 170 described later. The large stopper engaging holes 159 are provided in a pair of left and right on both wall surfaces in the width direction of the large stopper recess 158. Each large stopper engagement hole 159 is formed as a substantially circular hole, and a small stopper engagement shaft protrusion 175 (see FIG. 7A) of a small stopper 170 described later is engaged therewith. The large stopper protrusion 160 is provided so as to protrude from the large stopper contact surface 151 at the edge of the large stopper recess 158 on the base end 153 side. The large stopper projection 160 is provided linearly along the width direction, and is provided approximately at the center of the large stopper 150 with respect to the width direction. The large stopper fitting hole 161 is formed in a concave shape along the wall surface on the base end portion 153 side at the bottom of the large stopper concave portion 158, as shown in FIGS. 6-1, 6-2, and 6-5. The The large stopper fitting hole 161 is provided so as to be adjacent to the large stopper projection 160 in the paper discharge direction, is provided in a straight line along the width direction, and the large stopper 150 is formed in the width direction. It is provided almost in the center. As shown in FIGS. 6-4 and 6-5, the disengagement protrusion 162 is linearly provided along the width direction on the edge of the large stopper recess 158 opposite to the base end 153. . The engagement release protrusions 162 are provided as a pair of left and right at both ends in the width direction, and both are provided so as to protrude toward the large stopper contact surface 151.

  As shown in FIGS. 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, and 7-5, the small stopper 170 is attached to the large stopper 150 in the width direction. It is formed in such a substantially rectangular plate shape. The small stopper 170 is set so that the length in the width direction is substantially equal to the length in the width direction of the large stopper 150. The small stopper 170 forms a small stopper contact surface 171 as a contact surface capable of contacting one side of the discharged document, and the other surface has the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 in the housing portion 130. A back surface 172 that can contact the back surface 152 of the large stopper 150 in the accommodated state is formed. The small stopper 170 is provided so that the base end 173 is supported by the front end 154 of the large stopper 150 and is rotatable along the document discharge direction with the base end 173 as a rotation center. Further, the small stopper 170 is provided with a distal end portion 174 facing the base end portion 153 as a free end.

  Specifically, the small stopper 170 is provided with a small stopper engaging shaft protrusion 175 at the end on the base end 173 side. The small stopper engaging shaft protrusion 175 forms a small stopper engaging portion 176 as an engaging portion together with the large stopper engaging hole 159. Further, the small stopper 170 includes a small stopper fitting hole 177 (see FIG. 7-4), a small stopper projection 178, and a small stopper release contact portion 179 as a second contact portion (FIGS. 7-3 and 7-). 4) is provided. The small stopper release contact portion 179 forms a small stopper engagement release portion 180 together with the engagement release protrusion 162.

  The small stopper engaging shaft protrusions 175 are provided as a pair of left and right at both ends of one side of the base end 173 side. The center axis of each small stopper engaging shaft protrusion 175 is set along the width direction. The small stopper 170 is engaged with the large stopper engaging hole 159 (see FIGS. 6-4 and 6-5) provided on the large stopper 150 side with the small stopper engaging shaft protrusion 175. Thus, as described above, the large stopper 150 is rotatably attached to the tip 154. In other words, the large stopper engaging hole 159 and the small stopper engaging shaft protrusion 175 are small stopper engaging portions 176 (FIG. 3) that engage the small stopper 170 with respect to the large stopper 150 so as to be rotatable. FIG. 4 etc.). Accordingly, the small stopper 170 is set along the width direction in which the central axis of the small stopper engaging shaft protrusion 175 forms the rotation axis, that is, the rotation axis is orthogonal to the paper discharge direction.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7C, the small stopper engaging shaft protrusions 175 are each formed with a taper 175a on the end surface in the axial direction. Accordingly, the small stopper 170 can be easily attached to the large stopper 150 by inserting and engaging the small stopper engaging shaft protrusion 175 into the large stopper engaging hole 159 so as to be guided by the taper 175a.

  As shown in FIG. 7D, the small stopper fitting hole 177 is provided in a concave shape with respect to the back surface 172 at the edge of the small stopper 170 on the base end portion 173 side of the back surface 172. The small stopper fitting hole 177 is provided in a straight line that is slightly thicker than the large stopper protrusion 160 described above along the width direction. The small stopper fitting hole 177 is provided at substantially the center of the small stopper 170 with respect to the width direction so that the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 130 so that the small stopper fitting hole 177 is fitted to the large stopper protruding portion 160. Provided (see FIG. 3). As shown in FIGS. 7-1, 7-3, 7-4, and 7-5, the small stopper protrusion 178 has a back surface 172 further outward on the end surface of the small stopper 170 on the base end 173 side. It is formed to protrude. The small stopper protrusion 178 is provided in a straight line that is slightly thinner than the large stopper fitting hole 161 described above along the width direction. Further, the small stopper protrusion 178 is formed in the small stopper 170 with respect to the width direction so as to be fitted in the large stopper fitting hole 161 in a state where the small stopper 170 is rotated about 90 degrees with respect to the large stopper 150. (See FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIG. 7C, the small stopper release contact portion 179 has a curved surface in which the small stopper contact surface 171 side of the small stopper projection 178 is stepped down on the end surface of the small stopper 170 on the base end portion 173 side. Formed as part. The small stopper release contact portion 179 extends along the width direction between the pair of small stopper engaging shaft protrusions 175. The small stopper release contact portion 179 forms a small stopper engagement release portion 180 together with the engagement release protrusion 162 (FIGS. 6-4 and 6-5) of the large stopper 150. The small stopper engagement release portion 180 is provided at the tip portion 154 of the large stopper 150 when the small stopper 170 rotates relative to the large stopper 150 toward the paper discharge portion 33 by a predetermined angle or more. The engagement by the small stopper engaging portion 176 is released when the mating release protrusion 162 and the small stopper releasing contact portion 179 provided at the base end portion 173 of the small stopper 170 come into contact with each other.

  Accordingly, the small stopper 170 can be rotated by the small stopper engaging portion 176 between the second standby position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the second alignment position shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Supported by The second standby position of the small stopper 170 is a position where the back surface 172 of the small stopper 170 and the back surface 152 of the large stopper 150 are in contact with each other, and more specifically, when the large stopper 150 is in the above-described first standby position. The small stopper 170 together with the large stopper 150 is a position where it can be accommodated in the accommodating portion main body 131 of the accommodating portion 130 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). At this time, the large stopper 150 is curved so that the large stopper abutment surface 151 side is slightly depressed. Therefore, when the small stopper 170 is in the second standby position, the small stopper 170 is curved. It is located along. As described above, since the depth of the accommodating portion main body 131 is set to be equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170, the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 are arranged in the accommodating portion main body. It is stored in the unit 131 so as to be just fit. That is, the small stopper contact surface 171 of the small stopper 170 and the placement surface 111 of the cover main body 110 are substantially the same plane, and the entire document cover 100 has a flat plate shape. Further, the cover main body 110 corresponds to a thickness that allows the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 to be accommodated in the accommodating portion main body 131, that is, the sum of the thicknesses of the large stopper 150, the small stopper 170, and the bottom of the accommodating portion main body 131. Since the thickness is sufficient, the thickness can be relatively reduced.

  Further, the large stopper 150 is accommodated in the accommodating portion main body 131 of the accommodating portion 130 at the first standby position, and the back surface 172 and the back surface 152 are in contact with each other at the second standby position of the small stopper 170, The small stopper 170 has a base end portion 173 located on the upstream side in the paper discharge direction, and a distal end portion 174 located on the downstream side in the paper discharge direction. At this time, the small stopper 170 is located upstream of the large stopper engaging portion 157 in the sheet discharge direction with the back surface 172 and the back surface 152 in contact with each other at the second standby position. The 150 large stopper projections 160 (see FIG. 6A) are fitted and engaged with the small stopper fitting holes 177, so that the wobbling of the small stoppers 170 in the width direction can be prevented.

  On the other hand, the second alignment position of the small stopper 170 refers to the rotation center of the large stopper 150 with respect to the paper discharge direction when the large stopper 150 is in the first standby position, that is, upstream from the large stopper engaging portion 157. This is a position where the small stopper contact surface 171 contacts the document which protrudes from the placement surface 111 on the side and is discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 (see FIGS. 10 and 11). When the small stopper 170 is rotated about 90 degrees with respect to the large stopper 150 from the second standby position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and deployed to the second alignment position, the small stopper protrusion 178 is large. By fitting and engaging with the large stopper fitting hole 161 (see FIG. 6A) of the stopper 150, the small stopper 170 is stopped and positioned at a predetermined alignment position.

  The small stopper 170 is provided at the front end 154 of the large stopper 150 when the small stopper 170 is further rotated upstream from the second aligned position shown in FIGS. The small stopper release contact portion 179 is brought into contact with the joint release protrusion 162 (see FIG. 6A) and the small stopper release contact portion 179 provided at the base end portion 173 of the small stopper 170 and continues to rotate. And the disengagement protrusion 162 act like a lever, so that the small stopper engagement shaft protrusion 175 is detached from the large stopper engagement hole 159, and the small stopper 170 by the small stopper engagement part 176 is large. The engagement with the stopper 150 is released. That is, the small stopper 170 is detached from the large stopper 150. As a result, when an excessive force is applied to the small stopper 170 toward the upstream side in the paper discharge direction, the small stopper 170 easily deviates from the large stopper 150. Damage can be prevented in advance. Even if the small stopper 170 is detached from the large stopper 150, as described above, the small stopper engaging shaft protrusion 175 is inserted into and engaged with the large stopper engaging hole 159 so as to be guided by the taper 175a. Thus, the small stopper 170 can be easily attached to the large stopper 150.

  Note that the first aligning position of the large stopper 150 and the second aligning position of the small stopper 170 are positions where the large stopper contact surface 151 and the small stopper contact surface 171 both face the paper discharge unit 33, as described above. The inclination of the small stopper contact surface 171 with respect to the placement surface 111 at the second alignment position of the small stopper 170 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) is the first alignment position of the large stopper 150 (see FIGS. 14 and 15). Is set smaller than the inclination of the large stopper contact surface 151 with respect to the mounting surface 111. That is, here, as shown in FIG. 10, the inclination angle θ1 of the small stopper contact surface 171 with respect to the placement surface 111 at the second aligned position of the small stopper 170 (the angle on the paper discharge unit 33 side) is about 90 degrees. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14, the inclination angle θ2 of the large stopper contact surface 151 with respect to the placement surface 111 at the first alignment position of the large stopper 150 (the angle on the paper discharge unit 33 side) is 120 degrees. Set to degree.

  The image reading apparatus 1 configured as described above sets both the small stopper 170 and the large stopper 150 at the standby position as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 when reading an image of a document by the flat bed mechanism 2. Then, it is accommodated and stored in the accommodating portion body 131. As a result, the small stopper contact surface 171 of the small stopper 170 and the placement surface 111 of the cover main body 110 are substantially flush with each other, and the entire document cover 100 has a flat plate shape with no protrusion on the placement surface 111. Therefore, the outer appearance becomes a coherent shape and the aesthetic appearance can be improved. When the document cover 100 is opened and closed in order to place or remove the document on the transparent document table of the flat bed mechanism 2, the small stopper 170 and the large stopper 150 as the aligning members are the accommodating portions of the accommodating portion 130. Since it is properly stored in the main body 131, the small stopper 170 and the large stopper 150 are prevented from interfering with each other, thereby preventing the user from obstructing the operation of placing the original or being caught by the protrusion. be able to. Even when the small stopper 170 and the large stopper 150 are both set at the standby position, and are stored and stored in the storage unit main body 131, even when the image of the document is read by the ADF mechanism 3, the placement surface 111 of the document cover 100. Since the area of the groove portion (for example, the finger dent 132 for raising the stopper) is minimized, for example, it is possible to prevent the discharged document from being caught from the paper discharge portion 33 and being damaged by the groove portion. Can do. Further, at this time, the small stopper 170 and the large stopper 150 are accommodated in the accommodating portion main body 131 such that the back surfaces 152 and 172 of each other come into contact with each other and be folded, so that a compact configuration can be achieved.

  When the image of the document is read by the ADF mechanism 3, as shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 11 or FIG. 12 to FIG. By deploying the stopper 150 or the small stopper 170 to the alignment position, the documents discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 by the document cover 100 can be appropriately aligned and stacked according to the size of the document.

  That is, when the document placed in the paper feed unit 32 is a relatively small document such as A8 to A6 size paper or a business card, for example, as shown in FIGS. Is rotated from the second standby position to the second alignment position (position where the inclination angle θ1 is about 90 degrees) and unfolded. Here, for example, when the image reading resolution by the optical reading unit of the ADF mechanism 3 is low, the conveying speed by the conveying unit of the ADF mechanism 3 is increased accordingly. The document discharge speed is also relatively fast. In addition, since a relatively small document has a small weight, the document itself is easily skipped by the discharge momentum when discharged from the discharge unit 33. However, here, at the second alignment position of the small stopper 170, the small stopper 170 of the small stopper 170 protruding from the placement surface 111 is closer to the paper discharge unit 33 side than the first alignment position of the large stopper 150. By contacting the small original discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 with the surface 171, it is possible to prevent the small original from being skipped as it is. Then, the small document that is discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 is firmly stopped by the small stopper 170, so that the small document is aligned and stacked at a predetermined position on the placement surface 111 upstream of the small stopper 170. Can do.

  On the other hand, when the document placed in the paper feed unit 32 is a relatively large document such as an A4 / Letter size paper, the large stopper 150 is provided as shown in FIGS. It rotates from the standby position to the first alignment position (position at which the inclination angle θ2 is about 120 degrees) and unfolds. Here, since the large document itself has a relatively large weight, the original document itself is comparatively large and, when being ejected from the sheet ejection unit 33 like the small document, it is difficult to be ejected as it is. However, it is sufficient that the end on the downstream side in the paper discharge direction is placed on the large stopper contact surface 151 of the large stopper 150. The large stopper 150 guides the downstream end of the large document discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 and places it at a predetermined position on the large stopper contact surface 151 and the placement surface 111. Large documents can be aligned and stacked without the order being reversed. As a result, the originals discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 by the original cover 100 can be appropriately aligned and stacked according to the size of the originals.

  Note that when the large stopper 150 is rotated from the first standby position to the first alignment position and deployed, the small stopper 170 is rotated from the second standby position to the second alignment position and deployed, the user is accommodated. Since the fingers can be inserted into the stopper raising finger depressions 132 provided on both sides in the width direction of the main body 131 and the both ends in the width direction of the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 can be picked up, the large stopper 150 The small stopper 170 can be easily deployed at the aligned position.

  According to the document cover 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, in the document cover 100 that aligns a plurality of sizes of documents discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 at predetermined positions according to the size on the placement surface 111. The cover body 110 is formed with a placement surface 111 and a recess-shaped accommodation portion 130 is formed on the placement surface 111. The cover body 110 is supported by the cover body 110 so as to be rotatable along the document discharge direction. In addition, a large stopper 150 that can be rotated between a first alignment position that protrudes from the placement surface 111 and aligns the original and a first standby position that is accommodated in the accommodating portion 130, and discharges the original to the large stopper 150. When the large stopper 150 is in the first standby position, the originals are aligned by projecting from the placement surface 111 upstream of the first standby position with respect to the paper discharge direction. Second alignment position , And a rotatable small stopper 170 between the second standby position, which is accommodated in the accommodating portion 130.

  Therefore, when the document ejected from the paper ejection unit 33 is a large document, the large stopper 150 is rotated by the large stopper 150 from the first standby position to the first alignment position and is unfolded. Since the downstream end of the large document ejected from the paper section 33 can be guided and placed at a predetermined position on the placement surface 111, the large document is aligned without causing the order to be reversed. Can be laminated. On the other hand, when the original discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 is a small original, the small stopper 170 is rotated from the second standby position to the second alignment position with the large stopper 150 in the first standby position. By unfolding, the small document discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 comes into contact with the small stopper 170 at a position closer to the paper discharge unit 33 than the first alignment position of the large stopper 150. The small originals can be aligned and stacked at predetermined positions. When the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 are not used, the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 are respectively rotated to the standby position, and are accommodated and stored in the accommodating portion main body 131 of the accommodating portion 130, thereby allowing the document to be stored. Since the cover 100 as a whole has a flat plate shape with no protrusions on the mounting surface 111 and very few grooves, the outer appearance is a coherent shape, and the aesthetic appearance can be improved. The large stopper 150 and the small stopper It can prevent 170 from getting in the way. As a result, the discharged document can be properly aligned according to the document size, and the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 as alignment members can be properly stored when not in use.

  Furthermore, according to the document cover 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the large stopper 150 rotates around the base end portion 153 supported by the cover body 110 while the small stopper 170. Rotates around the base end 173 supported by the distal end 154 of the large stopper 150, and the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 are both formed in a plate shape, and the rotation center is in the paper discharge direction. It forms a horizontal rotation axis along the orthogonal width direction. Accordingly, the large stopper 150 rotates around the base end portion 153 supported by the cover main body 110, while the small stopper 170 rotates the base end portion 173 supported by the distal end portion 154 of the large stopper 150. The large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 are formed in a plate shape, and the rotation center forms a horizontal rotation axis along the width direction. The second alignment position of the stopper 170 can be set to an appropriate position, and the large stopper contact surface 151 and the small stopper contact surface 171 that are in contact with the document by the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 are secured widely. Therefore, it is possible to make the originals easier to align.

  Furthermore, according to the document cover 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the first aligning position of the large stopper 150 and the second aligning position of the small stopper 170 are the large stopper contact surface 151 that contacts the document, Both the small stopper contact surface 171 is set at a position facing the paper discharge unit 33, and the inclination of the small stopper contact surface 171 with respect to the placement surface 111 at the second alignment position of the small stopper 170 is the first alignment of the large stopper 150. It is set smaller than the inclination of the large stopper contact surface 151 with respect to the mounting surface 111 at the position. Therefore, the large stopper contact surface 151 of the large stopper 150 guides the downstream end portion of the large document discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 and puts it at a predetermined position on the large stopper contact surface 151 and the placement surface 111. Can be placed. On the other hand, since the small document discharged from the paper discharge unit 33 contacts the small stopper contact surface 171 whose inclination angle is smaller than that of the large stopper contact surface 151, the original weight of the document itself is relatively small when discharging. A small document that is easily skipped can be firmly stopped by the small stopper 170.

  Furthermore, according to the document cover 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 are arranged such that the large stopper abutment surface 151 of the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 is located when the small stopper 170 is in the second standby position. The back surfaces 152 and 172 of the small stopper contact surface 171 are in contact with each other, and the accommodating portion 130 is set to have a depth equal to the thickness of the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170. Therefore, when the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 130, the back portions 152 and 172 of each other are accommodated in the accommodating portion 130 so as to be in contact with each other, so that a more compact configuration is provided. be able to. At this time, since the depth of the accommodating portion 130 is set to be equal to the thickness of the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170, the small stopper abutting surface 171 of the small stopper 170 and the placement surface 111 of the cover main body 110 are formed. The entire document cover 100 can be formed into a flat plate shape, and the entire document cover 100 can be made relatively thin.

  Furthermore, according to the document cover 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the accommodating portion 130 includes the accommodating portion main body portion 131 that accommodates the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170, and the end portion of the accommodating portion main body portion 131. It has a stopper raising finger depression 132 formed on the wall surface. Accordingly, since the stopper raising finger depression 132 is provided adjacent to the housing main body 131 for housing the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170, the large stopper 150 is rotated from the first standby position to the first alignment position. When the small stopper 170 is rotated from the second standby position to the second alignment position and deployed, the user inserts his / her finger into the stopper raising finger dent 132 and expands the width of the small stopper 170. Since both ends in the direction can be pinched and caused, the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 can be easily deployed at the aligned positions.

  Furthermore, according to the document cover 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the small stopper that relatively rotatably engages the distal end portion 154 of the large stopper 150 and the proximal end portion 173 of the small stopper 170. When the engagement portion 176 and the small stopper 170 are rotated relative to the large stopper 150 by a predetermined angle or more toward the sheet discharge portion 33 side, the disengagement protrusion 162 provided on the tip portion 154 of the large stopper 150. And a small stopper disengagement portion 180 that abuts the small stopper disengagement contact portion 179 provided at the base end portion 173 of the small stopper 170 and releases the engagement by the small stopper engagement portion 176. Therefore, when the small stopper 170 rotates relative to the large stopper 150 by a predetermined angle or more toward the paper discharge unit 33 side, the engagement release projection 162 and the small stopper release contact portion 179 come into contact with each other and further rotate. By continuing the movement, the small stopper release contact portion 179 and the engagement release protrusion 162 act like a lever, so that the small stopper engagement shaft protrusion 175 is detached from the large stopper engagement hole 159. Since the small stopper 170 and the large stopper 150 are disengaged by the small stopper engaging portion 176 and the small stopper 170 is disengaged from the large stopper 150, even if an excessive force is applied to the small stopper 170, the small stopper 170 and the large stopper 150 can be prevented from being damaged.

  The image reading apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above is laminated with the flatbed mechanism 2 that reads an image of a document by covering the document placed on the document table with an openable / closable document cover 100. In the image reading apparatus 1 configured by integrally assembling an ADF mechanism 3 that automatically and continuously feeds a sheet-like document to read an image and discharge the image onto the placement surface 111 on the document cover 100, the document The cover 100 is formed with a placement surface 111 and a cover body 110 having a recessed housing portion 130 formed on the placement surface 111, and the cover body 110 can be rotated along the document discharge direction. A large stopper 150 that is supported and rotatable between a first alignment position that projects from the placement surface 111 and aligns the document and a first standby position that is accommodated in the accommodating portion 130, and the large stopper 1 0 is supported so as to be freely rotatable along the document discharge direction, and when the large stopper 150 is in the first standby position, the placement surface 111 is upstream of the first standby position with respect to the sheet discharge direction. And a small stopper 170 that can rotate between a second alignment position that projects from the second alignment position and a second standby position that is accommodated in the accommodating portion 130.

  Accordingly, since both the flat bed mechanism 2 and the ADF mechanism 3 are provided, it is possible to read a relatively thick original such as a book or a magazine, and automatically convey and read a large number of sheet-like originals. be able to. Since the document cover 100 of the flat bed mechanism 2 is also used as a stacker of the ADF mechanism 3, the image reading apparatus 1 can be made compact. At this time, the document cover 100 includes a large stopper 150 provided to be rotatable with respect to the cover body 110 and a small stopper 170 as second rotation restricting means provided to be rotatable with respect to the large stopper 150. In addition, since the storage unit 130 is provided for storing and storing the large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 when not in use, the discharged document can be properly aligned according to the document size, and as an alignment member when not in use. The large stopper 150 and the small stopper 170 can be properly stored.

  The medium aligning apparatus and the image reading apparatus according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope described in the claims. In the above description, the medium aligning device is configured by integrally assembling the flat bed type image reading mechanism and the automatic paper feeding type reading mechanism, and is used for, for example, an image scanner, a copying machine, a facsimile, a character recognition device, and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this, but can be applied to various devices that align a plurality of sizes of ejected media at predetermined positions on the placement surface. In the above description, the automatic paper feed type reading mechanism has been described as using the document cover of the flat bed type image reading mechanism as the medium aligning device, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  In the above description, the stopper raising finger dent 132 as the depressed portion has been described as being formed in a pair of left and right recesses on the wall surfaces at both ends in the width direction of the housing portion main body 131. Alternatively, a recess may be provided in the small stopper 170 itself. Further, in the above description, the small stopper engaging portion 176 as the engaging portion that relatively rotatably engages the distal end portion 154 of the large stopper 150 and the base end portion 173 of the small stopper 170 is the large stopper. Although it has been described as being configured by the large stopper engaging hole 159 provided on the 150 side and the small stopper engaging shaft protrusion 175 provided on the small stopper 170 side, not limited to this, for example, on the small stopper 170 side An engagement hole may be provided, and a shaft protrusion may be provided on the large stopper 150 side. Moreover, you may make it provide a 3rd rotation control means further in the front-end | tip part side of a 2nd rotation control means. Moreover, although the said 2nd rotation control means demonstrated as what rotates centering on the base end part supported by the front-end | tip part of the said 1st rotation control means, it is not restricted to this, The said 1st The position of the base end may be changed according to the size of the medium as long as it is supported by the rotation restricting means so as to be rotatable along the discharge direction.

  As described above, the medium aligning device and the image reading device according to the present invention properly align the document discharged from the discharge unit according to the document size, and properly store the alignment member when not in use. It is suitable for application to various media aligning devices and image reading devices.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in the paper discharge direction showing the configuration of the document cover provided in the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating a configuration of a document cover provided in the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a cover main body included in a document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 5A of a cover body included in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cover main body included in a document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a portion B shown in FIG. 5C of the cover body provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a large stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 6A of the large stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a partial side view of a portion D shown in FIG. 6A of the large stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line EE shown in FIG. 6A of the large stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a large stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a small stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of a small stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a partial side view of an F portion shown in FIG. 7-2 of the small stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line GG shown in FIG. 7A of a small stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a small stopper provided in the document cover of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when the small stopper is deployed. FIG. 4 is a side view of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when the small stopper is deployed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view in the paper discharge direction when the small stopper of the document cover provided in the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is deployed. FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the original cover included in the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when the small stopper is deployed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when the large stopper is deployed. FIG. 3 is a side view of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when the large stopper is deployed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view in the paper discharge direction when the large stopper of the document cover provided in the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is deployed. FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the document cover provided in the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when the large stopper is deployed.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image reader 2 Flatbed mechanism (flatbed type image reading mechanism)
3 ADF mechanism (automatic paper feed type reading mechanism)
32 Paper feed unit 33 Paper discharge unit (discharge unit)
100 Document cover (medium alignment device)
110 Cover body (mounting means)
111 Placement surface 130 Accommodation part 131 Accommodation part main-body part (main-body part)
132 Finger recess for raising the stopper (pressing part)
150 large stopper (first rotation restricting means)
151 Large stopper contact surface (contact surface)
152 Back surface 153 Base end 154 Front end 159 Large stopper engagement hole 162 Disengagement projection (first contact portion)
170 Small stopper (second rotation restricting means)
171 Small stopper contact surface (contact surface)
172 Back surface 173 Base end 174 Tip 175 Small stopper engaging shaft protrusion 176 Small stopper engaging portion (engaging portion)
179 Small stopper release contact part (second contact part)
180 Small stopper disengagement part (disengagement part)

Claims (7)

In the medium aligning device for aligning a plurality of sizes of media discharged from the discharge unit at a predetermined position according to the size on the mounting surface,
A mounting means in which the mounting surface is formed and a recess-shaped accommodation portion is formed on the mounting surface;
A first alignment position that is supported by the placement unit so as to be rotatable along the discharge direction of the medium, and that projects from the placement surface to align the medium, and a first standby position that is accommodated in the accommodation portion A first rotation restricting means capable of rotating between
The first rotation restricting means is rotatably supported along the medium discharge direction, and the first rotation restricting means is located in the first standby position with respect to the discharge direction. Second rotation restricting means capable of rotating between a second alignment position that protrudes from the placement surface upstream of the first standby position and aligns the medium and a second standby position that is accommodated in the accommodating portion. Characterized by comprising
Media alignment device. While the first rotation restricting means rotates around the base end supported by the placing means as a rotation center,
The second rotation restricting means rotates around a base end supported by a distal end portion of the first rotation restricting means,
The first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means are both formed in a plate shape, and the rotation center forms a horizontal rotation axis along a direction orthogonal to the discharge direction. To
The medium aligning device according to claim 1. The first alignment position of the first rotation restricting means and the second alignment position of the second rotation restricting means are set to positions where the contact surfaces that contact the medium are both opposed to the discharge portion, The inclination of the abutment surface with respect to the placement surface at the second alignment position of the second rotation restricting means is the inclination of the abutment surface with respect to the placement surface at the first alignment position of the first rotation restriction means. It is set to be smaller than the inclination,
The medium aligning device according to claim 1 or 2. The first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means are configured such that when the second rotation restricting means is in the second standby position, the back surfaces of the contact surfaces are in contact with each other.
The accommodating portion has a depth set equal to the thickness of the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means,
The medium aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The accommodating portion has a main body portion that accommodates the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means, and a depressed portion formed on an end wall surface of the main body portion.
The medium aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. An engaging portion that relatively rotatably engages the first rotation restricting means and the second rotation restricting means, and the second rotation restricting means is relative to the first rotation restricting means. A first contact portion provided in the first rotation restricting means and a second contact portion provided in the second turn restricting means when relatively rotating to the discharge portion side by a predetermined angle or more. An engagement release portion that contacts and releases the engagement by the engagement portion,
The medium aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A flat bed type image reading mechanism that reads an image of the original by covering the original placed on the original table with an openable / closable original cover, and automatically feeds the stacked sheet-like originals to read the image. In an image reading apparatus configured by integrally assembling an automatic paper feed type reading mechanism that discharges to a placement surface on a document cover,
The document cover has a cover body in which the placement surface is formed and a concave-shaped accommodation portion is formed on the placement surface;
A first alignment position that is supported by the cover body so as to be rotatable along the document discharge direction, and that projects from the placement surface to align the document; and a first standby position that is accommodated in the accommodating portion. First rotation restricting means capable of rotating between,
The first rotation restricting means is rotatably supported along the document discharge direction, and the first rotation restricting means is located in the first standby position with respect to the discharge direction. Second rotation restricting means capable of rotating between a second alignment position that protrudes from the placement surface upstream of the first standby position and aligns the original and a second standby position that is accommodated in the accommodating portion. Characterized by comprising
Image reading device.