JP2009130721A - Document carrying and reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a document carrying and reading device capable of effectively removing a foreign matter in a read area in a light transmission member without requiring any new mechanisms for removing the foreign matter and hence without upsizing the device. <P>SOLUTION: The document carrying and reading device 100 has: a document carrying section 200 for carrying a document OR; a document read section 300 for reading the document OR carried by the document carrying section 200 via a read area P on read glass 7; and a control section 400 for controlling the document carrying section 200. The control section 400 controls the document carrying section 200 for allowing the document OR to abut on at least the read region P on the read glass 7 for conveyance while bending the document OR, thus executing a foreign matter removal process for removing the foreign matter T in the read region P of the read glass 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a document conveying / reading device, and more particularly, to a document conveying / reading device that reads a document conveyed by a document conveying unit through a reading region of a light transmitting member at the document reading unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, document conveying / reading apparatuses have been widely used in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and multifunction machines. In such a conventional document conveying / reading apparatus, the document conveyed by the document conveying unit is often read by the document reading unit through a reading region of a light transmitting member such as a reading glass.

  In such a document conveying / reading apparatus, foreign matters such as paper dust and dust may adhere to the reading area of the light transmitting member, and image defects such as white streaks appear in the read image. There is an inconvenience of inviting. For example, during the document reading operation in the document conveying / reading apparatus, the paper dust peeled off from the document adheres to the reading area of the reading glass, and the image quality of the read document image is deteriorated.

In order to solve this problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228620 proposes a document conveying / reading apparatus having a structure in which a reading glass is inclined and foreign materials such as dust are dropped by gravity and removed by gravity.
JP 2003-110808 A

  However, since the document conveying / reading apparatus described in Patent Document 1 requires a new mechanism for removing foreign matter, the number of parts increases accordingly, resulting in an increase in the size of the apparatus.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a document conveyance reading apparatus that reads a document conveyed by a document conveyance unit through a reading region of a light transmitting member at a document reading unit, and requires a new mechanism for removing foreign matter. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a document conveying / reading apparatus capable of effectively removing foreign matters in a reading region of a light transmitting member without increasing the size of the apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a document transport unit that transports a document, a document reading unit that reads a document transported by the document transport unit through a reading region of a light transmitting member, and the document transport And a control unit that controls the document conveying and reading device, wherein the control unit controls the document conveying unit to bring the document into a bent state while contacting at least the reading region of the light transmitting member. There is provided a document conveying / reading apparatus that performs a foreign substance removing step of removing a foreign substance in the reading area of the light transmitting member by carrying the article.

  According to the document conveying / reading apparatus of the present invention, the control unit controls the document conveying unit to contact at least the reading region of the light transmission member (for example, reading glass) in a state where the document is bent. And carrying out a foreign substance removing step of removing foreign substances (for example, paper dust and dust) in the reading area of the light transmitting member by carrying the sheet while moving the bent portion of the document at least in the reading area of the light transmitting member. The contact area with the light transmitting member can be increased, and a high foreign matter removing effect can be obtained. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively prevent foreign matter from adhering to the reading area of the light transmitting member, and thereby improve the image quality of the original image. In addition, since a new mechanism for removing foreign substances is not required, the number of parts is not increased, and the apparatus is not increased in size.

  The document conveying unit reverses the document so that the front and back sides are reversed and conveys one side of the document so that it can be read, and then reverses the document so that the front and back sides are reversed and reverses the other side of the document. May be configured to be readable.

  In the document conveying / reading apparatus according to the present invention, as a specific mode for bending the document when the foreign matter removing step is performed, the document conveying unit conveys the document upstream in the document conveying direction. Two transport roller pairs comprising an upstream transport roller pair and a downstream transport roller pair transported downstream are provided, the light transmitting member is positioned between the two transport roller pairs, and the control unit A mode in which the document is bent can be exemplified by lowering the peripheral speed of the downstream transport roller pair of the two transport roller pairs to be lower than the peripheral speed of the upstream transport roller pair.

  In the document conveying / reading apparatus according to the present invention, as a specific aspect capable of determining the timing for carrying out the foreign matter removing step, a foreign matter detection unit that detects the presence or absence of foreign matter in the reading region of the light transmitting member, A control part can determine the presence or absence of a foreign substance based on the output from the said foreign substance detection part, and when the foreign substance exists, it can mention the aspect which implements the said foreign substance removal process. In this aspect, it is preferable that the control unit determines the presence / absence of a foreign matter based on an output from the foreign matter detection unit before reading a document, and performs the foreign matter removing step when it is determined that the foreign matter is present. Accordingly, foreign matter that may be attached to the reading area of the light transmitting member before reading the document can be removed.

As more specific embodiments, for example, the following embodiments (a1) to (a3) can be mentioned.
(A1) The document conveying unit includes a reading guide provided to face the reading area of the light transmitting member with the conveyed document in between, and the reading guide faces at least the reading area. The portion to be black is dark or dark, and the foreign matter detection unit detects the presence of foreign matter based on the output from the document reading unit when there is no document. According to this aspect, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of foreign matter in the reading region of the light transmitting member without separately providing a foreign matter detection unit. In this aspect, dirt on the reading guide may be erroneously detected as a foreign matter in the reading area of the light transmitting member. From this point of view, the control unit determines whether the light transmitting member is dirty or whether the reading guide is dirty. It is preferable to determine whether or not the light transmission member is dirty based on the output of the light and to carry out the foreign matter removal step when it is determined that the light transmission member is dirty. By doing so, it is possible to effectively prevent the contamination of the reading guide from being erroneously detected as foreign matter in the reading region of the light transmitting member, and it is possible to avoid performing the waste foreign matter removing step.
(A2) A mode in which the control unit determines the presence or absence of foreign matter based on the output from the foreign matter detection unit after the foreign matter removal step is performed, and performs the foreign matter removal step again when it is determined that foreign matter is present. . According to this aspect, the foreign matter in the reading area of the light transmitting member can be reliably removed.
(A3) A mode in which the modes (a1) and (a2) are combined.

In the embodiment (a2) or (a3), the following embodiments (a4) to (a6) can be further exemplified.
(A4) When the foreign matter removing step is performed again, the control unit counts the number of foreign matters continuously detected by the foreign matter detecting portion, and after the foreign matter removing step is performed, A mode in which an alarm is issued (for example, a warning is displayed) and the operation of the apparatus is stopped when the presence of a foreign object is continuously detected a predetermined number of times. In this aspect, it is possible to notify the user that the foreign matter has not been removed even if the foreign matter removing step is performed a plurality of times, and prohibit the reading operation of the document image that causes the image quality deteriorated by the foreign matter. It is possible to eliminate unnecessary reading work.
(A5) When the foreign matter removal step is performed again, the control unit counts the number of foreign matters continuously detected by the foreign matter detection portion, and after the foreign matter removal step is performed, The operation of the apparatus is stopped after the document is discharged from the apparatus main body when it is continuously detected a predetermined number of times. In this aspect, by discharging the document prior to stopping the operation of the apparatus, it is possible to avoid document jamming (document JAM) in the apparatus main body, and to read a document image that causes image quality deteriorated due to foreign matter. The operation can be prohibited and unnecessary reading work can be eliminated.
(A6) The aspect which combined the aspect of said (a4) and (a5).

  In the document conveying / reading apparatus according to the present invention, the document conveying unit reverses the document so that the front and back sides are reversed, conveys one side of the document so that the document can be read, and then reverses the document. When the document is configured to be reversed so that the other side of the document is conveyed in a readable manner, when reading both sides of the document, the document is reversed so that the front and back sides are reversed and one side of the document is read. After that, the original is reversed so that the front and back are reversed, the other side of the original is read, and after the double-sided reading of the original is finished and discharged, the original is discharged with the front and back reversed. The page order is disturbed. From this point of view, the control unit can perform a reversing step of reversing the original so that the front and back are reversed before discharging the original after reading both sides of the original. In this way, although the processing efficiency is reduced by performing the reversing step, the front and back sides are reversed by the reversing step prior to the discharge of the original after both sides of the original are read. Even after finishing, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the page order of the original is disturbed.

  In the case where the foreign matter detection unit is provided, the document conveyance unit reverses the document so that the front and back sides are reversed and conveys one side of the document in a readable manner, and then reverses the document. When the two sides of the document are read, the controller detects the foreign object detection unit before reading one side of the document. The presence / absence of foreign matter is determined based on the output from the image, and when it is determined that foreign matter is present, the original is reversed so that the front and back are reversed, and the foreign matter removing step is performed. The other side of the original is read by the original reading unit, and the original is inverted again so that the front and back sides are reversed, and one side of the original is read by the original reading unit, The original It is discharged from is preferred. In this way, since the front and back of the document are reversed by the amount of the foreign matter removing step, the reversing step before discharging the original can be omitted, so that the foreign matter removing step can be performed when reading both sides of the original. In this case, it is possible to prevent a decrease in processing efficiency while avoiding the disadvantage that the page order of the document is disturbed.

  In the document conveying / reading apparatus according to the present invention, the document conveying unit reverses the document so that the front and back sides are reversed, conveys one side of the document so that the document can be read, and then reverses the document. When the control unit is configured to reverse and convey the other side of the document in a readable manner, the control unit reverses the document so that the front and back sides are reversed, and then performs the foreign matter removal step. It is preferable to control the document conveying unit so that the document is reversed so that the front and back are reversed and the document is returned to the state before the foreign substance removing step. In this way, for example, when reading only one side of a document, even if the foreign matter removal step is performed before reading one side of the document, the document is placed on the front and back after the foreign matter removal step is performed. Since the document is reversed so as to be reversed, the document returns to the state before the foreign substance removing step is performed, and thus one side of the document can be read.

  As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a document conveying / reading apparatus that reads a document conveyed by the document conveying unit through the reading region of the light transmitting member at the document reading unit, and is a new device for removing foreign matter. Therefore, it is possible to provide a document conveying and reading apparatus that can effectively remove foreign matters in the reading region of the light transmitting member without requiring a special mechanism, and without increasing the size of the apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following embodiment is an example which actualized this invention, Comprising: The thing of the character which limits the technical scope of this invention is not.
[Overall Configuration of Document Feeding and Reading Device]
FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a document conveying / reading apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A document conveying / reading apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a document conveying unit 200 that conveys an original OR, and the document OR conveyed by the document conveying unit 200 as a light transmitting member 7 (herein, a reading glass, hereinafter referred to as a reading glass 7). )) And a control unit 400 (not shown in FIG. 1, but see FIG. 2 described later) for controlling the document conveying unit 200.

  Under the instruction of the control unit 400, the document conveying / reading apparatus 100 moves the document OR placed on the document tray 1 by the document conveying unit 200 in a predetermined conveying direction (direction of conveying when reading the document OR (see FIG. The image of the original OR passing through the reading region P corresponding to the original reading position R of the original reading unit 300 on the reading glass 7 while being conveyed in the middle arrow X direction)) can be read by the original reading unit 300. ing.

  In the present embodiment, the document conveying unit 200 is disposed below the document placing unit 1 (herein, the document tray, hereinafter referred to as the document tray 1) disposed relatively above the document tray 1. A discharge portion 17 (herein, a discharge tray, hereinafter referred to as a discharge tray 17), and a first transport path 4 that connects them. The document transport unit 200 includes two transport roller pairs including an upstream transport roller pair 6 that transports the document OR upstream in the transport direction X of the document OR and a downstream transport roller pair 13 that transports the document OR downstream. It has. A reading glass 7 is positioned between the two conveying roller pairs 6 and 13. That is, the upstream side conveyance roller pair 6, the reading glass 7 and the downstream side conveyance roller pair 13 are arranged in this order along the conveyance direction X. Further, the reading glass 7 is provided substantially horizontally so as to define the transport wall of the first transport path 4.

  The document conveying unit 200 further includes a pickup roller 15, a roller roller 2, and a separation member 3 such as a separation pad (here, a separation pad, hereinafter referred to as a separation pad 3).

  The pickup roller 15 feeds the document OR placed (stacked) on the document tray 1 from the document tray 1 along the transport direction X into the first transport path 4. The suction roller 2 is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction X from the pickup roller 15, and transports the document OR sent by the pickup roller 15 together with the separation pad 3 further downstream in the transport direction X. . The separation pad 3 is configured to scoop (separate) the original OR so that the original OR conveyed between the separation roller 3 and the lower roller 2 is one sheet.

  The document transport unit 200 having such a configuration transports the document OR between the suction roller 2 and the separation pad 3 by the pickup roller 15, and separates the document OR by feeding it, and the roller roller 2 is driven to rotate. The sheet is conveyed one by one. The original OR conveyed by the roller roller 2 can be guided along the first conveyance path 4 and fed one by one toward the upstream conveyance roller pair 6.

  Specifically, the pickup roller 15 can be brought into and out of contact with the document OR placed on the document tray 1 by a pickup roller driving unit 401 (see FIG. 2) described later. The pickup roller 15 is connected to the roller roller 2 through a drive transmission means 22 including an endless belt so as to rotate in the same direction as the roller roller 2. When the pickup roller 15 and the roller 2 are requested to read the document OR, a direction in which the document OR is transported in the transport direction X by a first transport drive unit 402a (see FIG. 2) described later (arrow A in FIG. 1). Are driven to rotate.

  In the present embodiment, the document conveying unit 200 inverts the document OR so that the front and back are reversed and conveys one side of the document OR so that it can be read, and then reverses the document OR so that the front and back are reversed. Thus, the other side of the original OR is conveyed in a readable manner.

  Specifically, the document conveying unit 200 further includes a reverse roller pair 14, a second conveying path 21, and a switching claw 18 in addition to the above configuration.

  The first transport path 4 is formed in a loop shape so that the original OR is transported from the suction roller 2 to the discharge tray 17 through the upstream transport roller pair 6, the reading glass 7, the downstream transport roller pair 13, and the reverse roller pair 14. ing. The reversing roller pair 14 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction X with respect to the downstream side transport roller pair 13, and feeds the document OR transported from the downstream side transport roller pair 13 to the upstream end in the transport direction X (hereinafter, rear end). Is for transporting so that it comes to the front. The second transport path 21 branches the document OR branched from the branch portion S between the reversing roller pair 14 and the downstream transport roller pair 13 and transported by the reversing roller pair 14 so that the rear end is in front. In order to reverse the original OR so that the front and back of the original OR are reversed, the upstream side of the first conveying path 4 is guided upstream in the conveying direction X from the upstream conveying roller pair 6. A switchback conveyance path 23 is formed between the reverse roller pair 14 of the first conveyance path 4 and the branch portion S. The switchback conveyance path 23 is a conveyance path capable of conveying the original OR by rotating the reverse roller pair 14 in the forward direction (original OR conveyance direction X) and reversely conveying the original OR by rotating in the reverse direction. ing.

  The switching claw 18 is disposed in the branch portion S, and has a first switching posture for guiding the document OR from the reverse roller pair 14 to the upstream transport roller pair 6 via the second transport path 21 and transports the document OR downstream. It is configured to be able to take a second switching posture that leads from the roller pair 13 to the reverse roller pair 14 via the switchback conveyance path 23.

  Here, in a normal state, the switching claw 18 is arranged in a form in which the switchback conveyance path 23 and the second conveyance path 21 are directly connected (first switching posture, see solid line in the figure), and is read by the document reading unit 300. When the original OR is transported in the transport direction X, the downstream end (hereinafter referred to as the front end) of the original OR in the transport direction X pushes up the switching claw 18 to guide the original OR to the switchback transport path 23. (Refer to the second switching posture, broken line in the figure). The branching claw 18 has a reversing roller so that the claw portion 18a falls by its own weight, closes the first conveying path 4 between the downstream conveying roller pair 13 and the reversing roller pair 14, and takes the first switching posture. It can be swung around a swing axis Q along the axial direction of the pair 14. The switching claw 18 has a rear end of the document OR positioned in the switchback transport path 23, and the reverse roller pair 14 in which the document OR rotates in the reverse direction is opposite to the transport direction X of the document OR. When the document is reversely conveyed in the conveyance direction (the direction of the arrow X ′ in the figure), the original OR is guided to the second conveyance path 21.

  Note that the size of the document OR placed on the document tray 1 is detected by a document size sensor 20 disposed in the document placement portion of the document tray 1. Presence / absence of the document OR placed on the document tray 1 is detected by a document presence / absence detection sensor 16 disposed in the vicinity of the pickup roller 15 of the document placement portion of the document tray 1. Further, the upstream conveying roller pair 6 is adapted to abut against the leading edge of the original OR conveyed by the roller roller 2 in the stopped state, and is driven to rotate in accordance with the reading timing. The original OR thus transported is detected by a transport sensor 5 disposed downstream of the second transport path 21 and downstream of the upstream transport roller pair 6 in the transport direction X of the first transport path 4. It has become. The document OR discharged by the reverse roller pair 14 is detected by a discharge sensor 19 disposed near the reverse roller pair 14 on the discharge side of the reverse roller pair 14.

  In the present embodiment, the document conveying section 200 further includes a reading guide 8 having at least a portion facing the reading region P of the reading glass 7 with the conveyed document OR interposed therebetween.

  The document reading unit 300 includes a light source 9 that emits light from a side opposite to the side on which the document OR of the reading glass 7 is conveyed, an optical system 24 that transmits image light from the document OR through the reading glass 7, and an optical system. An image sensor 12 (herein referred to as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), hereinafter referred to as a CCD 12) that converts document image light from the system 24 into an electrical signal as an image signal is provided.

  Specifically, the optical system 24 includes a plurality of reflection mirrors 10 and an optical lens 11. Each reflecting mirror 10 guides image light reflected from the original OR through the reading glass 7 to the imaging lens 11. The optical lens 11 focuses the original image light from each folding mirror 10 on the CCD 12.

  In the document reading unit 300 having such a configuration, light is irradiated from the light source 9 to the document OR conveyed along the reading guide 8, is reflected by the document OR, passes through the reading glass 7, and passes through each reflection mirror 10. Then, the light is condensed by the optical lens 11 and converted into image data by the CCD 12.

  In the document conveying / reading apparatus 100 described above, when an instruction to read the document OR is given, the document OR placed on the document tray 1 is taken out by the pickup roller 15, and one sheet at a time by the separating roller 2 and the separation pad 3. Separated and transported to the first transport path 4. The document OR conveyed to the first conveying path 4 is confirmed by the conveyance sensor 5 to convey the document OR, and the upstream conveying roller pair 6 then aligns the leading edge to prevent skew feeding and provides a prescribed reading. It is sent out at the timing, the front and back are reversed and conveyed to the reading glass 7, and the original image is read by the original reading unit 300 through the reading area P of the reading glass 7.

  The document OR that has been read is pulled out from the reading region P by the downstream conveyance roller pair 13 and is placed on the discharge tray 17 by the reversible roller pair 14 that can be rotated reversibly via the switchback conveyance path 23 of the first conveyance path 4. To be discharged.

  Further, when reading both sides of one side and the other side of the original OR, the original OR on which one side is read is not discharged to the discharge tray 17 and the rear end of the original OR is switched back. The reversing roller pair 14 that is transported so as to be positioned in the transport path 23 and is reversely transported in the reverse transport direction X ′ by the pair of reverse rollers 14 is rotated to the second transport path 21 by the switching claw 18 in the first switching posture. Led. The original OR guided to the second transport path 21 is returned to the first transport path 4 again via the first transport path 21 so that the front and back are reversed and transported by the upstream transport roller pair 6. The other surface is read through the reading glass 7. The original OR having been read on both sides is returned to the first conveyance path 4 again, so that the front and back are reversed and conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 6 and 13, and then the switchback conveyance of the first conveyance path 4 is performed. The paper passes through the path 23 and is discharged to the discharge tray 17 via the reverse roller pair 14 rotating in the forward direction.

Here, while the original OR is passing through the reading glass 7 when the original image is read, in order to avoid vibration of the original OR, the pair of downstream-side transport rollers is arranged so that the original OR does not come into contact with the reading glass 7. The document OR is transported at a peripheral speed of about 13% faster than the peripheral speed of the upstream transport roller pair 6. At this time, if foreign matter such as paper dust adheres to the original OR, it may fall on the reading glass 7.
[Control by control unit]
Next, control by the control unit 400 in the document conveyance reading apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the main part of the electrical configuration of the document conveying / reading apparatus 100 shown in FIG.

  The document conveying / reading apparatus 100 further includes a pickup roller driving unit 401 such as an electromagnetic solenoid for moving the pickup roller 15 to and away from the document OR, the pickup roller 15, the roller roller pair 2, and the upstream conveying roller pair 6. A first transport drive unit 402a such as a drive motor for driving; a second transport drive unit 402b such as a drive motor for driving the downstream transport roller pair 13; and a drive motor for driving the reverse roller pair 14 Etc., and an inversion driving unit 403.

  The control unit 400 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit. The storage unit includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores various control programs and necessary data. The control unit 400 is configured to control various operations of the entire apparatus by reading various control programs from the storage unit and executing the read control programs by the CPU. Here, the control unit 400 includes a main control unit (main CPU) 410 and a sub control unit (sub CPU) 420. The main control unit 410 manages operation control of the entire apparatus. The sub control unit 420 manages operation control of the inversion driving unit 403.

  The main control unit 410 is connected to the CCD 12 of the document reading unit 300 in the input system, and acquires document read image data from the CCD 12. The main control unit 410 connects the pickup roller driving unit 401, the first and second transport driving units 402a and 402b, and the sub-control unit 420 in the output system, and each driving unit 401, 402a, and 402b and the sub-control unit are connected. An operation signal is output to the unit 420. The sub control unit 420 outputs an operation signal to the inversion driving unit 403. Further, the second transport driving unit 402b can change the peripheral speed of the downstream transport roller pair 13 under the instruction of the main control unit 410. That is, the main control unit 410 controls the operation of the second transport driving unit 402b so that the downstream transport roller pair 13 has a peripheral speed different from that of the other rollers. Specifically, as will be described later, the main control unit 41, when performing the foreign substance removal process, conveys the original OR while being bent and in contact with at least the reading area P of the reading glass 7. Control is performed to lower the peripheral speed of the downstream transport roller pair 13 than the peripheral speed of the upstream transport roller pair 6. Here, each roller is rotationally driven by the three driving units of the first and second transport driving units 402 a and 402 b and the reverse driving unit 403, but instead of the second transport driving unit 402 b and / or the reverse driving unit 403. Thus, a reversing mechanism and / or a speed change mechanism may be provided, and the drive unit may be configured in common.

  Further, the main control unit 410 is connected to the document size sensor 20, the document presence / absence detection sensor 16, the transport sensor 5 and the discharge sensor 19 in the input system, and output signals from the sensors 20, 16, 5, 19 are input. It has come to be.

Then, the control unit 400 (main control unit 410) controls the document conveying unit 200 to convey the document OR while being brought into contact with at least the reading region P of the reading glass 7 in a bent state. 7 is configured to carry out a foreign matter removing process for removing foreign matter such as paper dust in the reading area P.
[For foreign matter removal process]
Next, the operation of the foreign matter removing process performed by the document conveying / reading apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view for explaining the foreign substance removing operation in the foreign substance removing step. FIG. 3A shows the original OR by the bending portion OR ′ of the original OR conveyed in the conveying direction X. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the foreign matter T is removed by the bending portion OR ′ of the original OR conveyed in the conveyance direction X. FIG.

  In the document conveying / reading apparatus 100, when performing the foreign substance removing step, the document OR conveyed from the document tray 1 by the pickup roller 15 is conveyed to the upstream conveying roller pair 6 by the roller roller 2. Next, the original OR conveyed by the upstream conveying roller pair 6 passes through the reading glass 7 and is conveyed to the downstream conveying roller pair 13. At this time, the peripheral speed of the downstream transport roller pair 13 is lower than the peripheral speed of the upstream transport roller pair 6, and the original OR is transported while being in contact with at least the reading region P of the reading glass 7 while being bent. (See FIG. 3A). If there is a foreign matter T on the reading region P, the foreign matter T moves in the transport direction X along with the movement of the bending portion OR ′, and the foreign matter T is removed from the reading region P (FIG. 3B). )reference). This operation is continued during the conveyance of the document OR, and thus the foreign matter removing step is performed.

  As described above, according to the document conveying / reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the reading region of the reading glass 7 is conveyed by bringing the document OR in a bent state while being brought into contact with at least the reading region P of the reading glass 7. Since the foreign matter removing step for removing the foreign matter T on P is performed, the bent portion OR ′ of the original OR can be positively brought into contact with at least the reading region P of the reading glass 7 and the contact area with the reading glass 7 can be increased. It can be widened, and a high foreign matter removing effect can be obtained. Accordingly, the adhesion of the foreign matter T to the reading area P of the reading glass 7 can be reduced or eliminated as much as possible, and thereby the image quality of the original image can be improved. Further, since a new mechanism for removing foreign substances is not required, the number of parts is not increased, and thus the apparatus 100 is not increased in size.

  In the document conveying and reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the foreign matter T in the reading region P of the reading glass 7 is preferably removed from the reading region P of the reading glass 7 before reading the document OR. The controller 400 (main control unit 410) determines the presence or absence of the foreign matter T based on the output from the foreign matter detector before reading the document OR, and determines that the foreign matter T exists. In some cases, the foreign matter removing step can be performed.

  When determining the presence or absence of foreign matter by the foreign matter detection unit, the reading guide 8 has at least a portion facing the reading region P (that is, a portion read by the document reading unit 300 in the absence of the document OR) as black or dark. It is formed with the made member. The foreign matter detection unit detects the presence of the foreign matter T based on an output from the document reading unit 300 in a state where there is no document OR. By doing this, in addition to the document reading operation, the foreign object detection operation can be performed, and the number of parts can be reduced accordingly, and the cost can be reduced.

  It should be noted that at least a portion of the reading guide 8 facing the reading region P has such a density that the output from the CCD 12 of the document reading unit 300 can be clearly distinguished from foreign matter T such as paper dust (that is, the foreign matter T stands out). It is only necessary to be formed. Specifically, the reading guide 8 is painted black or resin-molded with a dark molding color.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an output signal in the main scanning direction at a certain timing (one line) from the CCD 12 of the document reading unit 300, and FIG. 4A shows a foreign matter T in the reading region P of the reading glass 7. 4B shows the output in a state where the foreign matter T is present in the reading region P of the reading glass 7. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when detection is performed in a state where the document OR is not conveyed, the pixel where the foreign object T is attached is white (as shown in FIG. 4B), which is larger than a predetermined threshold value. Since the other pixels are output in black (with an output value equal to or less than a predetermined threshold as shown in FIG. 4A), the adhesion of the foreign matter T can be reliably detected. Become.

  Further, the control unit 400 (main control unit 410) determines whether the reading glass 7 is dirty or the reading guide 8 is dirty in a state where there is no document OR from the CCD 12 of the document reading unit 300. It is determined whether or not the reading glass 7 is dirty based on the output and the output in a state where the document OR is present, and when it is determined that the reading glass 7 is dirty, the foreign matter removing step can be performed. .

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an output signal in the main scanning direction at a certain timing (one line) from the CCD 12 of the document reading unit 300, and FIG. 5A illustrates an output in a state where there is no document OR. FIG. 5B shows the output in the state where the document OR is present.

  Even if the control unit 400 (main control unit 410) detects that there is a foreign object in the state shown in FIG. 5A by the CCD 12 of the document reading unit 300, the reading glass 7 is dirty or a reading guide. Cannot recognize whether 8 is dirty. However, as shown by the γ portion in FIG. 5B, since the original OR in front of the reading guide 8 is detected in the state where the original OR is present, the output signal and original OR are present in the absence of the original OR. By detecting the change in the output signal at, it is possible to effectively prevent the contamination of the reading guide 8 from being erroneously detected as the foreign matter T in the reading region P of the reading glass 7, and the wasteful foreign matter removing step. Implementation can be avoided.

  Further, in the document conveyance reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of reliably removing the foreign matter T in the reading region P of the reading glass 7, the control unit 400 (main control unit 410) performs the foreign matter removing process. After the execution, the presence / absence of the foreign matter T is determined based on the output from the foreign matter detection unit, and when it is determined that the foreign matter T exists, the foreign matter removing step can be performed again.

  The document conveying / reading apparatus 100 further includes a display device (not shown) for displaying display information from the control unit 400 (main control unit 410). Here, the display device is provided on an operation panel (not shown) provided on the front side of the document conveying / reading device 100. As a result, it is possible to notify the user that the foreign matter T has adhered to the reading area P of the reading glass 7.

  In the configuration in which the foreign matter removal process is performed again, the control unit 400 (main control unit 410) continuously detects the presence of the foreign matter T by the foreign matter detection unit when the foreign matter removal process is performed again. A foreign object detection counter C that counts the number of foreign objects detected by the foreign object detection counter C after the execution of the foreign object removal process. When it is detected, a warning is displayed on the display device and the operation of the device 100 can be stopped. By doing so, it is possible to notify the user of the adhesion of the foreign matter T to the reading area P of the reading glass 7, and it is possible to eliminate a wasteful document reading operation that causes the image quality deteriorated by the foreign matter.

  In the configuration in which the foreign matter removal process is performed again, the control unit 400 (main control unit 410) confirms that the foreign matter T exists in the document reading unit 300 that is the foreign matter detection unit after the foreign matter removal process is performed. When the foreign object detection counter C continuously detects a predetermined number of times, the operation of the apparatus 100 can be stopped after the original OR is discharged from the original conveying unit 200. Thus, by discharging the document OR prior to stopping the operation of the apparatus 100, document jam (document JAM) in the document transport unit 200 can be avoided, and unnecessary document reading work that causes image quality deteriorated due to foreign matter is eliminated. be able to.

  In the document conveying and reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 400 (main control unit 410) reverses the document OR before and after discharging the document OR after reading both sides of the document OR. An inversion step for inversion can be performed.

  In document conveying / reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, control unit 400 (main control unit 410) is the foreign matter detection unit before reading one side of document OR when reading both sides of document OR. The presence / absence of the foreign matter T is determined based on the output from the CCD 12 of the original reading unit 300. If it is determined that the foreign matter T is present, the foreign matter removal step is performed by inverting the original OR so that the front and back are reversed. Then, the original OR is reversed so that the front and back are reversed, the other side of the original OR is read by the CCD 12, and again, the original OR is reversed so that the front and back are reversed. Then, the original OR can be discharged from the original transport unit 200 to the discharge tray 17. In this configuration, since the front and back sides of the original OR are reversed when the foreign matter removing step is performed, the original OR is reversed twice by reading both sides of the original OR, and is reversed a total of three times. Even if the reversing process is not performed prior to the discharge of the original OR, the page order of the original OR is not disturbed. And since the said inversion process is not performed, the fall of processing efficiency can be prevented.

In the document conveying / reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 400 (main control unit 410) reverses the document OR so that the front and back are reversed and performs the foreign matter removing step, and then the document OR. The document conveying unit 200 can be controlled so that the document OR is reversed so that the front and back sides are reversed without reading and the document OR is returned to the state before the foreign matter removing step. In this configuration, for example, when reading only one side of the original OR, if the foreign matter removal step is performed before reading one side of the original OR, the original OR is reversed, but the foreign matter removal step is performed. After that, the original OR is inverted, so that the original OR returns to the state before the foreign matter removing process, and thus one surface of the original OR can be read even if the foreign matter removing process is performed. .
[Description of an example of the operation flow of the foreign substance removing step]
Next, an example of an operation flow for performing the foreign matter removing process by the main control unit 410 will be described. 6 and 7 are flowcharts showing an example of an operation flow by the main control unit 410 of the document conveyance reading apparatus 100 shown in FIG. The example shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 shows an operation flow when both sides of the original OR are read. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the document OR is conveyed by each roller pair. In FIG. 8, the upstream and downstream conveying roller pairs 6 and 13 are not shown.
[Processing of Operation Flow in FIG. 6]
In this operation flow, when a reading instruction is given to the document reading unit 300 (Y in step S100), the presence / absence of the document OR is detected by the document presence / absence sensor 16, and if there is a document OR (Y in step S110). The document size is detected by the document size detection sensor 20 (step S120). On the other hand, if there is no original OR (N in step S110), an error display notifying that there is no original OR is displayed (step S115), the process proceeds to step S100, and returns to the standby state again.

  After detecting the document size in step S120, the foreign matter detection counter C is initialized (“0” is substituted into the counter C) (step S125), and the pickup roller 15, the roller roller pair 2 by the first transport driving unit 402a such as a transport motor, and the like The forward rotation of the downstream transport roller pair 13 (transport in the transport direction X of the document OR) by the upstream transport roller pair 6 and the second transport driving unit 402b such as a transport motor is started (step S130). Thereafter, the first and second transport driving units 402a and 402b continue to rotate until some instruction is given. Then, the reversing drive unit 403 such as a reversing roller driving motor instructs the sub CPU 420 to rotate the reversing roller pair 14 forward (convey the original OR in the conveying direction X) (step S140). Thereafter, the inversion driving unit 403 continues to rotate until an instruction is given.

  Next, the pickup roller driving unit 401 such as a pickup roller solenoid is driven to bring the pickup roller 15 into contact with the upper portion of the document OR placed on the document tray 1 for a predetermined time T0 (for example, 1 second) to feed out the document OR. (Step S150). This time T0 is a time required for conveying the leading edge OR1 'of the original OR between the pair of roller rollers 2 and the separation pad 3. Next, the arrival of the leading edge OR1 ′ of the document OR is detected by the transport sensor 5 (change in the absence of document → the presence of document), and when the leading edge OR1 ′ of the document OR arrives at the detection position K of the transport sensor 5 (step S160). Y), the presence / absence of foreign matter T such as paper dust (hereinafter referred to as paper dust T) is detected by the CCD 12 of the document reading unit 300 (step S165). If the paper dust T is not present (Y in step S165). Then, the foreign matter detection counter C is cleared (step S167), and the system waits for a predetermined first time T1 (step S170). The first time T1 is a value obtained by dividing the distance L1 from the detection position K of the conveyance sensor 5 to the position R of the reading region P of the reading glass 7 by the conveyance speed V. FIG. 8A shows the position of the original OR when the first time T1 has elapsed. The position of the original OR is a position where the CCD 12 can detect the leading edge of the original OR. On the other hand, the case where paper dust T is detected (N in step S165) will be described later.

  Next, the original reading unit 300 is instructed to start reading one side of the original OR (hereinafter referred to as a front side) (step S180).

  The document reading unit 300 transmits the document OR conveyed at the conveyance speed V onto the reading region P of the reading glass 7 during the time when the document size conveyance length detected by the document size sensor 20 is conveyed based on the instruction to start reading. Is read by the CCD 12 and image data output from the CCD 12 is stored in the storage unit. Thus, it waits for a predetermined second time T2 while reading the front side of the original OR (step S190). At this time, the front and back of the original OR are reversed. The second time T2 is ((L2 + original size) ÷ (conveying speed V) −α). Here, the document size is the length in the transport direction X of the document OR. The distance L2 means the distance from the position (document reading position) R of the reading area P to the clamping position W of the reverse roller pair 14, and the time α is the position M of the branch portion S and the reverse roller pair 14 being clamped. It means the time during which the document OR is transported at the transport speed V from the predetermined position Z1 of the document rear end OR2 ′ positioned between the position W and the clamping position W. That is, the distance (α × V) corresponds to the distance from the nipping position W of the reversing roller pair 14 to the document rear end OR 2 ′ when reversing the original OR held by the reversing roller pair 14. When the original OR is conveyed by a distance (L2 + original size) from the position of FIG. 8A, the original OR is discharged to the discharge tray 17, so that the original OR is not discharged (L2 + original size). Is reduced in length (α × V (for example, about 10 mm)). FIG. 8B shows the position of the original OR when the second time T2 has elapsed.

  Next, the reversing drive unit 403 such as a reversing motor is rotated in reverse at a predetermined third time T3 required for at least the document OR to reach the downstream transport roller 6 and to release the nipping state of the document OR by the reversing roller pair 14. Thereafter, the sub CPU 420 is instructed to return to the normal rotation (step S200). The third time T3 can be calculated by, for example, (original size) / (conveying speed V). In this example, the case of reading both sides of the original OR is described. However, in the case of reading only the front side, the processing after step S260 is executed without rotating the reverse roller pair 14 in reverse. .

  After the process of step S200, if the leading edge OR1 'of the original OR is detected again by the transport sensor 5 (Y in step S210), the paper dust T is detected (step S215). If paper dust T is not detected (Y in step S215), the foreign matter detection counter C is reset (step S217), waits for the first time T1 (step S220), and the other side of the original OR (hereinafter, back side) The original reading unit 300 is instructed to start reading (step S230).

  Based on the reading start instruction, the document reading unit 300 waits for the second time T2 while reading the data corresponding to the document size, similarly to the reading on the front side (step S240). At this time, the front and back of the original OR are further reversed. Then, the sub CPU 420 is instructed to reversely rotate the reverse roller pair 14 for the third time T3 and then to return to the normal rotation (step S250). At this time, the front and back are reversed again without reading the original OR.

  When the discharge sensor 19 detects the trailing edge OR2 ′ of the document OR (detects a change from the document presence state to the document absence state) (Y in step S260), it is determined that the document OR has been discharged to the discharge tray 17, and the next Shifts to transport control of the original OR. If the presence / absence of the document is detected by the document presence / absence sensor 16 (Y in step S270), the process returns to step S150 again and waits for the leading edge detection in step S160. If there is no document OR (N in step S270), the process is terminated.

On the other hand, when paper dust T is detected in step S215 (N in step S215), the following processing is performed.
[Foreign matter detection processing]
In the foreign matter detection process performed in the “No” determination in step S165 or step S215, the paper dust T is detected when the original OR does not reach the reading glass 7. As shown in the output of the CCD 12 in FIG. 4A, when the paper dust T is not attached, the output of all the pixels is below the threshold value, but as shown in the output of the CCD 12 in FIG. In addition, when paper dust T adheres, the output of some pixels exceeds the threshold value. Therefore, when a pixel whose output value of the CCD 12 exceeds the threshold value is detected, the process proceeds to [foreign matter removal routine] with paper dust being present.

That is, when paper dust T is detected in step S165 or step S215 (N in step S165 or step S215), 1 is added to the foreign matter detection counter C (step S280), and the foreign matter detection counter C is counted a predetermined number of times (this example) If it is less than 5 times (Y in step S290), the following [foreign matter removal routine] is executed, and the process proceeds to step S160 or step S210 again. On the other hand, when the foreign object detection counter C reaches the predetermined number of times (in this example, 5 times) in Step S290 (N in Step S290), the process proceeds to [Warning] after Step S400 in FIG. 7B.
[Warning process in FIG. 7B]
When the foreign matter detection counter C reaches a predetermined number of times (5 times in this example) in step S290, it is difficult to automatically remove foreign matter, and a display prompting the user to perform foreign matter removal work is performed (step S400). The original OR is discharged from the original transport unit 200 to the discharge tray 17 (step S410), and the process is terminated.
[Foreign substance removal routine]
In the foreign matter removal routine shown in FIG. 7A, first, the second transport driving is performed with respect to the peripheral speeds of the pickup roller 15, the roller roller pair 2 and the upstream transport roller pair 6 that are rotationally driven by the first transport driving unit 402a. The peripheral speed of the downstream-side transport roller 13 that is rotationally driven by the unit 402b is decreased by a predetermined ratio (for example, about 3%) (step S300), and the apparatus waits for a predetermined time T1 + T2 without reading the original OR (step S310). At this time, the original OR is inverted. Further, since the peripheral speed of the downstream-side transport roller 13 is decreased, the original OR is bent and conveyed while being in contact with the reading glass 7 at the bent portion OR ′. T is removed and a foreign matter removing step is performed (see FIG. 3).

  Here, the peripheral speed of the downstream side transport roller 13 is reduced to form the deflection of the original OR, but instead of or in addition to this control configuration, the upstream side transport roller 6 is in a period of a predetermined time T1 + T2. And the downstream transport roller 13 may be stopped for a very short time (for example, about several tens of milliseconds to several hundreds of milliseconds) during the period of transport by the two roller pairs of the downstream transport roller 13. By controlling in this way, the original OR is bent during the stop time of the downstream side conveyance roller 13, and the same effect as when the peripheral speed of the downstream side conveyance roller 13 is lowered can be produced. Further, since the speed control of the second transport driving unit 402b is not required, the control configuration can be simplified accordingly.

  Next, the sub CPU 420 is instructed to reversely rotate the inversion driving unit 403 for a predetermined time T3 and then return to the normal rotation (step S320).

Then, the process waits until the leading edge OR1 ′ of the document OR is detected by the transport sensor 5 (step S330). When the leading edge OR1 ′ is detected (Y in step S330), the process waits for a predetermined time (T1 + T2) without reading the document OR. (Step S340). At this time, the original OR is further reversed, and the foreign matter removing step is performed. By doing so, the original OR is returned to the original posture before the paper dust T is removed, and is in a readable state. Next, the reverse drive unit 403 is reversely rotated for a predetermined time T3, and thereafter, the sub CPU 420 is instructed to return to the normal rotation (step S350), and the periphery of the downstream side transport roller 13 that is rotationally driven by the second transport drive unit 402b. The speed is returned to the original peripheral speed (step S360), and the process returns to the [main routine] shown in FIG.
[Modification 1]
In the document conveyance reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 400 (main control unit 410) determines whether the reading glass 7 is dirty or the reading guide 8 is dirty. Whether the reading glass 7 is dirty is determined based on the output when there is no original OR from the CCD 12 and the output when there is the original OR, and when it is determined that the reading glass 7 is dirty. When performing the foreign matter removing step, the following control operation can be performed.

  That is, while the original OR is not in the reading area P, the CCD 12 performs detection at the original reading position R. On the other hand, when the original OR enters the reading area P of the reading glass 7, it is detected by the CCD 12, and the two are compared. If there is a pixel whose amount of light does not change, it is determined that the pixel is a paper dust adhering portion on the reading glass 7, and the foreign matter removing process is performed.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation flow that is a modification of the operation flow shown in FIG. 6 and that is configured to determine whether the reading glass 7 is dirty or whether the reading guide 8 is dirty. In the process of FIG. 9, the same processes as those of FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 9 is the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, except that step S165 is moved between step S170 and step S180 to replace step S165 with step S165 ′, and between step S160 and step S167. Step S166 is added, and step S175 is added between step S170 and step S165 ′. Further, step S215 is moved between step S220 and step S230 to replace step S215 with step S215 ′. Step S216 is added between Step S210 and Step S217, and Step S225 is added between Step S220 and Step S215 ′.

  In the operation flow shown in FIG. 9, one line is detected by the CCD 12 before the leading edge OR1 ′ of the document OR reaches the reading area P of the reading glass 7 after the leading edge of the document OR is detected by the conveyance sensor 5 in step S160 or step S210. Detection data A in a state where there is no document OR is obtained (steps S166 and S216).

  When the leading edge OR1 'of the original OR reaches the reading area P in step S170 or step S220 (Y in steps S170 and S220), one line is detected by the CCD 12, and detection data B in the state where the original OR is present is obtained (step S170). S175, S225).

For all pixels of data A in the absence of the document OR and data B in the presence of the document OR, the output values are compared with each other, and the paper dust in the state shown in FIG. When there is a pixel that detects that there is T and the light amount does not change substantially due to detection of the original OR (see FIG. 5B), the pixel adheres to the reading region P of the reading glass 7 (Y in steps S165 ′ and S215 ′), the process proceeds to step S280, and the processing of [foreign matter removal routine] is performed.
[Modification 2]
In the document conveying / reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, when the controller 400 (main control unit 410) performs double-side reading to read the front side and the back side of the document OR, the front side (or back side) of the document OR. Before reading the image, the presence or absence of the paper dust T is determined. When it is determined that the paper dust T is present, the foreign matter removing step is performed, and the back surface (or the front surface) of the original OR is read by the CCD 12 and again. When the front side (or back side) of the original OR is read by the CCD 12 and the original OR is discharged from the original transport unit 200 to the discharge tray 17, the following control operation can be performed.

  FIGS. 10 and 11 are other variations of the operation flow shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively. When paper dust T is detected when reading both sides of the document, a foreign matter removing operation is performed, It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement flow set as the structure which reverses OR, reads the back surface (or front surface), reinverts, reads the front surface (or back surface), and discharges | emits. In the processes of FIGS. 10 and 11, the same processes as those of FIGS. 6 and 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 10 is the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 except that step S123 is substituted for step S125, and [foreign matter removal routine after “No” determination in steps S280, S290, S167, S215, S217 and step S215. ] Is deleted, and after [Foreign Object Removal Routine] of “No” determination in step S165, the process proceeds to step S170. Further, step S205 is performed between step S200 and step S210, and step S240 and step S250 are performed. Step S245 is added during this period, and the “Yes” determination in Step S245 is shifted to Step S260.

  Further, the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 is obtained by replacing step S340 and S350 with step S335 and deleting steps S400 and S410 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In the operation flow shown in FIG. 10, the front side (or back side) reading mode is set in step S123. In the front side reading mode, the read document image is stored in the memory area assigned to the front side data, and is handled as the front side data. In the back side reading mode, the read document image is stored in a memory area assigned to the back side data and is handled as back side data. If paper dust T is detected in step S165 (N in step S165), a [foreign matter removal routine] is performed.

  In the foreign matter removal routine shown in FIG. 11, after steps S300 to S330, the front side (or back side) reading mode is switched from the front side (or back side) reading mode to the back side (or front side) reading mode in step S335, and step S360 is processed. Return to Routine].

  If the paper dust T is not detected in step S165 of the operation flow shown in FIG. 10 (Y in step S165) and the [foreign matter removal routine] is not performed, the front surface (or back surface) mode is maintained. Thereafter, the document OR is read in the front side reading mode or the back side reading mode in step S180 through step S170, and then the reading mode is switched in step S205 through steps S190 and S200. By this process, if the front side reading mode is set, the mode is switched to the back side reading mode, and if the back side reading mode is set, the mode is switched to the front side reading mode.

  Thereafter, after reading the original OR in the back side reading mode or the front side reading mode in step S230 through steps S210 and S220, the control is performed depending on whether or not the foreign matter removing process has already been performed in step S245 through step S240. Switch. That is, in the foreign matter removal routine of FIG. 11, the reversal is not performed twice (steps S320 and S350) as in the foreign matter removal routine of FIG. If the foreign matter removal process is not performed (N in step S245), the process of step S250 is performed, whereas if the [foreign matter removal routine] is already performed (Y in step S245), step S250 is performed. The process proceeds to step S260 without performing the above process. As a result, foreign matter can be removed without reducing the processing efficiency.

  That is, when the [foreign matter removal routine] has not elapsed, the first reading (step S180) is the reading of the front side (or back side), and the second reading (step S230) is the reading of the back side (or front side). is there. On the other hand, when the [foreign matter removal routine] has elapsed, the first reading (step S180) is the reading of the back surface (or the front surface), and the second reading (step S230) is the reading of the front surface (or the back surface). is there. If the [foreign matter removal routine] has not elapsed, the reversing process of step S250 is performed before discharging after double-sided reading, and the inversion is performed once. On the other hand, if the [foreign matter removal routine] has elapsed, the reversal has already been performed once. Therefore, since it is not necessary to reverse before discharging after double-sided reading, the reversing step of step S250 is not necessary.

1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a document conveying / reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a main part of an electrical configuration of the document conveying / reading apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 11 is a schematic side view for explaining the foreign matter removing operation in the foreign matter removing step, and FIG. (A) is a diagram showing a state where the original is in contact with the reading glass by the bending portion of the original conveyed in the conveying direction; FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a state where foreign matter is removed by a bent portion of the document conveyed in the conveyance direction. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an output signal in the main scanning direction at a certain timing (one line) from the CCD of the document reading unit, and FIG. (A) is an output in a state where no foreign matter exists in the reading region of the reading glass. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an output in a state where a foreign substance exists in the reading area of the reading glass. FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an output signal in the main scanning direction at a certain timing (one line) from the CCD of the document reading unit, and FIG. ) Is a diagram showing an output in a state where there is a document. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation flow by a main control unit of the document conveyance reading apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. Fig. (A) is a diagram showing a flowchart showing an example of the foreign substance removal routine in the operation flow shown in Fig. 6, and Fig. (B) is a diagram showing a processing flow for displaying a warning. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a state in which a document is conveyed by each roller pair, and FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a position of the document when a first time has elapsed from the detection position of the conveyance sensor in the conveyance direction; FIG. 2B is a diagram showing the position of the original when the second time has passed in the transport direction from the position shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation flow that is a modification of the operation flow illustrated in FIG. 6 and that is configured to determine whether the reading glass is dirty or whether the reading guide is dirty. FIG. 6 is another modified example of the operation flow shown in FIG. 6. When paper dust is detected in the case of reading both sides of a document, a foreign matter removing operation is performed, the document is reversed, and the back side (or front side) is read. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement flow made into the structure which performed, re-inverted, read the front surface (or back surface), and discharged | emitted. It is a figure which shows the flowchart which shows an example of the foreign material removal routine in the operation | movement flow shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

6 Upstream conveying roller pair 7 Light transmission member (reading glass)
8 Reading Guide 12 Foreign Object Detection Unit (CCD)
13 Downstream side conveyance roller pair 100 Document conveyance reading device 200 Document conveyance unit 300 Document reading unit 400 Control unit OR Document OR 'Document bending portion P Light transmission member reading region T Foreign object X Conveying direction

Claims (10)

Document transport comprising a document transport section that transports a document, a document reading section that reads a document transported by the document transport section through a reading area of a light transmitting member, and a control section that controls the document transport section In the reading device,
The control unit controls the document conveying unit to convey a foreign object in the reading region of the light transmitting member by conveying the document while being bent and in contact with at least the reading region of the light transmitting member. A document conveying and reading apparatus, wherein a foreign matter removing step for removing is performed. The document conveying / reading apparatus according to claim 1.
The document transport unit includes two transport roller pairs including an upstream transport roller pair that transports a document on the upstream side in the transport direction of the document and a downstream transport roller pair that transports the document downstream.
The light transmitting member is located between the two conveying roller pairs;
The control unit bends the document by lowering a peripheral speed of the downstream-side transport roller pair of the two transport roller pairs to be lower than a peripheral speed of the upstream-side transport roller pair. Transport reading device. The document conveying / reading apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A foreign matter detector for detecting the presence or absence of foreign matter in the reading region of the light transmitting member;
The controller determines whether or not there is a foreign substance based on an output from the foreign substance detection unit before reading the original, and performs the foreign substance removing step when it is determined that the foreign substance exists. apparatus. The document conveying and reading apparatus according to claim 3.
The document conveying section includes a reading guide provided so as to face the reading region of the light transmitting member with the conveyed document in between.
In the reading guide, at least a portion facing the reading area is black or dark,
The document conveying / reading apparatus, wherein the foreign matter detection unit detects the presence of a foreign matter based on an output from the document reading unit when there is no document. The document conveying and reading apparatus according to claim 4.
In determining whether the light transmitting member is dirty or the reading guide is dirty, the control unit outputs an output when there is no original from the original reading unit and an output when there is an original. And determining whether or not the light transmitting member is dirty, and performing the foreign substance removing step when it is determined that the light transmitting member is dirty. In the document conveyance reading apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The control unit determines the presence or absence of foreign matter based on the output from the foreign matter detection unit after performing the foreign matter removal step, and performs the foreign matter removal step again when it is determined that foreign matter is present. Document conveying and reading apparatus. The document conveying and reading apparatus according to claim 6.
When the foreign matter removing process is performed again, the control unit counts the number of foreign matters continuously detected by the foreign matter detecting unit, and the foreign matter is detected by the foreign matter detecting unit after the foreign matter removing step is performed. An original conveying / reading apparatus which issues an alarm and stops the operation of the apparatus when the presence of the apparatus is continuously detected a predetermined number of times. In the document conveyance reading apparatus according to claim 6 or 7,
When the foreign matter removing process is performed again, the control unit counts the number of foreign matters continuously detected by the foreign matter detecting unit, and the foreign matter is detected by the foreign matter detecting unit after the foreign matter removing step is performed. An original conveying / reading apparatus which stops the operation of the apparatus after discharging the original from the apparatus main body when the presence of the apparatus is continuously detected a predetermined number of times. In the document conveyance reading device according to any one of claims 3 to 8,
The original conveying unit inverts the original so that the front and back sides are reversed and conveys one side of the original so that it can be read, and then reverses the original so that the front and rear sides are reversed and moves the other side of the original. It is configured to transport readable,
The controller determines whether or not there is a foreign object based on an output from the foreign object detection unit before reading one side of the original when reading both sides of the original. The foreign matter removing step is performed by reversing the front and back so that the original is reversed, the other side of the original is read by the original reading unit, and the original is read again. An original conveying / reading apparatus, wherein the original is ejected from the apparatus main body after the front and back are reversed so that one side of the original is read by the original reading unit. In the document conveyance reading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The original conveying unit inverts the original so that the front and back sides are reversed and conveys one side of the original so that it can be read, and then reverses the original so that the front and rear sides are reversed and moves the other side of the original. It is configured to transport readable,
The controller reverses the original so that the front and back are reversed and performs the foreign matter removing step, and further reverses the original so that the front and reverse is reversed, so that the original is in a state before the foreign matter removing step is performed. An original conveying / reading apparatus that controls the original conveying unit to return the original.

Images