JP2010219981A - Image reader and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent any other person from knowing the information of a document when the document placed on a scanner unit is left. <P>SOLUTION: On a scanner unit 10, an ADF unit 20 is mounted by a hinge mechanism 30 so as to be freely opened and closed, and the ADF unit 20 is driven to be opened and closed by an opening/closing drive motor 34. When an operator completely reads an image of a document placed on the scanner unit 10 by using the scanner unit 10, the execution of control for closing the ADF unit 20 after the opening of the ADF unit and the leave-out of the operator is set in the case that a security level is higher than a predetermined threshold when the security level is set in accordance with at least one of a managerial position included in information inputted by the operator, a destination of mail or the like, a finishing mode, a managerial position included in the RFID information of the operator, and a managerial position of a handling person included in the RFID information of the document. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus having an automatic document conveying unit that automatically conveys a document, a scanner unit that reads an image of a document conveyed by the automatic document conveying unit, and an image forming apparatus provided with the image reading device. .

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, in order to improve operability, reading efficiency, and the like when reading an image of a plurality of originals, an original for reading the image is placed on the scanner apparatus for reading the original image. An image reading apparatus provided with an automatic document feeder (ADF) for automatically conveying the document is widely used. In the image reading apparatus having such a configuration, the ADF is connected to the scanner apparatus so that the document can be placed on the platen glass provided on the upper surface of the scanner apparatus by manual operation by the operator. ing.

Further, an opening / closing driving means such as a motor for driving the opening / closing of the ADF is provided at a portion where the scanner apparatus and the ADF are openably / closably connected, and the ADF is automatically opened / closed with respect to the scanner apparatus by the opening / closing driving means. Has been developed.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration capable of automatically opening and closing a document feeder (ADF). In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the ADF can be opened and closed by operating a switch, and the operation of placing a document on the platen glass of the scanner device becomes easy. However, when the recording sheet on which the document image is copied is ejected, the operator may forget to remove the document on the platen glass by performing only the operation of taking out the ejected recording sheet. In particular, when a plurality of documents are placed on the platen glass in order and the image of each document is read by the scanner device, there is a high probability that the document placed on the platen glass will be forgotten last. Become.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a document pressing unit (ADF) is automatically opened at the end of an image forming operation. With such a configuration, the operator can recognize that he / she has forgotten to remove the document placed on the document table, and the probability of preventing forgetting to remove the document is increased.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-50225 JP 7-271115 A

  The document placed on the platen glass of the scanner unit may contain information that requires confidentiality. If you forget to remove such an important document from the platen glass, information on confidentiality will be kept. However, there is a risk of being acquired by a third party. As described in Patent Document 2, in the configuration in which the document pressing unit (ADF) is automatically opened at the end of the image forming operation, the operator is notified that the document remains in the scanner unit, Although it is possible to prompt the operator to remove the document from the scanner unit, it is not possible to completely prevent the operator from forgetting to remove the document and leaving the image forming apparatus. The ADF is opened for a long time with the document placed, and many people recognize that the document is placed on the scanner unit, and the document information is obtained by a third party. The possibility increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus capable of protecting document information even when a document placed on a scanner unit is forgotten. And providing an image forming apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image reading apparatus of the present invention is an image reading apparatus in which an automatic document conveyance unit is mounted on a scanner unit by a hinge mechanism so as to be opened and closed, and drives the automatic document conveyance unit to open and close. A security level is set from information related to the security level acquired by the acquisition means, an opening / closing drive means, an acquisition means for acquiring information on the security level of the document placed by the operator at the document reading position of the scanner unit When the security level is higher than a predetermined threshold, when the document reading operation is completed, the automatic document transport unit is opened and then closed, or is opened to a predetermined angle or opened. Control means for executing control to lock in the closed state without causing And features.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the image reading device.

  In the present invention, when the security level of the document placed by the operator on the scanner unit is high, the control for opening and closing the automatic document transport unit is executed, so that a document with a high security level is forgotten on the scanner unit. In such a case, the automatic document feeder unit is closed, is opened only to a predetermined angle, or is locked in the closed state. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the document is directly viewed by a third party other than the operator, and to prevent the information contained in the document with a high security level from leaking to the third party.

Preferably, the acquisition means includes an operation panel, an operator RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) receiver for acquiring information stored in a wireless IC chip worn by the operator, and a wireless IC chip provided in the document. It is characterized in that it is at least one of the document RFID receivers for receiving information transmitted from.
Preferably, the acquisition unit is the operation panel, and the control unit determines the security level, login information input to the operation panel by an operator, destination information when transmitting image data, and mode setting information. It sets based on either of the above.

Preferably, the automatic document conveyance unit is closed when the document is not taken out after a predetermined time has elapsed after the automatic document conveyance unit is opened.
Preferably, the apparatus further includes a human body detecting unit that detects a human body located in the vicinity of the scanner unit, and the control unit detects that no human body is detected by the human body detecting unit after the automatic document feeding unit is opened. In this case, the automatic document feeding unit is closed.

Preferably, the control means controls the closed automatic document feeding unit to a locked state.
Preferably, the control means performs the control of opening in the predetermined angle or locking in the closed state without opening, when the original is a double-sided original.
Preferably, the control unit prohibits output of the image data obtained by the reading operation from the scanner unit until the document is taken out.

1 is a perspective view showing an MFP as an example of an image forming apparatus provided with an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side. 2 is a schematic plan view of a scanner unit provided in the image reading apparatus. FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of the hinge mechanism which connects the ADF unit and scanner unit in an image reading apparatus. 2 is a block diagram showing a main part of a control system in the MFP of the present embodiment. FIG. (A) and (b) are examples of tables used when setting security control to be executable in the image reading apparatus of the present embodiment. (A)-(c) is another example of the table used when setting security control so that execution is possible. It is a further another example of the table used when setting security control to be executable. (A) and (b) are still other examples of tables used when setting security control to be executable. 6 is a first flowchart for explaining the operation of the MFP according to the embodiment. 10 is a second flowchart for explaining the operation of the MFP according to the embodiment. 12 is a third flowchart for explaining the operation of the MFP according to the present embodiment. 14 is a fourth flowchart for explaining the operation of the MFP according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of the MFP of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of the MFP of the present embodiment.

<Configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an image forming apparatus provided with an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This image forming apparatus is a MFP (Multiple Function Peripheral) having functions such as a copying machine, a scanner, a printer, and a fax machine, and can transmit and receive data to and from a terminal device or the like via a network. . As shown in FIG. 1, the MFP includes an image forming apparatus main body A that forms a toner image on a recording sheet such as a recording sheet, and an image reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention provided on the image forming apparatus main body A. Device B. The image reading apparatus B includes a scanner unit 10 that reads a document image, and an ADF (automatic document feeding) unit 20 provided on the scanner unit 10.

  The ADF unit 20 constituting the image reading apparatus B of the present embodiment is attached to the scanner unit 10 by a hinge mechanism so as to be freely opened and closed, and reads an image in a closed state covering the upper surface of the scanner unit 10. Are automatically supplied to the scanner unit 10. The scanner unit 10 optically reads an image of a document supplied by the ADF unit 20 or an image of a document manually placed on the platen glass 18 (see FIG. 2) in the scanner unit 10 by an operator. Generate data.

  The image forming apparatus main body A includes a printer unit 61 and a paper feeding unit 62 provided on the lower side of the printer unit 61, and a recording sheet in the paper feeding unit 62 is supplied to the printer unit 61. . The printer unit 61 generates a color toner image on a recording sheet by a known electrophotographic method based on image data generated by the scanner unit 10 or image data sent from a terminal device or the like via a network. Print. The recording sheet on which the toner image is printed by the printer unit 61 is discharged onto a discharge tray 63 of the image forming apparatus main body A provided on the lower side of the scanner unit 10.

  An operation panel 14 for inputting information and the like is provided on the upper surface portion of the scanner unit 10 on the front side. The operation panel 14 includes a display unit that displays an operation instruction screen for inputting various information, a display screen for the input information, and a switch input unit that is operated by an operator to input various information. It has been. The switch input unit is provided with an open / close switch 19 that is operated by an operator when the ADF unit 20 is automatically opened and closed. When the opening / closing switch 19 is instructed to open by the operator, the ADF unit 20 is automatically turned upward, and when the opening / closing switch 19 is operated to close by the operator, the ADF unit 20 is automatically moved downward. It is rotated.

  Also, on the display unit of the operation panel 14, a copy operation instruction, a data transmission instruction to a terminal device or the like via a network, a data FAX instruction via a telephone line, and a platen glass 18 (see FIG. 2) are placed. Storage destination information (in order to specify that the original to be placed is a double-sided original having image information on both sides, to specify a copy image finishing mode in a copy job, or to save login information and image data) An operation instruction screen for inputting a destination is displayed.

  The image forming apparatus main body A is provided with a human body sensor 68 that detects a human body such as an operator approaching the image forming apparatus main body A. The human body sensor 68 is configured by, for example, a reflective sensor such as a photoelectric sensor, an infrared sensor, or an electrostatic sensor that detects that a human body such as an operator has approached a predetermined range with respect to the image forming apparatus. In addition, the image forming apparatus main body A includes an operator RFID (Radio) that acquires information stored in the wireless IC chip by communicating with a wireless IC chip attached to a name plate or the like worn by the operator. A Frequency Identification) receiver 69 is provided. The operator RFID receiver 69 receives information related to a user ID, security information, and the like transmitted from the wireless IC chip when the operator approaches the MFP. Further, the operation panel 14 is also provided with a card reader (not shown) that reads information on an ID card owned by the operator.

<Configuration of ADF Unit in Image Reading Apparatus>
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the image reading apparatus B according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ADF unit 20 is rotated upward from a closed state that covers the entire upper surface of the scanner unit 10, thereby opening the upper surface of the scanner unit 10. And a document feed tray 22 attached to the ADF unit main body 21 so that a document transported to the scanner unit 10 is placed thereon.

  The ADF unit 20 is placed on the document feed tray 22 on the left side (hereinafter simply referred to as “left side” and the opposite side as “right side”) facing the front of the ADF unit main body 21. A paper feed main body 21a having a transport path for transporting an original is provided, and a reversing path forming section 21b having a reversing path 21p formed therein is provided below the paper feed main body 21a. It is provided so as to extend horizontally from the main body portion 21a to the right side.

  The paper feed main body 21a and the reverse path forming portion 21b of the ADF unit main body 21 are integrally configured to cover the upper surface of the scanner unit 10 over almost the entire area. The document feed tray 22 is attached to the upper portion of the feed body portion 21a in a state where the left side portion is inclined above the reverse path forming portion 21b. The ADF unit 20 selectively selects a single-sided reading mode in which the scanner unit 10 reads only one side of the original, and a double-sided reading mode in which the scanner unit 10 sequentially reads both sides (front and back) of the original. In the single-sided reading mode, the document is placed on the document feeding tray 22 with the document surface read by the scanner unit 10 facing upward. The document feed tray 22 is provided with an ADF side document sensor 23 for detecting a document placed on the document feed tray 22.

  The document on the document feed tray 22 is supplied to the first transport path 21d by a pickup roller 21c provided in the paper feed main body 21a, and is passed through the second transport path 21e by a pair of first registration rollers 21j. Then, it is conveyed to the pair of first reading rollers 21f. The document that has passed through the first reading roller 21f passes through a portion facing the slit glass (platen glass) 16 provided on the upper surface of the scanner unit 10, and an image on the document surface that faces the slit glass 16 is detected during this period. Read by unit 10. The document on which the image has been read is conveyed to the first branch guide 21h via the pair of second reading rollers 21g. In the single-sided mode, the first branch guide 21h transports the document to the second branch guide 21m via the pair of second registration rollers 21k, and the pair of paper discharge rollers by the second branch guide 21m. The paper is discharged onto a document discharge portion provided on the reverse path forming portion 21b via 21q.

  In the duplex mode, the first branch guide 21h conveys the document to the second branch guide 21m via the pair of second registration rollers 21k, and the document feed tray 22 is conveyed by the second branch guide 21m. It conveys on the inversion guide arrange | positioned along the lower surface. The second registration roller 21k is driven in reverse rotation immediately before the trailing edge of the original passes, whereby the original is switched back and conveyed to the first registration roller 21j through the third conveyance path 21n. .

  Thereafter, the document passes through the second conveyance path 21e with the front and back reversed, and is conveyed above the slit glass 16 by the first reading roller 21f. Then, while the document passes over the slit glass 16, an image on the document surface (second surface) facing the slit glass 16 is read by the scanner unit 10. Next, the original is transported by the first branch guide 21h through the fourth transport path 21s to the reversing roller 21z, and once transported to the reversing path 21p in the reversing path forming unit 21b, then the second branch. The paper is guided to the guide 21m and conveyed to the paper discharge roller 21q, and is discharged by the paper discharge roller 21q to the original discharge portion on the reverse path forming portion 21b.

<Configuration of Scanner Unit in Image Reading Apparatus>
As shown in FIG. 2, the scanner unit 10 includes a housing 11 formed in a flat rectangular shape, and a first reading roller 21 f and a second reading roller of the ADF unit 20 are provided on the upper surface of the housing 11. The slit glass 16 is arrange | positioned along the front-back direction so that it may oppose between 21g. A rectangular platen glass 18 disposed on the left side of the slit glass 16 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 11. The platen glass 18 has a length in the front-rear direction that is approximately the same as the length in the front-rear direction (main scanning direction) of the slit glass 16 and extends in the left-right direction (sub-direction) from the position close to the slit glass 16 to the vicinity of the right end of the housing 11. It has a length in the scanning direction).

  A first slider 12 configured to be slidable in the sub-scanning direction indicated by an arrow X in FIG. 2 is provided inside the housing 11, and a linear light source 12 a is provided in the main scanning direction on the first slider 12. It is mounted along. The first slider 12 is normally located at a home position between the slit glass 16 and the platen glass 18, and when the document is conveyed by the ADF unit 20, the scanner motor 43 causes the slit glass 16 to move. It is moved to the lower seat through position and stopped. On the other hand, when reading the document D on the platen glass 18, the first slider 12 is reciprocated in the sub-scanning direction along the platen glass 18 by the scanner motor 43.

  The first slider 12 reflects the reflected light from the document D passing on the slit glass 16 or the document D placed on the platen glass 18 at a substantially right angle in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow X. One mirror 12b is provided. Mounted on the left side of the first slider 12 is a second mirror 13a and a third mirror 13b which are paired so as to invert the light reflected by the first mirror 12b in the direction of the arrow X. A second slider 13 is provided.

  When reading the image of the document D placed on the platen glass 18, the second slider 13 is synchronized with the movement of the first slider 12 by the scanner motor 43 and 1 / speed of the first slider 12. It is moved in the same direction as the first slider 12 at a speed of 2. The light inverted in the direction of the arrow X by the second mirror 13a and the third mirror 13b is irradiated to the CCD 17 serving as an image reading means via a reduction lens (not shown).

  FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the housing 11 in the scanner unit 10. The slit glass 16 disposed on the left side of the upper surface of the housing 11 is formed in a strip shape extending in the front-rear direction, and an appropriate interval is provided on the right side of the slit glass 16 with respect to the slit glass 16. A platen glass 18 is arranged. The home position of the first slider 12 is between the slit glass 16 and the platen glass 18.

  Inside the housing 11, a first document sensor 15 a and a second document sensor 15 b are provided for detecting the size of the document D placed on the platen glass 18 by the operator. The first document sensor 15a and the second document sensor 15b are respectively arranged so as to detect the side edge on the back side of the document D of a predetermined size positioned along the left side edge of the platen glass 18. Type sensor.

  The scanner unit 10 is provided with an RFID receiver 15c that receives information transmitted from the wireless IC chip when the document D placed thereon is provided with the wireless IC chip. The wireless IC chip includes document ID information such as user ID information, which is information relating to an operator who can handle the document, and information such as the security level of the document, and these information is stored in the RFID receiver 15c. Received.

<Configuration of Hinge Mechanism in Image Reading Apparatus>
The ADF unit 20 in the image reading apparatus B is connected to the back side portion of the scanner unit 10 by a hinge mechanism so that the front side portion is rotated upward with respect to the scanner unit 10. ing. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the hinge mechanism 30. The hinge mechanism 30 includes a fixed-side hinge body 31 attached to the back side of the scanner unit 10, a rotating-side hinge body 32 attached to the back side of the ADF unit 20, and a fixed-side hinge. It has a hinge fulcrum shaft 33 that rotatably supports the end portions on the back side of the body 31 and the rotation side hinge body 32.

  A rotational force of an opening / closing drive motor 34 for opening / closing the ADF unit 20 is transmitted to the hinge fulcrum shaft 33 via a plurality of gears 36 to 38. As the opening / closing drive motor 34, for example, a pulse motor is used. The opening / closing drive motor 34 is driven to rotate forward and reversely when the opening / closing switch 19 of the operation panel 14 provided in the scanner unit 10 is operated to open or close by the operator. In the present embodiment, the opening / closing drive motor 34 is configured to be locked so that it cannot be driven to rotate in the closed state when the ADF unit 20 is rotated downward to cover the upper surface of the scanner unit 10. Has been. As a result, the ADF unit 20 is in a locked state in which the ADF unit 20 is not rotated in the closed state covering the upper surface of the scanner unit 10.

  The rotation-side hinge body 32 attached to the ADF unit 20 is rotated with the front end on the front side about the hinge fulcrum shaft 33 when the opening / closing drive motor 34 is driven to rotate forward. . As a result, the side edge of the front side of the ADF unit 20 rotates upward, and the upper surface of the housing 11 in the scanner unit 10 is opened. When the opening / closing drive motor 34 is driven in reverse, the front end of the ADF unit 20 is rotated downward. The ADF unit 20 stops rotating by contacting the upper surface of the housing 11 in the scanner unit 10, and is in a closed state covering the platen glass 18 provided on the upper surface of the housing 11.

  The hinge fulcrum shaft 33 is provided with a rotation angle detector 37 for detecting the rotation angle of the ADF unit 20. The rotation angle detector 39 is constituted by, for example, a rotary volume that outputs a voltage corresponding to the rotation angle of the hinge fulcrum shaft 33 that rotates the ADF unit 20. The opening / closing drive motor 34 is driven so that the ADF unit 20 has a predetermined angle detected by the rotation angle detector 39.

<Control system configuration in MFP>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the main part of the control system in the MFP of this embodiment. The image forming apparatus main body A is provided with a system CPU 65 that controls an image forming operation and the like, and a panel CPU 66 that executes control of a display unit on the operation panel 14, transmission / reception control of various data, and the like. The system CPU 65 and the panel CPU 66 send and receive data to each other and give operation instructions to each other via a data bus. The scanner unit 10 of the image reading apparatus B is provided with a scanner CPU 41 that controls the scanner motor 43 and the like, and the ADF unit 20 is provided with an ADF-CPU 51 that controls document conveyance and the like. The system CPU 65, the scanner CPU 41, and the ADF-CPU 51 exchange data with each other via a data bus.

The system CPU 65 includes an output of a human body sensor 68 for detecting a human body such as an operator approaching the image forming apparatus main body A, information on a user ID transmitted from a wireless IC chip attached to an operator nameplate, etc., security The output of the RFID receiver 69 that receives information and the like is provided.
The panel CPU 66 is configured to give various information, instructions, and the like input by the operator operating the operation panel 14 to the system CPU 65 via the data bus. For example, the panel CPU 66 transmits the login ID, the security level setting, the mode setting, the transmission destination FAX number when the image data is transmitted by FAX, and the image data by e-mail input by the operator through the operation of the operation panel 14. Is sent to the system CPU 65 such as the destination mail address and the URL of the save destination BOX when the image data is saved in the BOX.

  The scanner CPU 41 controls the driving of the scanner motor 43 so as to move the first slider 12 and the second slider 13 in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed by controlling the motor drive IC 42 during image reading. Further, the scanner CPU 41 controls an image processing unit 44 that processes image data read by the CCD 17. The image processing unit 44 performs shading correction, sharpness adjustment, HVC adjustment, density correction, and the like on the original image data obtained by the CCD 17. Further, the scanner CPU 41 receives the outputs of the first document sensor 15a and the second document sensor 15b for detecting the size of the document D placed on the platen glass 18, respectively.

  Further, the scanner CPU 41 is given the output of the document RFID receiver 15 c provided in the scanner unit 10. The document RFID receiver 15c receives information relating to the user ID of the document, security information, and the like transmitted from the wireless IC chip when the document placed on the platen glass 18 is provided with a wireless IC chip. Then, the received information is given to the scanner CPU 41.

  The ADF-CPU 51 controls the motor drive IC 56 that drives the opening / closing drive motor 34 that opens / closes the ADF unit 20 to drive the opening / closing drive motor 34 in the forward rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction. The ADF-CPU 51 is also supplied with the output of the ADF side document sensor 23 provided on the document feed tray 22 in the ADF unit 20 and the output of the rotation angle detector 37 that detects the rotation angle of the ADF unit 20. ing. Further, the output from the open / close switch 19 provided on the operation panel 14 is also directly input to the ADF-CPU 51, and is output by the open signal and the close instruction operation output by the open instruction operation of the open / close switch 19. Each of the close signals is input to the ADF-CPU 51.

<Security level factor when setting execution of security control>
When reading an image of a document set on the scanner unit 10, the system CPU 65 enables an administrator to set execution of opening / closing control (hereinafter referred to as security control) of the ADF unit 20 in order to protect document information. It has become. When setting so that the system CPU 65 can execute the security control, the administrator sets ID information, document information, image data transmission destination information, finishing mode information (hereinafter referred to as “required security control” By comparing the security level coefficient set for “determination information” with a predetermined threshold value, it is determined whether execution of control of the opening / closing operation of the ADF unit 20 for protecting the document is set. The document needs to be protected as the security level coefficient becomes higher. When the security level coefficient is higher than a predetermined threshold, the ADF unit 20 is controlled so that the opening / closing operation is controlled. .

The security level coefficient for the necessity determination information is set based on the tables of FIGS. For example, the login information input by the operation of the operation panel 14, the ID information received by the operator RFID receiver 69, or the ID information read by the card reader provided in the operation panel 14 is displayed in the “ If the “position” is included, the “position” is used as necessity determination information. In this case, as the position of the position becomes higher, the higher the security is, as shown in the table of FIG. A level factor is set. In addition, when login information, ID information, and the like include a preset security level, the security level is used as necessity determination information . In this case, as shown in the table of FIG. In addition, security level coefficients corresponding to the order of the set security levels (“highest”, “high”, “medium”, “low”, “no setting”) are respectively set.

  Further, when transmitting image data obtained by the scan unit 10, when a destination such as a transmission destination FAX number or a transmission destination mail address is input by the operator operating the operation panel 14, The destination is used as necessity determination information. In this case, for example, as in the table shown in FIG. 7A, the destinations are “internal (important)”, “internal (general)”, “external (important)”, “external (general)”, “ Security level coefficient is set so that it is classified into five groups of "Business Partner (Important)", "Business Partner (General)", and "User / Customer", and the value changes from high to low according to the order. Is done.

Further, when a security level is set in advance for a destination input by a destination FAX number, a destination mail address, etc., as shown in the table of FIG. Corresponding to the order (“highest”, “high”, “medium”, “low”, “no setting”), the security level coefficient is set.
Further, when the image data obtained by the scan unit 10 is stored in a BOX, HDD, or the like, when a storage destination such as the URL of the storage destination BOX is input by the operation of the operator's operation panel 14, the storage destination Is used as necessity determination information. In this case, a security level coefficient corresponding to the security level set for the storage destination is set as in the table shown in FIG.

  In addition, when the finishing mode of the copy image obtained by the scan unit 10 is input by the operator's operation on the operation panel 14, information on the finishing mode is used as necessity determination information. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the security level coefficient is set based on the presence or absence of the finishing preview. Specifically, when no finishing preview is set, a high security level coefficient is set, and when finishing preview is set, a low security level coefficient is set. In the case of “no preview”, it is determined that “preview” is performed to prevent others from seeing, and a high security level coefficient is thereby set.

  Further, when the information of the original set on the scanner unit 10 is stored in the wireless IC chip of the original and is acquired by the original RFID receiver 15c, the information on the original is used as necessity determination information. used. Also in this case, the security level coefficient is set based on the table shown in FIG. The document necessity determination information is information such as the title of the document handler or the security level of the document itself. In the table shown in FIG. 9, five levels of titles are set as the manuscript handler in descending order: “Executive Officer”, “Manager”, “Leader”, “Qualified Person”, and “General”. In this order, the high security level coefficient is set to the low security level coefficient.

  When the security control is set to be executable, the security level coefficient is obtained for each of the necessity determination information input to the system CPU 65 by referring to the table corresponding to each information and obtaining the security level obtained. The coefficient is compared with a threshold value, and if any necessity determination information is higher than the threshold value, it is determined that it is necessary to set security control to be executable. In this case, the threshold value to be compared with the security level coefficient of each necessity determination information may be a predetermined threshold value set in advance, or a threshold value individually set for each necessity determination information It may be.

<Security control execution settings>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart for setting to execute security control. In this case, for example, the system CPU 65 displays an operation input screen related to the setting for enabling security control on the display unit of the operation panel 14, and based on information input by the administrator through an operation on the operation input screen, Enable execution of control. For this purpose, first, the system CPU 65 determines whether it is necessary to set security control to be executable based on an operation on the operation screen of the administrator (step S1 in the figure). In this case, if the administrator determines that it is not necessary to set execution of security control ("NO" in step S1), it is set so that security control is not executed (step S2).

  If the administrator determines that it is necessary to make settings so that security control can be executed ("YES" in step S1), setting of control for locking the ADF unit 20 to the closed state when executing security control Is determined based on the operation on the operation input screen of the administrator (step S3). When the administrator determines that the lock control of the ADF unit 20 needs to be set (“YES” in step S3), the control for locking the ADF unit 20 is set to “valid” (step S4). Proceed to step S5.

  If the administrator determines that it is not necessary to set the lock control of the ADF unit 20 (“NO” in step S4), the control for locking the ADF unit 20 is not set to “valid”, and the process proceeds to step S5. move on. In step S5, whether or not it is necessary to individually set a threshold for comparing the security level coefficient set for each necessity determination information for each necessity determination information is set in the operation on the operation screen of the administrator. Based on the determination (step S5).

  In this case, when the administrator determines that it is not necessary to individually set the threshold value for each individual necessity determination information (“NO” in step S5), all the necessity determination information is set in advance. One predetermined threshold is set (step S6). As a result, when determining whether or not it is necessary to perform subsequent security control, the security level coefficient of each necessity determination information is compared with one set common threshold value, and any one security level is compared. When the coefficient is higher than the threshold value, it is determined that security control needs to be executed. Thus, by setting a common threshold value, the storage capacity can be saved as compared with the case of setting a plurality of threshold values.

  On the other hand, when the administrator determines that the threshold needs to be individually set for the security level coefficient of the individual necessity determination information (“YES” in step S5), the individual necessity determination is performed. A threshold is set for each piece of information (step S7). In this case, a threshold is set for each of the post level, registration security level, image data destination and storage destination, preview setting, information included in the image data, and document information in the user ID. Thus, when a threshold is set for each of the necessity determination information, the security level coefficient of each item is compared with the threshold, and the security level coefficient of any item is greater than the threshold. If it is higher, it is determined that security control needs to be executed.

<Necessity determination of security control execution>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing processing for determining whether or not the security control needs to be executed in the system CPU 65. For example, when the human body sensor 68 is turned on ("YES" in step S11) and the operator gives an opening instruction by operating the open / close switch 19 ("YES" in step S12) Next, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to execute security control (step S13). In this case, if security control is not set to be executable (“NO” in step S13), general control for controlling the open / close drive motor 34 by operating the open / close switch 19 is executed (step S17). Security control is not performed.

  The operator sets an original on the platen glass 18 of the scanner unit 10 and operates the operation panel 14 to set a copy job, a data transmission job, a storage job, the number of originals, and the necessity of continuous reading. Various information such as finishing mode setting and destination address is input. When the RFID signal is received by the operator RFID receiver 69 and the document RFID receiver 15c, the system CPU 65 acquires the operator ID information and the document ID information. A security factor will be set.

  If security control is set to an executable state in step S13 (“YES” in step S13), the above-described individual requirements are determined from information input to the operation panel 14, operator ID information, document ID information, and the like. The rejection information is extracted, security level coefficients are set for each necessity determination information (step S14), and the set individual security level coefficients are compared with preset threshold values (step S15). ).

  As described above, the threshold value in this case is set for each individual necessity determination information or a common threshold value is set for each necessity determination information. If the security level coefficient of any one of the necessity determination information is higher than the threshold (“YES” in step S15), it is determined that security control is necessary, and the security control is executed (step S15). S16).

  On the other hand, when the security level coefficient of all necessity determination information is not higher than the threshold value ("NO" in step S15), the general control is executed without executing the security control. (Step S17). Note that the general control in this case is the same as the control of the opening / closing drive motor 34 by the operation of the opening / closing switch 19 by the operator, and the details thereof are omitted.

<Security control>
The security control in the system CPU 65 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. In this case, as shown in steps S11 and S12 of FIG. 11, the human body sensor 68 is turned on and an opening instruction is given from the opening / closing switch 19, and in this state, the system CPU 65 opens from the opening / closing switch 19. Based on the instruction, a forward rotation drive instruction is given to the opening / closing drive motor 34 to drive the opening / closing drive motor 34 in forward rotation (step S21 in FIG. 12).

  As a result, the ADF unit 20 opens and the platen glass 18 of the scanner unit 10 is opened. In such a state, the operator usually sets a document on the platen glass 18 of the scanner unit 10. The system CPU 65 determines whether a document has been set on the platen glass 18 based on the outputs of the first document sensor 15a and the second document sensor 15b (step S22).

  In step S22, when the document is set on the platen glass 18 ("YES" in step S22), it is determined whether the operator operates the open / close switch 19 to give a close instruction from the open / close switch 19. (Step S23). In this case, when the close instruction is not given (“NO” in step S23), the process proceeds to step S51 in the flowchart of FIG. 13 and control for protecting the document is executed. This control will be described later.

  In step S23, when the operator operates the open / close switch 19 to give a close instruction from the open / close switch 19 (“YES” in step S23), the system CPU 65 gives a reverse drive instruction to the open / close drive motor 34, and The opening / closing drive motor 34 is driven in reverse (step S24). As a result, the ADF unit 20 is closed, and the document placed on the platen glass 18 of the scanner unit 10 is covered with the ADF unit 20.

  In such a state, the system CPU 65 determines whether or not the execution of a copy job for copying the document set on the platen glass 18 is instructed based on the information from the operation panel 14 (step S25). If the execution of the copy job is instructed (“YES” in step S25), the scanner CPU (not shown) is instructed to perform an operation of reading an image on the platen glass 18 by the scanner unit 10. (Step S26), the scanner unit 10 executes an image reading operation.

  When the reading of the image of the document on the platen glass 18 by the scanner unit 10 is completed, the system CPU 65 determines whether it is necessary to continuously read the images of a plurality of documents based on the information from the operation panel 14. (Step S27). When it is not necessary to continuously read images of a plurality of documents (“NO” in step S27), the image data is output to an engine CPU (not shown) of the image forming apparatus main body A and printed. An instruction is given (step S28), and a printing operation is executed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S41 in FIG.

  When images of a plurality of documents are read continuously (“YES” in step S27), image data is not output to the engine CPU (not shown) of the image forming apparatus main body A, and a print instruction is issued. Without confirming that all the originals have been read ("NO" in step S29), the process proceeds to step S41 in FIG. In step S29, when all of the plurality of originals have been read (“YES” in step S29), the image data of all the originals is output and a print instruction is issued to the engine CPU. (Step S28), the printing operation is executed.

  If no copy job instruction is given in step S25 ("NO" in step S25), it is determined whether an instruction to execute a transmission job or a save job is given based on information from the operation panel 14. (Step S31). When the execution instruction for the transmission job or the storage job is not given (“NO” in step S31), the process proceeds to step S41 in FIG. 13 without executing each job.

  When an instruction to execute a transmission job or a storage job is given (“YES” in step S31), the scanner CPU 10 is instructed to perform an operation for reading an image on the platen glass 18 by the scanner unit 10. Then, an image reading operation is executed in the scanner unit 10 (step S32). When the image reading operation is completed in the scanner unit 10, the read image data is output to the input destination (step S34). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S41 in FIG.

  In step S41 in the flowchart of FIG. 13, it is determined whether the operator has left the operation position of the MFP based on a signal from the human body sensor 68, and when the human body sensor 68 detects that the operator has left the MFP. (“YES” in step S41) Since the document remains on the platen glass 18, the process proceeds to step 54.

  On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S41 that the operator has left the operation position of the MFP by the human body sensor 68 (“NO” in step S41), the document placed on the platen glass 18 is not detected. It is determined whether or not a double-sided original with images formed on both sides is set in advance by the operation of the operation panel 14 by the operator (step S45). If it is set for a double-sided document (“YES” in step S45), it is determined whether or not the opening / closing drive motor 34 is set to be locked (step S46), and the opening / closing drive motor 34 is set to the locked state. If it is not set (“NO” in step S46), the size of the document placed on the platen glass 18 is detected based on the outputs of the first document sensor 15a and the second document sensor 15b. Then, the opening / closing drive motor 34 is driven to rotate forward so that the ADF unit 20 is rotated upward by a predetermined angle based on the detected document size (step S47).

  In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, when the size of the document placed on the platen glass 18 is A4 size or less, the document is only about 30 ° so that the document cannot be seen by people around the MFP. When the ADF unit 20 is opened and a relatively large document of A4 size or larger, the opening angle of the ADF unit 20 is set to a small angle of about 15 ° to prevent the person around the MFP from seeing it. .

  As described above, when the document size is large, if the rotation angle is increased, the probability that the document is viewed by surrounding people increases. Therefore, the opening angle of the ADF unit 20 is relatively small. On the other hand, when the document size is small, the probability that the document is viewed by surrounding people is low even if the rotation angle of the ADF unit 20 is relatively large. ing.

As for a double-sided document, a CCD camera is provided on the bottom surface of the ADF unit 20 facing the platen glass 18 in the scanner unit 10 and is placed on the platen glass 18 at the moment when the ADF unit 20 is opened. The determination may be made by taking an image of the back side of the original.
On the other hand, if it is set in step S46 that the opening / closing drive motor 34 is set to the locked state (“YES” in step S46), the opening / closing drive motor 34 is set to the locked state and the closed state is set. The ADF unit 20 is locked (step S48). For example, when the opening / closing drive motor 34 is a stepping motor, the opening / closing drive motor 34 can be in a locked state in which the motor shaft does not rotate by stopping energization. Further, in the case of a DC motor, the motor shaft can be brought into a locked state by setting the motor shaft to a rotation prohibited state by a brake means. In such a locked state, the ADF unit 20 cannot be rotated upward manually.

  In such a locked state, the operator cannot perform the unlocking operation unless a predetermined operation such as inputting a password by operating the operation panel 14 is executed. By releasing ("YES" in step S71), the ADF unit 20 is unlocked ("YES" in step S72). After the lock is released in step S72, when the operator gives an opening instruction by operating the opening / closing switch 19 (“YES” in step S49), the opening / closing drive motor 34 is set in the normal state so that the ADF unit 20 is in the maximum open state. It is rolled (step S50).

  If the document is not a double-sided document in step S45 (step S45), the opening / closing drive motor 34 is driven to rotate forward so that the ADF unit 20 is in the maximum open state (step S50). As a result, the ADF unit 20 is in the maximum open state, and the operator remaining in the operation position around the MFP can visually observe the document placed on the platen glass 18 and easily remove the document. Then, the process proceeds to step S51.

  In step S51, the system CPU 65 determines whether the document placed on the platen glass 18 has been removed based on the outputs of the first document sensor 15a and the second document sensor 15b. If it is determined that the document placed on the platen glass 18 has been removed (“YES” in step S51), the process returns to step S22 in the flowchart of FIG. 12 to set the document on the platen glass 18. (“YES” in step S22), the processing of steps S23 to S28 is executed. In the case of a copy job (“YES” in step S25), it is determined that the image reading of all the originals has been completed in step S29. When the determination is made (“YES” in step S29), the print processing of all obtained image data is executed (step S28).

  If the document placed on the platen glass 18 has not been removed in step S51 (“NO” in step S51), it is determined whether the operator has left the MFP based on the signal from the human body sensor 68. However, when the human body sensor 68 does not detect that the operator has left the MFP (“NO” in step S52) and no operator's leaving is detected for a predetermined time (“YES” in step S57). ) Will generate an alarm (step S58).

  In step S52, when it is detected by the human body sensor 68 that the operator has left the MFP (“YES” in step S52), the opening / closing drive motor 34 is instructed to perform reverse rotation driving (step S53), and the opening / closing drive motor. 34 is driven in reverse. As a result, the ADF unit 20 is closed, and the document placed on the platen glass 18 of the scanner unit 10 is covered with the ADF unit 20.

  In such a state, the system CPU 65 determines whether or not it is set to lock the ADF unit 20 (step S54). If it is not set to lock the ADF unit 20 ("NO" in step S54). ”), The process proceeds to step S61 without locking the ADF unit 20, and when it is set to lock the ADF unit 20 (“ YES ”in step S54), the open / close drive motor 34 is set to the locked state (step S54). S56), the ADF unit 20 is locked in the closed state, and the process proceeds to step S61.

  In steps S61 to S63, control for notifying the operator that the document has been forgotten is executed as shown in FIG. In this case, first, it is determined whether or not a warning mail is set to be transmitted to a predetermined destination. If it is set to transmit the warning mail to a predetermined destination (“YES” in step S61). ]), An e-mail warning that the document has been left behind on the MFP is transmitted to the set destination (step S62). The setting for sending the warning mail is set in advance by the administrator. If transmission of a warning mail is not set (“NO” in step S61), a warning that a document has been left behind in the MFP is issued by voice information, a warning buzzer, a warning lamp, etc. (step S63). Thereafter, if the operator releases the locked state of the ADF unit 20 and does not perform a document take-out operation, the locked state of the ADF unit 20 is maintained.

  In the MFP according to the present embodiment, when the operator forgets to remove the original set on the platen glass 18 of the scanner unit, the ADF unit 20 automatically opens to thereby provide the original to the operator. In this case, when the operator forgets to remove the document and leaves, the ADF unit 20 is automatically closed, so that the content of the document is transferred to another person. What is known can be prevented in advance, and the security of the document can be improved.

  If the original includes character images such as “watermark” and “copy prohibited”, the image of the original is converted by the scanner unit 10 while the original is set on the platen glass 18. A character image such as “watermark” or “copy strictly prohibited” is extracted by reading and processing the image. As shown in FIG. A high security level coefficient may be set for each by providing a character image such as “copy prohibited”. In this case, when the execution of security control is not set, character images such as “watermark” and “copy prohibited” provided on the original are extracted when the scanner unit 10 reads the original. Security control will be executed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the image of all the originals is read by the scanner unit 10 so that the image data is output to the image forming apparatus main body A and the print instruction is given. May be read by the scanner unit 10 but output of image data to the image forming apparatus main body A may be prohibited until a document is taken out from the scanner unit 10 so that no print instruction is issued.

Furthermore, when the document is not removed in step S51 in FIG. 13 (“NO” in step S51), it is not detected that the operator has left, that is, step S52 is skipped and step S57 is performed. It may be configured to proceed to step S58 and issue an alarm when the predetermined time has passed.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the ADF unit 20 is locked by locking the rotation of the motor shaft in the opening / closing drive motor 34. However, the hook member that mechanically engages the ADF unit 20 is a scanner. The ADF unit 20 may be configured to be locked and unlocked by providing the unit 10 and electrically controlling the hook member.

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus having an automatic document conveying device that automatically conveys a document and a scanner device that reads an image of the document conveyed by the automatic document conveying device, and forgets to remove the document placed on the scanner unit. In this case, it is possible to prevent the document information from being known by others.

A image forming apparatus main body B image reading apparatus 10 scanner unit 12 first slider 13 second slider 14 operation panel 15a first document sensor 15b second document sensor 17 CCD
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 Platen glass 19 Open / close switch 20 ADF unit 21 ADF unit main body 22 Document feed tray 28 Document RFID receiver 30 Hinge mechanism 31 Fixed side hinge body 32 Rotating side hinge body 33 Hinge fulcrum shaft 34 Opening / closing drive motor 37 Rotation angle detection 41 Scanner CPU
51 ADF-CPU
65 system CPU
68 Human body sensor 69 Operator RFID receiver

Claims (9)

An image reading apparatus in which an automatic document conveyance unit is mounted on a scanner unit by a hinge mechanism so as to be opened and closed.
Open / close drive means for opening / closing the automatic document transport unit;
Obtaining means for obtaining information relating to a security level of an original placed by an operator at an original reading position of the scanner unit;
When the security level is set from the information on the security level acquired by the acquisition means and the security level is higher than a predetermined threshold value, the automatic document transport unit is opened when the document reading operation is completed. An image reading apparatus comprising: a control unit that performs a closing operation after closing, or performs a control of locking in a closed state without opening to a predetermined angle or without opening.   The acquisition means is transmitted from an operation panel, an operator RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) receiver for acquiring information stored in a wireless IC chip worn by the operator, and a wireless IC chip provided on the document. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus is at least one of a document RFID receiver that receives the received information. The acquisition means is the operation panel,
The control means sets the security level based on any one of login information input to the operation panel by an operator, destination information when transmitting image data, and mode setting information. Item 3. The image reading apparatus according to Item 2.   4. The execution of the closing operation of the automatic document feeder unit is performed when a document is not taken out even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the automatic document feeder unit is opened. The image reading apparatus according to any one of the above. Further comprising a human body detecting means for detecting a human body located in the vicinity of the scanner unit;
2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein after the automatic document conveyance unit is opened, when the human body is no longer detected by the human body detection unit, the automatic document conveyance unit is closed. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1.   The image reading apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls the closed automatic document transport unit to a locked state.   2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs a control of opening the document up to the predetermined angle or locking the document in a closed state without performing the opening operation when the document is a double-sided document. .   9. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit prohibits output of the image data obtained by the reading operation from the scanner unit until the document is taken out. 9. Image reading device.   An image forming apparatus comprising the image reading apparatus according to claim 1.

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