JP2010263344A - Original reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an original reader capable of effectively preventing failure in the driving mechanism or the like of an original read means while suppressing the increase of a product cost. <P>SOLUTION: The original reader includes: a lower unit 10 provided with a first glass plate 111 and a second glass plate 112 comprising transparent plates; a second image read part 70 provided inside the lower unit 10 freely movably along the surface direction of the second glass plate 112; and a movement regulation means 100 for regulating the movement of the second image read part 70 by engagement with the second image read part 70. The engaged state of the second image read part 70 and the movement regulation means 100 is visually recognized from a window part (the second glass plate 112 or the like, for instance) provided in the lower unit 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an original reading apparatus for reading an image of an original made of a sheet material such as paper or a booklet.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an image reading apparatus that scans a carriage that is an image reading unit along a document surface and reads an image of the document (for example, see Patent Document 1). Such a conventional image reading apparatus is provided with a mechanism for fixing the carriage in advance because the carriage drive mechanism or the like may be damaged due to movement of the carriage due to vibration or external force during transportation. ing.

  That is, in the conventional image reading apparatus described above, the carriage drive mechanism and the like can be prevented from being damaged by fixing the carriage in advance during transportation. However, during actual use by the user, the user may operate the carriage drive mechanism without releasing the carriage fixation. In such a case, an extra load is applied to the drive mechanism of the carriage, and there is a possibility that problems such as the carriage being unable to scan smoothly even if the carriage fixing is released thereafter.

  In the conventional image reading apparatus, in order to solve the above problem, for example, a sensor or the like is separately provided to detect whether or not the carriage is fixed. However, such a countermeasure requires a separate sensor or the like, resulting in a problem that the apparatus becomes complicated and the product cost increases.

JP 2008-124606 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-described circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a document reading apparatus that can effectively prevent a problem in a driving mechanism of a document reading unit while suppressing an increase in product cost. .

  In order to achieve the above object, an original reading apparatus according to the present invention includes a reading apparatus main body provided with an original reading plate, and an original provided in the reading apparatus main body so as to be movable along the surface direction of the original reading plate. And a movement restricting means for restricting the movement of the original reading means by engaging with the original reading means, and an engaging portion between the original reading means and the movement restricting means is provided on the main body of the reading apparatus. It is visible from the provided window part.

  According to the document reading apparatus of the present invention, the engagement portion (engagement state) between the document reading means and the movement restricting means can be visually recognized from the window during transportation or use by the user. It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of problems in the drive mechanism of the means, and to produce an effect of suppressing an increase in product cost without complicating the apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of the document reading apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a top view of the image reading surface side of the document reading apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view showing a main part of the document reading apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic top view showing a main part of a document reading apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic top view showing a main part of a document reading apparatus according to a third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a top view of an image reading surface side of a document reading apparatus according to a fourth embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments for carrying out the present invention.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a document reading apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of an image reading surface according to the document reading apparatus of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the document reading apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an example of an apparatus that reads an image on one side or both sides of the document D while conveying the document D. The upper unit 20 is provided so as to be rotatable in the opening / closing direction with respect to the lower unit 10, and has a structure divided into two parts in the vertical direction.

  For example, in the present embodiment, one end in the width direction of the upper unit 20 is rotatably connected to the corresponding one end in the width direction of the lower unit 10 at two locations by a link member 30 made of a hinge or the like. The upper unit 20 can be opened and closed with respect to the lower unit 10. Specifically, in the document reading apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the upper unit 20 can be opened and closed in the width direction of the document D, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

  The upper unit 20 is provided at an upper end portion, a document placing table 21 on which a plurality of documents D are placed, a conveying path 22 for conveying the document D from the document placing table 21 in a substantially U shape, and the conveying path 22. And a document discharge table 23 provided in the vicinity of the exit (opening).

  In addition, one end of the transport path 22 of the upper unit 20, that is, in the vicinity of the document D feeding port (take-in port) on the document placing table 21 side, the document D from the document placing table 21 to the inside of the upper unit 20. A pickup roller 24 is provided as a take-in means for taking-in.

  Further, a feeding roller 25 and a separation roller 26 facing the feeding roller 25 are arranged on the downstream side of the conveying path 22 with respect to the conveying direction from the pickup roller 24. That is, the document D taken in by the pickup roller 24 is conveyed while being separated one by one by the feeding roller 25 and the separation roller 26 on the downstream side thereof.

  Further, in the transport path 22 of the upper unit 20, two pairs of transport rollers 27 and 28 are provided side by side with an interval on the downstream side of the feed roller 25 and the separation roller 26 in the transport direction. A document discharge table 23 that receives the document D discharged from the transfer path 22 is provided on the other end side of the transfer path 22 of the upper unit 20, that is, on the discharge port side of the document D. The document discharge table 23 is located below the document table 21 described above.

  Therefore, in the upper unit 20 having such a conveyance path 22, the document D is taken into the upper unit 20 from the document placing table 21 by the pickup roller 24, and is substantially U-shaped one by one by the feeding roller 25 and the separation roller 26. The sheet is fed to a sheet-like conveyance path 22 and discharged one by one to a document discharge table 23 located below the document table 21 via a pair of conveyance rollers 27 and 28.

  Here, in the present embodiment, two sets of transports are performed downstream of the transport path 22 of the upper unit 20 in the transport direction, specifically, slightly downstream of the folded portion (U-turn curve) where the transport direction is changed. A first image reading unit 40 that reads an image on one side of the document D in the main scanning direction, that is, a direction orthogonal to the document conveying direction is disposed on the wall portion sandwiched between the roller pairs 27 and 28. Yes.

  The first image reading unit 40 has a length corresponding to the width dimension of the document D, and a contact glass 41 disposed on the side facing the conveyance path 22 and the conveyance path 22 (actually passes through the conveyance path 22). A light source 42 for irradiating the original D) with light, and a line image sensor 43 for receiving reflected light from the original D and reading an image of the original D.

  Further, for example, a black facing member 50 is provided on the inner wall of the transport path 22 on the side facing the first image reading unit 40. For example, a white color reference member 51 is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the facing member 50 in the transport direction for shading correction. The shading correction here refers to correcting the “light intensity unevenness” of the light source and the “sensitivity unevenness” of the line image sensor 43 in units of pixels of the line image sensor 43 by reading the color reference member 51 by the line image sensor 43. .

  Further, a registration sensor 60 that detects passage of a document in the middle of conveyance is disposed on the conveyance path 22 of the upper unit 20, specifically, on the upstream side of the first image reading unit 40 in the conveyance direction. Thereby, the conveyance state of the document D is detected by the registration sensor 60, and the timing of the reading operation of the document D in the first image reading unit 40 can be achieved.

  For example, in the reading operation of the document D in the first image reading unit 40, when the distance between the registration sensor 60 and the first image reading unit 40 is L and the conveyance speed is V, the document D is transferred to the first image reading unit 40. It starts after L / V seconds of arrival.

  The lower unit 10 on which the upper unit 20 is mounted is configured by a glass plate 11 having a part of the upper end surface made of a transparent plate and serving as a document reading plate. Specifically, the glass plate 11 includes a long first glass plate 111 corresponding to the width dimension of the document D and a second glass plate 112 having a size corresponding to the document size.

  A second image reading unit 70 that reads an image of the document D or the like is provided on the lower side of the glass plate 11 as a document reading unit according to the present embodiment. The second image reading unit 70 includes a light source 72 and a line image sensor 73. The second image reading unit 70 is held by the scanning guide rail 74. Then, the second image reading unit 70 is driven on the scanning guide rail 74 along the surface direction of the glass plate 11 (specifically, the second glass plate 112) by the driving means 75 provided at the end of the lower unit 10. It is provided movably.

  In the present embodiment, the second image reading unit 70 is positioned at a home position positioned outside the second glass plate 112 in a standby position (standby state) before document reading. Specifically, in the present embodiment, for example, the reading unit of the second image reading unit 70 faces the white color reference member 51 provided at a portion separating the first glass plate 111 and the second glass plate 112. Located in the area. Here, the home position of the second image reading unit 70 is set to the outside of the second glass plate 112, but the present invention is of course not limited to this, and can be appropriately set to a desired position of the lower unit 10. The color reference member 51 is provided with a length corresponding to the width dimension of the document D, for example, for shading correction. The second image reading unit 70 scans along the surface direction of the second glass plate 112 from the home position when reading an image of a document placed on the second glass plate 112. .

  As a result, in the document reading apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the upper unit 20 is operated in an open state, that is, in a direction inclined with respect to the lower unit 10, whereby the second glass plate 112 (image reading surface) of the lower unit 10. Is opened, and the image can be read also on the second glass plate 112. In other words, in the present embodiment, the image reading surface (which is opened by lifting the upper unit 20), as well as performing image reading while sequentially conveying a plurality of documents D through the substantially U-shaped conveyance path 22. The second image reading unit 70 can appropriately read an image of a document or the like that is not transported or cannot be transported by the second image reading unit 70 via the second glass plate 112).

  On the other hand, the second image reading unit 70 has a lower side of the first glass plate 111 and the other side of the document D transported in the upper unit 20 described above on the main scanning direction (a direction orthogonal to the document transport direction). ) To read.

  Specifically, the second image reading unit 70 moves from the home position to a position below the first glass plate 111 when performing image reading of the document D conveyed in the upper unit 20. On the other hand, the lower end of the upper unit 20 facing the second image reading unit 70 is provided with an opening that penetrates until reaching the conveyance path 22, and the wall facing the opening is, for example, black An opposing member 50 is provided. Accordingly, the second image reading unit 70 can read the other side of the document D when the document D passes through the conveyance path 22 through the opening of the upper unit 20.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to read the images on both sides of the document D only by transporting the document D once in the upper unit 20. Actually, each of the first image reading unit 40 and the second image reading unit 70 irradiates light from a light source onto the document D transporting the transport path 22 and reflects the light reflected from the document to the line image sensor. 43 and 73, photoelectric conversion is performed by an A / D converter (not shown), and image data having a predetermined color depth is output. The image processing unit (not shown) performs shading processing, document position detection processing, image correction processing, and the like on the image data output from the first image reading unit 40 and the second image reading unit 70, and then the host. It is sent to a PC or the like.

  In the document reading apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the window portion provided in the lower unit 10 serving as the reading device main body is such that the second image reading unit 70 serving as the document reading unit and the movement restricting unit 100 are engaged. The engagement portion (engagement state) between the second image reading unit 70 and the movement restricting means 100 is visible from the window portion. Here, the engagement of the second image reading unit 70 and the movement restricting unit 100 is visible from the window. For example, in the present embodiment, the engagement process of the movement restricting unit 100 with respect to the second image reading unit 70. Means that it is actually visible in real time.

  For example, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the movement of the second image reading unit 70 described above is restricted by the movement restricting means 100 at the above-described home position, and the movement restriction between the second image reading unit 70 and the second image reading unit 70. The engaging portion with the means 100 is visible. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view showing the main part of the document reading apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  Specifically, the movement restricting means 100 includes an L-shaped hook member 101 and a holding member 102 that holds the hook member 101, as shown in FIG. The holding member 102 is disposed at an end portion outside the first glass plate 111 of the lower unit 10 and is slidably provided in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the second image reading unit 70.

  For this reason, the hook member 101 can move forward and backward with respect to one end of the second image reading unit 70 in conjunction with the sliding operation of the holding member 102. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the hook member 101 is hidden at the end of the lower unit 10 in the state of being retracted from the second image reading unit 70. That is, the hook member 101 is inherent in the end portion of the lower unit 10 in a state where the hook member 101 is located at the end portion outside the region facing the first glass plate 111 of the lower unit 10. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, the hook member 101 moves toward one end of the second image reading unit 70 in conjunction with the sliding movement of the holding member 102, and engages on the distal end side. 101 a engages with the engaging groove 70 a of the second image reading unit 70.

  Here, the engagement groove 70a is opened on the upper surface of the second image reading unit 70 in the present embodiment. Further, in the home position shown in FIG. 3, the second image reading unit 70 is configured such that the engagement groove 70 a is located in a region facing the first glass plate 111. Therefore, the engaging portion where the engaging protrusion 101a of the hook member 101 is engaged with the engaging groove 70a is the upper surface of the second image reading unit 70, with the first glass plate 111 being a transparent plate serving as a window. Visible from the side.

  As described above, in the document reading apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the engaging portion between the second image reading unit 70 serving as the document reading unit and the movement restricting unit 100 can be visually recognized from the first glass plate 111 serving as the window unit. Therefore, for example, it is possible to visually check whether the second image reading unit 70 is in a fixed state during transportation. Similarly, when used by the user after transportation or the like, similarly, the engagement state between the second image reading unit 70 and the movement restricting means 100 can be visually recognized through the first glass plate 111. It is possible to effectively prevent the image reading unit 70 from operating erroneously.

  Accordingly, it is possible to reduce an extra load on the driving mechanism (scanning guide rail 74 and the like) of the second image reading unit 70 during transportation and use by the user, and the driving mechanism of the second image reading unit 70 and the like. It is possible to effectively prevent defects and the like from occurring. Moreover, in this embodiment, since a sensor etc. are unnecessary like a conventional apparatus, an apparatus is not complicated and the increase in product cost can be suppressed.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 4 is a schematic top view showing the main part of the document reading apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the document reading apparatus 1A of the present embodiment, one end of the first glass plate 111A is protruded from one end of the adjacent second glass plate 112 to provide a protrusion 111a. Except that the protruding portion 111a of the plate 111A is a window portion and the engagement state between the second image reading portion 70 and the movement restricting means 100 is made visible, it is the same as in Embodiment 1 described above. In the present embodiment, the same components as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, one end portion side in the longitudinal direction of the first glass plate 111 </ b> A is a protruding portion 111 a that protrudes a predetermined amount from one end portion of the adjacent second glass plate 112. Then, in the home position shown in FIG. 4, the second image reading unit 70 is located in a region where the engaging groove 70a faces the protruding portion 111a of the first glass plate 111A. In the region corresponding to the protruding portion 111a of the first glass plate 111A, the second image reading unit 70 and the movement restricting means 100 are engaged.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, the hook member 101 is hidden at the end of the lower unit 10 in a state where it is retracted from the second image reading unit 70. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, the hook member 101 moves toward one end of the second image reading unit 70 in conjunction with the sliding operation of the holding member 102, and Engages with the engaging groove 70a. At this time, in the engaging portion (engaged state) where the engaging protrusion 101a of the hook member 101 and the engaging groove 70a are engaged, the protruding portion 111a of the first glass plate 111, which is a transparent plate, becomes a window portion. And become visible. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the protruding portion 111a of the first glass plate 111 is provided, the vicinity of the end portion on the engagement groove 70a side of the second image reading unit 70 can be visually recognized in a wide range. For this reason, the process in which the tip including the engaging protrusion 101a of the hook member 101 engages with the engaging groove 70a can be visually recognized in a wide range in real time.

  As described above, according to the document reading apparatus 1A of the present embodiment, the protrusion 111a of the first glass plate 111 serving as the window portion causes the relationship between the second image reading unit 70 serving as the document reading unit and the movement regulating unit 100. Since the joint portion is visible in a wide range, it is possible to reduce the extra load on the drive mechanism of the second image reading unit 70 during transportation or use by the user as in the first embodiment described above. it can.

  Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent problems and the like in the drive mechanism of the second image reading unit 70. Also in this embodiment, since a sensor or the like is not required unlike the conventional apparatus, the apparatus is not complicated, and an increase in product cost can be suppressed.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 5 is a schematic top view showing the main part of the document reading apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the document reading apparatus 1B of the present embodiment, the engagement between the second image reading unit 70B, which is a document reading unit, and the movement restricting unit 100B is performed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the second image reading unit 70B. It is the same as that of Embodiment 1 mentioned above except having made it carry out by the width direction one end part side.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, one end in the width direction of the longitudinal center of the first glass plate 111B, that is, the center end opposite to the second glass plate 112 side is the first glass. The protrusion 111b protrudes a predetermined amount in the width direction of the plate 111B. In addition, this protrusion part 111b is a part of 1st glass plate 111B, and is comprised from the transparent plate.

  Further, in the region facing the protrusion 111b of the first glass plate 111B, when the second image reading unit 70B is at the home position, the second image reading unit 70B and the movement restricting means 100B can be engaged. For example, in the present embodiment, a substantially U-shaped engagement claw 70b is provided on the side surface of the second image reading unit 70B. On the other hand, the movement restricting means 100B is slidably provided on the side surface of the lower unit 10B, and can be engaged with the engaging claw 70b of the second image reading unit 70B connected to the holding member 102B. And a substantially c-shaped locking claw 101B. That is, the movement restricting means 100B interlocks the locking claw 101B by sliding movement of the holding member 102B, and the locking claw 101B engages with the engagement claw 70b provided on the side surface of the second image reading unit 70B. Thus, the movement of the second image reading unit 70B is restricted.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the engagement between the second image reading unit 70B and the movement restricting means 100B, that is, the engagement portion between the engaging claw 70b and the locking claw 101B is the first glass plate 111B described above. Since the projecting portion 111b that constitutes a part of the second image reading portion is visible as a window portion, an extra load is applied to the drive mechanism of the second image reading portion 70B during transportation or user use, as in the first embodiment described above. This can be reduced.

  Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent problems and the like from occurring in the drive mechanism and the like of the second image reading unit 70B. Also in this embodiment, since a sensor or the like is not required unlike the conventional apparatus, the apparatus is not complicated, and an increase in product cost can be suppressed. Note that the structure of this embodiment can be applied to the second embodiment described above.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of the image reading surface side of the document reading apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the document reading apparatus 1 </ b> C of the present embodiment is provided with a lid member (not shown) instead of the upper unit, and a glass plate 11 </ b> C that is one document reading plate (document reading surface) covered with this lid member. The image reading unit 70C that can move along the glass plate 11C and the movement restricting means 100C are engaged within the region facing the glass plate 11C, and the glass plate 11C is visible as a window as described above. The same as in the first embodiment.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, when the image reading unit 70 </ b> C is at the home position in the region facing the end (corner) of the glass plate 11 </ b> C, the image reading unit 70 </ b> C and the movement restricting unit 100 are Engageable. Here, in the present embodiment, the image reading unit 70C is located in a region facing the one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the glass plate 11C at the home position. On the other hand, the movement restricting means 100C is provided corresponding to one end of the image reading unit 70C located at the home position. That is, the movement restricting means 100C is provided corresponding to a corner portion on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the glass plate 11C.

  Here, an engagement groove 70c is provided at one end of the image reading unit 70C. On the other hand, the movement restricting means 100C is engaged with the holding member 102C that is slidably provided at the end of the reading apparatus main body 10C and the engagement groove 70c of the second image reading unit 70C connected to the holding member 102C. It consists of an L-shaped hook member 101C that can be freely moved.

  The movement restricting means 100C is configured such that the hook member 101C is interlocked by the sliding movement of the holding member 102C while the image reading unit 70C is in the home position, and the engaging protrusion 101c of the hook member 101C is image-read. It engages with an engaging groove 70c provided at one end of the portion 70C.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the engagement between the image reading unit 70C and the movement restricting unit 100C, that is, the engagement portion between the hook member 101 and the engagement groove 70c is formed by opening the corner portion of the glass plate 11C described above. Since it can be visually recognized as a portion, it is possible to reduce an excessive load on the drive mechanism of the image reading unit 70C during transportation or use by the user, as in the first embodiment.

  Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent problems and the like in the drive mechanism of the image reading unit 70C. Also in this embodiment, since a sensor or the like is not required unlike the conventional apparatus, the apparatus is not complicated, and an increase in product cost can be suppressed. Note that the structure of this embodiment can be applied to the second embodiment described above.

(Other embodiments)
As mentioned above, although Embodiment 1-4 of this invention was demonstrated, of course, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned Embodiment 1-4. For example, in Embodiments 1 to 4 described above, the engaging portion between the document reading unit and the movement regulating unit can be visually recognized from the window provided on the upper surface on the document reading surface side of the reading apparatus main body (lower unit). Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is only necessary that the engaging portion between the document reading means and the movement restricting means be visible from the window provided in the reading device main body. You may make it provide.

  In addition, the present invention is not particularly limited with respect to the position where the window portion is provided. For example, the window portion is provided on a portion that is frequently viewed by the user, specifically on the surface of the reading apparatus body including the document reading plate. It is preferable to provide it.

  Moreover, although Embodiment 1-4 mentioned above demonstrated the case where a glass plate was combined as a window part, of course, it is not limited to this, For example, a through-hole etc. may be sufficient as a window part.

  Further, in the above-described first to third embodiments, a description will be given using a structural example in which the first image reading unit is provided in the upper unit and the second image reading unit is provided in the lower unit, and in the above-described fourth embodiment, the reading device. Although an example of a structure in which an image reading unit is provided in the main body has been described, of course, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, document reading means that can move along the document reading surface may be provided only in the upper unit. In addition to such a configuration, a fixed-type original reading unit may be provided in the lower unit so that single-sided and double-sided reading can be performed. For example, the present invention is also applied to an apparatus structure in which an upper unit having an original reading unit that is movable along an original reading surface is provided on a lower unit having an original placing table on which an original is placed with the original reading surface facing upward. Can be applied.

  In the first, second, and fourth embodiments described above, a structural example in which the holding member for the movement restricting unit is provided outside the glass plate of the lower unit is described. In the third embodiment described above, the holding member for the movement restricting unit is provided. The structure example provided on the side surface of the lower unit has been described, but the present invention is of course not limited to this, and the holding means that constitutes the operation unit can be recognized if the engagement between the document reading means and the movement restricting means can be visually recognized. May be provided on the bottom surface of the lower unit.

  In the second embodiment described above, the description has been given using the example of the apparatus structure for reading the image of the document passing through the transport path positioned above the first glass plate. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, It is preferable that a part of the conveyance path is defined by the first glass plate, and the surface to be read of the document passing through the conveyance path is in surface contact with the first glass plate in view of high-quality image reading. In this case, for example, by providing protrusions on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the first glass plate so as to be wider than the width dimension of the document, when reading the document D conveyed from the upper unit, Since both end portions in the width direction can be prevented from coming into contact with the edges on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the first glass plate, it is possible to perform image reading while smoothly conveying the document.

  In the first, second, and fourth embodiments described above, the case where the upper unit is provided with the transfer path has been described. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lower unit may be provided with the transfer path. You may make it provide the conveyance path | route which continues from a unit to a lower unit. In the present invention, the shape of the transport path is not limited to the U shape.

  Further, in the first to fourth embodiments described above, the case where the engaging portion between the document reading unit and the movement restricting unit is visible from the window portion has been described. In order to distinguish, it is preferable to make the surface color different from that of the peripheral member. For example, the surface color of the engaging protrusion is made different from the surface color of the engaging groove and the peripheral members. Thereby, the engagement between the document reading unit and the movement regulating unit can be easily and reliably identified in appearance.

  In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, the document image reading device has been described as an example to which the document reading device of the present invention is applied. However, the present invention is intended for a wide range of document reading devices in general. It is. That is, the present invention is not limited to image reading of a document, but can be applied to magnetic reading or the like. The form of the original is not particularly limited, and may be an original made of a sheet material such as paper or film, or may be an original such as a booklet.

D Document 1 Image reading device 10 Lower unit 11 Glass plate 20 Upper unit 22 Transport path 30 Link member 40 First image reading unit 70 Second image reading unit 70a Engaging groove 100 Movement restricting means 101 Hook member 101a Engaging projection 102 Holding member 111 First glass plate 112 Second glass plate

Claims (9)

  A reading device main body provided with a document reading plate, a document reading means provided in the reading device body so as to be movable along a surface direction of the document reading plate, and the document reading means engaged with the document reading means. A movement restricting means for restricting movement of the reading means, and an engaging portion between the document reading means and the movement restricting means is visible from a window provided in the reading device body. Document reader.   The window is provided on a surface of the reading apparatus main body including the document reading plate, and the engagement between the document reading unit and the movement restricting unit is performed in a region facing the window. The document reading device according to claim 1.   The window portion is provided at an end portion of the reading apparatus body outside the document reading plate, and the engagement between the document reading means and the movement restricting means is performed in a region facing the window portion. 3. A document reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document reading apparatus is a document reading apparatus.   The document reading means is movable along a surface direction of the document reading plate from a home position which is a standby position before document reading, and the engagement between the document reading means and the movement restricting means is the document reading The document reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document reading apparatus is performed at a home position of the means.   The apparatus comprises a document conveying means that is mounted on the reading apparatus body so as to be openable and closable, and conveys an original toward the original reading means, and is formed of a transparent plate at the outer end of the reading apparatus main body from the original reading plate. Another document reading plate is provided, and the document reading means is provided movably up to a region facing the other document reading plate, and is in a conveying state at a position facing the other document reading plate. 5. The document reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein document reading is performed by the document reading unit, and the other document reading plate also serves as the window portion.   The original reading plate and the other original reading plate are arranged in parallel, and one end of the other original reading plate is a protruding portion protruding from one end of the adjacent original reading plate, and the other 6. The document reading apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a portion corresponding to the protruding portion of the document reading plate is the window portion.   The movement restricting means has an engaging projection that engages with an engaging groove provided at one end of the document reading means and is movable forward and backward with respect to the engaging groove. The document reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an engagement state of the engagement protrusion with respect to the window is visible from the window.   When the document reading unit is located at a home position which is a standby position before document reading, the engagement groove is located in a region facing the window portion, and the engagement protrusion portion is the window portion. 8. The document reading apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the document reading apparatus is capable of moving forward and backward between a position that cannot be seen outside the area that faces the position and an engagement position that engages with the engagement groove.   9. The document reading apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a surface color of the engaging protrusion is different from a surface color of the engaging groove and its peripheral portion.