JP2011073834A - Sheet feeder and image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet carrying device which suppresses a reduction in the recognition rate of biometric authentication equipment by suppressing the accumulation of grid and dust on the biometric authentication equipment such as a fingerprint sensor provided on the upper face of the device body. <P>SOLUTION: In a scanner 100 as the sheet carrying device, a feeding tray 130 has an end to be freely opened/closed to the body of the scanner 100. The feeding tray 130 being closed to the body of the scanner 100 covers the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 provided on the body of the scanner 100. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus and an image reading apparatus for feeding and discharging a sheet to be inserted, and more particularly to a sheet feeding apparatus and an image reading apparatus in which a biometric authentication device such as a fingerprint sensor is provided in the apparatus main body. .

  Conventionally, as an image reading apparatus as a sheet feeding apparatus, for example, a network scanner directly connected to a network has been widely used.

  This image reading apparatus is of a type connected to a network to which a plurality of client terminals are connected as one terminal similar to the client terminal, and an image read by sharing such an image reading apparatus. Can be sent by e-mail or transferred to another client terminal.

  As described above, in the image reading apparatus connected to the network, the read image data may include confidential information, personal information, and the like, and security measures are indispensable for handling the image data.

  For this reason, in general, in order to prevent unauthorized access by other than authorized users, users who allow transmission / reception of image data via the network are registered in advance, and when logging in, users such as passwords stored at the time of registration are registered. User authentication is performed by comparing with unique authentication information.

  In recent years, there has also been proposed an apparatus equipped with a fingerprint sensor as means for user authentication and using fingerprint information as user-specific authentication information (Patent Document 1).

  For this type of fingerprint sensor, a sweep type fingerprint sensor has been conventionally used. The sweep-type fingerprint sensor reads a fingerprint by placing a fingertip on the line sensor and moving the finger in a direction perpendicular to the line sensor.

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an overview of an image reading apparatus as a conventional sheet feeding apparatus equipped with a sweep type fingerprint sensor.

JP 2002-036663 A

  However, there is a possibility that dust or dust may accumulate on the sweep type fingerprint sensor, which may reduce the fingerprint recognition rate.

  Further, the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 has an advantage that the installation space when incorporated in the apparatus can be reduced because of the small size. On the other hand, when the fingerprint is read by the sweep type fingerprint sensor, the fingerprint authentication performance is improved. For this reason, it is necessary to move on the fingerprint sensor from the lower end (first joint) of the finger to the upper end (tip of the nail) by linear constant velocity motion.

  In particular, in the example shown in FIG. 12, the guide surface on which the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 is disposed is inclined with respect to the exterior front portion of the apparatus. If the sweep surface of the sweep type fingerprint sensor is the same as the inclined surface of the front surface of the exterior of the apparatus, it is difficult to move the finger, and the finger cannot be moved in a linear uniform motion. For this reason, it is necessary to provide a concave portion on the inclined surface and to provide the sweep surface in a horizontal direction so that the finger can be easily moved.

However, if the concave surface is provided on the inclined surface and the sweep surface of the sweep fingerprint sensor is tilted horizontally, dust or dust may accumulate on the sweep fingerprint sensor, further reducing the fingerprint recognition rate. There was a possibility.
Note that the above-described problem does not occur only in the above-described image reading apparatus, and may occur in a sheet conveying apparatus including a biometric authentication device and other sheet processing apparatuses as well.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to suppress and recognize the accumulation of dust and dust on a biometric authentication device such as a fingerprint sensor provided on the upper surface of the apparatus body. It is to provide a mechanism that can suppress the decline in rate.

  The present invention provides a conveying unit that conveys a sheet inserted from an insertion port of the apparatus main body and discharges the sheet from the discharge port of the apparatus main body, a biometric authentication unit provided in the apparatus main body, and a sheet inserted into the insertion port And at least one tray for stacking sheets discharged from the discharge port, and the end of the at least one tray is relative to the apparatus main body. The biometric authentication unit is provided so as to be freely opened and closed and covers the biometric authentication unit in a closed state with respect to the apparatus main body.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, there exists an effect that the accumulation | storage of dust and dust to biometric authentication apparatuses, such as a fingerprint sensor provided in the upper surface of the apparatus main body, can be suppressed, and the fall of a recognition rate can be suppressed.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus illustrating a first embodiment of a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus illustrating a first embodiment of a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of a sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the guide part 161 which arrange | positions the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment of a sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the cleaning member 170 shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus according to a third embodiment of a sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus according to a third embodiment of a sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus illustrating a third embodiment of the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of a sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the cleaning member 171 shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an overview of an image reading apparatus as a conventional sheet feeding apparatus equipped with a sweep type fingerprint sensor.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 and 2 are perspective views illustrating the configuration of an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention. 1 corresponds to a state in which the paper feed tray is opened, and FIG. 2 corresponds to a state in which the paper feed tray is closed.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention.

  1 to 3, reference numeral 100 denotes a scanner as an image reading apparatus of the present embodiment.

  In the scanner 100, 110 is a lower unit and 120 is an upper unit. The upper unit 120 is mounted on the lower unit 110 so as to form an insertion port 140 for the original P.

  Reference numeral 130 denotes a paper feed tray for placing the document P to be inserted into the insertion port 140. The document P is set on the sheet feed tray 130 with the front side facing down with the lower end portion inserted into the insertion opening 140.

  A front panel (exterior front portion) 122 provided with a display device such as a liquid crystal panel is attached to the upper unit 120. A touch panel 123 is disposed on the upper surface of the front panel 122. Note that the display device and the touch panel 123 may not be directly attached to the front panel 122. The display device can set the reading mode and display various setting screens, and can configure the operation display unit of the present invention together with the touch panel 123 to input various setting items, a reading operation start instruction, and the like. Is possible.

  The front panel 122 is preferably inclined with respect to the horizontal plane on the operation position side of the touch panel 123, and the operation surface of the touch panel 123 is preferably disposed substantially parallel to the surface of the front panel 122. However, it is sufficient that the touch panel 123 is disposed at a position along the surface of the front panel 122, and a certain degree of angle may be provided as necessary.

  Further, the front panel 122 is provided with a guide portion 161 in which a sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 as a biometric authentication device is disposed in the vicinity of the side portion of the touch panel 123.

  The paper feed tray 130 is arranged so that the end portion is in contact with the lower unit 110, and the end portion of the paper feed tray 130 is supported by a rotation fulcrum 112 provided on the lower unit 110 from both sides thereof. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper unit 120 is configured to be foldable. Further, when the paper feed tray 130 is folded, as shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed tray 130 is configured to cover the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 and the insertion opening 140. Note that the paper feed tray 130 may be configured to be foldable by 131.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lower unit 110 is provided with a discharge port 141 through which the document P is discharged.

  Further, a linear conveyance path 142 is provided between the upper unit 120 and the lower unit 110 formed by resin molding or the like so as to be substantially parallel to the display device.

  A feed roller 201, a separation roller 202, a transport roller pair 203, and a paper discharge roller pair 204 are disposed in the transport path 142. In addition, an image reading unit 210 and an image reading unit 211 configured by a contact image sensor or the like are disposed between the conveying roller pair 203 and the paper discharge roller pair 204.

  A circuit board 192 is fixed to a bottom plate 191 that covers the bottom of the lower unit 110. The back side of the lower unit 110 is covered with a back cover 111.

  In the scanner 100 configured as described above, the originals P stacked on the paper feed tray 130 are separated one by one by the feed roller 201 and the separation roller 202 and fed to the transport roller pair 203. Further, the original P is conveyed to the image reading unit 210 and the image reading unit 211 by the conveyance roller pair 203 at a constant speed, and the image on the back side of the original P is read by the image reading unit 210, and then the original is read by the image reading unit 211. An image of the surface of P is read. Thereafter, the document P is discharged from the discharge port 141 by the discharge roller pair 204.

  The document P is not limited to paper, but includes sheets of various materials.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the guide portion 161 in which the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the guide portion 161 on which the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 is arranged has a sweep surface 162, an abutment surface 163, and regulation guides 164 and 165.

  The sweep surface 162 is inclined with respect to the front panel 122 when viewed from the operation position in a direction away from the front panel 122. The guide surface is movably guided in the (B direction).

  A sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 is arranged at a position along the finger movement direction (B direction) on the sweep surface 162. Note that the sweep surface 162 as a guide surface is formed such that the finger movement path along the sweep surface 162 is substantially horizontal, or the finger base side of the movement path is raised. As described above, by providing the concave portion guide portion 161 on the inclined surface (front panel 122) and making the sweep surface substantially horizontal or the like, the finger can be easily moved.

  The abutting surface 163 is configured such that the tip of the finger can be abutted, and at the time of the abutting, the initial position of the finger movement on the sweep surface 162 is positioned. By providing this abutting surface 163, it is possible to make the user visually and tactilely recognize the range (position where the fingertip is placed) to be stroked with a finger.

  The regulation guides 164 and 165 regulate the positions of the left and right sides of the finger. The restriction guide 164 restricts the position of the right side part (the front side part of the drawing) of the finger. The restriction guide 165 restricts the position of the left side part (the back side part of the drawing) of the finger. In this way, the guide 161 has a concave shape as viewed from the direction of finger movement (direction B).

  In the case of such a configuration, when a fingerprint is detected by the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160, first, the tip of the finger is abutted against the abutting surface 163, and the initial position of the finger motion on the sweep surface 162 is positioned. . At this time, the vicinity of the first joint of the finger is positioned on the line-shaped reading unit 166 of the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160, and from this state, the belly of the finger is brought into close contact with the reading unit 166 of the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160. The fingerprint of the moved finger is detected by moving it in the direction of arrow B which is the direction of the base of the finger along the sweep surface 162.

  The detected fingerprint information is collated with user-specific fingerprint information stored in a storage unit (not shown) in advance by an authentication unit (CPU or the like) on the circuit board 192, and user authentication is performed based on the collation result. Is called. The authentication unit is a function realized, for example, when the CPU on the circuit board 192 reads and executes a program stored in the ROM on the circuit board 192.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the scanner 100 is not used, the paper feed tray 130 is closed (folded) so as to cover the insertion opening 140, the front panel 122, the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160, and the guide portion 161 thereof. As described above, when the paper feed tray 130 is closed (when folded), foreign matter such as dust and dust entering the scanner device from the insertion opening 140, dust on the front panel 122 and the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 are collected. It is possible to prevent adhesion of dust, dust, etc., accumulation of dust, dust, etc. on the guide portion 161. Thereby, it can suppress that the recognition rate of a fingerprint sensor falls by dust and accumulation of dust, and a user's fingerprint authentication can be performed correctly.

  Further, since the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 is covered with the paper feed tray 130 provided in the scanner 100, low-cost dust-proof measures can be taken without adding extra parts.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image reading apparatus according to a second embodiment of the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In FIG. 5, reference numeral 170 denotes a cleaning member that removes dust and dirt accumulated on the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 and the guide unit 161, and is provided in the paper feed tray 130.

  The cleaning member 170 is provided at a location facing the sweep fingerprint sensor 160 when the paper feed tray 130 is folded.

  6 is a side view showing the configuration of the cleaning member 170 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning member 170 has a surface inclined by θ degrees from the surface of the paper feed tray 130 and includes a slit 180. When the paper feed tray 130 is stored (when folded), the cleaning member 170 has a tip 181 that contacts the sweep surface of the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160, and the tip 181 is in a direction opposite to the direction in which the slit 180 is opened. It is possible to remove dust and dirt accumulated on the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 by using the bending and bending force. That is, the cleaning member 170 accumulates on the sweep fingerprint sensor 160 by sliding the sweep surface 162 (especially the reading unit 166) of the sweep fingerprint sensor 160 in the direction of the sweep surface 162 by the opening / closing operation of the paper feed tray 130. It is possible to remove dust and dust. The θ degree may be substantially the same as the inclination angle of the front panel 122.

  The cleaning member 170 uses, for example, a material such as sponge or rubber, but the material of the cleaning member 170 is not limited thereto. A configuration in which an adhesive tape, a gel-like material, or the like that adsorbs foreign matter such as dust, dust, and dust that is in contact with the tip 181 of the cleaning member 170 may be added.

  Alternatively, the cleaning member 170 may be provided with a nozzle for discharging air, and air may be discharged from the nozzle to blow away dust and dirt accumulated on the sweep fingerprint sensor 160 and the guide unit 161.

  As described above, in this embodiment, dust and dirt accumulated in the sweep type fingerprint sensor can be cleaned and removed. Thereby, it can suppress that the recognition rate of a fingerprint sensor falls by dust and accumulation of dust, and a user's fingerprint authentication can be performed correctly.

  In the third embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, a paper discharge tray is attached to the document discharge port 141 side.

  7 and 8 are perspective views illustrating the configuration of the image reading apparatus according to the third embodiment of the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention. 7 corresponds to a state in which the paper feed tray and the paper discharge tray are opened, and FIG. 2 corresponds to a state in which the paper feed tray and the paper discharge tray are closed.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an image reading apparatus showing a third embodiment of the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention.

  In FIG. 7, reference numeral 150 denotes a paper discharge tray for placing the document P discharged from the discharge port 141.

  The paper discharge tray 150 is arranged so that the end portion is in contact with the lower unit 110, and the end portion of the paper discharge tray 150 is supported by a rotation fulcrum portion 113 provided in the lower unit 110 from both sides thereof. As shown in FIG. 8, the upper unit 120 is configured to be foldable. Further, when the paper discharge tray 150 is folded, the paper discharge tray 150 is configured to cover the sweep fingerprint sensor 160 and the insertion opening 140.

  When the scanner 100 is used, as shown in FIG. 7, the paper feed tray 130 constituting the exterior cover is opened, and then the paper discharge tray 150 is opened. A document to be scanned is placed on the paper feed tray 130, fed in a normal manner, read an image, and then discharged from the discharge port 141 onto the paper discharge tray 150. .

When the scanner 100 is not used, the paper discharge tray 150 is first closed (folded) and then the paper feed tray 130 is closed (folded on the paper discharge tray 150) as shown in FIG. . When the sheet feeding tray 130 is closed, the sheet feeding tray 150 is configured to overlap with the upper surface of the sheet discharging tray 150 without a gap.
Note that a concave portion having a shape corresponding to the shape of the paper discharge tray 150 is provided on the document placement surface of the paper feed tray 130 in order to store the paper discharge tray 150 that has been closed earlier. As shown in FIG. 8, when the trays are closed in the order of the paper discharge tray 150 and the paper feed tray 130, the upper surface of the closed paper feed tray 130 (the surface opposite to the document placement surface) is the upper unit 120 and A curved surface shape that is continuous with the lower unit 110 is formed. With such a configuration, the discharge tray 150 cannot be seen from the side surface of the apparatus, the design can be improved, and the design can be made without any sense of incongruity. Further, when not in use, not only can the volume occupancy be reduced to avoid a feeling of pressure, but also intrusion of dust into the apparatus from the sheet insertion opening 140 or the like, or accumulation of dust on the fingerprint sensor 160. Can be suppressed.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment described above, when the sheet feeding tray 130 and the sheet discharge tray 150 are closed when not in use, dust and dirt from the insertion port 140 and the discharge port 141 to the inside of the scanner device can be detected. It is possible to prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering, adhesion of dust or dust to the front panel 122 or the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160, accumulation of dust or dust on the guide portion 161, or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the scanner 100 is not used, the paper feed tray 130 and the paper discharge tray 150 are closed so as to cover the insertion opening 140, the front panel 122, the sweep fingerprint sensor 160, and the guide portion 161 thereof. (Folded). As described above, when the paper feed tray 130 or the paper discharge tray 150 is closed (folded), foreign matter such as dust or dust enters the scanner device from the insertion opening 140, the front panel 122 or the sweep fingerprint. It is possible to prevent dust, dust, and the like from adhering to the sensor 160 and accumulation of dust, dust, etc., to the guide portion 161. Thereby, it can suppress that the recognition rate of a fingerprint sensor falls by dust and accumulation of dust, and a user's fingerprint authentication can be performed correctly.

  Further, since the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 is covered with the paper feed tray 130 and the paper discharge tray 150 provided in the scanner 100, low-cost dust-proof measures can be taken without adding extra parts.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an image reading apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In FIG. 10, reference numeral 171 denotes a cleaning member that removes dust and dirt accumulated on the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160, and is provided on the paper discharge tray 150.

  The cleaning member 171 is provided at a location facing the sweep fingerprint sensor 160 when the paper discharge tray 150 is folded.

  Further, the discharge tray 150 is provided with ribs 151, the height of the ribs 151 is higher than that of the cleaning member 170, and the inclination of the ribs 151 increases from the upstream to the downstream in the document discharge direction. is there. Therefore, when the document P is discharged from the discharge port 141, the document is not caught by the cleaning member 170 and can be sequentially stacked on the discharge tray.

  FIG. 11 is a side view showing the configuration of the cleaning member 171 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the cleaning member 171 has a surface inclined by θ degrees from the surface of the paper discharge tray 150 and includes a slit 182. When the paper discharge tray 150 is stored (when folded), the cleaning member 171 has a tip 183 that contacts the sweep surface of the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160, and the tip 183 is in a direction opposite to the direction in which the slit 182 is opened. It is possible to remove dust and dirt accumulated on the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 by using the bending and bending force. That is, the cleaning member 171 slidably contacts the sweep surface 162 (especially the reading unit 166) of the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 in the direction of the sweep surface 162 by the opening / closing operation of the paper discharge tray 150, thereby accumulating on the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160. It is possible to remove dust and dust. The θ degree may be substantially the same as the inclination angle of the front panel 122.

  The cleaning member 171 uses a material such as sponge or rubber, for example, but the material of the cleaning member 171 is not limited thereto. Similar to the cleaning member 170 of the second embodiment, an adhesive tape or a gel-like material that adsorbs foreign matters such as dust, dust, and dust that are in contact may be added to the tip 183 of the cleaning member 171. Alternatively, the cleaning member 171 may be provided with a nozzle that discharges air, and air may be discharged from the nozzle to blow away dust or dust accumulated on the sweep fingerprint sensor 160 and the guide unit 161.

  As described above, in this embodiment, dust and dirt accumulated in the sweep type fingerprint sensor can be cleaned and removed. Thereby, it can suppress that the recognition rate of a fingerprint sensor falls by dust and accumulation of dust, and a user's fingerprint authentication can be performed correctly.

  In each of the first to fourth embodiments, the sweep surface 162 of the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 is disposed so as to be inclined with respect to the front panel 122 in the direction away from the front panel 122 when viewed from the operation position. An example is shown. However, the sweep surface 162 of the sweep type fingerprint sensor 160 may be provided along the front panel 122 (that is, the front surface of the apparatus main body). In the first to fourth embodiments, the configuration in which the sweep type fingerprint sensor is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body (corresponding to the upper surface of the front panel 122) is shown as an example of the biometric authentication device. However, the biometric authentication device is not limited to the sweep-type fingerprint sensor, and may be another fingerprint sensor, such as a human physical feature (biological organ) or behavioral feature (癖) other than the fingerprint. It may be a biometric authentication device that uses information. For example, palm shape (palm width, finger length, etc.), retina (retinal capillaries pattern), iris (histogram of iris pattern shade values), face (glasses, facial expression, etc.), Vein pattern, voice (voice print), ear shape, handwriting, keystrokes (keyboard speed and timing wrinkles), lip movement (lip movement wrinkles during speech), blinking (change in black eye area due to blinking) It may be a biometric authentication device that uses such information.

  In the third and fourth embodiments, the configuration in which the paper feed tray 130 is folded and closed on the paper discharge tray 150 is shown. However, the paper discharge tray 150 may be folded and closed on the paper supply tray 130.

In the first and second embodiments, the configuration having the paper feed tray 130 is shown, and in the third and fourth embodiments, the configuration having the paper feed tray 130 and the paper discharge tray 150 is shown. However, any structure that has at least one openable and closable tray such as the paper feed tray 130 and the paper discharge tray 150 and that closes the openable and closable tray to cover the sweep fingerprint sensor 160 and its guide portion 161 may be used. Good.
It is also possible to cover the biometric authentication unit such as the sweep type fingerprint sensor with another cover other than the paper feed tray or the paper discharge tray. However, by covering with a paper feed tray or a paper discharge tray, there is no need to newly provide a component such as another cover that covers the biometric authentication unit, and the number of components does not increase. In addition, when the device is used, it cannot be used unless at least the paper feed tray and / or paper discharge tray (or both) are opened. When the use is finished, the paper feed tray and the paper discharge tray are closed to prevent adhesion and accumulation of dust and the like. That is, the user does not need to perform an extra operation such as opening and closing another cover that covers the biometric authentication unit at the start or end of use. Further, in each of the above-described drawings, an example is provided in which a sheet insertion port is provided in the upper rear portion of the apparatus 100 main body, and a sheet inserted from the insertion port is conveyed and discharged from a discharge port provided in the lower front portion of the apparatus 100 main body. Is illustrated. However, the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the one in which the insertion port is provided in the upper rear part of the apparatus 100 main body and the discharge port is provided in the lower front part of the apparatus 100 main body. For example, the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention may be configured such that the conveyance path from the insertion port to the discharge port is configured substantially horizontally.

  In the first to fourth embodiments, the image reading apparatus (scanner) is shown as an example of the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention. However, the present invention is applied to a sheet feeding apparatus other than the image reading apparatus (scanner). Also good. For example, the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention may be a printer.

  In addition, all the structures which combined each Example mentioned above and its modification are also included in this invention.

  The present invention can be applied to any sheet feeding device as long as the sheet feeding device has a function of feeding and discharging the sheet inserted into the insertion port.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Scanner 110 Lower unit 120 Upper unit 122 Front panel 130 Paper feed tray 140 Insertion port 141 Ejection port 150 Ejection tray 160 Sweep type fingerprint sensor 170,171 Cleaning member

Claims (9)

Conveying means for conveying a sheet inserted from an insertion port of the apparatus main body and discharging the sheet from the discharge port of the apparatus main body;
A biometric authentication unit provided in the apparatus body;
A sheet feeding tray on which a sheet to be inserted into the insertion port is placed; and at least one tray of a paper discharge tray on which the sheet discharged from the discharge port is stacked;
An end portion of the at least one tray is provided to be openable and closable with respect to the apparatus main body, and covers the biometric authentication unit in a closed state with respect to the apparatus main body.   The tray provided so as to cover the biometric authentication device has a cleaning member for cleaning the biometric authentication unit at a portion facing the biometric authentication unit in a closed state with respect to the upper surface side of the apparatus main body. Item 2. The sheet feeding device according to Item 1.   3. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when both of the trays are provided, one of the trays can be folded and closed on the other closed tray. 4.   The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sheet feeding tray can be folded and closed on the closed sheet discharging tray.   5. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding tray covers the insertion port when the sheet feeding tray is closed. 6. The insertion port is provided at the upper end of the apparatus main body and the discharge port is provided at the lower end of the apparatus main body.
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the biometric authentication unit is a fingerprint sensor provided on an inclined surface that is inclined in a horizontal direction with respect to a front surface of the apparatus main body. .   The sheet feeding device according to claim 6, wherein a concave portion including the inclined surface is provided on a front surface of the apparatus main body, and the biometric authentication unit is provided in the concave portion. The apparatus body is provided with an operation display unit,
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the biometric authentication unit is disposed in the vicinity of a side portion of the operation display unit. Conveying means for conveying a sheet inserted from an insertion port of the apparatus main body and discharging the sheet from the discharge port of the apparatus main body;
Image reading means for reading an image of a sheet conveyed by the conveying means;
A biometric authentication device provided in the apparatus body;
A sheet feeding tray on which a sheet to be inserted into the insertion port is placed; and at least one tray of a paper discharge tray on which the sheet discharged from the discharge port is stacked;
An image reading apparatus, wherein an end of the at least one tray is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the apparatus main body, and covers the biometric authentication section in a closed state with respect to the apparatus main body.

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