JP2011188079A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reader that is a self-propelled carriage, has excellent assemblability, and obtains a read image having high image quality. <P>SOLUTION: The image reader includes the carriage moving along a platen for placing a document, a carriage support means of supporting the carriage movably, a carriage traveling means of operating the carriage supported by the carriage support means, and an image read sensor for reading a document image obtained by moving the carriage. The carriage support means comprises a guide member for guiding movement of the carriage, and a slider member that is guided by the guide member and moves the carriage. The carriage travel means comprises a carriage drive motor mounted on the carriage, and a carriage traction means of pulling the carriage along the guide member by receiving drive of the carriage drive motor. An attachment unit for attaching the carriage drive motor is formed in the slider member, and the slider member is attached to the carriage. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus that reads a document placed on a platen.

In this image reading apparatus, a platen on which an original is placed and a carriage facing the original through the platen are moved horizontally with respect to the platen, and the original is placed in a sub-scanning direction with a linear light source mounted on the carriage in the main scanning direction. The original image is read by sequentially receiving the reflected light from the original illuminated by the linear light source by the image reading sensor.

[Type of carriage movement method <self-propelled / non-self-propelled>]
There are two types of carriage movement methods in this type of image reading apparatus disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-44321. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a motor 106 is arranged on the apparatus frame 100 side, and a carriage 110 supported so as to be movable along the guide shaft 102 is connected to the motor 106 by a pulling means including a wire 104. In addition, this is a non-self-propelled type device that moves the carriage 110 by pulling the wire 104 by the rotation of the motor 106. The other is, as shown in FIG. 11, a motor 103 is mounted on a carriage 110, which is supported so as to be movable along the guide shaft 102, and a wire 104 stretched between the carriage 110 and the apparatus frame 100 side. This is a self-propelled type device that is connected to the traction means, and pulls the wire 104 by the rotation of the mounted motor 106 and moves the carriage 110 itself.

[Carriage pulling means]
As carriage pulling means, in addition to the above-mentioned wires, those using a toothed timing belt and those using a rack and pinion are known. First, the above-described carriage pulling with the wire is performed by winding the wire around a pair of pulleys, each of which is driven by a motor and one driven by a motor, and the other is a driven pulley. A structure is known in which a carriage is connected to one portion of the wire and the carriage is pulled. In addition, the carriage pulling by the toothed timing belt is performed by using a toothed timing belt on a pair of toothed pulleys, one of which is driven by a motor and the other of which is a driven pulley. A structure is known in which a carriage is connected to one portion of the timing belt and the carriage is pulled. Carriage pulling with a rack and pinion arranges a rack formed with rack teeth along the carriage moving direction in parallel to the guide shaft, and connects the pinion gear to the last stage of the self-propelled motor mounted on the carriage. A structure is known in which a pinion gear is engaged with rack teeth and the carriage is pulled by a self-propelled motor mounted on the carriage.

[Application of carriage pulling means]
The wire and the toothed timing belt are used for both a self-propelled and non-self-propelled carriage movement system, and the rack and pinion are used for a self-propelled both carriage movement system.

[Carriage support mechanism]
As a support mechanism for movably supporting the carriage, generally, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 12 and the plan sectional view of FIG. 13, one end of the carriage is integrally formed with the carriage frame of the carriage 110 and the slider bearing 112. The guide shaft 102 is pivotally supported by the slider bearing 112, and the carriage 110 is slidably supported on the guide shaft 102. On the other end side of the carriage, the carriage frame of the carriage 110 is supported so as to be slidable on the guide rail 101.

JP 2002-44321 A

[First Problem <Problem of Carriage Support Mechanism>]
Like the carriage support mechanism described above, in the structure in which the slider bearing that supports the carriage movably along the guide shaft is integrally formed with the carriage frame, the mounting position of the guide shaft on the device frame is specified. If the guide shaft cannot be set at the specified position due to the equipment specifications, the carriage cannot be shared, and a new carriage frame mold must be created according to the guide shaft mounting position. Therefore, it is uneconomical and an inexpensive device cannot be provided.

[Second problem <Problems with the self-propelled carriage using the rack and pinion pulling means>]
In the case of a self-propelled carriage in which a self-propelled motor is mounted on a carriage constituted by the carriage support mechanism, a rack and pinion is generally used as the carriage pulling means as described above. As shown in the sectional plan view of FIG. 14, the drive connection structure is based on the mounting position of the guide shaft 102 that guides the slider bearing 112 integrally formed with the carriage 110, and the rack LK is attached to the apparatus frame 100 (not shown). The motor unit MOU, in which the self-propelled motor MO and the pinion gear PG are connected via the drive connecting gear while the rack LK and the pinion gear PG are engaged, is fixed to the carriage 110. However, as a matter of course, the rack LK is displaced within the mounting error d1 with respect to the gap L1 with respect to the guide shaft 102, and the motor unit MOU is displaced within the mounting error d2 with respect to the gap L2 with respect to the guide shaft 102. For this reason, the rack LK and the pinion gear PG are liable to cause biting malfunctions in the carriage movement region, or the gear gap between the rack LK and the pinion gear PG is excessively widened, resulting in an increase in backlash. Becomes larger and image blurring is likely to occur.

In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to make it possible to share a self-propelled carriage with devices having different mounting positions of guide shafts, which is excellent in assemblability and eliminates rattling during movement of the carriage. An image reading apparatus capable of obtaining a high-quality read image is provided.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is supported by a platen on which an original is placed, a carriage that moves along the platen, carriage support means that movably supports the carriage, and carriage support means. In the image reading apparatus comprising a carriage traveling means for operating the carriage and an image reading sensor for reading a document image obtained by moving the carriage by the carriage traveling means, the carriage support means moves the carriage. It comprises a guide member (guide shaft) for guiding, and a slider member (bearing portion) that is guided by this guide member and moves the carriage. The carriage traveling means includes a carriage drive motor mounted on the carriage, and the carriage The carriage is driven by the drive motor. Consists of a carriage pulling means for pulling along the de member, the mounting portion for mounting the carriage drive motor is formed in the slider member, and is attached to the slider member to said carriage.

According to the present invention, an attachment portion for attaching a carriage drive motor mounted on a carriage is formed on a slider member (bearing portion) guided by a guide member (guide shaft) for guiding the movement of the carriage and moving the carriage, and the slider member By attaching to the carriage according to the attachment position of the guide member, the carriage itself can be shared by apparatuses having different attachment positions of the guide shaft, and an image reading apparatus excellent in assemblability can be provided.

Further, in particular, according to the present invention, as a carriage pulling means for pulling the carriage, a rack member fixed to the apparatus main body having a pinion gear that is driven and connected to the carriage drive motor, and a rack tooth that meshes with the pinion gear. With this configuration, the carriage drive motor and the rack member can be positioned with reference to the guide member, and it is possible to obtain a high-quality read image by suppressing rattling during movement of the carriage. An apparatus can be provided.

1 is an explanatory diagram of the overall configuration of an image reading apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a reading carriage that reads a document image in the apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing an external structure of a carriage in the apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an explanatory perspective view illustrating a state where the carriage of FIG. 3 is mounted with a self-propelled motor. FIG. 5 is a perspective explanatory view showing a carriage attachment state of a slider member to which the self-propelled motor of FIG. 4 is attached. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of the carriage in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the carriage of FIG. 3. Explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the light source unit mounted in the carriage of FIG. The block diagram of the light source unit of FIG. Explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the conventional image reading apparatus. Explanatory drawing explaining another structure of the conventional image reading apparatus. The perspective view explaining the structure of the carriage support means of the carriage mounted in the conventional image reading apparatus. Sectional drawing explaining the structure of the carriage support means of FIG. Sectional drawing explaining the structure of the carriage support means of the conventional self-propelled scanner.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an image reading apparatus A incorporating a light source unit 9 according to the present invention. The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes an image reading apparatus A and a document feeding unit B mounted thereon. Hereinafter, the configuration and moving mechanism of the image reading apparatus A, the carriage 6 incorporated therein will be described in order.

[Image reading device]
First, the image reading apparatus A includes a first platen 3 and a second platen 2 in the apparatus housing 1 as shown in FIG. The first and second platens 3 and 2 are formed of a transparent material such as glass and are fixed to the top of the apparatus housing 1. The first platen 3 is formed to have a size size for placing and setting the document, and the second platen 2 is formed to have a width size so as to read the document moving at a predetermined speed. The first and second platens 3 and 2 are arranged side by side as shown in FIG. An image reading mechanism is built in the apparatus housing 1.

An example of the image reading mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. 2 (enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 1). A carriage 6 is disposed in the apparatus housing 1 so as to be movable between the first platen 3 and the second platen 2. At the same time, the carriage 6 is supported by a guide shaft 12 described later so as to reciprocate along the first platen 3.

[Carriage configuration]
The carriage 6 has a light source unit 9 (first light source unit 9a and second light source unit 9b described later) and a reflection mirror 10 (first mirror) for deflecting reflected light from a document on a unit frame 11 made of heat-resistant resin. 10a, the second mirror 10b, the third mirror 10c), the condensing lens 7 that condenses the light from the reflecting mirror 10, and the line sensor 8 that is disposed in the image forming section formed by the condensing lens 7. Is installed. The image data output as an electrical signal from the line sensor 8 is electrically connected to an image processing unit (data processing board; not shown) by a data transfer cable so as to transfer the image data to the image processing unit.

[Carriage support mechanism]
As shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 6 has one end of the carriage 6 supported by a guide shaft 12 disposed in the apparatus housing 1, and the other end of the carriage 6 is held by the rail member GL described with reference to FIG. The housing 1 is supported so as to reciprocate. The guide shaft 12 and the rail member GL are attached to the apparatus housing 1 in parallel with each other and in parallel with the first platen 3 (second platen 2), whereby the carriage 6 is attached to the first platen 3 (second platen 2). It is configured to reciprocate stably in parallel.

[Carriage moving mechanism]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a self-propelled motor MO is mounted on the carriage 6, and a rack in which a pinion gear PG serving as a final gear of a gear train drivingly connected to the self-propelled motor MO is fixedly supported on the apparatus housing 1. Drive-coupled with LK, reciprocates in the left-right direction in FIG.

(Self-propelled motor support mechanism)
The self-propelled motor MO is supported by the mounting unit member FB together with a gear train to be driven and a pinion gear PG. The mounting unit member FB is integrally formed with bearing portions G1 and G2 fitted to the guide shaft 12 together with the mounting portion of the self-propelled motor MO.

(Self-propelled motor installation procedure)
First, a mounting unit member FB in which a gear train drivingly connected to the self-propelled motor MO and the pinion gear PG is incorporated and unitized is fixed to a predetermined position of the carriage 6 by a fixing member KT such as a screw or a bush. . Next, the guide shaft 12 is supported while the other end of the carriage 6 is supported by the rail member GL attached in advance to the apparatus housing 1 with the bearing portions G1 and G2 of the attachment unit member FB fitted to the guide shaft 12. Is attached to the device housing 1. Thereafter, the rack LK meshed with the pinion gear PG is attached to the apparatus housing 1 with the guide shaft 12 as an attachment reference to complete the assembly.

[Light source unit]
Next, the light source unit 9 mounted on the carriage 6 and irradiating the reading surface R with light will be described. The light source unit 9 irradiates the reading line of the reading surface R (the main scanning direction reading width orthogonal to the reading surface R shown in FIG. 2) with linear light. The light source unit 9 is configured to mount the first light source unit 9a and the second light source unit 9b shown in FIG. 2, and the first and second light source units 9a and 9b are configured by the light guide 30 and the light emitter 40, respectively. It is mounted on the unit frame 11 of the carriage 6 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, which is an exploded view of the assembly, the first and second light source units 9 a and 9 b are provided in the first housing formed in the light source housing portion (light guide support frame) 13 fixed to the carriage 6. It accommodates in the part 13a and the 2nd accommodating part 13b, respectively.

A heat radiating member 14 is integrally formed on the unit frame 11 of the carriage 6. A circuit board 16 is fixed to the heat radiating member 14 via a heat-resistant sheet (heat-resistant resin plate) 15. 17 is a backup plate for supporting the circuit board 16, and the circuit board 16 is integrally attached to the heat radiating member (heat sink) 14 by the backup plate 17.

[Configuration of light guide]
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the light guide 30 is configured by a rod-shaped light transmitting member having a length corresponding to the reading width (reading line width) W of the reading surface R. The light guide 30 is made of a material having high translucency such as transparent acrylic resin and epoxy resin, and its cross-sectional shape is rectangular or fan-shaped as shown in the figure, and is formed on the left and right end surfaces 31L and 31R. The light emitter 40 is arranged. The light guide 30 has a light scattering surface 32 and a light emitting surface 33 disposed so as to face each other.

That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the light scattering surface 32 and the light emitting surface 33 are arranged to face each other with a length of the reading line width W substantially in parallel with a distance Ld. The light scattering surface 32 is subjected to surface processing so as to diffusely reflect the light that is formed on the concavo-convex surface by painting, etching, molding or the like. Further, the light emitting surface 33 is surface-finished like a lens surface with high translucency.

Therefore, the light introduced into the light guide 30 is diffused in a predetermined direction by the light scattering surface 32, and the light introduced into the light emitting surface 33 is reflected inside when the angle is equal to or larger than a predetermined critical angle, and when the angle is equal to or smaller than the critical angle. It is emitted to the outside. The light indicated by the arrow ha in FIG. 8 is reflected in the light guide 30 and dispersed in the reading line width W direction, and the light indicated by the arrow hb is emitted from the light emitting surface 33 to the reading surface R. Although not shown, light is incident in a spherical direction (360-degree direction; the illustrated one is a 60-degree wide-angle direction) from a light emitter 40, which will be described later, and irradiates the light scattering surface 32 and the light emitting surface 33.

[Configuration of luminous body]
As shown in FIG. 8, the light emitting body 40 (41, 42, 43) has a planar light emitting element (an LED light emitting element shown in the figure) mounted on the circuit board 16. The circuit board 16 on which the light emitting element is mounted is disposed with a gap d between the light emitting surface and the end surface 31L (31R) of the light guide 30. The gap d is set with an optimum value of 2 mm. 9 shows an arrangement structure in a state where the light emitters 40 (41, 42, 43) are mounted on the circuit board 16. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the light emitter 40 is arranged to face the left and right end surfaces 31L and 31R of the light guide 30, and the light sources on the left and right end surfaces are configured to be left and right symmetrical. Moreover, this light-emitting body 40 can also be arrange | positioned only to one of the left-right end surface, and a reflection member (mirror surface member) is arrange | positioned to the other. The reflecting member at this time is configured so that the virtual light source is symmetrical with the light emitter 40. In addition, the light-emitting body 40 (41, 42, 43) is comprised by the planar light emitting element, and is comprised by white LED.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the light emitter 40 can correct the above-described light quantity characteristic by adjusting the angle by an angle θ with respect to the normal direction hx of the light scattering surface 32. That is, the light emitter 40 shown in FIG. 8 is mounted on the circuit board 16, and when the mounting angle of the board 16 is tilted by plus θ in the clockwise direction, the amount of light at both ends in the main scanning direction increases, and conversely, tilts by minus θ in the counterclockwise direction. The amount of light at both ends in the main scanning direction becomes small, and this angle adjustment can easily match the characteristics of the condenser lens 7. Note that an optimum value for the mounting angle is 3 °.

[Light source control configuration]
The control of the light source unit 9 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The first light source 9a and the second light source 9b irradiate the reading surface R of the first platen 3 and the second platen 3 with light as shown in FIG. The light source unit 9a (9b) is not necessarily composed of two light sources as shown in the figure, and may be composed of one or three or more light sources. In this case, in the document feeding unit B described later, the speed of the document traveling on the second platen 2 is set higher than the speed at which the carriage 6 moves along the first platen 3.

That is, the reading speed of the second platen 2 is higher than the reading speed of the first platen 3. For this reason, it is preferable that the second platen 2 is higher than the first platen 3 in the amount of light applied to the document.

Such light amount adjustment is possible by adopting one of the following methods. (1) The power supplied to the light source unit 9 mounted on the carriage 6 is adjusted in level. For example, a power supply circuit that supplies power to the light source unit 9 is provided with a supply voltage or supply current switching unit, and a light amount adjustment unit that adjusts the power supplied to the lamp. Since this light amount adjusting means is widely known as PWM control, its detailed description is omitted.

In the next method, (2) light amount adjusting means for selectively lighting the first and second and at least two light source units 9a and 9b mounted on the carriage 6 is provided. The apparatus shown in FIG. 2 has a first light guide 30a and a second light guide 30b mounted on the carriage 6, and supplies power to the first light guide 30a when irradiating the original on the first platen 3 with light. Then, when irradiating light on the original on the first platen 3 and irradiating light on the original on the second platen 2, power is supplied to the first light guide 30a and the second light guide 30b, and the second The document on the platen 2 is configured to irradiate light.

In such a configuration, when the carriage 6 is positioned on the first platen 3, the first light guide 30a is turned on, and when the carriage 6 is positioned on the second platen 2, the first light guide 30a and the second light guide 30b are turned on. This makes it possible to adjust the amount of light applied to the document, and the switching circuit for turning the supply power “ON” and “OFF” constitutes the light amount adjusting means.

The condenser lens 7 is composed of one or a plurality of lenses, and forms a convex lens (aspheric lens) as a whole. The line sensor 8 is composed of a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD, and the illustrated one is composed of a color sensor array comprising four lines of R (red), G (green), B (blue), and W (monochrome). Yes. Although the condenser lens 7 and the line sensor 8 are mounted on the carriage 6, they may be mounted on, for example, the bottom chassis of the apparatus housing 1. In addition, the carriage 6 may be composed of first and second carriages, a light source unit and a reflection mirror are mounted on the first carriage, and a condensing lens and a line sensor are mounted on the second carriage.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the first platen 3 and the second platen 2 are arranged on substantially the same plane, and the carriage 6 positioned below the first platen 3 and the second platen 2 is freely movable immediately below the first platen 3 and the second platen 2. It is supported by the guide shaft 12 and selectively moved by a carriage motor. In the process of moving along the first platen 3, the carriage 6 scans the document set on the first platen 3 and reads an image with the line sensor 8. At the same time, the carriage 6 moves from the first platen 3 to a position immediately below the second platen 2 and can read an image of a document moving on the second platen at a predetermined speed while still in this position.

[Configuration of Document Feed Unit]
As shown in FIG. 1, the document feeding unit B is disposed above the first and second platens 3 and 2 so as to cover the first and second platens 3 and 2, and a lead roller (document feeding) for feeding a document sheet to the second platen 2. Feeding means) 21 and a carry-out roller 22. Further, on the upstream side of the read roller 21, a paper feed stacker 23 for stacking and storing document sheets, a paper feed roller 24 for stacking and feeding the sheets one by one, separated and fed. A registration roller pair 25 for correcting the skew of the front end of the sheet is disposed. 26 is a paper feed path for guiding a document sheet from the paper feed stacker 23 to the second platen 2, and S1 is a lead sensor for detecting the leading edge of the document reaching the platen.

In the illustrated apparatus, a backup roller 27 for guiding the document sheet is disposed above the second platen 2. This backup roller 27 rotates at the same peripheral speed as the lead roller 21 to fit the original sheet on the second platen 2, and a backup guide may be arranged above the platen without providing this backup roller 27.

A paper discharge roller 28 and a paper discharge stacker 29 are disposed on the downstream side of the carry-out roller 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper discharge stacker 29 is arranged vertically below the paper feed stacker 23, and a platen cover 5 for pressing and supporting the original sheet on the first platen 3 is provided at the bottom. Yes.

The document feeding unit B configured as described above is installed in the apparatus housing 1 of the image reading unit A so as to be freely opened and closed. The original sheet is placed and set with the first platen 3 opened, and the original is covered with the platen cover 5 of the original feeding unit B.

"Second Example"
In the embodiment described above, a carriage pulling means that pulls the carriage along the guide member under the driving of the carriage drive motor, a pulley that is driven and connected to the carriage drive motor, and a pulley that is wound around the pulley and wound around the pulley. It can also be configured with a wire stretched between them.

“Third Example”
Also, the carriage pulling means is composed of a toothed pulley that is driven and connected to the carriage drive motor, and a timing belt that forms a timing tooth that meshes with the toothed pulley and rolls between the device body. You can also.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image reader 2 2nd platen 3 1st platen 6 Carriage GB Guide member GS Guide shaft SD Slider member GW Bearing part MO Carriage drive motor CK Carriage pulling means YA Wire TB Timing belt LK Rack PG Pinion gear)
8 Image reading sensor (line sensor)

Claims (4)

A platen on which an original is placed; a carriage that moves along the platen; carriage support means that movably supports the carriage; carriage travel means that travels the carriage supported by the carriage support means; and An image reading apparatus comprising: an image reading sensor that reads a document image obtained by moving the carriage by a carriage traveling unit;
The carriage support means includes a guide member that guides the movement of the carriage, and a slider member that is guided by the guide member and moves the carriage.
The carriage travel means includes a carriage drive motor mounted on the carriage, and a carriage pulling means that pulls the carriage along the guide member under the drive of the carriage drive motor.
An image reading apparatus comprising: an attachment portion for attaching the carriage drive motor to the slider member; and attaching the slider member to the carriage. The mounting portion for attaching the carriage drive motor is integrally formed with the slider member,
The carriage pulling means is driven and connected to the carriage drive motor to rotate and a pinion gear.
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a rack member having rack teeth that mesh with the pinion gear and fixed to the apparatus main body. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carriage pulling unit includes a pulley that is driven and connected to the carriage drive motor, and a wire wound around the pulley and stretched between the apparatus body. The carriage pulling means comprises a toothed pulley that is driven and connected to the carriage drive motor, and a timing belt that forms a timing tooth that meshes with the toothed pulley and rolls between the device body. Item 2. The image reading apparatus according to Item 1.