JP2011199535A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reader capable of effectively preventing reading of low-quality image which results from a stain on an original reading glass that is hard to be removed.SOLUTION: The image reader reads an original image by an original reading means 610 as an original transported by a sheet through method passes an original reading position 511 that corresponds to an original reading glass 510. It includes a cleaning mechanism 400 which contains a stain detecting member and a cleaning member, and a stain degree detecting means which detects a degree of stain on the original reading glass 510 after behavior of the cleaning mechanism 400 through the stain detecting member. Until the stain degree of the original reading glass is lowered to a specified level or lower, cleaning by the cleaning mechanism and detection of degree of stain by the stain degree detecting means are performed. If the degree of stain of the original reading glass does not drop to a specified level or lower even after a predetermined number of times of cleaning, an alert is reported to a user.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus used for a copying machine, a scanner, a facsimile, a multifunction machine having these functions, etc. having a mechanism for cleaning a document reading glass.

  As an image reading apparatus, there is a sheet-through method in which an original is moved without moving an original reading sensor and an original image is read. In a sheet-through image reading apparatus, if the original reading glass is soiled by paper dust or ink of the original, “black lines” or “white lines” may occur in the entire sub-scanning direction or wide area of the read image. is there.

  In order to improve this problem, the document reading glass is conventionally read by a cleaning unit that cleans the document reading glass on the surface of a roller that is opposed to the document reading glass and is disposed in parallel with the document conveying direction, and the document reading sensor. There is known a technique in which a reflection portion for detecting the upper dirt and a document reading glass facing portion in contact with the document being read are provided.

  In other words, this means that a signal from the reflecting portion is read between the documents every predetermined number of document passing sheets to detect the dirt, and if it is judged that there is dirt, the document reading glass is cleaned by the cleaning member. This is a technique (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-258545 A

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 does not evaluate the degree of dirt improvement after cleaning, and therefore, if dirt that is difficult to remove due to ink, correction liquid, or the like adheres to the original reading glass after cleaning, There is a possibility that the reading of the document is not stopped and a large number of “streaks” occur in the sub-scanning direction of the large number of scanned images. In this case, the document image is low without the user noticing that the dirt remains. It will be read in quality.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an image reading apparatus capable of effectively and efficiently preventing reading of a low-quality image caused by dirt that is difficult to remove on a document reading glass. It is an issue.

The above problem is solved by the following means.
(1) Document conveying means for conveying an original along a document conveying path in order to read an original image by a sheet through method, an original reading means for reading an image of the conveyed original at a predetermined reading position, and the original reading A cleaning member for cleaning the document reading glass by sliding contact with the document reading glass located between the means and the document conveying path, and for detecting the dirt on the document reading means by reflecting the dirt on the document reading means. A cleaning mechanism having a member, a contamination degree detecting means for detecting a contamination degree of the original reading glass from a result of reading the contamination detecting member in the cleaning mechanism by the original reading means, and occurrence of an abnormality in the contamination of the original reading glass. Warning notification means for notifying the user, and when the degree of dirt on the original reading glass detected by the dirt degree detecting means is not less than a specified value, the cleaning is performed. Cleaning of the original reading glass, and cleaning of the original reading glass by the cleaning mechanism and detection of the degree of dirt by the degree of dirt detecting means until the degree of dirt of the original reading glass is reduced to a certain level or less. An image reading apparatus comprising: control means for performing warning notification by the warning notification means if the degree of contamination of the original reading glass is not reduced below a certain level even after cleaning.
(2) The cleaning mechanism is provided so as to be capable of rotating and shifting in the document transport direction via a rotation shaft arranged in parallel with the document reading glass, and on the peripheral surface, the dirt detecting member and the cleaning member are provided. 2. The image reading apparatus according to item 1, further comprising an original contact member that contacts an original being read.
(3) The cleaning mechanism detects, as a dirt detection member, a first dirt detection member for detecting low-brightness dirt on the document reading glass and a high-brightness dirt on the document reading glass. A second dirt detecting member, wherein the control means has a first degree of dirt of the original reading glass detected from a result of reading the first dirt detecting member by the original reading means; and If the second stain level of the original reading glass detected from the result of reading the second dirt detecting member by the original reading means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the cleaning mechanism cleans the original reading glass. And the first dirt degree by the cleaning mechanism and the dirt degree detection means until the first dirt degree and / or the second dirt degree is reduced to a certain level or less. If the first dirt degree and / or the second dirt degree of the original reading glass is not reduced below a certain level even after repeated detection of the second dirt degree and cleaning a predetermined number of times, the warning notification means 3. The image reading apparatus according to item 1 or 2 that performs warning notification.
(4) The preceding item 3 in which the predetermined number of times of cleaning by the cleaning mechanism until it is determined that the degree of dirt is not reduced to a certain level or less is set to a different value between the first degree of dirt and the second degree of dirt. The image reading apparatus described in 1.
(5) In the cleaning mechanism, the document contact member, the first dirt detection member, the second dirt detection member, and the cleaning member are arranged in this order around the rotation axis. Or the document contact member, the second stain detection member, the first stain detection member, and the cleaning member are arranged in this order, or the document contact member, the cleaning member, and the first 1 dirt detecting member and the second dirt detecting member are arranged in this order, or the document contact member, the cleaning member, the second dirt detecting member, and the first dirt detecting member. 5. The image reading apparatus (6) according to the preceding item 3 or 4, wherein the members are arranged in this order. The cleaning mechanism rotates in the document conveyance direction when the stain is detected by the stain detection member, and the stain detection member is moved to the original. Stop at the position facing the reading glass When cleaning by the cleaning member, the cleaning is performed by rotating in the document conveying direction, and when the degree of contamination of the document reading glass is reduced to a certain level or less, it is rotated in the direction opposite to the document conveying direction. 6. The image reading apparatus according to any one of items 2 to 5, wherein the document contact member is configured to stop at a position facing the document reading glass.
(7) When the dirt is detected by the first dirt detection member, the cleaning mechanism rotates in the document transport direction and stops at a position where the first dirt detection member faces the document reading glass. When the dirt is detected by the second dirt detecting member, the second dirt detecting member rotates in the document conveying direction and stops at a position facing the document reading glass. When cleaning by the cleaning member, the second dirt detecting member moves in the document conveying direction. When the degree of contamination of the document reading glass is reduced to a certain level or less after rotating and cleaning, the position where the document contact member faces the document reading glass by rotating in the direction opposite to the document conveying direction 6. The image reading apparatus according to any one of the preceding items 3 to 5, wherein the image reading apparatus is configured to stop at a point.
(8) The image reading apparatus according to any one of the above items 1 to 7, further comprising a selection unit for the user to select whether to end or continue the document reading job at the time of warning notification by the warning notification unit.

  According to the invention described in (1) above, the reading glass is detected by the contamination degree detecting means via the contamination detecting member in the cleaning mechanism near the original reading position, for example, between the originals at the time of reading and after the last original is passed. If the degree of dirt is detected and the degree of dirt is equal to or greater than a specified value, the cleaning by the cleaning mechanism and the degree of dirt detected by the dirt degree detecting means are detected until the degree of dirt on the original reading glass is reduced to a certain level or less. If the degree of contamination of the original reading glass is not reduced below a certain level even after a predetermined number of cleanings, a warning by the warning notification means is notified to the user.

  That is, even when the original reading glass is severely stained, it is possible to obtain a state suitable for reading efficiently by repeating the cleaning operation and the dirty degree detecting operation for the original reading glass. If it is difficult to remove stains even after repeated operations, the user is warned / notified so that low-quality image reading caused by such stains can be prevented in advance. .

  According to the invention described in item (2) above, it is possible to easily clean the document reading glass and detect the degree of contamination by rotating the cleaning mechanism.

  According to the invention described in item (3), the original reading glass detected from the result of reading the first dirt detecting member by the original reading means for detecting dirt with low brightness on the original reading glass. Of the original reading glass detected from the result of reading by the original reading means the second dirt detecting member for detecting the first degree of dirt and / or the high brightness dirt on the original reading glass. When the degree of contamination of 2 is equal to or higher than a specified value, the cleaning by the cleaning mechanism and the first contamination by the degree of contamination detection means until the first contamination level and / or the second contamination level is reduced to a certain level or less. The detection of the degree and / or the second degree of dirt is repeated. If the first stain level and / or the second stain level of the original reading glass is not reduced below a certain level even after a predetermined number of cleanings, a warning notification is given.

  In other words, since the degree of contamination is detected separately for low brightness and high brightness stains on the original reading glass, detection and cleaning of the low and high brightness stains on the original reading glass is performed more accurately. it can.

  According to the invention described in item (4) above, the predetermined number of times of cleaning by the cleaning mechanism until it is determined that the degree of dirt is not reduced below a certain level is determined by the first degree of dirt and the second degree of dirt. Since different values are set, efficient cleaning can be performed in response to dirt of low luminance and high luminance.

  According to the invention described in item (5) above, the operation of detecting the dirt on the original reading glass and the cleaning operation are performed efficiently.

  According to the invention described in the preceding item (6), each part of the cleaning mechanism can be quickly and accurately placed at a predetermined position in response to detection of dirt on the document reading glass and at the time of cleaning.

  According to the invention described in item (7) above, each part of the cleaning mechanism is quickly and accurately brought into a predetermined position in accordance with the detection of low-brightness dirt or high-brightness dirt on the original reading glass and during cleaning. Can be arranged.

  According to the invention described in item (8), the user can select whether to end or continue the document reading job upon receiving a warning notification.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a document transport system of a document reading unit in an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which similarly shows the electric constitution of the control apparatus which controls the cleaning operation | movement with respect to the original reading glass. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the cleaning mechanism with respect to original reading glass. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship with respect to the original reading glass at the time of operation | movement of the surface cleaning roller in a cleaning mechanism. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the reading position at the time of the stain | pollution | contamination degree detection using a surface cleaning roller, and a brightness | luminance. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the control processing of the surface cleaning of the original reading glass by a cleaning control apparatus. As another embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing the positional relationship with respect to the original reading glass during the operation of the surface cleaning roller. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the reading position and the brightness | luminance in the case of detecting the high-intensity dirt degree using the surface cleaning roller shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control processing of the original reading glass surface cleaning by a surface cleaning control part. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the process (S100) of the cleaning operation | movement 1 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the process (S200) of the cleaning operation 2 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the process (S300) of the cleaning operation | movement 3 in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a document conveying system of a document reading unit in an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, this image reading apparatus separates a paper feed tray 110 on which originals to be read are set in a stack, a paper feed roller 210 for feeding originals on the paper feed tray 110, and a read original and other originals. Separating roller 220, post-separation sensor 310 that detects a document that has passed through separation roller 220, registration roller 230 that corrects document skew, registration sensor 320 that detects the document before reaching registrar 230, and document image A pre-reading roller 240 that conveys the document upstream of the reading position, a post-reading roller 250 that conveys the document downstream of the reading position 511 of the document image, and a document after passing through the pre-reading roller 240 are detected. A pre-reading sensor 330, a document reading sensor (document reading unit) 610 that reads a document image at a reading position, and a document reading sensor 610 A document reading glass 510 disposed between the document, a sheet discharge roller 260 for discharging the document after reading, a sheet discharge sensor 340 for detecting the document before reaching the sheet discharge roller 260, and the sheet discharge roller 260. A paper discharge tray 120 for stacking the originals discharged after that, and a cleaning mechanism 400 for cleaning the original reading glass 510 having a surface cleaning roller 410 for cleaning the surface of the original reading glass 510 are provided.

  The paper feed roller 210 and the separation roller 220 are driven by a paper feed motor (not shown), and the registration roller 230 is driven by a registration motor (not shown).

  The pre-reading roller 240 and the post-reading roller 250 are driven by a reading motor (not shown), the paper discharge roller 260 is driven by a paper discharge motor (not shown), and the surface cleaning roller 410 of the cleaning mechanism 400 is the surface cleaning motor 101. (Fig. 2).

  The paper feed roller 210, the pre-reading roller 240, the post-reading roller 250, the paper discharge roller 260, and the paper feed motor constitute a document transport means 50 that transports the document along the document transport path 60. ing.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the cleaning control apparatus 100 for controlling the cleaning mechanism 400.

  In FIG. 2, the cleaning control apparatus 100 includes a control unit 710, the pre-reading sensor 330, a document reading sensor 610, a surface cleaning roller position sensor 350, the surface cleaning motor 101, and an operation panel 102. I have.

  The control unit 710 drives the surface cleaning motor 101 in accordance with each input from the pre-reading sensor 330, the document reading sensor 610, and the surface cleaning roller position sensor 350 according to the settings input by the user via the operation panel 102. Control is performed so that abnormality information is transmitted and displayed on the operation panel 102 when an abnormality occurs.

  Further, the control unit 710 detects the degree of dirt on the document reading glass 510 from the result of reading the dirt detection member 412 in the cleaning mechanism 400 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 by the document reading sensor 610. 1 is compared with the comparison unit 2 that calculates the degree of contamination reduction by comparing the degree of contamination of the original reading glass 510 detected at different time points by the contamination degree detection unit 1, and the counting unit 3 that counts the number of cleanings by the cleaning mechanism 400. It has the function of

  The pre-read sensor 330 is an optical sensor, detects the presence or absence of a document at a position facing the pre-read sensor 330 in the document transport path, and sends a detection signal to the control unit 710.

  The document reading sensor 610 is composed of an optical sensor such as a CCD or CIS, for example, and optically reads the document to generate image data. More specifically, the document is irradiated with a fluorescent lamp or the like, the reflected light is read, and read as RGB three-color image data.

  The surface cleaning roller position sensor 350 is constituted by a transmission type sensor, detects a position shielded by an actuator 820 described later, and sends a detection signal to the control unit 710.

  The surface cleaning motor 101 is constituted by a stepping motor, and the surface cleaning roller 410 can be rotated and stopped in the document conveying direction, the direction opposite to the document conveying direction, or both, and highly accurate positioning control can be performed. ing.

  The operation panel 102 can change or operate the settings of the image reading apparatus by the user's operation, and can notify the user of the state of the image reading apparatus. In a severe state where dirt on the reading glass 510 is difficult to be removed even after repeating a predetermined cleaning operation, a warning notification means for notifying the user of the occurrence of an abnormality is also provided.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a cleaning mechanism 400 for the original reading glass 510.

  In FIG. 3, the cleaning mechanism 400 includes a surface cleaning roller 410 fixed to a rotation shaft 810 parallel to the document reading glass 510 at a position facing the document reading glass 510, and a circumferential direction on the surface side of the surface cleaning roller 410. A document contact portion 411 provided so as to cover a portion of the surface cleaning roller, a stain detection member (also referred to as a stain detection portion) 412 provided on a part of the front surface of the surface cleaning roller 410 in the circumferential direction, and And a cleaning member (also referred to as a cleaning unit) 413.

  The dirt detection unit 412 includes a member having a high brightness such as white so that the document reading glass 510 can be detected by reflecting the dirt on the document reading sensor 610. The cleaning unit 413 includes a brush and a sponge. It is comprised by cleaning members, such as. The surface cleaning roller 410 can be rotated in the document conveying direction and in the reverse direction by the surface cleaning motor 101 via the rotating shaft 810.

  A proximal end of an actuator 820 that protrudes radially outward is fixed to the rotary shaft 810. When the actuator 820 rotates together with the rotary shaft 810, the cleaning mechanism main body (not shown) side is fixed. The surface cleaning roller position sensor 350 is shielded from light by passing while facing the surface cleaning roller position sensor 350 fixed to the surface. That is, the position where the surface cleaning roller position sensor 350 is shielded from light by the actuator 820 at the time of the rotation change is set as the reference position in the position control of the surface cleaning roller 410.

  However, the surface cleaning roller position control method is not limited to the configuration of this example as long as the same position control as the configuration of this example is possible.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing a positional relationship with respect to the document reading glass 510 when the surface cleaning roller 410 is operated in the cleaning mechanism 400.

  In FIG. 4, the document passes between the front surface cleaning roller 410 and the document reading glass 510, and the left side of the paper surface is the upstream side in the document transport direction.

  During document reading, the front surface cleaning roller 410 is stopped at a position where the document contact portion 411 faces the document reading glass 510 as shown in FIG.

  At the time of detecting dirt, the surface cleaning roller 410 is stopped at a position where the dirt detecting unit 412 faces the document reading glass 510 as shown in FIG.

  At the time of cleaning, as shown in FIG. 4C, the cleaning unit 413 is slidably brought into contact with the document reading glass 510 by rotating the surface cleaning roller 410 through a position facing the document reading glass 510. Thus, the surface of the original reading glass 510 is cleaned.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the reading position 511 and the luminance when the degree of contamination using the surface cleaning roller 410 is detected.

  In FIG. 5, when the surface cleaning roller 410 is at the position shown in FIG. 4B, the stain detection unit 412 is read only one scan by the document reading sensor 610, and one of the RGB luminances is less than the specified value TH. In this case, the contamination of the original reading glass 510 is determined. The total number of pixels determined to be dirty is detected as the degree of dirt. The specified value TH can be set by the operation panel 102.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of control processing for cleaning the surface of the document reading glass 510 by the cleaning control apparatus 100. The cleaning mechanism 400 uses a surface cleaning roller 410 shown in FIG. 4 as an example.

  In FIG. 6, (A), (B), and (C) in the flowchart correspond to the rotational displacement positions (A), (B), and (C) of the surface cleaning roller 410 in FIG.

  In step S1, when the operation panel 102 instructs to start the reading operation of the document image, the surface cleaning roller position is set to the position shown in FIG. 4A. In step S2, the trailing edge of the document is positioned at the document reading position. It is determined whether or not 511 is passed.

  If the trailing edge of the document does not pass the document reading position 511 (NO in step S2), the process stands by in step S2, and if the trailing edge of the document passes the document reading position 511 (YES in step S2), in step S3 Then, the front surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated in the document conveying direction to set from the position (A) to the position (B). In step S4, the dirt detection unit 412 is read by the document reading sensor 610 to clean the document reading glass 510. After performing the pre-dirt detection, the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, it is determined whether or not the degree of dirt is equal to or greater than a specified value. If the degree of dirt is less than the specified value (NO in step S5), no cleaning is required, and the process proceeds to step S6. The position is changed from the position (B) to the position (A) by rotating in the reverse direction of the transport direction. If the degree of contamination is greater than or equal to the specified value (YES in step S5), in step S7, the result of detection of the degree of contamination before cleaning is stored in the memory, and the counter for the number of cleanings by the counting unit 3 is set to 0 before proceeding to step S8. .

  In step S8, the front surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated and shifted in the document reading direction, and passes from the position (B) to the position (C), whereby the cleaning unit 413 is brought into sliding contact with the document reading glass 510 and the document reading glass 510. The surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated as it is in the document reading direction and set to the position (B) via the position (A). In step S9, the counter for the number of cleanings is set to 1. to add.

  In step S10, after the cleaning as described above is performed, the dirt detection unit 412 is read by the document reading sensor 610, and the degree of dirt after cleaning is detected.

  In step S11, it is determined whether or not the stain reduction ratio calculated from the comparison by the comparison unit 2 between the detection result of the degree of dirt before cleaning and the detection result of the degree of dirt after cleaning is less than a specified value. If it is above (NO in step S11), since the cleaning effect is obtained, the process proceeds to step S6, and the front surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated in the direction opposite to the document conveying direction and set from the position (B) to the position (A). Then, the process returns to step S2. Thus, the cleaning of the document reading glass 510 is finished.

  If the reduction rate of the degree of contamination is less than the specified value (YES in step S11), it is determined in step S12 whether or not the counter is less than the predetermined number N. If the counter is less than the predetermined number N (step S12). NO), the process returns to step S8, and the determination of the reduction rate of the degree of contamination by cleaning and the detection of the contamination is repeated until the reduction rate of the contamination level becomes less than the specified value (YES in step S11) or the counter reaches the predetermined number N. .

  If the counter has reached the predetermined number N (YES in step S12), a warning notifying the user that the dirt could not be removed by cleaning the document reading glass 510 is displayed on the operation panel 102 in step S13. .

  When a warning is displayed on the operation panel 102, a message asking the user whether or not to continue the document reading operation, and “YES” and “N0” buttons are displayed. When the “YES” button is pressed, The document reading job may be continued when the document reading is continued and the “NO” button is pressed.

  In this embodiment, the surface of the original reading glass 510 is cleaned between the originals being read and after the final original is read. The predetermined number N can be set by the operation panel 1012.

  As described above, even when a considerable amount of dirt is attached to the original reading glass 510, a state suitable for reading can be efficiently obtained by repeating the detection operation of the degree of dirt on the original reading glass 510 and the cleaning operation. In particular, when it is difficult to remove stains even by repeating both the above operations, the user is warned / notified so that low-quality image reading caused by such stains can be prevented. This is surely prevented.

  FIG. 7 shows a configuration of a cleaning mechanism 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 7, the cleaning mechanism 400 of this example includes a surface cleaning roller 410, the original contact portion 411, the cleaning portion 413, and a first dirt detection member (first dirt) composed of a member with a high brightness such as white. 414) and a second stain detection member (also referred to as a second stain detection unit) 415 made of a low-brightness color member such as black. The first dirt detection unit 414 is the same as the dirt detection unit 412 shown in FIGS.

  These document contact portion 411, first stain detection portion 414, second stain detection portion 415, and cleaning portion 413 are arranged in this order in the clockwise direction of FIG. Of course, the document contact unit 411, the second stain detection unit 415, the first stain detection unit 414, and the cleaning unit 413 are arranged in this order in the clockwise direction, or the document contact unit 411, the cleaning unit 413, and the first stain detection unit 414. The second dirt detector 415 may be arranged in this order, or the document contact part 411, the cleaning member 413, the second dirt detector 415, and the first dirt detector 414 may be arranged in this order.

  During document reading, the front surface cleaning roller 410 is stopped at a position where the document contact portion 411 faces the document reading glass 510 as shown in FIG.

  When the dirt is detected by the first dirt detector 414, the surface cleaning roller 410 is stopped at a position where the first dirt detector 414 faces the document reading glass 510 as shown in FIG. 7B.

  When the dirt is detected by the second dirt detector 415, the surface cleaning roller 410 is stopped at a position where the second dirt detector 415 faces the document reading glass 510 as shown in FIG.

  At the time of cleaning, as shown in FIG. 7D, the surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated so that the cleaning unit 413 passes through a position facing the document reading glass 510, and the cleaning unit 413 is slidably contacted with the document reading glass 510. Then, the surface of the original reading glass 510 is cleaned.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the reading position and the brightness when detecting the degree of high-stain dirt using the surface cleaning roller 410 shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 8, when the image reading sensor 610 reads the second stain detection unit 415 only one scan by the document reading sensor 610 at the position shown in FIG. 7C, and one of the RGB luminances is equal to or greater than the specified value TL. Is determined to be dirty. The sum total of the number of pixels determined to be dirty is detected as the high-intensity dirt level. The specified value TL can be set by the operation panel 102. Note that the detection of the degree of contamination of low-brightness dirt is performed by the method described with reference to FIG.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the first dirt detection unit 414 and the second dirt detection unit 415 are provided, and the degree of dirt is detected separately for the case where the stain on the original reading glass has a low luminance and the case of a high luminance. Therefore, the detection and cleaning of the low- and high-brightness dirt on the original reading glass 510 can be performed more accurately.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of control processing for surface cleaning of the document reading glass 510 by the cleaning control apparatus 100 shown in FIG. Note that (A), (B), (C), and (D) in the flowchart correspond to the positions of the surface cleaning rollers (A), (B), (C), and (D) in FIG. Yes.

  In FIG. 9, when the operation panel 102 instructs the start of the reading operation of the document image in step S21, the surface cleaning roller position is set to the position shown in FIG. 7A, and in step S22, the trailing edge of the document. Whether or not the document has passed the document reading position 511 is determined.

  If the trailing edge of the document does not pass the document reading position 511 (NO in step S22), the process stands by in step S22. If the trailing edge of the document passes the document reading position 511 (YES in step S22), in step S23 Then, the front surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated and shifted in the document conveying direction, and is set from the position (A) to the position (B).

  In step S24, the first dirt detecting unit 414 is read by the document reading sensor 610 to detect low-brightness dirt on the document reading glass 510 before cleaning. In step S25, the surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated in the document transport direction. Thus, the position (B) is set to the position (C). Next, in step S <b> 26, the second dirt detection unit 415 is read by the document reading sensor 610 to detect high-intensity dirt before cleaning the document reading glass 510.

  In step S27, it is determined whether or not the low-brightness stain level is greater than or equal to a specified value. If the low-brightness stain level is less than the specified value (NO in step S27), the process proceeds to step S29 and the low-brightness stain level is greater than or equal to the specified value. If (YES in step S27), the process proceeds to step S28.

  In step S28, it is determined whether or not the degree of high-intensity dirt is equal to or higher than a specified value. If the degree of high-intensity dirt is equal to or higher than a specified value (YES in step S28), cleaning operation 1 is performed in step S100. If the high-intensity dirt level is less than the specified value (NO in step S28), cleaning operation 2 is performed in step S200.

  In step S29, it is determined whether or not the high-brightness stain level is equal to or higher than a specified value. If the high-brightness stain level is less than the specified value (NO in step S9), the process proceeds to step S30 because no cleaning is necessary, and surface cleaning is performed. After the roller 410 is rotated in the direction opposite to the document conveying direction to rotate from the position (C) to the position (A), the process returns to step S22.

  In step S29, if the high-intensity dirt level is greater than or equal to the specified value (YES in step S29), cleaning operation 3 is performed in step S300.

  When the cleaning operation 1, the cleaning operation 2, and the cleaning operation 3 are completed, the front surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated and changed in the direction opposite to the document conveying direction from (C) to (A) (step S30), and the process returns to step S22.

  In this embodiment, the surface of the original reading glass 510 is cleaned between the originals being read and after the final original is read.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of the cleaning operation 1 process (step S100) in FIG.

  In FIG. 10, in step S101, the detection result of the low-brightness dirt level before cleaning and the detection result of the high-brightness dirt level before cleaning are stored in the memory, and the number of cleanings by the counting unit 3 is set to zero.

  In step S102, the surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated and shifted in the document reading direction, and the document reading glass 510 is cleaned from the position (C) through the position (D). The rotation is shifted in the reading direction, the position (B) is set via the position (A), and 1 is added to the number of cleanings in step S103.

  In step S <b> 104, after cleaning, the document reading sensor 610 reads the first stain detection unit 414 to detect the low-brightness stain level after cleaning the document reading glass 510. In step S105, the front surface cleaning roller 410 is rotationally shifted in the document reading direction to set the position from (B) to (C). In step S106, the second dirt detector 415 is read by the document reading sensor 610. Detection of the degree of high-intensity dirt after cleaning the document reading glass 510 is performed.

  In step S107, it is determined whether or not the low-brightness dirt reduction rate is less than a specified value. If the low-brightness dirt reduction rate is less than a specified value (YES in step S107), the process proceeds to step S108, If the dirt reduction rate is equal to or greater than the specified value (NO in step S107), the process proceeds to step S112.

  In step S108, it is determined whether or not the reduction rate of high-brightness dirt is less than a specified value. If the reduction rate of high-brightness dirt is less than a specified value (YES in step S108), the process proceeds to step S109, where If the decrease rate of dirt is equal to or greater than the specified value (NO in step S108), the process proceeds to step S111.

  In step S109, it is determined whether or not the number of cleanings has reached a specified value N for the number of times of cleaning for low-intensity dirt or a specified value M for the number of times of cleaning for high-intensity dirt. If neither N nor the specified value M of the number of times of cleaning of high-intensity dirt has been reached (NO in step S109), the process returns to step S102 and the cleaning of the original reading glass 510 by the cleaning unit 413 and the dirt detection are repeated.

  In step S109, if the number of cleanings has reached a specified value N for the number of cleanings for low-intensity dirt or a specified value M for the number of cleanings for high-intensity dirt (YES in step S109), the dirt can be removed by cleaning in step S110. A warning for notifying the user of the absence is displayed on the operation panel 102.

  On the other hand, in step S111, it is determined whether or not the number of cleanings has reached a specified value N of the number of cleanings for low-intensity dirt, and if the number of cleanings reaches a specified value N for the number of cleanings of low-intensity dirt (YE in step S111). ), The process proceeds to step S110, and a warning notification is given to the user that the dirt cannot be removed. If the number of cleanings has not reached the specified value N of the number of cleanings for low-brightness dirt (NO in step S111), the process returns to step S102 to repeat cleaning and dirt detection.

  Further, in step S112, it is determined whether or not the reduction rate of high-brightness dirt is less than a specified value. If the reduction rate of high-brightness dirt is equal to or greater than a specified value (NO in step S112), low brightness and high brightness are determined. Since any dirt has been reduced, the process returns to end the cleaning operation 1. If the reduction rate of high-intensity dirt is less than the specified value (YES in step S112), the process proceeds to step S113.

  In step S113, it is determined whether the number of cleanings has reached a specified value N of the number of cleanings for high-intensity dirt, and if the number of cleanings has reached a specified value M for the number of cleanings of high-intensity dirt (YES in step S113). In step S110, a warning for notifying the user that the dirt has not been removed is displayed on the operation panel 102. If the number of cleanings has not reached the specified value M of the number of cleanings for high-intensity dirt (NO in step S113), the process returns to step S102 and cleaning and dirt detection are repeated.

  When a warning is displayed on the operation panel 102, a message asking the user whether or not to continue the document reading operation, and “YES” and “N0” buttons are displayed. When the “YES” button is pressed, The document reading job may be continued when the document reading is continued and the “NO” button is pressed.

  The specified value N for the number of times of cleaning low-brightness dirt and the specified value M for the number of times of cleaning high-brightness dirt can be set from the operation panel 102.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the process (step S200) of the cleaning operation 2 in FIG.

  In FIG. 11, in step S <b> 201, the detection result of the low brightness stain level before cleaning is stored in the memory, and the number of cleanings by the counting unit 3 is set to zero.

  In step S202, the surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated and shifted in the document reading direction, and the document reading glass 510 is cleaned from the position (C) through the position (D). It is rotated in the reading direction and set to the position (B) via the position (A). In step S203, 1 is added to the number of cleanings.

  In step S204, the first dirt detection unit 414 is read by the document reading sensor 610 to detect low-brightness dirt after cleaning the document reading glass 510. In step S205, the surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated and shifted in the document reading direction. To the position (C) from the position (B).

  In step S206, it is determined whether or not the reduction ratio of the low-brightness dirt calculated from the comparison between the detection result of the low-brightness dirt level before cleaning and the detection result of the low-brightness dirt level after cleaning is less than a specified value. If the reduction ratio of the brightness stain is equal to or greater than the specified value (NO in step S206), the low brightness stain is reduced by the cleaning, and the process returns to end the cleaning operation 2. If the reduction ratio of the low brightness stain is less than the specified value (YES in step S206), the process proceeds to step S207.

  In step S207, it is determined whether or not the number of low-brightness dirt cleaning has reached a specified value N. If the number of low-brightness dirt cleaning has not reached the specified value N (NO in step S207), the process returns to step S202. Repeat cleaning and low-intensity dirt detection. If the number of times the low-brightness dirt has been cleaned has reached the specified value N (YES in step S207), a warning notifying the user that the dirt has not been removed by the cleaning operation 2 is displayed on the operation panel 102 in step S208. .

  When a warning is displayed on the operation panel 102, a message asking the user whether to continue reading the document and a “YES” or “NO” button are displayed. If the “YES” button is pressed, the original is read. If the “NO” button is pressed, the document reading job may be terminated. The specified value N of the number of times of cleaning of low-brightness dirt can be set from the operation panel 102.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the process (step S300) of the cleaning operation 3 in FIG.

  In FIG. 12, in step S301, the detection result of the high-intensity dirt level before cleaning is stored in the memory, and the number of cleanings by the counting unit 3 is set to zero.

  In step S302, the surface cleaning roller 410 is rotated and moved in the document reading direction, and the document reading glass 510 is cleaned from the position (C) through the position (D). It is rotated in the reading direction and set to the position (C) via the position (A). In step S303, 1 is added to the number of cleanings.

  In step S <b> 304, the document reading sensor 610 reads the second stain detection member 415 to detect the high brightness stain after cleaning the document reading glass 510.

  Next, in step S305, it is determined whether or not the reduction ratio of the high-brightness dirt calculated from the comparison between the detection result of the high-brightness dirt level before cleaning and the detection result of the high-brightness dirt level after cleaning is less than a specified value. If the reduction ratio of the high-intensity dirt is equal to or greater than the specified value (NO in step S305), the process returns to end the cleaning operation 3 because the high-intensity dirt is reduced by the cleaning. If the reduction rate of the high brightness stain is less than the specified value (YES in step S305), the process proceeds to step S306.

  In step S306, it is determined whether or not the number of cleanings for high-intensity dirt has reached a specified value M. If the number of cleanings for high-intensity dirt has not reached the specified value M (NO in step S306), the process returns to step S302. Repeat cleaning and high-intensity dirt detection. If the specified value M of the number of cleanings of high-intensity dirt has been reached (YES in step S306), a warning notifying the user that the dirt could not be removed by the cleaning operation 3 is displayed on the operation panel 102 in step S307. .

  When the warning is displayed on the operation panel 102, a message asking the user whether to continue reading the document and buttons “YES” and “NO” are displayed. If the “YES” button is pressed, the document is displayed. The document reading job may be terminated when the reading is continued and the “NO” button is pressed. The prescribed value M for the number of cleanings of high-intensity dirt can be set from the operation panel 102.

  For example, when the correction liquid adheres to the original reading glass 510 due to the conveyance of the original with the correction liquid not sufficiently dried, it is difficult to remove the stain even if the cleaning mechanism 400 performs the cleaning several times. Therefore, it is desirable to notify the warning as soon as possible in order to eliminate wasted time as much as possible.

  If the specified value M for the number of cleanings of high-intensity dirt is set to 1, after the first cleaning, the degree of dirt reduction is the specified value in step S108 or step S112 in FIG. 10 or step S305 in FIG. If it is determined that the number of cleanings is less than that, it is determined in step S109 or step S113 in FIG. 10 or step S306 in FIG. A warning is given without performing the second cleaning.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dirt degree detection part 2 Comparison part 3 Counting part 50 Original conveyance part 60 Original conveyance path 102 Operation panel 400 Cleaning mechanism 410 Surface cleaning roller 411 Original contact part 412 Dirt detection member 413 Original glass cleaning member 414 First dirt detection 415 Second dirt detecting member 510 Document reading glass 511 Document reading position 610 Document reading sensor 710 Control unit 810 Rotating shaft

Claims (8)

A document conveying means for conveying the document along a document conveying path in order to read a document image by a sheet through method;
An original reading means for reading an image of the conveyed original at a predetermined reading position;
A cleaning member that cleans the document reading glass by slidingly contacting the document reading glass positioned between the document reading unit and the document transport path, and for causing dirt on the document reading glass to be reflected and detected by the document reading unit. A cleaning mechanism having a dirt detection member;
A contamination degree detecting means for detecting the degree of contamination of the original reading glass from the result of reading the dirt detecting member in the cleaning mechanism by the original reading means;
Warning notification means for notifying the user of the occurrence of a stain on the original reading glass;
When the stain level of the document reading glass detected by the stain level detecting means is equal to or greater than a specified value, the cleaning mechanism is made to clean the document reading glass, and the stain level of the document reading glass is reduced to a certain level or less. Until the cleaning degree is detected and the degree of dirt is detected by the dirt degree detecting means, and if the degree of dirt of the original reading glass is not reduced below a certain level even after a predetermined number of cleanings, a warning by the warning notifying means is given. Control means for implementing the notification;
An image reading apparatus comprising:   The cleaning mechanism is provided so as to be capable of rotating and shifting in the document transport direction via a rotation shaft arranged in parallel to the document reading glass, and in addition to the dirt detection member and the cleaning member, a reading surface is provided on the peripheral surface. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an original contact member that comes into contact with the original. The cleaning mechanism includes a first dirt detecting member for detecting dirt with low brightness on the document reading glass and a second for detecting dirt with high brightness on the document reading glass as the dirt detecting member. It has a dirt detection member,
The control unit is configured to detect the first stain degree of the document reading glass and / or the second stain detection member detected from the result of reading the first stain detection member by the document reading unit. When the second stain degree of the original reading glass detected from the result of reading by the means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the cleaning mechanism is made to clean the original reading glass, and the first dirt degree and / or Until the degree of contamination 2 is reduced to a certain level or less, the cleaning by the cleaning mechanism and the detection of the first and / or second degree of contamination by the contamination degree detecting means are repeated, and the document is also cleaned by a predetermined number of cleanings. If the first stain degree and / or the second stain degree of the reading glass is not reduced below a certain level, the warning notification by the warning notification means is executed. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   The predetermined number of times of cleaning by the cleaning mechanism until it is determined that the degree of dirt is not reduced to a certain level or less is set to a different value between the first degree of dirt and the second degree of dirt. Image reading apparatus.   In the cleaning mechanism, the document contact member, the first dirt detection member, the second dirt detection member, and the cleaning member are arranged in this order in the direction around the rotation shaft, or The document contact member, the second stain detection member, the first stain detection member, and the cleaning member are arranged in this order, or the document contact member, the cleaning member, and the first stain. The detection member and the second stain detection member are arranged in this order, or the document contact member, the cleaning member, the second stain detection member, and the first stain detection member are arranged in this order. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3 or 4 arranged in order.   The cleaning mechanism rotates in the document transport direction when the stain is detected by the stain detection member, and stops at a position where the stain detection member faces the document reading glass. In the cleaning by the cleaning member, the cleaning mechanism moves in the document transport direction. When the degree of contamination of the original reading glass is reduced to a certain level or less after rotating and cleaning, the position where the original contact member faces the original reading glass by rotating in the direction opposite to the original conveying direction. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image reading apparatus is configured to stop at a point.   When the dirt is detected by the first dirt detection member, the cleaning mechanism rotates in the document conveyance direction and stops at a position where the first dirt detection member faces the document reading glass, and the second dirt is detected. When the dirt is detected by the detection member, the second dirt detection member rotates in the document conveying direction and stops at a position facing the document reading glass. When the cleaning member cleans, the second member is rotated in the document conveying direction. When cleaning is performed and the degree of contamination of the original reading glass is reduced to a certain level or less, the original reading member rotates in the direction opposite to the original conveying direction and stops at a position where the original contact member faces the original reading glass. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, configured as described above.   The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit for a user to select whether to end or continue the document reading job when the warning notification is given by the warning notification unit.

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