JP2016066857A - Image reading device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable both skimming and careful reading and improve reading performance in careful reading.SOLUTION: An image reading device 200 includes: a pair of document platens 30 and 40 that are arranged adjacent to each other and on which a document is placed; a conveying part 50 that conveys the document from one of the plurality of document platens 30 to the other document platen 40 while turning the document upside down; and an image reading part 60 that is arranged with clearance above the pair of document platens to read the document placed on the pair of document platens. Since the document reading part arranged with clearance above the document platens reads a document, an image of a book D2 can be read while pages of the book D2 face upward, facilitating turning the pages of the book D2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus that reads a document, and an image forming apparatus that includes the image reading apparatus in an apparatus main body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an image reading apparatus that reads an image of a document including an automatic document feeder and an image reading unit that reads the document (Patent Document 1). Such an image reading apparatus performs continuous reading in which a document is sequentially conveyed to an image reading unit by an automatic document conveying device and the document is read by the image reading unit, and fixed reading in which a document placed on the image reading unit is read by a user. It can be done.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-102836

  However, the conventional image reading apparatus provided with the automatic document conveying device has to open and close the automatic document conveying device in order to place the document on the image reading unit when performing the fixed reading. In particular, when the manuscript is a book, it is necessary to turn the page to be read. Each time the page is turned, the manuscript conveying device is opened and closed with respect to the image reading unit, and the book is turned over to turn the page. It was difficult to shorten.

  Further, an image forming apparatus provided with an image reading apparatus in which it is difficult to shorten the time for reading an original has been difficult to increase the number of sheets on which images are formed per unit time.

  The present invention provides an image reading apparatus that can perform both the scanning reading and the fixed reading, and has improved the reading efficiency of the fixed reading, and the image reading apparatus per unit time provided with the image reading apparatus to form an image on a sheet. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having an increased number of sheets.

  An image reading apparatus according to the present invention is arranged adjacent to each other, and a document is placed over from one document table to the other document table among a pair of document tables on which the document is placed and the pair of document tables. And a reading unit that is arranged above the pair of document tables and that reads the document placed on the pair of document tables. Yes.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes: an image reading device that reads an image of a document; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image reading information of the image reading device. It is an image reading apparatus.

  The image reading apparatus according to the present invention includes a flow reading in which an original whose image is read on one original platen is turned over and read on the other original platen, and an original placed on at least one original platen of a pair of original plates. Can be read and fixed reading. In this case, since the image reading apparatus reads the document with the reading means spaced upward from the document table, the image of the document can be read upward. As a result, the image reading apparatus according to the present invention can improve the reading efficiency of fixed reading because it can turn the original while the book is placed on the original table even when the original is a book. be able to.

  In addition, since the image reading apparatus of the present invention includes the image reading apparatus that can shorten the time for reading an original, the number of images to be formed on a sheet per unit time can be increased.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention along the sheet conveyance direction, and is a view when the image reading apparatus performs a flow reading of a document. FIG. 2 is a diagram in which a book is placed as a document on the image reading apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a tilting unit that tilts the document table. (A) is a figure of the state at the time of a flow-reading. (B) is a state diagram at the time of fixed reading. (C) is the figure seen from the arrow H direction in (A). FIG. 10 is a diagram when the original is scanned and read in the image reading apparatus of another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram when the document is scanned and read in the image reading apparatus of still another embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram when a book is fixedly read as an original in the image reading apparatus of FIG. 4.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus including an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in an apparatus body will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the sheet conveying direction of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 1A and an image reading apparatus 200 provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 1A, and copies an original. Examples of the image forming apparatus include a copying machine, a printer (electrophotographic laser beam printer), a facsimile, and a complex machine of these.

  The apparatus main body 1 </ b> A forms a toner image on the sheet P by the image forming unit 11 based on the image reading information from the image reading apparatus 200.

  The image forming unit 11 is formed by the following components and the like. A photosensitive drum 18 on which a toner image is formed. A laser scanner unit 19 that forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating the photosensitive drum 18 with laser light. A developing unit 20 that visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 18 as a toner image. A transfer unit 13 for transferring the visualized toner image to the sheet P; A fixing unit 14 for fixing the transferred toner image; The fixing device 14 includes a fixing roller 22 that incorporates a heater and heats the sheet, and a pressure roller 23 that presses the sheet against the fixing roller 22.

  The sheet feeding unit 12 is disposed in the lower part of the apparatus main body 1A, and separates and feeds the feeding cassette 3 that stacks and stores the sheets P and the sheets stored in the feeding cassette 3 separately. Unit 21.

  The control unit 4 causes the image reading apparatus 200 to read a document and transmit an image data signal to the laser scanner unit 19 with the start of the image forming job. The laser scanner unit 19 irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 18 with laser light according to the image data signal. The surface of the photosensitive drum 18 that is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity potential is exposed by laser light, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 18. The electrostatic latent image is developed with toner by the developing device 20 to become a toner image and visualized.

  In parallel with the toner image forming operation, the sheets P stored in the feeding cassette 3 are separated one by one by the separation feeding unit 21 and conveyed from the feeding cassette 3 to the conveying roller pair 26. The conveyance roller pair 26 conveys the sheet to the registration roller pair 27. The registration roller pair 27 conveys the sheet between the photosensitive drum 18 and the transfer device 13 at a predetermined timing. The transfer unit 13 transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 18 to the sheet P by the transfer bias applied to the transfer unit 13.

  The photosensitive drum 18 and the transfer device 13 convey the sheet P on which the toner image is transferred to the fixing device 14. The fixing roller 22 and the pressure roller 23 heat and press the sheet to fix the toner image on the sheet. Thereafter, the sheet P on which the image is fixed is discharged to a discharge tray 25 by a discharge roller pair 24 provided downstream of the fixing device 14. This completes the image forming job.

  When forming images on both sides of the sheet P, the control unit 4 sets the discharge roller pair 24 before discharging the sheet, on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing device 14, to the discharge tray 25 by the discharge roller pair 24. The sheet P is conveyed reversely to the double-sided conveyance path 28. Then, the double-sided conveyance path 28 reversely guides the sheet P. Thereafter, a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 29 provided in the double-sided conveyance path 28 re-conveys the sheet to the image forming unit 11. The image forming unit 11 transfers and fixes the toner image on the other surface. Finally, the discharge roller pair 24 discharges the sheet on which the toner image is formed on both sides to the discharge tray 25.

(Image reading device)
FIG. 1 is a diagram in which a paper document D 1 is placed on the image reading apparatus 200. FIG. 2 is a diagram in which a book D2 is placed as a document on the image reading apparatus 200 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tilting unit 70 that tilts the document table.

  The image reading apparatus 200 mainly includes the following components. A first document table 30 and a second document table 40 (hereinafter also referred to as “a pair of document tables 30 and 40”) that are arranged adjacent to each other and serve as a pair of document tables on which the document D is placed. Of the pair of document tables 30 and 40, a document conveying section as a conveying means for conveying the document D upside down from the first document table 30 as one document table to the second document table 40 as the other document table. 50. An image reading unit 60 as a reading unit that is arranged above the pair of document tables 30 and 40 and is separated from the document table D placed on the pair of document tables 30 and 40. A tilting portion 70 (FIG. 3) as tilting means for tilting the tables 30 and 40 in the vertical directions F and G.

  In FIG. 1, based on the document transport direction E, the right end of the first document table 30 is the upstream end 30a, the left end is the downstream end 30b, and the second document table 40 is the left end. The upstream end 40b and the right end are the downstream end 40a.

  The first document table 30 (FIG. 3) is provided in the apparatus main body 200A of the image reading apparatus 200 so that the downstream end 30b can tilt in the vertical directions F and G around the support shaft 31 of the upstream end 30a. It has been. The second document table 40 is provided in the apparatus main body 200A of the image reading apparatus 200 so that the upstream end 40b can tilt in the vertical directions F and G around the support shaft 41 of the downstream end 40a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the document transport unit 50 includes a pair of document tables 30 and 40, as shown in FIG. 1, when the downstream end 30 b and the upstream end 40 b are inclined downward, the downstream side of the first document table 30. A document guide path 51 is provided for guiding the document from the end 30 b to the upstream end 40 b of the second document table 40. In the document guide path 51 (FIG. 2), a pickup roller 52, a conveyance roller 53, a retard roller 54, a conveyance roller pair 55, 55, and a discharge roller pair 56 are arranged in this order from the upstream side. Further, at the entrance of the document guide path 51, the document is placed at the level difference that occurs when the first document table 30 is inclined from the upper position (position shown in FIG. 2) to the lower position (position shown in FIG. 1). A receiving portion 57 is provided. Similarly, at the exit of the document guide path 51, at the position of the step generated when the second document table 40 is inclined from the upper position (position shown in FIG. 2) to the lower position (position shown in FIG. 1), A document receiver 58 is provided.

  The image reading unit 60 is positioned between a pair of light sources 61 and 62 facing the pair of document tables 30 and 40 and a light receiving unit that converts light into an electrical signal. 63 etc.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the tilting unit 70 includes a drive motor M, a drive gear 71, a ratchet gear 72, a first rotary shaft 73, a cam 74, a pulley 75, a belt 76, a pulley 85, a second rotary shaft 83, The cam 84, the sensor S1 (FIG. 3C), and the like.

  In the above configuration, an operation when the image reading apparatus 200 performs the flow reading of the document D1 will be described. The flow-reading is a reading method in which at least one surface is read by being conveyed from the first document table 30 to the second document table 40.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the pair of document tables 30 and 40 has a downstream end 30b and an upstream end 40b below the upstream end 30a and the downstream end 40a. It is inclined to. The document D1 is placed on the inclined first document table 30 by the user. The placed document D1 is positioned with its leading end (left end in FIG. 1) received by the document receiving portion 57. In this state, the image reading unit 60 irradiates the original with the light source 61 and the reflected light is received by the light receiving unit 63. As a result, one side of the document placed on the first document table 30 is read.

  Thereafter, the pickup roller 52 descends, contacts and rotates on the document D1 placed on the first document table 30, and draws the document D1 into the apparatus main body 200A. The conveyance roller 53 and the retard roller 54 convey the document by rotating the conveyance roller 53 with the document sandwiched in the apparatus main body 200A. When the documents are overlapped, the retard roller 54 reverses and returns the document to the first document table 30. As a result, only one document is transported to the discharge roller pair 56 by the guide of the document guide path 51 and the transport of the transport roller pairs 55 and 55, and discharged to the second document table 40 by the discharge roller pair 56. . During this time, the original is turned upside down, turned upside down, and discharged onto the second original table 40.

  The document discharged on the second document table 40 is received at the rear end (left end in FIG. 1) by the document receiver 58 and positioned on the second document table 40, and the image on the back surface is converted into the light source of the image reading unit 60. 62 is irradiated and read. In this way, the image reading apparatus 200 sequentially scans the originals placed on the first original table 30 and transmits the image information to the apparatus main body 1A of the image forming apparatus 1.

  Next, an operation when the image reading apparatus 200 reads the document D2 in a fixed manner will be described. Fixed reading refers to a reading method in which a document is placed on at least one of the first document table 30 and the second document table 40 and is read as it is.

  In the case of fixed reading, the control unit 4 (FIG. 1) rotates the drive motor M of the tilting unit 70. The drive motor M rotates and a pair of cams integrated with the first rotary shaft 73 via the drive gear 71, the ratchet gear 72 meshed with the drive gear, and the first rotary shaft 73 integral with the gear 72. Rotate 74 in the direction of arrow F. The cam 74 pushes up the downstream end 30 b of the first document table 30. As a result, the first document table 30 becomes horizontal as shown in FIG. 2 with the downstream end 30b rotating in the direction of arrow F around the support shaft 31.

  In addition, when the first rotation shaft 73 rotates, the rotational force thereof is generated by the pulley 75, the belt 76, the pulley 85, the second rotation shaft 83 and the pair of pulleys that are integral with the first rotation shaft 73 and the pair of pulleys 85. It is transmitted to the cam 84. The cam 84 also rotates in the direction of arrow F. As a result, the second document table 40 also becomes horizontal as shown in FIG. 2 by rotating the upstream end 40b about the support shaft 41 in the direction of arrow F. When the pair of document tables 30 and 40 is horizontal, the sensor S1 (FIG. 3C) provided at the upstream end 40b of the second document table 40 is tilted as the second document table 40 is tilted. The upstream end 30a is detected by approaching the upstream end 30a of the first document table 30. When the sensor S1 detects the upstream end 30a of the first document table 30, the control unit 4 determines that the pair of document tables 30 and 40 are horizontal.

  Then, the user opens and places the book D2 as a document on the horizontal pair of document tables 30 and 40. The image reading unit 60 reads an image of an open part of the book D2. Each time the user finishes reading the image of the part opened by the image reading unit 60, the user turns the page and causes the image reading unit 60 to read another page. In the case of fixed reading, the book can be read by simply turning the page while keeping the open portion of the book D2 up. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, the image reading apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment does not need to turn over the book and turn the page, so that the reading time can be shortened.

  In order to change the image reading apparatus 200 from the fixed reading state to the continuous reading state, the control unit 4 may reversely rotate the drive motor M to incline the pair of document tables 30 and 40.

  The pair of document tables described above is horizontal when the document placement surfaces 30c and 40c on which the document is placed are on the same plane, but the image reading of the image forming apparatus 101 shown in FIG. Like the apparatus 201, even on the same surface, the document may be inclined so as not to slide down. In this case, the second document table 140 is provided in the apparatus main body 201A so that the upstream end 140b tilts in the vertical direction between the position of the solid line and the position of the broken line around the downstream end 140a. . The first document table 130 is tilted with the downstream end portion 130b being fixed at a position lower than the upstream end portion 130a. Therefore, when the fixed reading is performed, the second document table 140 is tilted to the actual position so that the document placement surfaces 130c and 140c are flush with each other. Only the second platen 140 is tilted to the position indicated by the broken line during the flow-reading. This eliminates the need for a tilting section for tilting the first document table 130, and simplifies the structure. In FIG. 4, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. However, the code of the image forming apparatus main body is set to 101A.

  Further, as in the image reading apparatus 202 shown in FIG. 5, it is also possible to perform the scanning without tilting the pair of document tables 230 and 240. In this case, since the tilting part 70 shown in FIG. 3 is not required, the configuration can be simplified. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which a common book D2 is read by fixed reading.

  Further, the image reading unit 60 may be configured to adjust the height according to the thickness of the book as a document and the ease of turning pages.

  As described above, the image reading apparatuses 200, 201, and 202 according to the present embodiment do not need to move the image reading unit 60, unlike the conventional case, during both the scanning reading and the fixed reading. The structure can be simplified. Also, during fixed reading, unlike the conventional case, there is no need to open and close the document transport section that transports the document necessary for flow reading. Furthermore, in the case of a document such as a book, it is not necessary to turn over the document and handle it. It is simple and the image reading efficiency can be improved.

  Since the image reading apparatus includes the image reading apparatus that can shorten the time for reading an original, there is an effect that the number of images to be formed on a sheet per unit time can be increased.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101: Image forming apparatus, 1A, 101A: Main body of image forming apparatus, 30, 130, 230: First document table, 30a: Upstream end, 30b: Downstream end, 40, 140, 240: Second document table, 40a: downstream end portion, 40b: upstream end portion, 50: document conveying portion (conveying means), 57, 58: document receiving portion (receiving portion), 60: image reading portion (image reading means) ), 70: tilting section (tilting means), S1: sensor (detecting means), 200: image reading apparatus, 200A: apparatus main body of the image reading apparatus, E: document transport direction, F, G: vertical direction, D1, D2 : Document, P: Sheet.

Claims (9)

A pair of document tables arranged adjacent to each other on which a document is placed;
Conveying means for conveying the document upside down from one document table to the other document table among the pair of document tables;
Reading means arranged to be spaced above the pair of document tables and reading the document placed on the pair of document tables;
An image reading apparatus. Of the pair of document tables, the other document table has an upstream end that can be tilted up and down around a downstream end in the document transport direction, and the upstream end is When facing the upstream end of one document table, a common document can be placed on the one document table, and the upstream end of the one document table is placed on the one document table. When tilted downward from the upstream end, the document placed on the one document table can be conveyed to the other document table.
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1. The one document table is tiltable in the vertical direction with the downstream end in the transport direction centered on the upstream end in the transport direction of the document.
The other document table has an upstream end in the transport direction that can be tilted up and down around the downstream end in the transport direction.
A pair of the document tables is
When the downstream end of the one document table and the upstream end of the other document table are in a position tilted upward from below, a common document can be placed.
When the downstream end of the one document table and the upstream end of the other document table are inclined downward, the document placed on the one document table is conveyed to the other document table. Is possible,
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1. A detection means for detecting that the upstream end of the other document table is tilted upward from below;
The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image reading apparatus is an image reading apparatus. The trailing edge of the document to be discharged on the other document table is positioned at the level difference between the downstream edge of the other document table and the upstream edge of the one document table. A receiving part was provided to receive it.
The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image reading apparatus is an image reading apparatus. Receiving the leading edge of the document placed on the one document table at the position of the step formed between the upper side and the lower side as the downstream end of the one document table tilts downward from above. Provided a part,
The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image reading apparatus is an image reading apparatus. A tilting means for tilting the other document table;
The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image reading apparatus is an image reading apparatus. A tilting means for tilting the pair of document tables;
The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image reading apparatus is an image reading apparatus. An image reading device for reading an image of a document;
An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image reading information of the image reading device,
The image reading device is the image reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
An image forming apparatus.

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