JP2016189525A - Reader, detection method, and detection program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reader capable of detecting the thickness of a sheet easily.SOLUTION: In a state where a sheet S placed on a reading plate 130 having transparency is pressed against the reading plate by means of a holding member 121, a scanner irradiates the reading surface of the sheet with light from a light source 143, and reads the surface optically. From the reading result, the scanner detects the width of a shadow at the end of the sheet determined by the size of the sheet S, resulting from a step occurring between the holding member by the thickness of the sheet. The scanner is storing the relationship of the width of the shadow and the thickness of the sheet previously. The scanner detects the thickness of the sheet S, by reading the thickness corresponding to the width of the shadow detected from the relationship mentioned above.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a reading device, a detection method, and a detection program, and more particularly, to a reading device, a detection method, and a detection program that detect the thickness of a sheet.

  An image forming apparatus having a printing function such as an MFP (Multi-Functional Peripheral) is often configured to be able to print on paper having various thicknesses. In such an image forming apparatus, in order to ensure the quality of the printed image, the toner fixing temperature is changed according to the thickness of the paper, the rotation speed of the conveying roller is changed, or the control according to the thickness is performed. Sometimes done. Therefore, in such an image forming apparatus, it is necessary to set the thickness of the paper before starting the printing operation.

JP 2013-64925 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-285377

  However, when the user sets the paper thickness, the setting may feel troublesome for some users. Also, some users may not know the thickness of the paper or it may be difficult to measure.

  Therefore, there is a demand for detecting the thickness of a sheet using a document reading device. In order to realize this demand, for example, it is conceivable to mount a sensor as disclosed in JP 2013-64925 A as a sensor for detecting the thickness of a sheet in a reading apparatus.

  However, if a sensor for detecting the thickness of the paper is mounted on the paper transport path as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-64925, the paper is transported through the image forming apparatus in order to detect the thickness. There is a need. That is, the sheet is conveyed in a state where the thickness of the sheet is not set. Therefore, depending on the thickness of the paper, there is a possibility of causing paper deterioration and transport trouble. If a sensor for detecting the thickness of the paper is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the addition of an expensive sensor leads to an increase in size and cost of the image forming apparatus.

  An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a reading device that can easily detect the thickness of a sheet. An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a detection method that can easily detect the thickness of a sheet. In addition, an object in an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a detection program that can easily detect the thickness of a sheet.

  According to an embodiment, the reading device is a reading device that optically reads the content on the reading plate side of the paper placed on the reading plate having transparency. This reading device presses a sheet placed on the reading plate against the reading plate and fixes the position of the sheet with respect to the reading plate, and a sheet is placed on one of the two surfaces of the reading plate. A reading means arranged on the back side of the surface to be read, an illuminating means for irradiating light from a fixed position on a surface of the paper placed on the reading plate facing the reading plate, and a reading means. A shadow at the edge of the paper determined based on the size from the reading result of the first determining means for determining the size of the placed paper and the reading means irradiated with the illumination means. The first detection means for detecting the width of the shadow caused by the step generated between the sheet and the suppressing member due to the thickness of the sheet, and the first relationship from the relationship between the shadow width stored in advance and the sheet thickness. The thickness corresponding to the width of the shadow detected by the detection means More, and a second detecting means for detecting the thickness of a sheet placed on the reading plate.

  Preferably, the reading device further includes a determination unit for determining the edge portion from the result of reading by the reading unit. The first determining means determines the size according to the arrangement of the edge portion, and the first detecting means detects the shadow width at the edge portion from the read result.

  Preferably, the relationship between the shadow width and the sheet thickness stored in advance is a relationship between the shadow width and the sheet thickness corresponding to the positional relationship between the edge of the sheet and the illumination means. The second detection means corresponds to the width of the shadow detected by the first detection means from the relationship between the width of the shadow corresponding to the position of the edge of the paper placed on the reading plate and the thickness of the paper. Read the thickness.

  Preferably, the reading device further includes a positioning member configured to be able to abut on at least one side of the paper placed on the reading plate and to fix the position of the paper with respect to the reading plate. The first detecting means detects the width of the shadow in the notch portion provided on the surface configured to be able to abut one side of the positioning member.

  Preferably, the illuminating means includes a light source and a reflecting plate, and irradiates the surface facing the reading plate of the paper placed on the reading plate with the reflected light from the reflecting plate, and the first detecting means has a shadow width. The edge of the paper that detects the light is in the direction in which the light emitted from the light source is reflected by the reflecting plate.

  More preferably, the reflecting plate is configured such that the reflectance in the direction in which the irradiation light from the light source is reflected is larger than the reflectance in the other direction.

  Preferably, the reading device further includes an output means for outputting the thickness of the paper detected by the second detection means as the thickness of the paper used for printing to the image forming apparatus connected to the reading device. Prepare.

  More preferably, the reading device has storage means for storing the thickness of the printing paper stored in each of the one or more cassettes of the image forming apparatus connected to the reading device, and each of the one or more cassettes. Second determining means for determining the thickness of the paper closest to the thickness of the paper detected by the second detecting means from among the stored paper thicknesses. The output unit outputs information indicating the sheet thickness determined by the second determination unit to the image forming apparatus.

  According to another embodiment, the detection method is a method of detecting the thickness of a sheet using a reading device. This method includes a step of irradiating light on a surface of a sheet facing the reading plate in a state where the sheet placed on the transmissive reading plate is pressed against the reading plate by the holding member, and 2 of the reading plate. From the step of optically reading the surface of the surface facing the reading plate of the sheet irradiated with light by the reading unit disposed on the back side of the surface on which the sheet is placed, and the reading result of the reading unit Detecting in advance the shadow width at the edge of the paper determined based on the paper size, which is caused by the level difference between the paper and the restraining member due to the thickness of the paper. Detecting the thickness of the paper placed on the reading plate by reading the thickness corresponding to the width of the shadow detected from the relationship between the width of the shadow and the thickness of the paper.

  According to another embodiment, the detection program is a program that causes a computer mounted on the reading device to execute an operation of detecting the thickness of the paper placed on the reading plate. The reading plate has transparency. The program irradiates a computer with light on the surface of the paper facing the reading plate by an irradiation unit including a light source arranged at a fixed position while the paper is pressed against the reading plate by a holding member. A step of optically reading the surface facing the reading plate of the sheet irradiated with light by a reading unit disposed on the back side of the surface on which the sheet is placed, of the two surfaces of the reading plate; Detecting the width of the shadow at the edge of the paper determined based on the size of the paper from the result of reading by the part due to the step formed between the paper and the thickness of the paper; The step of detecting the thickness of the paper placed on the reading plate is executed by reading the thickness corresponding to the width of the shadow detected from the relationship between the shadow width stored in advance and the thickness of the paper. .

  According to this disclosure, the thickness of a sheet can be easily detected using a reading device such as a scanner.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a specific example of a device configuration of a scanner which is an example of a reading device according to an embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the illumination part of a scanner, and the positional relationship of the light source contained in an illumination part, and a positioning member. It is a figure showing the other example of the positional relationship of the light source contained in an illumination part, and a positioning member. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an output result from an imaging unit when a reading operation is performed on a sheet placed on a reading plate. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence relationship between a shadow width and a sheet thickness (paper thickness) stored in a memory of a scanner. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a scanner. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation flow of the scanner.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts and components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, these descriptions will not be repeated.

<Device configuration>
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a specific example of the apparatus configuration of a scanner 100 which is an example of a reading apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the scanner 100 is connected to a printer 200 that is an example of an image forming apparatus.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a scanner 100 includes a control board 110 having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10 and a memory 11 for controlling the entire apparatus, a transparent reading plate 130, and a reading plate 130. Of the holding unit 120 having a holding member 121 for pressing the placed paper S against the reading plate 130 and fixing the position of the paper S with respect to the reading plate 130, the illumination unit 141, the reflecting plate 142, and the mirror group 151 The first scanning unit 140 having one mirror, the second scanning unit 150 having one mirror of the mirror group 151, a lens 160, an imaging unit 170, and an operation panel 180 are included.

  The operation panel 180 is connected to the control board 110, and an operation signal is input to the control board 110. The side on which the operation panel 180 is provided is the front surface of the scanner 100 and the opposite surface is the rear surface.

  When an instruction to start reading is input from the operation panel 180 to the control board 110, the CPU 10 drives a motor (not shown) connected to the control board 110 to move the first scanning unit 140 from the origin side on the reading plate 130. 1 is moved in the scanning direction represented by the arrow in FIG. In other words, in the example of FIG. 1, the direction from left to right when the scanner 100 is viewed from the front side is the scanning direction.

  The reading plate 130 is configured to be able to abut on at least one side of the paper S placed on the reading plate 130, and a positioning member 123 for fixing the position of the paper S with respect to the reading plate 130 (FIG. 2). Is arranged. By aligning one side of the sheet S with the most upstream side in the scanning direction of the reading plate 130 and abutting the other side of the sheet S against the positioning member 123, one vertex of the sheet S becomes the origin on the reading plate 130. The position of the paper S is fixed so as to match. In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the origin is the vertex on the left rear surface side on the reading plate 130.

  Each of the illumination unit 141, the reflector 142, and the mirror group 151 extends in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction, that is, a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The illumination unit 141 included in the first scanning unit 140 irradiates the paper S in a line shape in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. The line-shaped reflected light from the surface of the paper S enters the imaging unit 170 via an optical path represented by a two-dot chain line in FIG. As the first scanning unit 140 moves, the line-like reflected light from the surface of the paper S enters the imaging unit 170 in order from the origin side one row at a time.

  The imaging unit 170 includes an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device Image Sensor) arranged in a line shape in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. The line-like reflected light is reduced by the lens 160 and imaged on the image sensor.

  The imaging unit 170 converts input light into an electrical signal by an image sensor and inputs the electrical signal to the control board 110. That is, the imaging unit 170 that obtains the line-shaped reflected light from the surface of the sheet S through the lens 160 in order one column from the origin side with the movement of the first scanning unit 140 represents the line-shaped reflected light. Electric signals are input to the control board 110 one by one in order. As a result, the control board 110 obtains an electrical signal representing an image of the entire surface of the paper S from the imaging unit 170. The control board 110 generates image data of the surface of the paper S from the image signal.

  The control board 110 is configured to be able to communicate with the control board 210 of the printer 200. The control board 110 inputs the image data on the surface of the paper S to the control board 210 of the printer 200. As a result, the printer 200 performs image processing based on the image data. Then, in the printer 200, an image based on the image data is printed on one of the printing sheets stored in each of the one or more cassettes 220.

  2A and 2B are views for explaining the structure of the illumination unit 141 and the positional relationship between the light source 143 and the positioning member 123 included in the illumination unit 141. FIG. FIG. 2A is a view of the scanner 100 as viewed from the side of the reading plate 130 on which the paper is placed, that is, from directly above. FIG. 2B is a diagram viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. That is, FIG. 2B represents a schematic cross-sectional view of the scanner 100 along the center line in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the illumination unit 141.

  Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, illumination unit 141 includes a light source 143 such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a cylindrical reflection plate 144 extending in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. .

  The positioning member 123 is configured to be able to abut one side of the paper S at least in parallel with the scanning direction. In the example of FIG. 2, the positioning member 123 is provided facing the end portion on the rear surface side of the reading plate 130. When placing the sheet S on the reading plate 130, the user abuts the side of the sheet S on the rear surface side against the positioning member 123, and the left side is the left end of the reading plate 130, that is, the most upstream in the scanning direction. Match. As another example, the positioning member 123 may be configured in an L shape so as to face the left end portion of the reading plate 130, that is, the uppermost stream in the scanning direction. In this case, when the paper S is placed on the reading plate 130, the user abuts the side that is the rear side of the paper S against the positioning member 123 on the rear side, and the left side of the paper S is the left side of the reading plate 130. It abuts against the positioning member 123. As a result, the upper left vertex of the sheet S coincides with the origin which is the vertex of the left rear surface of the reading plate 130.

  The length (width) of the side of the restraining member 121 in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction is determined when the maximum size paper S that can be read by the scanner 100 is fixed to the reading plate 130 by the positioning member 123. 123 is a length exceeding the paper width in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the paper S abutted on the sheet 123. As a result, a step is generated between the end of the sheet S opposite to the positioning member 123 and the holding member 121. The step corresponds to the thickness of the paper S.

  The light source 143 is fixedly provided at a position where, when the paper S is fixed with respect to the reading plate 130, the end of the paper S that is inside the holding member 121 is irradiated obliquely. Thereby, the step is irradiated with the irradiation light from the light source 143, and a shadow is generated on the suppression member 121. Since the step is irradiated in an oblique direction, the width of the shadow increases as the step increases, that is, as the thickness of the sheet S increases.

  Preferably, the light source 143 is arranged outside the paper S when the maximum size paper S that can be read by the scanner 100 is fixed to the reading plate 130 by the positioning member 123. In the case of the example in FIG. 2, the positioning member 123 is disposed on the rear surface side, and the end portion of the holding member 121 is located on the front surface side outside the end portion of the paper S. Therefore, preferably, the light source 143 is disposed outside the reading plate 130 on the rear surface side, that is, on the side where the positioning member 123 is disposed.

  The cylindrical reflection plate 144 is open at least at the end on the light source 143 side. Therefore, the irradiation light from the light source 143 is introduced into the cylindrical reflector 144. The reflecting plate 144 has a reflectance in the direction in which the irradiation light from the light source 143 is reflected (arrow a in FIG. 2B) is reflected in another direction (for example, arrow b in FIG. 2B), that is, The reflectance is larger than the reflectance of the reflected light of the irradiation light from the light source 143. Thereby, the shadow produced on the suppressing member 121 at the position of the end portion of the paper S on the side far from the light source 143 can be deepened and the width thereof can be increased.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another example of the positional relationship between the light source 143 and the positioning member 123 included in the illumination unit 141. With reference to FIG. 3, a notch portion may be provided in a part of the side of the positioning member 123 configured to be able to abut one side of the paper S. The notch portion refers to a concave portion that does not contact the paper S and is provided on at least a part of the surface of the positioning member 123 that contacts the side of the paper S. Preferably, the restraining member 121 is provided with a convex portion so as to cover the notched portion which is the concave portion of the positioning member 123. As a result, a step is formed between the suppressing member 121 and the paper S in the notched portion, and as a result, a shadow is generated in the suppressing member 121 in the notched portion.

  In the case of the configuration of FIG. 3, the light source 143 is disposed on the opposite side to the side where the notch portion of the positioning member 123 is provided, that is, on the front side. As a result, it is possible to darken the shadow generated on the suppressing member 121 at the end of the sheet S on the side farther from the light source 143, that is, the notch portion of the positioning member 123, and to increase the width thereof. Further, in this configuration, the user's eyes standing on the front side of the scanner 100 are not directly irradiated from the light source 143.

  Preferably, the notch is provided on the upstream side in the scanning direction, that is, on the left side in FIG. By providing the notch portion on the more upstream side, the end portion of the sheet S can hit the notch portion of the positioning member 123 even if the size of the sheet S is small.

<Detection principle>
The scanner 100 as a reading device detects the thickness of the sheet S based on the width of the shadow generated at the position of the edge of the sheet S placed on the reading plate 130 of the holding member 121.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an output result from the imaging unit 170 when the reading operation is performed on the paper S placed on the reading plate 130. FIG. 4 shows a reading result when the first scanning unit 140 is at a certain position, that is, an electric signal representing a line of reflected light for one column at the position. The horizontal axis of the graph in FIG. 4 indicates pixel values representing the above-described linear reading position from the origin side (rear side) to the front side. The vertical axis of the graph in FIG. 4 represents the output value (voltage value) from the image sensor included in the imaging unit 170. A higher output value (voltage value) indicates that the pixel is close to white, and a lower output value (voltage value) indicates that the pixel is close to black.

  Referring to FIG. 4, the reading result of the sheet S in the row orthogonal to the scanning direction includes a portion representing a shadow generated at a position corresponding to the edge of the sheet S of the suppressing member 121. As described above, the step generated between the sheet S and the holding member 121 corresponds to the thickness of the sheet S, and the step is irradiated obliquely by the irradiation light from the light source 143. That is, the shadow width increases as the thickness of the paper S increases. In other words, there is a relationship between the shadow width W obtained from the read result and the thickness of the paper S that the thickness of the paper S increases as the shadow width W increases.

  Therefore, the CPU 10 of the scanner 100 determines the size of the paper S placed on the reading plate 130. The size may be determined from an operation signal based on a user operation on the operation panel 180. Alternatively, it may be made from the reading result of the paper S.

  The CPU 10 detects the shadow width W at the position corresponding to the edge of the paper S in the output signal representing the reading result by the imaging unit 170. As an example, the CPU 10 may detect the width W from an electric signal representing a line of reflected light for one column. As another example, the CPU 10 detects the width from each of the plurality of electric signals representing the line-shaped reflected light for one column at each of the plurality of positions, which are predetermined positions, and calculates the average value or the like as the shadow width. W may be used.

  The CPU 10 detects the thickness of the paper S placed on the reading plate 130 by reading the thickness corresponding to the width W detected from the correspondence relationship between the shadow width and the paper thickness stored in advance. To do.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence relationship between the shadow width and the paper thickness (paper thickness) stored in the memory 11 of the scanner 100. The vertical direction in FIG. 5 represents the pixel position of the paper in the direction orthogonal to the operation direction, that is, the reading position of each of the image sensors arranged in a line included in the imaging unit 170. The uppermost position in FIG. 5, that is, pixel position 0 is located at the origin on the reading plate 130 which is the rearmost side, and the lower the position, the closer to the front side.

  As an example, in the correspondence relationship, the width of the shadow at the pixel position corresponding to the position of the edge corresponding to the size of the paper is associated with each paper thickness. For example, in the correspondence relationship of FIG. 5, when a 105 mm × 148 mm size paper called A6 is placed on the reading plate 130 in a landscape orientation, it corresponds to the end on the short side for a thickness of 0.25 μm. The width of the shadow at the 1000th to 1499th pixel position from the origin is associated with the length of 13 pixels. Therefore, the CPU 10 determines the size of the paper S, compares the width of each shadow defined at the pixel position corresponding to the position of the edge in the size and the width W of the shadow detected from the read result, The matching width or the closest thickness can be used as the thickness of the paper S.

  For example, when there is a shadow at the 6000th pixel position in the read result and the shadow width W is detected as 12 pixels or a width within a predetermined range from the 12 pixels, the CPU 10 5, the thickness of the sheet S is detected as 0.25 μm.

  As described in FIG. 2 or 3, since the position of the light source 143 is fixed, the positional relationship with the light source 143 is different for each position on the reading plate 130. Further, since the line-shaped reflected light is reduced by the lens 160 and imaged on the image sensor, generally, the irradiation light from the light source 143 is considered in consideration of the characteristics of the lens 160 (so-called cosine four rules). In some cases, the amount of light is designed to be different depending on the position in the operation direction. In this case, the conditions for generating shadows are different for each position on the reading plate 130.

  For this reason, even if the level difference generated between the sheet S and the holding member 121 is the same, the width of the shadow may be different for each position on the reading plate 130, that is, for each pixel position. Therefore, preferably, as shown in FIG. 5, the correspondence relationship defines the width of the shadow at the position for each pixel position. This correspondence can be said to be the relationship between the width of the shadow and the thickness of the paper according to the positional relationship between the position corresponding to the edge of the paper and the light source 143.

  Note that when the configuration of the positioning member 123 is that of FIG. 3, that is, when the thickness of the paper S is detected based on the width of the shadow generated in the notched portion of the positioning member 123, the position where the shadow width is detected. Does not vary depending on the size of the paper S. Therefore, the configuration shown in FIG. 3 can simplify the correspondence between the thickness of the paper stored in the memory 11 and the width of the shadow, thereby simplifying the detection process.

  FIG. 5 is an example of the correspondence relationship, and the correspondence relationship stored in the memory 11 of the scanner 100 is not limited to such a table format and content. For example, the relationship between the thickness of the paper and the width of the shadow may be defined regardless of the pixel position.

  Information indicating the detected thickness of the paper S is stored in the memory 11 of the scanner 100. For example, a CPU (not shown) included in the control board 210 of the printer 200 may read information indicating the thickness from the memory 11 of the scanner 100. Alternatively, the CPU 10 may output information indicating the thickness of the paper S to the control board 210 of the printer 200. By doing so, the control board 210 of the printer 200 can easily set the thickness of the paper to be printed.

  As another example, the thickness of the paper stored in each cassette 220 of the printer 200 may be stored in advance in the memory 11 of the scanner 100. In this case, the CPU 10 determines the thickness of the paper closest to the detected thickness of the paper S from the thickness of the paper stored in each cassette. Then, the CPU 10 outputs information indicating the thickness of the paper closest to the thickness of the paper S or the cassette 220 in which the paper having the thickness is stored to the control board 210 of the printer 200. By doing so, the control board 210 of the printer 200 can easily set the thickness of the paper to be printed.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the scanner 100 for performing the above operation. Each function of FIG. 6 is mainly realized by the CPU 10 when the CPU 10 of the scanner 100 reads and executes a program stored in the memory 11. However, some functions may be realized by other configurations shown in FIG. 1 or other configurations not shown such as an electric circuit.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the CPU 10 of the scanner 100 includes an operation input unit 101, a reading control unit 102, a signal input unit 103, a determination unit 104, a size determination unit 105, a first detection unit 106, and a first detection unit 106. 2 detection unit 107.

  The operation input unit 101 receives an input of an operation signal based on a user operation on the operation panel 180 from the operation panel 180. If the user operation is an operation for instructing execution of a reading operation, the operation input unit 101 issues an instruction to the reading control unit 102.

  The reading control unit 102 performs control for executing a reading operation by the scanner 100 in accordance with an instruction received from the operation input unit 101. Specifically, the reading control unit 102 outputs a control signal to the illumination unit 141 and starts illumination. Further, the reading control unit 102 outputs a control signal to a driving unit (motor or the like) of the first scanning unit 140 (not shown), and moves the first scanning unit 140 from the origin side on the reading plate 130 in the scanning direction. In addition, the reading control unit 102 outputs a control signal to the imaging unit 170, converts input light to each image sensor into an electric signal, and inputs the electric signal to the control board 110. The signal input unit 103 receives the input of the signal from the imaging unit 170.

  The size determination unit 105 determines the size of the paper S placed on the reading plate 130. As an example of the size determination method, the determination unit 104 determines an edge portion from the electrical signal that is a reading result by the imaging unit 170. Then, the size determination unit 105 determines the size of the paper S according to the arrangement of the edge portions.

  Note that the size determination method by the size determination unit 105 is not limited to the above method. As another method, for example, the user may specify the size of the paper S using the operation panel 180. Then, the size determination unit 105 may determine the size of the paper S by receiving a size specification from the operation input unit 101.

  The first detection unit 106 detects the width of the shadow at the edge of the paper S determined based on the size of the paper S from the reading result of the imaging unit 170 in the state illuminated by the illumination unit 141. When the positioning member 123 is provided with a notch portion as shown in FIG. 3, the first detection unit 106 detects the width of the shadow at the notch portion.

  The second detection unit 107 refers to the relationship between the shadow width and the sheet thickness as shown in FIG. 5 stored in advance in the correspondence storage unit 111 of the memory 11. Then, the second detection unit 107 detects the thickness of the paper S placed on the reading plate 130 by reading the thickness corresponding to the shadow width W detected by the first detection unit 106.

  Preferably, CPU 10 further includes a cassette determining unit 109 and an output unit 108 as shown in FIG. The output unit 108 outputs information indicating the thickness of the paper S to the thickness storage unit 112 of the memory 11 and stores the information in the memory 11. Alternatively, the output unit 108 may output to the control board 210 of the printer 200.

  Further, the thickness of the paper stored in each cassette 220 of the printer 200 may be stored in advance in the paper information storage unit 113 of the memory 11. The cassette determining unit 109 determines the thickness of the paper closest to the detected thickness of the paper S from the thickness of the paper stored in each cassette. In this case, the output unit 108 outputs information indicating the thickness of the sheet closest to the thickness of the sheet S or the cassette 220 in which the sheet having the thickness is stored to the control board 210 of the printer 200.

<Operation flow>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation flow of the scanner 100. The operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is realized by the CPU 10 of the scanner 100 reading out and executing a program stored in the memory 11 and exhibiting each function of FIG. The operation of FIG. 7 is started when the user of the scanner 100 places the paper S on the reading plate 130 and touches a button for instructing thickness detection (not shown) to instruct the start of the operation.

  With reference to FIG. 7, the CPU 10 of the scanner 100 first determines the size of the paper S placed on the reading plate 130 (step S101). In step S101, the CPU 10 may execute a reading operation and make a determination based on the arrangement of edges detected from the reading result. Alternatively, the CPU 10 may determine the size designated by the user operation on the operation panel 180 as the size of the paper S.

  Next, the CPU 10 outputs a control signal to the illumination unit 141 to irradiate the paper S placed on the reading plate 130 with light (step S103), and executes a reading operation in that state (step S105).

  Next, the CPU 10 suppresses due to the thickness of the sheet S at the end of the sheet S determined based on the size of the sheet S determined in step S101 from the reading result obtained by the reading operation in step S105. The width W of the shadow generated on the member 121 is detected (step S107).

  Next, the CPU 10 reads out the thickness corresponding to the shadow width W detected in step S107 from the relationship between the shadow width and the sheet thickness stored in advance in the memory 11, so that it is placed on the reading plate 130. The thickness of the placed paper S is detected (step S109). Then, the CPU 10 stores information indicating the detected thickness of the paper S in the memory 11 (step S111). Preferably, the CPU 10 outputs information indicating the detected thickness of the paper S to, for example, the control board 210 of the printer 200, the operation panel 180, or the like (step S113).

<Effect of Embodiment>
By performing the above operation by the scanner 100, even a user who does not know the thickness of the paper S or a user who does not know the method of measuring the thickness of the paper S places the paper S on the reading plate 130. It is possible to easily know the thickness of the sheet S simply by executing the reading operation.

  Further, the scanner 100 can read the sheet S placed on the reading plate 130 and detect the thickness of the sheet S from the result, thereby providing the scanner 100 with a special mechanism for detecting the thickness of the sheet S. There is no need to prepare. Therefore, the increase in size and cost of the device can be suppressed.

  Further, the scanner 100 can read the paper S placed on the reading plate 130 and detect the thickness of the paper S from the result, so that the scanner 100 or the printer 200 can detect the thickness of the paper S. There is no need to transport the paper S via the internal transport path. Therefore, it is possible to avoid troubles in conveyance such as a paper jam that may occur depending on the thickness of the paper S.

  When the user of the scanner 100 causes the scanner 100 to read an original and prints (copies) the image using the printer 200 connected to the scanner 100, the user scans the paper S used for the printing prior to the reading operation on the original. Let 100 read. Thus, the user can easily know the thickness of the paper S. The user can easily and accurately set the thickness of the paper S to be printed on the printer 200. Alternatively, the user can automatically set the thickness of the paper S in the printer 200 by detecting the thickness of the paper S to be printed using the scanner 100.

  Some users of the scanner 100 may create an original and use the scanner 100 and the printer 200 to create exactly the same original. For example, by drawing an illustration on cardboard and placing the cardboard on the reading plate 130 of the scanner 100 and instructing reading and printing, it is desired to obtain a specified number of sheets on which the same illustration is drawn on the same cardboard You may think.

  In such a case, the user of the scanner 100 places a document on the reading plate 130 to perform a reading operation. Thereby, the user can know the thickness of the document. The user can accurately set the thickness of the paper S to be printed in the printer 200. Alternatively, the user can automatically set the thickness of the paper S in the printer 200 by detecting the thickness of the document using the scanner 100.

  In this case, the scanner 100 may double as a reading operation for detecting a thickness of the document. That is, the scanner 100 generates printing data from image data obtained by performing a reading operation on the document, and detects the thickness of the document by performing the above-described processing on the image data. Good. By doing so, the number of reading operations can be suppressed, and the entire processing can be speeded up and made efficient.

<Other examples>
The disclosed features are realized by one or more modules. For example, the feature can be realized by a circuit element or other hardware module, by a software module that defines processing for realizing the feature, or by a combination of a hardware module and a software module.

  It is also possible to provide a program that is a combination of one or more software modules that causes the CPU 10 mounted on the scanner 100 to perform the above-described operation. By providing such a program, it is possible to cause an existing scanner to function as the reading device.

  Such a program is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk attached to the computer, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a memory card. And can be provided as a program product. Alternatively, the program can be provided by being recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk built in the computer. A program can also be provided by downloading via a network.

  The program according to the present disclosure is a program module that is provided as a part of a computer operating system (OS) and calls necessary modules in a predetermined arrangement at a predetermined timing to execute processing. Also good. In that case, the program itself does not include the module, and the process is executed in cooperation with the OS. Such a program that does not include a module may also be included in the program according to the present disclosure.

  Further, the program according to the present disclosure may be provided by being incorporated in a part of another program. Even in this case, the program itself does not include the module included in the other program, and the process is executed in cooperation with the other program. A program incorporated in such another program may also be included in the program according to the present disclosure.

  The provided program product is installed in a program storage unit such as a hard disk and executed. The program product includes the program itself and a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  10 CPU, 11 memory, 100 scanner, 101 operation input unit, 102 control unit, 103 signal input unit, 104 discrimination unit, 105 size determination unit, 106 first detection unit, 107 second detection unit, 108 output unit, 109 cassette Determination unit, 110, 210 Control board, 111 Corresponding storage unit, 112 Thickness storage unit, 113 Paper information storage unit, 120 Suppression unit, 121 Suppression member, 123 Positioning member, 130 Reading plate, 140 First scanning unit, 141 Illumination unit , 142, 144 Reflector, 143 Light source, 150 Second scanning unit, 151 Mirror group, 160 Lens, 170 Imaging section, 180 Operation panel, 200 Printer, 220 Cassette, S paper, W Shadow width.

Claims (10)

A reading device that optically reads the content of the sheet placed on a reading plate having transparency on the side of the reading plate,
A pressing member for pressing the sheet placed on the reading plate against the reading plate to fix the position of the sheet with respect to the reading plate;
Of the two surfaces of the reading plate, reading means disposed on the back side of the surface on which the paper is placed;
Illumination means for irradiating light from a fixed position on the surface of the sheet placed on the reading plate facing the reading plate;
First determining means for determining the size of the paper placed on the reading plate;
It is a shadow at the edge of the paper determined based on the size from the reading result by the reading means in the state irradiated by the illuminating means, and is generated between the holding member and the thickness of the paper. First detecting means for detecting the width of the shadow caused by the step,
The paper placed on the reading plate is read out by reading out the thickness corresponding to the width of the shadow detected by the first detection means from the relationship between the shadow width stored in advance and the thickness of the paper. And a second detecting means for detecting the thickness of the reading device. A discriminating unit for discriminating an edge portion from a reading result by the reading unit;
The first determining means determines the size according to the arrangement of the edge portion,
The reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first detection unit detects a width of the shadow at the edge portion from the reading result. The relationship between the shadow width and the paper thickness stored in advance is the relationship between the shadow width and the paper thickness according to the positional relationship between the edge of the paper and the illumination means,
The second detection means detects the shadow detected by the first detection means from the relationship between the width of the shadow according to the position of the edge of the paper placed on the reading plate and the thickness of the paper. The reading device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness corresponding to the width of the reading is read out. A positioning member configured to abut against at least one side of the sheet placed on the reading plate and for fixing the position of the sheet with respect to the reading plate;
The reading according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first detection means detects a width of a shadow at a notch portion provided on a surface configured to be able to abut the one side of the positioning member. apparatus. The illuminating means includes a light source and a reflecting plate, and irradiates the surface of the sheet placed on the reading plate facing the reading plate with light reflected by the reflecting plate,
5. The end of the sheet, in which the first detection unit detects the width of the shadow, is in a direction in which the light emitted from the light source is reflected toward the reflection plate. Reading device.   The reading apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reflection plate is configured such that a reflectance in a direction in which irradiation light from the light source is reflected is larger than a reflectance in another direction.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an output unit configured to output the thickness of the sheet detected by the second detection unit to the image forming apparatus connected to the reading device as the thickness of the sheet used for printing. The reading device according to any one of -6. Storage means for storing the thickness of the printing paper stored in each of the one or more cassettes of the image forming apparatus connected to the reading device;
Second determining means for determining the thickness of the paper closest to the thickness of the paper detected by the second detecting means from the thickness of the paper stored in each of the one or more cassettes; In addition,
The reading device according to claim 7, wherein the output unit outputs information indicating the thickness of the paper determined by the second determination unit to the image forming apparatus. A method for detecting the thickness of a sheet using a reader,
Irradiating light onto the surface of the paper facing the reading plate in a state where the paper placed on the transparent reading plate is pressed against the reading plate by a restraining member;
A step of optically reading a surface of the sheet that is irradiated with the light and facing the reading plate by a reading unit disposed on the back side of the surface on which the sheet is placed, of the two surfaces of the reading plate. When,
The shadow width at the edge portion of the paper determined based on the size of the paper from the reading result of the reading portion, and caused by the step formed between the paper and the suppression member due to the thickness of the paper Detecting steps,
Detecting the thickness of the paper placed on the reading plate by reading out the thickness corresponding to the detected width of the shadow from the relationship between the shadow width stored in advance and the thickness of the paper. A detection method comprising: A program for causing a computer mounted on a reading device to execute an operation of detecting the thickness of a sheet placed on a reading plate,
The reading plate has transparency,
The program is stored in the computer.
Irradiating the surface of the paper facing the reading plate with an irradiation unit including a light source disposed at a fixed position in a state where the paper is pressed against the reading plate by a holding member;
A step of optically reading a surface of the sheet that is irradiated with the light and facing the reading plate by a reading unit disposed on the back side of the surface on which the sheet is placed, of the two surfaces of the reading plate. When,
The shadow width at the edge of the paper determined based on the size of the paper from the reading result by the reading unit, and caused by the step formed between the paper and the restraining member due to the thickness of the paper Detecting steps,
Detecting the thickness of the paper placed on the reading plate by reading out the thickness corresponding to the detected width of the shadow from the relationship between the shadow width stored in advance and the thickness of the paper. And a detection program to execute.

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