JP2020029369A - Image reading device and image formation system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image reading device that reduces color unevenness in the width direction of paper when reading the color of an image thereon and properly read the color of the image.SOLUTION: An image reading device 30 includes: at least one roller pair that holds and transports a recording sheet 50 with an image thermally fixated thereon in the transportation direction; and a reading part that reads the recording sheet 50 passing due to the transportation in a predetermined reading area in the width direction intersecting the transportation direction. At least the roller pair includes an upstream side transportation roller pair located on an upper side with respect to the reading area in the transportation direction and the closest to the reading area. The reading surface side roller of the upstream side transportation roller pair that contacts the reading surface by the reading part of the reading sheet is provided so that the end side in the width direction does not intersect the reading area of the recording sheet to be read by the reading part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading device and an image forming system.

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming system is known in which an image formed on a sheet by an image forming apparatus is read by an image reading apparatus provided downstream, and information such as the color and position of the read image is fed back to the image forming apparatus as correction information. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

In the image forming apparatus as described above, the image formed on the sheet by the image forming unit is
The sheet is heated and pressed by the fixing unit and is fixed on the sheet. The sheet on which the image has been fixed is nipped by a pair of rotating conveyance rollers, and is conveyed to a reading unit of the image reading apparatus. As the transport roller pair, a roller that partially sandwiches a sheet in a width direction crossing the sheet transport direction is generally used in consideration of cost.

JP 2014-165802 A

Heat applied in the fixing unit remains on the sheet conveyed to the reading unit by the pair of conveying rollers. When the sheet with the remaining heat is nipped between the pair of conveying rollers, the heat of the sheet moves to the conveying roller at a portion in contact with the conveying roller, and the surface temperature of the sheet decreases at that portion. Therefore, when using a pair of conveying rollers that pinch a part of the sheet in the width direction of the sheet, a difference occurs in the sheet surface temperature between the portion pinched by the pair of conveying rollers and the portion not pinched, and The unevenness of the surface temperature is caused temporarily.

Here, a phenomenon called thermochromism in which the color of a substance reversibly changes depending on the temperature is known. When the surface temperature of the paper, that is, the temperature of the image formed on the paper changes due to the thermochromism phenomenon, the color of the image also changes. For example, even if an image of the same color is printed, if the temperature differs depending on the position of the image, the color of the image read at each position is different. Therefore, when the surface temperature is uneven in the width direction of the paper as described above, the color of the image is also uneven. In this case, the color of the image cannot be read appropriately and fed back to the image forming apparatus, which is not preferable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image reading apparatus capable of reducing color unevenness in the width direction of a sheet when reading the color of an image and appropriately reading the color of the image.

  The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

(1) At least one pair of transport rollers for nipping and transporting a recording sheet on which an image is thermally fixed in the transport direction, and the recording sheet passing by transport in a predetermined reading area in a width direction intersecting the transport direction. And a reading unit for reading, the at least one transport roller pair includes an upstream transport roller pair located upstream of the reading area in the transport direction and closest to the reading area, The reading surface side roller of the upstream transport roller pair that comes into contact with the surface of the recording sheet to be read by the reading unit is such that an edge in the width direction does not intersect the reading range of the recording sheet to be read by the reading unit. Image reading device provided.

(2) The upstream transport roller pair is provided such that a boundary in the width direction between a nip area, which is a holding range of the recording sheet, and an area other than the nip area does not intersect the reading range. The image reading device according to claim 1.

(3) The image reading device according to (1) or (2), wherein the reading surface side roller is provided so as to contact an entire area of the reading range in the width direction.

(4) The surface of the reading surface roller that contacts the recording sheet is made of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the surface of the roller that forms a pair with the reading surface roller and contacts the recording sheet. The image reading device according to any one of (1) to (3).

(5) The surface of the reading surface side roller that contacts the recording sheet has a smaller surface roughness than the surface of the roller that forms a pair with the reading surface side roller and contacts the recording sheet.
The image reading device according to any one of 1) to (4).

(6) The reading unit includes a first area including an entire area of the passing recording sheet in the width direction.
A first reading unit that reads the recording sheet in a reading area, and a second reading unit that is provided downstream of the first reading area in the transport direction and includes a partial area of the recording sheet that passes in the width direction. A second reading unit that reads the recording sheet in a region, and a second reading unit that is located on the reading surface side of the transport roller pair that is located on the upstream side of the first reading region and closest to the first reading region. The roller is provided so as to be in contact with the entire area of the reading range of the recording sheet to be read by the first reading unit in the width direction, and is provided upstream of the second reading area and downstream of the first reading area. The transport roller pair located closest to the second reading area is located between the nip area that is the holding range of the recording sheet and an area other than the nip area in the width direction. Field is, the second reading unit the above provided so as not to intersect the scanning range of the recording sheet to be read by (1) The image reading apparatus according to any one of - (5).

(7) The image reading device according to any one of (1) to (6), an image forming unit that forms and fixes an image on a recording sheet, and supplies the recording sheet to the image reading device; An image forming system having:

According to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the end in the width direction of the reading surface side roller is provided so as not to intersect with the reading range of the sheet to be read by the reading unit. This makes it possible to reduce unevenness in the surface temperature in the width direction of the sheet when reading an image within the reading range by the reading unit, thereby reducing color unevenness in the image. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately read the color of the image and feed it back to the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a sheet feeding device, an image forming device, an image reading device, and a post-processing device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a pair of transport rollers provided on an upstream side of the colorimeter. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view illustrating a positional relationship between a pair of transport rollers and a colorimeter illustrated in FIG. 3. It is a perspective view showing the schematic structure of the conveyance roller pair provided in the upper stream side of the 2nd scanner. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view illustrating a positional relationship between a pair of transport rollers illustrated in FIG. 5 and a second scanner. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a pair of transport rollers provided on an upstream side of a first scanner. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a pair of transport rollers and a first scanner as viewed from an arrow direction in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a transport roller pair provided on an upstream side of a colorimeter of the image reading device according to Modification 1. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating a positional relationship between a pair of transport rollers and a colorimeter illustrated in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a reading area of a colorimeter of an image reading apparatus according to Modification 2 and a pair of conveying rollers. FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a transport roller pair provided on an upstream side of a second scanner of an image reading apparatus according to Modification Example 3.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference symbols, without redundant description. In addition, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of description, and may be different from the actual ratios.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a sheet feeding device, an image forming device, an image reading device, and a post-processing device.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming system 1 includes a sheet feeding device 10, an image forming device 2
0, an image reading device 30 and a post-processing device 40. Paper feed device 10, image forming device 20
, The image reading device 30 and the post-processing device 40 are connected in order from the upstream side to the downstream side of the sheet conveyance. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus 20, the sheet feeding apparatus 10, the image reading apparatus 30, and the post-processing apparatus 40 will be described in this order.

<Image forming apparatus>
The image forming apparatus 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, an operation panel 24, a paper feeding unit 25, an image forming unit 26, and a fixing unit 27, and these buses for exchanging signals. Connected to each other.

The control unit 21 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit),
Control of the above-described units and various arithmetic processes are performed according to a program.

The storage unit 22 is a ROM (Read O / O) that stores various programs and various data in advance.
nly Memory), a RAM that temporarily stores programs and data as a work area
(Random Access Memory) and a hard disk for storing various programs and various data.

The communication unit 23 is an interface for communicating with other devices. The communication unit 23 transmits and receives setting values and various signals necessary for operation timing control to and from the sheet feeding device 10, the image reading device 30, and the post-processing device 40. I do.

The operation panel 24 includes a touch panel, numeric keys, a start button, a stop button, and the like, and is used for displaying various information and inputting various instructions.

The paper supply unit 25 stores paper 50 as a recording sheet used for printing. Paper feed unit 25
Has a plurality of paper feed trays, and sends out the sheets 50 stored in the paper feed trays to the image forming unit 26 one by one.

The image forming section 26 forms an image on a sheet 50 supplied from the sheet feeding section 25. The image forming unit 26 forms an image based on various data on a transfer belt using an electrophotographic process, and transfers the image formed on the transfer belt to a sheet 50. In the lower part of the image forming unit 26,
A sheet reversing mechanism 28 is provided, and the image forming unit 26 can form an image on both sides of the sheet 50.

The fixing unit 27 thermally fixes the image formed on the sheet 50 by the image forming unit 26. The fixing unit 27 has a pressure roller and a heating roller, and applies heat and pressure to the sheet 50 on which the image has been transferred, thereby fusing the image to the sheet 50.

<Paper feeder>
The paper feeding device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, and a paper feeding unit 14, which are interconnected via a bus for exchanging signals. Note that the control unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the communication unit 13 have the same functions as the control unit 21, the storage unit 22, and the communication unit 23 of the image forming apparatus 20, and therefore, description thereof will be omitted to avoid redundant description. .

The paper feed unit 14 has a plurality of paper feed trays, and stores one sheet of paper 50 stored in the paper feed tray.
The sheets are sent out to the image forming apparatus 20 one by one.

<Image reading device>
The image reading device 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, a paper transport unit 34, a first scanner 35, a second scanner 36, and a colorimeter 37, which are used to exchange signals. They are interconnected via a bus. Note that the control unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the communication unit 33 have the same functions as the control unit 21, the storage unit 22, and the communication unit 23 of the image forming apparatus 20, and therefore, description thereof will be omitted to avoid redundant description. .

The paper transport unit 34 transports the paper 50 on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 20. The paper transport unit 34 includes a plurality of transport roller pairs 341 to nip and transport the paper 50.
344. The transport roller pair 341 includes a roller R1 and a roller R2. Similarly, the transport roller pair 342 includes a roller R3 and a roller R4,
The transport roller pair 343 includes a roller R5 and a roller R6, and the transport roller pair 344 includes a roller R7 and a roller R8. The transport roller pair 341 is provided on the upstream side of the first scanner 35 in the transport direction of the paper 50 and is provided closest to the first scanner. The transport roller pair 342 is the second in the transport direction of the paper 50.
It is provided upstream of the scanner 36 and closest to the second scanner. The transport roller pair 343 is on the upstream side of the colorimeter 37 in the transport direction of the paper 50,
It is provided closest to the colorimeter 37. The configuration of each of the transport roller pairs 341 to 344 will be described later in detail.

The first scanner 35 reads an image on the lower surface of the paper 50 transported by the paper transport unit 34. The first scanner 35 is a CCD (Charge Coupled Device).
It is a line sensor or a contact image sensor (CIS), and reads an image of the entire area of the sheet 50 conveyed on the conveyance path in the width direction. On the side facing the first scanner 35 across the transport path of the sheet 50, a rotating member 351 that can switch the surface facing the first scanner 35 according to the application is disposed.

The second scanner 36 reads an image on the upper surface of the paper 50 transported by the paper transport unit 34. The second scanner 36 is a CCD line sensor or CIS, and reads an image of the entire area of the paper 50 conveyed on the conveyance path in the width direction. On the side facing the second scanner 36 across the transport path of the paper 50, a rotating member 361 that can switch the surface facing the second scanner 36 according to the application is disposed.

The colorimeter 37, as a reading unit, measures the color of the image formed on the upper surface of the paper 50. Colorimeter 3
Reference numeral 7 denotes, for example, a spectrocolorimeter that reads a color in a predetermined area in the width direction of the paper 50. On the side facing the colorimeter 37 across the transport path of the paper 50, a rotating member 371 that can switch the surface facing the colorimeter 37 according to the application is disposed.

The first scanner 35, the second scanner 36, and the colorimeter 37 each constitute a reading unit. Further, the colorimeter 37 constitutes a first reading unit, and the first scanner 35 and the second scanner 36 constitute a second reading unit.

<Post-processing device>
The post-processing device 40 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, a communication unit 43, a post-processing unit 44, and a paper discharge unit 45, which are interconnected via a bus for exchanging signals. . The control unit 41, the storage unit 42, and the communication unit 43 have the same functions as the control unit 21, the storage unit 22, and the communication unit 23 of the image forming apparatus 20. Omitted.

The post-processing unit 44 performs post-processing such as stapling and punching on the sheet 50 discharged from the image reading device 30. The paper discharge unit 45 sends out the paper 50 that has passed through the post-processing unit 44 to the outside of the post-processing device 40.

The sheet feeding device 10, the image forming device 20, the image reading device 30, and the post-processing device 40
Components other than the above components may be included, or some of the above components may not be included.

In the image forming system 1 configured as described above, in order to correct the color information obtained by reading the image by the first scanner 35 and the second scanner 36 of the image reading device 30, the colorimetry of the image by the colorimeter 37 is performed. Is performed in the adjustment mode. By executing the adjustment mode, it is possible to set so that color information obtained by reading with a scanner is corrected to precise color information obtained by measuring colors with a colorimeter. Thereby, the accuracy of the color information read by the scanner at the time of printing and fed back to the image forming apparatus 20 can be improved. here,
When the color information is read by the first scanner 35, the second scanner 36, and the colorimeter 37, if the surface temperature is uneven in the width direction of the paper 50, the image changes due to the thermochromism phenomenon in which the color changes depending on the temperature. Will also be uneven. Therefore, in the image reading apparatus 30 of the present embodiment, when the first scanner 35, the second scanner 36, and the colorimeter 37 read color information, each transport roller is so shaped as to reduce unevenness in surface temperature in the width direction. The pairs 341, 342, 343 are arranged.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of each transport roller pair 341, 342, 343 of the image reading device 30 will be described in detail. For convenience of description, the description will be made in the order of the conveying roller pairs 343, 342, 341.

<Transport roller pair 343>
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a transport roller pair provided on the upstream side of the colorimeter.
FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the pair of transport rollers and the colorimeter shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transport roller pair 343 has a roller R5 and a roller R6. The roller R5 is, for example, a driven roller made of polyacetal resin (POM) that is driven to rotate by being pressed against the rotating roller R6. The roller R6 is, for example,
It is a drive roller made of ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM) that is driven to rotate.

The roller R <b> 5 is a reading surface side roller that contacts the upper surface of the paper 50, that is, the surface that is read by the colorimeter 37 when the paper 50 is nipped. The roller R5 has two divided rollers R5a and R5b that are arranged separately in the axial direction, and comes into contact with the sheet 50 on the outer peripheral surface of the divided rollers R5a and R5b. The roller R <b> 6 is a roller that contacts the lower surface of the sheet 50, that is, the surface that is not read by the colorimeter 37. The roller R6 has two divided rollers R6a and R6b divided in the width direction of the sheet 50, and comes into contact with the sheet 50 on the outer peripheral surfaces of the divided rollers R6a and R6b. The positions of the split rollers R6a and R6b correspond to the positions of the split rollers R5a and R5b, respectively. A nip region where the sheet 50 is held is formed between the dividing roller R6a and the dividing roller R5a and between the dividing roller R6b and the dividing roller R5b.

As shown in FIG. 4, the transport roller pair 343 is disposed upstream of the colorimeter 37 in the transport direction A, and transports the paper 50 in the transport direction A. The colorimeter 37 is provided on the transport path of the paper 50, and measures the color of the image of the paper 50 in a predetermined reading area 372. The roller R5 of the transport roller pair 343 contacts the paper 50 in the contact ranges 51a and 51b on the paper 50, and the transport roller pair 343 sandwiches the paper 50 in the contact ranges 51a and 51b. The colorimeter 37 measures the color of the image in the reading range 52, which is the portion passing through the reading area 372 on the paper 50.

The roller R5, which is a reading surface side roller, is provided such that an edge in the width direction B does not intersect with the reading range 52 of the paper 50 read by the colorimeter 37. More specifically, each of the divided rollers R5a and R5b is provided such that an end side in the width direction B does not intersect with the reading range 52. In other words, the end in the width direction of the roller R5 and the colorimeter 37
The reading area 372 or the reading range 52 of the paper 50 by the colorimeter 37 is provided so that the position in the width direction B is different.

Considering the configuration from another point of view, the following can be said. The transport roller pair 343 is
The sheet 50 is held in the contact areas 51a and 51b. Therefore, the transport roller pair 34
The boundary in the width direction B between the nip area, which is the area where the sheet 50 is sandwiched by the sheet No. 3, and the area other than the nip area is provided so as not to intersect with the reading range 52 of the sheet 50 read by the colorimeter 37.

According to the transport roller pair 343 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the contact ranges 51a and 51b of the sheet 50 by the roller R5 (a pinch range in which the sheet 50 is clamped by the transport roller pair 343) are: The reading range 52 of the paper 50 by the colorimeter 37 does not overlap.
Here, in the contact ranges 51a and 51b, since the sheet 50 comes into contact with the roller R5, the heat of the sheet 50 applied at the time of image fixing moves to the roller R5. For this reason, the contact range 51a,
The surface temperature of 51b is lower than that of other portions on the paper 50. According to the image reading device 30 of the present embodiment, the contact ranges 51 a and 51 b where the surface temperature is reduced
Is not included in the reading range 52 of the paper 50 by the above. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate a portion in the reading range 52 where the temperature is lowered due to the contact of the roller R5. Thus, when the image in the reading range 52 is read by the colorimeter 37,
Can be reduced in the width direction B, and the color unevenness of the image can be reduced. as a result,
The color of the image can be read appropriately and fed back to the image forming apparatus 20.

<Transport roller pair 342>
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a transport roller pair provided on the upstream side of the second scanner. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the pair of transport rollers shown in FIG. 5 and the second scanner.

As shown in FIG. 5, the transport roller pair 342 has a roller R3 and a roller R4. The roller R <b> 3 is a reading surface side roller that contacts the upper surface of the paper 50, that is, the surface that is read by the second scanner 36 when the paper 50 is nipped. Roller R4
Is a roller that contacts the lower surface of the sheet 50, that is, the surface that is not read by the second scanner 36.

The roller R <b> 3, which is the reading surface side roller, is one roller that is continuous in the axial direction, and has a width wider than the width of the sheet 50. The roller R4 has two divided rollers R4a and R4b provided separately in the axial direction, and comes into contact with the sheet 50 on the outer peripheral surface of the divided rollers R4a and R4b.

The surface of the roller R3, which is the reading surface side roller, in contact with the sheet 50 is made of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the surface of the roller R4 paired with the roller R3 in contact with the sheet 50. The roller R3 is, for example, a metal roller such as stainless steel, and the roller R4.
Is a roller made of, for example, ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM) or polyurethane. The surface of the roller R3 that contacts the sheet 50 is configured to have a smaller surface roughness than the surface of the roller R4 that contacts the sheet 50. The surface roughness can be reduced by, for example, surface processing such as polishing or surface treatment such as plating.

As shown in FIG. 6, the transport roller pair 342 is moved in the transport direction A by the second scanner 36.
, And transports the paper 50 in the transport direction A. The second scanner 36 is
An image on the paper 50 to be transported, which is provided on the transport path of the paper 50, is read.

The second scanner 36 reads an image on the sheet 50 in a reading area 362 over the entire area of the sheet 50 in the width direction B. Therefore, the second scanner 36 reads an image in the reading range 52 corresponding to the entire area of the sheet 50. Further, since the roller R3 has a width wider than the width of the sheet 50, the roller R3 contacts the sheet 50 over the entire area in the width direction B of the sheet 50. Therefore, the roller R3 contacts the sheet 50 in a contact range 51 corresponding to the entire area of the sheet 50. As described above, in the present embodiment, the roller R3, which is the reading surface side roller, is provided so as to contact the entire area of the reading range 52 of the paper 50 by the second scanner 36 in the width direction B.

According to the transport roller pair 342 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the roller R3 that is the reading surface side roller is provided so as to contact the entire area of the reading range 52 in the width direction. Therefore, the entire area of the reading range 52 of the paper 50 by the second scanner 36 is
The temperature can be set in a range where the temperature is lowered by the contact of the roller R3. Thereby, when reading the image in the reading range 52 by the second scanner 36, the unevenness of the surface temperature in the width direction B of the paper 50 can be reduced, and the color unevenness of the image can be reduced. As a result, the color of the image can be appropriately read and fed back to the image forming apparatus 20. For example, even when the surface temperature of the sheet 50 is uneven due to the contact of the split rollers arranged on the upstream side of the transport roller pair 342, the transport roller pair 342 contacts the entire area of the reading range 52 to cause the surface to become uneven. Temperature unevenness can be reduced.

The surface of the roller R3, which is a reading surface side roller, that comes into contact with the paper 50 is a roller R3.
3 is made of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the surface of the roller R4 which makes a pair with the roller 3 and which contacts the paper 50. Thereby, when the roller R3 comes into contact with the sheet 50, more heat is applied to the sheet 50.
Can be moved to the roller R3, and the surface temperature of the paper 50 can be made more efficient. Therefore, color unevenness of an image can be reduced more efficiently.

The surface of the roller R3, which is a reading surface side roller, that comes into contact with the paper 50 is a roller R3.
The surface roughness of the roller R4 paired with the roller 3 is smaller than the surface of the roller R4 that contacts the sheet 50. Thereby, the contact area when the roller R3 comes into contact with the paper 50 is increased, more heat can be transferred from the paper 50 to the roller R3, and the surface temperature of the paper 50 can be more efficiently uniformized. . Therefore, color unevenness of an image can be reduced more efficiently.

<Transport roller pair 341>
FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a transport roller pair provided on the upstream side of the first scanner. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the pair of transport rollers and the first scanner as viewed from the direction of the arrow in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the transport roller pair 341 has a roller R1 and a roller R2. The roller R <b> 1 is a roller that contacts the upper surface of the paper 50, that is, the surface that is not read by the first scanner 35 when the paper 50 is nipped. The roller R <b> 2 is a reading surface side roller that comes into contact with the lower surface of the sheet 50, that is, the surface that is read by the first scanner 35. The configuration of the roller R1 is similar to the configuration of the roller R4, and the configuration of the roller R2 is similar to the configuration of the roller R3.

As shown in FIG. 8, the transport roller pair 341 is moved in the transport direction A by the first scanner 35.
, And transports the paper 50 in the transport direction A. The first scanner 35
An image on the paper 50 to be transported, which is provided on the transport path of the paper 50, is read.

The first scanner 35 reads an image on the sheet 50 in a reading area 352 covering the entire area of the sheet 50 in the width direction B. Therefore, the first scanner 35 reads an image in the reading range 52 corresponding to the entire area of the sheet 50. Further, since the roller R2 has a width wider than the width of the sheet 50, the roller R2 contacts the sheet 50 over the entire area in the width direction B of the sheet 50. Therefore, the roller R2 comes into contact with the paper 50 in a contact range 51 corresponding to the entire range of the paper 50. As described above, in the present embodiment, the roller R2, which is the reading surface side roller, is provided so as to contact the entire area of the reading range 52 in the width direction B.

According to the transport roller pair 341 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the roller R2, which is the reading surface side roller, is provided so as to contact the entire area of the reading range 52 in the width direction. Thus, even when the lower surface of the sheet 50 is read, the surface temperature is made uniform in the entire reading range 52 on the lower surface of the sheet 50 immediately before the sheet 50 is read. Therefore, even when reading the lower surface of the sheet 50, unevenness in the surface temperature can be reduced, and color unevenness can be reduced.

(Modification 1)
In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the transport roller pair 343 is configured by divided rollers that are arranged separately in the axial direction. However, the transport roller pair 34
The configuration of 3 is not limited to this. For example, the rollers that constitute the transport roller pair 343 may be one roller that is continuous in the axial direction, instead of being a split roller.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a transport roller pair provided on the upstream side of the colorimeter of the image reading device according to the first modification. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the pair of transport rollers and the colorimeter shown in FIG.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, in the image reading device 30 according to the first modification, the two rollers R5c and R6c that configure the transport roller pair 343 are not split rollers, but are each one roller that is continuous in the axial direction. It has a width smaller than the width of the paper 50.

As shown in FIG. 10, the roller R <b> 5 c, which is a reading surface side roller, is provided such that an edge in the width direction B does not intersect with the reading range 52 of the paper 50 read by the colorimeter 37. Further, unlike the rollers R5a and R5b, the roller R5c is provided so as to be in contact with the entire area within the reading range 52 of the paper 50 by the colorimeter 37 in the width direction B.

According to such a configuration, the entire range of the reading range 52 of the paper 50 by the colorimeter 37 is set to the contact range 51 in which the roller R5c is brought into contact, that is, the range in which the temperature is lowered by the contact of the roller R5c. Can be. Thus, when the colorimeter 37 reads an image in the reading range 52, unevenness in the surface temperature in the width direction B of the paper 50 can be reduced, and color unevenness in the image can be reduced.

(Modification 2)
Further, in the above embodiment, the example in which the reading area 372 by the colorimeter 37 is provided at the center in the width direction of the paper 50 is described, but the position of the reading area 372 is not limited to this. For example, the reading area 372 may be provided at an end of the sheet 50 in the width direction.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a first reading area of a colorimeter of the image reading apparatus according to Modification 2 and a pair of conveying rollers.

In FIG. 11, (a) shows an example in which divided rollers R5a and R5b are arranged as reading surface rollers, and (b) shows an example in which one roller R5c is arranged as reading surface rollers.

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the reading area 372 of the colorimeter 37 is
0, the end in the width direction is the reading range 52.
Each roller can be arranged so as not to intersect. Thus, the entire area of the reading range 52 can be set as either an area where the surface temperature is not decreased without being contacted by the roller or an area where the surface temperature is decreased due to the contact with the roller. Therefore, when the image in the reading range 52 is read by the colorimeter 37, the unevenness of the surface temperature in the width direction B of the paper 50 can be reduced, and the unevenness of the color of the image can be reduced.

(Modification 3)
In the above-described embodiment, the transport roller pair 342 includes one roller R3 that is continuous in the axial direction and two divided rollers R4a and R4b that are separated from each other in the axial direction.
The example constituted by the roller R4 having the above has been described. However, transport roller pair 3
The configuration of 41 is not limited to this. For example, the roller R4 of the transport roller pair 342 is
Like the roller R3, it may be constituted by one roller that is continuous in the axial direction.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a transport roller pair provided on the upstream side of the second scanner of the image reading apparatus according to the third modification.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, in the image reading device 30 according to the third modification, the two rollers R3 and R4 included in the transport roller pair 342 are each one roller that is continuous in the axial direction. Also have a wide width.

According to such a configuration, since the entire area of the reading range 52 of the paper 50 by the second scanner 36 can be nipped by the pair of transport rollers 342, the surface temperature of the paper 50 within the reading range 52 can be made more uniform. In addition, color unevenness of an image can be reduced. Further, since the entire area in the width direction of the paper 50 can be pinched regardless of the size of the paper 50, the paper 50 can be stably conveyed while suppressing the displacement and inclination of the paper 50.

In the third modification, the example in which the present invention is applied to the transport roller pair 342 has been described. However, the present modification may be applied to the transport roller pair 341.

The present invention is not limited to only the above-described embodiments, but can be variously modified within the scope of the claims.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, an image reading apparatus including two scanners and one colorimeter has been described as an example, but the configuration of the image reading apparatus is not limited to this. For example, the image reading device may not include a colorimeter and may include only one scanner, or may include two or more colorimeters.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the image reading apparatus is provided with four transport roller pairs has been described, but the number and configuration of the transport roller pairs are not limited to the above example. For example, 3
One or five or more transport roller pairs may be provided. Further, the configuration of the split roller is not limited to the above example, and one roller may be formed by, for example, three or more split rollers separated in the axial direction.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which the transport roller pairs 341, 342, and 343 are provided on the upstream side of the first scanner 35, the second scanner 36, and the colorimeter 37, respectively. Is not limited to this. The arrangement of the transport rollers can be appropriately selected according to the position and range where the sheet is read.

In the above-described embodiment, the image forming system including the image forming apparatus and the image reading apparatus has been described as an example. However, the image reading device may be built in the image forming device. In this case, a colorimeter or a scanner is provided inside the image forming apparatus, and each unit is controlled by a control unit of the image forming apparatus.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where an image is formed on a sheet and read is described as an example. However, the recording sheet on which an image is formed and read is not limited to paper, but may be various recording materials made of resin, metal, or the like.

Means and method for performing various processes in the image forming system according to the above-described embodiment include:
It can be realized by either a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. The above program is, for example, a flexible disk and a C
It may be provided by a computer-readable recording medium such as a D-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), or may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred to and stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk. Further, the program may be provided as independent application software, or may be incorporated in the software of the apparatus as one function of the image forming system.

1 image forming system,
10 paper feeder,
11, 21, 31, 41 control unit,
12, 22, 32, 42 storage unit,
13, 23, 33, 43 communication unit,
14, 25 paper feeder,
20 image forming apparatus,
24 operation panel,
26 image forming unit,
27 fixing unit,
28 paper reversing mechanism,
30 image reading device,
34 paper transport unit,
341 to 344 transport roller pair,
35 first scanner,
36 Second Scanner,
37 colorimeter,
40 post-processing equipment,
44 post-processing unit,
45 paper output unit,
50 papers,
51, 51a, 52a contact range,
52 reading range,
R1 to R8 rollers.

(1) A reading unit that reads an image of a recording sheet to be conveyed, and a conveyance unit that is disposed closest to the reading unit upstream of the reading unit with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording sheet and sandwiches and conveys the recording sheet. Means, wherein the conveying means sandwiches and conveys the recording sheet from the front end to the rear end in the conveying direction of the recording sheet, and at least an image read by the reading unit is formed in the conveying means. An image reading device configured such that an end side in a width direction of a conveying member in contact with a surface does not intersect a reading range of the reading unit in a width direction of a recording sheet.

(2) The image reading apparatus according to (1), wherein the reading unit is a first reading unit that sets a predetermined area that is a part of a conveyed recording sheet in a width direction as the reading range.

(3) The image reading apparatus according to (1), wherein the reading unit is a second reading unit that sets an entire area in a width direction of the conveyed recording sheet as the reading range.

(4) In the above-mentioned transporting means, at least a contact area of the transporting member, which is in contact with a surface on which an image read by the reading section is formed, with a recording sheet does not overlap with a reading area of the one reading section. The image reading device according to (2).

(5) In the transporting means, at least the range of contact of the transporting member with the recording sheet in contact with the surface on which the image read by the reading unit is formed includes the entire area of the reading range of the reading unit. The image reading device according to any one of the above (1) to (3).

(6) a first reading section in which the reading section has a predetermined area that is a part of the width of the conveyed recording sheet in the width direction as the reading range, and an entire area in the width direction of the conveyed recording sheet in the reading range; The image reading device according to the above (1), including a second reading unit.

(7) The transporting means includes a first transporting member disposed closest to the first reading unit on an upstream side of the first reading unit with respect to a transport direction of the recording sheet; The image reading apparatus according to (6), further including: a second transport member disposed on the upstream side and closest to the second reading unit.
(8) In the above (7), wherein the second transport member, the second reading section, the first transport member, and the first reading section are arranged in order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording sheet. The image reading device according to claim 1.
(9) The second reading unit reads the image formed on the first surface of the recording sheet on the upstream side, and the downstream reading unit reads the image formed on the second surface opposite to the first surface. And an upstream transport member, wherein the second transport member is disposed on the upstream side of the upstream reader and closest to the upstream reader with respect to the transport direction of the recording sheet; The image reading apparatus according to (7), further including: a downstream conveyance member disposed upstream of the downstream reading section and closest to the downstream reading section.
(10) The upstream conveyance member, the upstream reading section, the downstream conveyance member, the downstream reading section, the first conveyance member, the first conveyance member, in order from the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording sheet. The image reading device according to (9), wherein the reading unit is disposed.
(11) an image forming unit for forming an image on a recording sheet, a reading unit for reading an image of the recording sheet formed by the image forming unit, and the reading on the upstream side of the reading unit with respect to a recording sheet conveyance direction. A transport unit that is disposed closest to the unit and sandwiches and transports the recording sheet, wherein the transport unit sandwiches and transports the recording sheet from the front end to the rear end in the transport direction of the recording sheet, In the conveying unit, at least an edge in the width direction of the conveying member that is in contact with a surface on which the image read by the reading unit is formed does not intersect a reading range of the reading unit in the width direction of the recording sheet. , Image forming system.

Claims (7)

At least one transport roller pair that transports in the transport direction while nipping the recording sheet on which the image is thermally fixed,
A reading unit that reads the recording sheet passing by transport in a predetermined reading area in a width direction that intersects the transport direction;
Has,
The at least one transport roller pair includes an upstream transport roller pair located upstream of the reading area in the transport direction and closest to the reading area,
The reading surface side roller of the upstream transport roller pair that comes into contact with the surface of the recording sheet to be read by the reading unit is such that an edge in the width direction does not intersect the reading range of the recording sheet to be read by the reading unit. Image reading device provided. 2. The image according to claim 1, wherein the upstream transport roller pair is provided such that a boundary in the width direction between a nip area that is a holding range of the recording sheet and an area other than the nip area does not intersect the reading range. Reader. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the reading surface side roller is provided so as to contact an entire region of the reading range in the width direction. 2. The surface of the reading surface side roller that contacts the recording sheet is made of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the surface of the roller that forms a pair with the reading surface side roller and that contacts the recording sheet.
The image reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The surface of the reading surface side roller that contacts the recording sheet has a smaller surface roughness than the surface of the roller that forms a pair with the reading surface side roller and contacts the recording sheet.
The image reading device according to claim 1. The reading unit includes a first reading unit that reads the recording sheet in a first reading region including an entire region in the width direction of the recording sheet passing therethrough, and a reading unit that is provided downstream of the first reading region in the transport direction. And a second reading unit that reads the recording sheet in a second reading area including a partial area in the width direction of the recording sheet passing therethrough,
The roller located on the reading surface side of the transport roller pair located on the upstream side of the first reading area and closest to the first reading area is the recording medium that is read by the first reading unit in the width direction. Provided so as to contact the entire area of the sheet reading range,
A pair of transport rollers located on the upstream side of the second reading area and on the downstream side of the first reading area and closest to the second reading area include a nip area which is a holding range of the recording sheet and the nip area. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein a boundary in the width direction with an area other than a region is provided so as not to intersect with a reading range of the recording sheet read by the second reading unit. An image reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
An image forming unit that forms and fixes an image on a recording sheet and supplies the recording sheet to the image reading device;
An image forming system having: