JP2021082978A - Document feeder, image reading device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To make it possible to guide a user if a position of a document guide is appropriate.SOLUTION: An image reading device 10 includes a main body case (30), an ADF (32), and a document placement tray 36 for an ADF. The document placement tray 36 is provided, on its top face, with document guides 42, 44 that are movable in a direction orthogonal to a document conveyance direction, and at least one of the document guides 42, 44 is provided with a light emitting unit 60 in which when light is made incident thereon from a downstream side in the document conveyance direction, the light is diffused and reflected and light is emitted from an outer surface. The main body case (30) is provided therein with a light radiation unit 62 that is arranged to be opposite to the light emitting unit 60 in the document conveyance direction and radiates light toward an upstream side in the document conveyance direction. The light radiation unit 62 is arranged at a position corresponding to regular size in a direction orthogonal to the document conveyance direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a document feeder, an image reader and an image forming apparatus, and in particular, for example, a document feeder, an image reading device and an image forming apparatus that conveys a document placed on a document placing tray to an image reading position. Regarding.

Patent Document 1 discloses an example of an automatic document transfer device of the background technique. The automatic document transfer device of the background technology includes a size sensor for detecting the size of the document being transferred and an operation panel on which a plurality of LEDs corresponding to each of various standard paper sizes are arranged. When the size of the document being conveyed is detected by the size sensor, the LED corresponding to the size of the document is turned on.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 05-035009

However, the automatic document transfer device of the background technology can only recognize the paper size during transfer, and guides the user whether the position of the document guide is appropriate when placing the document on the document tray. There is a problem that it cannot be done.

Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a novel document feeder, image reader and image forming apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a document feeder, an image reader and an image forming apparatus capable of guiding whether or not the position of the document guide is appropriate.

The first invention is a document feeding device for transporting a document from a document loading tray on which the document is placed to a paper ejection tray via an image reading position for reading the document, a pair of document guides, a light emitting unit, and light emission. It has a part. The pair of document guides are provided on the document loading tray and are movably provided in a direction orthogonal to the document transport direction, and regulate the position of the document in the direction orthogonal to the document transport direction. The light emitting unit is provided at the upper end of at least one of the document guides and the downstream end in the document transport direction of the pair of document guides, and when light is incident, the light is diffusely reflected and the outer peripheral surface is exposed. It emits light. The light emitting unit is provided on the downstream side in the document transporting direction with respect to the light emitting unit, and emits light toward the upstream side in the document transporting direction.

The second invention is a document feeder subordinate to the first invention, in which the light emitting unit is arranged at a position corresponding to a fixed size.

The third invention is a document feeder subordinate to the second invention, in which the light emitting unit includes a plurality of light sources that emit light of different colors, and each of the plurality of light sources has a different fixed size. Placed in the corresponding position.

The fourth invention is a document feed device subordinate to the first invention, and the light emitting unit includes a light source that emits light and a mirror that reflects light from the light source and guides it to the upstream side in the document transport direction. , When the pair of document guides move in a direction orthogonal to the document transport direction, the mirror is moved so as to be positioned at a position facing the light source in conjunction with the pair of document guides. Further equipped with a mechanism.

A fifth invention is a document feeding device subordinate to any one of the first to fourth inventions, which is a document feeder for detecting whether or not a document exists in the document loading tray, and a document loading tray. It is further provided with a control unit that emits light from the light emitting unit when it is detected that the original is present in the document, and does not emit light from the light emitting unit when it is detected that the original is not present in the document placing tray. ..

The sixth invention is a document feeder subordinate to the fifth invention, and is a guide position detecting unit for detecting the position of a pair of document guides and whether the pair of document guides are located at positions corresponding to a fixed size. It is further provided with a determination unit for determining whether or not.

The seventh invention is a document feeder subordinate to the sixth invention, and the control unit emits light from the light emitting unit when it is determined that the pair of document guides are located at positions corresponding to the standard size. When it is determined that the pair of document guides are not located at the positions corresponding to the standard size, the light emitting unit does not emit light.

The eighth invention is a document feeder subordinate to the sixth or seventh invention, and when it is determined that the pair of document guides are not located at positions corresponding to the standard size, the pair of document guides have the standard size. It is further provided with a notification unit that notifies the user that it is not located at the position corresponding to.

A ninth invention is an image reading device including the document feeding device according to any one of the first to eighth inventions.

A tenth invention is an image forming apparatus including the image reading device of the ninth invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to guide whether or not the position of the manuscript guide is appropriate.

The above-mentioned object, other object, feature and advantage of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of the following examples made with reference to the drawings.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the appearance of the image forming apparatus provided with the image reading apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of an image reader. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance of an image reader. It is a schematic plan view which shows the document placing tray and its peripheral structure. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the image forming apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the memory map of the RAM shown in FIG. It is a flow figure which shows an example of the lighting process of an image forming apparatus. It is a schematic plan view which shows the document placing tray of 2nd Example, and the peripheral structure thereof. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the image forming apparatus of 2nd Example. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the memory map of the RAM of 2nd Example. It is a flow figure which shows an example of the lighting process of 2nd Example. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the notification screen of the 3rd Example. It is a flow figure which shows an example of the lighting process of 3rd Example. It is a schematic plan view which shows the document placing tray of 4th Example, and the peripheral structure thereof.

[First Example]
With reference to FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an image reading apparatus 10 and an image forming apparatus main body 90. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 is a multifunction device (MFP) having a copying function, a printer function, a scanner function, a facsimile function, and the like. However, the image forming apparatus 100 may include at least the image reading apparatus 10 (scanner function), and the other functions described above can be arbitrarily adopted. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to an image forming apparatus but also to a single image reading apparatus (scanner).

First, the basic configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 will be schematically described. In the present invention, the front-rear direction (depth direction) of the image forming apparatus 100 and its constituent members is defined with the surface facing the user's standing position, that is, the surface on the side where the operation unit 80 is provided, as the front surface (front surface). The left-right direction (horizontal direction) of the image forming apparatus 100 and its constituent members is defined based on the state in which the image forming apparatus 100 is viewed by the user. Further, a direction orthogonal to the document transport direction (document transport direction) described later is referred to as a main scanning direction, and a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, that is, a document transport direction is referred to as a sub-scanning direction. In this first embodiment, the front-rear direction is the main scanning direction, and the left-right direction is the sub-scanning direction.

Further, on the front side of the image reading device 10, an operation unit 80 for receiving an input operation by the user is provided. The operation unit 80 is also called an operation device or an operation panel, and receives an input operation by the user. A display 84 or the like with a touch panel 82 is provided on the upper surface of the operation unit 80. The display 84 with the touch panel 82 displays an operation screen including software keys and messages for receiving various settings or print instructions from the user. The software key is, for example, a key (icon) reproduced by software on the display surface of the display 84 with the touch panel 82.

The image forming apparatus main body 90 includes an image forming portion 92 including an exposure unit, a photoconductor drum, a charger, a developing apparatus, a fixing roller, and the like. The image forming unit 92 is a general-purpose laser printer, forms an image on the paper (recording medium) conveyed from the paper feed cassette 94 or the like, and ejects the image-formed paper to the ejection tray 96. As the data (printed image data) of the image (printed image) for forming the image on the paper, the image data read by the image reading device 10 or the image data transmitted from an external computer is used.

Although detailed description is omitted, the image forming unit 92 has a color printing function, and is a photoconductor for each color of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black). An image forming station including a drum, a charger, a developing device, and the like is configured. Further, the image forming unit 92 may be configured by an inkjet printer instead of the laser printer.

The image reading device 10 is arranged above the image forming device main body 90, and includes the device main body 12 and the document holding cover 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 12 includes a document mounting table (also referred to as platen glass) 16 formed of a transparent material and a housing 20 having SPF glass 18 on the upper surface. The document mounting table 16 and the SPF glass 18 may be formed of one plate (single glass) or separate pieces (separate glass).

Further, a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) scanning body 22 for reading an image on a document is provided in the housing 20. The CIS scanning body 22 is a so-called close contact type image sensor, and has a base (carriage) 24 provided so as to be reciprocally movable in the sub-scanning direction (horizontal direction) and an image reading unit 26 held by the base 24. Including.

The base 24 is formed in a rectangular box shape with an open upper side, and is arranged in the housing 20 so that the longitudinal direction extends in the main scanning direction (front-back direction). The image reading unit 26 includes a light source for reading an image, a rod lens array, a plurality of image pickup elements (photoelectric conversion elements), and the like, which are arranged so as to extend long in the main scanning direction. The light source for image reading is, for example, an LED array in which a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are arranged, and illuminates the surface of the document. The rod lens array collects the reflected light from the document on a plurality of image pickup elements. The plurality of image pickup devices read the pixel information imaged by the rod lens array.

Although not shown, the inside of the housing 20 has a moving mechanism for reciprocating the CIS scanning body 22 and an image data acquired by the CIS scanning body 22 for being transmitted to a control unit (CPU described later). A flat cable or the like that can be deformed according to the movement of the CIS scanning body 22 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the document holding cover 14 is arranged above the device main body 12 (housing 20). The document holding cover 14 is attached to the housing 20 so as to be openable and closable via a hinge or the like. For example, a hinge is provided on the back surface of the housing 20, and the document holding cover 14 can be opened and closed so that the front side moves up and down (opens and closes) with the back surface of the housing 20 as an opening / closing fulcrum.

Further, the document holding cover 14 includes a main body case 30 made of synthetic resin forming an outer shell thereof, and an automatic document feeder (ADF: Auto Document Feeder) 32 is built in the main body case 30.

A paper feed port 34 is formed in the upper part of the main body case 30, and a document loading tray 36 for ADF is provided so as to extend diagonally upward (upper right) from the paper feed port 34. Further, a paper ejection tray 38 for ADF is provided below the document placing tray 36.

Briefly, the ADF 32 automatically feeds the originals placed on the original placing tray 36, and conveys the originals to the output tray 38 via the image reading position 40 for reading the originals. That is, the document holding cover 14 has a function of pressing the document placed on the document placing table 16 of the image reading device 10 (manuscript holding function) and an image of the document placed on the document placing tray 36 for ADF. It has a function of continuously transporting (feeding) to the output tray 38 via the reading position 40.

As shown in FIG. 2, a document transport path L1 extending from the paper feed port 34 to the paper discharge port 46 opening toward the paper discharge tray 38 via the image reading position 40 is formed in the main body case 30. .. However, the image reading position 40 is set to a position facing the SPF glass 18. Further, the ADF 32 includes various rollers such as a pickup roller 48, a paper feed roller 50, a plurality of transfer rollers 52, and a paper discharge roller 54. These rollers are provided in the document transport path L1.

The pickup roller 48 is provided in the vicinity of the paper feed port 34 (on the most upstream side of the document transport path L1), and is a member for taking out the documents placed on the document loading tray 36. The paper feed roller 50 is provided on the downstream side of the pickup roller 48, and is a member for sending the document taken out from the document loading tray 36 by the pickup roller 48 to the document transport path L1. A pickup holder 56 is provided so as to cover above and around the pickup roller 48 and the paper feed roller 50. The pickup roller 48 is supported by the pickup holder 56 so as to be vertically movable around the rotation axis of the paper feed roller 50.

Further, a separation unit 58 for preventing double feeding of documents is provided at a position facing the paper feed roller 50. The separation unit 58 includes a separation pad that is a separation member that separates the originals sent out by the paper feed roller 50 into one sheet, a separation pad holder that is a support member that supports the separation pad, and the like.

Further, the plurality of transport rollers 52 are appropriately provided on the downstream side of the paper feed roller 50, and the paper discharge roller 54 is provided in the vicinity of the paper discharge port 46 (the most downstream side of the document transport path L1).

The document sent to the document transfer path L1 by the paper feed roller 50 is conveyed to the image reading position 40 by the transfer roller 52. Then, while the document is being conveyed (passing) on the image reading position 40, the image on the surface of the document is read by the CIS scanning body 22 (image reading unit 26) of the image reading device 10. The document that has passed the image reading position 40 is ejected onto the output tray 38 through the output port 46 by the transport roller 52 and the output roller 54.

In such an image reading device 10, when the image on the document placed on the document mounting table 16 is read (in the case of fixed reading), the CIS scanning body 22 is placed below the document mounting table 16 in the sub-scanning direction. By reciprocating, the image on the document is read and the scanned image data is acquired. On the other hand, when reading an image on a document placed on a document placing tray 36 (in the case of scanning), the CIS scanning body 22 stands by below a predetermined image reading position 40 (SPF glass 18). When the document conveyed by the ADF 32 passes through the image scanning position 40, the image on the document is read and the scanned image data is acquired.

Although not shown, a drive unit for the ADF 32 is provided in the main body case 30. The drive unit of the ADF 32 includes a paper feed motor and a transport motor. The paper feed motor and the transport motor are general-purpose rotary motors. The paper feed motor applies a rotational driving force to the pickup roller 48 and the paper feed roller 50. The transfer motor applies a rotational driving force to the transfer roller 52 and the paper discharge roller 54.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a pair of document guides (side guides) 42, 44 that can move in the main scanning direction (direction orthogonal to the document transport direction) are provided on the upper surface of the document loading tray 36. Provided. The document guides 42 and 44 have a function of restricting and aligning the documents placed on the document placing tray 36 from both sides. However, the document guides 42 and 44 are arranged symmetrically in the front-back direction (line symmetry in the main scanning direction) with the center of the document placing tray 36 in the main scanning direction as the center.

Further, when one of the document guides 42 and 44 is moved, the other is also moved in line symmetry in the main scanning direction. For example, when the document guide 42 on the front side is moved from the outside (center) of the document placement tray 36 in the main scanning direction (toward the rear), the document guide 44 on the back side is placed on the document. The tray 36 is moved from the outside in the main scanning direction toward the inside (center) (forward).

However, at least one of the document guides 42 and 44 (in this embodiment, the document guide 42 on the front side) is provided with a light emitting unit 60. The light emitting unit 60 is provided at the upper end of the document guide and at the downstream end in the document transport direction.

When light is incident on the light emitting unit 60 from the downstream side in the document transport direction, the light is diffusely reflected and the outer surface emits light. Although not shown, the light emitting unit 60 includes a light dispersing unit, a light diffusing member, and a filter. The light dispersion unit evenly disperses the light incident from the downstream side in the document transport direction throughout the light emitting unit 60. The light diffusing member (light diffusing sheet) emits light in and around the portion where the light is incident. The filter transmits light from the light diffusing member and emits it to the outside to form an outer peripheral surface of the light emitting unit 60. Further, the filter is colored white or the like so that the internal shape of the light emitting portion 60 cannot be directly seen from the outside.

Therefore, when light is incident from the downstream side of the light emitting unit 60 in the document transport direction, the light is evenly dispersed in the light emitting unit 60 by the light dispersion unit, and the light dispersed by the light dispersion unit is light diffused. The light diffusing member emits light when it is incident on the member, and the light from the light diffusing member passes through the filter and is emitted to the outside.

Therefore, when light is incident on the downstream side of the light emitting unit 60 in the document transport direction, the outer peripheral surface of the light emitting unit 60 emits light. At this time, the emission color of the outer peripheral surface of the light emitting unit 60 is the same color as the color of the light incident on the light emitting unit 60.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a light emitting unit 62 is provided inside the main body case 30. The light emitting unit 62 is provided on the downstream side in the document transporting direction from the upper ends of the document guides 42 and 44, and emits light toward the upstream side in the document transporting direction. That is, the light emitting unit 62 is provided so as to face the light emitting unit 60 (opposite the light emitting unit 60) in the document transport direction.

The light emitting unit 62 includes a light source (light emitting element) 620, emits light when the light source 620 is turned on (lighting state), and does not emit light when the light source 620 is turned off (lighting state). The light source 620 may be, for example, an LED that emits a single color, or an LED that can switch the emission color.

Further, in the light emitting unit 62, when the document guides 42 and 44 are located at positions corresponding to a certain fixed size in the main scanning direction (direction orthogonal to the document transport direction), the light emitting unit 60 (document guide 42, Of 44, it is arranged at a position facing the document guide) on which the light emitting unit 60 is provided. For example, the light emitting unit 62 is arranged at a position corresponding to a fixed size (for example, A4 size) considered to be the most frequently used (estimated to be used most likely) in the image reading device 10. ..

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a CPU 120, and the CPU 120 includes a RAM 124, a storage unit 126, a touch panel control circuit 128, a display control circuit 130, a lighting control circuit 132, and a document detection unit via a bus 122. 134, ADF32 (driving unit of ADF32), image reading unit 26, image forming unit 92, and the like are connected. Further, the touch panel control circuit 128 is connected to the touch panel 82, the display control circuit 130 is connected to the display 84, and the lighting control circuit 132 is connected to the light emitting unit 62.

The CPU 120 controls the overall control of the image forming apparatus 100, and comprehensively controls the operation of each component of the image forming apparatus 100 described above. The RAM 124 is used as a work area and a buffer area of the CPU 120. The storage unit 126 is, for example, an HDD, and is the main storage device of the image forming apparatus 100 in which the CPU 120 stores a control program for controlling the operation of each component of the image forming apparatus 100. However, other non-volatile memories such as SSD, flash memory, and EEPROM may be used instead of the HDD or together with the HDD.

The touch panel control circuit 128 applies a voltage or the like required for the touch panel 82, detects a touch operation or a touch input within the effective touch range of the touch panel 82, and outputs touch coordinate data indicating the position of the touch input to the CPU 120. Output.

The display control circuit 130 includes a GPU, a VRAM, and the like, and under the instruction of the CPU 120, the GPU displays a display image for displaying various screens on the display 84 using the image generation data stored in the RAM 124. And output the generated display image to the display 84. As the display 84, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an EL (Electro-Luminescence) display can be used. The touch panel 82 is a general-purpose touch panel, and any type such as a capacitance type, an electromagnetic induction type, a resistance film type, and an infrared type can be used.

The lighting control circuit 132 controls the light emitting unit 62 (light source 620) to turn on the light source 620 and emit light from the light emitting unit 62, or turn off the light source 620 and emit light from the light emitting unit 62. I don't let you. That is, the lighting control circuit 132 controls the lighting and extinguishing of the light source 620.

The document detection unit 134 is provided to detect whether or not a document exists in the document loading tray 36. For example, the document detection unit 134 includes a dedicated document detection sensor provided on the document loading tray 36, and the document detection sensor outputs a signal to the CPU 120 according to the presence or absence of a document on the document loading tray 36. The CPU 120 determines whether or not a document exists in the document placing tray 36 according to the output of the document detection sensor. As the document detection sensor, a general-purpose optical sensor, a contact sensor including an actuator and a photo sensor, and the like can be used.

The electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 5 is merely an example, and does not have to be limited to this.

Hereinafter, an operation example of the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, when it is detected that a document is present in the document loading tray 36, the light source 620 is turned on and light is emitted from the light emitting unit 62. At this time, when the light emitting unit 60 (the document guide provided with the light emitting unit 60) is located at a position facing the light emitting unit 62, the outer peripheral surface of the light emitting unit 60 emits light from the light emitting unit 62 by the light of light. To do.

On the other hand, even when light is emitted from the light emitting unit 62, if the light emitting unit 60 (the document guide provided with the light emitting unit 60) is not located at a position facing the light emitting unit 62, the light emitting unit 60 60 does not emit light.

Further, when a predetermined condition (extinguishing condition) is satisfied after the light is emitted from the light emitting unit 62, the light source 620 is turned off and the light is not emitted from the light emitting unit 62. For example, the extinguishing condition is that the absence of the original in the document placing tray 36 is not detected, or the printing instruction is accepted (copying is started). Therefore, when the document does not exist in the document placing tray 36 or the printing instruction is accepted, the light source 620 is turned off and the light is not emitted from the light emitting unit 62.

The above-mentioned operation of the image reading device 10 (image forming device 100) is realized by the CPU 120 executing the control program stored in the RAM 124. The specific processing will be described later with reference to a flow chart.

FIG. 6 is an illustrated diagram showing an example of the memory map 300 of the RAM 124 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the RAM 124 includes a program storage area 302 and a data storage area 304. As described above, the control program of the image forming apparatus 100 is stored in the program storage area 302 of the RAM 124. However, since the image forming apparatus 100 includes the image reading apparatus 10, this control program includes the control program of the image reading apparatus 10. The control program of the image forming apparatus 100 includes a document detecting program 302a, a lighting control program 302b, an image forming program 302c, and an image reading program 302d.

The document detection program 302a is a program for acquiring the output of the document detection sensor and detecting the document placed on the document loading tray 36. That is, the document detection program 302a is a program for detecting whether or not a document exists in the document loading tray 36.

The lighting control program 302b is a program for controlling the lighting control circuit 132 to turn on or off the light source 620 to switch the state of the light emitting unit 62.

The image forming program 302c is a program for controlling the image forming unit 92 to print a multicolored or monochromatic printed image on paper according to the printed image when copying or printing is executed. The image scanning program 302d is a program for controlling the image scanning unit 26 to read an image of a document and output an image signal (scanned image data) corresponding to the scanned image.

Although not shown, the ADF 32 is controlled to automatically feed the originals placed on the original placing tray 36 into the program storage area 302, and the paper is discharged through the image reading position 40. A program for transporting the original to 38, a program for selecting and executing various functions of the image forming apparatus 100, and the like are also stored.

The document placement flag 304a and the like are stored in the data storage area 304 of the RAM 124. The document placement flag 304a is a flag for determining whether or not a document exists in the document placement tray 36. The document placement flag 304a is turned on (1 is set) when the document is present in the document placement tray 36, and is turned off (0 is set) when there is no document in the document placement tray 36. Set).

Although not shown, the data storage area 304 is provided with registers necessary for executing other control programs, and stores other data necessary for executing the control program.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of lighting processing of the CPU 120 of the image forming apparatus 100. This lighting process starts when the power of the image forming apparatus 100 is turned on, and ends when the power of the image forming apparatus 100 is turned off. Further, when the lighting process is started, the light source 620 is turned off. That is, when the lighting process is started, the light emitting unit 62 is in the extinguished state.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the lighting process is started, the CPU 120 acquires the output of the document detection sensor in step S1 to determine whether or not the document exists in the document loading tray 36. If the result is "NO" in step S1, that is, if it is determined that the document does not exist in the document placing tray 36, the process returns to step S1.

On the other hand, if "YES" in step S1, that is, when it is determined that the document exists in the document placing tray 36, the light source 620 is turned on and the light emitting unit 62 is changed to the lighting state in step S3. , In step S5, it is determined whether or not the light is turned off. Here, it is determined whether or not the extinguishing condition is satisfied.

If it is "NO" in step S5, that is, if it is determined that the extinguishing condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step S3. On the other hand, if "YES" in step S5, that is, when it is determined that the extinguishing condition is satisfied, the light source 620 is extinguished in step S7, the light emitting unit 62 is changed to the extinguished state, and in step S9. , Determine whether to end the lighting process. If it is "NO" in step S9, that is, if it is determined that the lighting process is not completed, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if "YES" in step S9, the lighting process ends.

In this first embodiment, when a document is placed on the document loading tray 36, light is emitted from the light emitting section 62, and the light emitting section 60 provided on at least one of the document guides 42 and 44 is the light emitting section. When it is located at a position facing the 62, the outer peripheral surface of the light emitting unit 60 emits light by the light emitted from the light emitting unit 62. Therefore, it is possible to guide whether or not the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 are appropriate depending on whether or not the outer peripheral surface of the light emitting unit 60 emits light.

Further, according to the first embodiment, the light emitting unit 62 is arranged at a position corresponding to the standard size estimated to be most likely to be used, so that the outer peripheral surface of the light emitting unit 60 is the light emitting unit. Light is emitted when 60 is located at a position corresponding to a fixed size. Therefore, depending on whether or not the outer peripheral surface of the light emitting unit 60 emits light, it is possible to guide whether or not the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 match the standard size estimated to be most likely to be used. it can.

Further, according to the first embodiment, light is emitted from the light emitting unit 62 when the original is placed on the document placing tray 36, and when a predetermined extinguishing condition is satisfied, the light emitting unit 62 emits light. Since the light is not emitted, whether or not the document is placed on the document loading tray 36 or the operation of the image reading device 10 (image forming device 100) depends on whether or not the outer peripheral surface of the light emitting unit 60 emits light. Can guide the state.
[Second Example]
The image forming apparatus 100 of the second embodiment is the same as the image forming apparatus 100 of the first embodiment except that the configuration of the light emitting unit 62 and the control method thereof are partially different, and thus the contents are different from those of the first embodiment. Will be described, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, the light emitting unit 62 of the second embodiment includes a plurality of light sources 622 that emit light of different colors. Each of the plurality of light sources 622 is arranged at different positions in the main scanning direction (direction orthogonal to the document transport direction), and when the document guides 42 and 44 are located at positions corresponding to different standard sizes, the light emitting unit It is provided so as to face 60.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the light emitting unit 62 includes a light source 622a corresponding to the A4 size, a light source 622b corresponding to the B5 size, and a light source 622c corresponding to the A4 vertical size. For example, the light source 622a corresponding to the A4 size emits blue light, the light source 622b corresponding to the B5 size emits green light, and the light source 622c corresponding to the A4 vertical size emits red light. To do.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, the guide position detection unit 136 is connected to the CPU 120.

The guide position detection unit 136 is provided to detect the position of the document guides 42 and 44 in the main scanning direction (direction orthogonal to the document transport direction). The guide position detection unit 136 is a signal corresponding to the position of the document guides 42 and 44 on the upper surface of the document placing tray 36 or a length between the document guides 42 and 44 (the document guide 42 and the document guide 44 in the main scanning direction). A signal or the like corresponding to (distance) is output to the CPU 120. The CPU 120 determines the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 in the main scanning direction according to the output of the guide position detection unit 136.

Then, in the second embodiment, when it is detected that the original is present in the original placing tray 36, and the original guides 42 and 44 are located at positions corresponding to the standard size in which the light source 622 is provided. Light is emitted from the light emitting unit 62 corresponding to the standard size. At this time, no light is emitted from the light emitting unit 62 corresponding to another standard size. However, if the document guide provided with the light emitting unit 60 is not located at a position corresponding to the standard size, even if it is detected that the document exists in the document placing tray 36, all the light emitting units 62 No light is emitted.

Further, as described above, the emission color of the light emitting unit 60 is the same color as the color of the light incident on the light emitting unit 60, and each of the plurality of light sources 622 emits light of a different color from each other. The emission color of the light emitting unit 60 changes according to the positions of the guides 42 and 44. Therefore, the paper sizes supported by the document guides 42 and 44 can be guided in an easy-to-understand manner.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the second embodiment, in order to realize the above-described operation, the information processing program for the image forming apparatus 100 stored in the RAM 124 of the image forming apparatus 100 includes a guide position detection program. 302e and the determination program 302f are further included.

The guide position detection program 302e is a program for acquiring the output of the guide position detection unit 136 and detecting the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 in the main scanning direction.

The determination program 302f compares the position of the document guides 42 and 44 in the main scanning direction with the position of the end of the standard size where the light source 622 is provided, and the document guides 42 and 44 have the standard size where the light source 622 is provided. It is a program for determining whether or not it is located at the position corresponding to.

Further, the fixed size data 304b and the guide position data 304c are further stored in the data storage area 304 of the RAM 124. The standard size data 304b is data at the position of the standard size provided with the light source 622 or data at the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 corresponding to the standard size. The guide position data 304c is the position data of the document guides 42 and 44 detected according to the guide position detection program 302e.

Hereinafter, the lighting processing of the image forming apparatus 100 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart. However, the same processing as the lighting processing described in the first embodiment is designated by the same reference numeral, and the duplicated contents are described. Will omit or briefly explain.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of the lighting process in the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, when the lighting process is started, if “YES” in step S1, the CPU 120 detects the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 in the main scanning direction in step S31, and in step S33, It is determined whether the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 in the main scanning direction correspond to the standard size, that is, whether the document guides 42 and 44 are located at the positions corresponding to the standard size where the light source 622 is provided.

If it is "NO" in step S33, that is, if it is determined that the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 do not correspond to the standard size, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if "YES" in step S33, that is, when it is determined that the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 correspond to the standard size, the position of the document guides 42 and 44 corresponds to the standard size in step S35. The light emitting unit 62 is changed to the lighting state, and the process proceeds to step S5.

Since the processing contents of step S1 and the processing contents after step S5 are the same as those of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the second embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the light emitting unit 60 emits light when the light emitting unit 60 is located at a position corresponding to the standard size, and further, the light emitting unit is emitted according to the positions of the document guides 42 and 44. Since the emission color of 60 changes, the document guides 42 and 44 can guide the corresponding paper size in an easy-to-understand manner.
[Third Example]
The image forming apparatus 100 of the third embodiment is the same as the image forming apparatus 100 of the second embodiment except that the control method when the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 do not correspond to the standard size is partially different. The contents different from those of the second embodiment will be described, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

In the third embodiment, when the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 do not correspond to the standard size, the user is notified that the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 do not correspond to the standard size (notification processing is executed). ). At this time, since the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 do not correspond to the standard size, no light is emitted from the light emitting unit 62, and the outer peripheral surface of the light emitting unit 60 does not emit light.

For example, when the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 do not correspond to the standard size, the notification screen 140 is displayed on the display 84 as shown in FIG. The notification screen 140 has a message 142 and a close button 144 indicating that the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 do not correspond to the standard size and that the light emitting unit 60 emits light when the document guides 42 and 44 are moved to the positions corresponding to the standard size. including. The close button 144 is provided to close the notification screen 140. Therefore, when the close button 144 is touched, the notification screen 140 is erased (hidden) from the display 32, and the screen returns to the screen before the notification screen 140 is displayed.

Although not shown, when the image forming apparatus 100 includes an audio output means including a speaker (not shown), the manuscript is added to the display of the notification screen 140 or instead of the display of the notification screen 140. An appropriate notification message indicating by voice that the positions of the guides 42 and 44 do not correspond to the standard size may be output from the speaker.

Further, once the notification process such as the display of the notification screen 140 or the output of the notification message is executed, the notification processing is not executed until a predetermined condition (notification start condition) is satisfied thereafter. For example, the notification start condition is that copying is executed, or that a predetermined time has elapsed since the notification processing was completed.

In the third embodiment, in order to realize the above-described operation, the document guides 42 and 44 correspond to the standard size in the information processing program for the image forming apparatus 100 stored in the RAM 124 of the image forming apparatus 100. It also includes a notification program that notifies the user that it is not in position.

Hereinafter, the lighting processing of the image forming apparatus 100 in the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart. However, the same processing as the lighting processing described in the second embodiment is designated by the same reference numerals, and the duplicated contents are described. Will omit or briefly explain.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing an example of the lighting process in the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, when the lighting process is started, if “NO” in step S33, the CPU 120 determines in step S51 whether or not the notification start condition is satisfied. If it is "NO" in step S51, that is, if it is determined that the notification start condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if "YES" in step S51, that is, if it is determined that the notification start condition is satisfied, notification processing such as display of the notification screen 140 or output of a notification message is executed in step S53, and the step is performed. In S55, it is determined whether or not to end the notification process. If it is "NO" in step S55, that is, if it is determined that the notification process is not completed, the process returns to step S53. On the other hand, if "YES" in step S55, that is, if it is determined that the notification process is finished, the process returns to step S1.

Since the processing contents of step S1 and the processing contents after step S5 are the same as those of the second embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the third embodiment, when the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 do not correspond to the standard size, the user is notified that the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 do not correspond to the standard size. It is possible to effectively guide whether the positions of 42 and 44 are appropriate.

The embodiment shown in the third embodiment can be adopted in combination with the first embodiment. In this case, if the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 do not correspond to the positions of the light emitting unit 62 (the positions of the standard size estimated to be most likely to be used), the positions of the document guides 42 and 44 will be changed. The user is informed that it does not correspond to the standard size that is most likely to be used.
[Fourth Example]
Since the image forming apparatus 100 of the fourth embodiment is the same as the image forming apparatus 100 of the first embodiment except that the configuration of the light emitting unit 62 is partially different, the contents different from those of the first embodiment will be described. Duplicate explanations will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 14, the light emitting unit 62 of the fourth embodiment includes a mirror 624 that reflects the light from the light source 620 and guides the light to the upstream side in the document transport direction. Further, in the image reading device 10, when the document guides 42 and 44 move in the main scanning direction (direction orthogonal to the document transport direction), the mirror 624 moves the light emitting unit 60 in conjunction with the movement of the document guides 42 and 44. A moving mechanism 64 for moving the mirror 624 so as to be located at a position facing the mirror 624 is provided.

The moving mechanism 64 includes an endless traction member 66, a first pulley 68a and a second pulley 68b. The first pulley 68a is provided outside the main scanning direction (front in this embodiment) of the document guide (the document guide 42 in this embodiment) provided with the light emitting portion 60, and the second pulley 68b has the light emitting portion 60. It is provided on the opposite side of the first pulley 68a in the main scanning direction with the document guide provided (the document guide 42 in this embodiment) interposed therebetween. The traction member 66 is composed of a wire, a chain, or the like, and one end thereof is attached to a document guide (document guide 42 in this embodiment) provided with a light emitting portion 60, and the first pulley 68a and the second pulley 68b are wound in this order. The other end is attached to the mirror 624. However, the mirror 624 is arranged at a position corresponding to the document guide provided with the light emitting unit 60 in the main scanning direction.

In such a moving mechanism 64, when the document guides 42 and 44 are moved in the main scanning direction, that is, when one end of the traction member 66 is moved, the other end of the traction member 66 is interlocked with the movement. Is moved. At this time, the other end of the traction member 66 is moved in the same direction and the same distance as the one end of the traction member 66. Therefore, the mirror 624 is moved so as to follow the light emitting unit 60 in conjunction with the movement of the document guides 42 and 44.

The moving mechanism 64 may further include a tension member that pulls the other end of the mirror 624 or the traction member 66 outward in the main scanning direction. Further, films of different colors may be provided between the mirror 624 and the light emitting unit 60 at positions corresponding to the respective fixed sizes. In this way, when the mirror 624 is located at a position corresponding to the standard size, light of a color corresponding to the standard size is incident on the light emitting unit 60. That is, the emission color of the light emitting unit 60 changes according to the positions of the document guides 42 and 44. Therefore, the paper sizes supported by the document guides 42 and 44 can be guided in an easy-to-understand manner.

According to this fourth embodiment, the positions of the manuscript guides 42 and 44 can be easily recognized, and it is possible to guide whether or not the positions of the manuscript guides 42 and 44 are appropriate.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the CIS scanning body 22 is used as the scanning body, but instead of the CIS scanning body 22, a scanning body using a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor can also be used.

Further, the specific shape and the like mentioned in the above-described embodiment are examples, and can be appropriately changed according to the actual product.

100 ... Image forming device 10 ... Image reading device 30 ... Main body case 32 ... ADF
26 ... Image reading unit 60 ... Light emitting unit 62 ... Light emitting unit

Claims (10)

A document feeder that transports documents from the document loading tray on which the documents are placed to the paper ejection tray via the image reading position.
A pair of document guides provided on the document loading tray, which are movably provided in a direction orthogonal to the document transport direction and regulate the position of the document in the direction orthogonal to the document transport direction.
Of the pair of document guides, at least one of the document guides is provided at the upper end and the downstream end in the document transport direction, and when light is incident, the light is diffusely reflected and the outer peripheral surface emits light. A document feeding device including a unit and a light emitting unit provided on the downstream side of the light emitting unit in the document transport direction and radiating light toward the upstream side in the document transport direction. The document feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit is arranged at a position corresponding to a fixed size. The light emitting unit includes a plurality of light sources that emit light of different colors from each other.
The document feeder according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of light sources is arranged at a position corresponding to a standard size different from each other. The light emitting unit includes a light source that emits light and a mirror that reflects light from the light source and guides it to the upstream side in the document transport direction.
When the pair of document guides move in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the documents, the mirrors are moved so as to be interlocked with the pair of document guides and the mirrors are positioned at positions facing the light emitting portion. The document feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a moving mechanism for moving the document. A document detection unit that detects whether or not a document exists in the document mounting tray, and when it is detected that a document exists in the document loading tray, light is emitted from the light emitting unit to mount the document. The document feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a control unit that does not emit light from the light emitting unit when it is detected that the document does not exist in the tray. The document feeding device according to claim 5, further comprising a guide position detecting unit for detecting the position of the pair of document guides and a determination unit for determining whether or not the pair of document guides are located at positions corresponding to a standard size. .. When the control unit determines that the pair of document guides are located at positions corresponding to the standard size, the control unit emits light from the light emitting unit, and the pair of document guides are not located at positions corresponding to the standard size. The document feeding device according to claim 6, wherein when it is determined that the light is not emitted from the light emitting unit. A claim that further comprises a notification unit that notifies the user that the pair of document guides is not located at a position corresponding to the standard size when it is determined that the pair of document guides are not located at a position corresponding to the standard size. The document feeder according to 6 or 7. An image reading device comprising the document feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. An image forming apparatus including the image reading apparatus according to claim 9.

Images