JP2022082174A - Image reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a scanner that makes it possible to suitably press down on a document even if a document holding unit floats away from a position where the document is held.SOLUTION: An image reading device includes a housing 60, having a document placing platform 11 on a top surface on which a document is placed, image reading means 41, for reading a document placed on the document placing platform 11, a document holding unit 20, which can be opened and closed between a pressing position for pressing a document placed on the document placing platform 11 and an open position for opening the document placing platform 11, and a hinge 30, which connects the document holding unit 20 to a housing 60 in a rotatable manner. The document holding unit 20 has a document holding unit body 21 and a document contacting unit 22, which contacts the document. The document contacting unit 22 can protrude from the body 21 toward the document placing platform 11 while moving in conjunction with the document holding unit body 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

The present invention relates to, for example, an image reading device for reading an image of a manuscript made of a sheet material such as paper or a booklet.

As an image reader of this type, for example, those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. The image reading device described in these patent documents includes an image reading device main body for mounting an original and reading an image of the original, and a lid provided on the image reading device main body for holding the original. be.

In the image reader of Patent Document 1, the lid is swingably supported by the scanner body via a hinge. A document pressing member for pressing the document is fixed to the lid. Further, in Patent Document 2, since the automatic transport unit (ADF) is attached to the lid body, impact mitigation is performed so as not to generate a loud impact sound when the lid body collides with the lower housing when the lid body is closed. Members are provided.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-282561 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-208186

In Patent Document 1, when the rotation operation becomes resistant due to aged deterioration of the hinge or wear of the rotating shaft portion, and the lid easily floats from the position where the document is pressed, the document pressing member is fixed to the lid. Therefore, it may not be possible to press the original evenly.

Further, in Patent Document 2, when the lid approaches the position where the document is pressed, the impact mitigating member exerts a load on the rotation, so that the lid floats from the position where the document is pressed. As in Patent Document 1, since the document pressing member is fixed to the lid, the document may not be pressed uniformly. If the original cannot be pressed evenly, the image quality of the image acquired by scanning will deteriorate.

Therefore, the present invention provides an image reading device capable of appropriately pressing a document even if the document holding portion is not completely closed and floats from the pressing position.

In view of the above, the image reader according to the present invention has.
A housing with a document mounting table on the upper surface on which the document is placed,
An image reading means for reading a document placed on the document mounting table, and an image reading means.
A document holding portion that can be opened and closed between a pressing position for pressing the document placed on the document mounting table and an open position for opening the document mounting table.
It is provided with a hinge that rotatably connects the document holding portion to the housing.
The document pressing portion has a document pressing portion main body and a document contact portion that abuts on the document.
The document contact portion is characterized in that it can project from the document pressing section main body toward the document mounting table while moving in conjunction with the document pressing section main body.

According to the present invention, the original can be suitably pressed even if the original holding portion floats from the position where the original is pressed.

The schematic diagram of the image reading apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Top view of the image reader according to the embodiment of the present invention. Another top view of the image reader according to the embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram of the control unit of the image reader. Another side view of the image reader according to the embodiment of the present invention. Another rear view of the image reader according to the embodiment of the present invention. Another top view and schematic cross-sectional view of the image reader according to the embodiment of the present invention. The schematic diagram of the image reading apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The schematic diagram of the image reading apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the hinge 30 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of another aspect of the hinge 30 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Another schematic cross-sectional view and a detailed view of a main part of the image reader according to the embodiment of the present invention. Another schematic cross-sectional view and a detailed view of a main part of the image reader according to the embodiment of the present invention. Schematic cross-sectional view of an image reader according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a flatbed scanner as an example of the image reader of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the flatbed scanner 1 of the present embodiment, the document D is arranged on a glass document mounting table 11 provided in the upper part of the lower housing 60, and the document D is covered with the document holding portion 20. 40 (including an image reading sensor 41 such as a CCD [Charge Coupled Device] or CIS (Contact Image Sensor) which is an example of an image reading means) 40 (including an image reading sensor 41 provided in the lower housing 60 of the flatbed scanner 1) 40 (FIG. 3). (See) is a device that scans the image in the direction of the arrow y to read the image of the original D.

Then, in the present embodiment, the document holding portion 20 that can be opened and closed with respect to the lower housing 60 of the flatbed scanner 1 can rotate about an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction on the xy plane of the lower housing 60 as a rotation center. Is attached to the end of the lower housing 60.

The document holding portion 20 is a member that covers the document mounting table 11 and the document D placed on the document mounting table 11.

In the flatbed scanner 1 according to the present embodiment, the lower housing 60, the document holding portion 20, the hinge 30 (see FIG. 8), the upper cover 12 (see FIG. 3), the carriage 40 (see FIG. 7), and the carriage. Since the lock member 65 (see FIG. 5) and the shafts 42a and 42b (see FIG. 7) are made of metal and the ground path can be shortened against static electricity, static electricity is discharged to a substrate or the like in the middle of the path. It can be prevented from being destroyed. Further, a metal part that is not connected to the ground becomes a noise generation source, but since there are metal parts connected to the ground around it, it is possible to connect to the ground with the minimum necessary parts. In the present embodiment, iron or the like is used as the metal, but the metal is not limited to this, and stainless steel, aluminum, copper or the like may be used.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the flatbed scanner 1 according to the present embodiment. The flatbed scanner 1 is provided with an operation unit 50 adjacent to the document holder 20 at the end (radial tip side in the rotation) opposite to the hinge 30 in the rotation operation of the document holder 20. ing.

The operation unit 50 is composed of a scan start button 51, a scan stop button 52, and a power button 53. When the scan start button 51 is pressed, the carriage 40 moves in the sub-scanning direction (y direction) while the image is displayed. When the scanning sensor 41 scans in the main scanning direction, image scanning of the document D on the document mounting table 11 is started. Regarding the start of scanning, the scanning setting may be transmitted from the application side operating on the information processing apparatus connected to the flatbed scanner 1, and at the same time, the scanning start instruction may be transmitted, or a combination thereof may be used. That is, when the application of the information processing apparatus detects that the scan start button 51 has been pressed in the flatbed scanner 1, the information processing apparatus transmits the scan setting and the scan start instruction to the flatbed scanner 1 again to scan. It may be carried out. Further, the information processing device connected to the flatbed scanner 1 may be located at a remote location via a network, and the connection method is not limited to wired communication, and wireless communication may be used.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the flatbed scanner 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3A shows a state in which the top cover 12 and the document mounting table 11 are attached to the flatbed scanner 1, and FIG. 3B shows the state in which the top cover 12 and the document mounting table 11 are removed from the flatbed scanner 1. It shows the state.

As shown in FIG. 3B, a control board 63 is arranged on the bottom surface of the flatbed scanner 1.

The control board 63 is connected to the image reading sensor 41 by a connection cable (connection means) 64. The connection cable 64 is configured by a flexible flat cable (FFC) or the like. Further, the scan start signal based on the fact that the scan start button 51 is pressed is transmitted to the control unit (control means) 68 (see FIG. 4) mounted on the control board 63. FIG. 4 shows a control block diagram of the flatbed scanner 1. When the scan start signal is transmitted from the external information processing device to the control unit 68 via the communication unit, the image is read from the control unit 68 via the connection cable 64, which is an example of the interface unit, based on the set scan settings. By transmitting the control signal to the sensor 41 and simultaneously transmitting the control signal to the driving means 69 of the carriage 40, the image reading operation of the document D is executed. The control signal for the drive means 69 may be transmitted via the connection cable 64, but in the present embodiment, since the drive means 69 is provided separately from the carriage 40, another cable is used. .. The control unit 68 performs general drive control of the image reading sensor 41 and the carriage 40 in addition to the start of scanning, and is configured by a CPU and an ASIC as an example.

One end of the connection cable 64 is connected to the image reading sensor 41, and the other end of the connection cable 64 is connected to a connector (not shown) provided on the control board 63.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the flatbed scanner 1 according to the present embodiment. A carriage lock member 65 for restricting the movement of the carriage 40 in the scanning direction (y direction) is provided with respect to the lower housing 60. The carriage lock member 65 is provided so as to be slidable with respect to the lower housing 60, and the movement of the carriage 40 is restricted by sliding the carriage lock member 65 to a fixed position. By restricting the movement of the carriage 40, for example, when the flatbed scanner 1 is moved, it is possible to prevent the carriage 40 from moving inside the lower housing 60 and applying an unnecessary load. When the carriage lock member 65 is slid to the release position, the restriction on the movement of the carriage 40 is released.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the flatbed scanner 1 according to the present embodiment. A power cable that supplies power to the power board is connected to the power board via the power cable connector 71, and power is supplied to the device. Further, a communication cable for connecting an information processing device for transmitting the scanned image of the document D acquired by the flatbed scanner 1 and receiving the scanning setting is connected to the control board 63 via the communication cable connector 72. To. A USB cable or the like is used as the communication cable. In this embodiment, the control board 63 and the power supply board are configured as a common board.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the image reader according to the embodiment of the present invention. A cross section in FIG. 7 (a) is shown in FIG. 7 (b). A shaft 42a extending from one end side to the other end side of the lower housing 60 is inserted into the engagement hole member 43 provided at the lower part of the carriage 40, and the carriage 40 is moved to the carriage 40 as an example of the driving means 69. The belt engaged with the provided engaging portion is controlled by the control board 63. Although the belt and the motor for driving the belt are used as the driving means 69 in the present embodiment, the driving means 69 is not limited to this, and a motor and a lead screw or the like may be used, and various changes can be made.

The engaging hole member 43 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a predetermined length in the y direction with respect to the shaft 42a. In the present embodiment, the movement of the carriage 40 is supported by inserting the shaft 42b extending from one end side to the other end side of the lower housing 60 at a position opposite to the shaft 42a with respect to the center in the x direction. Further, a belt for driving the carriage 40 is provided at an outer position (outside in the x direction). The belt is provided on the shaft 42a side, whereby it is possible to prevent the carriage 40 from tilting and moving when the driving force of the belt is transmitted to the engaging hole member 43. That is, with respect to the central portion of the carriage 40 in the x direction, one end side is supported by the shaft 42a with a predetermined distance from the side wall of the lower housing 60, and the other end side is supported by a predetermined distance from the side wall of the lower housing 60. While the carriage 40 is stably supported by being vacated and supported by the shaft 42b, the belt provided on the shaft 42a side prevents the carriage 40 from tilting during movement when the carriage 40 is driven.

<Document holder configuration>
FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an image reader according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the document holding portion 20 is rotatably attached to the lower housing 60 via a hinge 30. A pair of hinges 30 arranged at intervals in the y direction are attached to the rear end portion of the document holding portion 20. The configurations of both hinges 30 are the same.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the hinge 30. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the fixing portion 31 is attached to the hinge 30, and FIG. 9B shows a state in which the fixing portion 31 is removed from the hinge 30. The hinge 30 has a fixing portion 31 extending in the z direction and being inserted and fixed to the lower housing 60, and a rotating portion 33 movably connected to the fixing portion 31 via a hinge shaft 32.

Further, the rotary damper 34 is provided in order to alleviate the impact caused by the collision with the document mounting table 11 when the document holding portion 20 moves in the closing direction. The rotating portion 33 has racks 35a and 35b through which the hinge shaft 32 penetrates, and meshes with pinions 36a and 36b arranged on both sides of the rotary damper shaft 37 penetrating the rotary damper 34 in a direction in which the document holding portion 20 closes. A force that cushions the impact works when moving.

Further, either one of the racks 35a and 35b is fixed to the rotating portion 33, and the other is fixed to the axis center of the hinge shaft 32 with a stepped screw or the like so as to be rotatable by a small amount. With this configuration, even if the gears on both sides of the rotary damper 34 have a phase difference due to tolerance or mounting error, one side can rotate and move by a small amount, so that the rotation operation of the document holding portion 20 becomes smooth and the rotary A load can be evenly applied to the damper shaft 37.

The configuration for transmitting the drive from the rotating portion 33 to the rotary damper 34 may be a pair of the rack 35a and the pinion 36a, but in the present embodiment, the racks 35a, 35b and the pinions 36a, 36b are arranged on both sides of the rotary damper 34. ing. By arranging them on both sides of the rotary damper 34, the load applied to the rotary damper shaft 37 when the document holding portion 20 rotates can be made even on the left and right.

In the pair of drive configurations, when the document holding portion 20 is rotated, it tilts to one side and a large load is applied to the connecting portion on one side (for example, the rack 35a and the pinion 36a). By arranging them on both sides, it is possible to suppress the wear of the racks 35a and 35b and the pinions 36a and 36b and the wear of the rotary damper shaft 37.

Which of the racks 35a and 35b is fixed to the rotating portion 33 for each of the left and right hinges 30 and which one can be rotated by a small amount can be appropriately changed, but the housing 60 can be changed in the y direction. If they are aligned on the outside or inside, it is easy to balance the load applied to each part, and it is easy to suppress the above-mentioned wear. For example, when aligning to the outside, one hinge will fix 35a and the other will fix 35b. However, in order to make the hinge 30 a common part on the left and right, the parts to be fixed to the rack 35a or 35b may be the same.

In the present embodiment, the rack 35a or 35b is configured to be rotatable by a minute amount at the axis center of the hinge shaft 32, but either the pinion 36a or the pinion 36b is rotated by a minute amount around the axis of the rotary damper shaft 37. The same effect can be obtained even with a configuration that allows it.

In the present embodiment, the direction of the torque load applied to the rotary damper 34 is configured to work only in the direction in which the document holding portion 20 closes, but the torque load may also be applied in the direction in which the document holding portion 20 opens.

FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the hinge 30 in an orthogonal plane (xz plane) of the rotary damper shaft 37. In FIG. 10, (a) corresponds to the open position of the document holding portion 20, (b) corresponds to the position closed by 45 °, and (c) corresponds to the pressing position (position closed by 90 °). As shown in FIG. 10, in the present embodiment, the teeth of the racks 35a and 35b mesh with the pinions 36a and 36b at all positions of the opening and closing operation of the document holding portion 20.

At this time, when the document holding section 20 is located between (a) and (b), the torque load applied to the rotary damper 34 due to the weight of the document holding section 20 falls below the limit value of the rotary damper 34. Therefore, the document holding portion 20 is in a stopped state at this position.

On the other hand, when the document holding section 20 is located between (b) and (c), the torque load applied to the rotary damper 34 due to the weight of the document holding section 20 exceeds the limit value of the rotary damper 34. Therefore, the document holding portion 20 moves toward the pressing position (c) while being decelerated by the rotary damper 34. In this way, by appropriately setting the limit value, it is possible to adjust the angle at which the document holding portion 20 can be stopped.

Further, FIG. 11 shows another aspect of the pinions 36a and 36b. In FIG. 11, (a) corresponds to the open position of the document holding portion 20, (b) corresponds to the position closed by 45 °, and (c) corresponds to the pressing position (position closed by 90 °). In this embodiment, the racks 35a and 35b and the gears of the pinions 36a and 36b are configured to mesh only in the vicinity of the pressing position and the opening position of the document holding portion 20. According to this configuration, the rotary damper 34 can be operated only in the vicinity of the open position and the press position of the document holding portion 20, and the document holding portion 20 can be smoothly opened and closed in the state between them. Not limited to this, the racks 35a and 35b and the pinions 36a and 36b may be configured to mesh with the document holding portion 20 only at a desired position between the open position and the pressing position.

Further, although the gear teeth of the rack 35 and the pinion 36 are composed of a plurality of teeth in the present embodiment, the drive may be transmitted to the rotary damper 34 with one tooth or a corresponding configuration. That is, the rotary damper 34 may be operated by providing the rack 35 with a protrusion and providing another protrusion with which the protrusion can come into contact with the pinion 36.

According to the configuration described above, in the present embodiment, a conventional slider provided so as to be slidable in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the hinge axis, a cam portion that abuts on the slider, and a slider are attached toward the cam portion. It is possible to alleviate the impact caused by the collision between the document mounting table 11 and the document holding portion 20 with a simpler configuration than the force.

<Structure of document contact part>
12 (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 8, and FIG. 12 (b) shows an enlarged view of the frame portion of FIG. 12 (a). The document pressing section 20 is composed of a document pressing section main body 21 and a document contact section 22. In FIG. 12A, the document pressing portion main body 21 and the document contact portion 22 can rotate between the pressing position for pressing the document around the hinge shaft 32 and the open position where the document mounting table 11 is opened. The document contact portion 22 is relatively rotatable with respect to the document pressing portion main body 21. The document pressing portion main body 21 is provided with an opening having a locking portion 21a, and the document contact portion 22 is provided with a locked portion 22a. The locking portion 21a is movable in the opening provided with the locked portion 22a, and by engaging (contacting) with the locked portion 22a provided at the end of the opening, the original contact portion is contacted. The document 22 is rotatable by a predetermined amount with respect to the document pressing portion main body 21, and the document contact portion 22 is prevented from being separated from the document pressing portion main body 21. FIG. 12C shows a state in which the document contact portion 22 projects to the negative side in the z direction with respect to the document pressing portion main body 21.

The rotation axis of the document contact portion 22 is not the hinge shaft 32, but a shaft dedicated to the document contact portion 22 or a shaft common to other components may be separately provided and rotate around the axis. In any case, the document contact portion 22 also moves (rotates) in conjunction with the movement of the document pressing section main body 21 between the pressing position and the opening position.

In order to prevent an impact sound when the document contact portion 22 comes into contact with the document pressing portion main body 21, a cushioning member 25 such as a sponge or rubber is provided on either or both of the document contact portion 22 and the document pressing portion main body 21. It is good. As an example, it may be provided at either one of the contact points between the locking portion 21a and the locked portion 22a, and is sandwiched between the document contacting portion 22 when it comes into contact with the document pressing portion main body 21. It suffices if it is provided so as to.

<When the document holding part is not lifted from the pressing position>
13 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the entire flatbed scanner 1 and FIG. 13 (b) is an enlarged view of the frame portion of FIG. 13 (a). It shows a state in which the document D is uniformly pressed by the document holding portion 20. An elastic member 23 and a background plate sheet 24 are provided on the lower surface of the document contact portion 22 in order to press the document D installed on the document mounting table 11. The elastic member 23 may be a rubber member, a sponge member, or the like. The background plate sheet 24 is formed in substantially the same rectangular shape as the document placing table 11. As the color of the background plate sheet 24, white, black, or the like is selected and used as needed. When the document holding portion 20 moves to the pressing position shown in FIG. 11, the background plate sheet 24 can uniformly press the document D. At this time, the document contact portion 22 is in the accommodation position accommodated in the document pressing portion main body 21.

Even when the document D is a thick document or a spread of a booklet, the document contact portion 22 is positioned at a storage position retracted into the document pressing section main body 21 by rotating to the side opposite to the document mounting table 11. By doing so, the document D can be pressed uniformly.

<When the document holding part is floating from the pressing position>
FIG. 14A shows an enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 13B in a state where the document holding portion 20 is floating from the pressing position, and FIG. 14B shows the document contact portion 22 at that time. It is the explanation which shows the operation. As shown in FIG. 14A, when the document holding portion 20 is not completely closed and floats from the pressing position, the document contact portion 22 is located on the document mounting table 11 side with respect to the document pressing section main body 21 centering on the hinge shaft 32. It can rotate to a protruding position. As shown in FIG. 14B, the document contact portion 22 projects toward the document mounting table 11 with respect to the document pressing section main body 21 to uniformly press the document D.

In addition, in order to assist the protrusion of the document contact portion 22, it is preferable to provide an urging member such as a spring or an elastic material on the document holding portion 20.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, a flatbed scanner has been exemplified as an example of the image reading device, but the present invention is of course not limited to this, and a device provided with an image reading device (image reading means), for example. , The present invention may be applied to various processing devices such as a copying machine and a multifunction device.

D Manuscript 1 Scanner body 11 Manuscript mounting table 12 Top cover 20 Manuscript holding part 21 Manuscript holding part Main body 21a Locked part 22 Manuscript contact part 22a Locking part 23 Elastic member 24 Background plate sheet 25 Cushioning material 30 Hinge 31 Fixing part 32 Hinge shaft 33 Rotating part 34 Rotary damper 35a, 35b Rack 36a, 36b Pinion 37 Rotary damper shaft 40 Carriage 41 Image reading sensor 42a, 42b Shaft 43 Engagement hole member 50 Operation part 51 Scan start button 52 Scan stop button 53 Power supply Button 60 Lower housing 63 Control board 64 Connection cable 65 Carriage lock member 68 Control unit 69 Drive means 71 Power cable connector 72 Communication cable connector

Claims (5)

A housing with a document mounting table on the upper surface on which the document is placed,
An image reading means for reading a document placed on the document mounting table, and an image reading means.
A document holding portion that can be opened and closed between a pressing position for pressing the document placed on the document mounting table and an open position for opening the document mounting table.
It is provided with a hinge that rotatably connects the document holding portion to the housing.
The document pressing portion has a document pressing portion main body and a document contact portion that abuts on the document.
An image reading device characterized in that the document contact portion can be projected from the document pressing section main body toward the document mounting table while moving in conjunction with the document pressing section main body. The document contact portion is provided with a locking portion that engages with a locked portion provided on the document pressing portion main body.
The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion engages with the locked portion to restrict the movement of the document contact portion within the document pressing portion main body. The image according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the document contact portion moves in conjunction with the document pressing portion main body with the hinge, which is the rotation center of the document pressing portion main body, as a rotation center. Reader. The image according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the document pressing portion main body is provided with an urging member for urging the document contact portion toward the document mounting table side. Reader. Having a cushioning member sandwiched between the document contact portion and the document pressing portion main body when the locking portion of the document contact portion contacts the locked portion of the document pressing portion main body. 2. The image reading device according to claim 2.

Images