JP2024001528A - Image reading device and image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reading device which facilitates take-out of a small-sized document without increasing the size of the device.

SOLUTION: An image reading device 50 comprises: an image reading mechanism 52 which has a sheet feeding port 52c, a sheet discharge port 52d, a conveyance mechanism and a reading part; a sheet feeding tray 51; a sheet discharge tray 53 which is located on the lower side of the sheet feeding tray 51; a detection part; a document movement mechanism 55 which moves the document whose size in the width direction is less than a prescribed size in the documents P discharged from the sheet discharge port 52d on the upper side of the sheet discharge tray 53; and a control part. The control part, when it is determined that the size in the width direction of the document P discharged from the sheet discharge port 52d is less than the prescribed size on the basis of detection information detected by the detection part, operates the document movement mechanism 55 such that the document P discharged from the sheet discharge port 52d moves toward the direction which intersects the discharge direction and which intersects the direction in which the sheet feeding tray 51 and the sheet discharge tray 53 are arrayed.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an image reading device that reads a document as an image, and an image forming device equipped with the same.

For example, an image reading device installed in an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction device is provided with a paper discharge tray for placing a document discharged from a paper discharge port of an image reading mechanism. In addition, in this type of image reading device, a paper feed tray for feeding originals to the paper feed port of the image reading mechanism is often arranged above the paper ejection tray so as to be parallel to the paper ejection tray. Common.

When the image reading device is viewed from the user's side, the supply of the original to the image reading mechanism and the ejection of the original from the image reading mechanism are performed substantially along the left-right direction. Further, since the ejected document is placed approximately at the center of the paper ejection tray in the depth direction, the user is required to reach out in the depth direction to take out the document.

In such image reading devices, the paper feed tray is placed above the paper output tray as described above, so a large space is secured for the user to put his hand in to take out the document placed on the paper output tray. difficult to do. Additionally, if a small-sized original such as a business card or postcard is ejected from the paper ejection slot and placed on the above-mentioned approximate center of the paper ejection tray, the small-sized original from the user's perspective will be placed in the paper feed tray. Therefore, it is not always easy to visually recognize the small-sized document. Therefore, it is desired that image reading apparatuses be able to easily take out small-sized originals.

One possible way to solve the above-mentioned problem is to increase the distance between the paper feed tray and the paper discharge tray. However, when this method is followed, the device becomes larger in the height direction.

In addition, as another method, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-36457 (Patent Document 1) discloses that after a small-sized original is ejected from the ejection port of the image reading mechanism, the ejection tray is moved in the ejection direction of the original ( That is, a technique is disclosed in which the device is moved along the above-mentioned substantially left-right direction.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-36457

In the case of the image reading device disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a paper ejection tray on which a small-sized document is placed is moved along the ejection direction to such an extent that the paper feed tray is not located above it. By moving it, it is possible not only to prevent the ejection tray from obstructing the ejection of the document, but also to improve the visibility of the document.

However, with this configuration, the paper output tray moves away from the user (i.e., away from the user's position in the above-mentioned approximately horizontal direction), resulting in a small size. Not only may it become difficult to take out the original, but also the area required for installing the image reading device will increase.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides an image reading device that facilitates the removal of small-sized originals without increasing the size of the device, and an image reading device equipped with the same. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus.

An image reading device according to the present invention includes a paper feed port for supplying a document, a paper discharge port for discharging the document, a transport mechanism for transporting the document from the paper feed port to the paper discharge port, and a transport mechanism for transporting the document by the transport mechanism. an image reading mechanism having a reading unit that reads the original document as an image; a paper feed tray on which the original document supplied to the paper feed port is set; and a paper ejector on which the document ejected from the paper ejection port is placed. Comes with a tray. The paper discharge tray is located below the paper feed tray. The image reading device according to the present invention includes a detection unit for detecting the widthwise size of a document; The apparatus further includes a document moving mechanism that moves an object above the paper discharge tray, and a control section that controls the operation of the document moving mechanism. When the control unit determines that the size in the width direction of the document to be ejected from the paper ejection port is less than a predetermined size based on the detection information detected by the detection unit, the control unit controls the paper ejection port to The document moving mechanism is configured such that the document ejected from the document is moved in a direction that intersects with the ejection direction of the document and a direction that intersects with the direction in which the paper feed tray and the paper output tray are lined up. make it work.

An image forming apparatus based on the present invention includes an image forming section that forms an image, and an image reading device based on the present invention described above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image reading device that facilitates the removal of small-sized documents without increasing the size of the device, and an image forming device equipped with the same.

1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image reading device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing the internal configuration of the image reading device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view for explaining the operation of the image reading device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view for explaining the operation of the image reading device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of a control unit when the image reading device shown in FIG. 2 operates. 3 is a schematic side view for explaining the operation of the image reading device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view for explaining the operation of the image reading device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view for explaining the operation of the image reading device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an image reading device according to a first modification. 12 is a schematic side view for explaining the operation of the image reading device shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 12 is a schematic side view for explaining the operation of the image reading device shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 12 is a schematic side view for explaining the operation of the image reading device shown in FIG. 11. FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view for explaining the operation of the image reading device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view for explaining the operation of the image reading device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic front view showing a document moving drive section of an image reading device according to a second modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below exemplify, as an image forming apparatus, a multi-functional peripheral (MFP) having multiple functions such as a copying function, an image reading function, and a printing function. In the embodiments described below, the same or common parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image reading apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. First, the configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

In the following description, as shown in FIG. 2, the front direction and the rear direction when the image forming apparatus 1 is viewed from the front are referred to as the X1 direction and the X2 direction, respectively, and the direction coincides with the X1 direction and the X2 direction. The direction is also referred to as the X-axis direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a method of reading a document P placed on a platen glass of a document table 52b1 using a reading unit 52b, which will be described later, and a method of reading a document P placed on a platen glass of a document table 52b1, which will be described later. The configuration is such that it is possible to carry out a method in which a document P set in a document P is read by a reading unit 52b while being transported by a transport mechanism 52a (see FIG. 4, etc.), which will be described later. Only the latter method of reading the original P set on the paper feed tray 51 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a control section 10, an image forming section 20, a paper feeding section 30, an operation panel 40, and an image reading device 50. The control section 10, the image forming section 20, and the paper feeding section 30 are located at the center of the image forming apparatus 1, and the operation panel 40 is located at the upper front of the image forming apparatus 1. Image reading device 50 is located at the top of image forming device 1 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a communication I/F unit 14, an image data storage unit 15, and an original document. It includes a size storage section 16. Each of the CPU 11, ROM 12, RAM 13, communication I/F section 14, image data storage section 15, and document size storage section 16 is connected to each other so that data can be linked.

The CPU 11 controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 1, including the operation of a document moving mechanism 55 of the image reading apparatus 50, which will be described later. The ROM 12 stores a control program executed by the CPU 11. The RAM 13 is a working memory for the CPU 11. The communication I/F unit 14 transmits and receives various information to and from an external device (not shown) via a network or the like. The image data storage section 15 stores image data etc. read by a reading section 52b of an image reading device 50, which will be described later. The document size storage section 16 stores information regarding the size of the document P obtained by the detection section 54, which will be described later.

Here, the control program executed by the CPU 11 may be provided not as a standalone program but as a part of an arbitrary program as a module. In that case, the control processing in this embodiment is realized in cooperation with an arbitrary program. Further, some or all of the functions provided by the control program may be realized by dedicated hardware.

The image forming section 20 includes a toner image forming section, a fixing device, and the like. The image forming section 20 forms an image on paper using, for example, an electrophotographic method. More specifically, the image forming unit 20 can combine four-color images in a so-called tandem method to form a color image on paper.

The toner image forming section includes a photoreceptor provided for each color of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black), and a toner image is transferred from the photoreceptor (i.e., primary transfer). The image forming apparatus is composed of an intermediate transfer belt, a transfer section that transfers an image from the intermediate transfer belt to a sheet of paper (that is, secondary transfer), and the like.

The fixing device includes a heating roller and a pressure roller. The fixing device conveys a sheet of paper on which a toner image is formed between a heating roller and a pressure roller, and heats and presses the sheet of paper. Thereby, the fixing device can form an image on the paper by melting the toner attached to the paper and fixing it on the paper.

The paper feed section 30 is composed of a paper feed roller, a conveyance roller, a motor that drives these, and the like. The paper feed unit 30 feeds paper from a paper feed cassette and transports the paper inside the casing of the image forming apparatus 1 . The paper feed section 30 discharges the paper on which the image is formed from the image forming apparatus 1 to the paper discharge section. The operation panel 40 displays various information and accepts various operations.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing the internal configuration of the image reading device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. The configuration of the image reading device 50 according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 4 and FIGS. 1 to 3 described above. Note that in FIG. 4, a part of the image reading device is shown transparently in order to facilitate understanding of the internal configuration of the image reading device.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the image reading device 50 includes a paper feed tray 51, an image reading mechanism 52, a paper ejection tray 53, and a detection unit 54 that detects the size of the document P (see FIG. (see 3). The image reading device 50 generates image data of the document P by transporting the documents P one by one from a bundle of documents P set on a paper feed tray 51 and reading the images thereof.

The paper feed tray 51 is for setting a document P to be supplied to a paper feed port 52c of an image reading mechanism 52, which will be described later, and includes a tray 51a and a pair of plate-shaped guides provided on the tray 51a. 51b.

The pair of guides 51b are configured to be relatively movable so that the distance between them increases or decreases along the width direction of the document P (that is, the X-axis direction shown in FIG. 2). The pair of guides 51b restricts the movement of the document P along the width direction by sandwiching the document P set on the tray 51a (see FIG. 6, etc. described later).

Here, the width direction of the document P refers to the direction perpendicular to the discharge direction of the document P discharged from the paper discharge port 52d of the image reading mechanism 52 by the transport mechanism 52a, which will be described later. The direction does not change with the ratio. In the present embodiment, the width direction of the document P also coincides with the direction perpendicular to the supply direction of the document P supplied to the paper feed port 52c of the image reading mechanism 52 by the transport mechanism 52a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the image reading mechanism 52 includes a transport mechanism 52a that transports the original P, and a reading section 52b that reads the original P transported by the transport mechanism 52a as an image. A paper feed port 52c through which the original P is fed is provided in a portion of the image reading mechanism 52 adjacent to the paper feed tray 51, and a paper feed port 52c is provided in a portion of the image reading mechanism 52 adjacent to the paper ejection tray 53. A paper discharge port 52d for discharging the original P is provided.

The conveyance mechanism 52a is arranged above the reading section 52b, and includes a plurality of rollers 52a1 and a conveyance drive section 52a2 (see FIG. 3) such as a motor that drives these rollers.

The transport mechanism 52a takes out originals P one by one from a bundle of originals P set on the paper feed tray 51, and transports them from the paper feed port 52c to the paper discharge port 52d. The document P is read as an image by the reading section 52b while being transported by the transport mechanism 52a.

The reading section 52b includes an original platen 52b1 having a platen glass (not shown) on its upper surface side, a light source section 52b2 that irradiates light onto the original P, and an image converter that photoelectrically converts light reflected from the original P into image data. It includes a sensor 52b3, an imaging lens 52b4 that forms an image of the reflected light on the image sensor 52b3, and a mirror group 52b5 that sequentially reflects the reflected light from the document P and makes it incident on the imaging lens 52b4.

The light source section 52b2, the image sensor 52b3, the imaging lens 52b4, and the mirror group 52b5 are provided inside the document table 52b1. The light source section 52b2 and the mirror group 52b5 are configured to be movable in the left-right direction in the figure with respect to the document table 52b1.

When the image sensor 52b3 reads the document P set on the paper feed tray 51, the document P is conveyed to the reading position by the conveyance mechanism 52a composed of a plurality of rollers 52a1 and the like. The light source section 52b2 and the mirror group 52b5 are fixed at predetermined positions inside the document table 52b1.

When the reading position of the original P is irradiated with light by the light source section 52b2, the reflected light is imaged on the image sensor 52b3 via the mirror group 52b5 and the imaging lens 52b4. The image sensor 52b3 generates an image signal (RGB signal) corresponding to the image of the document P by performing photoelectric conversion for each pixel according to the intensity of reflected light. The document P thus irradiated with light is discharged from the paper discharge port 52d by the transport mechanism 52a.

The paper ejection tray 53 is for placing the document P ejected from the paper ejection port 52d, and is located below the paper feed tray 51. Here, the lower position of the paper feed tray 51 refers to a position that is lower than the paper feed tray 51 in the vertical direction and overlaps with the paper feed tray 51 when viewed along the vertical direction. It means.

Moreover, the paper discharge tray 53 is arranged at a position below the paper discharge port 52d. Therefore, the document P discharged from the paper discharge port 52d naturally falls and is placed on the paper discharge tray 53.

As shown in FIG. 3, the detection unit 54 allows the user to input information regarding the widthwise size of the document P through the operation panel 40 of the image forming apparatus 1, Detection is performed by detecting the distance of the guide 51b. The distance between the pair of guides 51b is detected by a sensor (not shown) provided on the paper feed tray 51. Detection information regarding the widthwise size of the document P obtained by the detection section 54 is transmitted to the control section 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, the image reading device 50 further includes a document moving mechanism 55. The document moving mechanism 55 is for moving documents P discharged from the paper discharge port 52d whose widthwise size is less than a predetermined size above the paper discharge tray 53.

In this embodiment, as the document moving mechanism 55, a movable table 55a is used which is disposed above the paper discharge tray 53 and below the paper discharge port 52d. The movable table 55a is moved from an initial position where it can receive the document P discharged from the paper discharge port 52d in a direction that intersects with the direction in which the document P is discharged from the paper discharge port 52d, and is arranged in a direction that intersects with the paper feed tray 51 and the paper discharge tray. It is configured to be able to slide in a direction that intersects the direction in which 53 are lined up. Note that, as shown in FIG. 3, the movable table 55a serving as the document moving mechanism 55 is driven by a document moving drive unit 55b such as a motor.

Here, the initial position of the movable base 55a in this embodiment is a position corresponding to approximately the center of the image reading device 50 in the X-axis direction. Further, the moving direction of the movable table 55a from the initial position corresponds to the X1 direction (see FIG. 2).

The size of the movable table 55a is large enough to place a document P whose width direction is less than a predetermined size, and which is large enough to allow a document P whose width direction is not less than a predetermined size to be ejected. It is preferable to make the size so small that it does not prevent the paper from naturally falling from the paper slot 52d and being placed on the paper discharge tray 53.

5, FIG. 6, and FIGS. 8 to 10 are all schematic side views for explaining the operation of the image reading apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control section when the image reading apparatus shown in FIG. 2 operates. Next, the operation of the image reading device 50 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 10.

In the present embodiment, the user of the image reading device 50 accesses the image reading device 50 from the front side (that is, the left side in FIG. 5) and performs each operation ( That is, moving the pair of guides 51b, setting the original P, taking out the original P, etc.) is performed. In addition, hereinafter, a document whose size in the width direction is less than a predetermined size is also simply referred to as a small-size document.

As shown in FIG. 5, first, the user moves the pair of guides 51b inward in the X-axis direction so that the distance between the pair of guides 51b matches the size of the document P in the width direction. move it.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the user sets the bundle of documents P between the pair of guides 51b.

Next, referring to FIG. 7, in step S1, control unit 10 determines whether original P is set on paper feed tray 51. More specifically, the control unit 10 determines whether or not a bundle of documents P is set on the paper feed tray 51 based on information detected by a sensor (not shown) provided on the paper feed tray 51.

If it is determined that a bundle of originals P has been set (YES in step S1), the control unit 10 moves to step S2 shown in FIG. Obtained from the detection unit 54.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, in step S3, the control unit 10 determines whether the size of the document P in the width direction is less than a predetermined size set in advance. Note that the above-mentioned predetermined size is not particularly limited, and can be changed as appropriate within the range of the size of the document P that can be moved by the document moving mechanism 55.

If it is determined that the size of the document P in the width direction is not less than the predetermined size (NO in step S3), the control unit 10 moves to step S4, which will be described below. If it is determined that the size of the document P in the width direction is less than the predetermined size (YES in step S3), the control unit 10 moves to step S8, which will be described later.

If it is determined in step S3 that the size of the document P in the width direction is not less than the predetermined size, the control section 10 proceeds to step S4 shown in FIG. 7 and starts conveying the document P. More specifically, when the control unit 10 gives a drive command to the transport drive unit 52a2, transport of the document P by the transport mechanism 52a is started.

Next, the control unit 10 reads the original P as an image. More specifically, the control unit 10 uses the reading unit 52b to read the original P as an image while the original P is being transported from the paper feed port 52c to the paper discharge port 52d by the transport mechanism 52a.

The document P that has been completely read by the reading section 52b is discharged from the paper discharge port 52d by the transport mechanism 52a. As shown in FIG. 8, the ejected document P naturally falls from the paper ejection port 52d and is placed on the paper ejection tray 53.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, in step S5, the control unit 10 determines whether reading of all the bundles of originals P has been completed.

If it is determined that reading of all the bundles of originals P has been completed (YES in step S5), the control unit 10 moves to step S6 shown in FIG. It is determined whether the paper has been ejected from the paper slot 52d.

If it is determined that the entire bundle of documents P has been discharged from the paper discharge port 52d (YES in step S6), the control unit 10 moves to step S7 shown in FIG. Stop. More specifically, the drive of the transport mechanism 52a is stopped by the control unit 10 giving a drive stop command to the transport drive unit 52a2.

By going through steps S1 to S7 described above, reading of the image data of the document P by the image reading device 50 is completed when the size of the document P in the width direction is not less than a predetermined size.

On the other hand, in step S3 shown in FIG. Step 10 moves to step S8 and returns the original moving mechanism 55 to the initial position.

More specifically, the control section 10 gives a drive command to the document moving drive section 55b. As a result, the movable table 55a serving as the document moving mechanism 55 slides from the initial position (see FIG. 10 described later) to return to the initial position. That is, when a new reading job is received, the control unit 10 operates the movable base 55a so that the movable base 55a, which was slid from the initial position in the previous reading job, returns to the initial position. .

Note that if the movable base 55a is placed at the initial position before proceeding to step S8, the process immediately proceeds to step S9 described below without performing step S8.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 10 proceeds to step S9 and starts transporting the document P. More specifically, when the control unit 10 gives a drive command to the transport drive unit 52a2, transport of the document P by the transport mechanism 52a is started.

Next, the control unit 10 reads the original P as an image. More specifically, the control unit 10 uses the reading unit 52b to read the original P as an image while the original P is being transported from the paper feed port 52c to the paper discharge port 52d by the transport mechanism 52a.

The document P that has been completely read by the reading section 52b is discharged from the paper discharge port 52d by the transport mechanism 52a. As shown in FIG. 9, the discharged document P naturally falls from the paper discharge port 52d and is placed on the movable base 55a.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, in step S10, the control unit 10 determines whether reading of all the bundles of originals P has been completed.

If it is determined that reading of all the bundles of originals P has been completed (YES in step S10), the control unit 10 moves to step S11 shown in FIG. It is determined whether the paper has been ejected from the paper slot 52d.

If it is determined that the entire bundle of documents P has been discharged from the paper discharge port 52d (YES in step S11), the control unit 10 moves to step S12 shown in FIG. Stop. More specifically, the drive of the transport mechanism 52a is stopped by the control unit 10 giving a drive stop command to the transport drive unit 52a2.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 10 moves the movable table 55a as the document moving mechanism 55 in step S13.

More specifically, the control section 10 gives a drive command to the document moving drive section 55b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, when the document P is placed on the movable table 55a, the movable table 55a moves from the initial position where the document P discharged from the paper discharge port 52d can be received to the paper discharge port 52d. It slides in the X1 direction, which is the direction that intersects with the direction in which the originals P are ejected from the paper tray 51 and the direction in which the paper feed tray 51 and the paper ejection tray 53 are lined up.

By going through steps S1 to S3 and S8 to S13 described above, when the size of the document P in the width direction is less than a predetermined size, the image reading device 50 can read the image data of the document P. Complete.

Here, in the image reading device 50 according to the present embodiment, as described above, when a small-sized original P is ejected from the paper ejection port 52d, the original P is placed. By sliding the movable base 55a, it moves in the X1 direction, which is a direction that intersects with the direction in which the document P is ejected from the paper ejection port 52d and also intersects with the direction in which the paper feed tray 51 and the paper ejection tray 53 are lined up. (that is, move toward the front side of the image reading device 50). With this configuration, it becomes possible to easily take out small-sized originals.

That is, when taking out a small-sized document ejected from the paper ejection port in an image reading device in which the paper feed tray is arranged above the paper ejection tray, the user must You will have to reach out and take out the original.

If no measures are taken at this time, not only will it be difficult to secure a large space for the user to put his or her hand in to take out the ejected original, but it will also be difficult for the user to remove the ejected small-sized original. It is not always easy to visually recognize them.

In this regard, the image reading device 50 according to the present embodiment is provided with a movable table 55a as a document moving mechanism 55 that moves the small-sized document P in the X1 direction above the paper discharge tray 53. With this configuration, the ejected small-sized original P moves closer to the user, which not only makes it easier for the user to see the original P; This means that a large space for the user to put his hand in to take out the document P can be secured.

Furthermore, the movable base 55a serving as the document moving mechanism 55 is moved in the space between the paper feed tray 51 and the paper discharge tray 53. Therefore, by using the image reading device 50 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily take out small-sized originals without increasing the size of the device.

Note that in the present embodiment, a case has been described in which the operation of the document moving mechanism 55 is controlled by the control unit 10 included in the image forming apparatus 1; A control unit different from the first control unit 10 may be further provided in the image reading device 50.

(First modification)
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an image reading device according to a first modification, FIG. 11(A) is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the image reading device according to the first modification, and FIG. 11(B) is It is a perspective view showing the structure of a flip-up part. 12 to 14 are schematic side views for explaining the operation of the flip-up section shown in FIG. 11. Hereinafter, an image reading device 50A according to a first modification based on the first embodiment described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. Note that the operation of the control unit 10 during the operation of the image reading device 50A according to the first modification is the same as that of the image reading device 50 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11A, in the image reading device 50A according to the first modification, when compared with the image reading device 50 according to the first embodiment described above, the paper feed tray 51 has a flip-up portion 51c. The only difference is that they have

More specifically, in the image reading device 50A, the paper feed tray 51 is located at a portion of the paper feed tray 51 that corresponds to the position of the small-sized document P after being moved by the movable table 55a (i.e., A portion of the paper feed tray 51 (on the front side of the image reading device 50A) has a flip-up portion 51c that is flipped up only when a small-sized document P is set on the paper feed tray 51.

As shown in FIG. 11(B), the flip-up portion 51c includes a thin plate portion 51c1 extending in the X-axis direction and having a substantially trapezoidal shape in plan view, and a protruding portion that protrudes upward from the main surface of the thin plate portion 51c1. The lever portion 51c2 includes a lever portion 51c2, and a shaft portion 51c3. The lever portion 51c2 and the shaft portion 51c3 are both provided at the end on the X2 direction side in the extending direction of the thin plate portion 51c1.

The flip-up portion 51c is arranged such that the protruding portion of the lever portion 51c2 is located on the moving path of the pair of guides 51b. The flip-up portion 51c is configured to rotate around the shaft portion 51c3 and flip up when the protruding portion of the lever portion 51c2 is pushed downward by an external force.

The flip-up portion 51c is flipped up in conjunction with the movement of the pair of guides 51b. More specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 12, when the distance between the pair of guides 51b is greater than or equal to a predetermined size, the flip-up portion 51c is located on a continuous plane with the tray 51a. There is.

Next, when setting a small-sized document P on the paper feed tray 51, the user moves the pair of guides 51b so that the distance between them becomes smaller. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, one of the pair of guides 51b steps on the protrusion of the lever portion 51c2 that protrudes upward from the main surface of the paper feed tray 51. Thereby, the flip-up portion 51c rotates around the shaft portion 51c3 and is flipped up.

When the flip-up portion 51c is flipped up in this way, as shown in FIG. Since it becomes possible to increase the size of the document P, it is possible to secure a larger space for the user to insert his/her hand in order to take out the small-sized document P.

Therefore, with this configuration, it is possible to further enhance the effect of facilitating the removal of small-sized originals as described in the first embodiment.

Note that when the removal of the small-sized document P is completed, the user returns the pair of guides 51b to their original positions by moving the pair of guides 51b so that the distance between them becomes larger. can be done.

At this time, the flip-up portion 51c may be configured such that when one of the pair of guides 51b steps on the protruding portion of the lever portion 51c2 again, the flip-up portion 51c is released. Alternatively, the user may release the flip-up portion 51c by pushing the flip-up portion 51c downward.

(Embodiment 2)
15 and 16 are schematic side views for explaining the operation of the image reading device according to the second embodiment. Next, an image reading device 50B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. Note that the operation of the control unit 10 during the operation of the image reading device 50B according to the present embodiment corresponds to step S13 (that is, movement of the document moving mechanism 55) in the case of the image reading device 50 according to the first embodiment. This embodiment differs from the image reading device 50 described above only in that the document moving mechanism 55 is tilted as described later in the step of performing the above steps, and the other points are the same.

The image reading device 50B according to the present embodiment is different from the image reading device 50 according to the first embodiment described above in the configuration of the movable base and its operation.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the movable table 55c in the image reading device 50B according to the present embodiment has a movable base 55c at its end on the It has a shaft portion 55c1 extending in the direction).

When a small-sized document P is placed on the movable table 55c, the movable table 55c rotates around the shaft portion 55c1, thereby changing the position from the initial position to intersect with the discharge direction of the document P from the paper discharge port 52d. It is configured so that it can be tilted in a direction that intersects the direction in which the paper feed tray 51 and the paper discharge tray 53 are lined up (ie, the X1 direction). Here, the initial position is the same as the initial position of the movable base 55a of the image reading device 50 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 16, when all the documents P discharged from the paper discharge port 52d are placed on the movable table 55c, the movable table 55c tilts toward the X1 direction. As a result, the document P placed on the movable table 55c slides down from the movable table 55c in the X1 direction and is placed on the paper discharge tray 53.

Even with this configuration, the same effects as described in the first embodiment described above can be obtained, and it is possible to easily take out small-sized originals without increasing the size of the apparatus. It turns out.

(Second modification)
FIG. 17 is a schematic front view showing a document moving drive unit of an image reading device according to a second modification. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 17, an image reading device 50C according to a second modification based on the second embodiment described above will be described. In addition, in FIG. 17, in order to facilitate understanding of the configuration of the document moving drive unit 55d according to the second modification, it is shown that it is housed in the casing of the image reading device 50C and is not directly visible. The document moving drive section 55d, which cannot be moved, is illustrated by making the above-mentioned casing transparent.

The operation of the control unit 10 during the operation of the image reading device 50C according to the second modification will be described later when compared with the case of the image reading devices 50 and 50B according to the first and second embodiments. The only difference is that the movable base 55c is driven without going through the control section 10, and the rest of the components are the same.

As shown in FIG. 17, the image reading device 50C according to the second modification has a document moving drive section for driving the movable base 55c when compared with the image reading device 50B according to the second embodiment described above. Only the configuration of 55d is different.

More specifically, in the image reading device 50C, the document moving drive section 55d moves the movable table 55c between the pair of guides 51b so that the movable table 55c is tilted in conjunction with the movement of the pair of guides 51b. Motion transmission is realized. The document moving drive unit 55d is configured with a so-called rack and pinion.

The document moving drive unit 55d includes a first slider 55d1 and a second slider 55d2, which are toothed sliders, and a first rotating body 55d3 and a second rotating body 55d4, which are gears.

Most of the first slider 55d1 is housed inside the paper feed tray 51, and is connected to one of the pair of guides 51b. Most of the second slider 55d2 is stored inside the casing of the image reading device 50, which is located on the left side (i.e., the rear side in FIG. 17) when the image reading device 50C is viewed from the front. . The first slider 55d1 and the second slider 55d2 both extend along the X-axis direction.

The first rotating body 55d3 is stored inside the casing of the image reading device 50C located on the X2 side. The first rotating body 55d3 meshes with the first slider 55d1 at its upper portion, and meshes with the second slider 55d2 at its lower portion.

The second rotating body 55d4 is housed inside the casing of the image reading device 50 located on the left side when the image reading device 50C is viewed from the front, and is housed inside the shaft portion 55c1 of the movable base 55c (see FIG. 15). etc.).

The connection of the second rotating body 55d4 to the shaft portion 55c1 can be realized, for example, by providing a hole in the center of the second rotating body 55d4 and fitting the hole into the shaft portion 55c1. The second rotating body 55d4 meshes with the second slider 55d2 at its upper portion.

In the image reading device 50C having the document moving drive unit 55d configured as described above, in order to set a small-sized document P on the paper feed tray 51, the user sets the pair of guides 51b so that the distance between them becomes small. When these are moved, the first slider 55d1 connected to one of the pair of guides 51b moves linearly in the X2 direction.

The linear motion of the first slider 55d1 is transmitted to the second slider 55d2 via the first rotating body 55d3, so that the second slider 55d2 moves linearly in the X1 direction. The linear movement of the second slider 55d2 causes the second rotating body 55d4 meshed therewith to rotate. By transmitting this rotational movement to the shaft portion 55c1, the movable table 55c is tilted before the document P is ejected from the paper ejection port 52d.

Even with this configuration, the same effects as those described in the first and second embodiments can be obtained, and it is possible to take out small-sized originals without increasing the size of the device. This will make it easier.

(Additional note)
The characteristic configurations of the image reading device and image forming device disclosed in the above-described embodiments and modifications thereof are summarized as follows.

[Additional note 1]
A paper feed port to which the original is fed, a paper ejection port to eject the original, a transport mechanism to transport the original from the paper feed port to the paper ejection port, and a reading unit to read the original transported by the transport mechanism as an image. an image reading mechanism having;
a paper feed tray into which a document to be fed to the paper feed port is set;
and a paper ejection tray on which the document ejected from the paper ejection port is placed,
The paper output tray is located below the paper feed tray,
a detection unit for detecting the widthwise size of the document;
a document moving mechanism that moves documents whose size in the width direction is less than a predetermined size among the documents discharged from the paper discharge port above the paper discharge tray;
further comprising a control unit that controls the operation of the document moving mechanism,
When the control unit determines that the size in the width direction of the document to be ejected from the paper ejection port is less than a predetermined size based on the detection information detected by the detection unit, the control unit controls the paper ejection port to The document moving mechanism is configured such that the document ejected from the document is moved in a direction that intersects with the ejection direction of the document and a direction that intersects with the direction in which the paper feed tray and the paper output tray are lined up. An image reading device that operates.

[Additional note 2]
The document moving mechanism includes a movable table located above the paper ejection tray and below the paper ejection port,
The movable table is located in a direction that intersects with the direction in which the document is ejected from the paper ejection port from an initial position where it can receive the document ejected from the paper ejection port, and the paper feed tray and the paper ejection tray are The image reading device according to appendix 1, wherein the document discharged from the paper discharge port moves above the paper discharge tray by sliding in a direction that intersects with the direction in which the documents are lined up.

[Additional note 3]
The control unit operates the document moving mechanism so that when a new reading job is received, the movable table at the position after the slide movement returns to the initial position. image reading device.

[Additional note 4]
The document moving mechanism includes a movable table located above the paper ejection tray and below the paper ejection port,
The movable table is located in a direction that intersects with the direction in which the document is ejected from the paper ejection port from an initial position where it can receive the document ejected from the paper ejection port, and the paper feed tray and the paper ejection tray are The image reading device according to appendix 1, wherein the document discharged from the paper discharge port moves above the paper discharge tray by tilting in a direction that intersects with the direction in which the document is lined up.

[Additional note 5]
The control unit operates the document moving mechanism so that the movable table in the tilted position returns to the initial position when a new reading job is received. Image reading device.

[Additional note 6]
further comprising a pair of guides that limit movement along the width direction of the document by sandwiching the document set in the paper feed tray;
The pair of guides are provided on the paper feed tray so as to be relatively movable so that the distance between them increases or decreases,
The image reading device according to any one of appendices 1 to 5, wherein the detection unit detects the widthwise size of the document by detecting the distance between the pair of guides.

[Additional note 7]
6. The image reading device according to any one of appendices 1 to 5, wherein the paper feed tray has a flip-up portion at a portion corresponding to the position of the document after being moved by the document moving mechanism.

[Additional note 8]
further comprising a pair of guides that limit movement in the width direction of the document by sandwiching the document set in the paper feed tray;
The pair of guides are provided on the paper feed tray so as to be relatively movable so that the distance between them increases or decreases,
The image reading device according to appendix 7, wherein the flip-up portion is configured to flip up and release in conjunction with movement of the pair of guides.

[Additional note 9]
an image forming unit that forms an image;
An image forming apparatus comprising an image reading device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 8.

(Other forms, etc.)
In the embodiments and their modifications described above, a movable table is used as the document moving mechanism, but the document moving mechanism is not limited to the movable table. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a small-sized document discharged from a paper discharge port is held and moved by a robot arm or the like separately provided in the image reading device.

Further, the shape, structure, size, number, material, etc. of each part shown in the above-described embodiments and their modifications can be variously changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Further, the characteristic configurations shown in the above-described embodiments and their modifications can naturally be combined with each other without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In this way, the embodiments and their modifications disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and includes all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

1 Image forming device, 10 Control unit, 11 CPU, 12 ROM, 13 RAM, 14 Communication I/F unit, 15 Image data storage unit, 16 Original size storage unit, 20 Image forming unit, 30 Paper feeding unit, 40 Operation panel , 50, 50A, 50B, 50C image reading device, 51 paper feed tray, 51a tray, 51b guide, 51c flip-up part, 51c1 thin plate part, 51c2 lever part, 51c3 shaft part, 52 image reading mechanism, 52a transport mechanism, 52a1 Roller, 52a2 Conveyance drive unit, 52b Reading unit, 52b1 Document table, 52b2 Light source unit, 52b3 Image sensor, 52b4 Imaging lens, 52b5 Mirror group, 52c Paper feed port, 52d Paper discharge port, 53 Paper discharge tray, 54 Detection part, 55 document moving mechanism, 55a, 55c movable base, 55b, 55d document moving drive section, 55c1 shaft section, 55d1 first slider, 55d2 second slider, 55d3 first rotating body, 55d4 second rotating body, P document .

Claims (9)

A paper feed port to which a document is fed, a paper discharge port to eject the document, a transport mechanism to transport the document from the paper feed port to the paper discharge port, and a reading unit to read the document transported by the transport mechanism as an image. an image reading mechanism having;
a paper feed tray on which a document to be fed to the paper feed port is set;
a paper ejection tray on which a document ejected from the paper ejection port is placed;
The paper output tray is located below the paper feed tray,
a detection unit for detecting the widthwise size of the document;
a document moving mechanism that moves documents whose size in the width direction is less than a predetermined size among the documents discharged from the paper discharge port above the paper discharge tray;
further comprising a control unit that controls the operation of the document moving mechanism,
When the control unit determines that the size in the width direction of the document to be ejected from the paper ejection port is less than a predetermined size based on the detection information detected by the detection unit, the control unit controls the paper ejection port. The document moving mechanism is configured such that the document ejected from the document is moved in a direction that intersects with the ejecting direction of the document and intersects with a direction in which the paper feed tray and the paper ejection tray are lined up. An image reading device that operates. The document moving mechanism includes a movable table located above the paper ejection tray and below the paper ejection port,
The movable base is in a direction intersecting the direction in which the original is ejected from the paper ejection port from an initial position where it can receive the original ejected from the paper ejection port, and the paper feed tray and the paper ejection tray are The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the document discharged from the paper discharge port moves above the paper discharge tray by sliding in a direction that intersects with the direction in which the documents are lined up. 3. The control unit operates the document moving mechanism so that, when a new reading job is received, the movable base at the position after the slide movement returns to the initial position. The image reading device described. The document moving mechanism includes a movable table located above the paper ejection tray and below the paper ejection port,
The movable table is located in a direction that intersects with the direction in which the document is ejected from the paper ejection port from an initial position where it can receive the document ejected from the paper ejection port, and the paper feed tray and the paper ejection tray are The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the document discharged from the paper discharge port moves above the paper discharge tray by tilting the document in a direction that intersects with the direction in which the document is lined up. 5. The control unit operates the document moving mechanism so that the movable table in the tilted position returns to the initial position when a new reading job is accepted. image reading device. further comprising a pair of guides that limit movement of the document in the width direction by sandwiching the document set in the paper feed tray;
The pair of guides are provided on the paper feed tray so as to be relatively movable so that the distance between them increases or decreases,
The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the widthwise size of the document by detecting a distance between the pair of guides. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the paper feed tray has a flip-up portion at a portion corresponding to the position of the document after being moved by the document moving mechanism. further comprising a pair of guides that limit movement of the document in the width direction by sandwiching the document set in the paper feed tray;
The pair of guides are provided on the paper feed tray so as to be relatively movable so that the distance between them increases or decreases,
The image reading device according to claim 7, wherein the flip-up portion is configured to flip up and release in conjunction with movement of the pair of guides. an image forming unit that forms an image;
An image forming apparatus comprising the image reading device according to claim 1.

Images