JP2502550B2 - Image processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus.

[Prior Art] Image information is read from a medium (original) carrying information,
An image processing apparatus that performs a series of image processing for recording this on a recording medium such as paper is now an indispensable apparatus in an information processing system. As a recording apparatus used for such an image processing apparatus, since it has many advantages such as extremely low noise during recording and recording on plain paper, the degree of attention of the inkjet recording apparatus is high. It is rising.

Among them, electromechanical conversion elements such as piezoelectric elements and magnetostrictive elements,
Alternatively, an on-demand type ink jet recording apparatus that discharges ink at the time of recording by using an electrothermal conversion element or the like consumes ink only when necessary for recording, so that unnecessary ink collecting means and deflecting means for deflecting ink are used. There is a great advantage that a high voltage power supply or the like is not required.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] With the recent popularization of so-called OA equipment, demands for smaller image processing systems, faster processing, and improved operability are increasing. Various image processing devices that are integrated with a recording device have been devised. It is also conceivable to combine and integrate an on-demand type ink jet recording apparatus and a reading apparatus having various advantages, but in this case also, it is strongly desired to perform an appropriate configuration and arrangement to meet the above demand. ing.

On the other hand, since an ink jet recording apparatus generally uses a liquid as a recording agent, there is a possibility that ink of a recording unit such as a head may be clogged or the like, and improvement in operability of maintenance of the recording unit is desired. Further, since a recording medium such as paper may be jammed in the transport path, it is desired to improve operability of so-called jam processing.

In view of these problems, the present invention integrates a recording device and a reading device, uses an inkjet recording device as a recording device to make the most of its advantages, and is compact and has high operability. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus with improved operability for maintenance and improved operability for jam handling.

[Means for Solving Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the first embodiment of the present invention is
Recording means having an ink ejection port for ejecting ink for recording on a recording medium according to information, reading means for reading the image information from a medium carrying an image, and at least a part of electric circuit means of the apparatus. The unit having
An upper unit and a lower unit, each of which includes a lower unit having a platen for maintaining the recording medium at a recording position by the recording unit and capable of being separated from the upper unit, and a conveying unit for conveying the recording medium to the recording position. It is characterized in that and can be separated and opened at the recording position by the recording means.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, a recording means having an ink ejection port for ejecting ink for recording on a recording medium according to information, and a reading means for reading the image information from a medium carrying an image. And a platen for maintaining the recording medium at the recording position by the recording unit, and an ink storage unit for storing the ink supplied to the recording unit, which are relatively separable from the first unit. The second unit, a conveying unit for conveying the recording medium to the recording position, and a displaceable unit according to the distance between the first unit and the second unit, connect the recording head and the ink storage unit, and An ink supply connection member for supplying ink from the storage means to the recording means, and the first unit and the second unit can be separated and opened at the recording position by the recording means. And it features.

[Operation] That is, according to the present invention, since the inkjet recording unit and the image input unit are integrally configured, it is possible to obtain an image processing apparatus which is small in size while having the advantages of the inkjet recording unit and high operability. . Further, since each unit can be separated and opened at the recording position, it is possible to increase the space for maintenance of the recording unit and open the transport path. Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the ink supply connecting member is displaceable, the separation of each unit is allowed without separation of the ink supply system, for example.

[Examples] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of an image processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the outer cover is removed for convenience.

Here, 1 is a main unit, which has an upper unit or an upper unit 1a as a first unit and a lower unit or a lower unit 1b as a second unit,
The upper unit 1a has the hinge 11 as the center of rotation and the lower unit.
It can be rotated vertically with respect to 1b. Here, the upper unit 1a includes a recording head 101 and an electric circuit unit 10 which will be described in detail later.
3, fan 150, discharge upper roller 115a, conveyance upper roller 113a,
A paper guide 201 and a paper feed roller 111 are provided. On the other hand, the lower unit 1b includes a platen 203 and an ink absorber 23.
5, an ink tank 231, a paper cassette 221, a paper discharge tray 9A, and idlers 213 and 215 are provided. Further, 5 is a cover arranged to cover the upper side of the main body unit portion 1,
The cover 5 includes an operation unit 7 in which various command switches 7a and 7b such as online switches and a display 7C for mode display are arranged, and an insertion port 8A for a medium (original) carrying image information for reading and reading. The document reading device housing portion 8 is provided for covering the reading device which will be described later with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 9 denotes a discharge port provided on one side of the apparatus. A recording medium S on which recording has been performed is stacked on a discharge tray 9A via the discharge port 9.

FIGS. 2 and 3 each show a cover 5 of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 for explaining an example of the internal configuration of the apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the device is removed, and a diagram showing a side cross section of the device shown in FIG. In these figures, 101 is an image processing head arranged in the vicinity of the discharge port 9. For example, the nozzle 101a is arranged in a range corresponding to the entire recordable width (for example, A4 size recording paper) of this apparatus at a density of 16 lines per 1 mm. It has a so-called full multi-type configuration. Further, an electromechanical conversion element (not shown), an electrothermal conversion element (not shown), or the like is arranged at an appropriate portion in the ink liquid flow path such as this nozzle, and a drive signal ( That is, the ejection energy is applied to the ink in response to the supply of the drive signal corresponding to the reading signal of the document reading device 800, whereby the ink is ejected from the ejection port 101b. In this example, the recording head 101 is provided so that the ejection openings 101b of the respective nozzles 101a open vertically downward.

103 is a recording head via the flexible cable 102
In addition to the driver circuit that drives 101, the circuit board 10 includes a driver circuit for the document reading device 800, a signal processing circuit, a power supply circuit, a control circuit, and an interface circuit for each circuit in the device.
This is the main electric circuit portion of the apparatus provided in 3A, and in the present embodiment, since the main electric circuit portion 103 is provided in the same upper unit 1a as the recording head 101, ink is ejected during recording or Even if an unexpected ink leak occurs, the effect of the ink will not affect the electric circuit unit 103. That is, even if ink should leak from the ejection port 101b, the flow path is formed on the lower unit 1b side,
In this embodiment, the electric circuit section 103 is arranged above the flow path, and the ink does not affect the main electric circuit section 103 of the apparatus. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the electric circuit section 103 is connected to each ejection port 101b of the recording head 101.
It is arranged at a position higher than the arrangement position of. As a result, the influence of the ink does not reach the electric circuit section 103. However, the above-described arrangement of the electric circuit portion 103 and the discharge port 101b is not always necessary.

Reference numeral 111 denotes a paper feed roller formed by cutting out a part of an arc, for example, a recording head S from a cassette 221 for accommodating the recording medium S such as paper, film or cloth.
This is a roller for feeding the recording position to the recording position indicated by 01.

Reference numerals 113 and 115 denote a discharge roller arranged on the upstream side and a discharge roller arranged near the discharge port 9 on the downstream side of the recording medium conveyance path P with respect to the recording position of the recording head 101, respectively. Belt 119
It is rotationally driven via. Thus, in response to this rotational drive, the transport roller 113 and the discharge roller 115 cooperate with the idlers 213 and 215, which are arranged to face each other, and the recording position is maintained with the recording medium S sandwiched therebetween. The recording medium S is conveyed to or discharged from the recording position to the discharge tray 9A.

Reference numeral 201 denotes a paper guide provided on the conveyance path P of the recording medium S to regulate the conveyance path P, and 203 denotes a lower unit 1b side facing the ejection opening 101b of the recording head 101, and recording by the recording head 101. This is a platen that maintains the recording medium S at the recording position when recording on the medium S, that is, regulates the recording surface.

The recording medium S loaded on the above-described paper cassette 221 is fed by a paper feed roller 111 in cooperation with a separating means (not shown).
The sheets are separated and conveyed toward the recording position. Reference numeral 225 denotes a bottom plate of the apparatus.In this example, the bottom plate 225 is also used as a partition wall for preventing leakage of leaked ink from the recording head 101 or the like to the outside of the apparatus even if unexpected ink leakage occurs. I have.

Reference numeral 231 denotes an ink tank as an ink supply source for the recording head 101, which is disposed below the platen 203 and supplies ink to the recording head 101 via a flexible supply tube 233. Further, 235 is an ink absorber formed of a water-absorbing porous material, and in this example, the platen 203
It is arranged above the lower ink tank 231. The ink absorber 235 is configured so as to be able to face or contact the ejection port 101b of the recording head 101 by appropriately replacing the position with the platen 203, and to perform the ejection recovery process or the capping process of the recording head 101. It may be. Thereby, the ink dropped from the recording head 101 is appropriately collected.

Further, reference numeral 150 denotes a fan which cools each part by taking in air from outside the apparatus. In this example, the fan is disposed on the side of the apparatus opposite to the discharge port 9 so that the air in the arrangement portion is removed. An airflow (indicated by an arrow a in FIG. 2) from the inlet 5a to the outlet 9 is generated. As described above, since the recording head 101 is provided in the vicinity of the discharge port 9 in this example, the ink may be generated on the surface of the satellite or the recording medium S which may be secondary when ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 101. Ink mist, dust, paper dust of recording media, etc., which may be generated by the scattering, are carried by the airflow to the outside of the apparatus immediately through the discharge port 9 and adhere to the document reading apparatus 800 and other parts inside the apparatus to contaminate them. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a failure in the electric circuit unit 103. That is, in this example, the cooling fan 150 that cools the electric circuit is also used as a blowing unit in the device that removes ink mist.

Reference numeral 800 denotes a document reading device disposed above the electric circuit unit 103. A sensor unit (for example, a contact sensor unit as shown in the drawing) 801 for reading image information, and a document inserted in the insertion port 8A are fed to the sensor unit 801. The document feed roller 813 that sends the document toward and the exit 8B for the scanned document
It has a document discharge roller 815 for discharging from the.

The sensor unit 801 includes an illuminating device 80 for illuminating a reading position of a document conveyed between the rollers 813 and 815.
3, and a line sensor 805 in which light receiving elements are arranged so that one line can be read over the entire width of the document. Then, the image information read by this is guided to an appropriate processing circuit provided in the electric circuit unit 103, and the recording head 101 can be driven for the processed image information to form an image. Further, the rollers 813 and 815 of each unit in the document reading device 800 are provided with a timing belt 819.
And an idler 82 which is driven by being coupled to the motor 117 via a transmission mechanism such as a gear 821, and is arranged to face each other.
Documents are transported in collaboration with 3 and 825.

In addition to the above configuration, in this example, the main unit unit 1 can be further separated and opened into an upper unit 1a and a lower unit 1b as described below, so that repair work of each part and jam clearance can be easily performed. I do.

FIG. 4 shows a structural example of a mechanism for ensuring the working space by separating the upper unit 1a and the lower unit 1b and opening the inside. Here, 11 is the outlet 9
A hinge for arranging the upper unit 1a with respect to the lower unit 1b, which is arranged on the side opposite to the upper unit 1a.
Is a spring for holding the open position.

In this example, as described above, the recording head 101, the rollers 113 and 115, and the like are disposed near the discharge port 9 in the main unit 1a, and the platen 203, the idlers 213, 215,
Paper cassette 221, ink tank 231, and ink absorber 23
5 and the like are disposed in the vicinity of the discharge port 9 in the lower main unit 1b, so that when the main unit 1 is open as shown in FIG. 4, the recording head 101, the ink tank 231 and the ink absorber Ink system including 235 etc., and paper cassette 2
The paper feeding or conveying system including the roller member 21 and each roller member is largely opened.

That is, in the present embodiment, the upper unit 1a and the lower unit 1b are separated from each other along the path where the recording medium S is sent from the cassette 221 and reaches the discharge port 9, so that the upper unit 1a is located above the lower unit 1b. If it turns, the conveyance path will be opened.

Accordingly, in this state, a work space required for repairing each part, replacing the ink absorber, and removing the jam is ensured, and therefore, the work is facilitated. In this state, replenishment of the recording medium S and replenishment of ink may be performed. In this example, an example is shown in which the recording medium S is separated and opened along the entire conveyance path of the recording medium S. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Can be.

Also, the configuration for securing the work area in this way is as follows.
The present invention is not limited to the one shown in the fourth illustration, but may be various ones. For example, appropriate columns for supporting the upper unit 1a may be provided at the four corners of the lower unit 1b, and the upper unit 1a may be vertically movable along the columns, or the upper unit 1a may be horizontally slanted upward using a parallel link mechanism. The upper unit 1a and the lower unit 1b may be opened in the horizontal direction without being limited to opening the upper unit 1a and the lower unit 1b in the vertical direction.

By the way, in this example, in the ink system, the recording head 101 is arranged on the main unit upper unit 1a side, and the ink tank 231 is arranged on the lower unit 1b side, and they are connected via the supply tube 233.

FIG. 5 (A) is a schematic side sectional view showing a connected state of such a supply tube, and FIG. 5 (B) is a perspective view thereof.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the recording head 101, the ink tank 231 and the ink supply tube 23
Rotatable ink joint members 101A and 231A are respectively provided at the connecting portions with 3, and the displacement due to the opening and closing of the main body unit 1 is the rotational ink joint parts 101A and 231A.
It was made to be absorbed by the rotation of. In addition, in the figure
101B and 231B are O-rings that seal the ink.

FIG. 5 (B) shows the details of the supply tube connection part, and shows the configuration on the ink tank 231 side.
Here, 231D is integral with the supply tube 233, an elbow provided at the end thereof, 231C is a holding ring of the O-ring 231B, 231E.
Reference numeral denotes a holding plate fixed to the ink tank 231 and for regulating the elbow 231D in the vertical direction with respect to the ink tank 231 to hold the elbow 231D so as not to fall out of the ink tank 231. Thus, the elbow 213D is rotatable and slidable with respect to the ink tank 231, the O ring 231B, the pressing ring 231C, and the elbow pressing plate 231E.

Further, in this example, such a configuration is used for the recording head 10.
The same applies to one side.

With such a configuration, by using the flexible tube material such as polyethylene for the supply tube 233, the upper unit 1a and the lower unit 1b can be smoothly separated and opened without significantly affecting the ink flow path. it can. Furthermore, in this example, since the elbow 231D is configured to be rotatable with respect to the ink tank 231, the recording head 101, the elasticity of the supply tube 233 itself when the separation between the upper unit 1a and the lower unit 1b is opened. The mounting angle can be displaced naturally.

This makes it possible to reduce the slack of the supply tube 233 when the upper unit 1a and the lower unit 1b are closed, and to reduce the amount of deformation of the supply tube 233, that is, the supply tube 233. Since the units 1a and 1b can be made to have a length (see FIG. 4) sufficient to connect the ink tank 231 and the recording head 101 substantially linearly when the units 1a and 1b are separated and opened at the maximum opening angle, the supply tube The flexibility required for 233 can also be designed to be small. These things make it possible to make the conduit thick and short as a supply tube, reduce the flow resistance of the ink supply path from the ink tank to the recording head, and prevent air from entering the conduit. Supply tube
The flexible space of the 233 can be made small, which greatly contributes to downsizing of the device.

If such an effect is sufficiently expected, the structure of the connecting portion shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B is provided only on the ink tank 231 side or the recording head 101 side. Good.

Further, the configuration for receiving the separation opening of the units 1a and 1b is not limited to the above configuration in which the flexible supply tube and the rotary joint are combined.For example, a relatively rigid supply tube may be connected via a bellows or the like. It may be something that you contacted.

By the way, in the ink jet recording, the flying distance of the ink droplet, that is, the distance between the nozzle opening of the recording head 101 and the paper is one of the factors that greatly affect the recording quality. In particular, in this example, since the upper unit 1a having the recording head 101 and the lower unit 1b having the platen 203 for regulating the paper can be separated, the recording head and the platen accurately and parallelly face each other in the joined state. It is desirable to take care of it.

In order to realize this, for example, the recording head 101 is held so as to be vertically movable with respect to the frame of the upper unit 1a, and the abutting member fixed to the platen 203 of the lower unit 1b is attached to the upper and lower units. In the joined state, the recording head may be made to abut a part of the recording head.

In the present embodiment, in order to realize this compactly and easily, the recording head 101 is fixed to the upper unit 1a, the platen 203 is fixed to the lower unit 1b, and the upper and lower units 1a, 1b
In this connection state, the abutting members (not shown) provided in the upper and lower units are respectively abutted at two points near both ends of the recording head 101. Further, an appropriate locking means may be provided to secure the joining state.

According to this, by simply managing the mounting dimensions of the recording head 101 or the platen 203 with respect to the abutting members of the upper and lower units 1a, 1b with high precision,
In addition, when opening and closing the upper and lower units 1a and 1b, it is possible to maintain a recording head-paper distance with good reproducibility.

In the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment as described above, the original reading apparatus is integrated with the ink jet recording apparatus and is disposed above an appropriate portion, that is, the electric circuit section, so that the apparatus is small and has high operability. System configuration becomes possible.

Further, the on-demand type recording head 101 is arranged in the vicinity of the discharge port 9 of the apparatus with the discharge port facing downward in the vertical direction, and the paper cassette 221 is arranged below the electric circuit section 103.
Since the recording medium conveying path including the platen 203 is formed below the ejection port of the head, the conveying distance of the recording medium is short, the conveying system is simplified, and therefore the apparatus configuration can be made extremely small. did it.

Further, since the document reading device and the main electric circuit section 103 are provided on the same side as the recording head 101 on the upper unit 1a side, even if ink is ejected or if leaked ink should occur, these will be used. Even if it reaches the electric circuit section 103, it will not be adversely affected.

In addition, since the inside of the apparatus is set at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure so that the air flow that flows out through the discharge port 9 is formed, the ink mist generated when the ink droplets are ejected by the head 101 provided in the vicinity of the discharge port 9 Since the paper dust and the like generated by the conveyance of the recording medium are promptly transported to the outside of the apparatus, it is possible to reliably prevent the contamination and the accident due to the ink adhesion to the document reading apparatus 800 and other parts inside the apparatus.

In addition, the upper unit 1a is rotatable with respect to the lower unit 1b by a hinge 11 arranged on the side surface opposite to the discharge port 9, so that the ink system and the transport system are largely opened at the time of the rotation. Therefore, the work required for repairing each part, clearing jams, and the like is facilitated.

In the above example, the case where the present invention is applied to an image processing apparatus having an on-demand type full multi-type recording head using an electromechanical conversion element or an electrothermal conversion element has been described. It is needless to say that the above can be applied to an image processing apparatus adopting various driving methods and scanning methods.

Further, although the recording head is provided in the vicinity of the discharge port to reduce the size of each part such as the transport system, the arrangement position is not necessarily limited to the vicinity of the discharge port. In this case, an air outlet may be separately provided near the recording head so that the ink mist or the like can be quickly discharged.

The configuration of the document reading device 800 is not limited to the above example, and may be a configuration using an optical system, for example.

Further, in addition to the document reading device 800, a host device as a source of image information may be separately provided.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the reading means is integrated with the recording means, and the ink jet recording apparatus is used for the recording means. An image processing device with high operability was realized. In addition, since each unit can be separated and opened, the operability of maintenance and jam handling can be improved. In addition, since the ink supply pipe is displaceable, separation and opening of each unit can be allowed without separation of the ink supply system.For example, as in the above example, the ink tank is at the bottom, the recording head and the reading unit. Appropriate configuration such as placing the device on top is now possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an image processing apparatus to which the present invention is applicable, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover portion of the apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is removed, FIG. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the apparatus according to the embodiment, FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the apparatus according to the embodiment with the main body unit section and the sheet feeding section separated, and FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B). 3A and 3B are an explanatory view and a perspective view showing a main portion of a configuration example of a connection portion between a recording head and an ink tank and a supply tube in the embodiment, respectively. 1 ... Main body unit, 1a ... Upper unit, 1b ... Lower unit, 5 ... Cover, 9 ... Discharge port, 9A ... Discharge tray, 11 ... Hinge, 101 ... Record head, 101A, 231A ...... Rotary joint, 101B, 231B …… O ring, 103 …… Electrical circuit part, 103A …… Substrate, 111,113,115 …… Roller, 117 …… Motor, 119 …… Timing belt, 150 …… Cooling fan, 201… … Paper guide, 203 …… Platen, 213,215 …… Idler, 221 …… Paper cassette, 225 …… Bottom plate, 231 …… Ink tank, 233 …… Supply tube, 235 …… Ink absorber, 800 …… Document reader , 801 …… Sensor unit, 803 …… Illumination device, 805 …… Line sensor, 813 …… Document feed roller, 815 …… Document discharge roller.

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A recording means having an ink ejection port for ejecting ink for recording on a recording medium according to information, a reading means for reading the image information from a medium carrying an image, and an electric circuit means of the apparatus. At least a part of the recording medium, a lower unit having a platen for maintaining the recording medium at a recording position by the recording means, and a lower unit relatively separable from the upper unit, and the recording medium at the recording position. An image processing apparatus, comprising: a transport unit for transporting the upper unit and the lower unit to each other so that the upper unit and the lower unit can be separated and opened at a recording position of the recording unit. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means has the form of a recording head having an ink ejection port opened downward in the vertical direction, and at least a part of the electric circuit means. Is disposed at a position higher than the ejection port in the vertical direction. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the recording head is provided in the vicinity of a discharge port for discharging a recorded recording medium, and the recording head has a width of the recording medium. An image processing apparatus having a form in which the ejection ports are arranged over a corresponding range. 4. An image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the recording medium reaches the discharge port through the position where the recording head is arranged by the conveying means. An image processing apparatus, wherein a recording medium supply system for supplying the recording medium to the transporting path is provided in the lower unit. 5. A recording unit having an ink ejection port for ejecting ink for recording on a recording medium according to information,
A first unit having a reading unit for reading the image information from a medium carrying an image, a platen for maintaining the recording medium at a recording position by the recording unit, and an ink storage for storing ink supplied to the recording unit A second unit that is capable of being relatively spaced apart from the first unit, a transporting unit that transports the recording medium to the recording position, and a spacing between the first unit and the second unit. And an ink supply connection member for connecting the recording head and the ink storage unit and supplying ink from the ink storage unit to the recording unit, the first unit; An image processing apparatus, wherein the second unit and the second unit can be separated and opened at a recording position by the recording unit. 6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the ink supply connection member has a flexible ink supply pipe, and a connection portion between the ink supply pipe and the ink storage means or An image processing apparatus, wherein a rotatable joint member is provided on at least one of the connecting portions of the ink supply pipe and the recording means.