JP3224493B2 - Image reading device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus having a reading mode for reading an image of a stationary document and a reading mode for reading an image of a conveyed document, and more particularly to a thick document such as a book or a sheet-shaped document. The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus for reading an image of a document.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, image reading apparatuses for reading an image of a document include image reading apparatuses having two types of reading methods capable of reading not only a sheet-shaped document but also a thick document such as a book. Proposed.

[0003] That is, the conventional image reading apparatus as described above,
As shown in FIG. 5, when reading a thick original such as a book, the original is placed on the platen glass 51 and the platen is pressed.
The image is read while the original is stationary and the reading unit 53 scans in the direction of arrow a in a state where the original is stationary. When reading a sheet-shaped document, the image is read while the document is conveyed along the document path (direction of arrow b) by the conveyance unit 54 with the reading unit 53 stopped at the reading position as shown in the figure. It is supposed to do.

At the reading position, reference numeral 55 denotes a scraper sheet which is a transparent film, one end of which is fixed to a part of the transport unit 54 by an adhesive or the like, and the other end of which is on the pressure plate 52. . The scraper sheet 55 includes a white rear roller 56 that serves as a white level reference for reading.
Are arranged at a small interval at a position opposing to the platen glass 51 when the pressure plate 54 is closed as shown in FIG. The minute gap is provided between the scraper sheet 55 and the back roller 56 in order to reduce the driving force of the back roller 56, and the back surface of the document is cleaned by the back roller.
This is to prevent adhesion to 56.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a further development of the above-described configuration, and an object of the present invention is to improve the removability of a document stuck in a document conveying path and improve the apparatus by a user. To improve the operability of the device.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration of the present invention is a first reading section for reading an image of a stationary original placed on a platen glass, An image reading apparatus having a second reading unit that reads an image of a conveyed document that partially passes through, a reading unit for reading the image of the document, a conveyance unit for conveying the document, and the second reading A transparent film member for guiding the conveyed document in the section, the conveying means has a pressing member that opposes the transparent film member at a predetermined interval in the second reading unit and regulates the movement of the document, The holding member can be retracted in a direction away from the transparent film member.

In the above configuration, since the pressing member facing the transparent film member at a predetermined interval can be retracted in a direction away from the transparent film member, the original conveying path by the conveying means is provided. When a document stays in the document, the user can easily take out the document staying in the document conveying path by retracting the pressing member from the transparent film member. Also, when paper dust or the like accumulates on the transparent film member, or when the pressing member is soiled, the user can easily clean the pressing member by retracting the pressing member from the transparent film member. It can be performed.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] An embodiment of an image reading apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a reading position partially viewed from above, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are main parts of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view enlarging a periphery of a certain reading position.

This image reading apparatus, as shown in FIG.
There is a first reading mode for reading an image of a still original placed on the platen glass 1 and closely contacted by the pressure plate 2, and a second reading mode for reading an image of the transported original conveyed by the conveying means 3 including rollers. are doing. That is, the image reading apparatus has two types of reading modes.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 4 denotes reading means for reading an image of a document. The reading means 4 includes an illuminating means 4a for making incident light incident on the image surface of the document, a rod-shaped lens 4b for passing light reflected from the image surface of the document, and a lens 4
and an image sensor 4c that is arranged immediately below b and forms an image of the reflected light. When reading the image of the still document in the first reading mode, the reading is performed while scanning in the direction of arrow a. When reading the image of the transport document in the second reading mode, the reading is stopped at the reading position B and the reading is performed. It has become.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 3 denotes a conveying means for conveying a document along a conveying path (the direction of arrow b). The conveyance means 3 includes a document table 3a on which a plurality of sheet-shaped documents can be set, and a preliminary conveyance roller 3 for feeding the sheet-shaped documents set on the document table 3a downstream.
b, a separation unit composed of a separation roller 3c and a separation piece 3d for separating the fed documents one by one, and a transport roller pair 3e for transporting the documents separated one by one to the reading position B.
And a back roller 3f as a pressing member for regulating the floating position of the document at the reading position B, and a discharge roller pair 3g for discharging the document passing through the reading position B. The back roller 3f serving as the pressing member is a white roller serving as a reference for a white level when reading an image on a document. Although not shown, guide members for guiding a sheet-shaped document are arranged between the above-mentioned rollers, and these form a document conveying path (in the direction of arrow b).

The platen glass 1 is for mounting a thick original such as a book (or a sheet-shaped original) for reading the original in a stationary state. It is supported by. In addition to the platen glass 1, the reading means 4, a transparent film member described later, and the like are integrally incorporated into the main body frame 5 to form a second unit.

The pressure plate 2 is for bringing a document placed on the platen glass 1 into close contact with the platen glass 1, and is integrally formed with the conveying means 3 including the back roller 3f. A DF unit 6 is formed as a unit.

The DF unit 6 serving as the first unit has a rotation center (eg, hinge) (not shown) provided between the DF unit 6 and the main body frame 5 forming the second unit. It is configured to be swingable by a predetermined angle. That is, when reading an image of a thick original such as a book, the user operates the DF unit 6.
Is opened, and a document is placed on the upper surface of the platen glass 1.

3 and 4, reference numeral 7 denotes a scraper sheet as a transparent film member. The scraper sheet 7 conveys the sheet-shaped original G conveyed to the reading position B by the conveying roller pair 3e on the downstream side from the reading position B. This is for guiding to the discharge roller pair 3g. The scraper sheet 7 is made of a transparent plastic material such as polypropylene, polyester, or PET, and has a thickness of about 0.1 mm in this embodiment.
PET is used. The scraper sheet 7 is in contact with the platen glass 1 at the reading position B, and is disposed with a gap Δx between the scraper sheet 7 and the back roller 3f.
The gap Δx is provided between the scraper sheet 7 and the back roller 3f in order to reduce the driving force of the back roller 3f and to prevent dirt on the back surface of the document from adhering to the back roller 3f. To do that.

As described above, a transparent plastic material is used for the scraper sheet 7. However, since these plastic materials are generally soft and easily damaged as compared with glass, the back surface is not provided without a gap Δx. When the roller 3f is pressed against the scraper sheet 7, the scraper sheet 7 may be damaged due to friction with the rear roller or the document, and the read image may be affected. Therefore, there is a method of performing a hard coating process on the scraper sheet 7 in order to prevent the scratch. However, the cost increases. Therefore, by providing the gap Δx as described above, the scraper sheet 7 can be scratched without increasing the cost. Is prevented from sticking.

In FIGS. 2 to 4, reference numeral 8 denotes a platen glass 1 via a scraper sheet 7 and a main frame 5.
The pressing plate 8 is fixed to the main body frame 5 with screws 9. The upstream end 7a of the scraper sheet 7 is fixed to the pressing plate 8 with an adhesive or the like. That is, the scraper sheet 7 is removable,
In the case where the document is deteriorated or deformed due to paper passing, or the user is inadvertently deformed, the scraper sheet 7 and the pressing plate 8 are simply provided to the user or service person by providing the unit with the scraper sheet. The seat 7 can be easily replaced.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, reference numeral 3h denotes a guide member forming a part of the conveying means 3, and an inclined surface 3i provided on a part of the guide member 3h is conveyed by a conveying roller pair 3e. Of the original G is guided to the upper surface of the scraper sheet 7 on the platen glass 1 surface.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a guide plate as a guide member for guiding the document separated from the scraper sheet 7 to the pair of discharge rollers 3g on the downstream side, and is fixed on the surface of the platen glass 1. The downstream end 7 of the scraper sheet 7
b rides on an inclined surface 10a provided on a part of the guide plate 10. That is, the scraper sheet 7 is bridged from one surface of the platen glass to the inclined surface 10a of the guide plate 10. Thereby, the platen glass 1 and the guide plate 10
A curved portion 7c is formed by the scraper sheet 7 at the stepped portion, and the document conveyed to the scraper sheet 7 by the conveying roller pair 3g is smoothly conveyed along the curved portion 7c and passes through the downstream end 7b. Slope of guide member 10
It is led to 10a.

An index 10b is formed integrally with a part of the guide plate 10. The index 10b plays the role of indicating the position of the document size when the document is set on one surface of the platen glass and as a reference for abutting. This allows
This prevents costs from increasing due to an increase in the number of parts.

An inclined surface 2a is provided on a part of the pressure plate 2, and a lower end 2b thereof is formed on an upper surface 10c of the guide plate 10.
It is located at a lower position. Therefore, the document that has left the scraper sheet 7 is moved from the inclined surface 10a of the guide plate 10 to the inclined surface 2a of
Led to. Then, the document is guided to a discharge roller pair 3g along the inclined surface 2a of the pressure plate 2.

Next, the reading operation of the image reading apparatus having the above configuration will be described. First, in the first reading mode, a thick original such as a book (or a sheet-like original) may be set on the platen glass 1 and then brought into close contact with the platen glass 1 with a pressure plate 2. In this state where the document is stationary, the reading unit 4 moves in the direction of the arrow a by the transmission of the driving force from the driving unit (not shown), and the image is read. That is, light is irradiated on the image surface of the stationary original by the illuminating means 4a moving in the direction of arrow a, and the reflected light (image light) forms an image on the image sensor 4c through the platen glass 1 and the lens 4b.

On the other hand, in the second reading mode, first, the reading means 4 is fixed to the reading position B in the carrying path of the carrying means 3. In this state, the document is conveyed along the document conveying path shown by the arrow b direction by the conveying means 3, and the image is read at the reading position B. That is, within the range of the gap Δx between the scraper sheet 7 and the back roller 3f, light is radiated to the image surface of the original by the illumination means 4a, and the reflected light (image light) is transmitted to the scraper sheet 7, the platen glass 1, Then, an image is formed on the image sensor 4c through the lens 4b.

Next, the reading position B in the second reading mode
With reference to FIG. 3, a description will be given of the operation of transporting a sheet-shaped original. The document conveyed by the conveying means 3 is guided to the upper surface of the scraper sheet 7 at the reading position B by the inclined surface 3i of the guide member 3h. Here, the inclined surface 3i of the guide member 3h is set at an inclination angle such that when the leading end of the document lands on the upper surface of the scraper sheet 7, the document does not buckle and lands smoothly.

The document conveyed to the reading position B is subjected to image reading as described above, passes through the gap Δx, and is guided downstream along the curved surface by the curved portion 7c of the scraper sheet 7. Here, since the curved portion 7c of the scraper sheet 7 has a smooth curved surface, the leading end of the document is smoothly guided without hitting the slight step between the platen glass 1 and the guide plate 10.

The document leaving the scraper sheet 7 is
The tip is guided by the inclined surface 10a of the guide plate 10, and further from the inclined surface 10a of the guide plate 10 to the inclined surface 2a of the pressure plate 2. Here, the downstream end 7b of the scraper sheet 7 rides on the inclined surface 10a of the guide plate 10, and the upper surface 10c of the guide plate 10 is located higher than the lower end 2a of the pressure plate 2. The leading edge of the document is smoothly guided without sticking, and is guided to the downstream discharge roller 3g.

As described above, the sheet-like document conveyed to the reading position B by the conveying roller pair 3e in the second reading mode can be smoothly conveyed from the reading position B to the discharge roller pair 3g.

Next, the open state of the document conveying path formed by the conveying means 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The document transport path is opened by lifting the DF unit 6 by the user in the same manner as the above-described document placing operation, so that the DF unit 6 is separated from the platen glass 1 of the main body frame 5 constituting the second unit. . That is, the rear roller 3f disposed in the DF unit 6 is retracted in a direction away from the scraper sheet 7 disposed on the main body frame 5 side. As a result, a part of the document conveying path formed by the scraper sheet 7 and the back roller 3f is opened.

Accordingly, D, which is an operation for placing a document,
Since the document conveyance path is opened only by the operation of opening the F unit 6, if the document is accumulated in the conveyance path due to a jam or the like, the user can open the conveyance path as described above to open the conveyance path. Can easily take out the original.
In addition, even when paper dust generated by document conveyance accumulates on the upper surface of the scraper sheet 7, if the state shown in FIG. 4 is used, the upper surface of the scraper sheet 7 can be easily touched, and the paper dust can be cleaned. Easy. Further, the back roller 3f
Even if is dirty, if it is in a state as shown in FIG. 4, the back roller 3f can be easily touched and cleaning is easy.

[Other Embodiments] In the above-described embodiment,
Although the unit in which the transport unit 3 and the pressure plate 2 are integrally configured is illustrated, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the transport unit 3 and the pressure plate 2 are separate units, and the unit of the transport unit 3 is a main body. It is good also as a structure which can abut and separate from the frame 5. Also with this configuration, the unit of the conveying means 3 including the back roller 3f is retracted in a direction away from the scraper sheet 7 on the main body frame 5 side, and a part of the document conveying path is opened as described above. The same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

The same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained by using the image reading apparatus to which the present invention is applied as a reading system of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile apparatus.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the pressing member facing the transparent film member at a predetermined interval can be retracted in a direction away from the transparent film member, if the document stays in the document conveying path by the conveying unit, By retracting the pressing member from the transparent film member, it is possible to open a part of the document conveying path formed by the pressing member and the transparent film member. The staying document can be easily taken out. Further, when paper dust or the like accumulates on the transparent film member, or when the pressing member is soiled, by similarly retracting the pressing member from the transparent film member and opening the document conveying path, The user can easily perform cleaning. Therefore, the operability of the device by the user is improved.

More specifically, the image reading apparatus has a first unit integrally having a conveying means including the pressing member, and a second unit integrally having the reading means, the platen glass, and the transparent film member. The above-described effects can be obtained by having two units, and by configuring the first unit to be able to contact and separate from the second unit.

The first unit, which can be brought into contact with and separated from the second unit, is an opening / closing member having a pressure plate for bringing a stationary original placed on the platen glass into close contact with the platen glass. The original transport path can be opened by the same operation as when the original is placed,
Operability is improved.

A guide member for guiding a document separated from the transparent film member to a conveying means on the downstream side is arranged downstream of the second reading section, and the transparent film member is moved from above the platen glass to the guide member. In addition to the above-described effects, the configuration in which the document is bridged on the member allows the document to be smoothly transported from the upstream transport unit to the downstream transport unit across the second reading unit.

In addition, since the guide member has an integral index for setting an original on the first reading section, it is possible to prevent an increase in cost due to an increase in the number of parts.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image reading apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a reading position partially viewed from above.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view around a reading position, which is a main part of the image reading apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view around a reading position, which is a main part of the image reading apparatus.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional image reading apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Platen glass 2 ... Pressure plate 2a ... Inclination surface 2b ... Lower end part 3 ... Conveying means 3a ... Original platen 3b ... Preliminary conveyance roller 3c ... Separation roller 3d ... Separation piece 3e ... Conveyance roller pair 3f ... Backside roller 3g ... Discharge roller 3h ... Guide member 3i ... Slope surface 4 ... Reading means 4a ... Illuminating means 4b ... Lens 4c ... Image sensor 5 ... Main frame 6 ... DF unit 7 ... Scraper sheet 7a ... Upstream end 7b ... Downstream end 7c ... Bending part 8 ... holding plate 9 ... screw 10 ... guide plate 10a ... inclined surface 10b ... index 10c ... top surface

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 1/00-1/00 108 H04N 1/04-1/207 G03G 13/04-13/056 G03G 15 / 00 107 G03G 15/04-15/056

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image reading apparatus comprising: a first reading unit that reads an image of a stationary document placed on a platen glass; and a second reading unit that reads an image of a conveyed document passing a part of the platen glass. The apparatus, comprising: reading means for reading an image of the document; conveying means for conveying the document; and a transparent film member for guiding the conveyed document in the second reading unit; Has a pressing member that opposes the transparent film member at a predetermined interval in the second reading section and regulates the movement of the original, and is configured such that the pressing member can be retracted in a direction away from the transparent film member. An image reading apparatus comprising: 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first unit integrally includes a conveying unit including the pressing member, and a second unit integrally includes the reading unit, the platen glass, and the transparent film member. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the first unit is capable of coming into contact with and separating from the second unit. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first unit that can be brought into contact with or separated from the second unit is an opening / closing member having a pressure plate for bringing a stationary original placed on the platen glass into close contact with the platen glass. The image reading device according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a guide member for guiding a document separated from the transparent film member to a conveying unit on the downstream side is disposed downstream of the second reading section, and the transparent film member is provided with a guide member. 4. The bridge from the platen glass to the guide member.
The image reading device according to claim 1. 5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the guide member integrally has an index for setting a document on the first reading unit.