JP3289767B2 - Printer / scanner multifunction device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multifunction printer / scanner used in a computer system. A scanner / printer combined device in which a printer device or a main device having a built-in printer device is combined with a scanner device has a smaller installation area than a case where an independent printer device or both a main device and a scanner device are installed. Cost reduction is possible. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a combined structure of a printer / scanner combined apparatus, which further improves the usability of the scanner function and is simple, operable and maintainable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in data processing using a personal computer, the number of processes for handling images and graphics tends to increase significantly. At the same time, scanner devices for inputting images are rapidly spreading.

[0003] However, a personal computer system is composed of a main body, a display, a keyboard, a printer, and the like, and requires a considerable installation space. It is not difficult to struggle. In addition, although the price of the scanner device has been considerably reduced compared to the past, it is still a great burden at present.

Accordingly, various printers with a scanner function have been developed in which a sensor is mounted on a carriage of the printer and a paper transport mechanism of the printer is used to feed an image document, thereby saving space and reducing cost. It has been.

[0005]

In a conventional printer with a scanner function, the paper transport mechanism is common to the scanner function and the printer function, and it is not possible to operate both functions at the same time to operate them in parallel. Was. In some cases, the reading unit provided for the scanner function can be removed and used as a handy scanner. However, since there is no built-in drive mechanism, it can only be operated manually. On the other hand, in order to operate the handy scanner in a self-propelled manner, it is necessary to provide a dedicated drive mechanism for the handy scanner, but since the drive mechanism is not used when the handy scanner is attached to the printer device, A problem arises in terms of price utility.

According to the present invention, a printer device and a scanner device can be used independently as an automatic sheet feeding type device, and the scanner device can be detached so that the scanner device can be used as a handy scanner. It aims to submit an efficient mechanism that can also work.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems The configuration of the printer / scanner multifunction peripheral according to the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
It is as follows. (1) In a printer / scanner combined apparatus, an automatic paper feed type printer apparatus having a first transport path for transporting sheets in a vertical direction or a main body apparatus incorporating the printer apparatus, and a parallel with the first transport path, An automatic paper feed type scanner device having a second transport path for transporting a document in a vertical direction, a printing mechanism provided in the printer device, and a reading unit of the scanner device, a transport direction of the second transport path. A cover provided on the downstream side, the cover having at least a position for covering the printing mechanism and a cover for moving to a position for opening the printing mechanism, wherein the cover is provided for a document discharged from the scanner device. A configuration characterized by functioning as a transport guide. (2) The scanner device is detachably connected to a printer device or a main body device, and the scanner device functions as a handy type scanner device in a detached state. The configuration of the printer / scanner multifunction peripheral described in (1)). (3) The configuration of the combined printer / scanner device according to the above (1) or (2), wherein the cover has a portion for discharging paper from a printer device. (4) A paper supply unit of the scanner device and a paper supply unit of the printer device, wherein the paper supply unit of the scanner device is disposed on the near side with respect to the paper supply unit of the printer device. A configuration of the printer / scanner multifunction peripheral according to any one of the above items (1) to (3). (5) The paper feeder of the scanner device has a paper guide, and the paper guide of the paper feed unit can swing forward from a lower portion as a base point. A configuration of the printer / scanner multifunction peripheral according to any one of the preceding claims. (6) The paper guide of the paper supply unit of the scanner device includes an auxiliary guide, and the auxiliary guide has a shape in which a long arm and a short arm are connected in an L shape, and the open end of the short arm is used as a fulcrum. It is rotatably attached to the paper guide,
The mounting position of the fulcrum is deviated laterally from the center of the paper guide, (1) to (5).
A configuration of the printer / scanner multifunction peripheral according to any one of the above. (7) The printer has a paper feeding unit of the printer device and a paper feeding unit of the scanner device, and the paper feeding unit of the printer device and the paper feeding unit of the scanner device are arranged substantially in parallel. The printer according to any one of (1) to (6)
Configuration of scanner multifunction device.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a printer / scanner combined apparatus using a reading unit detachably mounted on a printer as a handy scanner will be described below. In the apparatus of this embodiment, the scanner operates as an automatic paper feed type scanner when the reading unit is attached to the printer, and when the reading unit is detached from the printer, it operates as a self-propelled or manually operated scanner. Operates as a handy scanner.

FIG. 1 is an overall view of the printer / scanner composite apparatus. FIG. 1A shows a state in which a reading unit 1 is mounted on a printer apparatus 3 and can operate as an automatic paper feed type scanner apparatus. FIG. 1B shows a state in which the reading unit 1 is detached from the printer device 3 and is used as a handy scanner on the guide plate 2.

In FIG. 1A, most of the mechanisms of the printer device 3 are hidden behind because they are on the rear side, but the paper supplied from the printer paper feed unit 4 is not printed by a printing unit (not shown). , And is discharged from the printer paper discharge unit 5 in a vertical structure. The reading unit 1
A pick roller, a reading window, a feed roller, and the like are provided on the back surface (the lower surface when used as a handy scanner), and the paper (image document) supplied from the scanner paper feeding unit 6 is read by the reading unit 1. , And is discharged from the scanner paper discharge unit 7, and is configured in a vertical shape like the printer device 3. The scanner paper feeding unit 6
The L-shaped auxiliary guide 6a provided in the first embodiment can support a large-sized sheet with a simple structure.

In FIG. 1B, the reading unit 1
Is connected to the printer device 3 by a cable (not shown), and supplies power and transmits control signals and data. The guide plate 2 is made of a transparent acrylic plate or the like, and is usually used by placing it on a document. The reading unit 1 is adapted to fit exactly in the left and right guide frames of the guide plate 2, and can be self-propelled or manually operated.
The image is read by scanning the document by sliding inside.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the scanner device, and shows a paper transport mechanism by the reading unit 1. The paper transport path of the scanner device is formed on a relative surface between the printer device and the reading unit 1 when the reading unit 1 is mounted on the printer device. The reading unit 1 is provided with a pick roller 10 and a feed roller 11, each of which is driven to rotate by a drive motor 8 via a drive gear train 9. When the sheet 12 is set, the sheet is separated one by one by the pick roller 10 and the sheet separating member 13 and pulled out downward. The drawn-out sheet is first detected by the sheet detection sensor 14 to prepare for reading, and subsequently, when the sheet leading edge / back edge detecting sensor 15 detects the leading edge of the sheet, image reading is started. Thereafter, when the sheet leading / rear end detecting sensor 15 detects the trailing edge of the sheet, the image reading is terminated. The feed roller 11 and the driven roller 16
The read sheet is discharged to the paper guide 17 of the scanner discharge section. The scanner discharge section paper guide 17 can also be used as a cover and a paper guide of the printer paper discharge section 5 of the printer device 3 in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows the attachment / detachment mechanism of the reading unit. 4 and 6, which will be described later, a fulcrum shaft groove 18a and a lock claw groove 20a are provided on both sides of the reading unit 1 so as to be detachably and firmly engaged and held with the printer device. , A shift stopper groove 21a, and a fulcrum shaft 18b, a lock claw 20b, and a shift stopper 21b which are engaged with these, are provided on the printer device 3 side.

The fulcrum shaft groove 18a is open at the bottom,
For this reason, the reading unit 1 is easily rotated by turning the reading unit 1 from the mounting state inclined to the right shown by the solid line to the left as shown by the arrow to the vertical state shown by the dotted line, and then lifting it upward as shown by the arrow. Can be removed. When the reading unit 1 is mounted, the above operation may be reversed. When the reading unit 1 is mounted, the lock claw groove 20a and the lock claw 20b are engaged with each other, so that the rotation to the left is prevented unless a certain force is applied. Further, since the upward movement of the reading unit 1 in the mounted state is prevented by the engagement between the shift stopper groove 21a and the shift stopper 21b, the engagement between the lock claw groove 20a and the lock claw 20b is combined. It is possible to more firmly hold the mounted state. Further, a rotation stopper 19a is formed to protrude downward integrally with the fulcrum shaft groove 18a of the reading unit 1, and this is a rotation stopper groove 19b provided on the printer device 3 side when the reading unit 1 rotates to the left. , And restricts the rotation of the reading unit 1 within a certain angle, thereby preventing a dropout accident due to an inadvertent operation.

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are a bottom view, a top view, and a perspective view of the reading unit 1, respectively. For example, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a pick roller 22 is provided at the front center of the lower surface of the reading unit 1, and a pair of feed rollers 23 are provided at symmetrical positions on the left and right from the center behind the reading window 24. As shown partially in FIG. 5 and partially cut away, the pick roller 22 and the feed roller 23 are each driven to rotate by the drive motor 8 via the drive gear train 9, so that the reading unit 1
Is used as a handy scanner, it can self-propell by utilizing these rotational driving forces. Since the pick roller 22 is made of a relatively flexible material, there is a possibility that the pick roller 22 will sink in the reading unit due to its weight. The auxiliary wheel 22a is provided to avoid this, and the pick roller 2a is provided on the guide plate or the surface of the document.
It has a function of supporting the reading unit 1 to travel so that the reading unit 2 does not hit hard. The auxiliary wheel 22a is provided outside the reading area as shown in the drawing so as not to damage the original surface.
The width of the auxiliary wheel 22a is increased in the shape of a roller so that the pick roller 2
2 may be provided so as to be freely rotatable, for example, coaxially.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an optical mechanism portion of the reading unit 1. There is a reading position in the reading window 24 in FIG. 4, and the light reflected from the reading original and incident therefrom is reflected a plurality of times by a plurality of mirrors and then reflected by a lens 25b.
And the light is received by the CCD 25c and converted into an electric signal.

In the printer / scanner combined apparatus, the printer and the scanner have separate paper transport paths. This is usually because blank sheets are set in the printer device, while various types of originals are set each time the scanner device needs it. This is because errors tend to occur. Further, for the same reason, it is desirable that the paper setting in the scanner device be easier than that in the printer device. Therefore, it is convenient to place the transport path of the scanner device forward.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining two paper transport paths of the printer / scanner multifunction apparatus shown in FIG. 1A configured as described above. In the printer device 3, the printing paper set in the printer paper feeding unit 4 is conveyed one by one along the arrow of the printing paper path 30 by automatic paper feeding, printed by the print head 28, and then printed by the printer paper discharging unit. Exhausted from 5 Also, in the scanner device portion where the reading unit 1 is mounted on the upper right of the figure, the read originals set in the scanner paper feeding unit 6 are fed to the reading unit 1 one by one by automatic feeding and read. Thereafter, the document is conveyed along the arrow of the read document path 31 and discharged from the printer cover / paper guide 29. In this way, the paper transport paths of the printer device and the scanner device are substantially parallel.

Since the printer device and the scanner device are united in parallel without providing a gap between them, when the printing paper is set in the printer paper feeding portion 4, the front scanner paper feeding portion 6 It gets in the way and worsens workability. Therefore, the scanner paper feeding unit 6 is configured to be tilted forward to a certain angle. The printer cover / paper guide 29 serves as a cover for the printing mechanism of the printer device and also serves as a paper guide for discharging the read original of the scanner device. Similarly, it is configured so that it can be moved forward or removed.

FIG. 9 shows an auxiliary guide 6 provided in the scanner paper feeding section 6 of the scanner shown in FIG.
It is explanatory drawing of a. The auxiliary guide has a simple L-shape (including an inverted L-shape) as shown in FIG. 9A, and is formed by combining a long arm and a short arm. A pivot point is provided on the open end side of the short arm, and the short arm is pivotally attached to the one side from the center of the scanner paper feeding unit 6 with a distance that can accommodate the long arm lying down. When used, the long arm is rotated and locked so that it is vertical. The locking means is provided near the fulcrum 6b (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 9A, assuming that the width of the scanner paper feed unit 6 is l ₀ , the length of the short arm of the auxiliary guide 6a is l ₁ , and the length of the long arm is l _2. , the position of the fulcrum 6b may be shifted from the center of the scanner paper feeding unit 6 by l _1, the launch auxiliary guide 6a as indicated by the condition (b) of FIG. 9, the fulcrum 6b of the long arm The length to the tip is l ₂ . Creating an I-shaped auxiliary guide contrary, when pivotally attached to the center of the scanner paper feed section 6, since the length can not exceed l _0/2, l 2> (l _0/2), and the direction of the auxiliary guide 6a it is possible to reliably hold the read original large size.

[0022]

According to the present invention, a composite device of a printer device and a scanner device which can operate independently with a small installation area can be realized compactly. Further, the scanner device can be used as a self-propelled handy scanner with almost no additional mechanism, so that the usability and economy of the entire device can be significantly improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a printer / scanner multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the scanner device.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a detaching mechanism of a reading unit.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the reading unit.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the reading unit.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a reading unit.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an optical mechanism of the reading unit.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a paper transport path.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an auxiliary guide of a sheet feeding unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Reading unit 2: Guide plate 3: Printer device 4: Printer paper feed unit 5: Printer paper discharge unit 6: Scanner paper feed unit 6a: Auxiliary guide 7: Scanner paper discharge unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-8-133331 (JP, A) JP-A-7-46368 (JP, A) JP-A-63-197682 (JP, A) JP-A-8-183 198480 (JP, A) JP-A-8-143189 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 5/36 B41J 13/00 G06F 3/12 G06F 15/64 H04N 1/00

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A printer / scanner multifunction device, comprising: an automatic paper feed type printer device having a first transport path for transporting sheets in a vertical direction, or a main body device incorporating the printer device; An automatic paper feed type scanner device having a second transport path for transporting a document in the vertical direction; a printing mechanism provided in the printer device; and a reading unit of the scanner device, the A cover provided on the downstream side in the transport direction, the cover having at least a position covering the printing mechanism and a cover moving to a position opening the printing mechanism, wherein the cover is ejected from the scanner device A printer that functions as a document conveyance guide
Scanner multifunction device. 2. The scanner device according to claim 1, wherein the scanner device is detachably connected to a printer device or a main body device, and the scanner device functions as a hand-held scanner device in a detached state. Item 7. A printer / scanner combined device according to Item 1. 3. The printer / scanner combined apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover has a discharge section for discharging paper from a printer. 4. A paper supply unit of the scanner device and a paper supply unit of the printer device, wherein the paper supply unit of the scanner device is disposed on the near side with respect to the paper supply unit of the printer device. 4. The printer / scanner combined apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 5. The paper feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a paper guide of a paper feeding unit of the scanner device, wherein the paper guide of the paper feeding unit is swingable forward with a lower portion as a base point. 2. The printer / scanner combined device according to claim 1. 6. A paper guide of a paper feeding unit of the scanner device includes an auxiliary guide, the auxiliary guide having a shape in which a long arm and a short arm are connected in an L shape, and a fulcrum at an open end of the short arm. 6. The paper guide according to claim 1, wherein the fulcrum is attached to the paper guide rotatably, and a mounting position of the fulcrum is deviated laterally from a center of the paper guide.
A printer / scanner combined device according to any one of the preceding claims. 7. A printer according to claim 1, further comprising a paper supply unit of the printer device and a paper supply unit of the scanner device, wherein the paper supply unit of the printer device and the paper supply unit of the scanner device are arranged substantially in parallel. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Scanner multifunction device.