JP3826027B2 - Image reading device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image reading equipment for reading an image.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, the following two methods are well known as methods for reading an image on a document used in an image reading apparatus.
[0003]
First, the first method sets an original on a platen by a predetermined method, and scans the original fixed on the platen glass with a movable optical carriage, whereby an image on the original is read by an image reading unit. This is a document fixed reading method that is read by.
[0004]
The second method is a document flow reading method in which a document is conveyed at a predetermined conveyance speed and is read by a predetermined reading unit provided with a fixed optical carriage unit.
[0005]
The latter document flow reading method can fix the optical carriage as compared to the former document fixed reading method, and does not require the optical carriage to reciprocate every time, so that the apparatus configuration is not complicated, and processing This is superior to the former fixed document reading method in terms of speeding up.
[0006]
By the way, with a recent progress in digital processing technology, a copying machine or the like can be read only once even when a plurality of copies are formed from the same document. That is, once read image information is temporarily stored as digital information in a storage medium such as a computer, it becomes easy to recreate a necessary number of copied images based on the stored image information. Also in this respect, the advantage of image reading by the flow reading method has been further increased.
[0007]
In addition, when the document includes images on the front and back surfaces, two optical carriages are provided facing each other along the document transport path from the viewpoint of convenience of operation and speeding up when reading the images on both sides. There is also a reading device configured to read an image included in each surface of a document by each optical carriage. According to such a configuration of the reading apparatus, images included on the front and back sides of the document conveyed along a predetermined path can be read and read almost simultaneously. Is planned.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional image reading apparatus that employs the above-described document flow reading method, since the reading position of the document is always constant, if dust adheres to the reading unit, the dust is always read during image reading. And appear as streaks on the entire scanned image.
[0009]
In general, since the reading unit serves as a transport surface for the moving document, it is blocked by a transparent member (translucent plate material) such as glass to prevent the document from entering the optical system. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically clean the reading surface in the document moving type image reading apparatus.
[0010]
Since the outside of the reading surface on the side of the document conveyance path is exposed to the outside, it can be easily cleaned, but in order to remove dust adhering to the inside of the reading surface opposite to the document conveyance path, It is necessary to disassemble or to provide a mechanism that can access the inside of the transparent member.
[0011]
In particular, in the case of an image reading apparatus having an optical system (reading unit) facing the upper and lower sides of the document conveyance path to read both sides of the document, the optical system on the upper side of the document conveyance path is optically located inside the glass of the reading unit. There is a high possibility that dust inside the system will accumulate, and the stain on the inner surface of the glass becomes more serious.
[0012]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to easily clean the back surface of the translucent plate material opposite to the document conveying side and to adhere to the translucent plate material. while preventing deterioration of the image due to the dust, it is to provide an image reading equipment which can prevent the occurrence of damage to damage or original equipment.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 includes a conveying unit that conveys a document, an image reading unit that reads an image on the upper surface of the document that is conveyed at a predetermined speed by the conveying unit, and the conveying unit. A document feeding unit having the image reading unit; a translucent plate member that is above a conveyance path of a document conveyed by the conveyance unit and closes an opening of an image reading position of the image reading unit ; In the image reading apparatus, the image reading means is movable between an opened position and a closed position with respect to the document feeding unit .
At the position where the image reading means is closed, the translucent plate cannot be opened with respect to the image reading means, and at the position where the image reading means is opened, the translucent plate is not read by the image reading means. It can be opened to the image reading means while being held by the means , and when the translucent plate is opened, the surface of the translucent plate opposite to the document facing surface is exposed. It is characterized by.
[0014]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the image reading unit has an operation unit for opening the translucent plate material from a position where the opening of the image reading position of the image reading unit is closed. In the position where the reading means is closed, the holding means for holding the translucent plate material at the position for closing the opening of the image reading position of the image reading means by engaging with the operation unit is provided on the translucent plate material. It is provided .
[0015]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the document feeder includes guide means for contacting the translucent plate material and guiding the translucent plate material to a closed position. When the image reading unit is moved from the open position to the closed position with respect to the document feeding unit , the translucent plate is guided to the closed position while sliding on the guide unit. Features [0016]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, in the position where the image reading unit is closed with respect to the document feeding unit , the operation unit is located inside the document feeding unit. Features.
[0017]
According to a fifth aspect, a platen on which a document is placed, and an image reading means for reading an image of an upper surface of the document while moving along the document placed on said document platen, said image reading in the image reading apparatus having to close the opening of the image reading position of the device, the translucent plate to move the upper surface of the document placed on the document table, and
And movable in a position where the image reading means is closed and open position with respect to the image reading apparatus, the position where the image reading means is closed, the translucent plate is the image reading not possible open to means, at the position where the image reading means is opened, the translucent plate is openable with respect to said image reading means in a state of being held in said image reading means, and When the translucent plate is opened, the surface of the translucent plate opposite to the original facing surface is exposed .
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the component parts described in the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. Absent.
[0020]
<Embodiment 1>
1 is a side sectional view schematically showing a configuration of an image reading apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view of a document conveying portion of the image reading apparatus.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image reading apparatus includes a flatbed (FB) image reading unit (hereinafter referred to as an FB unit) 1 that places and fixes a document and reads a surface image thereof, and the FB unit 1. And an automatic feeding device (hereinafter referred to as an ADF unit) 2 attached to the upper surface of the sheet. A part of the FB unit 1 and a part of the ADF unit 2 are combined to form a flow reading unit. ing.
[0022]
FB unit 1 is a mechanism that reads the surface image of the mounted fixed document, provided with a standards document glass 3 you place a document on the upper surface, the lower portion of the platen glass 3, document Is provided with a first optical carriage A which is a first image reading means for reading the above.
[0023]
The first optical carriage A is connected to an endless drive belt 5, and this drive belt 5 is connected to a drive motor 6. The power of the drive motor 6 is transmitted to the first optical carriage A via the drive belt 5, so that the first optical carriage A moves in parallel with the document table glass 3.
[0024]
Here, the first optical carriage A has a function of reading an image of a document placed and fixed on the platen glass 3 and a function of reading an image of a document being conveyed while being stopped at a fixed position (a flow reading function). And combine.
[0025]
The lamp 7 disposed on the upper surface of the first optical carriage A is a light source for irradiating light on the original, and the reflected light reflected from the original is sent to the CCD 9 by the reflecting mirror 8 and the condenser lens 10. Led. Here, the CCD 9 is a known photoelectric conversion element that converts incident light into an electric signal. A document abutting reference plate 11 is provided on the document table glass 3.
[0026]
On the other hand, the ADF unit 2 is provided with a document stacking tray 13 for placing and stacking documents on the upper part thereof. The documents on the document stacking tray 13 are arranged on both sides in the transport (feed) direction on the document side. It is regulated by the regulation plate 12. The well-known document presence / absence sensor 15 recognizes the presence of the document by detecting the leading edge of the document with the lever crest. Further, the length of the document is detected by a known document length detection lever 14.
[0027]
In addition, a weight 16 for pressing the leading edge of the document fed from the document stacking tray 13 from above and a document shutter 17 for preventing the leading edge of the document from entering the separation feeding unit are provided.
[0028]
The pickup roller 18 has a function of sequentially feeding the stacked originals from the lowest one, and the originals fed out by the pickup roller 18 are conveyed to the flow reading unit by the downstream feeding roller 20.
[0029]
The separation belt 19 provided at a position facing the feeding roller 20 across the document transport path is rotationally driven in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the feeding roller 20 to reliably feed the documents one by one. Separate the overlapping originals.
[0030]
The pre-registration sensor lever 21 detects the leading edge of the document and measures the timing of document loop formation. The registration roller pair 22 sends the conveyed document to the first optical carriage A at a predetermined timing. The document leading edge detection lever 23 detects the leading edge of the document sent out by the registration roller pair 22.
[0031]
Manuscript conveying upper guide 24 is opposed to the platen glass 3, to guide the document to the first reading portion 25. The first reading portion 25 is a predetermined gap provided between the document table glass 3 and the document transport upper guide 24. An image included in the document surface (first surface (lower surface)) is read by the first optical carriage A that is stopped at a fixed position when the document passes through the first reading portion 25.
[0032]
Second optical carriage B is a second image reading unit is disposed at a position facing each other across the first optical carriage A and the platen glass 3 within the A DF unit 2 that holds it. In the second optical carriage B, the same reflection mirror and CCD as the first optical carriage A are arranged.
[0033]
As described above, the second optical carriage B having substantially the same configuration as that of the first optical carriage A reads an image included in the other surface (second surface) of the document at the second reading portion 27. . Here, the second reading portion 27 is set slightly downstream of the first reading portion 25 on the document transport path along the platen glass 3. Then, the reading portion 27 is attached glass 31 is translucent plate, at the same time glass 31 of this is the conveying guide of the document, and prevents the original from entering inside the optical carriage B.
[0034]
The original after passing through the first and second reading portions 25 and 27 is discharged out of the FB unit 1 by the discharge roller pair 28. Here, a discharge stacking tray 33 for stacking the documents discharged by the discharge roller pair 28 is provided on the side surface of the FB unit 1.
[0035]
As shown in FIG. 3, the second optical carriage B can be rotated with respect to the ADF unit 2 about the shaft 30 by opening the hook 29. As a result, the document transport path is divided into upper and lower parts, and operations such as jam processing can be performed. The second optical carriage B has an actuator for operating an interlock switch (not shown) provided in the image reading apparatus. When the optical carriage B is opened, the power of the apparatus is cut off, and the image reading apparatus It is not working. In the state in which the optical carriage B is opened, the glass 31 can be rotated around the rotation shaft 32 and can be opened and closed with respect to the optical carriage B, as shown in FIG.
[0036]
5A and 5B are perspective views of the vicinity of the reading glass 31 of the second optical carriage B. FIG. 5A shows the inside of the optical carriage B on the upper surface of the glass 31, and FIG. 5B shows the ADF unit 2 as viewed from below. It is.
[0037]
As shown in FIG. 5, the second optical carriage B is provided with a lock slider 34 as an operation portion . The lock slider 34 is urged in the direction of the glass 31 by a spring 35, and is in the directions of arrows a and b. Is slidable. One end of the glass 31 is provided with a protrusion 36 that is a holding means that is hooked on the lock slider 34. When the glass 31 is closed, the glass 31 is held in a closed state by the lock slider 34. By sliding the slider 34 in the direction of the arrow b, the restriction of the glass 31 is released, and the glass 31 can be opened with respect to the optical carriage B. When the glass 31 is opened, the lock slider 34 is urged by the spring 35 in the direction of arrow a.
[0038]
When the glass 31 is closed, the slope of the projection 36 of the glass 31 slides the lock slider 34 in the direction of arrow b, so that the glass 31 can be held in the closed position without operating the lock slider 34. is there.
[0039]
Further, an arm 37 for guiding the operation of the glass 31 is provided at the other end of the glass 31. When the second optical carriage B is closed, as shown in FIG. 5 , the arm 37 is inside the image reading device, so that the glass 31 cannot be opened even if the lock slider 34 is slid. is there. When the optical carriage B is opened, the glass 31 can be opened. However, when the optical carriage B is closed with the glass 31 opened, the arm 37 follows the guide portion 38 provided in the image reading apparatus. As a result, the glass 31 is closed, and when the optical carriage B is completely closed, the glass 31 is automatically held closed by the lock slider 34.
[0040]
Since the glass 31 only needs to be a translucent member only at the image reading position, the protrusion 36 and the arm 37 may be another material formed integrally with the glass 31 or another component fixed to the glass 31. .
[0041]
By the way, in the present embodiment, the opening and closing of the glass 31 is regulated by opening and closing of the optical unit B. Conversely, the arm 37 is opened and closed by opening and closing parts and units such as a cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the optical unit B. The glass 31 may be opened and opened and closed.
[0042]
The operation in the above configuration will be described below.
[0043]
(Original fixed scanning method)
When the FB unit 1 reads an image, the ADF unit 2 is opened, the document is placed on the document table glass 3, the document position is abutted against the document abutting reference plate 11, and the document is set.
[0044]
Next, by closing the ADF unit 2, the document is pressed and fixed to the document table glass 3 by the pressure plate 4. As a result, the curling of the original is corrected and the original is brought into close contact with the original table glass 3.
[0045]
Thereafter, when the operator presses an original reading start button provided on an operation panel (not shown), reading of the original is started.
[0046]
First, the drive belt 5 starts to operate by the supply of power by the drive motor 6, and the first optical carriage A moves to a predetermined initial position accordingly. The first optical carriage A is accelerated until it reaches a predetermined speed while moving from the initial position to the document reading position.
[0047]
After reaching the predetermined speed, the first optical carriage A reaches the leading edge position of the document abutted against the document abutting reference plate 11 while maintaining the speed. Thereafter, the first optical carriage A moves while maintaining a predetermined speed, and reads the document.
[0048]
After reading the entire surface of the original, the first optical carriage A is reversed in the direction opposite to the reading direction by the reverse drive of the drive motor 6 and returns to a predetermined standby position.
[0049]
(Original scanning method)
Next, the case of the sink reading method will be described.
[0050]
In the case of flow reading, the document is stacked on the document stacking tray 13 of the ADF unit 2. The ADF unit 2 can know from the document length detection lever 14 and the document presence / absence sensor 15 that the document is placed on the document stacking tray 13. Further, when the operator sets the width of the document by the document side regulating plate 12, the size of the document can be known by the combination of detection with the document length detection lever 14.
[0051]
When the operator presses a document reading start button (not shown) in the above state, the document shutter 17 that restricts the leading edge of the document is opened, and the document bundle is conveyed to the document separation unit by the weight 16 and the pickup roller 18. Next, the original is separated and fed one by one by the separation belt 19 and the feeding roller 20.
[0052]
Thus, after the leading edge of the document reaches the registration roller pair 22 and a pre-registration sensor lever 21 forms a predetermined loop, the rotation of the feeding roller 20 is stopped. After a predetermined timing, the registration roller pair 22 starts to rotate and conveys the document. The leading edge of the conveyed document is detected by the document leading edge detection lever 23, and the time for the document to reach the document reading position is determined.
[0053]
The document is guided to the first document reading portion 25 by the document transport upper guide 24, and the document is transported at a predetermined transport speed at the first reading portion 25, while the document is transported on one side of the document by the first optical carriage A. Images are read sequentially.
[0054]
Further, the original reaches the second reading portion 27 and the images on the other side are sequentially read by the reading portion of the second optical carriage B while being conveyed at a predetermined speed.
[0055]
After the front end of the original passes through the second reading portion 27, the original is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 28, and after all the images are read, the original is discharged onto the discharge stacking tray 33.
[0056]
The above is a series of operation modes related to reading both sides of a document by the first and second optical carriages A and B.
[0057]
Thus, the present embodiment has the following characteristics.
[0058]
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the glass 31 is opened with respect to the optical carriage B. As shown in the figure, in the state in which the glass 31 is opened, the inner surface of the glass 31 (the side opposite to the document conveying side). Can be accessed by the user, and the inside of the glass 31 can be cleaned even when dust or the like accumulates inside the glass 31.
[0059]
Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when the optical carriage B is opened and the glass 31 is also opened, the optical carriage B is closed while the glass 31 is opened. When the optical carriage B is completely closed, the projection 36 of the glass 31 moves the lock slider 34 in the direction of the arrow b in FIG. 5 and locks by the spring 35 when the glass 31 reaches the fully closed position. The slider 34 moves in the direction of arrow a, and holds the glass 31 in the closed position. Thereby, even if the optical carriage B is closed while the glass 31 is open, the glass 31 can be prevented from being damaged.
[0060]
Further, when the optical carriage B is opened, an interlock switch (not shown) is cut, and the operation of the apparatus becomes impossible. That is, in a state where the optical carriage B is closed and the apparatus can operate, the glass 31 is always closed. Accordingly, when the glass 31 is opened, the operation of the apparatus is always stopped, and the apparatus is operated with the glass 31 opened without touching the lamp 7 that is lit during cleaning of the inside of the glass 31. This can prevent the original from being damaged.
[0061]
According to the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment described above, the glass 31 on the reading surface is configured to be openable and closable with respect to the document conveyance upper guide 24 that is a frame of the optical system. The inner surface C of the glass 31 can be easily cleaned, and the deterioration of the image due to the internal dust adhering to the inner surface of the glass 31 can be prevented.
[0062]
Further, since the glass 31 is opened only when the optical carriage B is opened, it is possible to prevent the apparatus from operating with the glass 31 being opened and damaging the apparatus or damaging the document. Then, when the optical carriage B is closed while the glass 31 is open, the glass 31 is automatically closed, thereby preventing damage to the apparatus.
[0063]
<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0064]
FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the image reading apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a view of the vicinity of the glass 31 of the second optical carriage B as seen from the bottom of the ADF unit 2 as in FIG. 5B. It is.
[0065]
In the image reading apparatus having substantially the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, when the optical carriage B is closed, the lock slider 34 is inside the apparatus and cannot be operated from the outside. That is, only when the optical carriage B is opened, the lock slider 34 is exposed to the outside, and the glass 31 can be removed.
[0066]
In the first embodiment, when the ADF unit 2 is opened to place a document on the document table , the lock slider 34 is exposed to the outside . However, the glass 31 is not opened by the arm 37 even if the lock slider 34 is operated . Meanwhile, in the second embodiment, since the lock slider 34 to open the ADF unit 2 has a configuration in which not exposed to the outside, it is possible to prevent confusion at the time of operation.
[0067]
<Embodiment 3>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0068]
FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the image reading apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the upper surface of the document placed on the document table glass 3 is read above the FB unit 1. Another fixed document reading unit 40 is provided for reading the image on the upper surface of the document while the second optical carriage C on the upper side of the document moves along the upper surface of the document.
[0069]
In the image reading apparatus according to the first and second embodiments, the image is read by reading the image while moving the document at a predetermined speed with respect to the optical carriage B fixed to read the upper surface of the document. However, it is possible to read the original by the fixed original reading method even on the upper surface of the original. In the image reading apparatus having such a configuration, the glass 41 can be opened and closed with respect to the optical carriage C in order to clean the inside of the glass 41 at the reading position of the optical carriage C as in the first embodiment. Since the glass 41 can be opened and closed only in the opened state, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.
[0070]
Although the image reading apparatus has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that includes the image reading apparatus as an image reading unit and forms an image of a document read by the image reading unit on a sheet. Can be applied. As an image forming apparatus, for example, an exposure is performed on a photosensitive drum according to image information, an electrostatic latent image is developed with toner, and the toner image is transferred to a sheet. There is an ink jet system that discharges ink, and any apparatus having this image reading apparatus as an image reading unit may be used.
[0072]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the translucent plate is configured to be openable and closable with respect to the frame that holds the image reading means, so that the translucent plate on the side opposite to the document conveying side is provided. The back surface can be easily cleaned, image deterioration due to internal dust attached to the translucent plate material can be prevented, and the device can be operated by keeping the translucent plate open. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of breakage and damage to the document.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an image reading apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view of a document conveying portion of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a partial side sectional view of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of the image reading apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a partial side sectional view of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a main part of an image reading apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of an image reading apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Flatbed image reading unit (FD unit)
2 Automatic feeder (ADF part)
3 Platen glass (original platen)
24 Document transport upper guide 31 Glass (translucent plate)
32 Rotating shaft 34 Lock slider (operation part)
36 protrusions (translucent plate material holding means)
37 arm <br/> 38 guide unit (guide means)
40 Fixed Document Reading Unit 41 Glass (Translucent Plate)
A first optical carriage B second optical carriage (image reading means)
C optical carriage

Claims (5)

A transport unit configured to transport a document; an image reading unit configured to read an image on an upper surface of the document transported at a predetermined speed by the transport unit; a document feeding unit including the transport unit and the image reading unit; in the upper conveyor path of the document conveyed by means anda translucent plate for closing an opening of the image reading position of said image reading means, said image reading means the document feeding unit In an image reading apparatus that can move between an open position and a closed position ,
At the position where the image reading means is closed, the translucent plate cannot be opened with respect to the image reading means, and at the position where the image reading means is opened, the translucent plate is not read by the image reading means. It can be opened to the image reading means while being held by the means , and when the translucent plate is opened, the surface of the translucent plate opposite to the document facing surface is exposed. An image reading apparatus. An operation unit for releasing the light-transmitting plate material from a position at which an opening at an image reading position of the image reading unit is closed, and the image reading unit is engaged with the operation unit at the closed position; 2. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein holding means for holding the translucent plate material is provided on the translucent plate material at a position for closing the opening at the image reading position of the image reading unit. apparatus. A position where the document feeding unit abuts the translucent plate and guides the translucent plate to a closed position, and the image reading unit is opened with respect to the document feeding unit; 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the light transmitting plate member is moved from a closed position to a closed position, the translucent plate is guided to the closed position while sliding on the guide means . The image reading apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the operation unit is located inside the document feeding unit at a position where the image reading unit is closed with respect to the document feeding unit. A platen on which a document is placed, and an image reading means for reading an image of an upper surface of the document while moving along the document placed on the document table, the opening of the image reading position of said image reading means in the image reading apparatus having a translucent plate that closes to move the upper surface of the document placed on the document table, and
And movable in a position where the image reading means is closed and open position with respect to the image reading apparatus, the position where the image reading means is closed, the translucent plate is the image reading not possible open to means, at the position where the image reading means is opened, the translucent plate is openable with respect to said image reading means in a state of being held in said image reading means, and The image reading apparatus is characterized in that when the translucent plate member is opened, a surface of the translucent plate member opposite to the document facing surface is exposed .

Images