JP4393907B2 - Document conveying apparatus, image reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  According to the present invention, an upper surface of an image reading region where an image of a document is read can be freely opened and closed, and a document conveying device including a document conveying mechanism for conveying a document to the image reading region on one end side in the opening / closing axis direction, and the document conveying device The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus including the image reading apparatus, and an image forming apparatus including the image reading apparatus.

  In recent years, a document conveying device that automatically conveys a sheet-shaped document to an image reading region is mounted on an image reading device, an image forming device, or the like, and image reading and image formation are performed efficiently. Also, with the advancement of digital technology, the speed of reading an image from a document, conversion to electronic data, and image formation based on electronic data is increased, and a reading process of a larger number of document images is performed at high speed. As a result, the number of originals that can be set in the image reading apparatus at one time has increased to about 100 to 200. In addition, the types of originals that can be conveyed have been diversified along with the advancement of the original conveying unit of the image reading apparatus.

As described above, in a recent image reading apparatus or the like, a large number of originals are stacked and stacked one by one from the stacked original bundle, and are sequentially supplied to the image reading area. Has been read. As a document image reading unit, there are a unit that performs the document while it is stationary on the document table, and a unit that performs the document while conveying it. The document conveying device is formed so that the upper surface of the document table can be freely opened and closed, and a document conveying mechanism that supplies the document to the image reading area, a document pressing member that presses and covers the upper surface of the document placed on the document table, (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). There are a case where the document transport mechanism and the document pressing member are separately provided in the vicinity of the document table, and a case where the document transport mechanism and the document pressing member are integrally formed so that the document transport mechanism is provided at one end in the opening / closing axis direction. .
JP 2000-244718 A

  By the way, as the amount of originals increases, it is required to increase the processing speed, and an image reading apparatus capable of reading both sides substantially simultaneously while conveying the originals has been developed. In such an image reading apparatus, an original conveying mechanism for automatically conveying an original to an image reading area and an image reading means for reading the back side of the original are provided in the original conveying apparatus. While the document is being transported, the front surface of the document is read by one image reading unit disposed below the document table, and the back surface is read by the other image reading unit disposed in the document transport device. When the document conveying mechanism and the image reading unit are integrally disposed on one end side in the opening / closing axis direction of the document conveying device, the side including the document conveying unit and the image reading unit becomes heavy, and the weight of the document conveying device in the opening / closing axis direction There is a case where the balance is lost and the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction of the document conveying device is lifted. In such a case, an original conveying apparatus that fixes the original by pressing the upper surface of the original placed on the original table and prevents extra light from entering the image reading area when reading the image of the original. Interferes with the original function of.

  Further, the technique of Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for attaching and detaching a pressing plate to and from the document cover, but this is for changing the surface reflectance of the pressing member. The problem that one side of the device in the opening / closing axis direction tends to float cannot be solved.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a document conveying device, an image reading device, and an image forming device that can reliably press a document placed in an image reading region.

  The document conveying apparatus of the present invention is configured as follows to solve the above-described problems.

(1) An upper surface of an image reading area where an image of a document is read can be freely opened and closed, and a document transport mechanism for transporting the document to the image reading area is provided on one end side in the opening / closing axis direction, and the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction An original conveying apparatus configured to be heavier on one end side than the upper surface of the original document that is provided on a main surface facing the image reading area and is placed in the image reading area in a closed state. A document pressing member for pressing, and the document pressing member has flexibility, and is provided on the main surface such that the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction protrudes from the one end side toward the image reading region side. Features.

  In this configuration, the document conveying device is disposed so that the upper surface of the image reading area can be opened and closed. The document transport device includes a document transport mechanism that transports a document to the image reading area, and a document pressing member that has flexibility and presses the upper surface of the document placed in the image reading area in the closed state. Since the document conveying mechanism is provided on one end side in the opening / closing axis direction, the weight balance in the opening / closing axis direction of the document conveying apparatus is deteriorated, and the other end side is easily lifted. However, since the document pressing member is provided so that the other end protrudes toward the image reading area, the upper surface of the document placed in the image reading area can be reliably pressed even when the other end is lifted.

  (2) An elastic member is further provided between the main surface and the document pressing member on the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction.

  In this configuration, an elastic member is provided between the main surface on the other end side that tends to float and the document pressing member, and the other end side of the document pressing member protrudes toward the image reading area side in the open state by the elastic member. Therefore, the upper surface of the document is reliably pressed even when the other end is lifted in the closed state. Further, the protrusion amount of the document pressing member toward the image reading area is adjusted by the thickness of the elastic member.

  (3) The document pressing member is detachably attached to the main surface, and the elastic member is provided at a position where the document pressing member is attached to or detached from the main surface.

  In this configuration, since the document pressing member is detachable from the main surface, the projection amount of the document pressing member can be easily adjusted by removing the document pressing member and attaching, removing, or replacing the elastic member. The In addition, since the elastic member is provided at a position where the original pressing member is attached to or detached from the main surface, the elastic member and the original pressing member are not attached to each other, and displacement of the original pressing member due to the protrusion is prevented.

  The image reading apparatus of the present invention is configured as follows to solve the above-described problems.

  (4) An image reading unit that reads an image of a document in an image reading area to acquire image information, and the document conveying device according to any one of (1) to (3) above. To do.

  In this configuration, the document conveying device is disposed so that the upper surface of the image reading area can be opened and closed. The document transport device includes a document transport mechanism that transports a document to the image reading area, and a document pressing member that has flexibility and presses the upper surface of the document placed in the image reading area in the closed state. Since the document conveying mechanism is provided on one end side in the opening / closing axis direction, the weight balance in the opening / closing axis direction of the document conveying apparatus is deteriorated, and the other end side is easily lifted. However, since the document pressing member is provided so that the other end protrudes toward the image reading area, the upper surface of the document placed in the image reading area can be reliably pressed even when the other end is lifted.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention is configured as follows in order to solve the above-described problems.

  (5) The image reading apparatus according to (4) described above and an image forming unit that forms an image based on image information acquired by the image reading apparatus.

  In this configuration, the document conveying device is disposed so that the upper surface of the image reading area can be opened and closed. The document transport device includes a document transport mechanism that transports a document to the image reading area, and a document pressing member that has flexibility and presses the upper surface of the document placed in the image reading area in the closed state. Since the document conveying mechanism is provided on one end side in the opening / closing axis direction, the weight balance in the opening / closing axis direction of the document conveying apparatus is deteriorated, and the other end side is easily lifted. However, since the document pressing member is provided so that the other end protrudes toward the image reading area, the upper surface of the document placed in the image reading area can be reliably pressed even when the other end is lifted.

  According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) Since the upper surface of the document placed in the image reading area can be surely pressed, the document can be securely fixed, and extra light can be prevented from entering the image reading area.

  (2) Since the upper surface of the document placed in the image reading area can be reliably pressed, the document can be securely fixed. Further, the protruding amount of the document pressing member toward the image reading area can be adjusted by the thickness of the elastic member.

  (3) The protrusion amount of the document pressing member can be easily adjusted. Further, the displacement of the document pressing member due to the protrusion is prevented, and the document can be securely fixed.

  (4) Since the upper surface of the document placed in the image reading area can be surely pressed, the document can be securely fixed, and extra light can be prevented from entering the image reading area. Therefore, high-quality image information can be acquired.

  (5) Since the upper surface of the document placed in the image reading area can be surely pressed, the document can be securely fixed, and extra light can be prevented from entering the image reading area. Therefore, it is possible to acquire high-quality image information and form a high-quality image.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus 100 including a document conveying device 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 100 including the document conveying device 30 according to this embodiment reads an image of a sheet-like document and acquires image data, and the image data acquired by the image reading unit 1. An image forming unit 2 for forming an image is provided. In the image forming unit 2, for example, an image based on image data is formed through an electrophotographic image forming process.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the image reading unit 1. The image reading unit 1 includes platen glass 21A and 21B on which a document is placed, a scanner optical system 10 that reads an image of a document placed on the document table 21A and 21B, and a document tray 31. A document transport device 30 that sequentially transports the documents stacked on the document tray 31 to the image reading area on the document table 21B.

  The document conveying device 30 is rotatably supported by a hinge 16 provided on the same plane as the document tables 21A and 21B, and functions as a document cover that can open and close the upper surfaces of the document tables 21A and 21B.

  The document conveying device 30 is closed to block the document tables 21A and 21B when sequentially conveying the documents stacked on the document tray 31 onto the document table 21B that reads the image of the document while conveying the document. In addition, when the image reading unit 1 reads an image of a document of a type that cannot be automatically conveyed by the document conveying device 30 such as a book or a bound document, the document conveying device 30 is rotated upward to be opened. After the document is placed on the document table 21A, it is closed and the upper surface of the document is pressed.

  A document mat 5 that is formed of a flexible material and functions as a document pressing member is attached to the main surface of the document conveying device 30 that faces the document table 21A. Details of the original mat 5 will be described later.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the image reading unit 1. The scanner optical system 10 is disposed below the document tables 21A and 21B, and includes a light source unit 13, a mirror unit 14, an imaging lens 11, and a CCD 12 that is a photoelectric conversion element. The light source unit 13 includes a light source 13A that emits illumination light for reading a document, a concave reflector 13B that condenses the reading illumination light emitted from the light source 13A at a predetermined reading position on the document tables 21A and 21B, and a document. A slit 13C that allows only reflected light from the slit 13C to pass through, and a mirror 13D that has a reflecting surface inclined by 45 degrees with respect to the main surfaces of the document tables 21A and 21B in order to change the optical path of the light that has passed through the slit 13C by 90 degrees. Including.

  The mirror unit 14 includes a pair of mirrors 14 </ b> A and 14 </ b> B disposed so that the reflection surfaces are orthogonal to each other in order to guide the light reflected by the mirror 13 </ b> D of the light source unit 13 to the CCD 12.

  The light source unit 13 and the mirror unit 14 are configured to reciprocate in a direction indicated by an arrow A that is parallel to the document tables 21A and 21B. Here, a position P1 of the light source unit 13 shown in FIG. 3 is a traveling document reading position, a position P2 is a stationary document reading start position, and a position P3 is a return position at the time of maximum document reading. Further, in order to make the optical path length from the original to the CCD 12 constant, the moving speed of the mirror unit 14 is set to half of the moving speed of the light source unit 13. The light source unit 13 and the mirror unit 14 are moved by a driving force such as a stepping motor or a servo motor.

  The imaging lens 11 forms an image of the reflected light from the original on the CCD 12. The CCD 12 generates image data that is an electrical signal based on the reflected light from the document. Here, the imaging lens 11 and the CCD 12 constitute a CCD reading unit.

  Further, the document conveying device 30 includes a curved portion from the document tray 31 through the document reading position to the paper discharge tray 32, and the document conveying path R having a two-stage configuration, that is, the letter U is approximately leftward. A document transport path R having a horizontal U shape inclined at 90 degrees is provided. The document conveying device 30 further picks up the document picked up by the drawing roller 41 and the drawing roller 41 picking up the uppermost document stored in the document tray 31 in order from the upstream side along the document conveying path R. Separation / conveyance roller 42 that separates and prevents double conveyance of the document, conveyance rollers 43 to 45 that convey the document that has passed the separation / conveyance roller 42 further downstream of the document conveyance path R, and the document at the document reading position A registration roller 46 that adjusts the guide timing is provided.

  A plurality of detectors for detecting a document are arranged on the document transport path R from the document tray 31 to the paper discharge tray 32. The document tray 31 is provided with a document detector 51 for detecting the presence or absence of a document, and a first size detection sensor 50 and a second size detection sensor 57 for detecting the document size. In addition, on the document conveyance path R, an intake roller position detector 52 that detects the position of the intake roller 41 in the height direction from the upstream side in the document conveyance direction, and a paper feed that detects a fed document. Detectors 53 to 55 are disposed.

  The document conveying device 30 includes a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) 15 at a position downstream of the document conveying path R and facing the document table 21B. The CIS 15 includes, for example, an image sensor arranged in an array, a light guide (lens array such as a Selfoc lens), a light source (LED array light source or fluorescent lamp), and the like.

  In the document transport path R, the document is transported downstream by the transport rollers 43 to 45. Whether or not the document is transported properly on the document transport path R is detected by the paper feed detectors 53 to 55. The The curvature of the curved portion in the document conveyance path R is set so that all types of documents can be stably conveyed, and the thickest document among the readable documents, that is, the document with the highest waist is smooth. It is set so that it can be conveyed.

  A registration / skew correction region 6 is formed on the downstream side of the curved portion in the document transport path R so that an inclination angle with respect to the document table 21B becomes small. Are aligned.

  In the registration / skew correction region 6, the conveyance roller 45 and the registration roller 46 can correct the registration and skew of the document between the conveyance roller 45 located on the downstream side of the document conveyance path R and the registration roller 46. The state of the original surface is substantially flat and the friction with the guide surface of the original conveyance path R is reduced. It should be noted that the distance between the conveyance roller 45 and the registration roller 46 only needs to be larger than the length in the conveyance direction of the minimum size document among the documents that can be processed by the document conveyance device 30.

  Further, the document guide member 3 is disposed so as to be close to the registration / skew correction region 6 in the document transport path R. The document guide member 3 is a plate-shaped member having a pentagonal cross section, and includes a first plane 3A constituting at least a part of the document transport path R and a second plane on which a part of the document mat 5 is fixed. 3B. In this embodiment, the document guide member 3 is formed in a plate shape having a polygonal cross section, but the shape of the document guide member 3 is limited to this as long as it includes the first plane 3A and the second plane 3B. Not.

  The document guide member 3 is disposed at a position where the first flat surface 3A constitutes a part of the document conveyance path R and is rotatable about a rotation shaft 4 disposed in a direction orthogonal to the document conveyance direction. It rotates between a closing position for closing the document transport path R and an open position for opening the document transport path R to the outside. In this embodiment, the first plane 3A constituting the partition on the document mat 5 side in the document conveyance path R, the rotation shaft 4 serving as the rotation center of the document guide member 3, and the document centering on the rotation shaft 4 are used. An opening mechanism is configured by the second flat surface 3B that presses a part of the original mat 5 in a direction away from the original conveyance path R when the guide member 3 rotates.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the image reading unit 1. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the document transport mechanism and the CIS 15 for transporting documents stacked on the document tray 31 to the paper discharge tray 32 via the document table 21 </ b> B include the document tables 21 </ b> A, It is arranged so as to be offset toward one end side (left side in FIG. 4) in the opening / closing axis direction with respect to 21B. Therefore, the weight balance in the opening / closing axis direction of the document conveying device 30 is lost, and one end side in the opening / closing axis direction of the document conveying device 30 is heavier than the other end side (the right side in FIG. 4). As a result, the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction of the document conveying device 30 is easily lifted.

  Therefore, in the document conveying device 30 according to the present invention, the elastic member 17 is interposed between the main surface of the document conveying device 30 facing the document table 21A and the document mat 5 and on the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction. Is done. The elastic member 17 is formed of a foamable elastic material such as urethane foam.

  The original mat 5 has a multilayer structure including a white sheet 8C that directly contacts an original placed on the original table 21 in a closed state, a cushion mat 8B formed of a foam material such as urethane, and a mylar sheet 8A that is a backing. It is formed thin enough to be easily bent by the action of external force. The document mat 5 is opposed to the document table 21A of the document conveyance device 30 by attaching the main surface facing the document table 21A of the document conveyance device 30 and the mylar sheet 8A via the surface fasteners 7A to 7F. Affixed to the main surface.

  The elastic member 17 is interposed between the surface fasteners 7E and 7F provided on the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction and the main surface facing the document table 21A of the document conveying device 30. Thus, the original mat 5 is configured such that the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction of the original conveying device 30 protrudes toward the original table 21A. The thickness of the elastic member 17 is 3 mm in this embodiment. The thickness of the elastic member 17 may be appropriately set according to the degree of lifting on the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction of the document conveying device 30, but the lifting is usually about several millimeters at most. It is considered that the thickness of the elastic member 17 may be several mm.

  Adjustment of the parallelism of the document feeder 30 with respect to the document table 21A is normally performed by the hinge 16, but accurate adjustment by the hinge 16 is difficult and requires a long time for adjustment. However, in the document conveying device 30, the elastic member 17 is provided so that the document mat 5 on the side of the document conveying device 30 that tends to rise protrudes toward the document table 21A, so that the document conveying device 30 is strictly parallel to the document table 21A. Even if it is not, the upper surface of the document placed on the document table 21 </ b> A is reliably pressed by the document mat 5.

  Further, since the cushioning property of the original mat 5 is enhanced by providing the elastic member 17, the upper surface of the original placed on the original table 21A is more reliably pressed.

  Further, when the document conveying device 30 is opened / closed for placing a document on the document table 21A, the parallelism of the document conveying device 30 with respect to the document table 21A depends on the number of opening / closing operations and the complexity of the opening / closing operation. However, according to the document conveying device 30 according to the present invention, even when the parallelism is somewhat impaired, the document mat 5 on the other end protrudes toward the document table 21A. The upper surface of the document on the table 21A can be pressed by the document mat 5. That is, the tolerance of the degree to which the degree of parallelism of the document conveying device 30 with respect to the document table 21A is increased.

  Further, according to the document conveying device 30, the elastic member 17 is provided so that the document mat 5 on the side of the document conveying device 30 that tends to float is protruded toward the document table 21 </ b> A, so that the side that tends to lift does not have to tilt downward. The upper surface of the original can be securely pressed by the original mat 5. For this reason, an image can be read with high accuracy by the CIS 15 without requiring complicated adjustment by the hinge 16. Therefore, high-quality image data can be acquired in both image reading areas on the document table 21B and the document table 21A.

  The elastic member 17 may be provided between the hook-and-loop fasteners 7E and 7F and the mylar sheet 8A. Further, as described above, the original mat 5 is detachably attached to the main surface facing the original table 21A of the original conveying device 30 via the surface fasteners 7A to 7F. By attaching and removing the elastic member 17, or replacing the elastic member 17 with an elastic member having an appropriate thickness, the amount of protrusion of the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction of the document conveying device 30 toward the document table 21 </ b> A can be adjusted. .

  Further, the elastic member 17 is attached by setting the original conveying device 30 on which the original mat 5 is mounted substantially parallel to the original table 21A and then attaching the elastic member 17 to attach the original mat 5 on the other end side to the original table 21A. Or the original conveying device 30 on which the original mat 5 is not mounted is set parallel to the original table 21A, and then the elastic member 17 and the original mat 5 are attached to the original mat 5 on the other end side. Any of the methods of projecting toward the document table 21A may be selected. In the present invention, since the original mat 5 is attached in a state where it is not parallel to the original table 21A in the open state, the latter method is effective.

  FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the document conveying device 30. As described above, the original mat 5 is disposed on the bottom surface of the original conveying device 30. The original mat 5 is disposed in a predetermined attachment area on the bottom surface of the original conveying device 30. This attachment area is assigned to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the document conveying device 30 according to the maximum document size that can be read by the image reading unit 1. In the present invention, the document conveyance direction refers to the document conveyance direction on a plane parallel to the document tables 21A and 21B, and is the direction indicated by the arrow X in FIG. The direction orthogonal to the document transport direction is the direction indicated by the arrow Y.

  FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the document conveying device 30 with the document mat 5 removed. In FIG. 6, the above-described attachment area is represented by “shaded”. As shown in FIG. 6, the attachment area Z is composed of an opening area Z1, a non-fixed area Z2, and a fixed area Z3. In this embodiment, an open area Z1, a non-fixed area Z2, and a fixed area Z3 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface of the document conveying device 30.

  The opening area Z1 is an area where a portion to be retracted of the original mat 5 disposed in the attachment area is located, and an area for opening a part of the original conveyance path R when an original conveyance jam or the like occurs. It is. The non-fixed area Z2 is an area that is set between the open area Z1 and the fixed area Z3, and the original mat 5 is not fixed. The fixed area Z3 is an area where the original mat 5 is fixed. The original mat 5 is fixed to the attachment area Z on the bottom surface of the original conveying device 30 via the six surface fasteners 7A to 7F. Of the six surface fasteners 7A to 7F, the two surface fasteners 7A and 7B are open areas. The remaining four hook-and-loop fasteners 7C to 7F are disposed in the fixed region Z3.

  In this way, the six mat fasteners 7A to 7F are used to hold the original mat 5 at six locations. When the original mat 5 is held at four corners (7A, 7B, 7E, 7F), the original mat 5 This is because the central portion of the sheet is greatly bent toward the original platen 21A side, and a force to peel off the surface fasteners 7A, 7B, 7E, 7F acts. In particular, when a part of the original mat 5 is withdrawn from the opening area Z1, the original mat 5 is further bent and a deep crease is formed on the original mat 5, and the open-side surface fasteners 7A and 7B are caused. This is because there is a possibility that inconvenience that the original mat 5 is peeled off may occur. In the present embodiment, the size of the surface fasteners 7A to 7F is 20 mm × 25 mm, but the size of the surface fasteners 7A to 7F can be set to an arbitrary size. Further, the number of places where the original mat 5 is attached is not limited to six, and even if the folding mat does not remain without hindering the dropping of the original mat 5 and the opening of the opening area Z1, the number of holding places by the surface fastener can be further increased. It doesn't matter.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the surface of the main surface of the original mat 5 that is attached to the bottom surface of the original conveying device 30. The size of the original mat 5 may be any size as long as it can cover the maximum size original to be read. Here, the original mat 5 covers the A3 size (297 mm × 420 mm) and leisure size (11 inches × 17 inches). It is set to 310 mm × 440 mm so that it can be done.

  Further, a portion (open portion) A1 attached to the open area Z1 in the attachment area, a portion (non-fixed portion) A2 attached to the non-fixed region Z2, and a portion attached to the fixed region Z3. (Fixed portion) A3 is assigned in order along the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface of the document conveying device 30. In this embodiment, in the document transport direction, the length of the open portion A1 is 60 mm, the length of the non-fixed portion A2 is 150 mm, and the length of the fixed portion A3 is 230 mm. Further, for the above-described six surface fasteners 7A to 7F, the distance D2 between the center of the surface fastener 7A and the center of the surface fastener 7C is 200 mm, the distance D3 between the center of the surface fastener 7C and the center of the surface fastener 7E is 150 mm, A distance D1 between the center of the fastener 7A and the center of the surface fastener 7B is set to 250 mm.

  As described above, the original mat 5 has a multilayer structure including the white sheet 8C that comes into contact with the original, the cushion mat 8B using a foaming material such as urethane, and the backing mylar sheet 8A.

  In this embodiment, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) having a thickness of about 0.125 mm to 0.5 mm is used as the white sheet 8C. As the cushion mat 8B, a sponge-like mat having a thickness of about 5 mm is used so that the original can be uniformly pressed over the entire surface.

  As the backing Mylar sheet 8A, a sheet having a thickness of 0.125 mm is used. In addition, the mylar sheet 8A includes a sticking surface having smoothness. The Mylar sheet 8A is provided in view of the fact that when the surface fasteners 7A to 7F are directly attached to the cushion mat 8B, the attachment strength is weak and easily peeled off, and the cushion mat 8B is easily torn off when peeled off, It functions as an interposed member between the cushion mat 8B and the hook-and-loop fasteners 7A to 7F. Here, by using the Mylar sheet 8A having a size larger than the sizes of the hook-and-loop fasteners 7A to 7F, the original mat 5 is supported while preventing the peeling and tearing due to the force acting when the original mat 5 is bent. The

  However, the Mylar sheet 8A is attached to the original mat 5 only in the open portion A1 and the fixed portion A3, and no Mylar sheet is attached to the non-fixed portion A2. This is because the portion of the original mat 5 that has the three-layer structure of the white sheet 8C, the cushion mat 8B, and the mylar sheet 8A has high bending strength and is difficult to bend, but it is intentionally bent like the non-fixed portion A2. This is because it is possible to flex more smoothly by not attaching the reinforcing mylar sheet 8A to the portion. That is, since the mylar sheet 8A is not attached to the non-fixed portion A2, the non-fixed portion A2 can be flexed smoothly when the original mat 5 is retracted from the opening area Z1, as will be described later.

  Here, an example of a method of attaching the original mat 5 to the bottom surface of the original conveying device 30 during factory assembly will be described. First, the document feeder 30 is rotated to open the document tables 21A and 21B, and the document mat 5 is placed at a predetermined position on the document table 21A. Next, one surface of each of the surface fasteners 7 </ b> A to 7 </ b> F in a state where the loop side and the hook side are combined is attached to an attachment recess formed on the bottom surface side of the document conveying device 30 via a double-sided tape. Further, a double-sided tape is also attached to the other surfaces of the above-described surface fasteners 7A to 7F, and the document feeder 30 is rotated with the adhesive surface of the double-sided tape exposed to the document mat 5 side, thereby the document table 21. Is closed, the surface fasteners 7 </ b> A to 7 </ b> F are attached to predetermined positions on the original mat 5, and the original mat 5 is attached to a predetermined attachment position on the bottom surface of the original conveying device 30.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration in the vicinity of the opening area Z1 set on the bottom surface of the document conveying device 30. FIG. In this embodiment, the second flat surface 3 </ b> B of the document guide member 3 described above constitutes a part of the opening area Z <b> 1 set on the bottom surface of the document conveying device 30. A knob 23 is disposed at the longitudinal end of the document guide member 3. Further, a spring 25 that is a torsion coil spring that urges the document guide member 3 in a direction to return it to the closed position is disposed in the opening area Z1. Further, a rotary knob 22 for manually rotating the registration roller 46 is disposed in the vicinity of the opening area Z1.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the opening mechanism. In the above configuration, when the knob 23 is pulled with a finger and the document guide member 3 is moved to the open position, the non-fixed portion A2 of the document mat 5 is bent. Therefore, the original mat 5 can be retracted from the opening area Z1 while the fixed portion A3 of the original mat 5 is fixed to the fixed area Z3 set on the bottom surface of the original conveying apparatus 30.

  Normally, when a document transport jam occurs on the upper side of the document transport path R, the document staying on the document transport path R can be removed by opening the canopy 48, and the document transport jam occurs and the document on the registration roller 46. Is held, the original held between the registration rollers 46 can be removed from the original conveying path R by rotating the rotary knob 22.

  However, when a document conveyance jam occurs in the registration / skew correction region 6 in the document conveyance path R, it is difficult to remove the document staying on the document conveyance path R by any of the above-described methods. Therefore, in this embodiment, a part of the document transport path R is opened to the above-described opening area Z1 by using the above-described opening mechanism, and the document is removed.

  When the original mat 5 is retracted from the opening area Z1, a part of the original conveying path R is opened to the opening area Z1, and the original conveying path R can be opened to the outside. For this reason, even when a document conveyance jam occurs in the lower stage of the document conveyance path R having a horizontal U-shape and a two-stage upper and lower configuration, the document staying on the document conveyance path R can be removed from the opening area Z1. .

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the image reading unit 1 in a state where a part of the document transport path R is opened to the opening area Z1. As shown in FIG. 10, by rotating the document guide member 3 using the knob 23, a part of the document transport path R is easily opened to the opening area Z1. Further, since the document guide member 3 is urged by the spring 25 in a direction to return from the open position to the closed position, the removal of the document staying in the document transport path R is completed and the knob 23 is released. Accordingly, the document guide member 3 moves to the closing position and closes the document transport path R. For this reason, since the document conveying device 30 is not rotated in the direction of closing the document table 21 while the document guide member 3 is in the open position, the document table 21 is not damaged, and the document guide is not damaged. The member 3 is not damaged.

  In this embodiment, the spring 25 formed of a spring stainless steel wire, piano wire or the like is used as the biasing member, but a plate formed of a tension coil spring, a spring stainless steel plate, or a spring phosphor bronze plate. A spring or the like may be used as the biasing member.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an image forming apparatus including a document conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of an image reading part. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of an image reading part. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of an image reading part. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the document conveying device. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the document conveying device with a document mat removed. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a surface of the main surface of the original mat that is attached to the bottom surface of the original conveying apparatus. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration in the vicinity of an open area set on the bottom surface of the document conveying device. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of an open mechanism. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image reading unit in a state where a part of a document transport path is opened to an opening area.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image reading part 5 Original mat 7A-7F Surface fastener 17 Elastic member 21A, 21B Original stand 30 Original conveying apparatus 100 Image forming apparatus

Claims (5)

An upper surface of an image reading area in which an image of a document is read can be freely opened and closed, and a document transport mechanism that transports the document to the image reading area is provided on one end side in the opening / closing axis direction, and more than the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction. A document conveying device configured to be heavier on the one end side ,
A document pressing member that is provided on a main surface facing the image reading region and presses the upper surface of the document placed in the image reading region in the closed state;
The document holding member has flexibility, and is provided on the main surface such that the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction protrudes from the one end side toward the image reading region side. .   The document conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic member between the main surface and the document pressing member on the other end side in the opening / closing axis direction. The document pressing member is detachable from the main surface,
The document feeder according to claim 2, wherein the elastic member is provided at a position where the document pressing member is attached to or detached from the main surface. Image reading means for acquiring image information by reading an image of a document in an image reading area;
An image reading apparatus comprising: the document conveying device according to claim 1. An image reading apparatus according to claim 4,
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image based on image information acquired by the image reading apparatus.

Images