JP5229607B2 - Image illumination device, image reading device, and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image illuminating device and an image reading device used in an image reading device such as a scanner unit for reading an optical image obtained by irradiating light on a document on which an image is recorded, and a copy including the image reading device. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a machine or a facsimile.

  Conventionally, a xenon lamp is used as a light source in an image illuminating apparatus of an image reading apparatus. However, since a xenon lamp consumes a large amount of power and generates a large amount of heat, it has recently been able to save energy and extend the life of an image reading apparatus. Can't fully meet the demand. Therefore, there has been proposed an image reading apparatus using an LED (Light Emitting Diode) that consumes less power and generates less heat than a xenon lamp as a light source. For example, in the image reading apparatus described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 14, all LEDs serving as light sources are arranged in an array on one substrate, and each LED is mounted on the substrate. Yes.

JP 2006-25303 A

  However, in the configuration in which all LEDs serving as light sources are mounted on one substrate as in the image reading device described in Patent Document 1, even one LED installed on the substrate cannot be lit due to its life or failure. Therefore, all the LEDs including the usable LEDs are exchanged for each board. For this reason, even LEDs that can still be used are exchanged, resulting in waste.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image illuminating device, an image reading device, and an image forming device capable of suppressing useless replacement of usable LEDs. That is.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to an image illuminating apparatus comprising: a light source unit that irradiates light to an image reading object; and a transmission line that transmits power to the light source unit. a plurality of two or more light-emitting elements are detachably holding a plurality of the light irradiator separate from each other are arranged respectively, so each of the holding portions that are provided on the light irradiation of said plurality of inserted respectively and a common feeder board having a retaining socket, the common feeder board, the light irradiation of the plurality of power supply terminals for supplying electric power supplied from the transmission line, each of the plurality of the light irradiator Each of which is provided with power to each of the plurality of light irradiation bodies via each power supply terminal , and each held portion of the plurality of light irradiation bodies is supplied with power from the power supply terminal. Equipped with a powered terminal And the entire width in the light emitting element arrangement direction is provided so as to enter inside the light emitting element arrangement direction both ends of the light illuminator, and the plurality of holding sockets are light illuminators to be attached thereto The power supply terminal is provided at a location corresponding to the power supply terminal of the held portion, and n (n ≧ 2) light emitting elements provided in each of the plurality of light irradiation bodies are equally spaced. All the light irradiators are arranged at the same interval P, and the plurality of holding sockets provided in the common power supply substrate are arranged at equal intervals, and the arrangement interval R is equal to (n + 1) × P. It is characterized by being set to become .
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image illuminating device of the first aspect, the plurality of light irradiation bodies have the same shape and the same number of light emitting elements. It is characterized by being.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image illuminating device according to the second aspect , all the light emitting elements provided in the light source section have the same or substantially the same emission luminance.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image illuminating device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the plurality of common power supply substrates are arranged such that a gap is provided between adjacent light irradiators. The light irradiation body is held.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image illuminating device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the common power supply board can individually control power supply to the plurality of light irradiation bodies. It is characterized by becoming.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image illuminating device that irradiates light onto an image reading object, and an imaging unit that receives reflected light reflected by the image reading object and images the image reading object. In the image reading device, the image illumination device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is used as the image illumination device.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to the sixth aspect, at least the image illumination and a glass member on which the image reading object is placed so that an image reading surface of the image reading object faces each other. A traveling body having a device and movable on the opposite side of the image reading object across the glass member along the mounting surface of the glass member, and the traveling body other than during the image reading operation. And a control unit having an inspection mode in which at least a part of the light emitting elements of the image illuminating device is moved to a position facing the member.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to the seventh aspect , when the control unit operates in the inspection mode, the light emission output of the at least some light emitting elements is greater than the light emission output during the image reading operation. Is also controlled to be low.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the image reading apparatus according to the seventh or eighth aspect further comprises an input unit for inputting an instruction to execute the inspection mode.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: an image reading unit that reads information about an image from an image reading object; and an image forming unit that forms an image based on the information read by the image reading unit. The image reading device according to any one of claims 6 to 9 is used as the image reading means.

In the present invention, the light source part of the image illuminating device is configured such that a plurality of separate light irradiation bodies each having two or more light emitting elements can be attached to and detached from the common power supply board. Even if there is a light emitting element that is no longer lit, it is possible to replace only the light irradiating body in which the light emitting element is disposed. Therefore, when replacing a light emitting element that is no longer lit, a light emitting element that can still be used is usedlessly replaced compared to the conventional configuration in which all light emitting elements serving as light sources are mounted on one substrate. Can be suppressed.
Moreover, the light irradiator can be held on the common power supply substrate by simply attaching the held portion of each light irradiator to each holding socket on the common power supply substrate. The electrical connection with the light irradiation body can be completed. Therefore, work efficiency can be improved.
Furthermore, even if a plurality of light irradiators are provided on the common power supply substrate, the illuminance ripple is not deteriorated because all the light emitting elements are arranged at equal intervals when viewed from the entire light source section.

As mentioned above, according to this invention, there exists an outstanding effect that it can suppress that LED which can still be used can be exchanged wastefully.
Moreover, working efficiency can be improved and the effect that an illuminance ripple is not deteriorated is also acquired.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a copying machine which is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus will be described.
First, a basic configuration of the copying machine according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the copying machine.
The copying machine includes an image forming unit 1, a blank paper supply device 40, and a document conveyance reading unit 50. The document conveyance reading unit 50 includes a scanner unit 150 as an image reading device fixed on the image forming unit 1 and an ADF 51 as a document conveyance device supported by the scanner unit 150.

  The blank paper supply device 40 separates the two paper feed cassettes 42 arranged in multiple stages in the paper bank 41, the feed roller 43 that feeds the recording paper as the recording material from the paper feed cassette 42, and the sent recording paper. A separation roller 45 and the like that are supplied to the paper feed path 44 are provided. In addition, it has a plurality of transport rollers 46 for transporting the recording paper to the paper feed path 37 of the copying machine. Then, the recording paper in the paper feeding cassette 42 is fed into a paper feeding path 37 in the copying machine.

  The copying machine includes an optical writing device 2 and four process units 3K, 3Y, 3M, which form toner images of K (black), Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan). 3C, a transfer unit 24, a paper transport unit 28, a registration roller pair 33, a fixing device 34, a switchback device 36, a paper feed path 37, and the like. Then, a light source such as a laser diode or LED (not shown) disposed in the optical writing device 2 is driven, and the laser is directed toward the photosensitive members 4K, 4Y, 4M, 4C of the process units 3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C. Irradiate light L. By this irradiation, electrostatic latent images are formed on the surfaces of the drum-shaped photoconductors 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C, and the latent images are developed into toner images through a predetermined development process. Note that the subscripts K, Y, M, and C added after the reference numerals indicate those for black, yellow, magenta, and cyan.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial configuration diagram showing a part of the internal configuration of the copying machine.
In the figure, process units 3K, 3Y, 3M, and 3C each support a photosensitive member and various devices disposed around it as a unit on a common support, On the other hand, it is removable. Taking the process unit 3K for black as an example, this has a developing device 6K for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member 4K into a black toner image in addition to the photoreceptor 4K. Further, it also includes a drum cleaning device 15K that cleans transfer residual toner adhering to the surface of the photoreceptor 4K after passing through a K primary transfer nip described later. This copying machine has a so-called tandem configuration in which four process units 3K, 3Y, 3M, and 3C are arranged so as to face an intermediate transfer belt 25, which will be described later, along the endless movement direction. .

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing a part of a tandem part composed of four process units 3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C.
Since the four process units 3K, 3Y, 3M, and 3C have the same configuration except for the color of the toner used, the subscripts K, Y, M, and C attached to the reference numerals in FIG. Omitted. As shown in the figure, the process unit 3 includes a charging device 23, a developing device 6, a drum cleaning device 15, a static elimination lamp 21, and the like around the photoconductor 4.

  As the photoreceptor 4, a drum-shaped member is used in which a photosensitive layer is formed by applying a photosensitive organic photosensitive material to a base tube made of aluminum or the like. However, an endless belt may be used.

  The developing device 6 develops the latent image using a two-component developer containing a magnetic carrier and a nonmagnetic toner (not shown). Then, the agitation unit 7 that conveys the two-component developer contained therein and supplies the developer sleeve 12 with stirring, and the toner in the two-component developer carried on the development sleeve 12 is transferred to the photoreceptor 4. And a developing unit 11 for the purpose. The stirring unit 7 is provided at a position lower than the developing unit 11, and is provided on the bottom surface of the developing case 9, two conveying screws 8 arranged in parallel to each other, a partition plate provided between these screws. The toner density sensor 10 is included. The developing unit 11 includes a developing sleeve 12 that faces the photosensitive member 4 through the opening of the developing case 9, a magnet roller 13 that is non-rotatably provided inside the developing sleeve 12, a doctor blade 14 that approaches the developing sleeve 12, and the like. ing. The developing sleeve 12 has a non-magnetic rotatable cylindrical shape. The magnet roller 13 has a plurality of magnetic poles arranged along the rotation direction of the sleeve. Each of these magnetic poles applies a magnetic force to the two-component developer on the sleeve at a predetermined position in the rotation direction. As a result, the two-component developer sent from the stirring unit 7 is attracted and carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 12 and a magnetic brush is formed along the magnetic field lines on the sleeve surface.

  This magnetic brush is regulated to an appropriate layer thickness when passing through the position facing the doctor blade 14 as the developing sleeve 12 rotates, and then conveyed to the developing area facing the photoreceptor 4. Then, the toner is transferred onto the electrostatic latent image by the potential difference between the developing bias applied to the developing sleeve 12 and the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 4, thereby contributing to development. Further, as the developing sleeve 12 rotates, the developing sleeve 12 is returned to the developing portion 11 again, and after being separated from the sleeve surface by the influence of the repulsive magnetic field formed between the magnetic poles of the magnet roller 13, the developing sleeve 12 is returned to the stirring portion 7. An appropriate amount of toner is supplied to the two-component developer in the stirring unit 7 based on the detection result of the toner density sensor 10. The developing device 6 may employ a one-component developer that does not include a magnetic carrier, instead of one that uses a two-component developer.

  As the drum cleaning device 15, a system in which a polyurethane rubber cleaning blade 16 is pressed against the photosensitive member 4 is used, but another system may be used. For the purpose of enhancing the cleaning property, this example employs a system having a contact conductive fur brush 17 whose outer peripheral surface is in contact with the photoreceptor 4 so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The fur brush 17 also serves to apply the lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive member 4 while scraping the lubricant from a solid lubricant (not shown) into a fine powder. A metal electric field roller 18 for applying a bias to the fur brush 17 is rotatably provided in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and the tip of the scraper 19 is pressed against it. The toner attached to the fur brush 17 is transferred to the electric field roller 18 to which a bias is applied while rotating in contact with the fur brush 17 in the counter direction. Then, after being scraped from the electric field roller 18 by the scraper 19, it falls onto the recovery screw 20. The collection screw 20 conveys the collected toner toward the end of the drum cleaning device 15 in the direction perpendicular to the drawing surface, and delivers it to an external recycling conveyance device. The recycle transport device sends the delivered toner to the developing device 6 for recycling.

  The neutralization lamp 21 neutralizes the photoreceptor 4 by light irradiation. The surface of the photoreceptor 4 that has been neutralized is uniformly charged by the charging device 5 and then subjected to optical writing processing by the optical writing device 2. As the charging device 5, a charging device to which a charging roller to which a charging bias is applied is rotated while being in contact with the photosensitive member 4 is used. A scorotron charger or the like that performs a non-contact charging process on the photoreceptor 4 may be used.

  In FIG. 2 described above, the photosensitive members 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C of the four process units 3K, 3Y, 3M, and 3C have K, Y, M, and C colors according to the processes described so far. The toner image is formed.

  A transfer unit 24 is disposed below the four process units 3K, 3Y, 3M, and 3C. The transfer unit 24 moves the intermediate transfer belt 25 stretched by a plurality of rollers endlessly in the clockwise direction in the drawing while contacting the photoreceptors 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C. As a result, primary transfer nips for K, Y, M, and C in which the photoreceptors 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C contact the intermediate transfer belt 25 are formed. In the vicinity of the primary transfer nips for K, Y, M, and C, the intermediate transfer belt 25 is moved by the primary transfer rollers 26K, 26Y, 26M, and 26C disposed inside the belt loop to the photoreceptors 4K, 4Y, 4M, and so on. It is pressing toward 4C. A primary transfer bias is applied to the primary transfer rollers 26K, 26Y, 26M, and 26C by a power source (not shown). As a result, a primary transfer electric field for electrostatically moving the toner images on the photoconductors 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C toward the intermediate transfer belt 25 is formed in the primary transfer nips for K, Y, M, and C. Has been. In the drawing, a toner image is formed on each of the primary transfer nips on the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 25 that sequentially passes through the primary transfer nips for K, Y, M, and C with endless movement in the clockwise direction. Are sequentially superimposed and primarily transferred. By this superimposing primary transfer, a four-color superimposed toner image (hereinafter referred to as “four-color toner image”) is formed on the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 25.

  Below the transfer unit 24 in the figure, a paper transport unit 28 is provided between the drive roller 30 and the secondary transfer roller 31 to endlessly move the endless paper transport belt 29. The intermediate transfer belt 25 and the paper transport belt 29 are sandwiched between the secondary transfer roller 31 and the lower stretching roller 27 of the transfer unit 24. As a result, a secondary transfer nip is formed in which the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 25 and the front surface of the paper transport belt 29 come into contact with each other. A secondary transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 31 by a power source (not shown). On the other hand, the lower stretching roller 27 of the transfer unit 24 is grounded. Thereby, a secondary transfer electric field is formed in the secondary transfer nip.

  A registration roller pair 33 is disposed on the right side of the secondary transfer nip in the drawing, and the secondary transfer nip 33 is arranged at a timing at which the recording paper sandwiched between the rollers can be synchronized with the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 25. Send to transfer nip. In the secondary transfer nip, the four-color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 25 are secondarily transferred onto the recording paper under the influence of the secondary transfer electric field and nip pressure, and become a full-color image combined with the white color of the recording paper. The recording paper that has passed through the secondary transfer nip is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 25 and is conveyed to the fixing device 34 along with its endless movement while being held on the front surface of the paper conveying belt 29.

  On the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 25 that has passed through the secondary transfer nip, residual transfer toner that has not been transferred to the recording paper at the secondary transfer nip adheres. This transfer residual toner is scraped off and removed by a belt cleaning device in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 25.

  The recording paper conveyed to the fixing device 34 is fixed to a full color image by pressurization or heating in the fixing device 34, and then sent from the fixing device 34 to the paper discharge roller pair 35, and then to the outside of the apparatus. Discharged.

  In FIG. 1 described above, a switchback device 36 is disposed under the paper transport unit 22 and the fixing device 34. As a result, the recording paper that has undergone the image fixing process on one side is switched by the switching claw to the recording paper reversing device side, and is reversed there to enter the secondary transfer transfer nip again. Then, after the secondary transfer process and the fixing process of the image are performed on the other side, the sheet is discharged onto a discharge tray.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the scanner unit 150 fixed on the copying machine has a fixed reading unit 151 and a moving reading unit 152. A fixed reading unit 151 having a light source, a reflection mirror, a CCD, and the like is disposed immediately below a first contact glass (not shown) fixed to the upper wall of the casing of the scanner unit 150 so as to contact the document MS. Then, when the document MS conveyed by the ADF 51 passes over the first contact glass, the light emitted from the light source is sequentially reflected on the document surface, and is received by the CCD 221 as the imaging means via a plurality of reflection mirrors. To do. Thereby, the document MS is read without moving the optical system including the light source and the reflection mirror. Hereinafter, control for reading the image of the document MS by the fixed reading unit 151 while conveying the document by the ADF 51 is referred to as through-reading control.

  On the other hand, the moving reading unit 152 is disposed directly below the second contact glass (not shown) fixed to the upper wall of the casing of the scanner unit 150 so as to come into contact with the document MS, and is disposed on the right side of the fixed reading unit 151 in the drawing. Therefore, a moving optical system including a light source and a reflecting mirror can be moved in the left-right direction in the drawing. Then, in the process of moving the moving optical system from the left side to the right side in the figure, the light emitted from the light source is reflected by a document MS (not shown) placed on the second contact glass. The optical image obtained by this reflection passes through a plurality of reflecting mirrors and an imaging lens fixed to the scanner unit main body, and is then read by the CCD 221 serving as an imaging unit. Thus, the moving reading unit 152 reads the image of the document MS that is stationary on the second contact glass while moving the moving optical system.

  An ADF 51 disposed on the scanner unit 150 includes, on the main body cover 52, a document placement table 53 for placing a document MS before reading, a transport unit 54 for transporting the document MS, and a document MS after reading. A document stacking table 55 and the like are stacked. As shown in FIG. 4, it is supported by a hinge 159 fixed to the scanner unit 150 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. Then, by swinging, it moves like an open / close door, and the first contact glass 154 and the second contact glass 155 on the upper surface of the scanner unit 150 are exposed in the opened state. In the case of a single-sided original such as a book in which one corner of the original bundle is bound, the original MS cannot be separated one by one and therefore cannot be transported by the ADF 51. Therefore, in the case of a single-sided original, the ADF 51 is opened as shown in FIG. 4, and then the single-sided original having the page to be read is opened and placed on the second contact glass 155, and then the ADF 51 is attached. close up. Then, the image of the page is read by the moving reading unit 152 of the scanner unit 150 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, in the case of a document bundle in which a plurality of independent documents MS are simply stacked, the documents MS may be sequentially read by the fixed reading unit 151 of the scanner unit 150 while being automatically conveyed one by one by the ADF 51. it can. In this case, after setting the original bundle on the original placing table 53, the copy start button of the operation unit 140 is pressed. Then, the ADF 51 sends the originals MS of the original bundle placed on the original placement table 53 into the conveyance unit 54 in order from the top, and conveys the original MS toward the original stack table 55 while inverting it. In the course of this conveyance, immediately after the document MS is reversed, the original MS is passed directly above the fixed reading unit 151 of the scanner unit 150. At this time, the image of the document MS is read by the fixed reading unit 151 of the scanner unit 150.

Next, the moving reading unit of the scanner unit 150 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the moving reading unit (reference numeral 152 in FIG. 1) of the scanner unit 150 obliquely from above. For convenience, the second contact glass 155 is not shown.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing the moving reading unit of the scanner unit 150 from the side.
As shown in the figure, a first carriage 162 and a second carriage 163 as a traveling body are provided in a housing 160 of the scanner unit 150. The first carriage 162 includes a light source unit 190 constituting an image illuminating device in which light emitting diodes (hereinafter referred to as “LEDs”) 401 as a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in an array, and a first mirror 162b. Details of the first carriage 162 will be described later. The second carriage 163 includes a second mirror 163a and a third mirror 163b.

  In the housing 160 of the scanner unit 150, two metal first rails extending in the longitudinal direction are fixed at a predetermined interval in the short direction, although not shown. A first carriage 162 is bridged between the first rails, and can travel along the longitudinal direction on the first rail. Below the first rail, two metal second rails (not shown) extending in the longitudinal direction of the casing are fixed at a predetermined interval in the lateral direction of the casing. A second carriage 163 is bridged between two second rails (not shown) so that the second carriage 163 can travel along the longitudinal direction on the second rail. In addition, a metal beam plate 164 is fixed to the housing 160, and the metal beam plate 164 includes a lens unit 210 including an imaging lens 200 fixed to the upper surface thereof by screws, A scanner unit board unit (hereinafter referred to as “SBU”) 220, which is an electronic circuit board provided with a fixed CCD 221, is supported.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a drive motor 170 is provided at the upper right in the drawing, and a drive timing pulley 172 is fixed to the rotation shaft of the driven gear 171 that meshes with the drive gear of the drive motor 170. In addition, a rotation shaft 173 is rotatably supported at one end portion in the longitudinal direction in the casing on the right side in the drawing. A driven timing pulley 174 is fixed to one end portion of the rotating shaft 173, and a driving timing belt 175 is stretched between the driving timing pulley 172 and the driven timing pulley 174. Further, the first pulley 180 is fixed in the vicinity of both end portions of the rotating shaft 173. In addition, two second pulleys 181 are rotatably supported at a predetermined interval in the short side direction of the other end in the longitudinal direction in the housing on the left side in the drawing, and the first pulley 180 and the second pulley 181 are supported. The first timing belt 182 is stretched between the two.

  The second carriage 163 includes a pair of mirror stay portions 163c that support both ends of the second mirror 163a and the third mirror 163b in the main scanning direction, and arm portions 163d that respectively extend from the mirror stay portion 163c toward the first carriage. doing. Further, a third pulley 183 is rotatably supported on the side surface of the housing of the mirror stay portion 163c. A bracket 163e is provided at the tip of the arm portion 163d, and a fourth pulley 184 is rotatably supported by the bracket 163e. A second timing belt 185 is stretched around the third pulley 183 and the fourth pulley 184, and a part of the second timing belt 185 is fixed to the bottom of the housing 160 by a fixing member (not shown). .

  Further, the first timing belt 182 and the second timing belt 185 are fixed to the bottom of the first carriage 162, respectively.

  When the image reading is started, the light source unit 190 irradiates light to a document MS (not shown). Further, the drive motor 170 is driven, and the rotational driving force of the drive motor 170 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 173 via the drive timing belt 175, so that the rotary shaft 173 rotates. As the rotating shaft 173 rotates, the first timing belt 182 rotates clockwise in the drawing. As a result, the first carriage 162 fixed to the first timing belt 182 moves from the left side to the right side in the drawing. Further, when the first carriage 162 moves, the second timing belt 185 fixed to the first carriage 162 moves to the right side in the drawing. Since a part of the second timing belt 185 is fixed to the bottom of the housing 160, the second timing belt 185 does not rotate on the spot but moves the second carriage 163 to the right in the drawing. It rotates with it. Here, since the diameters of the third and fourth pulleys 183 and 184 are twice the diameters of the first and second pulleys, the second carriage 163 is half the speed of the first carriage 162. Move to the right in the figure. Thus, the second carriage 163 moves in the same direction as the first carriage at half the speed of the first carriage 162 so that the optical path length of the light flux from the document surface to the imaging lens 200 does not change. ing.

  A control unit that controls the drive motor 170 controls the drive motor 170 in accordance with an image reading request signal for each line sent from the host computer, and controls the moving speed between the second carriage 163 and the first carriage 162. I have control.

  In the process of moving the first and second carriages 162, 163 from the left side to the right side in the drawing at a speed ratio of 2: 1, the light emitted from the light source unit 190 is placed on the second contact glass 155. Do not reflect on the original MS. The optical image obtained by this reflection is guided to the imaging lens 200 via the first mirror 162b, the second mirror 163a, and the third mirror 163c, and formed on the CCD 221.

  The CCD 221 photoelectrically converts the formed reflected light image of the document MS and outputs an analog image signal that is a read image. When the first and second carriages 162 and 163 move to the positions indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. 6, the reading of the document MS is finished, and the first carriage 162 and the second carriage 163 are at the home position positions indicated by the solid lines in the drawing. Go back. The analog image signal output from the CCD 221 is converted into a digital image signal by an analog / digital converter, and each image processing (binarization, multi-value conversion, gradation) is performed on a circuit board on which an image processing circuit is mounted. Processing, scaling processing, editing processing, etc.).

FIG. 7 is an enlarged configuration diagram in the vicinity of the light source unit 190 of the first carriage 162 in the conventional image reading apparatus, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the light source unit 190.
As shown in the figure, the light source unit 190 includes an LED array 100 in which a plurality of LEDs 401 that are light emitting elements are arranged in a row on an LED array substrate 102 that is a circuit board as a flat plate member. The LED array substrate 102 is disposed such that its longitudinal direction is a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the first carriage 162 and extends in a substantially horizontal direction, that is, extends in the main scanning direction of the document MS. . The plurality of LEDs 401 are arranged in a line on the LED array substrate 102 along the main scanning direction. On the LED array substrate 102, a wiring pattern (not shown) and various circuit elements for supplying power to each LED 401 are formed. The LED array substrate 102 is held and fixed on the installation table 103.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the document placement unit when the scanner unit 150 shown in FIG. 6 is viewed from above (from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 6).
This figure is a figure when the maximum document placement size is A3 size, and the hatched portion in the figure represents an A3 size document MS, which is 297 mm long and 420 mm wide. The document MS is placed on the second contact glass 155 so as to abut on the scale 112 that is the document placement reference in the main scanning direction and the scale 113 that is the document placement reference in the sub-scanning direction. In this case, the longitudinal width of the LED array substrate 102 is 297 mm + α, which is obtained by adding a margin α to the maximum mountable size in the main scanning direction of the document placement portion.

Next, the configuration of the light source unit 190 serving as an image illumination device, which is a characteristic part of the present embodiment, will be described.
When a plurality of LEDs 401 are installed on the single LED array substrate 102 in the main scanning direction to form the LED array 100 as in the conventional image reading apparatus, the LEDs 401 arranged on the LED array substrate 102 of the LED array 100 are used. When one of the LEDs breaks down, it is necessary to replace all the LEDs 401 including the LED array 100 as a whole, that is, the LED 401 that has not failed.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a plurality of LED arrays 400, which are light irradiators having five LEDs 401 mounted thereon, are prepared on the LED array substrate 402 that is the mounting base of the LEDs 401 shown in FIG. 10, and as shown in FIG. Five LED arrays 400 are arranged on the installation base 403 in the main scanning direction. FIG. 11 shows the case where the size of the original that can be placed on the second contact glass 155 is A3 size. In this case, the end of the LED array 400e extends from the end of the LED array 400a. The width to the part is about 320 mm. In the following description, symbols a, b, c, d, and e for distinguishing the differences between the five LED arrays are omitted.

  Each LED array substrate 402 is provided with a connector portion 404 as a held portion having a power-supplied terminal that receives power. When each connector portion 404 is inserted into the corresponding holding socket 406 on the common power supply board 405 fixed on the installation base 403 as shown in FIG. Is held detachably with respect to the common power supply substrate 405. Note that the common power supply board 405 is provided with a screw hole 408b, and is detachably held and fixed to the installation base 403 by screws. The LED array substrate 402 has a screw hole 408a, and the LED array 400 is detachably held and fixed to the installation base 403 by screws. With such a configuration, the driver array is used only to release the constraint of the LED array 400 from the installation base 403 and to pull out the connector portion 404 of the LED array 400 from the holding socket 406 of the common power supply board 405. The LED array 400 can be easily detached from the installation table 403. Therefore, the work efficiency of the LED array 400 replacement work is improved.

  Here, the common power supply board 405 of this embodiment includes a power receiving unit 409 for receiving power supply from a power supply 410 provided on the copying machine main body side via a transmission line 411. An individual power feeding pattern 412 is wired from the power receiving unit 409 to each holding socket 406. The connector portion 404 of each LED array 400 is provided with an electrode terminal 414 as a power-supplied terminal for receiving power supply, and each holding socket 406 is connected to the connector portion 404 of the LED array 400 attached thereto. An electrode terminal (not shown) as a power supply terminal is provided at a location corresponding to the provided electrode terminal 414. Therefore, power can be supplied to each LED array 400 individually. Therefore, each LED array 400 can be lit independently. Note that the lighting device and the power source (including conversion from 100 V to 24 V) are very common and are not shown.

Although not shown on the LED array substrate 402, a wiring pattern for supplying power from the connector portion 404 is drawn, and peripheral circuit elements such as resistors are arranged. Further, unless otherwise noted, the current values of the currents supplied to the LED arrays 400 are the same, but it goes without saying that the current values may be different among the LEDs 401 .

As described above, in the present embodiment, by adopting the above-described configuration, for example, the second LED 401 from the left in the drawing of the LED array 400b surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. Even if it disappears, only the LED array 400b can be replaced. Therefore, the number of LEDs 401 that are wasted at the time of replacement can be greatly reduced compared to a configuration in which all LEDs 401 are mounted on a single substrate as in a conventional image reading apparatus.
In addition, in the present embodiment, as described above, each LED array 400 can be individually supplied with power, but as a transmission line 411 for supplying power from the power source 410 on the copier body side to the light source unit 190. Only needs one. That is, individual power feeding to each LED array 400 is possible without using a harness in which a plurality of transmission lines corresponding to each LED array 400 are bundled as a transmission line from the power source 410 to the light source unit 190 on the copier body side. Possible configurations can be realized. According to this embodiment, as a result of using a flexible transmission line as compared with the harness, there is an advantage that the driving load of the first carriage 162 can be reduced as compared with the case where the harness is used.

In this embodiment, five LED arrays 400 are arranged on the installation table 403, but the number is preferably 4 to 6. When the number of the LED array 400 too rather large, resulting in a high cost because the number of retaining sockets 406 on the common power supply substrate 405 is increased. If the number of the LED arrays 400 is too small, the number of LEDs that are replaced together when one LED 401 fails is reduced, and the effect of suppressing the number of LEDs 401 that are replaced wastefully is reduced.

  On the other hand, in the case of a copier capable of placing up to A3 size on the second contact glass 155 as in the present embodiment, the number of LED arrays 400 is four or more and the LED array substrate 402 has If the number of LEDs 401 to be installed and the size of the LED array substrate 402 are the same, first aid can be taken even if there is a sudden failure of the LED 401 or the LED array 400 or there is no stock of replacement parts. For example, when only one LED 401 installed on the LED array 400b in FIG. 11 fails and does not light up, the arrangement position of the LED array 400b and all the LED 401 with respect to the installation table 403 with the normal LED array 400e is changed. As a result, all the LEDs 401 in the B4 (257 mm) width, which is slightly smaller than the A3 length (297 mm), and at least the A4 horizontal (width 210 mm) reading range are normally lit, so that normal reading can be performed. Therefore, downtime can be significantly reduced.

  Further, the LED 401 generally has a variation in light emission luminance due to a variation during manufacture. This is defined by the ranking of light emission luminance. In the present embodiment, the light emission ranks of the five LEDs 401 provided on the LED array substrate 402 of the LED array 400 are all the same, and all the LED arrays 400a, 400b, 400c, 400d shown in FIG. Even in 400e, the light emission rank of the LED 401 is the same rank. Thereby, even if the first aid is performed, the image can always be read with the same quality.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the LED array 400a and the LED array 400b, the LED array 400b and the LED array 400c, the LED array 400c and the LED array 400d, and the LED A gap t is provided between each of the array 400d and the LED array 400e. With recent improvements in productivity (such as the number of copies), the LED array 400 is required to have higher illuminance. In order to increase the illuminance of the LED array 400, measures such as passing a large current through the LED 401 and increasing the integration density of the LEDs 401 on the LED array 400 are taken. And the temperature of the LED 401 and the LED array substrate 402 rises. As the temperature rises, the LED array substrate 402 expands as a physical phenomenon. If there is no gap t between adjacent LED arrays 400, adjacent LED array substrates 402 come into contact with each other due to thermal expansion, and the LED array substrate 402 is stressed and deformed. Thus, when the LED array substrate 402 is deformed, the positional relationship between the LED arrays 400 that have been accurately positioned is broken. Therefore, deterioration due to illuminance ripple or failure due to wiring pattern fatigue cutting due to repeated temperature changes occurs. Therefore, by providing the gap t between the adjacent LED arrays 400 as in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the adjacent LED array substrates 402 from being contacted due to thermal expansion, so that the LED array substrate 402 may be deformed. Therefore, it is possible to secure a good illuminance ripple with little temperature fluctuation and to suppress failures due to wiring pattern fatigue cutting.

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, an arrangement interval of adjacent LEDs 401 on the LED array 400 is P, and an arrangement interval of adjacent holding sockets 406 on the common power supply substrate 405 is R, and each LED array 400 is provided. When the number of LEDs is n (in this embodiment, n = 5), the configuration is such that R = (n + 1) × P. With such a configuration, the distance Q between two adjacent LEDs 401 straddling the LED arrays 400 adjacent to each other, such as between the LED 401 at the right end in the drawing of the LED array 400a and the LED 401 at the left end of the LED array 400b in the drawing. Is equal to the arrangement interval P of adjacent LEDs 401 on each LED array 400. Therefore, even if a plurality of LED arrays 400 are provided on the installation base 403, since all the LEDs 401 are arranged at equal intervals when viewed in the light source unit 190 as a whole, the illuminance ripple is not deteriorated.

  Further, in the present embodiment, there is an inspection mode in which the first carriage 162 is moved to the document placement area of the second contact glass 155 and all the LEDs 401 are turned on at times other than image reading. This inspection mode can be executed simply by pressing a button provided on the operation unit 140. Thus, the inspection mode can be executed with a simple operation. For example, the user moves the first carriage 162 to an area where the document 401 can be visually checked and can turn on all the LEDs 401. Thus, the failure part of the LED 401 can be easily found. That is, the failure location of the LED 401 can be identified without disassembling the apparatus main body until the LED array 400 can be accessed.

  Further, when the first carriage 162 is moved to the document placement area in the inspection mode, that is, when the failure of the LED 401 is visually confirmed or other than the image reading operation, the LED 401 emits light. The LED 401 may be lit with the output considerably lower than that during the normal image reading operation. For example, when a user or a service person visually confirms a failure of the LED 401, if the light emission output of the LED 401 is the same as that during normal reading, the light emission output of the LED 401 is too strong, and the user or service Man's eyes may be dizzy or hurt. The failure confirmation of the LED 401 by visual inspection is only required to confirm whether or not the LED 401 emits light, and thus it is only necessary to light the LED 401 lightly enough to confirm the light emission of the LED 401. Therefore, by making the output when the LED 401 emits light during a time other than the image reading operation smaller than that during the image reading operation, there is a risk that the user or serviceman may be blinded or hurt by checking the failure of the LED 401 or the like. Can be suppressed.

As described above, the image illuminating device according to the present embodiment includes the light source unit 190 that irradiates light to the document MS that is an image reading target, and the transmission line 411 that transmits power to the light source unit 190. The light source unit 190 includes an LED array 400 that is a plurality of separate light emitters each having an LED 401 that is at least one light emitting element, and a common power supply substrate 405 that detachably holds the plurality of LED arrays 400. ing. And this common electric power feeding board | substrate 405 is equipped with the electrode terminal as an electric power feeding terminal for supplying the electric power supplied from the transmission line 411 to each of several LED array 400 for each of these LED arrays 400, respectively. Power is supplied to the plurality of LED arrays 400 through the electrode terminals. As a result, even if there is an LED 401 that is not lit due to a lifetime or the like, only the LED array 400 in which the LED 401 is arranged can be replaced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the replacement of the LED 401 that can still be used more than necessary.
In addition, in this embodiment, only one transmission line 411 for supplying power from the power source 410 on the copier body side to the light source unit 190 is sufficient. That is, individual power feeding to each LED array 400 is possible without using a harness in which a plurality of transmission lines corresponding to each LED array 400 are bundled as a transmission line from the power source 410 to the light source unit 190 on the copier body side. Possible configurations can be realized. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a transmission line that is more flexible than the harness can be used, and as a result, the driving load of the first carriage 162 that is the traveling body can be reduced compared to the case where the harness is used. There is.
In the present embodiment, the common power supply substrate 405 includes a plurality of holding sockets 406 that respectively hold connector portions 404 that are held portions of the plurality of LED arrays 400, and the connector portions 404 of the LED arrays 400 are each The electrode terminal 414 as a power-supplied terminal that receives power from the electrode terminal provided on the common power supply substrate 405 is provided, and the plurality of holding sockets 406 are provided in the connector portion 404 of the LED array 400 attached thereto. Electrode terminals are provided at locations corresponding to the electrode terminals 414. As a result, the LED array 400 can be held on the common power supply board 405 only by performing the work of attaching the connector portion 404 of each LED array 400 to each holding socket 406 on the common power supply board 405. The electrical connection between the common power supply substrate 405 and the LED array 400 can be completed. Therefore, work efficiency can be improved.
In the present embodiment, each of the plurality of LED arrays 400 includes two or more LEDs 401, and n (in this embodiment, n = 5) LEDs 401 provided in each of the plurality of LED arrays 400 are: All the LED arrays 400 are arranged at equal intervals and at the same interval P, and the plurality of holding sockets 406 provided in the common power supply substrate 405 are arranged at equal intervals, and the arrangement interval R is (n + 1). ) × P. Thus, two LED401 interval Q of adjacent across LED array 400 adjacent to each other is equal to the arrangement interval P of LED401 adjacent each LED array on 400. Therefore, even if a plurality of LED arrays 400 are provided on the installation base 403, since all the LEDs 401 are arranged at equal intervals when viewed in the light source unit 190 as a whole, the illuminance ripple is not deteriorated.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the shape dimensions of the LED array substrates 402 of each of the plurality of LED arrays 400 are the same, and the number of LEDs 401 included in each of the plurality of LED arrays 400 is the same. Thereby, even when there is no sudden failure of the LED 401 or the LED array 400 or there is no stock of replacement parts, as a first-aid measure, each of the sizes smaller than the maximum mountable size of the second contact glass 155 can be normally read. Since the arrangement of the LED array 400 can be changed, the image reading operation cannot be performed completely, and the downtime of the machine until the replacement operation with the new LED array 400 is completed can be reduced.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the light emission luminances of all the LEDs 401 provided in the light source unit 190 are the same or substantially the same. As a result, even when the arrangement of the LED arrays 400 is changed so that reading of a size smaller than the maximum mountable size of the second contact glass 155 can be normally performed as an emergency measure, the light emission luminance is uniform, and thus good reading is possible. It can be performed.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the plurality of LED arrays 400 are held by the common power supply substrate 405 with a gap between adjacent LED arrays 400. As a result, contact between the LED array substrates 402 of adjacent LED arrays 400 due to thermal expansion can be prevented, so that a good illuminance ripple with little temperature fluctuation can be secured, and the wiring pattern on the LED array substrate 402 is fatigue cut. Can be suppressed.
Further, according to the present embodiment, a control chip is mounted on the power receiving unit 409 of the common power supply substrate 405, and power supply to each of the plurality of LED arrays 400 can be individually controlled by this control chip. Yes. That is, the control unit on the copier main body side controls the lighting of each LED array 400 by outputting to the control chip of the common power supply substrate 405 a command as to which LED array 400 is to be turned on or off. be able to. This makes it possible to turn off all other LEDs 401 provided on the LED array 400 including the failed LED 401 during the emergency treatment, so that it is possible to prevent the LEDs 401 from being turned on unnecessarily. Energy saving can be achieved.
The copying machine according to the present embodiment is an image reading apparatus including the image illumination apparatus having the above-described configuration and a CCD 221 as an imaging unit that receives reflected light reflected by the document MS and images the document MS. A scanner unit 150 is provided. The scanner unit 150 includes a second contact glass 155 as a glass member on which the document MS is placed so that the image reading surface of the document MS faces, and at least the image illumination device. A first carriage 162 as a traveling body that can move along the mounting surface of the second contact glass 155 on the opposite side of the original MS with the 155 interposed therebetween, and the first carriage 162 as the second contact except during the image reading operation And a control unit having an inspection mode in which at least a part of the LEDs 401 of the image illuminating device are turned on by moving to a position facing the glass 155. As a result, the first carriage 162 is moved to the above-described document placement possible area where the user can visually check the lighting of the LED 401 of the light source unit 190, and the LED 401 of the light source unit 190 is turned on, so Can be found.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the light emission output of the LED 401 during the inspection mode is configured to be lower than the light emission output during the image reading operation. In this way, by making the output when the LED 401 emits light during a time other than the image reading operation smaller than that during the image reading operation, the user or serviceman may be blinded or hurt by checking the failure of the LED 401 or the like. Can be suppressed.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the operation unit 140 that is an input unit for inputting an instruction to execute the inspection mode is provided. As a result, the inspection mode can be easily executed simply by pressing a button provided on the operation unit 140, so that work efficiency such as failure check of the LED 401 can be improved.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a copier according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged configuration diagram illustrating an enlarged part of the internal configuration of the copier. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing a part of a tandem part of the copier. 2 is a perspective view showing an ADF and a scanner unit of the copier. FIG. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the scanner part partially. It is a block diagram which shows the movement reading part of the scanner part from the side. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the conventional 1st carriage provided with the light source part which arranged several LED in the main scanning direction in the array form. It is a schematic perspective view of the first carriage. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the document placement unit when the scanner unit of the copier according to the embodiment is viewed from above. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the LED array mounted in the light source part with which the scanner part is provided. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the light source part with which the scanner part is provided. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the same LED array is mounted | worn with respect to a common electric power feeding board | substrate. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating that each LED mounted in the light source part is arrange | positioned at equal intervals. It is a schematic block diagram of the conventional light source part which has arrange | positioned several LED on the one board | substrate in the array form at the main scanning direction.

Explanation of symbols

3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C Process unit 4K, 4Y, 4M, 4C Photoconductor 100, 400a to 400e LED array 102, 402 Array substrate 103, 403 Installation table 140 Operation unit 150 Scanner unit 162 First carriage 190 Light source unit 401 LED
404 Connector unit 405 Common power supply board 406 Holding socket 409 Power receiving unit 410 Main unit power supply 411 Transmission line 412 Power supply pattern 414 Electrode terminal

Claims (10)

A light source unit for irradiating the image reading object with light;
In an image illuminating device comprising a transmission line for transmitting power to the light source unit,
In the light source unit, a plurality of separate light irradiators each having two or more light emitting elements arranged therein, and respective held portions provided in the plurality of light irradiators are respectively inserted and detachable. A common power supply board having a plurality of holding sockets to hold ,
The common power supply board, the power supplied from the transmission line comprises separately for each light irradiation of said plurality of power supply terminals for supplying each said plurality of light irradiator through each feed terminal Supplying power to the plurality of light irradiation bodies ,
Each held portion of the plurality of light irradiators includes a power-supplied terminal that receives power from the power supply terminal, and the entire width in the light-emitting element arrangement direction is the both ends of the light illuminator in the light-emitting element arrangement direction. It is provided to enter inside than
The plurality of holding sockets include the power supply terminal at a position corresponding to the power supplied terminal provided in the held portion of the light irradiation body attached to the socket.
The n (n ≧ 2) light emitting elements provided in each of the plurality of light irradiation bodies are equally spaced, and all the light irradiation bodies are arranged at the same distance P,
The plurality of holding sockets included in the common power supply board are arranged at equal intervals, and the arrangement interval R is set to be equal to (n + 1) × P. The image illumination device according to claim 1 .
Each of the plurality of light irradiation bodies has the same shape and dimension,
The number of light emitting elements which each of these light irradiation body has is mutually the same, The image illuminating device characterized by the above-mentioned. The image illumination device according to claim 2 .
An image illuminating apparatus characterized in that all of the light emitting elements provided in the light source section have the same or substantially the same emission luminance. The image illumination device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The image illuminating apparatus, wherein the common power supply substrate holds the plurality of light irradiation bodies such that a gap is formed between the light irradiation bodies adjacent to each other. In the image illuminating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The image illuminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the common power supply board is configured to individually control power supply to each of the plurality of light irradiation bodies. An image reading apparatus comprising: an image illuminating device that irradiates light to an image reading object; and an imaging unit that receives reflected light reflected by the image reading object and images the image reading object.
As the image illumination device, an image reading apparatus characterized by using the image illumination device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 6 .
A glass member on which the image reading object is placed such that the image reading surface of the image reading object is opposed to the image reading object;
A traveling body that has at least the image illumination device and is movable along the mounting surface of the glass member on the side opposite to the image reading object across the glass member;
And a control unit having an inspection mode in which at least a part of the light emitting elements of the image illuminating device is turned on by moving the traveling body to a position facing the glass member except during an image reading operation. Reader. The image reading apparatus according to claim 7 .
The image reading apparatus characterized in that the control unit controls the light emission output of the at least some light emitting elements to be lower than the light emission output during the image reading operation when operating in the inspection mode. The image reading apparatus according to claim 7 or 8 ,
An image reading apparatus comprising an input unit for inputting an instruction to execute the inspection mode. Image reading means for reading information about the image from the image reading object;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image based on the information read by the image reading unit;
As the image reading unit, the image forming apparatus, which comprises using an image scanning apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9.

Images