JP5485668B2 - Image processing apparatus and image processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus having a plurality of paper feeding units.

  As an apparatus having a plurality of paper feeding units, for example, there is an image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1. There is also an image reading apparatus including a plurality of similar paper feeding units. In such an image reading apparatus, for example, a document placed on a first document table capable of feeding up to an A4 size width is fed and conveyed, and image data is read by an image reading sensor. Further, a document placed on a second document table capable of feeding a document of a size different from the A4 size is fed and conveyed, and image data is read in the same manner.

Such an image reading apparatus uses a PC connected via an interface such as USB or SCSI, and reading is controlled by a control program installed in the PC. The user uses either the first platen or the second platen depending on the type of document, or continues from the second platen after the first platen is fed. Selection of a paper feeding method such as continuous paper feeding is performed via a user interface screen on the PC.

JP 2007-212582 A

Here, it is assumed that the document conveyed from the first document table is A4 size and the document conveyed from the second document table is a business card. When the user selects a process for continuously feeding paper from the first platen after the second platen has finished feeding, the user selects the A4 document on the ejected business card. Is discharged.

In the above case, since the business card and the A4 original are discharged, when the user collects the original from the output tray, the small-size original such as the business card is hidden under the A4 original. The user may forget to take it.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent a user from forgetting to take a small-size document.

The image reading apparatus of the present invention includes:
A plurality of paper feeders on which documents are placed;
A reading unit that reads an image of a document fed from at least one of the plurality of paper feeding units;
One paper discharge unit for discharging a document read by the reading unit;
Each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one paper discharge unit, or each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one have a notification means for notifying that performed the discharge unit,
At least one of the plurality of paper feeding units is characterized in that an upper limit of a size of a document that can be fed is different from other paper feeding units among the other paper feeding units. .
The image reading apparatus of the present invention is
A plurality of paper feeders on which documents are placed;
A reading unit that reads an image of a document fed from at least one of the plurality of paper feeding units;
One paper discharge unit for discharging a document read by the reading unit;
Each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one paper discharge unit, or each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one Notification means for notifying the discharge section that the operation is performed,
Furthermore, a document size detecting means for detecting the size of the document placed on the plurality of paper feeding units is provided,
The notifying unit is configured to determine a size detected by the document size detecting unit and a size of a document detected by another sheet feeding unit for a document placed on one sheet feeding unit among the plurality of sheet feeding units. It is characterized by notifying the user to a different effect.
The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes:
A plurality of paper feeders on which documents are placed;
An image forming unit that forms an image on a document fed from at least one of the plurality of paper feed units;
One paper discharge unit for discharging a document on which an image is formed by the image forming unit;
Each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one paper discharge unit, or each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one Notification means for notifying the discharge section that the operation is performed,
At least one of the plurality of sheet feeding units is characterized in that an upper limit of a size of a document that can be fed is different from other sheet feeding units among the plurality of sheet feeding units.
The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes:
A plurality of paper feeders on which documents are placed;
An image forming unit that forms an image on a document fed from at least one of the plurality of paper feed units;
One paper discharge unit for discharging a document on which an image is formed by the image forming unit;
Each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one paper discharge unit, or each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one Notification means for notifying the discharge section that the operation is performed,
Furthermore, a document size detecting means for detecting the size of the document placed on the plurality of paper feeding units is provided,
The notifying unit is configured to determine a size detected by the document size detecting unit and a size of a document detected by another sheet feeding unit for a document placed on one sheet feeding unit among the plurality of sheet feeding units. It is characterized by notifying the user to a different effect.

  By performing the image reading process of the present invention, it is possible to prevent forgetting to collect a small-size document when documents of different sizes are discharged on the discharge unit.

It is a schematic sectional drawing of an example of an image reading apparatus. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an electric system of an image reading apparatus. It is a figure which illustrates the setting screen of reading conditions. It is a flowchart which illustrates the reading process performed according to a user setting. It is a flowchart which shows the modification of the reading process performed according to a user setting. It is a flowchart which shows the other modification of the reading process performed according to a user setting. It is an enlarged view for demonstrating operation | movement of a pick-up roller. It is a figure which illustrates a warning dialog. It is a figure which illustrates the mechanism which detects the width | variety of the original document mounted on the original platen.

  Embodiments of the present invention exemplified below will be described with reference to the drawings. Although an image reading apparatus such as a scanner will be described, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer having an image reading function. The dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment should be changed as appropriate according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the invention is applied and various conditions, and are within the scope of the present invention. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the following embodiments.

First, a schematic configuration of the image reading apparatus will be described. FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of the image reading apparatus 1. The image reading apparatus 1 includes a first original platen 16 as a paper supply unit that can supply paper up to a substantially A4 size width, and a pickup roller 2 that picks up the original D.

The documents D picked up by the pickup roller 2 are fed into the apparatus one by one by the feeding roller 3 and the separation roller 4. The document D is conveyed by the pair of registration rollers 6 arranged in pairs. The document D conveyed by the registration roller pair 6 is detected by a registration sensor 8 that detects the document.

From the second document table 15, a document D ′ having a width of approximately business card size can be fed one by one by the pickup roller 5 and the separation roller 52. When the original placed on the original table 16 or 15 is read while being conveyed, the reading unit 10 is positioned at the illustrated position below the glass plate 13. When reading a hard document or book that cannot be transported, place the document on the glass plate 13 at the top of the lower unit 19 constituting the main body of the image reading apparatus, and place the reading unit 10 on the glass plate 13. Scan the document while moving it. The conveyed originals D and D 'are discharged by a pair of paper discharge rollers 7 and overlap on a paper discharge stand (paper discharge unit) 17 in the order of discharge. That is, the documents D and D ′ are discharged to the same paper discharge unit.

The light source 201 irradiates the originals D and D ′ with light when the image of the originals D and D ′ is read by the line image sensor 200 or 202. The operation panel 30 can receive information display and user operations using, for example, a liquid crystal and a touch panel.

2 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The ROM or the like stores various programs such as a basic processing program as an image processing apparatus and an image processing program, and various data necessary for executing these programs. The control unit 106 controls each unit of the image processing apparatus 1 while using the RAM as a work memory based on a program in the ROM.

  The pickup roller 2 is supported by a support member 205 as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b). The support member 205 is connected to the upper unit 18 and is a member that enables the pickup roller 2 to move up and down by being rotated by a drive source (not shown). FIG. 5A shows a state in which the pickup roller 2 is raised. In this state, the document D is not conveyed. FIG. 5B shows a state in which the pickup roller 2 is lowered. In this state, the document D is conveyed.

The pickup roller 5 is supported by a support member 206 as shown in FIGS. 5 (c) and 5 (d). The support member 206 is connected to the upper unit 18 and is a member that enables the pickup roller 5 to move up and down by being rotated by a drive source (not shown). FIG. 5C shows a state in which the pickup roller 5 is raised. In this state, the document D is not conveyed. FIG. 5D shows a state in which the pickup roller 5 is lowered. In this state, the document D is conveyed.

Next, an image reading setting screen displayed on the operation panel 30 when the user performs image reading setting will be described. FIG. 3 shows an image reading setting screen 400 of the image reading apparatus of this embodiment. Reference numeral 401 denotes a radio button for selecting an image reading mode, and a selection item can select three types of a 24-bit color image, an 8-bit gray image, and a 1-bit monochrome image.

There are four types of reading sizes that can be selected by the pull-down edit box 402: A4, A5, A6, and business card size. The radio button 403 for selecting the reading means allows the reading operation in the feeding order of “feeder → business card feeder”, the reading operation in the feeding order of “business card feeder → feeder”, and the reading operation by “flatbed”. Three types of reading operations can be selected. “Feeder → business card feeder” represents that a document is fed from the first platen 16 to read an image, and then a document is fed from the second platen 15 to read the image. “Business card feeder → feeder” represents that a document is fed from the second document table 15 to read an image, and then a document is fed from the first document table 16 to read the image. “Flatbed” represents reading an image from a document placed on the glass plate 13. The contents set on the setting screen 400 are stored in a RAM or a non-volatile memory in the image reading apparatus.

Next, a method for notifying the user of a message prompting the user to remove the discharged paper will be described. The dialog screen illustrated in FIG. 6A is a warning dialog 310 that is displayed in the display area of the operation panel 30 and prompts the user to remove the discharged paper. In the warning dialog, a warning text and an OK button 311 are arranged. When the user touches the OK button 311, a signal such as a touch panel of the operation panel 30 is transmitted to the CPU of the control unit 106 via the operation panel control unit 107. Thus, the CPU can recognize that the user has accepted the warning dialog 310.

Next, processing for conveying and reading the document on the second document table 15 and the document on the first document table 16 according to the contents set on the image reading setting screen 400 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4A. To do. First, when the user performs image reading settings on the image reading setting screen 400 and presses the OK button 404, this processing is started, and the contents of the settings made by the user are confirmed and stored in the RAM or nonvolatile memory (step S501). ). Next, it is checked whether or not the reading order selected by the user on the setting screen is “business card feeder → feeder” (step S502). If “business card feeder → feeder” (YES in step S502), the pickup roller 5 of the second document table 15 is lowered, the pickup roller 2 of the first document table 16 is raised, and the second document table 15 is fed. The paper is read and the original is read (step S508).

When the document discharge is completed (step S509), a warning dialog 310 that prompts the user to remove the discharged document is displayed on the operation panel 30 (step S510). When the OK button 311 of the warning dialog 310 is pressed (YES in step S511), the pickup roller 5 of the second document table 15 is raised, the pickup roller 2 of the first document table 16 is lowered, and the first document table 16 is lowered. The document is fed from the original and the original is read (step S512).

On the other hand, if the reading order selected by the user on the setting screen is not “business card feeder → feeder” (NO in step S502), whether the reading order selected by the user is “feeder → business card feeder” or not. (Step S503). If YES in step S503, the pickup roller 5 of the second document table 15 is raised, the pickup roller 2 of the first document table 16 is lowered, the document is fed from the first document table 16, and the document is read ( Step S505).

When the reading of the document from the document table 16 is completed (YES in step S506), the pickup roller 5 of the second document table 15 is lowered, the pickup roller 2 of the first document table 16 is raised, and the second document table 15 The original is read from (step S507). If the reading order selected by the user on the setting screen is not “feeder → business card feeder” (NO in step S503), it is recognized that “flatbed” is selected (step S504). Therefore, the pickup rollers 2 and 5 are raised, and an image is read from the original placed on the flat bed (glass plate 13) (step S513).

In this embodiment, the selection screen and the warning screen are displayed using the operation panel, and the input for selection and the operation of the OK button are performed, but an external PC or the like connected to the output unit 104 is used. Display and input may be performed. In such a case, an image reading system including an image reading device and an external PC connected thereto corresponds to the image reading device of the present invention.

In this embodiment, when reading a document from a plurality of document tables, the reading of a small size document such as a business card from the second document table 15 is finished, and a large document from the first document table 16 is completed. It is assumed that a warning dialog is displayed at a timing before the reading of the file is started. However, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4B, the timing at which the warning dialog is displayed may be changed, and the document reading from a plurality of document tables may be executed. In other words, when a document of a different size is continuously read from a plurality of document tables and a large document is discharged on a small document that has already been discharged, A warning dialog 320 as shown in FIG. 6B may be displayed while the document is not yet read from the table.

Further, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4C, the timing for displaying the warning dialog may be changed, and the reading of the document from a plurality of document tables may be executed. That is, when reading a document of a different size from a plurality of document tables in succession, if a large document is further discharged on top of the discharged small document, both A warning dialog 330 as shown in FIG. 6C may be displayed after the reading of the document fed from the document table is completed.

Further, when reading a document from the first document table 16 after reading a document from the second document table 15, the first document table 16 is read after reading a document from the second document table 15. A warning dialog may be displayed when a document is detected by the arranged document detection sensor 14.

In this embodiment, the first document table 16 and the second document table 15 have different upper limit sizes of documents that can be conveyed. However, the upper limit of the document that can be conveyed between the first document table and the second document table is different. You may comprise so that a size may be the same. In this case, a sensor for detecting the size of the document actually placed on the document table may be provided, and the document size detected by the sensor may be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a document restricting plate 711 for restricting the placement position of the document D, and a document width sensor (document size detecting means) 712 whose output value changes in conjunction with the document restricting plate 711 are provided on a document table 710. In this case, the control unit 106 can notify the CPU that controls the image reading of the document to the actual width of the document P. A warning dialog is displayed based on the document width as a judgment criterion in accordance with an operation for switching between feeding from a feeding port on which a document table such as the document table 710 is installed and feeding from another feeding port. Also good. In addition, as a notification means, you may notify by methods, such as changing lighting state, such as LED showing an operation state, and is contained in this invention.

In addition, a warning dialog may be displayed based on the length of the document instead of the width. For example, it is preferable to arrange a transmissive sensor using light or ultrasonic waves or a contact sensor such as a switch as a document size detecting means on the document table so that the document length can be detected. Since the actual length of the document fed to the document table can be detected, the length of the document fed from the first document table 16 and the length of the document from the second document table 15 are different. In such a case, it is possible to perform processing such as displaying a warning dialog.

As described above, when a document is read continuously while switching between a plurality of document tables, a small-size document such as a business card is hidden under a large document such as an A4 document on the paper ejection table. Therefore, it is possible to improve the operability when there is a possibility of forgetting the collection. For example, if the setting is such that a document is fed in the order of “business card feeder → feeder” and read, a message is displayed. That is, a message prompting to remove the small-size original that has been ejected, a message notifying that the small-size original has been ejected under the large-size original that has been ejected, This message warns that a small-size document will be discharged. By displaying such a message, an appropriate operation can be performed by the user, and forgetting to collect a small-size document can be prevented. Also, if you check the presence of a document on the platen that will be fed later and display a warning dialog only when there is a document, the warning message will not be displayed if the warning is unnecessary, which is bothersome. Absent.

2 Pickup roller 3 Conveyance roller 4 Separation roller 5 Pickup roller 6 Registration roller pair 7 Paper discharge roller pair 8 Registration sensor 10 Reading unit 12 Reading unit 13 Glass plate 14 Document sensor 15 Second document table 16 First document table 17 Ejection Paper base 30 Operation panel 52 Separating roller 205 Support member 206 Support member 310 Warning dialog 320 Warning dialog 330 Warning dialog 711 Document restriction plate 712 Document width sensor D Document D 'document

Claims (8)

A plurality of paper feeders on which documents are placed;
A reading unit that reads an image of a document fed from at least one of the plurality of paper feeding units;
One paper discharge unit for discharging a document read by the reading unit;
Each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one paper discharge unit, or each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one Notification means for notifying the discharge section that the operation is performed,
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of sheet feeding units has an upper limit of a size of a document that can be fed different from other sheet feeding units among the plurality of sheet feeding units. A plurality of paper feeders on which documents are placed;
A reading unit that reads an image of a document fed from at least one of the plurality of paper feeding units;
One paper discharge unit for discharging a document read by the reading unit;
Each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one paper discharge unit, or each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one Notification means for notifying the discharge section that the operation is performed,
Furthermore, a document size detecting means for detecting the size of the document placed on the plurality of paper feeding units is provided,
The notifying unit is configured to determine a size detected by the document size detecting unit and a size of a document detected by another sheet feeding unit for a document placed on one sheet feeding unit among the plurality of sheet feeding units. An image reading apparatus that notifies a user of a difference. It further comprises display means for displaying a notification to the user,
3. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit displays on the display unit that a document is fed from the plurality of sheet feeding units and is discharged to one sheet discharge unit. Image reading device. When all the originals are fed from the plurality of paper supply units and discharged to one paper discharge unit, a notification that prompts removal of the originals from the paper discharge unit is displayed on the display unit. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3 . It further comprises display means for displaying a notification to the user,
The notifying means indicates that a document fed from one of the plurality of paper feeding units has been discharged to one of the paper feeding units, and other of the plurality of paper feeding units. 3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays that the original is discharged from the paper feeding unit. It further comprises display means for displaying a notification to the user,
3. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit displays on the display unit that a document discharged from the plurality of sheet feeding units is discharged to one sheet discharging unit. 4. Image reading apparatus. A plurality of paper feeders on which documents are placed;
An image forming unit that forms an image on a document fed from at least one of the plurality of paper feed units;
One paper discharge unit for discharging a document on which an image is formed by the image forming unit;
Each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one paper discharge unit, or each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one have a notification means for notifying that performed the discharge unit,
An image forming apparatus , wherein at least one of the plurality of sheet feeding units has an upper limit of a size of a document that can be fed is different from other sheet feeding units among the plurality of sheet feeding units.   A plurality of paper feeders on which documents are placed;
  An image forming unit that forms an image on a document fed from at least one of the plurality of paper feed units;
  One paper discharge unit for discharging a document on which an image is formed by the image forming unit;
  Each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one paper discharge unit, or each document fed from the plurality of paper feed units is discharged to one Notification means for notifying the discharge section that the operation is performed,
  Furthermore, a document size detecting means for detecting the size of the document placed on the plurality of paper feeding units is provided,
  The notifying unit is configured to determine a size detected by the document size detecting unit and a size of a document detected by another sheet feeding unit for a document placed on one sheet feeding unit among the plurality of sheet feeding units. An image forming apparatus that notifies a user of a difference.

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