JP5653138B2 - Image reading device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus.

  As a conventional image reading apparatus applied to an image scanner, a copying machine, a facsimile, a character recognition apparatus, etc., for example, a medium such as a book or a magazine is placed on a document table, and the medium is installed on the document table. There is a so-called flat bed type image reading apparatus that reads an image of a medium by moving a line sensor provided as a reading unit that reads the image of the image. This flat bed type image reading apparatus mounts a medium on a document table, and is provided so that it can be opened and closed with respect to the document table. For reading, it is possible to read not only thin sheet originals but also relatively thick media such as books and magazines.

  In addition, since such a flatbed type image reading apparatus reads an image with a medium placed on a document table, the document table is often set in a relatively large size. There are various sizes of media for reading an image by the image reading apparatus. For this reason, there are many cases where the size of the medium is significantly smaller than the size of the document table. However, when reading an image of such a medium, a cover that holds the medium is used as large as the document table. Therefore, when opening and closing the cover at the time of reading an image, much labor is required as compared with the size of the medium. For this reason, some conventional image reading apparatuses attempt to reduce the labor when opening and closing such a cover.

  For example, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of covers that can cover the document table by being independently rotated are provided, and one cover of a pair of adjacent covers is opened and closed. In such a case, the other cover is also opened and closed in conjunction with the other cover, and when the other cover is opened and closed, the pair of covers are provided so as to open and close independently without being linked. Accordingly, when reading an image of a medium having a small size, the image can be read by performing an opening / closing operation of a cover that can be opened / closed independently without being interlocked. By performing a cover opening / closing operation that allows the cover to be interlocked, a large medium can be held by the pair of covers that open and close in conjunction with each other. Therefore, even when the size of the medium from which the image is read changes, the cover can be opened and closed according to the size of the medium, and unnecessary labor is generated due to opening and closing the cover larger than necessary. In addition, the troublesomeness when opening and closing the cover can be reduced.

JP 2007-4055 A

  As described above, in the image reading apparatus in which the cover is divided, the size of the cover that opens and closes can be changed according to the size of the medium. However, when the image reading apparatus reads an image on the medium, the cover is relatively large. It is also assumed that a large number of small media are read. In such a case, as described in Patent Document 1, when one cover of a pair of adjacent covers is opened and closed, the pair of covers are opened and closed, and when the other cover is opened and closed, the cover is not linked. In the case of an image forming apparatus that opens and closes independently, an image on a small medium is read by opening and closing a cover that can be opened and closed without interlocking with the other cover. However, although the size of the document table is larger than that of the medium and the area of the portion where the image can be read is large, it is efficient to read the image by opening and closing only a part of the entire cover in this way. Such a flatbed type image reading apparatus has room for further improvement.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide an image reading apparatus capable of appropriately reading an image on a medium according to the size of the medium.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an image reading apparatus according to the present invention includes a placement unit on which a medium for reading an image is placed, and a surface on which the medium in the placement unit is placed. A reading unit that is disposed on the opposite side of the mounting surface side and receives the light reflected by the medium and transmitted through the mounting unit, and rotates with respect to the mounting surface. By being done so that it can be opened and closed with respect to the mounting surface, the medium placed on the mounting surface can be sandwiched between the mounting surface by closing the mounting surface. And a plurality of covers that can be opened and closed with respect to the placement surface independently of each other, and a plurality of the covers, and a plurality of the connected covers when the plurality of covers are connected. The cover can be opened and closed together with the mounting surface. Characterized in that it and a connecting mechanism capable.

  In the present invention, the medium can be sandwiched between the mounting surface on which the medium for reading an image is placed, and a plurality of covers that can be opened and closed independently with respect to the placing surface are provided. A connecting mechanism capable of connecting the two is provided. Thereby, when the size of the medium is relatively large, the plurality of covers are coupled by the coupling mechanism, the plurality of covers are integrally opened and closed, the medium is sandwiched between the cover and the mounting surface, and the image is read. Thereby, when reading an image of a relatively large medium, a cover suitable for the size of the large medium can be opened and closed by a single opening / closing operation, and even a relatively large medium can be easily read.

  When the size of the medium is relatively small, without connecting the cover with the connecting mechanism, the cover is opened and closed alone, and the image is read with the medium sandwiched between the cover and the mounting surface. As a result, when the medium is small, the size of the cover that opens and closes can be reduced, so that unnecessary labor can be prevented from being generated during opening and closing. Furthermore, since a plurality of covers can be opened and closed independently, when reading images of a plurality of media having a relatively small size, the plurality of covers are alternately opened and closed, and the plurality of covers are alternately placed. A plurality of media can be sandwiched between the surfaces. Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently read images on a plurality of media by using the placement surface efficiently. As a result, an image on the medium can be appropriately read according to the size of the medium.

  In the image reading apparatus, the reading unit is provided so as to read an image of the medium while moving in parallel with the mounting surface, and the connecting mechanism connects a plurality of the covers. If not, it is preferable that the reading unit moves to a position corresponding to a portion between the adjacent covers when waiting for image reading.

  In the present invention, when a plurality of covers are not connected, the reading unit moves to a position corresponding to a portion between adjacent covers when waiting for image reading, so that the plurality of covers are alternately opened and closed. Thus, when images on a plurality of media are alternately read, the images can be read more efficiently. As a result, the image on the medium can be read appropriately and efficiently according to the size of the medium.

  In the image reading apparatus, the reading unit is provided so as to read an image of the medium while moving in parallel with the mounting surface, and the connecting mechanism connects a plurality of the covers. In this case, it is preferable that the reading unit moves to a position corresponding to the position of the end of the whole of the plurality of connected covers when waiting for image reading.

  In the present invention, when a plurality of covers are connected, the reading unit moves to a position corresponding to the position of the end of all the connected covers when waiting for image reading. When reading of an image of a medium having a relatively large value is started, the reading unit has moved to an appropriate position, so that the image can be read efficiently. As a result, the image on the medium can be read appropriately and efficiently according to the size of the medium.

  In the image reading apparatus, the reading unit is provided so as to read an image of the medium while moving in parallel with the mounting surface, and the connecting mechanism connects a plurality of the covers. When a part of the cover is opened in a state where the cover is not opened, the reading unit is preferably moved to a position corresponding to the position of the end of the opened cover.

  In the present invention, when some of the covers are opened in a state where the plurality of covers are not connected, the reading unit moves to a position corresponding to the position of the end of the opened cover. When the images of a plurality of media are alternately read by alternately opening and closing the covers, the reading can be performed more efficiently. As a result, the image on the medium can be read appropriately and efficiently according to the size of the medium.

  Further, in the image reading apparatus, when the connecting mechanism does not connect the plurality of covers and the covers are opened and closed independently, the reading unit is positioned so that the cover closed immediately before is positioned. It is preferable to read an image of the medium in a range to be covered.

  In the present invention, when a plurality of covers are not connected and the covers are independently opened and closed, the reading unit reads an image of the medium in the range where the cover that was closed immediately before is positioned. When reading images of a plurality of media having a relatively small size, the reading unit can always be moved to an appropriate position. Thereby, it is possible to efficiently read images on a plurality of media. As a result, the image on the medium can be read appropriately and efficiently according to the size of the medium.

  In the image reading apparatus, when the connecting mechanism connects the plurality of covers, the reading unit reads an image of the medium in a range where the plurality of connected covers are located. Is preferred.

  In the present invention, when the plurality of covers are connected, the reading unit reads an image of a medium in a range where the connected covers are located. Therefore, the reading medium and the reading position and the range on the mounting surface when reading the image are read. Can be read at a position and range according to the above. Accordingly, when it is possible to read images of media having different sizes, it is not necessary to enlarge the reading range more than necessary, and the reading range can be varied according to the size of the medium from which the image is read. Therefore, an image can be read efficiently regardless of the size of the medium. As a result, the image on the medium can be read appropriately and efficiently according to the size of the medium.

  Further, the image reading apparatus further includes a read image storing unit that stores an image read by the reading unit, and the read image storing unit is based on an order of opening / closing a plurality of the covers or the connecting mechanism. It is preferable that the page of the image read by the reading unit is determined and stored as one file according to the connection state of the cover.

  According to the present invention, when reading an image on a medium, the read image storage unit determines the page of the image read by the reading unit according to the opening / closing order of the plurality of covers and the connection state of the covers by the connection mechanism. Since the images are stored as one file, the images can be stored in an easy-to-handle state when images on a plurality of media are read. As a result, it is possible to appropriately read and store images on a plurality of media.

  Further, in the image reading apparatus, when the reading unit continuously reads the images of the plurality of media, the read image storage unit reads the read image one time each time the reading unit reads the image. It is preferable to add it as the last page in the file.

  In the present invention, the read image storage means adds the read image as the last page in one file each time the image is read by the reading unit. Therefore, when reading images on a plurality of media, the read image storage unit is more appropriately and easily handled. You can save the image in the state. As a result, it is possible to appropriately read and store images on a plurality of media.

  The image reading apparatus according to the present invention has an effect that an image on a medium can be appropriately read according to the size of the medium.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the first cover is opened and the second cover is closed. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the first cover is closed and the second cover is opened. FIG. 4 is a detailed view of part A in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram when the connecting portion is in a non-connected state. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the main part of the image reading apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram when a large original is read. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for reading a small document. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a modification of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an outline of a processing procedure at the time of reading a document image. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the allocation reading mode. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the file / page management mode. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when reading is continued based on the open / close state of the document cover.

  Embodiments of an image reading apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily replaced by those skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.

Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment. In the following description, the upper side when the image reading apparatus 1 is used is described as the upper side of the image reading apparatus 1, and the lower side when the image reading apparatus 1 is used is described as the lower side of the image reading apparatus 1. In the image reading apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, the upper surface of a main body 5 that is a main body of the image reading apparatus 1 is a flat surface, and a document that is a medium on which the image reading apparatus 1 reads an image is placed on the upper surface portion. It is the mounting part 10 which is the part to set. The placement unit 10 is provided by a transparent member such as transparent glass, and the upper surface side of the placement unit 10 is a placement surface 11 on which a document is placed. The main body 5 is formed such that at least the mounting surface 11 has a substantially rectangular shape.

  The main body unit 5 is provided with a reading unit 15 capable of reading an image of a document. That is, the reading unit 15 is disposed on the opposite side of the mounting unit 10 from the mounting surface 11 side. The reading unit 15 has a line sensor in which a plurality of light receiving elements (not shown) are arranged in a one-dimensional array, and the line sensor converts light received when receiving light into an electrical signal. By doing so, it is possible to electrically read the image of the document. The reading unit 15 provided in this way is arranged in such a direction that the direction in which the line sensor is formed is parallel to the placement surface 11. This is the main scanning direction when reading.

  Further, the reading unit 15 has a light source (not shown) that is a light emitting means, that is, the line sensor and the light source are provided integrally. As described above, the light source provided integrally with the line sensor is an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or the like that emits light by applying electricity, and a plurality of light receiving elements of the line sensor are arranged. It is possible to irradiate light in a form parallel to the direction in which it is present.

  Further, the reading unit 15 is provided so as to be movable in the main body unit 5. Specifically, the reading unit 15 is movable in a direction parallel to the placement surface 11 and perpendicular to the direction in which the line sensor is formed. It is installed in the main body 5. That is, the main unit 5 moves the reading unit 15 and a rail (not shown) formed parallel to the mounting surface 11 and perpendicular to the direction in which the line sensor is formed. A drive motor 40 (see FIG. 6) that can be operated is provided, and by operating the drive motor 40, the reading unit 15 can move along the rail in the main body unit 5. Accordingly, the reading unit 15 is provided so as to read an image of a document while moving in parallel with the placement surface 11, and this moving direction is a sub-scanning direction when the reading unit 15 reads an image. It has become.

  In addition, the image reading apparatus 1 includes a document cover 20 that is a cover that can sandwich a document with the placement surface 11. The document cover 20 includes a plurality of first covers 21 and second covers 22, and both the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are placed by rotating with respect to the placement surface 11. The mounting surface 11 is provided so as to be openable and closable.

  Specifically, the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are both formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape, and one of the four sides of each of the four sides is hinged (not shown). It is connected to the. A portion where the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are connected to the main body 5 by a hinge is connected to the vicinity of the same side of the four sides of the substantially rectangular mounting surface 11. 21 and the second cover 22 are connected to each other in the vicinity of the same side of the placement surface 11 in the direction in which the side is formed. Of the four sides of the placement surface 11, the side to which the document cover 20 is connected in the vicinity is one side out of the sides that are orthogonal to the line sensor formation direction of the reading unit 15. ing. That is, the document cover 20 is connected by a hinge in the vicinity of a side formed parallel to the moving direction of the reading unit 15 among the four sides of the placement surface 11.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the first cover is opened and the second cover is closed. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the first cover is closed and the second cover is opened. Since both the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are connected to the main body 5 by hinges, the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are provided so as to be independently rotatable with respect to the main body 5 by the hinges. In other words, the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the mounting surface 11, and are rotated with respect to the mounting surface 11, thereby rotating with respect to the mounting surface 11. Each can be opened and closed independently. For this reason, the second cover 22 can be closed while the first cover 21 is open, and conversely, the first cover 21 can be closed while the second cover 22 is open.

  Further, the document cover 20 that can be opened and closed with respect to the placement surface 11 as described above is obtained when both the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are rotated in the direction approaching the placement surface 11, that is, the first cover 21. When the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are both closed with respect to the mounting surface 11, the entire surface of the mounting surface 11 is formed in a size that can be covered by the first cover 21 and the second cover 22. Yes.

  The first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are provided so as to be openable and closable by being connected to the main body 5 by hinges as described above, but the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are provided at the respective hinge portions. 2 An open / close sensor 30 (see FIG. 6) that can detect the open / close of the cover 22 independently is provided.

  The open / close sensor 30 may be provided in a portion other than the hinge portion. For example, when the first cover 21 or the second cover 22 is closed, the document cover 20 and the main body 5 come into contact with each other. You may provide by the sensor which detects that it contact | abutted to the part. The form of the open / close sensor 30 is not limited as long as the open / close state of the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 can be detected independently.

  FIG. 4 is a detailed view of part A in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram when the connecting portion is in a non-connected state. The document cover 20 is provided by a first cover 21 and a second cover 22 that can be opened and closed independently. The document cover 20 has a connecting mechanism that connects the first cover 21 and the second cover 22. doing. Specifically, the connecting mechanism is configured by a connecting portion 25 including a slide portion 26 that can slide and a connecting portion 27 that can be connected to the slide portion 26, and the slide portion 26 and the connecting portion 27 are the first. The first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are provided separately. For example, the slide portion 26 is provided in the vicinity of the end portion of the second cover 22 near the first cover 21 and is slidable in the direction between the first cover 21 and the second cover 22. 27 is provided in a shape in which the slide portion 26 can enter in the vicinity of the end portion of the first cover 21 near the second cover 22. As a result, the connecting portion 25 can be connected by the slide portion 26 and the connecting portion 27, and the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are connected by connecting the slide portion 26 and the connecting portion 27. To do.

  That is, when the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are connected by the connecting portion 25, the slide portion 26 is slid in the direction of the first cover 21 and the slide portion 26 is protruded in the direction of the first cover 21. Are inserted into the coupling portion 27 and coupled with the coupling portion 27 (FIG. 4). As a result, the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are connected via the connecting portion 25 having the slide portion 26 and the connecting portion 27. When the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are connected by the connecting portion 25 in this way, when either the first cover 21 or the second cover 22 is opened / closed, the opening / closing of the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 is adjusted. Since the other also opens and closes, the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are in a state that can be integrally opened and closed with respect to the placement surface 11.

  On the other hand, when the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are not connected, the slide portion 26 is positioned by moving the slide portion 26 away from the first cover 21, that is, away from the coupling portion 27. And the connecting portion 27 are separated (FIG. 5). As a result, the connecting portion 27 that is the connecting portion 25 on the first cover 21 side is separated from the slide portion 26 that is the connecting portion 25 on the second cover 22 side, and the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are Since there is no connection between the two, each opens and closes independently.

  In addition, the connection part 25 is provided with a connection sensor 35 (see FIG. 6) that detects the state of the connection part 25. The connection sensor 35 can detect the connection state of the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 that can be connected by the connection part 25 by detecting the state of the connection part 25.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the main part of the image reading apparatus shown in FIG. The image reading apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with a control unit 50 that can control each unit of the image reading apparatus 1. The reading unit 15, the open / close sensor 30, the connection sensor 35, and the drive motor 40 described above. Are connected to the control unit 50. In addition, the image reading apparatus 1 is provided with an operation button 45 that is an input unit for an operation instruction when a person using the image reading apparatus 1 operates, and the operation button 45 is also connected to the control unit 50. Has been.

  The control unit 50 to which each device included in the image reading apparatus 1 is connected is provided with a processing unit 52, a storage unit 66, and an input / output unit 68, which are connected to each other and exchange signals with each other. Is possible. The reading unit 15, the open / close sensor 30, the coupling sensor 35, the drive motor 40, and the operation button 45 connected to the control unit 50 are connected to the input / output unit 68, and the input / output unit 68 reads these readings. Signals are input to and output from the unit 15 and the like. The storage unit 66 stores a computer program for controlling the image reading apparatus 1.

  Further, the processing unit 52 controls a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 54 that performs various arithmetic processes, a reading control unit 56 that controls image reading by controlling the reading unit 15, and the drive motor 40. Thus, the open / close state of the document cover 20 is acquired from the detection result of the drive control unit 58 that controls the movement of the reading unit 15, the input operation acquisition unit 60 that acquires the input operation by the operation button 45, and the open / close sensor 30. An open / close state acquisition unit 62 that performs the connection, and a connection state acquisition unit 64 that acquires a connection state between the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 based on the detection result of the connection sensor 35.

  The control of the image reading apparatus 1 controlled by the control unit 50 is, for example, based on the detection result of the open / close sensor 30 or the like, the processing unit 52 reads the computer program by the processing unit 52 and calculates the result. Accordingly, control is performed by operating the reading unit 15 and the like. At that time, the processing unit 52 appropriately stores a numerical value in the middle of the calculation in the storage unit 66, and takes out the stored numerical value and executes the calculation.

  In addition, a control device 70 such as a personal computer is connected to the image reading apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and the image reading apparatus 1 can also be controlled by the control device 70. The configuration of an example of the control device 70 will be described. The control device 70 includes a control unit 72 that performs various controls in the control device 70, an operation unit 86 that performs an input operation, a state of an input operation in the operation unit 86, And a display unit 88 that displays a result of arithmetic processing in the control device 70, and the operation unit 86 and the display unit 88 are connected to the control unit 72.

  In addition, the control unit 72 is provided with a processing unit 74, a storage unit 78, and an input / output unit 84, which are connected to each other and can exchange signals with each other. The image reading device 1 is connected to each other by connecting the input / output unit 84 of the control device 70 and the input / output unit 68 of the image reading device 1 so that signals can be exchanged between them. The operation unit 86 and the display unit 88 connected to the control unit 72 are connected to the input / output unit 84, and the input / output unit 84 inputs and outputs signals to and from these operation units 86 and the like. I do. In addition, the processing unit 74 includes a CPU 76 that performs various arithmetic processes in the same manner as the processing unit 52 included in the control unit 50 of the image reading apparatus 1. The storage unit 78 stores various computer programs. For example, the control unit 70 is used to control a peripheral device such as the image reading device 1 or a specific purpose. A computer program such as the application 82 is stored.

  The image reading apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation thereof will be described below. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram when a large original is read. When the image reading apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment reads an image of the document 90, the document cover 20 is opened, and the document 90 is placed on the placement unit 10 with the image reading side facing the placement surface 11. It is mounted on the mounting surface 11. In this state, the document cover 20 is closed, and the document 90 placed on the placement surface 11 is read while being sandwiched between the placement surface 11 and the document cover 20.

  As described above, when reading the document 90, first, the reading is started so that the reading operation can be performed. This reading start is performed by the user of the image reading apparatus 1 with respect to the operation button 45. This is done by performing the input operation. The input operation performed on the operation button 45 can be acquired by the input operation acquisition unit 60 included in the processing unit 52 of the control unit 50. However, the input operation for reading activation has been performed on the operation button 45. Is acquired by the input operation acquisition unit 60, the input operation acquisition unit 60 transmits information that the input operation has been performed to the reading control unit 56 and the connection state acquisition unit 64. Thus, the reading control unit 56 starts image reading, and the connection state acquisition unit 64 acquires the connection state of the connection unit 25.

  Here, the connecting portion 25 provided in the document cover 20 is provided so that the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 can be switched between connection and non-connection. The first cover 21 and the second cover 22 can be opened and closed in an integrated manner, and the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 can be opened and closed independently when disconnected. When reading an image of the original 90, the original cover 20 is opened, the original 90 is placed on the placement surface 11, the original cover 20 is closed, and the original 90 is placed between the placement surface 11 and the original cover 20. Read with pinching.

  For this reason, for example, when the size of the document 90 is relatively large, it is more convenient to open and close the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 together, so the user opens the document cover 20. Before, the connecting portion 25 is brought into a state of connecting the first cover 21 and the second cover 22. Since the connection state of the connection unit 25 can be detected by the connection sensor 35, if the opening / closing state acquisition unit 62 acquires the opening / closing of the document cover 20 that opens and closes when the document 90 is placed on the placement surface 11, From the detection result of the connection sensor 35, the connection state acquisition unit 64 acquires the connection state of the connection unit 25.

  When the opening / closing state acquisition unit 62 acquires the opening / closing of the document cover 20, the connection state of the connection unit 25 acquired by the connection state acquisition unit 64 is further transmitted to the drive control unit 58. The drive control unit 58 controls the drive motor 40 according to the transmitted connection state of the connection unit 25, and moves the reading unit 15 to a position according to the connection state of the connection unit 25.

  Specifically, the drive control unit 58 moves the reading unit 15 in the moving direction of the reading unit 15 when the connecting unit 25 is connected to the first cover 21 and the second cover 22. At the end in the sub-scanning direction. The end of the reading unit 15 in the moving direction is a portion where the vicinity of the end of the document cover 20 is located when the document cover 20 is closed. Therefore, in other words, when the connecting portion 25 connects the first cover 21 and the second cover 22, the reading portion 15 is connected to the entire document cover 20 that is connected when waiting for image reading. Move to the position corresponding to the end position.

  In this manner, in a state where the reading unit 15 is positioned at the end in the sub-scanning direction and is waiting for image reading, the user closes the document cover 20 and the document 90 with the document cover 20 and the placement surface 11. When the input operation for reading the image is performed on the operation button 45, the reading unit 15 starts reading the document 90. That is, when the input operation acquisition unit 60 acquires that an input operation for starting image reading has been performed on the operation button 45, the input operation acquisition unit 60 provides information indicating that the input operation has been performed to the reading control unit 56. And transmitted to each unit such as the drive control unit 58.

  Among these, the reading control unit 56 reads the image of the document 90 by controlling the reading unit 15 and acquiring light reception information by the line sensor while turning on the light source of the reading unit 15. Specifically, when the light source of the reading unit 15 emits light, the light is emitted toward the placement unit 10. Since the mounting unit 10 is formed of a transparent member such as glass, light directed toward the mounting unit 10 is transmitted through the mounting unit 10. Since the document 90 is placed on the placement surface 11 which is the surface opposite to the surface of the placement portion 10 on which the reading portion 15 is located, the light transmitted through the placement portion 10 is placed on the placement surface 10. Reflected by the original 90 placed on the surface 11.

  The light reflected by the original 90 is transmitted again through the placement unit 10 and directed toward the reading unit 15. When the light reflected by the document 90 arrives, the reading unit 15 receives the light with a line sensor, and information on the received light is acquired by the reading control unit 56. Since the line sensor has a plurality of light receiving elements arranged in a one-dimensional array, the reading control unit 56 obtains information on the light received by the line sensor, whereby the direction in which the light receiving elements are arranged, That is, image information of the document 90 in the main scanning direction is acquired.

  In addition, the drive control unit 58 that has received information from the input operation acquisition unit 60 that an input operation for reading an image has been performed controls the drive motor 40 and operates the drive motor 40, whereby the reading unit 15. Move. When the drive motor 40 is operated, the reading unit 15 moves along a rail formed along a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the line sensor included in the reading unit 15 is formed. The reading unit 15 moves while reading the image of the original 90 even during movement as described above, but the direction of movement is a direction orthogonal to the line sensor. Therefore, the reading unit 15 that reads an image while moving reads the image of the document 90 in a two-dimensional direction in order to read in the direction in which the plurality of light receiving units of the line sensor are arranged and in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction. That is, the reading unit 15 reads the image of the document 90 in the two-dimensional direction by scanning the image of the document 90 in the sub-scanning direction while scanning the image in the main scanning direction.

  The drive control unit 58 controls the movement of the reading unit 15 by controlling the drive motor 40 in this way. The movement range of the reading unit 15 is the open / close state of the document cover 20 acquired by the open / close state acquisition unit 62, And it changes with the connection state of the connection part 25 acquired by the connection state acquisition part 64. FIG. For example, as described above, when the connecting unit 25 is in the connected state due to the relatively large size of the document 90, the connection state acquiring unit 64 acquires that the connecting unit 25 is in the connected state. When the connecting unit 25 is in the connected state, the document cover 20 is in a state in which the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are both closed, and therefore the open / closed state acquiring unit 62 is connected to the first cover 21. The fact that the second cover 22 is closed together is acquired.

  The drive control unit 58 that has acquired the information by the open / close state acquisition unit 62 and the connection state acquisition unit 64 controls the drive motor 40 to move the reading unit 15 in the movement range of the reading unit 15 in the sub-scanning direction. Move from one end to the other. This moving range is from one end of the connected document cover 20 to the vicinity of the other end, and includes almost the whole of the connected document cover 20. For this reason, when the connecting portion 25 connects the first cover 21 and the second cover 22, the reading portion 15 reads almost the entire document cover 20 as a reading range and is connected to the first cover. The image of the document 90 in a range where the 21 and the second cover 22 are located is read.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for reading a small document. When the size of the original 90 read by the image reading apparatus 1 is relatively large, the connecting portion 25 is set in the connected state and the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are connected, while the original 90 is read. When the size is relatively small, reading is performed with the connecting portion 25 in a non-connected state. That is, the image of the document 90 is read in a state where the document 90 placed on the placement surface 11 is sandwiched between the placement surface 11 and the document cover 20, but the size of the document 90 is relatively small. When the size is smaller than the size of the first cover 21 or the second cover 22, the connecting portion 25 is brought into an unconnected state. Accordingly, the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 can be opened and closed independently. Therefore, when the document 90 is sandwiched between the document cover 20 and the placement surface 11, the first cover 21 and the second cover 22, the document 90 is sandwiched by opening or closing one of the covers.

  When the document cover 20 is opened in order to place the document 90 on the placement surface 11 when the image of the document 90 is read, the open / close state acquisition unit 62 determines whether the document cover 20 Opening / closing information, that is, information indicating that one of the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 is opened is acquired. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the first cover 21 is opened, the opening / closing sensor 30 detects that the first cover 21 is opened, and the opening / closing state acquisition unit 62 acquires this information.

  When the input operation acquisition unit 60 acquires information that the input operation for reading activation has been performed on the operation button 45 and the opening / closing state acquisition unit 62 acquires information that the document cover 20 is opened, a large document Similarly to the case of reading 90, the reading control unit 56 activates reading of an image, and the connection state acquisition unit 64 acquires the connection state of the connection unit 25. In this case, the connection state acquisition unit 64 acquires information that the connection unit 25 is in an unconnected state.

  Further, the drive control unit 58 controls the drive motor 40 according to the information acquired by the open / close state acquisition unit 62 and the connection state acquisition unit 64 and moves the reading unit 15. Specifically, the drive control unit 58 moves the reading unit 15 in the moving direction of the reading unit 15 when the connecting unit 25 is not connected to the first cover 21 and the second cover 22. The position is moved to a position corresponding to a portion between the first cover 21 and the second cover 22. Therefore, in other words, when the connecting portion 25 does not connect the first cover 21 and the second cover 22, the reading portion 15 is the adjacent document covers 20 that are adjacent to each other when waiting for image reading. It moves to a position corresponding to a portion between the first cover 21 and the second cover 22.

  As described above, the first cover 21 opened in a state where the reading unit 15 is located at a portion corresponding to the portion between the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 in the sub-scanning direction and is waiting for image reading. When an input operation for starting reading is performed on the operation button 45, the input operation acquisition unit 60 transmits information indicating that the input operation has been performed to each unit such as the reading control unit 56 and the drive control unit 58. As a result, the reading control unit 56 performs reading control of the reading unit 15 and acquires image information of the document 90 in the main scanning direction by receiving light with the line sensor while causing the light source of the reading unit 15 to emit light.

  In addition, the drive control unit 58 moves the reading unit 15 by controlling the drive motor 40 to operate the drive motor 40. In this case, the reading unit 15 is moved in the direction of the document cover 20 that has been acquired by the open / close state acquisition unit 62. For this reason, when the opening / closing state acquisition unit 62 acquires that the first cover 21 has been opened and closed, the drive control unit 58 moves the reading unit 15 between the first cover 21 and the second cover 22. That is, the first cover 21 is moved from the end on the second cover 22 side toward the other end. Accordingly, the reading unit 15 reads almost the entire first cover 21 as a reading range, and reads an image of the document 90 in a range where the opened and closed first cover 21 is located.

  When the first cover 21 is opened and closed and the original 90 is sandwiched between the first cover 21 and the placement surface 11, the reading unit 15 is moved within a range where the first cover 21 is positioned when reading the image of the original 90. As a result, the image of the original 90 is read. That is, when the second cover 22 is opened and closed and the original 90 is sandwiched between the second cover 22 and the placement surface 11, the reading unit 15 is connected to the first cover 21 and the second cover when the image of the original 90 is read. The image of the original 90 is read while moving from the position corresponding to the portion between the second cover 22 and the end of the second cover 22 opposite to the end of the first cover 21 side. Accordingly, the reading unit 15 reads almost the entire second cover 22 as a reading range, and reads an image of the document 90 in a range where the opened and closed second cover 22 is located.

  As described above, when the document cover 20 is not connected by the connecting unit 25 and some of the document covers 20 are opened and closed independently, the reading unit 15 has the document cover 20 that is closed immediately before. The image of the document 90 in the position range is read.

  Further, the image reading device 1 is connected to the control device 70 to the image reading device 1, and the read image of the original 90 is stored in the read image stored in the storage unit 78 of the control device 70. Processing can be appropriately performed by the application 82 as a means. For example, the image pages of a plurality of documents 90 are determined according to the opening / closing order of the document cover 20 and the connection state of the connecting unit 25, and stored as one file. Specifically, there are a plurality of originals 90 from which an image is read, and the originals 90 are alternately read on the first cover 21 side and the second cover 22 side without connecting the connecting portion 25, and the first closed side is read. The image read by the document cover 20 is assumed to be the first page. Further, when a plurality of originals 90 are read in this way, each time an image is read, it is added as the last page and is stored as one file in the storage unit 66 of the image reading device 1 or the storage unit 78 of the control device 70. save.

  When the image of the original 90 read by the image reading apparatus 1 is processed by the application 82 like this, the image of the read original 90 and various information are displayed on the display unit 88 of the control device 70. The image processing method may be input by the operation unit 86 to perform desired processing.

  In the image reading apparatus 1 described above, the document cover 20 has two covers, a first cover 21 and a second cover 22, but the document cover 20 has three or more covers. Also good. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a modification of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the document cover 20 may be further provided with a third cover 23 by dividing the second cover 22 into two parts. The third cover 23 is further connected to a second cover 22 that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body 5 by being connected to the main body 5 by a hinge (not shown). Accordingly, the third cover 23 can be opened and closed with respect to the placement surface 11 even when the second cover 22 is closed.

  Further, the second cover 22 and the third cover 23 provided in this manner can be connected by a connecting portion 25. That is, the second cover 22 and the third cover 23 can be switched to be connected or disconnected by the connecting portion 25, as in the relationship between the first cover 21 and the second cover 22. it can.

  The third cover 23 can switch the connection state with the second cover 22 by switching the connection state of the connecting portion 25 provided in this way. That is, when the connecting portion 25 is in a non-connected state, the mounting surface 11 can be opened and closed independently of the second cover 22 even when the second cover 22 is closed. . In addition, when the second cover 22 and the third cover 23 are connected by connecting the connecting portion 25, the third cover 23 is opened and closed with respect to the placement surface 11 integrally with the second cover 22. Can do.

  The third cover 23 is provided with an open / close sensor 30 for detecting the open / close state, as with the first cover 21 and the second cover 22, and the open / close sensor 30 detects the open / close state of the third cover 23. It can be acquired by the open / close state acquisition unit 62. In addition, a connection sensor 35 that detects the connection state is provided in the connecting portion 25 between the second cover 22 and the third cover 23 as well as the connecting portion 25 between the first cover 21 and the second cover 22. The connection state between the second cover 22 and the third cover 23 can be detected by the connection sensor 35 and acquired by the connection state acquisition unit 64.

  As described above, the third cover 23 is provided, and the connecting portion 25 capable of connecting the second cover 22 and the third cover 23 is provided so that the third cover 23 is connected to the second cover 22 or is not connected. By making it possible to switch to the state of the above, the control at the time of reading the document 90 can correspond to a smaller document 90. That is, when the third cover 23 is connected to the second cover 22 and the third cover 23 is connected to the first cover 21 via the second cover 22 or directly, the image of the original 90 is read. Sometimes, the reading unit 15 is moved over the entire document cover 20. Thereby, an image of the entire range of the document cover 20 is acquired.

  Further, when the third cover 23 is not connected to the first cover 21 but only to the second cover 22, the first cover 21, the second cover 22, and the third cover 22 are read when the image of the original 90 is read. The reading unit 15 is moved within the range of the cover that is opened and closed immediately before the cover to which the cover 23 is connected. As a result, an image of the range of the first cover 21 or the range obtained by combining the second cover 22 and the third cover 23 is acquired.

  When the third cover 23 is not connected to both the first cover 21 and the second cover 22, the first cover 21, the second cover 22, and the third cover are read when reading the image of the document 90. The reading unit 15 is moved within the range of the cover that is opened and closed immediately before the cover 23. Here, since the third cover 23 is provided so as to be able to be opened and closed independently from the second cover 22 in the main scanning direction of the reading unit 15, the third cover 23 is not connected to the second cover 22. When the third cover 23 is opened and closed in this state, the reading unit 15 reads the range of the third cover 23 in the main scanning direction while moving in the range of the third cover 23 in the sub-scanning direction. . As a result, it is possible to acquire an image of the range of the cover that has been opened and closed immediately before, and to read an image of a smaller range, so that an image of a small document 90 can be efficiently read.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an outline of a processing procedure at the time of reading a document image. Next, a control method in the case of reading an image of the original 90 by the image reading apparatus 1 according to the embodiment, that is, an outline of an image reading flow that is a processing procedure at the time of reading an image of the original 90 will be described. In the following description of the image reading flow, the document cover 20 has at least three covers as in the case where the document cover 20 has the first cover 21, the second cover 22, and the third cover 23. The case will be described.

  When the image reading apparatus 1 according to the embodiment reads an image of the document 90, first, reading is started (step ST101). This reading activation is performed by the reading control unit 56 when the input operation obtaining unit 60 that obtains information on the input operation to the operation button 45 acquires information that the reading activation input operation has been performed on the operation button 45. Then, the reading unit 15 prepares to read an image.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the document cover 20 is connected (step ST102). In this determination, the connection state of the connection unit 25 is acquired by the connection state acquisition unit 64 based on the detection result of the connection sensor 35, and is determined by the connection state acquisition unit 64.

  If it is determined that the document cover 20 is connected (step ST102, Yes determination), the mode for reading an image is set to the entire reading mode. (Step ST103). As described above, when the mode at the time of reading is set to the entire reading mode, the driving control unit 58 controls the driving motor 40 to thereby make the reading unit 15 end in the sub-scanning direction, that is, in a closed state. The document cover 20 is moved to the vicinity of the position corresponding to the position of the end of the entire document cover 20.

  When the reading unit 15 is moved, the entire reading is performed (step ST104). That is, the reading unit 15 moves the reading unit 15 by operating the drive motor 40 while reading the image of the document 90 while the reading unit 15 reads the image on the document cover 20 while scanning the reading unit 15 in the main scanning direction. Move from near one end to near the other end. As a result, the reading unit 15 reads almost the entire range of the closed document cover 20 as a reading range, and reads an image of the document 90 sandwiched between the document cover 20 and the placement surface 11.

  Next, it is determined whether there is no assignment setting (step ST105). Here, the term “assignment” means that when a plurality of originals 90 are scanned by the reading unit 15 and read a plurality of times, the original 90 is sandwiched between a plurality of different document covers 20 and the placement surface 11 and an image is read. This shows the allocation of the area to be scanned. The determination of the presence / absence of the assignment setting is performed by the application 82 stored in the storage unit 78 of the control device 70. The application 82 determines whether or not the assignment is set in the current control when reading the image. Do.

  If it is determined by the application 82 that there is no assignment setting (Yes in step ST105), the entire image is read, the read image is saved, and reading by the reading unit 15 is terminated ( Step ST108).

  On the other hand, if it is not determined by the application 82 determination (step ST105) that there is no allocation setting, that is, if it is determined that there is an allocation setting (step ST105, No determination), the allocation reading mode is executed. (Step ST106).

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the allocation reading mode. When the allocation reading mode is executed, a subroutine of the allocation reading mode in the application 82 is called and executed. In this assignment reading mode, first, the connection state n 'of all the connection parts n is confirmed (step ST201). This confirmation is in the connected state among the total number n of the connecting portions 25 provided in the image reading device 1 by communicating between the control portion 72 of the control device 70 and the control portion 50 of the image reading device 1. The number n ′ of the connecting portions 25 is acquired and confirmed.

  After confirming the number n ′ of the connected parts 25 in the connected state, it is next determined whether or not the total number n of connected parts 25 = the number n ′ of the connected parts 25 in the connected state (step ST202). If it is determined by this determination that (n = n ′) is satisfied (step ST202, Yes determination), the allocation designation number of the application 82 is used (step ST203). That is, when all the connecting parts 25 are in the connected state, the number set by the application 82 stored in the control device 70 is used as the number of allocation. Here, the number of assignments indicates the number of areas in the case of assigning the scanning area when reading the image of the original 90.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not (n = n ′) (step ST202, No determination), the (n−n ′ + 1) number is used as the allocation number (step ST204). That is, when there is a connecting portion 25 that is not in a connected state, the number of assignments in the current connected state is calculated based on the number of connecting portions 25 that are in a connected state, and the number of assignments is set. To do. In the case where the allocation number is set when there is a connection unit 25 that is not in the connection state, the allocation number is set in such a manner as to give priority to the actual state of the connection unit 25, that is, the hardware state. .

  Next, it is determined whether the allocation number is 3 or more (step ST205). That is, it is determined whether or not the number of assignments set by the application 82 or the number of assignments set based on the number of connected connecting units 25 is 3 or more.

  As a result of the determination of the allocation number, when it is determined that the allocation number is 3 or more (step ST205, Yes determination), three or more locations are read according to the allocation conditions (step ST206). In other words, when reading images of a plurality of originals 90 by scanning the reading unit 15 a plurality of times, according to the allocation condition such as making the areas of the three or more original cover 20 having an opportunity to open and close to be read areas. Each time the document cover 20 is opened and closed, the images in the reading area of the opened and closed document cover 20 are sequentially read.

  As a result of determining the allocation number, when it is determined that the allocation number is not 3 or more (step ST205, No determination), two locations are read according to the allocation condition (step ST207). Also in this case, similarly to the case where it is determined that the number of assignments is 3 or more, the document cover 20 is adapted to the assignment conditions such as making the areas of the two document covers 20 with the opportunity to open and close to be read areas. Each time is opened / closed, the images in the reading area of the opened / closed document cover 20 are sequentially read.

  As described above, when the images of the plurality of documents 90 are read in accordance with the allocation condition, the process exits from the allocation reading mode subroutine and returns to the image reading flow which is the original processing procedure.

  Processing in the allocation reading mode is performed (step ST106), and after returning to the image reading flow, the file / page management mode is executed (step ST107).

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the file / page management mode. When executing the file / page management mode, a subroutine of the file / page management mode in the application 82 is called and executed. This file / page management mode is a mode for managing the storage mode when storing the image of the document 90 read by the reading unit 15 of the image reading apparatus 1.

  In the file / page management mode, first, it is determined whether or not there is a file management designation (step ST301). This determination is made based on whether or not the application 82 has designated to manage the read images of the plurality of documents 90 as one or a plurality of data files.

  If it is determined that there is no file management designation by the application 82 (step ST301, No determination), images for the number of allocations are stored (step ST302). That is, the read image of the original 90 is not stored as a data file, but is individually stored in the storage unit 66 of the image reading device 1 or the storage unit 78 of the control device 70. Thus, when the image of the document 90 is stored, the process exits from the file / page management mode subroutine.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a file management specification by the application 82 (step ST301, Yes determination), it is determined whether there is a page addition specification (step ST303). This determination is made based on whether or not a predetermined page addition is designated by the application 82 when images of a plurality of read originals 90 are managed as a predetermined file.

  If it is determined by this determination that there is a page addition designation (step ST303, Yes determination), it is determined whether there is a deviation in the opening / closing timing of the document cover 20 (step ST304). That is, it is determined whether or not the opening / closing timing of the document cover 20 acquired by the open / close state acquisition unit 62 has been shifted by the plurality of document covers 20 when images of the plurality of documents 90 are read.

  If it is determined by this determination that the opening / closing timing of the document cover 20 is misaligned (Yes in step ST304), reading is performed from an image read in the reading area where the document cover 20 on the earlier closing timing is located. The order is set (step ST305). That is, in this case, the image read in the reading area where the document cover 20 that is closed first is located is set as the first page.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no deviation in the opening / closing timing of the document cover 20 (No in step ST304), the reading order designation of the application 82 is used (step ST306). That is, even when the document cover 20 is connected and the opening / closing timing of the document cover 20 is not shifted, if the application 82 sets pages for the reading order for the images of the plurality of documents 90, A predetermined reading order set by the application 82 is designated.

  As described above, when the reading order is set in accordance with the timing of closing the document cover 20 (step ST305), the reading order set by the application 82 is specified (step ST306), or the page is added. When it is determined that there is no designation (step ST303, No determination), pages are added in reading order (step ST307). That is, pages in a file when handling images of a plurality of documents 90 as one file are added for each image.

  Next, a switching operation serving as a reference for switching the managed file is detected (step ST308). As this switching operation, there are connection switching by the connecting portion 25, simultaneous opening and closing of the document cover 20, and the like. In addition to this, a changeover switch (not shown) set in the operation button 45 of the image reading device 1 or the operation unit 86 of the control device 70, or other switching operations that are used as a reference for file switching. You may detect as.

  Next, it is determined whether or not there has been a switching operation by detecting these switching operations (step ST309). If it is determined by this determination that the switching operation has occurred (step ST309, Yes determination), the images of the plurality of documents 90 are displayed in the page order according to the connection state of the document cover 20 or the setting in the application 82. After saving as one file, the process exits from the file / page management mode subroutine and returns to the image reading flow as the original processing procedure.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no switching operation by detecting the switching operation (No determination in step ST309), additional page reading is performed (step ST310). In other words, if it is determined that there is no file switching operation, then when the image of the original 90 is read, the file to be managed is continuously read for additional pages. As a result, when the reading unit 15 continuously reads the images of the plurality of documents 90, the application 82 adds the read image as the last page in one file each time the reading unit 15 reads the image. This page additional reading is continued until a file switching operation is detected (step ST308) and it is determined that there is a switching operation (step ST309, Yes determination).

  As described above, the processing in the file / page management mode is performed (step ST107), and when the read images of the plurality of documents 90 are stored in a file state or individually, reading by the reading unit 15 is performed. The process ends (step ST108).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the document cover 20 is not connected after the activation of reading (step ST101) (step ST102, No determination), the mode for reading the image is set to the independent reading mode (step ST109). ). As described above, when reading an image in the independent reading mode, first, the open / close state acquisition unit 62 detects the open / close state of the document cover 20 based on the detection result of the open / close sensor 30 (step ST110). ).

  Next, it is determined whether or not all the document covers 20 detected by the open / close state acquisition unit 62 are closed (step ST111). If it is determined by this determination that all the document covers 20 are closed (Yes in step ST111), the image of the document 90 is read according to the open / closed state of the document cover 20, and the layout reading mode (step ST106). ) After executing the file / page management mode (step ST107), the reading is terminated (step ST108).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that all the document covers 20 detected by the open / close state acquisition unit 62 are not closed (No in step ST111), then there is at least one document cover 20 that is closed. (Step ST112). If it is determined that there is no closed document cover 20 (No in step ST112), the entire reading is performed (step ST113).

  That is, the situation in which the user tries to read the image of the document 90 with the image reading apparatus 1 without the document cover 20 being closed is the thickness of the document 90 when the document 90 from which the image is read is a book. The document cover 20 cannot be closed when the image is read. For this reason, when it is determined that there is no closed document cover 20 at the time of image reading, the image is read while moving the entire range in the sub-scanning direction of the reading unit 15 and the whole reading is performed. As described above, when the entire reading range is read by the reading unit 15, reading by the reading unit 15 is terminated (step ST108).

  On the other hand, when the open / close state of the document cover 20 is determined from the detection result of the open / close state acquisition unit 62 and it is determined that there is even one document cover 20 that is closed (Yes in step ST112), Next, it is determined whether or not two or more document covers 20 are closed (step ST114). If it is determined by this determination that two or more document covers 20 are closed (Yes determination in step ST114), the image of the document 90 is read according to the open / closed state of the document cover 20, and the layout reading mode ( After executing the file / page management mode (step ST107) in step ST106, the reading is terminated (step ST108).

  On the other hand, when the open / close state of the document cover 20 is determined from the detection result of the open / close state acquisition unit 62 and it is determined that two or more document covers 20 are not closed (No determination in step ST114), Next, an area where the document cover 20 is closed is detected (step ST115). That is, the open / close state acquisition unit 62 detects which original cover 20 is the closed document cover 20 based on the detection result of the open / close sensor 30.

  If the area where the document cover 20 is closed is detected, then one area which is the reading area of the closed document cover 20 is read (step ST116). Thus, when the image of the original 90 sandwiched between the original cover 20 and the placement surface 11 is read by reading the area of the closed original cover 20, the reading by the reading unit 15 is finished (step ST108). ).

  When reading the image of the document 90, the document cover 20 is read according to the open / close state of the document cover 20 or the connection state of the document cover 20 by the connecting portion 25 as described above. Reading may be continued in accordance with the open / close state of. Next, a processing procedure when performing continuous reading in this way will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when reading is continued based on the open / close state of the document cover. In the case of performing continuous reading, when the input operation acquisition unit 60 acquires that the input operation for reading activation has been performed on the operation button 45, reading activation is performed (step ST401). Next, it waits for reading until the opening / closing of the document cover 20 is detected (step ST402). That is, the open / close state of the document cover 20 is continuously acquired by the open / close state acquisition unit 62 from the detection result of the open / close sensor 30.

  As described above, while the open / close state of the document cover 20 is continuously acquired by the open / close state acquisition unit 62 and waits for detection of a change in the open / close state of the document cover 20 (step ST403), the original 90 in the image reading flow (see FIG. 10) Are read (step ST404).

  After reading the image of the original 90 in the image reading flow, it is next determined whether or not there is a reading completion instruction (step ST405). This determination is performed based on the information acquired by the input operation acquisition unit 60 that acquires information of the input operation to the operation button 45, and the input operation acquisition unit 60 acquires the input operation of reading completion for the operation button 45. Determine whether or not.

  If it is determined by this determination that there is a reading completion instruction (step ST405, Yes determination), the reading control of the image of the original 90 by the image reading apparatus 1 is ended (step ST406).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no reading completion instruction (No determination in step ST405), the opening / closing state acquisition unit 62 further detects the opening / closing change of the document cover 20 (step ST407), and the opening / closing change occurs for a certain period or more. It is determined whether or not there is (step ST408). It is to be noted that, for a certain period as a reference in making this determination, determination is made as to whether or not the user of the image reading apparatus 1 intends to continuously read the image after reading the image of the document 90. Is set in advance as a reference time for performing the operation, and is stored in the storage unit 66.

  When it is determined that there is no change in the opening / closing of the document cover 20 and it is determined that there is no change in the opening / closing of the document cover 20 for a certain period of time (step ST408, Yes determination), the reading control is finished (step ST408). ST406). On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a change in the opening / closing of the document cover 20 during a certain period (step ST408, No determination), the process returns to step ST404 and the image reading flow is executed again. Thereby, even when the image of the original 90 is read by executing the image reading flow, the image reading control is continuously performed.

  As described above, when the image reading control is continuously performed after the image of the document 90 is read, the open / close state of the document cover 20 is used as a criterion for starting the execution of the reading control. When there is an open / close change, image reading control is continued.

  The image reading apparatus 1 includes the document cover 20 that can sandwich the document 90 with the placement surface 11 when reading the image of the document 90. The document cover 20 is located on the placement surface 11. The first cover 21 and the second cover 22 can be opened and closed independently. The document cover 20 is provided with a connecting portion 25 that can connect the first cover 21 and the second cover 22. For this reason, when the size of the original 90 is relatively large, the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are connected by the connecting portion 25, and the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are integrally opened and closed. An image can be read by sandwiching the document 90 between the document cover 20 and the placement surface 11. As a result, when reading an image of a relatively large document 90, the document cover 20 suitable for the size of the large document 90 can be opened and closed by a single opening / closing operation, and even a relatively large document 90 can be easily read. Can do.

  When the size of the document 90 is relatively small, the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are opened and closed independently without connecting the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 at the connecting portion 25. An image is read with the document 90 sandwiched between the document cover 20 and the placement surface 11. As a result, when the size of the document 90 is small, the size of the document cover 20 that opens and closes can be reduced, so that unnecessary labor can be prevented from being generated during opening and closing. Furthermore, since the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 can be opened and closed independently, when reading images of a plurality of originals 90 having a small size, the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 are opened. By alternately opening and closing, a plurality of documents 90 can be alternately sandwiched between the first cover 21 and the placement surface 11 and between the second cover 22 and the placement surface 11. Thereby, the placement surface 11 on which the document 90 is placed can be efficiently used to efficiently read the images of the plurality of documents 90, and in particular, the reading efficiency when reading a small document 90 can be improved. it can. As a result, the image of the original 90 can be appropriately read according to the size of the original 90.

  When the document cover 20 is connected by the connecting unit 25, the reading unit 15 is moved to a position corresponding to the position of the end of the entire connected document cover 20 when waiting for image reading. . Thus, at the start of reading an image of the document 90 having a relatively large size, the reading unit 15 is positioned at the end of the reading range when the image of the document 90 is read. Therefore, the image can be read efficiently. As a result, the image of the document 90 can be read appropriately and efficiently according to the size of the document 90.

  When the document cover 20 is not connected by the connecting unit 25, the reading unit 15 is placed between the first cover 21 and the second cover 22 that are adjacent document covers 20 during standby for image reading. Move to the position corresponding to the part. Thereby, when reading the image of the document 90, even when reading the image of the document 90 positioned between the first cover 21 and the placement surface 11, the second cover 22 and the placement surface 11 can be read. Even when the image of the original 90 positioned between them is read, the reading unit 15 can be read while immediately moving to the first cover 21 side or the second cover 22 side. Therefore, when the document covers 20 are alternately opened and closed and the images of the plurality of documents 90 are alternately read, the documents can be read more efficiently. As a result, the image of the document 90 can be read appropriately and efficiently according to the size of the document 90.

  In addition, when the document cover 20 is connected, the reading unit 15 reads an image of the document 90 in a range where the connected document cover 20 is located, and thus the reading position on the placement surface 11 when reading the image and The range can be read at a position and range corresponding to the original 90 to be read. Accordingly, when it is possible to read an image of a document 90 having a different size, it is not necessary to enlarge the reading range more than necessary, and the reading range is made different according to the size of the document 90 from which the image is read. Therefore, an image can be efficiently read regardless of the size of the original 90. As a result, the image of the document 90 can be read appropriately and efficiently according to the size of the document 90.

  In addition, when the document cover 20 is not connected by the connecting unit 25 and some of the document covers 20 are opened and closed independently, the reading unit 15 has a range in which the document cover 20 closed immediately before is positioned. The image of the original 90 is read. Thus, when reading an image of a relatively small document 90 without connecting the document cover 20, the reading unit 15 is always set regardless of the document cover 20 that sandwiches the document 90 with the placement surface 11. It can be moved to an appropriate position, and images of a plurality of documents 90 can be read efficiently. As a result, the image of the document 90 can be read appropriately and efficiently according to the size of the document 90.

  Further, when the image of the original 90 is read, the reading area in the reading unit 15 is changed depending on the connection state of the connecting unit 25 and the open / close state of the original cover 20, so that the user can change the size of the original 90. The image corresponding to the size of the original 90 can be read without performing the setting according to. As a result, it is possible to simplify reading that has been performed a plurality of times when reading the document 90 and complicated settings.

  Further, when reading an image of the document 90, the application 82 stored in the storage unit 78 of the control device 70 according to the opening / closing order of the plurality of document covers 20 and the connection state of the document cover 20 by the connecting unit 25. Thus, the page of the image read by the reading unit 15 is determined and stored as one file. As a result, when images of a plurality of documents 90 are read, the read images can be stored in an easy-to-handle state. As a result, the images of the plurality of documents 90 can be appropriately read and stored.

  Each time the application 82 reads an image with the reading unit 15, the application 82 adds the read image as the last page in one file. As a result, when reading and saving images of a plurality of documents 90, pages in one file are determined and stored in the order of reading the images. can do. As a result, the images of the plurality of documents 90 can be appropriately read and stored.

  In the image reading apparatus 1 described above, the document cover 20 includes two covers, ie, a first cover 21 and a second cover 22, or three covers, ie, a first cover 21, a second cover 22, and a third cover 23. Although a cover is provided, the document cover 20 may be a plurality other than these. Further, the plurality of document covers 20 may be provided in a form other than the above-described form. For example, even when the document cover 20 is provided by two covers, the two covers may have different sizes. . The plurality of document covers 20 are preferably set as appropriate according to the size of the document 90 that may be read.

  In the image reading apparatus 1 described above, when the document cover 20 is not connected by the connecting unit 25, the reading unit is positioned at a position corresponding to a portion between the adjacent document covers 20 when waiting for image reading. 15 is moved, but when the document cover 20 is not connected, the reading unit 15 is not necessarily moved to this portion. For example, when the document cover 20 has three or more covers, the reading unit 15 may not be able to be moved to the vicinity of a portion between the adjacent document covers 20 when waiting for image reading. Therefore, in such a case, it is preferable to move the reading unit 15 near the end of the opened document cover 20.

  That is, when a part of the document covers 20 is opened in a state where the document covers 20 are not connected by the connecting unit 25, the reading unit 15 is moved to a position corresponding to the position of the end of the opened document cover 20. It is preferable to move to. Accordingly, when reading an image of a relatively small document 90 without connecting the document cover 20, regardless of the document cover 20 that sandwiches the document 90 with the placement surface 11, immediately after the start of image reading. In addition, it is possible to read an image of the document 90 in a range where the opened document cover 20 is located. Therefore, when the document covers 20 are alternately opened and closed and the images of the plurality of documents 90 are alternately read, the documents can be read more efficiently. As a result, the image of the document 90 can be read appropriately and efficiently according to the size of the document 90.

  Further, a connection mechanism that connects the document covers 20 may be provided by means other than the connection unit 25 described above. The connection mechanism can easily connect the document covers 20 to each other or can be in a non-connected state. When the document covers 20 are connected to each other, the connected document covers 20 can be integrally opened and closed. If possible, the structure does not matter.

  The document cover 20 is connected to the main body 5 by a hinge so as to be rotatable with respect to the placement surface 11. The document cover 20 may have a structure other than that connected to the main body 5 by a hinge.

  In the image reading device 1 described above, the control device 70 is connected to the image reading device 1, and the application 82 for processing the read image is stored in the storage unit 78 of the control device 70. The application 82 as a means may be stored in the image reading apparatus 1. Further, the read image storage means may be provided as a dedicated electronic circuit for processing the read image instead of a computer program such as the application 82.

  In the image reading apparatus 1 described above, the reading unit 15 includes a line sensor in which a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged in a one-dimensional array. However, the light receiving elements included in the reading unit 15 are in a one-dimensional array. You may arrange | position other than the shape. For example, the reading unit 15 may include a so-called area sensor in which a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged in a two-dimensional array. In this case, the area sensor of the reading unit 15 may be provided with a size corresponding to the whole of the plurality of document covers 20, and the reading range may be varied depending on the open / closed state of the document cover 20, or a plurality of area sensors may be provided. The document cover 20 is provided in a size corresponding to each size of the document cover 20 and disposed at the position of the corresponding document cover 20. When reading an image, the area sensor to be read is different depending on the open / close state of the document cover 20. It may be allowed. As described above, even when the reading unit 15 is provided with an area sensor, the image reading range can be changed according to the open / close state of the document cover 20, so that the image of the document 90 can be displayed according to the size of the document 90. It can be read properly.

  As described above, the image reading apparatus according to the present invention is useful for a flatbed type image reading apparatus, and in particular, an image for reading images of a plurality of different sizes of originals without determining the size of the originals. Suitable for reading devices.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image reader 5 Main-body part 10 Placement part 11 Placement surface 15 Reading part 20 Document cover 21 1st cover 22 2nd cover 23 3rd cover 25 Connection part 30 Opening / closing sensor 35 Connection sensor 50 Control part 52 Processing part 56 Reading Control unit 58 Drive control unit 60 Input operation acquisition unit 62 Opening / closing state acquisition unit 64 Connection state acquisition unit 66 Storage unit 70 Control device 72 Control unit 74 Processing unit 78 Storage unit 80 Driver 82 Application 90 Document 90

Claims (7)

A placement unit for placing a medium for reading an image;
An image of the medium is received by receiving light that is disposed on the opposite side of the placement surface, which is a surface on which the medium is placed in the placement section, and is reflected by the medium and transmitted through the placement section. A reading unit for reading;
The medium placed on the placement surface is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the placement surface by rotating with respect to the placement surface. The first cover and the second cover that can be sandwiched between the mounting surface and can be opened and closed independently of the mounting surface, and the second cover is closed with respect to the mounting surface. A third cover connected to the second cover so as to be openable and closable with respect to the placement surface independently of the second cover by rotating with respect to the placement surface; A plurality of covers consisting of
A connection mechanism that can connect the plurality of covers and can open and close the plurality of connected covers integrally with the mounting surface when the plurality of covers are connected;
With
The reading unit is provided to read an image of the medium while moving in parallel with the placement surface,
The plurality of covers have a rotation axis at the time of rotating with respect to the placement surface described above in a direction parallel to a sub-scanning direction that is a moving direction of the reading unit ,
When the connecting mechanism does not connect the plurality of covers and the covers are independently opened and closed, the reading unit displays an image of the medium in a range where the cover that is closed immediately before is located. reading,
When the connecting mechanism places the third cover in a non-connected state with respect to the second cover, when the third cover is opened and closed, the reading unit moves the third cover in the sub-scanning direction. An image reading apparatus that reads the range of the third cover in the main scanning direction of the reading unit while moving within the range .   When the connecting mechanism does not connect the first cover and the second cover, the reading unit is arranged between the first cover and the second cover when waiting for image reading. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus moves to a position corresponding to the portion.   In the reading unit, when the connecting mechanism connects the plurality of covers, the reading unit moves in the moving direction of the reading unit over the plurality of connected covers when waiting for image reading. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus is moved to a position corresponding to the position of the end portion.   In the case where a part of the cover is opened in a state where the connecting mechanism does not connect the plurality of covers, the reading unit moves the reading unit in the opened cover. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus is moved to a position corresponding to the position of the end portion.   2. When the connecting mechanism connects a plurality of the covers, the reading unit reads an image of the medium in a range where the plurality of connected covers are located. The image reading apparatus according to 3. Furthermore, it has a read image storage means for storing the image read by the reading unit,
The read image storage means determines a page of an image read by the reading unit according to an order of opening / closing the plurality of covers and a connection state of the cover by the connection mechanism, and stores the page as a single file. the image reading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein. When the reading unit continuously reads images on the plurality of media, the read image storage unit adds the read image as the last page in one file each time the reading unit reads an image. The image reading apparatus according to claim 6 .

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