JP5973963B2 - Image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  An image reading apparatus such as a scanner generally includes a contact glass on which an original is placed, a carriage that is movable along the contact glass, a light source that is provided on the carriage, and a light source that is reflected by the original. And an imaging unit such as an imaging device that receives light through a lens group.

  Further, as taught in Patent Document 1, the image reading apparatus includes an optical sensor such as a photo interrupter that detects the home position of the carriage when the power is turned on, for example. The home position of the carriage is detected based on the position of the carriage when the light shielding plate attached and fixed to the carriage blocks the optical path of the photo interrupter.

JP 2007-150948 A

  By the way, when the image read by the image reading apparatus is dark abnormal data as a whole, it cannot be easily determined whether the light source is abnormal or abnormal in the imaging unit. Therefore, in such a case, it is necessary to have a service person investigate the apparatus in detail, which is very complicated. On the other hand, if a sensor for detecting whether or not the light source is lit is separately provided, the apparatus cost increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of such points, and the object of the present invention is to determine whether there is an abnormality in the light source or the imaging unit without separately providing a sensor for detecting the lighting state of the light source. It is to be able to discriminate.

  An image reading apparatus according to the present invention includes a moving body that is movable along a reading object, a light source that is provided on the moving body and that irradiates light on the reading object, and is reflected by the reading object. An imaging unit that captures the reading object by receiving the received light, a light receiving unit and a light emitting unit that emits light toward the light receiving unit, and whether or not the light is incident on the light receiving unit A light sensor that detects light emitted from the light emitting unit when moved between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit of the light sensor, and the light from the light emitting unit blocks the light from the light emitting unit. When the light sensor detects that the light has been shielded, a reference position detector that detects a reference position of the moving body based on a detection result of the light sensor, and an image output from the imaging unit Dark abnormal day as a whole If the light source is not incident on the light receiving unit in the inspection state in which power is supplied to the light source and a light blocking unit is disposed between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, the light source is abnormal. On the other hand, there is provided an abnormality determination unit that determines that the imaging unit is abnormal when light from the light source is incident on the light receiving unit in the inspection state.

  According to this configuration, when the light blocking unit slides with the moving body and moves between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit in the optical sensor, the light sensor detects that the light from the light emitting unit is blocked by the light blocking unit. To do. Based on this detection result, the reference position detector detects the reference position of the moving body.

  The light source irradiates the reading object with light while moving along the reading object together with the moving body. The light reflected by the reading object is received by the imaging unit. Thereby, the reading object is imaged by the imaging unit.

  Here, when the image output from the imaging unit is dark abnormality data as a whole, the cause of the abnormality is often in either the light source or the imaging unit. Whether the cause of the abnormality is in the light source or the imaging unit is determined by the abnormality determination unit.

  That is, when the light source is not incident on the light receiving unit in the inspection state in which power is supplied to the light source and the light shielding unit is moved between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, the abnormality determination unit determines that the light source is abnormal. Determine. On the other hand, when the light from the light source is incident on the light receiving unit in the inspection state, the abnormality determining unit determines that the imaging unit is abnormal.

  In this way, using the optical sensor used to detect the reference position of the moving body, when the read image is dark as a whole, it is determined whether there is an abnormality in the light source or the imaging unit. An abnormal location can be determined without providing a sensor for detecting the lighting state of the light source independently of the optical sensor.

  It is preferable that the light-shielding part has a reflecting surface that reflects light from the light source. According to this configuration, in the inspection state, light from the light source is reflected by the reflecting surface of the light shielding part and easily enters the light receiving part, so that it is possible to clearly identify the abnormal part.

  More preferably, the light-shielding part is configured to guide light from the light source to the light-receiving part in the inspection state. According to this configuration, in the inspection state, the light from the light source is guided by the light receiving unit while being reflected by the reflecting surface of the light blocking unit, so that the abnormal part is more reliably determined.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the image reading device. According to this configuration, since the image forming apparatus includes the image reading device, when the formed image is dark as a whole, the lighting state of the light source is detected independently of the optical sensor of the image reading device. Without providing the sensor, it is possible to determine which of the light source or the imaging unit in the image reading apparatus is abnormal.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to determine which of the light source or the imaging unit is abnormal without separately providing a sensor for detecting the lighting state of the light source.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a multifunction machine according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a main configuration of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the carriage moved to the reference position. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical sensor that receives light from a light source. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing by the abnormality determination unit.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

  FIG. 1 shows an appearance of a multifunction machine 1 as an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. 2 to 5 show the configuration of the image reading apparatus in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-function device 1 includes an image reading device 10 and a main body 11 having a printing function. The multifunction device 1 can print the image data read by the image reading device 10 using the main body 11.

    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image reading apparatus 10 includes a box-shaped housing 13 in which a rectangular opening 12 is formed, a contact glass 14 provided in the housing 13 so as to close the opening 12, and A document cover 15 provided on the upper side of the housing 13, a first moving body 16 and a second moving body 17 provided inside the housing 13, and reference positions (home positions) of the first and second moving bodies 16 and 17. ), A light source 19 provided in the first moving body 16, and an imaging unit 20 provided inside the housing 13.

  The home position is a standby position of the first and second moving bodies 16 and 17 before the image reading operation is performed.

  The contact glass 14 is made of transparent glass, and a document 21 as a reading object is placed on the upper surface thereof. The document cover 15 is attached to the housing 13 so as to be rotatable up and down. The document cover 15 is configured to press the document 21 on the contact glass 14 by rotating downward.

  The first moving body 16 and the second moving body 17 are slidably provided along the document 21 (in other words, along the lower surface of the contact glass 14). The first and second moving bodies 16 and 17 are driven by a drive mechanism 22 having a stepping motor as a drive motor. The drive mechanism 22 is configured to reciprocate the first and second moving bodies 16 and 17 by rotating the stepping motor forward or backward. The drive mechanism 22 moves the first and second moving bodies 16 and 17 integrally with each other while maintaining a predetermined distance.

  The first moving body 16 includes a lamp carriage 25, a light source 19 and a first mirror 26 supported by the lamp carriage 25, and a light shielding unit 27 provided integrally with the lamp carriage 25. The lamp carriage 25 has a support surface 25 a that supports the light source 19. The support surface 25 a is parallel to the contact glass 14.

  The light source 19 is configured by an LED, a fluorescent tube lamp, or the like, and irradiates light toward the document 21 from below the contact glass 14. The light source 19 extends in a long shape along the contact glass 14. The lamp carriage 25 is formed with an opening 28 through which reflected light reflected by the document 21 passes. The first mirror 26 is configured to reflect the reflected light from the document 21 that has passed through the opening 28 toward the second moving body 17.

  The second moving body 17 has a mirror carriage 31 and a second mirror 32 and a third mirror 33 attached to the mirror carriage 31. The second mirror 32 reflects the reflected light from the first mirror 26 to the third mirror 33. The third mirror 33 reflects the reflected light from the second mirror 32 to the imaging unit 20. The second moving body 17 reciprocates along the optical path of the reflected light by the second mirror 32.

  The imaging unit 20 captures the document 21 by receiving the light reflected by the document 21. The imaging unit 20 is disposed on the optical path of the reflected light by the second mirror 32, and includes a base 35 fixed to the housing 13, a condenser lens group 36 including a plurality of lenses provided on the base 35, and a base 35. And a CCD 37 as a solid-state imaging device provided. The condenser lens group 36 is disposed between the CCD 37 and the third mirror 33, and condenses the light reflected by the third mirror 33 on the CCD 37. The CCD 37 receives the reflected light collected by the condenser lens group 36 and converts it into an electrical signal (image data).

  The optical sensor 18 is configured by, for example, a photo interrupter or the like, and is fixed to the housing 13. As shown in FIG. 5, the optical sensor 18 includes a light receiving unit 38 and a light emitting unit 39 that emits light toward the light receiving unit 38, and detects whether light has entered the light receiving unit 38. That is, the optical sensor 18 is turned off when the light receiving unit 38 receives light, and is turned on when the light receiving unit 38 does not receive light.

  The light blocking unit 27 of the first moving body 16 blocks the light of the light emitting unit 39 when moving between the light emitting unit 39 and the light receiving unit 38 of the optical sensor 18. Therefore, when the light shielding unit 27 moves between the light emitting unit 39 and the light receiving unit 38 and the light receiving unit 38 does not receive light, the optical sensor 18 is turned on. The light source 19 is turned off when the reference positions of the first and second moving bodies 16 and 17 are detected by the optical sensor 18.

  And as shown in FIG. 5, the light-shielding part 27 has the reflective surface 27a which reflects the light of the light source 19. As shown in FIG. The light shielding unit 27 guides the light from the light source 19 to the light receiving unit 38 when power is supplied to the light source 19 and the light shielding unit 27 is disposed between the light emitting unit 39 and the light receiving unit 38. It is configured. That is, the reflection surface 27 a of the light shielding portion 27 is disposed on the side of the light source 19 and is inclined with respect to the support surface 25 a of the lamp carriage 25 so as to be directed to the light source 19 side.

  In addition, the image reading apparatus 10 includes a control unit 40 that controls the light source 19, the imaging unit 20, the optical sensor 18, the drive mechanism 22, and the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 40 includes a reading control unit 41, a reference position detection unit 42, and an abnormality determination unit 43.

  The reading control unit 41 controls the light source 19, the imaging unit 20, the optical sensor 18, and the driving mechanism 22 in order to read the image data of the document 21 placed on the contact glass 14. When the light sensor 18 detects that the light from the light emitting unit 39 is blocked by the light blocking unit 27, the reference position detection unit 42 is based on the detection result of the light sensor 18. , 17 reference positions (home positions) are detected.

  When the image output from the imaging unit 20 is dark abnormality data as a whole, the abnormality determination unit 43 supplies power to the light source 19 of the image reading device 10 and shields light between the light emitting unit 39 and the light receiving unit 38. The inspection state in which the unit 27 is arranged is assumed. In this inspection state, when the light from the light source 19 does not enter the light receiving unit 38, the abnormality determination unit 43 determines that the light source 19 is abnormal. On the other hand, when the light from the light source 19 is incident on the light receiving unit 38 in the inspection state, the abnormality determining unit 43 determines that the imaging unit 20 has an abnormality.

  Next, an image reading operation by the image reading apparatus 10 will be described.

  When the image reading apparatus 10 is turned on, first, the reference positions of the first and second moving bodies 16 and 17 are detected by the reference position detector 42. That is, the stepping motor of the drive mechanism 22 is rotated forward with the light source 19 turned off. When the light-shielding part 27 of the first moving body 16 moves between the light-emitting part 39 and the light-receiving part 38 of the optical sensor 18, the light-receiving part 38 does not receive the light of the light-emitting part 39. Become. When the light shielding unit 27 passes through the optical sensor 18, the light receiving unit 38 receives the light from the light emitting unit 39, so that the optical sensor 18 is turned off. Then, reverse the stepping motor. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the reference position detection unit 42 is moved by a predetermined distance from the position where the light sensor 27 is moved between the light emitting unit 39 and the light receiving unit 38 and the optical sensor 18 is turned on. Is detected as a reference position.

  Next, the reading control unit 41 slides the first and second moving bodies 16 and 17 along the document 21 from the reference position by rotating the stepping motor forward with the light source 19 turned on. Then, the light source 19 irradiates the document 21 placed on the contact glass 14, and the reflected light for one line in the main scanning direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 2) is reflected in the first mirror 26 and the second mirror 32. And it reflects in order of the 3rd mirror 33, and injects into the condensing lens group 36. FIG. The light incident on the condenser lens group 36 is imaged on the light receiving surface of the CCD 37. The CCD 37 simultaneously processes an image for one line in the main scanning direction on the document 21.

  In this way, the reading control unit 41 further moves the first and second moving bodies 16 and 17 in the sub-scanning direction (rightward in FIG. 2) orthogonal to the main scanning direction by further rotating the stepping motor forward. The entire original 21 is read. When the reading of the entire document 21 is completed, the reading control unit 41 turns off the light source 19 and reversely rotates the stepping motor to move the first and second moving bodies 16 and 17 to the reference position again. .

  Next, the abnormality determination operation by the image reading apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows processing by the abnormality determination unit 43.

  If the image output from the imaging unit 20 is dark abnormality data as a whole, if it can be determined which of the light source 19 or the imaging unit 20 is abnormal, the subsequent repair work of the image reading apparatus 10 becomes easy. Therefore, in the image reading apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the abnormality determining unit 43 determines the abnormal part.

  That is, in step S1 of FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the image output from the imaging unit 20 is abnormal data. As a result, when the output image is abnormal data and it is determined YES, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S <b> 2, the abnormality determination unit 43 supplies power to the light source 19 and moves the light shielding unit 27 between the light emitting unit 39 and the light receiving unit 38, thereby setting the image reading apparatus 10 in the inspection state. Then, it progresses to step S3.

  In step S3, the abnormality determination unit 43 determines whether or not the light receiving unit 38 of the optical sensor 18 has received light. In the inspection state, since the light shielding unit 27 is disposed between the light receiving unit 38 and the light emitting unit 39, the light receiving unit 38 does not receive the light from the light emitting unit 39.

  When the light source 19 is abnormal, not only the light from the light emitting unit 39 but also the light from the light source 19 is not incident on the light receiving unit 38, so the optical sensor 18 is turned on. Therefore, when the optical sensor 18 is ON and no light is detected, the abnormality determination unit 43 proceeds to step S4 and determines that the light source 19 is abnormal.

  On the other hand, when the light source 19 is normal, the light from the light source 19 is reflected by the reflecting surface 27a of the light shielding unit 27 and guided to the light receiving unit 38 as shown in FIG. Light enters and the optical sensor 18 is turned off. Therefore, when the optical sensor 18 is turned off and the light is detected, the abnormality determination unit 43 proceeds to step S5 and determines that the imaging unit 20 is abnormal because there is no abnormality in the light source 19.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, power is supplied to the light source 19 and the light shielding unit 27 is moved between the light emitting unit 39 and the light receiving unit 38 to place the image reading apparatus 10 in the inspection state, and the light source that is turned on in the inspection state. Since the light of 19 is incident on the light receiving unit 38 of the optical sensor 18, when the image output from the imaging unit 20 is dark abnormal data as a whole, the cause of the abnormality is the light source 19 or the imaging unit. 20 can be determined by the abnormality determination unit 43.

  As described above, when the read image is dark as a whole using the optical sensor 18 used for detecting the reference positions of the first and second moving bodies 16 and 17, either the light source 19 or the imaging unit 20 is abnormal. Therefore, it is possible to determine an abnormal location without providing a sensor for detecting the lighting state of the light source 19 independently of the optical sensor 18. Thus, the subsequent repair work of the image reading apparatus 10 can be easily performed.

  Further, since the light shielding unit 27 has the reflection surface 27a that reflects the light of the light source 19, in the inspection state, the light of the light source 19 is reflected by the reflection surface 27a and enters the light receiving unit 38 of the optical sensor 18. Since it becomes easy, an abnormal location can be identified clearly.

  Furthermore, since the light shielding unit 27 is configured to guide the light from the light source 19 to the light receiving unit 38 in the inspection state, the light receiving unit 38 can efficiently receive the light from the light source 19. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably determine the abnormal part in the inspection state.

  Further, since the multifunction device 1 includes the image reading device 10, when the image formed by the multifunction device 1 is dark as a whole, the light source 19 is turned on independently of the optical sensor 18 of the image reading device 10. It is possible to determine which of the light source 19 and the imaging unit 20 in the image reading apparatus 10 is abnormal without providing a sensor for detecting the state.

  The reflection surface 27a of the light shielding portion 27 is not necessarily a mirror surface, and may be any reflection surface that reflects light to the extent that the light receiving portion 38 of the optical sensor 18 can detect the light emitted from the light source 19. Further, the reflection surface 27a may not be configured to directly reflect the light emitted from the light source 19, but as illustrated in FIG. 5, the configuration reflects the light of the light source 19 reflected by the inner wall surface of the housing 13. It may be. Even in this case, the inner wall surface of the housing 13 may not be a mirror surface.

  In the above-described embodiment, the multifunction peripheral 1 has been described as an example of the image forming apparatus. However, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be another image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the image reading apparatus.

1 MFP (image forming device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image reader 16 1st moving body 17 2nd moving body 18 Optical sensor 19 Light source 20 Imaging part 21 Original (reading object)
27 Light-shielding part 27a Reflecting surface 38 Light-receiving part 39 Light-emitting part 42 Reference position detection part 43 Abnormality determination part

Claims (4)

A moving body provided to be movable along the object to be read;
A light source provided on the moving body and irradiating the reading object with light;
An imaging unit that images the reading object by receiving light reflected by the reading object;
A light sensor that includes a light receiving unit and a light emitting unit that emits light toward the light receiving unit, and detects whether light is incident on the light receiving unit;
A light-shielding part that is provided on the moving body and shields light from the light-emitting part when moved between the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part of the photosensor;
A reference position detection unit that detects a reference position of the moving body based on a detection result of the light sensor when the light sensor detects that the light of the light emitting unit is blocked by the light blocking unit;
When the image output from the imaging unit is dark abnormal data as a whole, power is supplied to the light source and the light receiving unit is in an inspection state in which a light shielding unit is disposed between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit. When the light from the light source is not incident, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the light source. On the other hand, when the light from the light source is incident on the light receiving unit in the inspection state, an abnormality is determined that the imaging unit is abnormal. An image reading apparatus comprising a determination unit. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1,
The image reading device, wherein the light shielding unit has a reflecting surface that reflects light from the light source. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2,
The image reading device configured to guide the light of the light source to the light receiving unit in the inspection state.   An image forming apparatus comprising the image reading apparatus according to claim 1.

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