JP6074952B2 - Image reading device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus.

  Conventionally, an image reading apparatus called a flat bed type is known. This type of image reading apparatus generally includes an image sensor having reading elements arranged in the main scanning direction, and a carriage that moves the image sensor in the sub-scanning direction. The carriage is structured to be movable along the guide shaft. As the guide shaft, a round bar-shaped metal shaft or the like is used (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).

JP-A-11-266347

  However, in the image reading apparatus as described above, when the support (carriage) that supports the image sensor reciprocates along the guide shaft, the support is the guide shaft in both the forward movement and the backward movement. The state orthogonal to is maintained. Therefore, the contact portion of the support with the guide shaft slides with respect to the guide shaft during both the forward movement and the backward movement.

  If wear of the contact portion proceeds due to such sliding, for example, rattling of the guide shaft with respect to the support occurs, and the arrangement direction (main scanning direction) of the reading elements provided in the image sensor and the support It becomes difficult to make the moving direction (sub-scanning direction) exactly orthogonal. If the arrangement direction of the reading elements is not orthogonal to the moving direction, the image reading quality may be adversely affected.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to appropriately set the relative positional relationship between a support that supports the image sensor and a guide portion that guides the support in the moving direction. An object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus that can maintain the state and suppress wear due to sliding between a support and a guide portion.

Hereinafter, the configuration employed in the present invention will be described.
An image reading apparatus of the present invention includes a placement unit on which an original is placed and a reading unit that reads an image of the original, and the reading unit includes a plurality of reading elements arranged in a predetermined arrangement direction. An image sensor, a support that supports the image sensor and is capable of reciprocating together with the image sensor in a moving direction that intersects the arrangement direction, and contacts the support when the support moves in the moving direction. A guide unit that guides the support body in the movement direction, and a drive unit that reciprocates the support body in the movement direction, and the image sensor moves forward when reciprocating together with the support body. When moving in the first movement direction with either the movement direction or the backward movement direction as the first movement direction and the other as the second movement direction, the movement direction or the backward movement direction is placed on the placement unit within a predetermined reading range. The support is configured to read an image of a document, and the support is formed along a plane parallel to both the arrangement direction and the movement direction around the intersection of the support and the guide portion. The support member is supported on the guide member in a state of being swingable relative to the guide member, and the driving member applies a driving force to the support member at a position separated from the intersection. When moving the support body in the first movement direction, the support body is swung in the first swing direction, while when moving the support body in the second movement direction, the support body is moved to the first movement direction. The support body is swung in a second rocking direction opposite to the first rocking direction. When the support body rocks in the first rocking direction, the support member is in contact with the guide portion. On the other hand, when the support swings in the second swing direction An abutting portion that is separated from the guide portion is provided, and the abutting portion supports the support body to a position where the arrangement direction and the moving direction are orthogonal to each other when the support body swings in the first swinging direction. When the body swings, it comes into contact with the guide portion and restricts further swinging of the support body in the first swinging direction.

  According to the image reading apparatus configured as described above, when the image sensor reads an image of a document, the driving unit moves the support in the first movement direction and swings in the first swing direction. At this time, when the support swings to a position where the arrangement direction of the reading elements included in the image sensor is orthogonal to the moving direction of the support, further swinging is restricted by the contact portion.

  The support moves in the first movement direction while maintaining such a state, and at that time, the image of the original is read by the image sensor. Therefore, when the image sensor moves in the first direction despite the swinging of the support, the position of the image sensor is such that the arrangement direction of the reading elements is the main scanning direction and the moving direction of the support is the sub-scanning direction. Is appropriately positioned.

  On the other hand, when the support is moved in the direction opposite to that when the image of the document is read by the image sensor, the drive unit moves the support in the second movement direction and swings in the second swing direction. At this time, the contact portion is separated from the support, and the arrangement direction of the reading elements and the moving direction of the support are in a positional relationship that is not orthogonal.

  In this state, the arrangement direction of the reading elements is deviated from an appropriate direction as the main scanning direction, but there is no problem because the image is not read by the image sensor. If the support body is moved in the second movement direction in such a state, the support body moves in the second movement direction with the contact portion being separated from the guide portion. Wear due to sliding is suppressed.

  Therefore, when the support body moves in the first movement direction, the arrangement direction of the reading elements and the movement direction of the support body are different from those in which the support body reciprocates in a state where the contact portion corresponding portion is always in contact with the guide portion. The state of being orthogonally crossed with high accuracy can be maintained for a long period of time, and the deterioration of the read image quality can be suppressed.

  Further, when the support body is assembled to the guide portion, the assembling work of the support body can be performed in a state where the contact portion and the guide portion do not contact each other. Therefore, as compared with the case where the contact portion corresponding portion is always in contact with the guide portion, it is easier to perform the assembly work of the support body, and the productivity and maintainability are improved.

  In the image reading apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the driving unit includes a power source and a timing belt that is circulated and driven by power transmitted from the power source, and the support is located at a position away from the intersection. It is preferably connected to the timing belt and swings in the first swing direction or the second swing direction according to the driving direction of the timing belt.

According to the image reading apparatus configured as described above, the support can be swung using the power transmitted from the timing belt.
In the image reading apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the contact portion contacts the guide portion at a position on both sides of the guide portion in the arrangement direction and a position shifted by a predetermined distance in the movement direction. It is preferable to have a first contact portion and a second contact portion.

  According to the image reading apparatus configured as described above, since the first contact portion and the second contact portion are in the positions as described above, if the support swings, the first contact portion together with the support. As the second contact portion is also displaced, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are in contact with or separated from the guide portion. Therefore, when the support swings to a position where the arrangement direction of the reading elements and the moving direction of the support are orthogonal to each other, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are in contact with the guide portion. If the positions of the contact portion and the second contact portion are set, the support body can be easily positioned at a position where the arrangement direction of the reading elements becomes the main scanning direction.

  In the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the support is separated from the guide portion when the support is swung in the first swing direction, while the support is in the second swing direction. When swinging, if the support swings to a predetermined position where the arrangement direction and the moving direction cross obliquely, the support comes into contact with the guide portion, and the support further moves in the second swing direction. It is preferable to provide a restricting portion that restricts swinging to the right.

  According to the image reading apparatus configured as described above, since the restricting portion restricts swinging to a position exceeding a predetermined position when the support swings in the second swinging direction, the support is excessive. It is possible to prevent rocking in the second rocking direction.

  In the image reading apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the restriction portion may be in contact with the guide portion at a position on both sides of the guide portion with respect to the arrangement direction and a position shifted by a predetermined distance with respect to the movement direction. It is preferable to have one restricting part and a second restricting part.

  According to the image reading apparatus configured as described above, since the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion are in the positions as described above, if the support swings, the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion together with the support. As the restricting portion is also displaced, the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion are brought into contact with or separated from the guide portion.

  Accordingly, the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion are in contact with the guide portion when the support member swings to a predetermined position where the arrangement direction of the reading elements and the moving direction of the support member obliquely intersect each other. If the positions of the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion are set, the support can be easily positioned at the predetermined position as described above.

  In the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the support is separated from the guide portion when the support is swung in the first swing direction, while the support is in the second swing direction. When swinging, if the support swings to a predetermined position where the arrangement direction and the moving direction cross obliquely, the support comes into contact with the guide portion, and the support further moves in the second swing direction. A restricting portion is provided for restricting swinging to a position where the restricting portion is located on both sides of the guide portion with respect to the arrangement direction, and at a position shifted by a predetermined distance with respect to the moving direction. A first restricting portion and a second restricting portion that contact the guide portion, wherein the first abutting portion, the second abutting portion, the first restricting portion, and the second restricting portion are arranged in the arrangement direction and When viewed from a vertical direction perpendicular to the moving direction, A straight line connecting said as one contact portion second contact portion, and a straight line connecting the said first stop portion and the second restricting portion is preferably disposed at the intersection.

  According to the image reading apparatus configured as described above, the first contact portion, the second contact portion, the first restriction portion, and the second restriction portion are in the positions as described above. Therefore, compared with the case where each part is arrange | positioned in the position which the straight line which connects a 1st contact part and a 2nd contact part, and the straight line which connects a 1st control part and a 2nd control part do not cross | intersect, a support body The arrangement range of each part can be made compact with respect to the moving direction.

  In the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the support has a structure in which a slider portion that slides along the guide portion while being in contact with the guide portion is attached to a carriage portion to which the image sensor is attached. Preferably, the slider part is formed of a material having higher slidability than the carriage part, and the contact part and the restricting part are integrally formed on the slider part with the same material as the slider part. .

  According to the image reading apparatus configured as described above, the material forming the carriage part and the slider part is made of different materials as described above. Therefore, the performance of the carriage part and the slider part can be optimized and the wear resistance of the abutting part and the restricting part can be improved as compared with the case where the entire support is integrally formed of either one of the materials. .

  In the image reading apparatus according to the present invention, the image forming apparatus includes a conveyance unit that conveys the document along a predetermined conveyance path, and when the image of the document conveyed by the conveyance unit is read, the support is stationary at a predetermined reading position. Further, when the support is moved to the reading position, a force for swinging the support in the first swinging direction is applied as the support hits. Preferably, the support body includes an abutting portion, and the support body is swung to a position where the arrangement direction and the moving direction are orthogonal to each other by receiving a force from the abutting portion when abutting against the abutting portion. .

  According to the image reading apparatus configured as described above, when the support moves to the reading position, the support comes into contact with the abutting portion, and the support is arranged in the arrangement direction of the reading elements and the moving direction of the support. Oscillates to a position where and are orthogonal to each other. Accordingly, when reading an image of a document conveyed by the conveyance unit, the support can be positioned at an appropriate position, and the reading quality of the image of the document can be improved.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the entire multifunction peripheral. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the multifunction machine. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of a scanner unit and an ADF unit. The top view which shows a scanner unit. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematic structure of a scanner unit and an ADF unit. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of a guide part and a slider part vicinity. Explanatory drawing which shows the contact state with respect to the inclination of the support body which moves to a 1st direction, and a guide part. Explanatory drawing which shows the contact state with respect to the inclination of the support body which moves to a 2nd direction, and a guide part. Explanatory drawing which shows the change of the inclination of a support body when it hits against an abutting part. Explanatory drawing which shows another example of a slider part.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with an example. The image reading apparatus exemplified in the present embodiment is configured as a multi-function peripheral that has other functions (for example, a print function, a copy function, a facsimile transmission / reception function, etc.) in addition to a function (scan function) as an image reading apparatus. Is. In the following description, in order to briefly explain the relative positional relationship of each part of the multi-function peripheral, description will be made by using the respective directions of up, down, left, right, and front, which are also shown in the drawing.

[Machine structure]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 1 includes a main unit 2, a scanner unit 3 mounted on the upper side of the main unit 2, and an ADF unit 4 mounted on the upper side of the scanner unit 3. An operation panel 6 that is operated by a user is provided on the upper front side of the main unit 2. At the bottom of the main unit 2, paper feed cassettes 8 </ b> A and 8 </ b> B that store recording media before printing are mounted.

  Among these, the main unit 2 is provided with a control unit 11, an image forming unit 12, a LAN communication unit 13, a PSTN communication unit 14 and the like in addition to the operation panel 6 described above, as shown in FIG.

  The control unit 11 includes a known CPU 11A, ROM 11B, RAM 11C, NVRAM 11D, interface unit 11E, and the like. The CPU 11A executes a predetermined process according to a control program stored in the ROM 11B or the RAM 11C, and thereby controls each part of the multifunction device 1.

  The image forming unit 12 includes an electrophotographic or inkjet printing mechanism. The LAN communication unit 13 includes a communication interface device compatible with a wireless LAN and a communication interface device compatible with a wired LAN. The PSTN communication unit 14 includes various devices necessary for connection to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) such as a FAX modem and a voice CODEC.

  On the operation panel 6, an input device (for example, a touch panel, various buttons, and switches) that is operated when the user gives various commands to the multifunction device 1, an operation state of the multifunction device 1, and the like to the user. An output device (for example, a liquid crystal display device) for notification is provided.

  The scanner unit 3 includes a line-type image sensor 21 having a plurality of reading elements, and a support body 23 that supports the image sensor 21. The scanner unit 3 includes a motor 25, a gear mechanism 27 driven by the motor 25, a timing belt 29 driven by the gear mechanism 27, and the like. Has been. The motor 25 operates by receiving a drive signal from a motor drive unit 11F provided in the interface unit 11E of the control unit 11. The power generated by the motor 25 is transmitted to the support 23 via the gear mechanism 27 and the timing belt 29, and as a result, the support 23 moves in the left-right direction together with the image sensor 21.

  The ADF unit 4 includes transport rollers 31 to 39 that transport a document along a predetermined transport path. Further, the ADF unit 4 is provided with a motor 41 and a gear mechanism 43 driven by the motor 41. The motor 41 operates by receiving a drive signal from the motor drive unit 11G provided in the interface unit 11E of the control unit 11. The power generated by the motor 41 is transmitted to the transport rollers 31 to 39 via the gear mechanism 43. Of the transport rollers 31 to 39, some of the rollers are drive rollers that are directly driven by the gear mechanism 43, and the remaining some rollers are driven rollers or driven rollers that rotate following the document. ing.

[Details of scanner unit and ADF unit]
As shown in FIG. 1, a cover member 51 is provided on the upper portion of the scanner unit 3, and a platen glass 53 is attached to the cover member 51. The cover member 51 includes a frame portion 51A that surrounds the four sides of the platen glass 53, and a partition portion 51B that partitions the upper surface of the platen glass 53 into a first region 53A and a second region 53B. In the present embodiment, the platen glass 53 is configured as a single sheet and is divided into the first region 53A and the second region 53B by the partition portion 51B. However, the first region 53A and the second region 53B are divided. You may comprise by separate platen glass.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ADF unit 4 is attached to the scanner unit 3 so as to be openable and closable via a pair of hinge portions 55 provided at positions separated in the left-right direction. When the ADF unit 4 is opened, the upper surface of the platen glass 53 is exposed to the outside as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the ADF unit 4 is closed, the ADF unit 4 functions as a cover that covers the upper surface of the platen glass 53.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the image sensor 21, the support member 23, the timing belt 29, and the like are disposed inside the scanner unit 3. In FIG. 4, the state in which the image sensor 21 has moved to the position P1 together with the support 23 and the state to have moved to the position P2 are shown.

  In the present embodiment, the image sensor 21 is a contact image sensor (CIS). A plurality of reading elements included in the image sensor 21 are arranged in the front-rear direction in the multifunction machine 1. Hereinafter, the front-rear direction which is the arrangement direction of the reading elements is also referred to as a main scanning direction.

  On the upper surface side of the base portion 3A provided in the scanner unit 3, a guide portion 61 extending in the left-right direction is provided. When the timing belt 29 is driven, the support 23 moves in the left-right direction along the guide portion 61. Hereinafter, the horizontal direction that is the moving direction of the image sensor 21 and the support 23 is also referred to as a sub-scanning direction.

  Spacers 63 interposed between the image sensor 21 and the platen glass 53 are attached near both ends of the image sensor 21 in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIGS. A compression spring 65 is interposed between the support 23 and the image sensor 21 as shown in FIG.

  The image sensor 21 and the spacer 63 are constantly pressed toward the platen glass 53 by the compression spring 65. Therefore, even when the support 23 moves slightly up and down when the support 23 moves, the state in which the spacer 63 abuts on the lower surface of the platen glass 53 is maintained, and the image sensor 21 is parallel to the lower surface of the platen glass 53. Move to.

  In the scanner unit 3, as shown in FIG. 5, a reference member 67 is incorporated on the lower surface of the partition portion 51 </ b> B that the cover member 51 has. The reference member 67 is a member formed so that a white portion and a black portion form a predetermined pattern. When reading an image, the reference member 67 is used to correct the origin position of the image sensor 21 and to perform shading correction. The reference member 67 is read by the sensor 21.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of transport rollers 31 to 39 described above are provided inside the ADF unit 4. When these transport rollers 31 to 39 are operated, the original can be transported along a predetermined transport path (path indicated by a broken line in FIG. 5).

  When the multifunction device 1 is used as an ADF type image scanner, in the scanner unit 3, the image sensor 21 moves to a position P1 in FIG. 4 and stops (hereinafter, the position P1 is also referred to as a reading position P1). Further, in the ADF unit 4, the transport rollers 31 to 39 transport the original along the transport path described above.

  The conveyed document passes in the left-right direction at a position in contact with the second region 53B of the platen glass 53 in the middle of the conveyance path. At this position, a document presser 71 is provided. When the conveyed document passes through a position where the document retainer 71 is located, the document retainer 71 presses the document toward the second region 53 </ b> B to bring the document into close contact with the second region 53 </ b> B of the platen glass 53. The image sensor 21 at the reading position P1 faces the second region 53B and the document presser 71. In this state, the image sensor 21 can read the image of the document passing through the reading position P1 with the reading elements arranged in the main scanning direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, an elastic member 73 is provided on the lower surface of the ADF unit 4 at a position in contact with the first region 53 </ b> A of the platen glass 53 when the ADF unit 4 is closed. The elastic member 73 is a laminate in which the upper layer is a foamed resin layer and the lower layer is a resin film layer.

  When the multifunction machine 1 is used as a flatbed image scanner, a document is placed on the first area 53 </ b> A of the platen glass 53. If necessary, the ADF unit 4 is closed. At this time, the elastic member 73 presses the document placed on the first region 53 </ b> A from above, thereby bringing the document into close contact with the first region 53 </ b> A of the platen glass 53. In this state, the image sensor 21 moves in the sub scanning direction together with the support 23.

  In the present embodiment, the image sensor 21 is placed on the first region 53A of the platen glass 53 within a predetermined reading range A1 when moving forward to the right (first movement direction in the present invention). The original image is read by reading elements arranged in the main scanning direction. Thereafter, when the image reading is finished, the image sensor 21 returns to the left (second movement direction in the present invention) and returns to the initial position.

[Details of Support and Guide]
As shown in FIG. 6, the guide portion 61 is a sheet metal part that is pressed so that a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is substantially L-shaped. The guide portion 61 includes a first portion 61A, which is a planar portion parallel to both the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, and a second portion 61B formed by bending a portion continuing from the lower end of the first portion 61A in the left-right direction. And have. The vertical dimension of the first part 61A is smaller than the horizontal dimension of the second part 61B.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the support body 23 includes a carriage portion 81 and a slider portion 83 attached to the bottom portion of the carriage portion 81. The slider portion 83 is provided in the vicinity of the center of the carriage portion 81 in the main scanning direction, and is formed of a material having higher slidability than the carriage portion 81. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the carriage portion 81 is made of ABS resin, and the slider portion 83 is made of polyacetal resin (POM).

  A connecting portion 85 that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the carriage portion 81 is provided at a position on the right side of the slider portion 83. The connecting portion 85 is integrally formed with the carriage portion 81. The connecting portion 85 is connected to the timing belt 29. When the timing belt 29 is driven, the connecting portion 85 is pulled by the timing belt 29 and the support 23 moves in the sub-scanning direction. The connecting portion 85 may be formed separately from the carriage portion 81 and assembled and fixed.

  The slider portion 83 includes a first positioning portion 91 that contacts the first portion 61 </ b> A of the guide portion 61 and a second positioning portion 92 that contacts the second portion 61 </ b> B of the guide portion 61. The first positioning portion 91 is in contact with both side surfaces of the first portion 61A so as to sandwich the first portion 61A from both sides in the left-right direction, and restricts the support 23 from being displaced in the left-right direction. The second positioning portion 92 is in contact with the upper surface of the second portion 61B and restricts the support 23 from being displaced downward.

  The slider portion 83 has a shape that forms an air gap 93 between the upper end of the first portion 61A of the guide portion 61 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the load from the support body 23 is not applied to the upper end of the first portion 61A, and the load from the support body 23 acts on the upper surface of the second portion 61B via the second positioning portion 92.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C and FIGS. 8A to 8C, the first positioning portion 91 includes a first contact portion 91A, a second contact portion 91B, A first restricting portion 91C and a second restricting portion 91D are provided. The first contact portion 91A, the second contact portion 91B, the first restricting portion 91C, and the second restricting portion 91D are integrally formed with the slider portion 83. The first contact portion 91A, the second contact portion 91B, the first restriction portion 91C, and the second restriction portion 91D may be formed separately from the slider portion 83 and assembled and fixed. Good.

  The first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B are located on both sides of the first portion 61A of the guide portion 61 in the front-rear direction, and are shifted by a predetermined distance in the left-right direction. The first restricting portion 91C and the second restricting portion 91D are also at positions on both sides of the first portion 61A of the guide portion 61 in the front-rear direction and at positions shifted by a predetermined distance in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, the support 23 is parallel to both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction with the intersection of the support 23 and the guide portion 61 as the center. It is supported on the guide part 61 so as to be able to swing relative to the guide part 61 along the surface.

  The timing belt 29 causes a driving force to act on the support 23 at a position separated from the intersection of the support 23 and the guide portion 61 toward the rear of the apparatus. Accordingly, when the support 23 is moved to the right (first movement direction in the present invention) in a plan view as shown in FIG. 7A, the support 23 is rotated clockwise (the present invention). In the first swing direction). When the support 23 is moved to the left (second movement direction in the present invention), as shown in FIG. 8A, the support 23 is rotated counterclockwise (second swing in the present invention). Oscillate in the movement direction).

  When the support body 23 is swung clockwise, the first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B are moved to the first portion 61A of the guide portion 61 as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (c). Abut. In this state, the first restricting portion 91C and the second restricting portion 91D are separated from the first portion 61A of the guide portion 61 and are in a non-contact state.

  The first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B are a first position where the arrangement direction of the reading elements included in the image sensor 21 and the sub-scanning direction are orthogonal to each other (solid line in FIG. 7A, FIG. 8A). When the support 23 swings up to the position indicated by a two-dot chain line in the middle, it abuts against the guide portion 61 and restricts further swinging of the support 23 clockwise.

  On the other hand, when the support body 23 is swung counterclockwise, the first restricting portion 91C and the second restricting portion 91D are connected to the first guide portion 61 as shown in FIGS. It abuts against a portion 61A. In this state, the first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B are separated from the first portion 61A of the guide portion 61 and are in a non-contact state.

  The first restricting portion 91C and the second restricting portion 91D are arranged at a second position where the arrangement direction of the reading elements included in the image sensor 21 and the sub-scanning direction obliquely intersect (solid line in FIG. 8A, FIG. 7A). When the support 23 swings up to the position indicated by a two-dot chain line in the middle, it abuts against the guide portion 61 and restricts further swinging of the support 23 counterclockwise.

  Since the support body 23 has the above-described structure, the position where the guide portion 61 contacts the first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B, the first restriction portion 91C, and the second restriction portion. The guide portion 61 can swing between the portion 91D and the contact position. For this reason, when the support 23 receives the driving force from the timing belt 29 and moves to the right, the arrangement direction of the reading elements provided in the image sensor 21 is in a state orthogonal to the movement direction of the support 23. . Accordingly, the image sensor 21 can appropriately read an image with the arrangement direction as the main scanning direction and the movement direction as the sub-scanning direction.

  On the other hand, when the support 23 is moved to the left by receiving the driving force from the timing belt 29, the arrangement direction of the reading elements included in the image sensor 21 is in a state where it crosses the moving direction of the support 23 obliquely. Become. In this case, the arrangement direction is inclined with respect to the movement direction, but there is no problem because the image is not read.

  Further, when the support body 23 moves to the left, the first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B are separated from the guide portion 61, so that the first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B are worn. Is suppressed. Therefore, compared with the case where the first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B are always in contact with the guide portion 61, the positioning accuracy by the first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B is extended over a longer period. Can be maintained.

  Further, the cover member 51 is provided with an abutting portion 95 as shown in FIGS. The abutting portion 95 is provided at a position on the opposite side of the guide portion 61 with the connecting portion 85 in between in a plan view.

  As described above, when the support 23 moves to the left, the arrangement direction of the reading elements included in the image sensor 21 is not coincident with the front-rear direction (see FIG. 9A). However, when the support 23 reaches the reading position P1 (see FIG. 4), if the support 23 hits the abutting portion 95, the abutting portion 95 rotates clockwise with respect to the support 23 (first swinging direction). ) Add a rocking force. As a result, the support 23 swings to a position where the arrangement direction and the movement direction are orthogonal to each other. Thereby, the support body 23 can make the arrangement | sequence direction of the reading element with which the image sensor 21 is provided appropriately correspond with the front-back direction in the reading position P1.

  By the way, the first contact portion 91A, the second contact portion 91B, the first restricting portion 91C, and the second restricting portion 91D described above are viewed in plan as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 8 (a). In the state, the straight line connecting the first contact part 91A and the second contact part 91B and the straight line connecting the first restriction part 91C and the second restriction part 91D are arranged at intersecting positions.

  Therefore, the distance between the first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B and the distance between the first restriction portion 91C and the second restriction portion 91D are sufficiently secured in the moving direction of the support body 23. However, the structure of the slider part 83 can be made compact.

  Incidentally, as the same kind of slider portion, as in the slider portion 97 illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the first protrusion portion 98A, the second protrusion portion 98B, the third protrusion portion 98C, You can think of something with

  Even in such a slider portion 97, if it is swung clockwise as shown in FIG. 10A, the first protrusion portion 98 </ b> A and the second protrusion portion 98 </ b> B abut against the guide portion 61, and the support 23 is Swing to the first position. 10B, if the second protrusion 98B and the third protrusion second are brought into contact with the guide 61, and the support 23 is swung to the second position. Move. Therefore, the first protrusion 98A, the second protrusion 98B, and the third protrusion 98C can also realize a structure in which the support 23 swings between two positions.

  However, the first protrusion 98A, the second protrusion 98B, and the third protrusion 98C are different from the slider part 83, and are “a straight line connecting the first contact part 91A and the second contact part 91B. , The straight line connecting the first restricting portion 91C and the second restricting portion 91D is arranged at an intersecting position.

  Therefore, in the moving direction, the distance between the first protrusion 98A and the second protrusion 98B is made equal to the distance between the first contact 91A and the second contact 91B, and the second If the distance between the protruding portion 98B and the third protruding portion 98C is made equal to the distance between the first restricting portion 91C and the second restricting portion 91D, the first protruding portion 98A and the third protruding portion 98C The distance between them is larger than the distance between the first contact portion 91A and the second restricting portion 91D. Therefore, the horizontal dimension of the slider part 97 is larger than the slider part 83 demonstrated previously, and it becomes a structure lacking in compactness.

  Alternatively, the horizontal dimension of the slider part 97 can be made equal to the slider part 83 described above, but in that case, the distance between the first protrusion part 98A and the second protrusion part 98B, and the first The distance between the two protruding portions 98B and the third protruding portion 98C is correspondingly shortened. When each of these distances is shortened, the positioning accuracy of the swinging position of the support 23 is likely to be lowered.

  Therefore, in order to reduce the size in the left-right direction and increase the positioning accuracy with respect to the swinging position of the support 23, it is preferable to use the structure like the slider part 83 rather than the structure like the slider part 97. It is advantageous.

[effect]
As described above, according to the above-described multifunction device 1, in any case, when the support 23 is stationary at the reading position P <b> 1, or when the support 23 moves to the right, the reading element array of the image sensor 21 is arranged. The direction can be properly directed in the front-rear direction. Further, when the support 23 moves to the left, the first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B are separated from the guide portion 61 by separating the first contact portion 91A and the second contact portion 91B. Wear can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the multifunction device 1, all of the first contact portion 91 </ b> A, the second contact portion 91 </ b> B, the first restriction portion 91 </ b> C, and the second restriction portion 91 </ b> D are not in contact with the guide portion 61. Therefore, compared to the case where all of them are in contact with the guide portion 61, when the support 23 is assembled to the guide portion 61, the assembly of the support 23 is easy to perform, and productivity and maintainability are improved. To do.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said specific one Embodiment, In addition, it can implement with a various form.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the guide portion 61 is a sheet metal part has been shown, but the configuration of the present invention can also be adopted when a metal guide shaft is employed as the guide portion.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the image reading device configured as a multifunction device is illustrated as an example of the image reading device of the present invention. However, whether or not the image reading device is configured as a multifunction device is arbitrary, and single-function image reading is performed. The configuration of the present invention may be adopted in an apparatus, a copier, a facsimile machine, and the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... MFP, 2 ... Main body unit, 3 ... Scanner unit, 3A ... Base part, 4 ... ADF unit, 6 ... Operation panel, 8A ... Paper feed cassette, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Control part, 11A ... CPU, 11B ... ROM, 11C ... RAM, 11D ... NVRAM, 11E ... Interface part, 11F, 11G ... Motor drive part, 12. ..Image forming part, 13 ... LAN communication part, 14 ... PSTN communication part, 21 ... image sensor, 23 ... support, 25,41 ... motor, 27,43 ... Gear mechanism, 29 ... Timing belt, 31-39 ... Conveying roller, 51 ... Cover member, 51A ... Frame part, 51B ... Partition part, 53 ... Platen glass, 53A ...・ First area, 53B ・-2nd area | region, 55 ... hinge part, 61 ... guide part, 61A ... 1st part, 61B ... 2nd part, 63 ... spacer, 65 ... compression spring, 67 ... Reference member 71 ... Document holder 73 ... Elastic member 81 ... Carriage part 83, 97 ... Slider part 85 ... Connecting part 91 ... First positioning part 91A ... 1st contact part, 91B ... 2nd contact part, 91C ... 1st control part, 91D ... 2nd control part, 92 ... 2nd positioning part, 93 ... A gap, 95... Abutting portion, 98A... First projecting portion, 98B... Second projecting portion, 98C.

Claims (8)

A placement section on which a document is placed;
A reading unit for reading an image of the document;
With
The reading unit is
An image sensor having a plurality of reading elements arranged in a predetermined arrangement direction;
A support that supports the image sensor and is capable of reciprocating with the image sensor in a moving direction that intersects the arrangement direction;
A guide portion that guides the support body in the moving direction by contacting the support body when the support body moves in the moving direction;
A drive unit that reciprocates the support in the movement direction,
When the image sensor reciprocates together with the support, when moving in the first movement direction with either the forward movement direction or the backward movement direction as the first movement direction and the other as the second movement direction, It is configured to read an image of a document placed on the placement unit within a predetermined reading range,
The guide portion has a planar portion parallel to both the moving direction and the vertical direction, with a direction perpendicular to both the arrangement direction and the moving direction as a vertical direction,
The support body can swing relative to the guide section along a plane parallel to both the arrangement direction and the moving direction, with the intersection of the support body and the guide section as a center. In a state, supported on the guide part,
When the drive unit moves the support body in the first movement direction by applying a driving force to the support body at a position separated from the intersection, the drive body moves the support body in the first swinging direction. When the support is moved in the second movement direction, the support is swung in a second swing direction that is opposite to the first swing direction.
When the support body swings in the first swing direction, the support body abuts on the planar portion of the guide portion , while the support body swings in the second swing direction. In some cases, a contact portion that is separated from the planar portion of the guide portion is provided,
The abutting portion, said when the support is swung into the first swing direction, the moving direction and the said support to a position where said movement direction to the arrangement direction of the reading device is perpendicular to swing An image reading apparatus that abuts against the planar portion of the guide portion at a position parallel to both of the vertical directions , and further restricts the support member from swinging in the first swing direction. The drive unit includes a power source, and a timing belt that is circulated and driven by power transmitted from the power source,
The support body is coupled to the timing belt at a position separated from the intersection, and swings in the first swing direction or the second swing direction according to a driving direction of the timing belt. Item 2. The image reading apparatus according to Item 1. The abutting portions are a first abutting portion and a second abutting portion that abut on the guide portion at positions on both sides of the guide portion with respect to the arrangement direction and at a position shifted by a predetermined distance with respect to the moving direction. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a contact portion. The support body is separated from the guide portion when the support body swings in the first swinging direction, and when the support body swings in the second swinging direction, When the support body and the guide portion are displaced to a predetermined position not orthogonal to each other, a restricting portion is provided that contacts the guide portion and restricts further swinging of the support body in the second swing direction. The image reading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The restricting portion includes a first restricting portion and a second restricting portion that are in contact with the guide portion at positions on both sides of the guide portion with respect to the arrangement direction and at a position shifted by a predetermined distance with respect to the moving direction. The image reading apparatus according to claim 4. The support body is separated from the guide portion when the support body swings in the first swinging direction, and when the support body swings in the second swinging direction, When the support body and the guide portion are displaced to a predetermined position not orthogonal to each other, a restricting portion is provided that contacts the guide portion and restricts swinging in the second swinging direction.
The restricting portion includes a first restricting portion and a second restricting portion that are in contact with the guide portion at positions on both sides of the guide portion with respect to the arrangement direction and at a position shifted by a predetermined distance with respect to the moving direction. Have
The first abutment portion, the second abutment portion, the first restriction portion, and the second restriction portion, when viewed from a vertical direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction and the movement direction, The image according to claim 3, wherein a straight line connecting the one contact part and the second contact part and a straight line connecting the first restriction part and the second restriction part are arranged at an intersecting position. Reader. The support has a structure in which a slider portion that slides along the guide portion while being in contact with the guide portion is attached to a carriage portion to which the image sensor is attached.
The slider part is formed of a material having higher slidability than the carriage part,
The image reading device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the contact portion and the restriction portion are formed integrally with the slider portion using the same material as the slider portion. A placement section on which a document is placed;
A reading unit for reading an image of the document;
With
The reading unit is
An image sensor having a plurality of reading elements arranged in a predetermined arrangement direction;
A support that supports the image sensor and is capable of reciprocating with the image sensor in a moving direction that intersects the arrangement direction;
A guide portion that guides the support body in the moving direction by contacting the support body when the support body moves in the moving direction;
A drive unit for reciprocating the support in the moving direction;
With
When the image sensor reciprocates together with the support, when moving in the first movement direction with either the forward movement direction or the backward movement direction as the first movement direction and the other as the second movement direction, It is configured to read an image of a document placed on the placement unit within a predetermined reading range,
The support body can swing relative to the guide section along a plane parallel to both the arrangement direction and the moving direction, with the intersection of the support body and the guide section as a center. In a state, supported on the guide part,
When the drive unit moves the support body in the first movement direction by applying a driving force to the support body at a position separated from the intersection, the drive body moves the support body in the first swinging direction. When the support is moved in the second movement direction, the support is swung in a second swing direction that is opposite to the first swing direction.
The support body abuts on the guide portion when the support body swings in the first swinging direction, and the guide body when the support body swings in the second swinging direction. A contact portion that is spaced apart from the portion is provided,
When the support swings in the first swing direction, the abutting portion contacts the guide portion when the support swings to a position where the arrangement direction of the reading elements and the moving direction are orthogonal to each other. In contact with it, the support body is further restricted from swinging in the first swing direction,
A transport unit that transports the original along a predetermined transport path;
When reading an image of a document conveyed by the conveyance unit, the support is configured to be stationary at a predetermined reading position,
further,
An abutting portion that applies a force to swing the support in the first swinging direction as the support hits when the support moves to the reading position;
The support is swung to a position where the arrangement direction of the reading elements and the moving direction are orthogonal to each other by receiving a force from the abutting portion when abutting against the abutting portion.
Images reader.

Images