JP6131581B2 - Image reading apparatus, image reading method, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus, an image reading method, and an image forming apparatus.

  Conventionally, for the purpose of shortening the waiting time of the user, a reading traveling body that is equipped with a reading optical system for reading an image of a document and is movable in the sub-scanning direction before receiving a reading start instruction from the user ( Hereinafter, a technique is known in which the position of “carriage” (which may be referred to as “carriage”) is set to a reading reference position (hereinafter also referred to as “home position”) indicating a position serving as a reference for reading operation. Yes.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which the carriage position is maintained at the home position in a standby state where no reading operation is performed. In Patent Document 1, power is supplied to the scanner motor to fix the position of the carriage so that the home position does not shift due to disturbance or the like.

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the power supply to the scanner motor is stopped (for example, when shifting to the energy saving mode), the power supply to the scanner motor is stopped at the home position. There is no guarantee that it is fixed. Therefore, when the power supply to the scanner motor is resumed, it is necessary to perform an operation of moving the carriage position to the home position (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “homing operation”) before the reading operation. In the technique disclosed in No. 1, since the relationship between the current position of the carriage and the home position cannot be grasped, the carriage is temporarily moved from the home position to the direction of reading the document image, and then the reverse operation is performed. (The carriage is reciprocated). For this reason, there is a problem that the driving time becomes long and the waiting time of the user increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide an image reading apparatus, an image reading method, and an image forming apparatus that can reduce the waiting time of a user.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention is equipped with a reading traveling unit that is equipped with a reading optical system for reading an image of a document and is movable in the sub-scanning direction, and drives the reading traveling unit. Each time the driving means and the reading operation indicating the image reading operation of the original are completed , the reading travel means is moved to a retracted position indicating a position different from a reading reference position indicating a position serving as a reference of the reading operation. A first control unit that performs control to stop power supply to the driving unit by moving, and starts the reading operation that is different from an instruction to start the reading operation in a state where power supply to the driving unit is stopped When a start factor indicating a factor to detect is detected, power supply to the driving unit is started, and control is performed to move the reading travel unit to the reading reference position. And control means, an image reading apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a.

In addition, the present invention provides a reading traveling means that is mounted with the reading optical system and is movable in the sub-scanning direction every time a reading operation by the reading optical system for reading an image of a document is completed. A first control step for performing control to stop power supply to the driving means for driving the reading travel means after moving to a retracted position showing a position different from the reading reference position indicating the position, and for the driving means In a state where power supply is stopped, when a start factor indicating a factor for starting the reading operation, which is different from the reading operation start instruction, is detected, power supply to the driving unit is started, and the reading traveling unit is And a second control step for controlling the movement to the reading reference position.

  According to the present invention, there is an advantageous effect that the waiting time of the user can be shortened.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mechanical configuration of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control system of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship between the home position sensor and the filler at the retracted position. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mechanical configuration of the image reading apparatus when the carriage is in the retracted position. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship between the home position sensor and the filler at the home position. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a comparison with the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus equipped with the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an image reading apparatus, an image reading method, and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mechanical configuration of an image reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. The image reading apparatus 100 is a scanner device or a single scanner device mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a digital copying machine, a digital multifunction peripheral, or a facsimile machine. The image reading apparatus 100 reads an image of a document with a CCD or a CMOS sensor and outputs an image signal. It has a function of converting to a digital signal and processing it.

  More specifically, the image reading apparatus 100 includes an ADF 200 that is an automatic document feeder, a contact glass 1 on which an original 12 to be read is placed, a flat bed 11, and a reading for reading an image on the original 12. A carriage 38 mounted with an optical system and movable in the sub-scanning direction A, a guide rod 41 for guiding the movement of the carriage 38, a scanner motor 42 for driving the carriage 38, a home position sensor 50, and reading optics At least a white reference plate 13 used for correcting various distortions due to the system and the like and a reading slit 15 are provided. In this example, the carriage 38 corresponds to “reading travel means” in the claims, and the scanner motor 42 corresponds to “drive means” in the claims.

  The carriage 38 includes a light source 2, a first reflection mirror 30, a second reflection mirror 31, a third reflection mirror 32, a fourth reflection mirror 33, a fifth reflection mirror 34, a lens unit 35, a CCD / A CMOS linear image sensor (hereinafter referred to as “CCD / CMOS sensor”) 36 and a sensor board 37 on which the CCD / CMOS sensor 36 is mounted are provided.

  When the image surface which is the lower surface of the document 12 on the contact glass 1 is illuminated (exposed) by the light source 2 of the carriage 38, the reflected light from the image surface is reflected by the first reflection mirror 30 and the second reflection mirror 31 of the carriage 38. The third reflection mirror 32, the fourth reflection mirror 33, the fifth reflection mirror 34, and the lens unit 35 are sequentially sent to the CCD / CMOS sensor 36 to form an image. Then, an image signal is output by photoelectric conversion of the CCD / CMOS sensor 36 and converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter on the sensor board 37. As a result, the image of the document 12 is read and digital image data (digital image data) is obtained. In this example, the light source 2, the first to fifth reflecting mirrors (30 to 34), the lens unit 35, and the CCD / CMOS sensor 36 may be regarded as corresponding to the “reading optical system” in the claims. it can.

  A positioning filler (hereinafter referred to as “filler”) 20 is formed on the carriage 38. The role of the filler 20 will be described later.

  The ADF 200 includes a document tray 201, a document detection sensor 18, and rollers 16 and 17. The document tray 201 serves as a document placement table on which a document bundle composed of a plurality of documents 12 can be placed. The document detection sensor 18 is a sensor for detecting whether or not the document 12 is placed on the document tray 201. The rollers 16 and 17 convey the document 12 placed on the document tray 201 toward the reading slit 15 (in the example of FIG. 1, it guides in the B direction).

  In the example of FIG. 1, the ADF 200 functions as a pressure plate for pressing the document 12 on the contact glass 1. On the contact glass 1, a pressure plate opening / closing sensor 21 for detecting opening / closing of the pressure plate (ADF 200) is provided. Here, the state in which the ADF 200 is “open” refers to a state in which the ADF 200 cannot press the document 12 on the contact glass 1 (a state in which the function as a pressure plate cannot be exhibited), and the state in which the ADF 200 is “closed”. A state in which the ADF 200 can press the document 12 on the contact glass 1 (a state in which the function as a pressure plate can be exhibited) is indicated. That is, the pressure plate opening / closing sensor 21 can be regarded as a sensor that can detect whether or not the ADF 200 is in a state where the document 12 on the contact glass 1 can be pressed.

  In the image reading apparatus 100 configured as described above, an ADF-type reading operation (hereinafter referred to as “ADF reading operation”) for reading an image of the document 12 conveyed toward the reading slit 15 by the ADF 200 is performed. In this case, the position of the carriage 38 is set to the home position, and the image of the document 12 conveyed by the ADF 200 is read at the reading position C at the home position. In the example of FIG. 1, the position of the carriage 38 is set to the home position.

  When a flat bed type reading operation (hereinafter referred to as “FB reading operation”) for reading an image of the original 12 with the original 12 placed on the contact glass 1 in advance is performed, the scanner motor 42 When the driving power is transmitted to the driving belt 40 via the idler pulley 39, the carriage 38 moves in the sub-scanning direction A from the home position and reads the image of the document 12. In this example, the sub-scanning direction A indicates the direction in which the image of the document 12 is read from the home position. Here, the direction opposite to the sub-scanning direction A is referred to as a home position direction D.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining an example of a control system of the image reading apparatus 100. The control CPU 61 comprehensively controls the operation of the entire image reading apparatus 100. For example, the control CPU 61 controls a homing operation, initialization processing such as adjustment of signal processing characteristics of a read image, a reading operation indicating an operation of reading an image of the document 12, and the like. In the example of FIG. 2, the control CPU 61 performs various image processing on the digital image data from the sensor driver 37 and the motor driver 62 that controls the scanner motor 42 that drives the carriage 38 on which the reading optical system is mounted. An image processing unit 68 to be applied and an NVRAM (nonvolatile storage unit) 69 for storing data necessary for controlling the initialization process are placed under the control. The control CPU 61 receives detection signals from the home position sensor 50, the document detection sensor 18, and the pressure plate opening / closing sensor 21, and performs various controls based on the received detection signals.

  The image processing unit 68 performs image processing such as shading processing, gamma correction processing, scaling processing, and filter processing necessary for performing output processing such as drawing processing on the digital image data sent from the sensor board 37, and prints. In addition to sending to a writing unit that performs output processing, the black level necessary for obtaining an adjustment value for performing clamp / gain correction in the signal processing unit of the read image on the sensor board 37 from the sent digital image data. The white level data is detected, and the detected value is output to the control CPU 61 for feedback operation.

  The scanner motor 42 is composed of a motor driven by applying a drive pulse, and the motor driver 62 outputs a drive pulse to be applied to the scanner motor 42 under the control of the control CPU 61.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of functions related to the homing operation among the functions of the image reading apparatus 100. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the image reading apparatus 100 includes at least a first control unit 101 and a second control unit 102.

  When the reading operation is completed, the first control unit 101 performs control to stop the power supply to the scanner motor 42 after moving the carriage 38 to the retracted position indicating a position different from the home position. In the following description, the state of the image reading apparatus 100 at this time (the state in which power supply to the scanner motor 42 is stopped after the carriage 38 is moved to the retracted position) may be referred to as a reading standby state. In this example, the first control unit 101 corresponds to “first control means” in the claims.

  When the power supply to the scanner motor 42 is stopped (in the reading standby state), the second control unit 102 detects a start factor indicating a factor for starting the reading operation, which is different from the reading operation start instruction. Power supply to the scanner motor 42 is started, and control is performed to move the carriage 38 to the home position (control to perform the homing operation). In this example, the second control unit 102 corresponds to “second control means” in the claims. In the present embodiment, the start factor is that the ADF 200 functioning as a pressure plate cannot press the document 12 on the contact glass 1. More specifically, the second control unit 102 is in a state in which the power supply to the scanner motor 42 is stopped, and the detection signal received from the pressure plate opening / closing sensor 21 is received before receiving a reading operation start instruction. When the ADF 200 is in an “open” state (the ADF 200 cannot press the document 12 on the contact glass 1), it is determined that the FB reading operation is likely to start soon. Power supply to the scanner motor 42 is started and control is performed so as to perform a homing operation.

  In the present embodiment, the start factor may be that the document 12 is placed on the document tray 201. More specifically, the second control unit 102 is in a state where the power supply to the scanner motor 42 is stopped, and the detection signal received from the document detection sensor 18 is received before receiving a reading operation start instruction. When it is indicated that the document 12 is placed on the document tray 201, it is determined that the ADF reading operation is likely to be started soon, and the power supply to the scanner motor 42 is started to perform the homing operation. Control.

  In the present embodiment, the control CPU 61 develops a program stored in a ROM (not shown) or the like on a RAM (not shown) and executes the program, whereby each of the first control unit 101 and the second control unit 102 described above is executed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, at least a part of the functions of the first control unit 101 and the second control unit 102 may be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship between the home position sensor 50 and the filler 20 formed on the carriage 38 at the retracted position. Here, the home position sensor 50 is configured by a photo interrupter including a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and at the home position, the filler 20 shields the slit 51 between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the home position sensor 50. . Whenever the reading operation is completed, the first control unit 101 moves the carriage 38 from the home position in the sub-scanning direction A, and the filler 20 lights the slit 51 between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the home position sensor 50. Stop at a certain distance from the position. The stop position of the carriage 38 at this time is the retracted position. Regarding the moving distance, the time from when the second control unit 102 detects the start factor until the carriage 38 is moved to the home position may be any distance that does not affect the reading operation start time. Can be set. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the mechanical configuration of the image reading apparatus 100 when the position of the carriage 38 is the retracted position. Compared to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the position of the carriage 38 has moved to the sub-scanning direction A side. That is, in the present embodiment, the retracted position is located on the side of reading the image of the document 12 from the home position (positioned on the sub-scanning direction A side).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating the positional relationship between the home position sensor 50 and the filler 20 at the home position. When the second control unit 102 detects the start factor in the state where the power supply to the scanner motor 42 is stopped, the second control unit 102 moves the carriage 38 from the retracted position in the home position direction D, and the filler 20 moves to the home position sensor. 50 is shielded from light and stopped at a certain distance. The stop position of the carriage 38 at this time is the home position. Here, the home position sensor 50 including a photo interrupter is used to control the home position. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide) is used. (Semiconductor) A configuration in which a home position is determined from a read image using a solid-state imaging device such as an image sensor may be used.

  As described above, in this embodiment, every time the reading operation is completed, the carriage 38 is moved from the home position to the retracted position on the sub-scanning direction A side, where the power supply to the scanner motor 42 is stopped. Therefore, it is assumed that the carriage 38 is positioned on the sub-scanning direction A side from the home position immediately before resuming the power supply. Therefore, when performing the homing operation, the carriage 38 may be moved in the home position direction D opposite to the sub-scanning direction A. That is, when performing the homing operation, it is only necessary to move the carriage 38 in a single direction, and it is not necessary to perform the reciprocating motion of the carriage 38. Therefore, the drive time of the carriage 38 in the homing operation can be shortened.

  In this embodiment, when a start factor different from the read operation start instruction is detected in the read standby state, it is determined that the read operation is likely to start soon, and the homing operation is performed. It is possible to complete the homing operation before accepting the start instruction from.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve an advantageous effect that the waiting time of the user can be shortened. In the present embodiment, when the reading operation is not performed, the power supply to the scanner motor 42 is stopped. Therefore, even when the reading operation is not performed, power is supplied to the scanner motor 42 so that the carriage 38 is moved to the home position. The power consumption can be reduced as compared with the configuration of fixing to. That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve both reduction of the waiting time of the user and reduction of power consumption.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the above-described retracted position is located on the side of reading the image of the document 12 from the home position (sub-scanning direction A side), there is no mechanical layout restriction on the amount of movement of the carriage 38. .

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the retracted position is set to a position in the home position direction (the direction opposite to the direction of reading the image of the document 12 from the home position) with respect to the home position, the carriage 38 Among them, there is a possibility that a part that does not fit in the image reading apparatus 100, such as an E part shown in FIG. In order to solve this problem, if the mechanical layout on the home position direction D side is widened, the size of the image reading apparatus 100 increases, which causes an increase in cost. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the retracted position is set to a position on the side of reading the image of the document 12 from the home position (sub scanning direction A side), so that the mechanical layout on the home position direction D side is widened. In addition, the carriage 38 can be accommodated in the image reading apparatus 100. Therefore, it is possible to achieve an advantageous effect that the cost can be reduced by suppressing the size increase of the apparatus.

  Next, an operation example of the image reading apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the image reading apparatus 100 when the document 12 is set from a state where the document 12 is not set on the document tray 201 (a state where the document 12 is not set). In this example, it is assumed that a read operation start instruction has not yet been received. As shown in FIG. 8, the control CPU 61 (second control unit 102) sets the original 12 from the state in which the original 12 is not placed on the original tray 201 based on the detection signal received from the original detection sensor 18. It is determined whether or not the state has been changed (step S1). When it is determined that the document 12 has been placed on the document tray 201 (step S1: YES), the control CPU 61 is in a state in which the detection signal received from the pressure plate opening / closing sensor 21 is “open” (the ADF 200 is in contact). Whether or not the document 12 on the glass 1 cannot be pressed is determined (step S2). When it is determined that the ADF 200 is in the “open” state (step S2: YES), the control CPU 61 ends the process without performing the homing operation.

  When it is determined in step S2 that the ADF 200 is not in the “open” state, that is, in the “closed” state (step S2: NO), the control CPU 61 determines whether or not the scanner motor 42 is being driven. Is determined (step S3). When it is determined that the scanner motor 42 is being driven (step S3: YES), the control CPU 61 ends the process without performing the homing operation. On the other hand, when it is determined that the scanner motor 42 is not being driven (step S3: NO), the control CPU 61 determines whether or not the position of the carriage 38 is the home position (step S4). For example, if the control CPU 61 determines from the detection signal received from the home position sensor 50 that the filler 20 shields the home position sensor 50, the control CPU 61 can also determine that the position of the carriage 38 is the home position. When it is determined that the position of the carriage 38 is the home position (step S4: YES), the control CPU 61 ends the process without performing the homing operation. When it is determined that the position of the carriage 38 is not the home position (step S4: NO), the state of the image reading apparatus 100 at this time can be regarded as a reading standby state. Therefore, the control CPU 61 determines that there is a high possibility that the ADF reading operation will be performed soon, and controls the homing operation (step S5).

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the image reading apparatus 100 when the ADF 200 transitions from the “closed” state to the “open” state. In this example, it is assumed that a read operation start instruction has not yet been received. As shown in FIG. 9, the control CPU 61 determines from the detection signal received from the pressure plate opening / closing sensor 21 whether or not the ADF 200 has transitioned from the “closed” state to the “open” state (step S6). When it is determined that the ADF 200 has transitioned from the “closed” state to the “open” state (step S6: YES), the control CPU 61 determines whether or not the scanner motor 42 is being driven (step S7). If it is determined that the scanner motor 42 is being driven (step S7: YES), the control CPU 61 ends the process without performing the homing operation. On the other hand, when it is determined that the scanner motor 42 is not being driven (step S7: NO), the control CPU 61 determines whether or not the position of the carriage 38 is the home position (step S6). When it is determined that the position of the carriage 38 is the home position (step S8: YES), the control CPU 61 ends the process without performing the homing operation. When it is determined that the position of the carriage 38 is not the home position (step S8: NO), the state of the image reading apparatus 100 at this time can be regarded as a reading standby state. Therefore, the control CPU 61 determines that the FB reading operation is likely to be performed soon, and controls the homing operation (step S9).

  The image reading apparatus 100 described above is used for an image scanner used as an image input apparatus such as a personal computer, and a document reading section in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printing apparatus. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 1000 in which the above-described image reading apparatus 100 is incorporated. In FIG. 10, an image forming apparatus 1000 includes a main body 1100, the above-described image reading apparatus 100 installed on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus main body 1100, and a large-capacity paper feed disposed on the right side of the image forming apparatus main body 1100 in FIG. The apparatus 400 basically includes an apparatus 400 and a sheet post-processing apparatus 500 disposed on the left side of the image forming apparatus main body 1100 in FIG.

  The image forming apparatus main body 1100 includes an image writing unit 110, an image forming unit 120, a fixing unit 130, a duplex conveying unit 140, a sheet feeding unit 150, a vertical conveying unit 160, and a manual feeding unit 170.

  The image writing unit 110 modulates the LD, which is a light emission source, based on the image information of the original read by the image reading apparatus 100, and writes laser on the photosensitive drum 121 by a scanning optical system such as a polygon mirror and an fθ lens. It is. The image forming unit 120 includes a photosensitive drum 121, and known electrophotographic imaging elements such as a developing unit 122, a transfer unit 123, a cleaning unit 124, and a charge eliminating unit provided along the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 121. Consists of.

  The fixing unit 130 fixes the image transferred by the transfer unit 123 onto a transfer sheet. The double-sided conveyance unit 140 is provided on the downstream side of the fixing unit 130 in the transfer sheet conveyance direction, and includes a first switching claw 141 for switching the transfer sheet conveyance direction to the sheet post-processing apparatus 500 side or the double-side conveyance unit 140 side. A reverse conveyance path 142 guided by one switching claw 141, an image forming side conveyance path 143 that conveys the transfer sheet reversed by the reverse conveyance path 142 to the transfer unit 123 again, and a sheet post-processing device for the reversed transfer paper A second switching claw 145 is disposed at a branch portion between the image forming side conveyance path 143 and the post-processing side conveyance path 144.

  The sheet feeding unit 150 includes four sheet feeding stages, and the transfer sheets stored in the sheet feeding stages selected by the pickup roller and the sheet feeding roller are drawn out and guided to the vertical conveyance unit 160. The vertical conveyance unit 160 conveys the transfer paper fed from each paper feed stage to the registration roller 161 immediately before the upstream of the transfer unit 123 in the paper conveyance direction, and the registration roller 161 uses the visible image on the photosensitive drum 121. The transfer paper is fed into the transfer unit 123 in time with the leading edge. The manual feed unit 170 includes an openable and closable manual feed tray 171. If necessary, the manual feed tray 171 is opened to supply transfer paper manually. Also in this case, the transfer timing of the transfer paper is taken by the registration roller 161 and is conveyed.

  The large-capacity paper feeding device 400 supplies a large amount of transfer sheets of the same size, and the bottom plate 402 rises as the transfer sheets are consumed, so that the pickup roller 401 can always pick up the sheets. ing. The transfer paper fed from the pickup roller 401 is transported from the vertical transport unit 160 to the nip of the registration roller 161.

  The sheet post-processing apparatus 500 performs predetermined processes such as punching, alignment, stapling, and sorting. In the example of FIG. 10, the punch 501, the staple tray (alignment) 502, the stapler 503, and the shift tray 504 are used for the above functions. It has. That is, the transfer paper carried into the paper post-processing device 500 from the image forming apparatus main body 1100 is punched one by one with the punch 501 when punching, and thereafter there is no particular processing. When sorting, stacking, and sorting to the proof tray 505, the sheets are discharged to the shift tray 504, respectively. In this embodiment, the sorting is performed by the reciprocating movement of the shift tray 504 by a predetermined amount in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. In addition, sorting can be performed by moving the paper in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction on the paper transport path.

  In the case of alignment, transfer paper that has been perforated or not perforated is guided to the lower transport path 506, and the staple tray 502 is aligned in the direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction by the rear end fence. In the jogger fence, alignment in the direction parallel to the paper transport direction is performed. Here, when binding is performed, a predetermined position of the aligned sheet bundle, for example, a predetermined position such as a corner portion and two central positions is bound by the stapler 503 and discharged to the shift tray 504 by the discharge belt. In this embodiment, a pre-stack conveyance path 507 is provided in the lower conveyance path 506, and a plurality of sheets are stacked at the time of conveyance to avoid interruption of the image forming operation on the image forming apparatus main body 1100 side during post-processing. Be able to.

  The above-described image reading apparatus 100 mounted on the image forming apparatus 1000 optically scans a document guided onto the contact glass 1 by the ADF 200, passes through the first to fifth reflection mirrors (30 to 34), and the lens unit. The read image formed at 35 is read by the CCD / CMOS sensor 36. The read image data is subjected to predetermined image processing by an image processing unit 68 (not shown) and temporarily stored in a storage device. Then, it is read from the storage device by the image writing unit 110 at the time of image formation, modulated according to the image data, and optical writing is performed.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, the above-mentioned embodiment is shown as an example and is not intending limiting the range of invention. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment.

  The program executed by the control CPU 61 of the above-described embodiment is a file in an installable or executable format, such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or the like. The information may be provided by being recorded on a recording medium that can be read by the user.

  Furthermore, the program executed by the control CPU 61 of the above-described embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Further, the program executed by the control CPU 61 of the above-described embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

1 Contact Glass 12 Document 13 White Reference Plate 18 Document Detection Sensor 20 Filler 21 Pressure Plate Open / Close Sensor 38 Carriage 42 Scanner Motor 50 Home Position Sensor 51 Slit 62 Motor Driver 68 Image Processing Unit 100 Image Reading Device 101 First Control Unit 102 Second Control Part 1000 Image forming apparatus

Japanese Patent No. 4502251

Claims (6)

A reading traveling means mounted with a reading optical system for reading an image of a document and movable in the sub-scanning direction;
Driving means for driving the reading travel means;
Each time a reading operation indicating an operation of reading an image of the document is completed , the reading travel unit is moved to a retracted position indicating a position different from a reading reference position indicating a position serving as a reference of the reading operation, First control means for performing control to stop power supply to the drive means;
In a state where power supply to the driving unit is stopped, when a start factor indicating a factor for starting the reading operation, which is different from the reading operation start instruction, is detected, power supply to the driving unit is started, and Second control means for performing control to move the reading travel means to the reading reference position,
An image reading apparatus. The starting factor is that the automatic document feeder that functions as a pressure plate for pressing the document on the contact glass on which the document to be read is placed cannot press the document on the contact glass. Being
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1. The starting factor is that the document is placed on a document tray on which a bundle of documents composed of a plurality of documents to be conveyed by the automatic document feeder is placed;
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1. The retracted position is located on the side of reading the image of the document from the reading reference position.
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1. Each time a reading operation by a reading optical system for reading an image of a document is completed, a reading travel unit that is mounted with the reading optical system and is movable in the sub-scanning direction is read to indicate a position serving as a reference for the reading operation. A first control step for performing control to stop power supply to the driving means for driving the reading travel means after being moved to a retracted position indicating a position different from the reference position;
In a state where power supply to the driving unit is stopped, when a start factor indicating a factor for starting the reading operation, which is different from the reading operation start instruction, is detected, power supply to the driving unit is started, and A second control step of performing control to move the reading travel means to the reading reference position,
An image reading method. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 is provided.
An image forming apparatus.

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