JP7003793B2 - Image reader - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image reader.

Patent Document 1 discloses a document feeder, which is an example of a conventional image reader. This document feeder includes a paper feed tray, a paper output tray, and a transport guide. The input tray supports the document to be supplied. The output tray is located below the paper feed tray and supports the ejected originals. The transport guide transports the original from the paper feed tray to the output tray. An image reading position for reading an image of a document transported on the transport guide is set in the middle of the transport guide.

The paper feed tray moves upward as the number of sheets supported by the paper feed tray decreases, and approaches the document pickup unit. The document feeder further has a swing transfer unit. The rocking transport unit has an ejection port for ejecting the original document conveyed by the transfer guide to the output tray. The rocking transport unit moves upward as the number of documents supported by the paper feed tray decreases, and separates the discharge port from the paper output tray. Specifically, a link member is erected between the paper feed tray and the rocking transport unit, and the discharge port of the rocking transport unit moves up and down as the paper feed tray moves up and down. In this way, this document feeder is designed to be downsized in the vertical direction.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-8283

By the way, an image reading device having the same configuration as the above-mentioned document feeding device is assumed. The image reader comprises a supply tray containing a movable body and a discharge unit. The discharge unit has a discharge port for discharging the sheet to the discharge tray. The discharge port of the discharge unit moves up and down according to the movement of the supply tray.

In this image reading device, it is necessary to lower the movable plate of the supply tray and the discharging unit after the image reading operation is completed and before the next image reading operation is started. However, if the movable plate and the discharge unit are lowered while the sheet remains in the discharge tray, the remaining sheet interferes with the sheet discharged from the discharge port of the discharge unit during the next image reading operation, and the sheet There is a problem that clogging is likely to occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image reading device capable of suppressing clogging of a sheet discharged from a discharge port.

The image reading device of the present invention is a supply tray for supporting a supplied sheet, and is a second position above the first position from the first position according to a decrease in the number of sheets supported by the supply tray. The supply tray, which includes a movable plate configured to move to a position, and
A discharge tray located below the supply tray to support the discharged sheet,
A transport guide for transporting the sheet from the supply tray to the discharge tray,
A reading sensor for reading an image of a sheet transported on the transport guide, and a reading sensor.
A fourth position above the third position from the third position as the number of sheets supported by the supply tray decreases, which has a discharge port for discharging the sheet conveyed by the transfer guide to the discharge tray. With a discharge unit configured to move to a position,
It is an image reader equipped with
A control unit that controls the movement of the discharge unit,
Further provided with a sheet detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet supported by the discharge tray.
The control unit is characterized in that the discharge unit is moved from the fourth position to the third position on the precondition of the detection result of the sheet detection unit that there is no sheet supported by the discharge tray. do.

In the image reading device of the present invention, the control unit determines that there is no sheet supported by the discharge tray based on the detection result of the sheet detecting unit after the image reading operation is completed and before the next image reading operation is started. After checking, move the discharge unit from the 4th position to the 3rd position. As a result, in this image reading device, the next image reading operation can be started without a sheet supported by the discharge tray.

Therefore, in the image reading device of the present invention, clogging of the sheet discharged from the discharge port can be suppressed.

It is a perspective view of the image reading apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is a schematic front view of the image reading apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is a schematic front view of the image reading apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is a block diagram of the image reading apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is a partial cross-sectional view of the image reading apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is a partial cross-sectional view of the image reading apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is a schematic top view of the image reader of Example 1. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 2nd drive source, the transport drive train, etc. seen from the arrow Z direction of FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a movable plate, a discharge unit, a first drive source, a first drive train, a first seat sensor, a first actuator, a second actuator, and the like as seen from the arrow Y direction of FIG. 7, wherein the movable plate is It is a figure which shows the state which is in the 1st position, and the discharge unit is in the 3rd position. It is a schematic diagram similar to FIG. 9, and is a diagram showing a state in which the movable plate is moved to the second position and the discharge unit is moved to the fourth position. It is a figure which shows an example of the detection signal of a sensor. It is a figure which shows another example of the detection signal of a sensor. It is a partial schematic top view of the image reader of Example 2. FIG.

Hereinafter, Examples 1 and 2 embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Example 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the image reading device 1 of the first embodiment is an example of a specific embodiment of the image reading device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the side on which the operation panel 8P is arranged is defined as the front of the device, the side that comes to the left when facing the operation panel 8P is defined as the left, and the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions are displayed. do. Then, each direction shown in each figure after FIG. 2 is displayed corresponding to each direction shown in FIG. Hereinafter, each component included in the image reading device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and the like.

<Overall configuration>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the image reading device 1 includes a main body unit 8, an opening / closing unit 9, an image forming unit 5, a reading unit 3, an automatic transfer mechanism 4, and a control unit 7. The main body 8 is a flat, substantially box-shaped body. As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 8P such as a touch panel is provided on the front surface of the main body 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 5 is housed in a lower portion in the main body 8. The image forming unit 5 forms an image on a sheet by an inkjet method, a laser method, or the like. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the reading unit 3 is located in the upper part of the main body 8. The scanning unit 3 is used when scanning an image of a document. The automatic transfer mechanism 4 is provided in the opening / closing portion 9. The automatic transfer mechanism 4 is used when the image of the sheet SH is read by the reading unit 3 while sequentially conveying the sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91 along the transfer guide 30.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the control unit 7 is housed at a position along the left side surface in the main body unit 8. The control unit 7 is configured as a microcomputer mainly composed of a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The ROM stores a program for the CPU to control various operations of the image reading device 1, a program for executing the identification process, and the like. The RAM is used as a storage area for temporarily recording data and signals used by the CPU when executing the program, or as a work area for data processing. The control unit 7 controls the image forming unit 5, the reading unit 3, the automatic transfer mechanism 4, and the operation panel 8P.

As shown in FIG. 5, a platen glass is arranged on the upper surface of the main body portion 8, and a large-area document support surface 8A is formed by the upper surface of the platen glass. Further, another platen glass is arranged on the upper surface of the main body 8 on the left side of the document support surface 8A, and the upper surface of the other platen glass forms an elongated reading surface 8B in the front-rear direction.

The document support surface 8A supports the document from below when the scanning unit 3 reads an image of the document in a stationary state. The manuscript to be read includes paper, sheets such as OHP sheets, books, and the like.

The reading surface 8B comes into contact with the conveyed sheet SH from below when the reading unit 3 reads an image of the sheet SH conveyed one by one by the automatic conveying mechanism 4. A guide convex portion 8H is provided between the document support surface 8A and the reading surface 8B on the upper surface of the main body portion 8. The guide convex portion 8H scoops up the sheet SH to be conveyed while contacting the reading surface 8B, and guides the sheet SH so as to ascend and incline to the right.

In this embodiment, the object from which the image is read using the document support surface 8A is described as a document, and the object from which the image is read while being conveyed by the automatic transfer mechanism 4 is described as a sheet. The manuscript and the sheet may be substantially the same.

As shown in FIG. 1, the opening / closing portion 9 is swingably supported around an opening / closing axis X9 extending in the left-right direction by a hinge (not shown) arranged at the rear end portion of the main body portion 8. The opening / closing portion 9 covers the document support surface 8A and the reading surface 8B from above in the closed state shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 and the like. Although not shown, the opening / closing portion 9 is displaced to an open position where the document support surface 8A and the reading surface 8B are exposed by swinging around the opening / closing axis X9 so that the front end portion thereof is displaced upward and backward. do. As a result, the user can support the document to be read on the document support surface 8A.

When explaining the configuration, internal structure, etc. of the opening / closing portion 9, the posture of the opening / closing portion 9 in the closed state is used as a reference in the vertical direction and the front-back direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the reading unit 3 is driven by the reading sensor 3S housed in the upper portion of the main body 8, the scanning mechanism drive source 3M shown in FIG. 4, and the scanning mechanism drive source 3M. It has a scanning mechanism (not shown). As the reading sensor 3S, a well-known image reading sensor such as CIS (Contact Image Sensor) or CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is used.

As shown in FIG. 5, the reading sensor 3S is located below the document support surface 8A and the reading surface 8B. A scanning mechanism (not shown) is driven by a scanning mechanism drive source 3M when reading an image of a document supported by the document support surface 8A, and reciprocates the reading sensor 3S in the main body 8 in the left-right direction below the document support surface 8A. Move. Further, the scanning mechanism (not shown) is driven by the scanning mechanism drive source 3M when the reading sensor 3S reads the image of the sheet SH conveyed by the automatic conveying mechanism 4, and the reading sensor 3S is driven by the reading surface 8B in the main body 8. Stop below. The position where the reading sensor 3S stops under the reading surface 8B is a predetermined static reading position.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the opening / closing portion 9 includes a base member 39, a first chute member 35, a second chute member 36, and a cover member 38.

The base member 39 forms the bottom wall of the opening / closing portion 9. The base member 39 is formed with a rectangular hole 39H in which a region facing the reading surface 8B and the guide convex portion 8H is cut out in a substantially rectangular shape. A transport surface 39G is formed in a portion of the base member 39 located to the left of the rectangular hole 39H. The left end portion of the transport surface 39G is curved so as to change its direction from downward to the right and incline downward. The transport surface 39G is inclined downward to the left end edge of the rectangular hole 39H.

The second chute member 36 is arranged above the left portion of the base member 39. The second chute member 36 is formed with a pressing member holding portion 36F and guide surfaces 36G and 36H. The pressing member holding portion 36F is a recess that is recessed upward at a position facing the reading surface 8B. The pressing member 36P is held in the pressing member holding portion 36F so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction. The pressing member 36P presses the sheet SH conveyed while contacting the reading surface 8B from above, and suppresses the sheet SH from floating from the reading surface 8B. The guide surface 36G is located to the left of the pressing member holding portion 36F. The left end portion of the guide surface 36G is curved along the left end portion of the transport surface 39G of the base member 39. The guide surface 36G is inclined downward to the right along the downwardly inclined portion of the transport surface 39G of the base member 39. The guide surface 36H is located to the right of the pressing member holding portion 36F. The guide surface 36H is inclined upward to the right along the guide convex portion 8H of the main body portion 8.

The first chute member 35 is arranged above the second chute member 36. The first chute member 35 is formed with a regulation surface 35K and a transport surface 35G. The regulation surface 35K is inclined upward to the left from the right end portion of the first chute member 35. The transport surface 35G is connected to the upper end of the regulation surface 35K and extends substantially horizontally to the left. The left end portion of the transport surface 35G is curved so as to change its direction from leftward to downward.

The cover member 38 is arranged above the first chute member 35. The cover member 38 is formed with a guide surface 38G composed of lower end edges of a plurality of ribs 38R protruding downward. The right end portion of the guide surface 38G faces the transport surface 35G from above at a position shifted to the left from the connection portion between the regulation surface 35K and the transport surface 35G in the first chute member 35. The guide surface 38G extends substantially horizontally to the left along the transport surface 35G of the first chute member 35. The left end portion of the guide surface 38G is curved along the left end portion of the transport surface 35G of the first chute member 35.

As shown in FIG. 7, the opening / closing portion 9 includes a first side frame 9A and a second side frame 9B. The first side frame 9A is arranged so as to extend in the left-right direction on the front side of the opening / closing portion 9, and constitutes a part of the inner frame of the opening / closing portion 9. The second side frame 9B is arranged so as to extend in the left-right direction on the rear surface side of the opening / closing portion 9, and constitutes a part of the inner frame of the opening / closing portion 9.

The first side frame 9A and the second side frame 9B are a guide surface 38G of the cover member 38, a regulation surface 35K and a transport surface 35G of the first chute member 35, and a guide surface 36G of the second chute member 36 as shown in FIG. , 36H, and the transport surface 39G of the base member 39 are opposed to each other in the front-rear direction. In FIG. 7, for the sake of simplicity, the supply tray main body 92 and the movable plate 50 of the supply tray 91 are not shown. Further, in FIG. 7, for ease of explanation, the positions of the first drive source M1 and the second drive source M2 are shown shifted to the right from the position below the rotation shaft 42S of the separation roller 42. Also in FIG. 8, the position of the second drive source M2 is shown shifted to the right from the position below the rotation shaft 42S of the separation roller 42.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6, the opening / closing section 9 supports a transport guide 30 that constitutes a part of the automatic transport mechanism 4 and a sheet SH supplied to the transport guide 30. A supply tray 91 and a discharge tray 96 for supporting the sheet SH discharged from the transfer guide 30 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, the supply tray 91 is located to the right of the first chute member 35 and is arranged above the right portion of the base member 39. The supply tray 91 has a supply tray main body 92 and a movable plate 50. The supply tray main body 92 is gently inclined downward to the left from the right end side of the opening / closing portion 9. The movable plate 50 is arranged so as to be adjacent to the left end portion of the supply tray main body 92. The movable plate 50 extends in a substantially flat plate shape toward the regulation surface 35K of the first chute member 35. The movable plate 50 is covered from above by the right portion of the cover member 38. The supply tray 91 supports the sheet SH supplied to the automatic transfer mechanism 4 by the supply tray main body 92 and the movable plate 50.

The movable plate 50 is rotatably supported around a third axis X3 whose right end thereof extends in the front-rear direction. Although not shown, the movable plate 50 is rotatably supported by the first side frame 9A and the second side frame 9B shown in FIG. 7.

As will be described in detail later, the movable plate 50 is supplied by transmitting the driving force from the first drive source M1 shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 and the like via the first drive row 110 and the discharge unit 60. It is configured to rotate from the first position shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 9 to the second position shown in FIGS. 3, 6 and 10 in accordance with the decrease in the sheet SH supported by the tray 91. There is. The second position shown in FIG. 6 and the like is a position above the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 5, the supply tray main body 92 is provided with a second seat sensor 82. As shown in FIG. 4, the second seat sensor 82 is connected to the control unit 7. The second seat sensor 82 transmits a detection signal corresponding to the presence / absence of the seat SH supported by the supply tray 91 to the control unit 7. The control unit 7 determines whether or not the seat SH is supported by the supply tray 91 based on the detection signal of the second seat sensor 82. As the second seat sensor 82, for example, a contact type sensor using an actuator, a non-contact type sensor using ultrasonic waves, or the like can be adopted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, two width regulation guides 94A and 94B are provided on the supply tray main body 92 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction, respectively. When the front width regulation guide 94A and the rear width regulation guide 94B approach or separate from each other, a plurality of types of seat SHs of different sizes supported by the supply tray 91 are sandwiched from the front and back. As a result, sheet SHs of various sizes can be positioned with reference to the central portion in the width direction of the supply tray 91.

As shown in FIG. 5, the discharge tray 96 is formed on the right portion of the base member 39. That is, the discharge tray 96 is provided so as to overlap the supply tray 91 at a position below the supply tray 91. An image is read by the reading sensor 3S on the discharge tray 96, and the sheet SH conveyed by the automatic transfer mechanism 4 is discharged. The upper surface of the discharge tray 96 is a sheet support surface 96A that supports the sheet SH to be discharged.

As will be described in detail later, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the discharge tray 96 is provided with a first actuator 71 that can be moved by abutting on the seat SH on the seat support surface 96A. Further, a first seat sensor 81 for detecting the movement of the first actuator 71 is provided in the opening / closing portion 9. Each of the first actuator 71 and the first seat sensor 81 constitutes a part of the seat detection unit 70, which will be described later.

The transport guide 30 constitutes a transport path for transporting the sheet SH from the supply tray 91 to the discharge tray 96. Specifically, the transport guide 30 has a first guide 31, a second guide 32, and a third guide 33.

The first guide 31 is configured to include a portion extending substantially horizontally on the transport surface 35G of the first chute member 35 and a portion extending substantially horizontally on the guide surface 38G of the cover member 38. The first guide 31 guides the seat SH sent out from the supply tray 91 to the left.

The second guide 32 includes a curved left end portion of the transport surface 35G of the first chute member 35, a curved left end portion of the guide surface 38G of the cover member 38, and a curved left end portion of the transport surface 39G of the base member 39. It is configured to include a curved left end portion of the guide surface 36G of the second chute member 36. The second guide 32 is connected to the first guide 31 and changes the transport direction of the seat SH from the left direction to the right direction.

The third guide 33 includes a downwardly inclined portion of the transport surface 39G of the base member 39, a downwardly inclined portion of the guide surface 36G of the second chute member 36, and a guide surface 36H of the second chute member 36. Has been done. The third guide 33 is connected to the second guide 32 and guides the seat SH toward the discharge tray 96.

The automatic transfer mechanism 4 has a discharge unit 60 for discharging the sheet SH guided by the third guide 33 to the discharge tray 96 by the discharge guide 61. The discharge guide 61 is formed with a transport surface 61G and a guide surface 61H. The transport surface 61G is located to the right of the guide convex portion 8H of the main body portion 8 and is inclined upward to the right. The guide surface 61H is located to the right of the guide surface 36H of the second chute member 36. The guide surface 61H is inclined upward to the right along the transport surface 61G. The discharge guide 61 has a discharge port 69 for discharging the sheet SH in the discharge tray 96. The discharge port 69 is open between the right end portion of the transport surface 61G and the right end portion of the guide surface 61H.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the discharge unit 60, in the discharge guide 61, the flat plate on which the transport surface 61G is formed and the flat plate on which the guide surface 61H is formed face each other in the vertical direction, and the front end edges of both flat plates are opposed to each other. It is a substantially square tube-shaped member in which the rear end edge is connected by a pair of front and rear side plates. The discharge guide 61 has shaft portions 61S and 61T having a first shaft center X1 extending in the front-rear direction as a shaft center. The first axis X1 is parallel to the third axis X3.

The front shaft portion 61S is a cylindrical shaft that projects forward from the front and left corners of the transport surface 61G and the guide surface 61H. The front shaft portion 61S is rotatably supported by the first side frame 9A and projects forward from the first side frame 9A.

The rear shaft portion 61T is a cylindrical shaft that projects rearward from the rear and left corners of the transport surface 61G and the guide surface 61H. The rear shaft portion 61T is rotatably supported by the second side frame 9B and protrudes rearward from the second side frame 9B.

In this way, the discharge guide 61 is rotatable around the first axis X1. As shown in FIG. 5, the position of the first axis X1 is set so as to overlap with the transport path formed by the third guide 33 of the transport guide 30 and the discharge guide 61.

The discharge unit 60 has a discharge roller 47 and a discharge pinch roller 48. The discharge roller 47 is arranged above the discharge port 69. The discharge pinch roller 48 is arranged below the discharge port 69. Although not shown, a plurality of sets of discharge rollers 47 and discharge pinch rollers 48 are arranged with a distance in the front-rear direction from each other.

The discharge roller 47 is fixed to the rotation shaft 47S having the second axis X2 parallel to the first axis X1 as the axis. As shown in FIG. 7, the front end portion of the rotating shaft 47S is rotatably supported by the front and right corner portions of the discharge guide 61. The rear end side of the rotating shaft 47S is rotatably supported by the rear and right corners of the discharge guide 61. The rear end portion of the rotating shaft 47S projects rearward from the discharge guide 61. In this way, the discharge roller 47 is rotatably supported by the discharge guide 61 around the second axis X2. The front-rear direction, which is the direction in which the rotation shaft 47S of the discharge roller 47 extends, is an example of the “axial direction of the discharge roller”.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the discharge pinch roller 48 is rotatably supported by the right end portion of the discharge guide 61 and faces the discharge roller 47 from below. The transport surface 61G and the guide surface 61H of the discharge guide 61 guide the seat SH toward the nip positions of the discharge roller 47 and the discharge pinch roller 48.

As will be described in detail later, the discharge unit 60 responds to the decrease in the seat SH supported by the supply tray 91 by operating the first drive source M1 and the first drive row 110 shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 and the like. The third position shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 9 is configured to rotate to the fourth position shown in FIGS. 3, 6 and 10. The fourth position shown in FIG. 6 and the like is a position above the third position shown in FIG. 5 and the like.

Further, as will be described in detail later, the discharge guide 61 is provided with a second actuator 72 as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7. The second actuator 72 is movable with respect to the first seat sensor 81 as the discharge unit 60 moves between the third position shown in FIG. 5 and the like and the fourth position shown in FIG. 6 and the like. The second actuator 72 also constitutes a part of the seat detection unit 70, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 5, the automatic transfer mechanism 4 includes a supply roller 41, a separation roller 42, a retard roller 42A, a first transfer roller 43, and a first pinch roller 43P for transporting the sheet SH along the transport guide 30. It has a second transport roller 44, a second pinch roller 44P, a discharge roller 47, and a discharge pinch roller 48. The discharge roller 47 and the discharge pinch roller 48 are a part of the discharge unit 60 described above.

As shown in FIG. 7, the rotary shaft 42S of the separation roller 42, the rotary shaft 43S of the first transport roller 43, and the rotary shaft 44S of the second transport roller 44 can rotate to the first side frame 9A and the second side frame 9B. Is supported by. The rear ends of the rotating shafts 42S, 43S, and 44S each project rearward from the second side frame 9B.

<Structure of second drive source and transport drive train>
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the automatic transfer mechanism 4 includes a second drive source M2 for driving the supply roller 41, the separation roller 42, the first transfer roller 43, the second transfer roller 44, and the discharge roller 47. It has a transport drive train 130. In this embodiment, in FIGS. 7 and 8 and the like, the gear teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface of each gear constituting the second drive source M2 and the transport drive row 130 are not shown.

As shown in FIG. 5, the second drive source M2 is arranged between the first guide 31 and the third guide 33. As shown in FIG. 7, the second drive source M2 is attached to the front-facing surface of the second side frame 9B. The drive shaft of the second drive source M2 projects rearward from the second side frame 9B, and the drive gear M2G is fixed to the drive shaft. In this embodiment, the second drive source M2 is a stepping motor. The second drive source M2 is controlled by the control unit 7 to generate a driving force, and rotates the drive gear M2G in the clockwise direction of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the transport drive train 130 is arranged behind the second side frame 9B and is supported by a plurality of shaft portions protruding rearward from the second side frame 9B. The transport drive train 130 includes a gear 131 located to the left and above the drive gear M2G and meshing with the drive gear M2G, and a plurality of gears that transmit the driving force from the second drive source M2 via the gear 131. It has a group of 132G.

The plurality of gear groups 132G include a sun gear 132G1 that rotates integrally with the gear 131, and a planetary gear 132G3 that is connected to the sun gear 132G1 by an arm 132G2. Further, the plurality of gear groups 132G include gears 132G4, 132G5, 132G6 and 132G7. The gear 132G4 meshes with the planetary gear 132G3 to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 42S of the separation roller 42. The gear 132G5 rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 43S of the first transport roller 43 by transmitting the driving force from the gear 132G4 via the gear 132G7. The gear 132G6 rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 44S of the second transport roller 44 by transmitting a driving force from the gear 132G4 via the gear 132G7.

When removing the clogged seat SH in the transport guide 30, the planetary gears 132G3 are separated from the gears 132G4 so that the gears 132G4, 132G5, and 132G6 can rotate freely. As a result, the clogged sheet SH can be easily removed.

The plurality of gear groups 132G transmit the driving force from the second drive source M2 to the rotary shaft 42S of the separation roller 42, the rotary shaft 43S of the first transport roller 43, and the rotary shaft 44S of the second transport roller 44, and the seat SH. The separation roller 42, the first transfer roller 43, and the second transfer roller 44 are rotated in the direction of feeding toward the reading sensor 3S stopped at the static reading position, that is, in the counterclockwise direction of FIG.

Further, the transport drive train 130 transmits the driving force from the second drive source M2 to the discharge roller 47 via the gear 139 located to the right of the drive gear M2G and meshing with the drive gear M2G and the gear 139. It has a gear 140, a pulley 141, a timing belt 143, and a pulley 142.

The gear 140 and the pulley 141 are one member. The gear 140 and the pulley 141 are independently rotatably inserted into the shaft portion 61T behind the discharge guide 61. As a result, the pulley 141 can rotate around the first axis X1 integrally with the gear 140 that meshes with the gear 139. The pulley 142 is fixed to the rear end of the rotating shaft 47S of the discharge roller 47. The timing belt 143 is wound around the pulley 141 and the pulley 142.

The gears 139, 140, pulley 141, timing belt 143 and pulley 142 transmit the driving force from the second drive source M2 to the rotating shaft 47S of the discharge roller 47, and discharge the seat SH to the discharge tray 96, that is, , Rotate the discharge roller 47 in the clockwise direction of FIG.

The distance between the first axis X1 of the pulley 141 and the second axis X2 of the pulley 142 does not change even if the discharge guide 61 rotates. Therefore, the tension of the timing belt 143 is less likely to fluctuate even if the discharge guide 61 rotates, and the driving force can be suitably transmitted from the pulley 141 to the pulley 142.

<Rough configuration of supply roller, separation roller, first and second transfer rollers, etc.>
As shown in FIG. 5, the separation roller 42 is arranged at a position shifted to the left from the connection portion between the regulation surface 35K and the transport surface 35G in the first chute member 35.

The holder 42F is rotatably supported by the rotating shaft 42S of the separating roller 42. The holder 42F protrudes to the right so as to be separated from the rotating shaft 42S and exceed the regulation surface 35K.

The supply roller 41 is rotatably held at the right end of the holder 42F. The supply roller 41 is provided at a position facing the movable plate 50 from above. The rotary shaft 42S and the transmission gear group (not shown) provided in the holder 42F transmit the driving force from the second drive source M2 to the supply roller 41 to convey the seat SH supported by the supply tray 91. The supply roller 41 is rotated in the direction of feeding to 30. The supply roller 41 can be displaced in the vertical direction as the holder 42F rotates.

A holder posture detection sensor 42J is provided in the opening / closing portion 9. The holder posture detection sensor 42J detects whether or not the posture of the holder 42F is the proper posture shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and transmits the detection to the control unit 7. When the holder 42F is in the proper posture shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lower end of the supply roller 41 is at substantially the same height as the transport surface 35G of the first chute member 35. In this state, the supply roller 41 directs the uppermost sheet SH of the sheet SHs supported by the supply tray 91 toward the transport surface 35G, that is, between the separation roller 42 and the retard roller 42A. It can be suitably sent out.

The retard roller 42A is supported by the first chute member 35 at a position directly below the separation roller 42 and is pressed toward the separation roller 42. If there is only one sheet SH nipped into the separation roller 42 and the retard roller 42A, the rotation of the retard roller 42A is allowed by a torque limiter (not shown). On the other hand, if there are a plurality of sheet SHs nipled between the separation roller 42 and the retard roller 42A, the rotation of the retard roller 42A is stopped by a torque limiter (not shown). As a result, the retard roller 42A imparts a force to stop the transport of the sheet SH to the sheet SH other than the sheet SH in contact with the separation roller 42.

The first transport roller 43 is arranged at the connection portion between the first guide 31 and the second guide 32 so as to face the transport surface 35G of the first chute member 35 from above. The first pinch roller 43P is supported by the first chute member 35 and pressed toward the first transport roller 43. The first transfer roller 43 and the first pinch roller 43P nip the sheet SH separated one by one by the separation roller 42 and the retard roller 42A, and transfer the sheet SH toward the second guide 32.

The second transport roller 44 is arranged at the connection portion between the second guide 32 and the third guide 33 so as to face the guide surface 36G of the second chute member 36 from below. The second pinch roller 44P is supported by the second chute member 36 and pressed toward the second transport roller 44. The second transfer roller 44 and the second pinch roller 44P nip the sheet SH conveyed by the first transfer roller 43 and the first pinch roller 43P, and read toward the reading surface 8B, that is, to stop at the static reading position. The sheet SH is conveyed toward the sensor 3S.

The discharge roller 47 and the discharge pinch roller 48 pass over the reading surface 8B, nip the sheet SH guided by the discharge guide 61, and discharge from the discharge port 69 toward the discharge tray 96.

<Structure of the first drive source, the first drive train, and the pressing convex portion of the discharge unit>
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the automatic transfer mechanism 4 has a first drive source M1 and a first drive row 110 for rotating the movable plate 50 and the discharge unit 60, and also has. Pressing protrusions 67A and 67B for driving the movable plate 50 to the discharge unit 60 are provided in the discharge unit 60.

The first drive source M1 is an example of the "drive source" of the present invention. In this embodiment, in FIGS. 7 and 9, the gear teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface of each gear constituting the first drive source M1 and the first drive train 110 are not shown.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first drive source M1 is arranged between the first guide 31 and the third guide 33. As shown in FIG. 7, the first drive source M1 is attached to a surface facing the rear of the first side frame 9A. The drive shaft of the first drive source M1 projects forward from the first side frame 9A, and the drive gear M1G is fixed to the drive shaft. In this embodiment, the first drive source M1 is a stepping motor. The first drive source M1 is controlled by the control unit 7 to generate a driving force, and rotates the drive gear M1G in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions of FIGS. 9 and 10.

The plurality of arrows shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 indicate the rotation direction when the drive gear M1G rotates in the counterclockwise direction of FIGS. 9 and 10. When the drive gear M1G rotates in the clockwise direction of FIGS. 9 and 10, the rotation direction is opposite to the arrows shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the first drive train 110 is arranged in front of the first side frame 9A. The first drive train 110 includes a first gear 111 and a second gear 112 for transmitting the driving force from the first drive source M1 to the discharge unit 60. In this embodiment, each gear constituting the first drive train 110 is a general gear such as a spur gear or an oblique tooth gear.

The first gear 111 is supported by a shaft portion that projects forward from the first side frame 9A. The first gear 111 is located to the right and below the drive gear M1G and meshes with the drive gear M1G. The second gear 112 is integrally rotatably fixed to the shaft portion 61S in front of the discharge guide 61. The second gear 112 is located to the right and below the first gear 111 and meshes with the first gear 111. When the second gear 112 rotates, the discharge guide 61 and the discharge roller 47 and the discharge pinch roller 48 supported by the discharge guide 61 rotate integrally with the second gear 112.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the pressing protrusions 67A and 67B are provided on the upper surface side of the discharge guide 61 and are separated from each other in the front-rear direction. The pressing protrusions 67A and 67B project upward from a position shifted to the left from the rotation shaft 47S of the discharge roller 47. The upper ends of the pressing protrusions 67A and 67B have a semi-circular shape. Then, the pressing protrusions 67A and 67B of the discharge unit 60 come into contact with the movable plate 50 from below, so that the position of the movable plate 50 is determined.

Next, the operation of the first drive train 110 and the pressing protrusions 67A and 67B will be described. When the first drive source M1 rotates the drive gear M1G in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 9, in the first drive row 110, the first gear 111 that meshes with the drive gear M1G rotates in the clockwise direction of FIG. 9, and the first gear The second gear 112 that meshes with 111 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, since the discharge guide 61 rotates upward integrally with the second gear 112, the discharge unit 60 is moved around the first axis X1 so as to displace the discharge port 69 upward. It rotates and moves from the third position shown in FIG. 5 and the like to the fourth position shown in FIG. 6 and the like.

At this time, the movable plate 50 is pushed up by the discharge unit 60 rotating upward while the pressing protrusions 67A and 67B are in contact with the movable plate 50 from below. As a result, the movable plate 50 rotates around the third axis X3 so as to displace its left end portion upward, and moves from the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like to the second position shown in FIG. 6 and the like.

When the first drive source M1 rotates the drive gear M1G in the clockwise direction of FIG. 10, in the first drive row 110, the first gear 111 and the second gear 112 operate in the opposite direction to the above operation, and the second gear 112 rotates clockwise in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, since the discharge guide 61 rotates downward integrally with the second gear 112, the discharge unit 60 rotates around the first axis X1 so as to displace the discharge port 69 downward. It rotates and moves to the third position shown in FIG. 5 and the like.

At this time, the movable plate 50 that comes into contact with the pressing protrusions 67A and 67B from above follows the downward rotation of the discharge unit 60. As a result, the movable plate 50 rotates around the third axis X3 so as to displace its left end portion downward, and moves to the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the movable plate 50 is in the first position, the left end portion of the movable plate 50 is in a position facing the lower end portion of the regulation surface 35K of the first chute member 35, and the upper surface of the movable plate 50 is located. The tilt angle of is substantially the same as the tilt angle of the upper surface of the supply tray main body 92. In this state, the supply tray 91 can support the sheet SH with the maximum number of stacked sheets. When the movable plate 50 is in the first position and the supply roller 41 comes into contact with the uppermost sheet SH of the sheet SH having the maximum number of laminated sheets, the posture of the holder 42F is the proper posture shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the movable plate 50 is in the second position, the left end portion of the movable plate 50 is in a position facing the upper end portion of the regulation surface 35K of the first chute member 35, and the upper surface of the movable plate 50 is located. Is in a state of extending substantially horizontally at the same height as the transport surface 35G of the first chute member 35. In this state, the supply tray 91 supports one to several sheets SH. When the movable plate 50 is in the second position and the supply roller 41 comes into contact with the uppermost sheet SH of one to several sheets SH, the posture of the holder 42F becomes the proper posture shown in FIG. ..

When the control unit 7 determines that the posture of the holder 42F is in a state of being lowered beyond the permissible range from the proper posture shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 based on the detection signal of the holder posture detection sensor 42J, the first drive is performed. The source M1 is operated to rotate the discharge unit 60 in small steps from the third position shown in FIG. 5 and the like to the fourth position shown in FIG. 6 and the like, and the movable plate 50 is driven by the discharge unit 60. It is rotated in small steps from the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like to the second position shown in FIG. 6 and the like, and the holder 42F is controlled to maintain the proper posture shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. At this time, the positions of the components of the discharge port 69 and the discharge unit 60 can be accurately determined by finely changing the rotation posture of the second gear 112 by controlling the rotation angle of the first drive source M1 which is a stepping motor. At the same time, the movable plate 50 can be accurately positioned in a desired rotational posture.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the discharge unit 60 is in the third position, the discharge port 69, the discharge roller 47, and the discharge pinch roller 48 are located close to the seat support surface 96A of the discharge tray 96. The state of the discharge unit 60 corresponds to a case where the number of sheets SH supported by the seat support surface 96A of the discharge tray 96 is small.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the discharge unit 60 is in the fourth position, the discharge port 69, the discharge roller 47, and the discharge pinch roller 48 are positioned upwardly separated from the seat support surface 96A of the discharge tray 96. The state of the discharge unit 60 corresponds to the case where the sheet SH is supported by the sheet support surface 96A of the discharge tray 96 with the maximum number of laminated sheets. That is, in this state, the discharge port 69 of the discharge unit 60 is sufficiently separated upward from the uppermost sheet SH of the sheet SH supported by the sheet support surface 96A with the maximum number of laminated sheets.

<Structure of sheet detector>
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, 9 and 10, the automatic transfer mechanism 4 includes a seat detection unit 70. The seat detection unit 70 has a first seat sensor 81, a first actuator 71, and a second actuator 72. The first sheet sensor 81 is an example of the "sensor" of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first seat sensor 81 is fixed to the base member 39 at a position separated from the discharge tray 96 to the left and forward. Further, the first seat sensor 81 is located in front of the front side edge of the discharge guide 61. That is, the first sheet sensor 81 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 5, 6, 9, and 10 is located on the front side of the paper surface with respect to the discharge guide 61.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first seat sensor 81 is connected to the control unit 7. In this embodiment, the first sheet sensor 81 is a photo interrupter. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first sheet sensor 81 detects the ON / OFF signal shown as an example in FIGS. 11 and 12 by opening or blocking the optical path 81P from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion. It is output to the control unit 7 as a signal.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the first actuator 71 has a transmission shaft 71S, a contact portion 71C, a rod-shaped portion 71B, and a detected portion 71A.

The transmission shaft 71S is rotatably supported around a rotation axis X71 extending in the front-rear direction by a support portion (not shown) provided on the side of the discharge tray 96 opposite to the seat support surface 96A. The front end portion of the transmission shaft 71S projects forward from the discharge tray 96. The rear end portion of the transmission shaft 71S is located at the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction on the seat support surface 96A.

The contact portion 71C is connected to the rear end portion of the transmission shaft 71S and is rotatable around the rotation axis X71. The contact portion 71C extends to the right so as to move away from the rotation axis X71, and then protrudes upward. A rectangular hole 96H is provided at a position corresponding to the protruding portion of the contact portion 71C in the discharge tray 96. The protruding portion of the contact portion 71C can pass through the rectangular hole 96H and protrude upward from the seat support surface 96A.

The rod-shaped portion 71B is connected to the front end portion of the transmission shaft 71S and is rotatable around the rotation axis X71. The rod-shaped portion 71B extends to the left in a substantially rod shape so as to be away from the rotation axis X71. A substantially rectangular plate-shaped detected portion 71A is formed at the left end portion of the rod-shaped portion 71B.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first actuator 71 is urged by the urging spring 71J so as to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 5 around the rotation axis X71. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the first actuator 71 is held at a position where the protruding portion of the contact portion 71C passes through the rectangular hole 96H and protrudes upward from the seat support surface 96A. At this time, the detected unit 71A is held at a position where the optical path 81P of the first sheet sensor 81 is opened at a position downwardly separated from the optical path 81P.

Then, when the sheet SH is supported by the discharge tray 96, the sheet SH pushes down the protruding portion of the contact portion 71C as shown in FIG. As a result, the first actuator 71 rotates clockwise around the rotation axis X71 against the urging spring 71J. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the protruding portion of the contact portion 71C is retracted into the rectangular hole 96H. At the same time, the detected unit 71A moves upward and is held at a position where the optical path 81P of the first sheet sensor 81 is blocked.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 11 as an example of the detection signal of the first sheet sensor 81, the first sheet sensor 81 outputs the signal SG1 that switches from ON to OFF as a detection signal to the control unit 7.

After that, as the seat SH supported by the discharge tray 96 disappears, the first actuator 71 is urged by the urging spring 71J and rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 9, as shown in FIG. As a result, the protruding portion of the contact portion 71C passes through the rectangular hole 96H and returns to a position where it protrudes upward from the seat support surface 96A. At the same time, the detected unit 71A moves downward and returns to the position where the optical path 81P of the first seat sensor 81 is opened.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 11 as an example of the detection signal of the first sheet sensor 81, the first sheet sensor 81 outputs the signal SG2 for switching from OFF to ON as a detection signal to the control unit 7.

In this way, the seat detection unit 70 can detect the presence or absence of the seat SH supported by the discharge tray 96 by the first seat sensor 81 and the first actuator 71.

As shown in FIGS. 7, 9 and 10, the second actuator 72 is fixed to the front side edge of the discharge guide 61. The second actuator 72 extends forward so as to be separated from the discharge guide 61, then bends, and extends downward so as to approach the first seat sensor 81. As shown in FIG. 7, the second actuator 72 and the first seat sensor 81 are arranged at positions that do not overlap with the discharge unit 60 in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a detected portion 72A is formed at the lower end portion of the second actuator 72. A slit 72C is formed in the detected portion 72A. The slit 72C is recessed to the right from the left side of the detected portion 72A.

The second actuator 72 moves the discharge unit 60 between the third position shown in FIG. 5 and the fourth position shown in FIG. 6 and the like, and the detected portion 72A with respect to the first sheet sensor 81. Can be moved to approach and separate.

The position of the first actuator 71 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 10 is the same as the position of the first actuator 71 shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, corresponding to the state where there is no sheet SH supported by the discharge tray 96. There is. That is, the detected portion 71A of the first actuator 71 is in a position to open the optical path 81P of the first seat sensor 81. In this state, the detected portion 72A of the second actuator 72 that has moved upward together with the discharge unit 60 that has rotated to the fourth position is in a position that opens the optical path 81P of the first seat sensor 81.

When the discharge unit 60 starts to rotate downward from the fourth position, the detected portion 72A of the second actuator 72 gradually approaches the optical path 81P of the first seat sensor 81. Although not shown, when the discharge unit 60 approaches the third position, the portion of the detected portion 72A below the slit 72C blocks the optical path 81P, and then the slit 72C opens the optical path 81P. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, when the discharge unit 60 reaches the third position, the portion of the detected portion 72A above the slit 72C blocks the optical path 81P.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 12 as an example of the detection signal of the first sheet sensor 81, the first sheet sensor 81 detects the signal SG3 that switches from ON to OFF, OFF to ON, and ON to OFF at predetermined intervals. Is output to the control unit 7.

In this way, the seat detection unit 70 determines whether or not the downwardly rotating discharge unit 60 has reached the third position shown in FIG. 5 or the like by the first seat sensor 81 and the second actuator 72, that is, the discharge unit 60. It is possible to detect whether or not the origin position has been reached.

The control unit 7 determines whether or not there is a sheet SH supported by the discharge tray 96 based on the waveform of the detection signal of the first sheet sensor 81 being the signal SG1 or the signal SG2 shown in FIG.

Further, the control unit 7 rotates downward based on the waveform of the detection signal of the first sheet sensor 81 being the waveform corresponding to the slit 72C of the second actuator 72, that is, the signal SG3 shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not the discharge unit 60 has reached the third position shown in FIG. 5 or the like. Since the movable plate 50 is configured to follow the discharge unit 60, when the control unit 7 determines that the downwardly rotating discharge unit 60 has reached the third position shown in FIG. 5 or the like, the movable plate 50 Can be determined to have reached the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like.

<Image reading operation>
In the image reading device 1, when reading an image of a document supported by the document supporting surface 8A, the control unit 7 controls the scanning mechanism drive source 3M of the scanning unit 3 to operate a scanning mechanism (not shown) to operate the scanning sensor 3S. Is moved in the left-right direction from the scanning start position below the left edge of the document support surface 8A to the scanning end position below the right edge. As a result, the reading sensor 3S reads the image of the document supported by the document support surface 8A. After that, the control unit 7 controls the scanning mechanism drive source 3M of the reading unit 3 to operate the scanning mechanism (not shown) in the reverse direction, and moves the reading sensor 3S that has finished reading from the right end to the left end in the reading unit 3. To return to the standby position.

Further, in the image reading device 1, when the sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91 is conveyed by the automatic transfer mechanism 4 and the image of the sheet SH is read, the control unit 7 controls the scanning mechanism drive source 3M of the reading unit 3. It controls and activates a scanning mechanism (not shown) to stop the reading sensor 3S at a static reading position below the reading surface 8B. Here, it is assumed that the movable plate 50 is in the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the discharge unit 60 is in the third position shown in FIG. 5 and the like, and the sheet SH is not supported by the discharge tray 96.

Next, the control unit 7 determines whether or not the seat SH is supported by the supply tray 91 based on the detection signal of the second seat sensor 82. If the sheet SH is not supported by the supply tray 91, the control unit 7 notifies that fact.

When the seat SH is supported by the supply tray 91, the control unit 7 determines whether the holder posture detection sensor 42J is in the proper posture shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 based on the detection signal of the holder posture detection sensor 42J. Judge whether or not. The control unit 7 operates the first drive source M1 and the first drive train 110 when the holder posture detection sensor 42J is not in the proper posture shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Then, the control unit 7 rotates the discharge unit 60 in small steps toward the fourth position shown in FIG. 6 and the like, and causes the movable plate 50 to follow the discharge unit 60 toward the second position shown in FIG. 6 and the like. The holder 42F is controlled to maintain the proper posture shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Next, the control unit 7 operates the second drive source M2 and the transport drive train 130. As a result, the control unit 7 drives the supply roller 41, the separation roller 42, the first transfer roller 43, the second transfer roller 44, and the discharge roller 47, and supplies the sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91 to the transfer guide 30. Then, they are sequentially transported along the transport guide 30. When the conveyed sheet SH passes over the reading surface 8B, the control unit 7 reads the image of the sheet SH by the reading sensor 3S stopped at the static reading position. Then, the control unit 7 discharges the sheet SH from which the image has been read from the discharge port 69 toward the discharge tray 96 by the discharge guide 61, the discharge roller 47, and the discharge pinch roller 48 of the discharge unit 60.

When the sheet SH is discharged to the discharge tray 96 and the sheet SH is supported by the seat support surface 96A, the first actuator 71 rotates from the position shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 10 to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. .. Then, the first sheet sensor 81 outputs the signal SG1 shown in FIG. 11 to the control unit 7 as a detection signal, and the control unit 7 determines that the sheet SH is supported by the discharge tray 96 based on the signal SG1.

While sequentially transporting the sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91, the control unit 7 responds to the decrease of the sheet SH supported by the supply tray 91 based on the detection signal of the holder posture detection sensor 42J, and discharges the unit 60. Is rotated in small steps toward the fourth position shown in FIG. 6 and the like, and the movable plate 50 is driven by the discharge unit 60 to rotate the movable plate 50 in small steps toward the second position shown in FIG. 6 and the like. ..

As shown in FIG. 6, when the number of seat SHs supported by the supply tray 91 decreased and the seat SH disappeared, the control unit 7 lost the seat SH based on the detection signal of the second seat sensor 82. Is detected. Then, the control unit 7 stops the second drive source M2 and ends the image reading operation.

After that, the control unit 7 controls the scanning mechanism drive source 3M of the reading unit 3 to operate a scanning mechanism (not shown), and returns the reading sensor 3S to the standby position.

Further, the control unit 7 waits until the sheet SH supported by the discharge tray 96 is removed by the user. The reason is that if the movable plate 50 and the discharge unit 60 are lowered while the sheet SH remains in the discharge tray 96, the remaining sheet SH is discharged from the discharge port 69 of the discharge unit 60 during the next image reading operation. This is because the sheet SH is obstructed and the sheet is likely to be clogged.

In a state of waiting until the seat SH supported by the discharge tray 96 is removed by the user, the detected portion 72A of the second actuator 72 is separated upward from the first seat sensor 81 as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is in a position to open the optical path 81P of the first seat sensor 81. On the other hand, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 10, the first actuator 71 is in a position to block the optical path 81P of the first seat sensor 81.

When the sheet SH supported by the discharge tray 96 is removed by the user, the first actuator 71 rotates from the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 10 to the position shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 10, and the first sheet sensor 81 The optical path 81P is opened. As a result, the first sheet sensor 81 outputs the signal SG2 shown in FIG. 11 to the control unit 7 as a detection signal, and the control unit 7 determines that the sheet SH supported by the discharge tray 96 has disappeared based on the signal SG2. ..

Then, the control unit 7 operates the first drive source M1 and the first drive row 110, and rotates the discharge unit 60 downward from the fourth position shown in FIG. 6 and the like to the third position shown in FIG. 5 and the like. At the same time, the movable plate 50 is driven by the discharge unit 60 to rotate downward from the second position shown in FIG. 6 and the like to the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like.

As the discharge unit 60 approaches the third position, the portion below the slit 72C in the detected portion 72A blocks the optical path 81P, the slit 72C opens the optical path 81P, and the portion above the slit 72C in the detected portion 72A. When the portion cuts off the optical path 81P, the first sheet sensor 81 outputs the signal SG3 shown in FIG. 12 to the control unit 7 as a detection signal. Therefore, the control unit 7 determines that the downwardly rotating discharge unit 60 has reached the third position shown in FIG. 5 or the like based on the signal SG3. Further, the control unit 7 determines that the movable plate 50 driven by the discharge unit 60 has reached the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like. Then, the control unit 7 stops the first drive source M1 and the first drive row 110, positions the discharge unit 60 at the third position shown in FIG. 5 and the like, and positions the movable plate 50 in the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like. Position to position.

<Action effect>
In the image reading device 1 of the first embodiment, the control unit 7 is supported by the discharge tray 96 based on the detection result of the sheet detecting unit 70 after the image reading operation is completed and before the next image reading operation is started. Make sure there is no sheet SH. Then, the control unit 7 sets the discharge unit 60 on the precondition of the detection result of the seat detection unit 70 that the seat SH supported by the discharge tray 96 has disappeared, that is, the signal SG2 of the first sheet sensor 81 shown in FIG. It is rotated toward the third position shown in FIG. 5 and the like, and the movable plate 50 is also driven by the discharge unit 60 to be rotated toward the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like. As a result, in this image reading device 1, the next image reading operation can be started without the sheet SH supported by the discharge tray 96.

Therefore, in the image reading device 1 of the first embodiment, clogging of the sheet SH discharged from the discharge port 69 can be suppressed.

Further, in the image reading device 1, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the sheet detecting unit 70 has a simple first actuator 71 and a first sheet sensor 81. Then, when the first actuator 71 moves by abutting on the seat SH supported by the discharge tray 96, the first seat sensor 81 detects the movement of the first actuator 71 and a detection signal, specifically, FIG. The indicated signals SG1 and SG2 are output to the control unit 7. As a result, the control unit 7 can reliably determine the presence / absence of the sheet SH supported by the discharge tray 96.

Further, in the image reading device 1, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first sheet sensor 81 also detects the movement of the second actuator 72 provided in the discharge unit 60. Then, when the discharge unit 60 rotates downward from the fourth position and the detected portion 72A of the second actuator 72 approaches the first seat sensor 81, the first seat sensor 81 controls the signal SG3 shown in FIG. Output to 7. As a result, the control unit 7 can reliably determine whether or not the downwardly rotating discharge unit 60 has reached the third position shown in FIG. 5 or the like. In this way, in the image reading device 1, one first sheet sensor 81 can make two determinations, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, in the image reading device 1, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, since the slit 72C is formed in the detected portion 72A of the second actuator 72, the detected portion 72A is the first sheet sensor 81. As shown in FIG. 12, the first sheet sensor 81 outputs the signal SG3, which switches from ON to OFF, OFF to ON, and ON to OFF at predetermined intervals, as a detection signal to the control unit 7. Then, the control unit 7 has reached the third position based on the waveform of the detection signal of the first sheet sensor 81 being the waveform corresponding to the slit 72C of the second actuator 72, that is, the signal SG3. Make a judgment as to whether or not. In this way, in the image reading device 1, the control unit 7 determines whether or not there is a sheet SH supported by the discharge tray 96 based on the detection result of one first sheet sensor 81, and the discharge unit 60 is in the third position. It is possible to make a definite distinction from the judgment of whether or not it has been reached.

Further, in the image reading device 1, as shown in FIG. 7, the second actuator 72 and the first seat sensor 81 are arranged at positions that do not overlap with the discharge unit 60 in the front-rear direction. More specifically, the first seat sensor 81 is arranged at a position in front of the front side edge of the discharge guide 61. The second actuator 72 is fixed to the front side edge of the discharge guide 61, extends forward so as to be separated from the discharge guide 61, then bends, and extends downward so as to approach the first seat sensor 81. .. With such a configuration, in the image reading device 1, it is not necessary to secure a space for arranging the second actuator 72 and the first seat sensor 81 directly under the ejection unit 60, so that the image reader 1 can be easily miniaturized in the vertical direction.

Further, in the image reading device 1, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the discharge unit 60 rotates while the driving force from the first drive source M1 is transmitted by the first drive row 110. 1 The driving force from the driving source M1 is configured to be transmitted to the movable plate 50 by the pressing protrusions 67A and 67B. Since the movable plate 50 is driven by the discharge unit 60, the discharge unit 60 on the upstream side to which the driving force from the first drive source M1 is transmitted is less likely to cause problems such as misalignment than the movable plate 50 on the downstream side. .. Therefore, in this image reading device 1, the positions of the components of the discharge port 69 and the discharge unit 60 can be accurately determined, and the path length of the transport guide 30 increases as the movable plate 50 and the discharge unit 60 rotate. Fluctuation can be suppressed. As a result, the transfer speed of the sheet SH conveyed on the transfer guide 30 is unlikely to become unstable, so that deterioration of the reading accuracy of the reading sensor 3S can be suppressed. Further, in the image reading device 1, the movable plate 50 has a second position shown in FIG. 6 and the like only when the discharging unit 60 rotates from the fourth position shown in FIG. 6 and the like toward the third position shown in FIG. 5 and the like. It can rotate from the position toward the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like. As a result, it is possible to suppress a problem that the movable plate 50 that rotates toward the first position and the discharge unit 60 that has stopped above the third position interfere with each other.

(Example 2)
As shown in FIG. 13, in the image reading device of the second embodiment, the first sheet sensor 81 according to the image reading device 1 of the first embodiment is changed to detect only the movement of the first actuator 71, and further, the first one. 2 A sensor 83 that detects only the movement of the actuator 72 is provided. The sensor 83 is arranged behind the first seat sensor 81 and adjacent to the first seat sensor 81. The sensor 83 is a photo interrupter similar to the first sheet sensor 81. Further, in this image reading device, the position of the detected portion 72A of the second actuator 72 is shifted rearward so that the detected portion 72A opens or blocks the optical path of the sensor 83. Other configurations of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

Although not shown, the discharge unit 60 approaches the third position, the portion of the detected portion 72A below the slit 72C blocks the optical path of the sensor 83, and the slit 72C opens the optical path of the sensor 83 and is covered. When the portion of the detection unit 72A above the slit 72C blocks the optical path of the sensor 83, the sensor 83 outputs the signal SG3 shown in FIG. 12 to the control unit 7 as a detection signal. Therefore, the control unit 7 determines that the discharge unit 60 rotating downward has reached the third position shown in FIG. 5 or the like based on the signal SG3. Further, the control unit 7 determines that the movable plate 50 driven by the discharge unit 60 has reached the first position shown in FIG. 5 and the like.

In the image reading device of the second embodiment having such a configuration, as in the image reading device 1 of the first embodiment, clogging of the sheet SH discharged from the discharge port 69 can be suppressed.

Further, in this image reading device, the control unit 7 is mounted on the discharge tray 96 by the configuration in which the first sheet sensor 81 detects only the movement of the first actuator 71 and the sensor 83 detects only the movement of the second actuator 72. It is possible to completely distinguish between the determination of the presence or absence of the supported sheet SH and the determination of whether or not the discharge unit 60 has reached the third position.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to Examples 1 and 2, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned Examples 1 and 2, and can be appropriately modified and applied without departing from the spirit thereof. Needless to say.

In the first and second embodiments, the movable plate 50 rotates, but the configuration is not limited to this, and the movable plate 50 may move directly, for example. The same applies to the discharge unit.

The present invention can be used, for example, in an image reader or a multifunction device.

1 ... Image reader, SH ... Sheet, 91 ... Supply tray, 50 ... Movable plate 96 ... Discharge tray, 30 ... Transport guide, 3S ... Reading sensor 69 ... Discharge port, 60 ... Discharge unit, 7 ... Control unit, 70 ... Sheet detection unit 71 ... 1st actuator, SG1, SG2, SG3 ... Detection signal 81 ... Sensor (1st sheet sensor), 72 ... 2nd actuator 72A ... Detected unit, 72C ... Slit, 47 ... Discharge roller M1 ... Drive source (1st drive source)

Claims (6)

A supply tray for supporting the sheets to be supplied, which is configured to move from the first position to the second position above the first position as the number of sheets supported by the supply tray decreases. With the supply tray including the movable plate
A discharge tray located below the supply tray to support the discharged sheet,
A transport guide for transporting the sheet from the supply tray to the discharge tray,
A reading sensor for reading an image of a sheet transported on the transport guide, and a reading sensor.
A fourth position above the third position from the third position as the number of sheets supported by the supply tray decreases, which has a discharge port for discharging the sheet conveyed by the transfer guide to the discharge tray. With a discharge unit configured to move to a position,
It is an image reader equipped with
A control unit that controls the movement of the discharge unit,
Further provided with a sheet detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet supported by the discharge tray.
The control unit is characterized in that the discharge unit is moved from the fourth position to the third position on the precondition of the detection result of the sheet detection unit that there is no sheet supported by the discharge tray. Image reader. The sheet detection unit includes a first actuator provided on the discharge tray and movable by abutting on a sheet supported by the discharge tray.
The image reading device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor that detects the movement of the first actuator and outputs a detection signal based on the detection result to the control unit. The discharge unit is provided with a second actuator that is movable with respect to the sensor as the discharge unit moves between the third position and the fourth position.
The image reading device according to claim 2, wherein the sensor also detects the movement of the second actuator. A slit is formed in the detected portion detected by the sensor in the second actuator.
3. The control unit determines whether or not the discharge unit has reached the third position based on the waveform of the detection signal corresponding to the slit of the second actuator. The image reader of the description. The discharge unit has a discharge roller and has a discharge roller.
The image reading device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second actuator and the sensor are arranged at positions that do not overlap with the discharging unit in the axial direction of the discharging roller. Further equipped with a drive source that generates driving force,
One of claims 1 to 5, wherein the discharge unit is configured to transmit the driving force from the driving source to move and transmit the driving force from the driving source to the movable plate. The image reading device according to claim 1.

Images