JPH043732A - Document cassette feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To feed a desired cassette via the movement of a holding means by identifying the cassette to be stored with an identifying means when the cassette is to be stored at the step section of the cassette holding means. CONSTITUTION:A holding means 16 with multiple step sections is vertically moved, and cassettes 14 are stored at individual step sections from an insertion port 56. The cassette 14 is once extracted by a feeding means 22 to an image reader 20, and it is identified by an identifying means 18 then again returned. The desired identified cassette 14 is moved to the position corresponding to the communication port 34 of the reader 20 by the movement of the holding means 16, and it is fed to the feeding means 22 and fed to the reader 20 via the communication port 34.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a document cassette supply device that can select and automatically supply a desired document cassette holding a document to be read to an image reading device. .

[Prior Art] In the fields of printing and plate making, image scanning reading and reproducing systems that electrically process image information recorded on manuscripts to create film master plates have been developed for the purpose of streamlining work processes and improving image quality. It is used.

In this case, the image reading device that constitutes the system
Two-dimensional reading of image information is performed by main-scanning a read document positioned and stored in a document cassette while conveying it to a reading section.

By the way, in the image reading device, the document cassette is first conveyed to the reading section, and after reading the image information of the document in order to set image processing conditions, the document cassette is taken out and the document is read while looking at the document. Conditions may be set.

When the condition setting is completed, the document cassette is again conveyed to the reading section, and image information is read according to the conditions.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, when image information is read as described above, there is a risk that another document cassette may be erroneously inserted when reinserting the document cassette into the image reading device. In this case, if the document cassette is incorrectly inserted, incorrect condition settings will be made for image information of other documents.

Therefore, in order to avoid such inconveniences, a cassette identification means is provided near the original cassette insertion slot of the image reading device, and this cassette identification means identifies the original cassette to prevent incorrect insertion. be.

However, in this case, it is only known whether the inserted original cassette is the desired one when the original cassette reaches the cassette identification means, and if incorrect insertion is detected, the original cassette is inserted again. There is an inconvenience in that it is necessary to insert . Therefore,
Sometimes it took a long time to read an image.

The present invention has been made in view of such inconveniences, and the present invention detects the position of the document cassette in advance when supplying the document cassette to the image reading device, thereby supplying the desired document cassette in a short time. An object of the present invention is to provide a document cassette feeding device that can provide a document cassette.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, a document cassette supply device of the present invention is a document cassette supply device that supplies a document cassette holding a read document to an image reading device. , a cassette holding means having a plurality of stepped sections for storing the document cassettes and movable in a stacking direction of the stepped sections; a cassette identifying means for identifying a document cassette stored in the stepped section; and a cassette holding means for identifying the document cassette stored in the stepped section. A cassette supply means for supplying a document cassette stored in the means to the image reading device.

[Function] As described above, in the document cassette feeding device of the present invention, when storing the document cassette in the stepped portion of the cassette holding device, the document cassette is identified in advance by the cassette identifying device, and a desired document cassette is selected. When supplying the document cassette to the image reading device, after moving the stepped section in which the document cassette identified by the cassette identifying means stores the document cassette to a predetermined position, the document cassette is supplied to the image reading device by the cassette supplying device. do.

[Example] A document cassette supply device according to the present invention will be described in detail below by giving an example and referring to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a document cassette supply device 10 of this embodiment. The document cassette supply device 10 is surrounded by a casing 12, and includes a cassette holding means 16 for storing a document cassette 14 (to be described later), a cassette identifying means 18 for identifying the document presser [4], and a cassette holding means 1.
cassette supply means 22 for supplying the document cassette 14 housed in the document cassette 6 to the image reading device 20 to which the document cassette supply device 10 is connected.

Here, the document cassette 14 supplied to the document cassette supply device 10 and the image reading device 20 is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the document cassette 14 holds a transmissive readable document 28 between two support glass plates 26 surrounded by a frame 24 having a substantially rectangular shape, and has a transmissive document 28 on both sides in the conveyance direction (arrow X direction). V-shaped grooves 30a and 30b extending along the conveyance direction are formed. Furthermore, a cassette identification section 29 for identifying the document cassette 14 and the read document 28 held in the document cassette 14 is provided on the top surface of the leading end of the frame 24 in the conveying direction. The cassette identification section 29 is configured by combining a plurality of light-transmitting sections 31a and light-shielding sections 31b according to the document cassette 14 and the read document 28 held in the document cassette 14.

In FIG. 3, the image reading device 20 includes a casing 32
Insertion detection means 36 such as a photo ink labeler disposed near the insertion opening 34 formed in the cassette identification means 38
, a conveying means 40 for conveying the document cassette 14 within the image reading apparatus 20, and an image reading section 42.

The insertion detection means 36 is the document sensor) 14 is the image reading device 2.
Detects that it is inserted into 0. Further, the cassette identifying means 38 identifies the original cassette 14 and the read original 28 held in the original cassette 14, and is configured, for example, by a pair of a light emitting element and a light receiving element. Transport means 4
0, the document cassette 14 is inserted into the image reading unit 4 from the insertion slot 34.
2, and has a guide roller 44 that engages with grooves 30a and 30b on the sides of the document cassette 14. The image reading section 42 includes a light source 46 and a light receiving element 48 such as a CCD.
The image is read by receiving light at 8.

Next, the configuration of the document cassette supply device 10 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 4, the casing 12 has a first lid part 50 and a second lid part 52 whose front and upper parts can be opened and closed. A cassette insertion stand 54 and an insertion opening 56 are provided at predetermined positions outside the first lid portion 50 . Inside the first lid part 50, at a portion corresponding to the insertion opening 56, there is an insertion detection means 58 such as a photo interrupter that detects insertion of the document cassette 14, and a pair of carry-in rollers 60.
is provided. The carry-in roller 60 is rotationally driven by a motor 62 to carry the document cassette 14 into the document cassette supply device 10 . Further, an insertion port 66 that is normally closed by a door 64 is provided at the upper part of the insertion port 56, and a first lid portion 5 corresponding to this insertion port 66 is provided.
As in the case described above, an insertion detection means 68 for detecting insertion of the document cassette 14 and a carry-in roller 72 driven by a motor 70 are provided in the interior of the document cassette 14 .

In this case, the original cassette 14 is inserted into the insertion slot 56 or 66.
Not only can documents be supplied one by one to the document cassette supply device 10 via the document cassettes 10, but also a plurality of document cassettes 14 can be simultaneously supplied by using the first lid portion 50. This makes it possible to shorten the time required to supply the document cassette 14.

The cassette holding means 16 includes a cage 76 supported by four guide bars 74 a to 74 d erected within the casing 12 . The cage 76, as shown in FIG.
Worm gear 82 connected to drive shaft 80 of motor 78
It is movable in the vertical direction (Z direction) by a chain 84 via. Note that the drive shaft 80 is provided with a handle member 85 that allows the worm gear 82 to be manually moved.

The cage 76 has a plurality of stepped portions 86 into which the original cassettes 14 are loaded, and between each stepped portion 86, the original cassettes 1 are loaded.
A plurality of guide rollers 88 that engage with grooves 30a and 30b provided on the sides of the rollers 4 are disposed with a predetermined gap between them.

A cassette transport mechanism 90A is provided in the side portion of the cage 76 at a portion corresponding to the carry-in roller 60 provided at the lower part of the first lid portion 50. As shown in FIG. 6, the cassette transport mechanism 90A includes a motor 9 fixed to a support plate 92A.
4A, a solenoid 96A, and a drive plate 98A rotatably supported by the support plate 92A. Drive plate 9
8A has an abbreviated shape, and its bent portion is pivotally supported by a support plate 92A, and is connected to a solenoid 96A via a connecting portion 100A standing upright at one end. Further, the other end of the drive plate 98A has a comb-like shape, and a guide roller 102A is provided at the tip of each comb-like shape. in this case,
Each guide roller 102A can be rotated by a motor 94A via a wire 104A, and can be inserted between guide rollers 88 between steps 86 in the cage 76 under the driving action of a solenoid 96A.

On the other hand, in the part facing the insertion opening 56 of the first lid part 50,
A pair of nip rollers 106 and a cassette identifying means 18 are provided with the cage 76 in between. In this case, the cassette identification means 18 is composed of a plurality of light emitting elements 108 and a plurality of light receiving elements 110 arranged facing each other, and reads the data set in the cassette identification section 29 of the document cassette 14. I do.

A cassette transport mechanism 90B is provided in the side portion of the cage 76 at a portion corresponding to the carry-in roller 72 provided at the top of the first lid portion 50. In this case, the cassette transport mechanism 9
Since 0B has the same configuration as the cassette conveyance mechanism 90A, the same reference numerals are given B and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, two sets of nip rollers 112 and 114 are provided at a portion of the first lid portion 50 facing the insertion opening 66 with the cage 76 in between. In this case, the nip rollers 112, 114 are driven by a motor 118 fixed to the support plate 116.

The document cassette supply device 10 of this embodiment and the image reading device 20 to which this document cassette supply device 10 is connected are as follows:
Basically, it is configured as above, and then,
Its operation will be explained.

First, the original cassette 14 holding the original 28 to be read as shown in FIG. 2 is inserted through the insertion opening 56 of the original cassette supply device 10 (see FIG. 1). In this case, the document cassette supply device 10 detects that the document cassette 14 has been inserted by the insertion detection means 58, rotates the carry-in roller 60 under the driving action of the motor 62, and
4 is loaded into a predetermined step 86 of the cage 76 in the cassette holding means 16. It is assumed that the cage 76 has the step portion 86 in an empty state arranged near the carry-in roller 60. The document cassette 14 has the stepped portion 8
6, the guide roller 88 is held by engaging with the grooves 30a and 30b.

When the document cassette 14 is carried to a predetermined position on the stepped portion 86, the cassette transport mechanism 90A is driven (see FIGS. 5 and 6). That is, when the solenoid 96A is energized, the drive plate 98A rotates in the direction of the arrow via the connecting portion 100A, and the guide roller 102A provided at the tip of the drive plate 98A comes to face between the stepped portions 86. the document cassette 14, and engages with the grooves 30a and 30b of the document cassette 14.

Next, the motor 94A is driven, and the guide roller 102A is rotated via the wire 104A, whereby the leading end of the document cassette 14 is transferred via the nip roller 106 to the light emitting element 108 and light receiving element 110 that constitute the cassette identifying means 18. (See Figure 1).

In this case, the front end of the document cassette 14 is provided with a plurality of light transmitting portions 31a and a plurality of light shielding portions 31b to indicate the type of the document cassette 14 and the read document 28 held in the document cassette 14.
A cassette identification section 29 is provided with an identification symbol set therein. Therefore, the document cassette supplying device 10 receives the light output from the light emitting element 108 via the cassette identification section 29 and the light receiving element 110, so that the stepped portion 8
Information on the document cassette 14 loaded in the document cassette 6 can be read and recorded.

Furthermore, the cassette identifying means 18 is disposed at a position where the leading end of the document cassette 14 inserted through the insertion opening 56 passes through the stepped portion 86 . Therefore, the cassette identifying section 29 provided at the leading end of the original cassette 14 is supplied to the reading position of the cassette identifying means 18 in a more stable state than when the original cassette 14 is near the insertion opening 56.

As a result, the information on the document cassette 14 can be read accurately.

When the information from the document cassette 14 is read, the document cassette 14 is returned to a predetermined position on the stepped portion 86 under the driving action of the cassette transport mechanism 90A, and then the solenoid 9
6A, the drive plate 98A rotates in the direction of arrow B and retreats from the cage 76.

Next, the cage 76 moves in the direction of the arrow 2 via the worm gear 82 and the chain 84 under the driving action of the motor 78, and the original cassette 14 is moved to the cassette transport mechanism 90B.
It stops when it moves to the position corresponding to . Therefore,
The cassette transport mechanism 90B is driven in the same manner as the transport mechanism 90A, and the document cassette 14 is transported to the cassette supply means 22 side (Fig. 1, 7
(see figure). The cassette supply means 22 drives the motor 118 to rotate the nip rollers 112 and 114, and supplies the document cassette 14 to the image reading device 20 through the insertion opening 34.

The image reading device 20 drives the conveyance means 40 by detecting the document cassette 14 by the insertion detection means 36, and conveys the document cassette 14 to the image reading section 42. In this case, the cassette identifying means 38 reads information on the document cassette 14. In the image reading unit 42, the light output from the light source 46 is applied to the read original 2 held in the original cassette 14.
The light is received by the light receiving element 48 via the light receiving element 8, and the image is read.

Here, in the image reading device 20, image processing conditions may be set based on the image read from the read document 28.

In this case, the document cassette 14, whose image has been once read by the image reading unit 42, is returned to the document cassette supply device 10 again by the conveyance means 40, and then is transferred from the insertion port 56 to the cassette insertion table by the same operation as in the above case. 54
be carried upwards. Therefore, the operator
Image processing conditions are set while looking at the original document 28 to be read.

When the condition setting is completed, the operator loads the document cassette 14 into the document cassette supply device 10 again.

By the way, the cassette holding means 16 has a plurality of stepped portions 86, and each stepped portion 86 normally holds other document cassettes 14.
is retained. On the other hand, the image reading device 20 must be supplied with the document cassette 14 in which image processing conditions have been set among the plurality of document cassettes 14 .

In this case, the document cassette supplying device 10 uses the cassette identifying means 18 to detect and store information about which document cassette 14 is loaded into which stepped portion 86 at the time the document cassette 14 is loaded. There is. Therefore, the document cassette 1 related to the setting of output conditions from the image reading device 20 side.
4 is specified, the document cassette supplying device 10 can immediately find the stepped portion 86 in which the document cassette 14 is loaded, and can supply the document to the image reading device 20. As a result, even when handling a plurality of document cassettes 14, a desired document cassette 14 can be accurately and quickly supplied to the image reading device 20 and read.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the document cassette feeding device according to the present invention provides the following effects.

That is, in the document cassette supply device of the present invention,
When storing a document cassette in a step in the cassette holding means, the document cassette stored in the step is identified in advance by the cassette identifying means, and a desired document cassette is supplied to the image reading device. After moving the stepped portion in which the document cassette identified by the cassette identifying device is accommodated to a predetermined position, the document cassette is supplied to the image reading device by the cassette supply device.

Therefore, on the image reading device side, the image reading operation can be immediately started using the desired document cassette supplied from the document cassette supply device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a document cassette supply device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a document cassette loaded in the document cassette supply device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the structure of the document cassette supply device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the document cassette supply device shown in FIG. FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the internal configuration of the document cassette supply device shown in FIG. 10... Original cassette feeding device 14... Original cassette 16... Cassette holding means 18... Cassette identifying means 20... Image reading device 22... Cassette feeding means 28... Reading original 29. ...Cassette identification part 76...Cage 86...Step part

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A document cassette supply device that supplies a document cassette holding a document to be read to an image reading device, the device having a plurality of stepped portions for storing the document cassettes, and movable in the stacking direction of the stepped portions. cassette holding means; cassette identification means for identifying a document cassette stored in the stepped section; and cassette supply means for supplying the document cassette stored in the cassette holding means to the image reading device. Characteristic document cassette feeding device.