JPH0515338B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a copying apparatus for copying documents and the like.

"Prior Art" FIG. 9 shows a conventionally commonly used copying apparatus.

This copying apparatus includes a platen glass 2 and a platen cover 3 on the top surface of a main body case 1, and a tray 4 on the side for taking out copies after copying.
An operation panel 6 is provided on the front panel 5. Place the book 7, etc. that you want to copy on this platen glass 2 with the reading side facing down, and press the start button provided on the operation panel 6. This copying device starts and copies are placed on the tray 4. It will be discharged.

``Problems to be solved by the invention'' In the past, in this way, an operator brought a document to be copied to a place where a copying machine was installed, and placed it on the platen glass of the copying machine before making a copy. A copy was obtained.

However, for example, a pattern drawn directly on the ceiling,
Even if a person wishes to make a copy of a painting or the like that is fixed to a wall surface and cannot be easily removed or transported, such a copy cannot be obtained using such a conventional copying device.

The present invention has been made focusing on the above points,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a copying apparatus that can copy such items that cannot be carried or removed.

"Means for Solving the Problems" The present invention includes (a) an irradiation means for irradiating the image reading surface, a photoelectric conversion means for converting the read image into a digital image signal for each pixel, and a converted one. comprising a transmission signal creation means for creating a transmission signal by sandwiching a control signal between a digital image signal for each line, a modulation means for modulating the transmission signal, and an antenna for transmitting the modulated signal by radio waves, an image reading unit housed in a portable first body case; (b) an antenna for receiving radio waves sent from the image reading unit; and a signal separation unit for separating an image signal and a control signal from the received radio waves. and a recording section that records an image using the separated image signal under control of a control signal, the recording section being housed in a second main body case on which the first main body case can be placed. constitutes a copying machine.

In order to make the image reading section easy to carry, the image reading section and the recording section are separated, and the image signals read by the image reading section are sent to the recording section by radio waves.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a copying apparatus of the present invention.

In the figure, the image reading unit 11 is provided with a platen cover 13 on the upper surface of its main body case 12 and a platen glass hidden under the platen cover 13 but not visible. An operation panel 15 is provided on the front panel 14, and a support handle 16 is provided on the side.
is installed. Furthermore, this handle 16
A copy start switch 17 is installed near the. Extending from the side surface of the main body case 12 is a transmitting antenna wire 18 for carrying an image signal on a current. This main case 12
is 30cm long and 40cm wide.
It is approximately 5 centimeters thick and can accommodate up to 4 originals in row A on the platen glass.

On the other hand, the recording unit 21 is provided with an operation panel 23 on the front of the main body case 22 for specifying power on/off, copy density, etc., a paper feed tray 24 for supplying recording paper on the left side, and a copy tray 24 on the right side. A discharge tray 25 is provided for discharge.

The structure of the reading device of the image reading section 11 will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reading device of the image reading section 11.

In this figure, a document 31 is placed on the top surface of a platen glass 30 with its reading surface facing down. The lower surface of the platen glass 30 includes a lamp 32 that illuminates the reading surface of the document, a photoelectric conversion unit 33 that houses an image sensor that converts the read image into a black and white binary digital image signal for each pixel, and this photoelectric conversion unit. A mirror section 34 accommodates several mirrors that optically guide the image to the section 33, and the mirror section 34 is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the document 31, that is, the arrow 3 in the figure.
5 (referred to as the sub-scanning direction) at a constant speed.

This drive section 36 moves the mirror section 34 to the rail 37.
The drive reel 38 is moved in the sub-scanning direction along the
The mirror part 34 is rotated by the chain 39.
Towing.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the main parts of this image reading section, and the same parts as in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals and their explanation will be omitted.

Here, light 41 emitted from the original 31 is reflected by three mirrors 42 housed in the mirror section 34, and is reflected by a lens 43 provided in the photoelectric conversion section 33.
An optical image is formed on the light receiving surface of the image line sensor 44 through the image line sensor 44.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the main part of the reading surface of the original 31 read by this image line sensor. The image line sensor 44 converts a linear optical image formed on its light receiving surface into a black and white binary image signal for each pixel from one end to the other end. During this time, the mirror unit 34 in FIG. 3 moves in the sub-scanning direction 35, so when the image line sensor 44 converts the optical image from one end into an image signal again, the scanning surface of the original is lower than the one read earlier. The optical image of the portion shifted by a predetermined width in the sub-scanning direction is converted.

That is, when the mirror section 34 moves continuously at a constant speed, the scanning surface of the original 31 is repeatedly converted into an image signal for each pixel 46 from left to right and slightly downward to the right as shown in FIG. Obtain the image signal.
Here, the image signal obtained by a series of reading operations from the left end to the right end (this is called main scanning) is called an image signal for one line, and its length is line length L, and its pitch is This will be referred to as the reading sub-scanning pitch L.

The image signal 47 converted in this way is
As shown in the figure, it is combined with a scan control signal output from a scan control circuit 48 that controls the timing of main scanning and sub-scanning, is modulated by a conversion circuit 51, and is applied to a current of, for example, several tens to hundreds of megahertz. The signal is transmitted via the transmitting circuit 52 and the antenna 18. As described above, the image reading section of the present invention is provided with a transmitter 54 for transmitting image signals onto radio waves, and this circuit board and the like are incorporated into the main body case together with the reading device shown in FIG.

Here, the operation panel 15 provided in the image reading section 11 shown in FIG. 1 will be explained using FIG. 5.

This figure is a front view of the operation panel 15, which shows the start switch 56 for starting the copying operation.
, a stop switch 57 for emergency stop, numeric keys 58 for specifying the number of copies, etc., six function keys 59 for specifying various operations, and
It consists of a liquid crystal display 60 that displays the functions of these keys, operation guides, etc.

The start switch 56 has the same function as the switch located near the handle 16 described in FIG. 1. The image reading section 11 shown in FIG. 1 has a built-in battery (not shown) for easy portability, and the necessary circuits are turned on at the same time as the start switch 18 or 56 is pressed, and the necessary circuits are turned on at a predetermined timing. Reading begins.
Of course, a separate power switch may be provided. In addition, the function of the function key 59 is displayed on the display 60 immediately next to it, and the operator can select the function and press the function key 59.
Press 9 to display the specified results. In Fig. 5, the size of the original is number 4 in column A, the size of the recording paper is also number 4 in column A, and a mark 61 indicates that the mode for transmitting read data by radio waves is currently selected. ing.

FIG. 6 is a main part block diagram showing the internal structure of the recording section 21 shown in FIG. 1.

In the figure, while the recording paper 64 fed from the paper feed tray 24 moves from the left to the right in the figure as indicated by an arrow 65, the recording paper 64 finishes recording and is sent to the output tray 24.
is discharged.

This recording unit sends an ink donor sheet 66 wound into a roll at a predetermined speed from the left to the right in the figure in the direction of an arrow 68 by a drive roll 67, and uses a thermal head 70 to feed the ink donor sheet 66 into a roll. It applies a corresponding heat pulse to the recorded image.

An image signal sent on radio waves is received by a receiving antenna 71 and detected by a detection circuit 72, and separated into an image signal and a scanning control signal by a separation circuit 73. Such a receiver 74 is provided in the recording section of the copying apparatus of the present invention. The main scanning signal is sent to the print control circuit 75 together with the image signal, and the sub-scanning signal 76 is sent to the scanning circuit 77 to determine the timing for controlling the start and stop of the pulse motor 78 for driving the ink donor sheet 66.

FIG. 7 shows the structure of a signal transmitted from the image reading section to the recording section of the present invention.

This figure shows the signals for one page of the scanning surface of the original, with the sub-scanning start signal SD at the start edge and the paper edge, respectively.
81 and a stop signal SS82 are provided, between which an image signal 83 for one line and a main scanning start signal M84 are provided.
are inserted in a number equivalent to one page. Also, immediately after the sub-scanning start signal 81 and its stop signal 8
Immediately before 2, an idle feed signal D85 is inserted to perform sub-scanning by a certain amount without recording operation.

Combination and separation processing of these signals can be easily realized using, for example, a signal processing circuit commonly used in facsimile machines.

The copying apparatus of the present invention is used in the following manner.
First, as shown in FIG. 8, the platen glass of the image reading unit is pressed against the painting 88 that is posted on the wall 87 and which the user wishes to copy. At this time, the operator places the platen cover 1 shown in FIG. 1 in advance.
3, and hold the handles 16 provided on both sides of the main body case 12 of the image reading unit 11 with both hands to adjust the position of the paper image reading surface and the platen glass.
The recording unit 21 is placed on a nearby table 89 and the power is turned on.

Next, when the start button 17 near the handle 16 of the image reading section 11 is pressed, the mirror section 34 of the image reading section shown in FIG. 2 moves to start the reading operation. Simultaneously with the activation of the mirror section 34, the sub-scanning start signal 81 shown in FIG. 7 is first issued, and the ink donor sheet 66 of the recording section 21 shown in FIG. It is sent above the thermal head 70. This feed amount is determined by the idle feed signal 85. Then, after the main scanning start signal 84 is issued, one line of image signals transmitted from the image reading section 11 are stored in the recording section 21 as shown in FIG.
The pulses are transferred to the shift register 79 of the thermal head, and a print pulse for printing one line is supplied to the thermal head at the timing when the next main scanning start signal 84 is input.

This operation is repeated and finally the empty feed signal 85
After the recording paper is idly fed to the discharge tray, the drive of the ink donor sheet 66 is stopped by the sub-scanning stop signal 82.

When you wish to make two or more copies, the series of signals shown in No. 7 is transmitted again from the image reading section 11 to the recording section 2.
1.

Note that the platen cover can be attached and detached using a well-known structure such as removing screws from a hinge connecting the platen cover and the main body case, or using a snap type.

The copying apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The image line sensor used in the image reading section may be a direct reading type that directly receives reflected light from the reading surface of the document, and a power source with relatively low power consumption, such as a light emitting diode array, should be used to illuminate the document surface. You can also do it.

Further, in addition to the wireless method as described in the embodiment, a separate connector or the like may be provided so that image signals and the like can be transmitted using a signal cable during normal use.

The recording section can use various printer devices such as a laser printer, a xerographic type, or a direct thermal type in addition to the type using an ink donor sheet. This recording section may be of either a battery type or one that uses a normal commercial power source.

In addition, the modulation method used when transmitting image signals to radio waves is
Various methods can be used, such as AM modulation or FM modulation that is resistant to external noise.

"Effects of the Invention" As explained above, according to the present invention, since the copying device is separated into the image reading section and the recording section, the image reading section can be displayed on the wall or ceiling, etc. This makes it possible to copy parts that would otherwise be impossible to copy, thereby expanding the scope of use of the copying machine. Moreover, in the present invention, image signals are transmitted and received by radio waves via an antenna. Therefore, unlike when using a communication cable, the cable does not get in the way, and unlike when communicating with light beams, the transmitting and receiving elements on the reading surface and the recording section are not affected by ambient light or There are no problems that require confrontation.

In addition, in the present invention, since the signal is transmitted in a form in which a control signal is sandwiched between the image signal and the control signal for each line, it is difficult for images to become out of synchronization. Since the image signal can be instructed, the image signal can be recorded efficiently.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the first main body case housing the reading section can be placed on the second main body case housing the recording section, so that the reading section can be combined with the recording section and used as a normal copying machine. It has the advantage that it can also be used as a

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the copying apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the reading device of the image reading section, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the main part of the image reading section, and FIG. An explanatory diagram of how to read a document. Figure 5 is a front view of the control panel of the image reading unit. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the main parts of the recording unit. Figure 7 is a configuration diagram of signals transmitted on radio waves. , FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the copying apparatus of the present invention is used, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conventional copying apparatus. 11... Image reading unit, 13... Platen cover, 16... Handle, 21... Recording unit, 54...
...Transmission section, 74...Reception section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An irradiation means for illuminating the image reading surface, a photoelectric conversion means for converting the read image into a digital image signal for each pixel, and a control signal for converting the converted digital image signal for each line. It is equipped with a transmission signal creation means that creates a transmission signal by sandwiching it, a modulation means that modulates the transmission signal, and an antenna that transmits the modulated signal as a radio wave, and is housed in a portable first main body case. an antenna for receiving radio waves sent from the image reading section, a signal separating means for separating an image signal and a control signal from the received radio waves, and a control signal using the separated image signal. 1. A copying apparatus comprising: a recording section that records an image under control; and a recording section housed in a second main body case in which the first main body case can be placed. 2. The copying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading section has a removable platen cover and a support handle on the side thereof.