JPH06167754A - Copying machine provided with original detecting function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a copying machine provided with an original detecting function which is obtained by constituting a few photodetectors of a few members, which efficiently and precisely detects an original while a cost is reduced and which can detect even the original of undefined size. CONSTITUTION:In the copying machine provided with an original covering plate axially supported by the end part of an original platen 3 so as to be freely turned, an angle detection means detecting the opening and closing operation angle of the original covering plate, an original detection means (optical scanner and optical detection means) 7 detecting the size of the placed original and a function automatically selecting a recording paper corresponding to the size of the placed original; the detection means 7 is constituted by including an elastic deformation member 74 arranged at the lower part of the platen 3, a vibration means 71 driving the deformation of the member 71 and a light emitting element 72 and a light receiving element 73 which are arranged on the member 71 and which optically scan the lower surface of the placed original by the deformation of the member 71.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a copying machine having a document detecting function, and more specifically, it can detect the size of a document placed by a simple document detecting means.
In addition, the present invention relates to a copying apparatus that is also capable of detecting an irregular document size.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recent copying machines generally have a function of detecting the size of a document placed on a document table and automatically selecting a suitable copy sheet. As a document detection and size detection means in a conventional copying apparatus, a light detection means in which a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element are combined in pairs for each size to be detected is arranged below the document table and the document holding plate is closed. It is known to activate the light detecting means based on a signal. However, as the number of document sizes to be detected increases, the number of light detecting means also increases accordingly. As a result, not only the control becomes complicated and the cost also rises, but also the light detecting means is avoided by avoiding the position where the light transmission path for forming the copy image originally intended by the copying apparatus or the position where the optical parts are arranged overlaps. Since it is unavoidable to arrange them, it is not always possible to arrange them in a position suitable for size detection, which may lead to a decrease in detection accuracy.

In order to solve this problem, there has been proposed a means for detecting the size of an original while mechanically moving it along the lower surface of the original placing table, which is provided with a pair of light detecting means. It has been a poor solution to the problem, with slower speeds and higher costs. Further, in the conventional document detecting means, the signals from the respective light detecting means are combined to determine the size. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately align the detection reference positions of all the light detecting means with the end portions of the document. However, there is a drawback in that accurate size detection is impossible if even a slight deviation occurs. Further, when the placed document is displaced from the predetermined position, the document is copied in the displaced state, which often causes an increase in copying errors.

In the automatic mode for automatically detecting the document size, the size of the document is determined by detecting that the document pressing plate is closed, and then the copy start key is operated to make a copy, which is suitable. If there is no copy paper, a message to that effect is displayed, but in order to change the size designation, it was necessary to cancel the automatic selection mode and then set the desired size again. . Generally, in such a case, a copy paper of one size larger is often selected, and it is more convenient if this setting can be executed by a simple operation.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and enables efficient and accurate document detection while reducing cost by enabling detection with a small number of light detection means. It is an object of the present invention to provide a copying apparatus having a document detection function that enables detection of irregular sizes.

[0006]

In the present invention, in order to achieve the above object,
At least an original pressing plate rotatably supported on the end of the original table, an angle detecting means for detecting an opening / closing operation angle of the original pressing plate, and an original detecting means for detecting the size of the placed original. In a copying apparatus having a function of automatically selecting a copy sheet corresponding to the size of a placed document, the document detection means includes an elastically deformable member arranged below the document table and a drive for deforming the member. Means, and a light emitting element and a light receiving element which optically scan the lower surface of the document placed on the elastically deformable member and placed by the deformation thereof. Further, the means for deforming and driving the elastically deforming member vibrates and deforms in two orthogonal directions to scan the light of the light emitting element into eight characters, and the intersection position thereof is a region other than the end portion of each document size to be detected. Alternatively, or by the paper detection means adding an electrically insulating layer on the surface of the elastically deformable member and forming a conductive pattern thereon, the light emitting element disposed on the elastically deformable member, the light receiving element The element, the elastic deformation member drive circuit, and the required amplification circuit are electrically connected, and the arrangement angle of the light emitting element and the light receiving element is set to 2 to 12 degrees with respect to the document table.

Further, light detection scanning is started based on a signal from the opening / closing angle detecting means of the original holding plate and a drive start signal from the elastic deformation member driving means, and from the start of scanning to the detection of the end portion of the original. The size of the placed original is determined by comparing the time with the time stored in advance, and the copy paper to be selected is determined.

Further, when the copy start key is scanned in a state where the signal from the opening / closing operation angle detecting means of the original holding plate is not obtained, the optical detection of the original detecting means is performed by the copy start key operating signal. Is started, and the size of the placed original is determined based on the time from the generation of the start signal to the detection of the edge of the original and the time information stored in advance, and the copy sheet to be selected is determined. The optical detection of the document detection means scans the placed document in a widthwise direction and in the longitudinal direction of the document in an eight-character shape, and excludes the detection data near the intersection when determining the document size. Accurate detection can also be mentioned as a feature of the present invention. Furthermore,
When the original size information obtained by the optical search of the original detection means and the selected paper size data are different, a paper confirmation display is performed, and when the copy start key is searched a plurality of times, the judgment result is obtained. When a copy paper one size larger is selected and an operator presence detecting means is provided, the original detecting means is turned on when the presence of the operator is detected, and the original detecting means is powered when the operator is absent. It is also effective to turn off the function to enhance the function.

[0009]

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part configuration of a document detection mechanism of a copying apparatus according to the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 1 is an original pressing plate, one end 2 of which is rotatably supported on the upper surface of the main body of the copying machine, and contacts an original 4 placed on an original placing table (contact glass) 3. It is pressed so that it closely contacts the glass. Further, the opening / closing operation of the document pressing plate 1 is detected by the switch 5 arranged on the shaft supporting portion thereof, and serves as a reference for the start of the document detecting operation and the detection timing as described later. The above document placing table 4
Devices such as an optical system necessary for copying are arranged inside the lower surface of the device, but they are not shown because they are not directly related to the present invention.

Reference numeral 7 shows an embodiment of the document detecting means according to the present invention, the details of which will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and the like, and is arranged on the surface thereof by a vibrating member which elastically deforms and vibrates in response to an electric signal. The light of the light emitting element is applied to the lower surface of the original through the fθ mirror 8, and the light reflected from the original is detected by the light receiving element on the same vibrating member to detect the size of the placed original. Has become.

At this time, the light search range is a range including the reference plate 9 located at the end of the document holding plate 3 and the end of the minimum document size, and the amount of light reflected from the part where the document is located. And the amount of light reflected from a portion without a document is different, the document size is obtained. In general, a special reflecting member is attached to the lower surface of the document holding plate so as to be different from the light reflection by the document, and if necessary, it is related to the wavelength range of the light emitted from the document detecting means 7. In some cases, the light reflection characteristic from the document and that of the document holding plate may be different from each other. 1 is an operator detecting means provided on the side of the main body of the copying machine for detecting a human body approaching to use the copying machine. Depending on the detection result, the power source of the entire copying machine, or The power supply of a part of the apparatus such as the document detecting means is turned on and off.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of the above-mentioned copying apparatus, and is a view for explaining the details of the document detecting means according to the present invention. In the figure, 7 is the above-mentioned document detecting means, 8 is an f.theta. Mirror, 3 is a document mounting table, 9 is a reference plate, and 11 is a document scale newly placed at the end of the document mounting table. Therefore, in this example, the case where the left top corner of the document is set to match the upper left corner of the document placing table according to the mark on the document scale is illustrated. The document detecting means 7 shown in this embodiment includes an elastic deformation vibration member 71 that vibrates due to elastic deformation, a light emitting element 72 and a light receiving element 73 arranged on the surface thereof, and the elastic deformation vibration member 7.
1 and a vibration control section 75 for supplying an electric signal to the driving means. As the elastic deformation vibration member, for example, a piezoelectric vibrator such as a piezo element or an element that generates a mechanical displacement by applying a voltage is used. Similarly, any device can be used as long as it has a transducer function of converting an electric signal into mechanical vibration.

When elastic deformation vibration is generated by such a structure, the emission direction of light changes with the vibration, and f
The position is scanned by the light that illuminates the lower surface of the document table 3 via the θ mirror 8. The light reflected by the original 4 or the original pressing plate 1 is again guided to the light receiving element 73 of the elastic deformation vibration member 71 via the fθ mirror 8, and further, the elastic deformation vibration member 71 moves in different directions. Vibration occurs, and as a result, as shown in FIG.
It is built to scan in the shape of a letter. In this configuration, the size of the placed document is calculated depending on which timing of the optical scanning obtains the signal of the document edge from the output of the light receiving element 73 and the optical search start timing. Will be described later in detail.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of light scanning.
(A) is a view of the optical scanning as seen from the upper part of the document placing table, and (b) is a part thereof, which is an enlarged view of an intersection of lights vibrating in different directions. As shown in FIG. 7A, if the light is scanned in an eight-character shape, it is possible to detect the document edge position by one detecting means in both the vertical and horizontal directions of the document. At this time, the portion where the light intersects may cause inaccuracy when detecting the edge of the document, so
As shown in FIG. 7B, the intersection is set in the area where the document edge is not located. That is, the light emitting element and the light receiving element are preferably arranged at an angle of about 2 to 12 degrees so that the light reflected from the document placing table is small and the light reflected from the document is large. Even when set to, the reflected light in the vicinity where the scanning light intersects is larger in the reflected light from the document holding plate than in the reflected light from the document, which may prevent accurate detection. Therefore, as described above, it is better to set the position where the scanning light intersects to the region that is not related to the document detection, that is, the region where the edge of the document is not likely to be located.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the elastic deformation vibration means portion of the document detecting means, FIG. 4 (a) is a plan view, and FIG. 4 (b) is a side view. In the configuration shown in this example, the light emitting element 72 and the light receiving element 73 are arranged on the surface of the elastic deformation vibration member 71, and these elements are entirely covered with resin, and the light emitting portion and the incident portion are made of a resin which can transmit light. It is formed into a shape.
The electric signal input / output terminals of these elements are connected to a drive circuit element 41, which is a circuit block such as an amplifier, by a conductive pattern, and the drive circuit element 41 is connected to a control unit (not shown) by a flat cable or the like. Has been done. As shown in FIG. 2B, the side surface structure of this portion is such that an insulating layer 42 is formed on the surface of the elastic deformation vibration member 71, and a conductive pattern 43 is formed thereon. Further, the elastic deformation vibration member 71 and the vibrating means 74 are connected by an arm 44 formed in a portion having a relatively small deviation when the elastic deformation vibration member vibrates. It is connected to the drive circuit element via the arm.

As shown in FIG. 4, if only the light emitting element and the light receiving element are arranged on the elastic deformation vibrating member 71 and the drive circuit element such as the amplifying circuit is arranged on the portion which does not vibrate, the vibration cycle can be made high. It is convenient for changing. That is, when the weight of the electronic component or the like mounted on the vibrating portion becomes large, the weight may become a load and hinder high-speed vibration. Therefore, the gravity of the vibrating portion should be reduced as much as possible. Furthermore,
When electrically connecting to a vibrating part, the signal line should be connected through a part where vibration transmission is as small as possible, and the wiring should have some allowance so as not to be disconnected due to vibration.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an arrangement example of a light emitting element and a light receiving element arranged on the elastic deformation vibrating member 71.
It is necessary to consider the inclinations of the elements so that the light emitted from the original and reflected by the original 4 on the original placing table 3 is incident on the light receiving element. For example, as shown in FIG. There are a method of flattening the deformation vibration member 71 and inclining the element surface, and a method of bending the elastic deformation vibration element itself as shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a control block diagram for driving the above-mentioned blocks. The operator control means 10, the document pressing plate switch 5, and the drive control section 6 are centered around the main control section 61.
2. Control each block such as the operation unit 6 and the copy paper cassette unit 63. Note that this control block shows the system necessary for detecting the document size, and the control system of the optical system for copying is omitted.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a control signal waveform and a synchronizing pulse waveform of the elastic deformation vibration member. In this example, a synchronizing pulse is generated at the zero cross point and the peak point of the control signal waveform, and the zero cross point is generated. Is used as the original detection start signal, and the detection is ended by the pulse at the peak position, or vice versa. When the elastic deformation vibration means is driven, the drive control means generates a first resonance frequency to scan light in the longitudinal direction of the document, for example, and when a second resonance frequency signal is applied, vibration occurs in the twisting direction. As a result, the light can be scanned in the shape of a figure. The relationship between the drive signal and the generation of the synchronization pulse is the same for both the first and second resonance frequency signals.

Next, the document detecting means of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the flow charts shown in FIGS. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the overall control procedure of the copying machine,
Check the power ON / OFF when starting (ST
1) If the power is ON, the initial setting (ST2), the human body detection (ST3) and the document size position detection (ST4) are performed, and then the operation of the start key is waited (ST5). When the start key is operated, the document size is confirmed (ST6), the size is determined (ST7), the cassette is selected (ST8), and then the required copying process control (ST9) is performed. When the copying process is completed (ST10), after the post-processing (ST11), it is confirmed that the power has been cut off, and the control is completed. However, if the power is continuously supplied, the human body detection control of ST3 is performed, and the same operation is performed. Repeat the operation.

Next, each control will be described. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the human body detection process. When a person approaches to operate the copying machine, a detection signal is output and the power source of the document detection means is turned on, but when the human body detection signal is cut off, the document detection is performed. Turn off the power to the means. Although various methods are known for the human body, that is, the operator detecting means, for example, a method of outputting infrared rays, ultrasonic waves or the like and detecting the reflection from the operator is generally used. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the document size detection process. It is confirmed whether the size detection is automatic or manual (ST1).
(ST2). When the document pressing plate is closed, the first control signal is applied to the elastic deformation vibration member (S
T2), the document edge position data is read based on the synchronization pulse signal, and the position of the document in the first direction is detected by generation of the detection end signal pulse (ST3, 4, 5,).
6).

Next, the second frequency signal is applied (ST
7) Similarly, the detection of the second direction of the document is executed based on the sync pulse signal (ST8, 9, 10, 11). The document detection is started by the synchronizing pulse signal at the zero-cross point of the vibration signal and terminated by the pulse signal at the peak point, and the light reflected from the document surface is determined during that period. At the time of this determination, the control unit performs sampling, and whether each sampling value is a reflection from the document surface,
Since the level differs depending on whether it is the reflection from the document holding plate, the size of the placed document and the placement direction are detected by comparing the timing of occurrence with the information stored in advance.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart for confirming the document size. It is a flow chart for confirming the document detection each time the document detection shown in FIG. 10 is performed, and the control of each step is almost the same as that in FIG. is there. FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the determination process. In the size determination, it is determined whether the request is for the standard size or the detection of the unfixed size as it is (ST1). In the case of the standard size detection request, the read sampling value The data is read from (ST2) and the difference from the reference size is detected (ST3). If it matches the size data stored in advance, determine the size of the copy paper, specify the cassette (ST4, 5), and if the difference from the reference value is large, check whether the original is misaligned and set. It is displayed (ST6), and when the difference from the reference value is small, the direction of the copy paper is confirmed (ST7).

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a cassette selection flow. It is confirmed whether copying paper of a desired size remains in the cassette, and if it remains, the cassette is selected. When the start key is operated twice, select a size larger than the one previously selected,
Similarly, select after checking the remaining paper. In either case, if there is no selected paper, the above detection is repeated. In the size determination process, after the first direction detection is performed, the result is stored, and the second direction detection is performed based on the result, the result can be quickly obtained. In other words, some candidates of the document size are determined according to the result of the first direction detection, and therefore, the second direction detection can perform detection by focusing on these candidates, and the vertical and horizontal directions can be separately determined. It is possible to detect more efficiently than the method of detecting. Further, the document data is used as setting data when setting the automatic magnification. That is, the copy sheet to be selected is selected from the placed document and the set magnification, and when the copy sheet is first selected, the magnification is automatically selected.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing the judgment procedure for each size in the document size detection procedure, in which the size information data stored in advance is the vibration signal and the time from the detection start pulse signal synchronized with the vibration signal to the document edge position detection. And sequentially determine the size. As an example, first, it is judged whether the detected data is larger or smaller than B size, and if it is larger, it is judged whether it is A3 size, and it is judged whether it is A3 or B4. On the other hand, when the size is smaller than the B size, each size is determined, and F4, A4 length, and A4 width are determined. Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and various modifications are possible. For example, the light from the elastically deformable vibrating member is passed through the fθ mirror to the original surface. However, when the scanning range of the document surface is narrow, the light from the light emitting element may be directly irradiated.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the original is detected by driving the elastic deformation vibration element, it is possible to detect many kinds of original sizes with a small number of members. Therefore, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced, and the original size can be accurately detected regardless of the standard size or the irregular size.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of a document size detecting device of the present invention.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing an example of optical scanning of the document detection apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 3A is a view seen from above the document mounting table, and FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of an optical intersection portion.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an elastic deformation vibration member,
(A) is a plan view and (b) is a side view.

5A and 5B are diagrams showing an arrangement example of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, FIG. 5A is an example in which an elastic deformation vibration member is a flat plate, and FIG.
[Fig. 3] is a side view showing an example of bending.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a control system of the document detecting means of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a vibration waveform and a synchronization pulse signal applied to the elastic deformation vibration member.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the overall control procedure of the copying apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a human body detection procedure of the copying apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a document size detecting procedure of the copying apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for document size confirmation of the copying apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for size determination of the copying apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of cassette selection of the copying apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a document size determination procedure.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 original holding plate, 2 axis fulcrum, 3 original placing table,
4 documents, 5 switch, 6 operation part, 7 document detection means (elastic deformation vibration member), 8 fθ mirror, 9
Reference point, 10 operator detection means (human body detection means),
11 original scale, 41 driving circuit element, 42
Insulating layer, 43 conductive pattern, 44 arm, 7
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 elastically deformable vibrating member, 72 light emitting element, 73 light receiving element, 74 vibrating means, 75 vibration control means,
7 Operation part

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A document holding plate which is rotatably supported at an end of the document holding plate, an angle detecting means for detecting an opening / closing operation angle of the document holding plate, and a document holding plate mounted on the document holding plate. In a copying apparatus having a document detecting means for detecting a placed document size and a function for automatically selecting a copy sheet corresponding to the placed document size, the document detecting means is arranged at a lower part of a document table. Elastic deformable member, means for deforming and driving the elastic deformable member, and a light emitting element and a light receiving element which are disposed on the elastic deformable member and optically scan the lower surface of the original placed by the deformation. A copying machine equipped with a document detection function. 2. The means for deforming and driving the elastically deformable member should vibrate and deform the elastically deformable member in two directions orthogonal to each other to scan the light of the light emitting element into eight characters and detect the intersection point position. 2. A copying apparatus having an original detecting function according to claim 1, wherein the copying apparatus is provided in an area other than an end portion of the original size. 3. A light emitting element, a light receiving element disposed on the elastically deformable member by adding an electrically insulating layer on the surface of the elastically deformable member and forming a conductive pattern on the electrically insulative layer by the document detecting means. 2. The elastic deformation member drive circuit and the required amplification circuit are electrically connected, and the arrangement angle of the light emitting element and the light receiving element is set to 2 to 12 degrees with respect to the document table. Copying machine equipped with the original detection function. 4. Optical detection scanning is started based on a signal from the opening / closing angle detection means of the original pressing plate and a drive start signal from the elastic deformation member driving means, and from the start of scanning to the detection of the end portion of the original. 2. A copying apparatus having a document detecting function according to claim 1, wherein the size of the placed document is determined by comparing the time with a previously stored time to determine the copy paper to be selected. 5. When the copy start key is scanned in a state where a signal from the opening / closing operation angle detection means of the original holding plate is not obtained, the optical detection of the original detection means is performed by the copy start key operation signal. And determines the size of the placed document based on the time from the generation of the start signal to the detection of the document edge and the time information corresponding to the document size stored in advance,
5. A copying apparatus having a document detecting function according to claim 4, wherein the copying paper to be selected is determined. 6. The optical scanning of the original detecting means scans the placed original in the width direction and in the longitudinal direction of the original in a figure 8 shape, and detects the detection data in the vicinity of the intersection when the original size is judged. The copying apparatus having the document detection function according to claim 2, which is excluded. 7. When the original size information obtained by the optical search of the original detecting means and the selected paper size data are different, a paper confirmation display is performed and a copy start key is searched a plurality of times. 7. A copying apparatus having a document detecting function according to claim 1, wherein a copy paper one size larger than the determination result is selected. 8. The copying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operator presence detecting means, when the presence of the operator is detected, the original detecting means is turned on, and when the operator is absent. Is a copying apparatus having a document detecting function, characterized in that the power source of the document detecting means is turned off.