JPH0626366U - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] To provide an image reading device capable of easily removing dust and the like adhering to the inside of a housing. [Structure] A cover 5 made of a flexible transparent material is detachably attached to the reading window 4 provided in the lower case 1.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an image reading device using a line sensor, and more particularly to an image reading device that moves on a document and photoelectrically reads the image of the document.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 A handy image scanner, which is a manual scanning type image reading device that photoelectrically reads an image on a document by manually moving the document, has conventionally been configured as shown in FIG. That is, the main roller 52 is rotatably provided in the lower case 51b of the housing 51 including the upper case 51a and the lower case 51b, and the housing 51 runs on the original 53 via the main roller 52. . A light source 54, a mirror 55, a lens 56, and a line sensor 57 that is a light receiving unit are provided in the housing 51, and the light emitted from the light source 54 is a reading window 58 that is a window portion provided on the front surface of the housing 51. The surface of the original 53 is irradiated with the light. The reflected light from the original 53 passes through the reading window 58 again, is reflected by the mirror 55, and is condensed on the line sensor 57 by the lens 56. In this way, the image on the original 53 is linearly formed on the line sensor 57, and the image is read by moving the housing 51.

In the conventional handheld image scanner configured as described above, if dust or the like enters the housing 51, it may cause a failure in the electrical system and cause a failure. Further, if dust or the like adheres to the mirror 55, the lens 56, the line sensor 57, etc., that portion becomes dark and the image cannot be read correctly. In order to solve this problem, the housing 51 of the conventional scanner has hermetically sealed a member on the optical path, and covers the reading window 58 with a cover 59 which is a transparent covering member.

The cover 59 has conventionally been configured as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10. That is, the cover 59 is formed of a transparent member having a shape of covering the reading window 58 and has a flat plate shape, and a pair of hooks 60 is provided so as to project on both sides in the longitudinal direction. Then, only the hook 60 is flexible, and it is attached to the housing 51 by bending the hook 60 and fitting it into the reading window 58.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, since the main body of the cover 59 is rigid and the hook 60 is locked to the inner surface of the reading window 58, when removing the cover 59 to remove dust and the like adhering to the cover 59 and internal members, The upper case 51a and the lower case 51b have to be separated, and the hook 60 must be bent inside the lower case 51b and removed. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time and labor, and moreover, stress is concentrated on the hook 60 and the hook 60 is easily broken.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an image reading apparatus in which a cover, which is a covering member, can be easily attached to and detached from a casing without damage. And

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The image reading apparatus of the present invention travels on a document, irradiates the document with light from a light source provided in the case through a window provided at the bottom of the case, and reflects light from the document in the case. In the image reading apparatus for reading the image on the document by forming an image on the light receiving means provided in the, a covering member made of a flexible transparent material for covering the window is detachably attached to the window. It is characterized by

[0008]

[Action]

 In the image reading apparatus having the above-described configuration, the window from which the light from the light source is projected onto the document and the reflected light is guided to the light receiving means is provided on the flexible and transparent covering member, so that dust or the like may enter the housing from the outside. Can be prevented from entering. Further, since the covering member is attachable to and detachable from the window portion, the covering member can be removed from the window portion to remove dust and the like adhering to the inner surface. Furthermore, it is possible to remove dust and the like attached to the mirror provided near the window.

Further, since the covering member is made of a flexible material, it can be flexed as a whole when being attached to or detached from the window portion, and the covering member can be easily attached and detached from the outside of the housing without damaging the covering member. can do.

[0010]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the image reading apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 6 show the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a main roller 2 and an auxiliary roller 3 are rotatably attached to the lower surface of a lower case 1. A reading window 4 is provided on the lower surface of the lower case 1 near the main roller 2, and the reading window 4 is provided with a cover 5 formed of a flexible transparent member. Further, a fluorescent lamp 6 is provided inside the cover 5 so as to illuminate the original document 8 placed under the handy image scanner 7.

A holder 10 for accommodating the optical unit 9 is provided in the lower case 1, and a mirror 11, a lens 12 and a line sensor 13 constituting the optical unit 9 are arranged in the same optical axis in the holder 10. It is arranged. Further, a main board 14 is provided below the holder 10, an auxiliary board 15 is attached to the main board 14 at a right angle, and the line sensor 13 is mounted on the auxiliary board 15. The image on the original 8 illuminated by the fluorescent lamp 6 is reflected by the mirror 11, reduced by the lens 12, and imaged on the line sensor 13.

A first gear 16 is coaxially fixed to the main roller 2, and the rotation of the main roller 2 is a rotary operation via a first gear 16, a second gear 17, and a third gear 18. It is transmitted to the encoder 19. Then, a large number of holes (not shown) formed concentrically in the rotary encoder 19 are detected by a photo interrupter (not shown) to measure the travel distance of the handy image scanner 7.

An operation button 21 and an LED 22 are provided at the center of the upper surface of the upper case 20, and the LED 22 is mounted on the operation board 23. A switch 24, which is pressed by the operation button 21, is provided on the operation board 23, and is supported by the lower case 1 by a support column 25 and a rib 26. Reference numeral 27 in the drawing is a cable for transmitting the image signal read by the line sensor 13 to an external device.

The cover 5 is configured as shown in FIGS. 2 to 6. The cover 5 is made of a transparent and flexible methacrylic resin (PMMA) and is formed by molding in a vertically long bowl shape having a thickness of about 1 mm. A pair of hooks 5a protruding upward is provided on one side of the lower edge of the cover 5, and claws 5b are provided near both ends on the other side. The cover 5 can be fixed to the reading window 4 by inserting the claw 5b into one side of the reading window 4 and engaging the hook 5a with the other side of the reading window 4.

The cover 5 according to the present embodiment is supported by the reading window 4 at the four points of the pair of hooks 5a and the tabs 5b during use, and therefore, the cover 5 can be removed even if an impact force such as a drop is applied. Absent. To remove the cover 5 from the reading window 4, insert a nail or a thin object between the reading window 4 and the cover 5 as shown in FIG. By pushing one side to bend the cover 5, the hook 5a and the reading window 4 are unlocked and can be easily removed. At this time, the hooks 5a and the claws 5b can be removed without forcibly folding them, so that the hooks 5a and the claws 5b are not damaged.

Since the cover 5 can be easily attached to and detached from the reading window 4 as described above, it is easy to remove dust and the like adhering to the inside of the cover 5 and the surface of the mirror 11 even after the scanner is assembled. Can be done Therefore, dust can be removed in a short time even during the quality inspection before shipping, which improves work efficiency. Moreover, vertical stripes etc. do not occur in the scanned image due to the influence of dust etc., so that a beautiful image can be obtained. Similarly, since the density data of the read image is not affected by dust or the like, the shading correction of the scanner can be correctly performed, and an image faithful to the original can be obtained. Furthermore, since the cover 5 can be removed without using a special jig, the user can easily remove dust and the like. In addition, since the cover 5 is flexible, the main body of the cover 5 is not cracked and the hooks 5a and the claws 5b are not damaged even when a shock is applied when the cover 5 is attached or detached or dropped.

[0018]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, since the transparent and flexible covering member is attached to the window portion for reading the image of the document, the covering member can be easily attached to the casing without damaging the covering member. Can be attached and detached. Then, it is possible to prevent dust and the like from entering the casing from the outside, and easily remove the dust and the like in the casing, so that an excellent read image can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the configuration of an embodiment of an image reading apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a claw side showing a configuration of the cover of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the hook side of FIG.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-C-D-E of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of an example of a conventional image reading apparatus.

8 is an outer plan view showing the configuration of the cover of FIG. 7. FIG.

9 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the inside of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Lower Case (Case) 4 Reading Window (Window) 5 Cover (Coating Member) 6 Fluorescent Light (Light Source) 7 Handy Image Scanner (Image Reading Device) 8 Original 13 Line Sensor (Light Receiving Unit)

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor, Hiroki Tabata, No. 10 Hanazono Dodo-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture Omron Co., Ltd. Within Muron Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A document traveling on a document, irradiating the document with light from a light source provided in the casing through a window provided at the bottom of the casing, and reflecting light from the document with the casing. In an image reading apparatus for reading an image on the original by forming an image on a light receiving means provided inside the body, a covering member made of a flexible transparent material for covering the window can be detachably attached to the window. An image reading device provided.