JPH08172510A - Image input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To read an original by holding an original flat and smooth on an original placing plate without replacing an original retainer regardless of the type of the original. CONSTITUTION: A pin 13 is provided projectingly from the upper side of an original frame 12 in the direction Z and its tip is penetrated through a hole made to a retainer main body 11. A locking ring 16 is fitted to prevent falling- off of the pin 13 to the tip and an original retainer 14 is fixed to the original frame 12. Thus, the original retainer 14 is connected/disconnected freely to/from the original unit main body 11. An elastic body 17 is interposed between the retaining unit main body 11 and the original frame 12 to energize the original frame 12 and the original retainer 14 to the original placing plate 2. When the original retainer unit approaches the original placing plate 2, the original retainer 14 retains the original 20 to the original placing plate 2 by the energizing force of the elastic body 17 and the gravity of the original frame 12 and the original retainer 14 closely hold the original.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document placed on a translucent document placing plate, which is held by a translucent document holding plate, from below the document placing plate or from the document placing plate. The present invention relates to an image input device that scans a slit-shaped light beam from above a holding plate to read a document.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional image input device, a translucent original placing plate such as a glass plate or a plastic plate is provided on the upper surface of the main body of the apparatus, and a light source for reflection is movable in a predetermined direction inside the main body of the apparatus. The slit-shaped light is emitted from the reflection light source to the document (in this case, the reflection document) via the document placing plate.
Further, a reading optical system for receiving the light reflected by the document and reading the document is arranged in the main body of the apparatus. For this reason, the reflection original is placed on the original placing plate, and the reflection original holding plate is pressed against the reflection original from above to hold the original. The original can be read by moving it in the scanning direction substantially orthogonal to.

Further, the image input device is not only capable of reading only the reflection original document, but also includes a transmission original document holding unit having a built-in transmission light source separately from the above-mentioned document holding plate. It is readable. This transparent original document holding unit is composed of a holding unit main body and a translucent original document holding plate fixed to the lower portion of the holding unit, and moreover, a slit-shaped light is provided inside the holding unit main body. A light source for transmission that emits light toward the document pressing plate is provided so as to be movable in the scanning direction. Here, the transparent original is placed on the original placing plate, and the transparent original pressing unit is placed on the transparent original from above to hold the original smoothly by the original holding plate, and then the transparent light source is used. When is turned on, the slit-shaped light from the light source is applied to the transmissive original through the original pressing plate, and the light passing through the original passes through the original placing plate and is received by the reading optical system inside the main body of the device. The slit image is read. Therefore, the entire original can be read by sequentially receiving the slit-shaped light transmitted through the original by the reading optical system while continuously moving the transmissive light source in the scanning direction.

As described above, according to the conventional image input device, the original can be read regardless of whether the original is for reflection or the original for transmission.

[0005]

By the way, in the transmissive original document holding unit having the built-in transmissive light source, since the original document pressing plate which directly contacts the original is formed by the flat plate fixed to the pressing unit main body, If the original is thick, such as a book, the original placed on the original placing plate cannot be smoothly held by the transparent original pressing unit. Therefore, in the conventional image input device, two types of pressing plates (reflective document pressing plate and transmissive document pressing unit) are prepared in advance, and the reflective document pressing device is used when the reflective document is read as described above. While the plate is detached and a reflection original holding plate is used, a transparent original holding unit (original holding plate) is used when reading a transparent original.

Therefore, it is necessary to replace the document holding plate according to the type of the document when reading the document (photographing the document), which complicates the work and complicates the configuration for switching the document holding plate. there were.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and regardless of the type of the original, the original is held flat on the original placing plate without replacing the original pressing plate. An object of the present invention is to provide an image input device capable of reading a document.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 has an apparatus main body, a translucent original placing table provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body, and an original placing plate. A reflection light source that irradiates a placed document with slit-shaped light that extends in the first direction, a reading optical system that is disposed in the apparatus body and receives light from the document, and a reading optical system at a position above the apparatus body. The pressing unit main body is arranged and is connected to the main body of the apparatus so that it can be moved toward and away from the original placing plate, and the pressing unit main body is opposed to the original placing plate and can be attached to and removed from the pressing unit main body. An original document holding unit consisting of a translucent original document holding plate that presses the original document toward the original document placing plate side when it comes close to the original placing plate, and from the upper side of the original document placing plate toward the original document through the original document holding plate. A transmission light source for irradiating slit-shaped light extending in the first direction By scanning in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction while lights reflected light source or the transmission light source so that read an original.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document pressing unit,
A biasing means for biasing the document holding plate toward the document placing plate is further provided.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the document holding plate is connected to the holding unit main body so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the holding unit main body. Press on the plate side. At this time, the document holding plate comes into contact with and separates from the document placing plate according to the thickness of the document and holds the document while pressing the document against the document placing plate side at an appropriate position.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the urging means urges the document holding plate toward the document placing plate, so that the document is pressed against the document placing plate from the direction opposite to the direction of the document placing plate. , More effectively and smoothly held on the original plate.

[0012]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of an image input apparatus according to the present invention, in which XYZ rectangular coordinate axes are shown in order to clarify the directional relationship with each drawing described later. There is. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image input device of FIG.

The image input device has a device body 1.
On the upper surface of the apparatus main body 1, a translucent original document mounting plate 2 (FIG. 2) for mounting an original document to be read is provided.
For the sake of convenience of the following description, when a document for reflection and a document for transmission are generally referred to without distinction, they are simply referred to as “documents”, and when they are described separately, “documents for reflection are described. , And "transparent document".

Inside the main body 1 of the apparatus, a document placing plate 2 is provided.
A reflection light source for irradiating a slit-shaped light toward the reflection original placed on the table, and a reading optical system for receiving light from the original and outputting an image signal related to the read image to the outside. Is provided. The reflection light source and the reading optical system have known configurations and operations in the related art, and therefore, illustration and configuration description thereof are omitted in this specification.

A hinge portion 3 is provided at the upper end of the rear surface of the apparatus body 1.
The document pressing unit 10 is connected via the document pressing unit 10, and when the operator applies a force in the directions of the arrows α and (−α) to the front side portion (Y direction side) of the document pressing unit 10, the document pressing unit 10 is placed. It can be moved in and out of contact with the plate 2.
Therefore, by applying a force in the direction of the arrow α to separate the document holding unit 10 from the document placing plate 2, the work of placing the document on the document placing plate 2 and the work of removing the document from the document placing plate 2 are performed. be able to. After the document is placed on the document placing plate 2, the document holding unit 10 is closed by applying a force in the (-α) direction to the document holding unit 10 so that the document holding plate, which will be described later, holds the document. It is pressed from the opposite side of the document placing plate 2 and held flat on the document placing plate 2. Note that this will be described later in detail.

Next, the structure of the document pressing unit 10 will be described in detail. In this document pressing unit 10, the back side of the pressing unit main body 11 is connected to one end of the hinge portion 3 and is rotated around the hinge portion 3 to move the document mounting plate 2
Close to or away from. That is, the pressing unit main body 11 can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 1.

The lower side (-Z
Direction side), a rectangular original frame 12 is movably connected in the vertical direction (Z, -Z directions) by a plurality of pins 13, and the original frame 12 is semitransparent or has a plane size larger than that of the original. A transparent and transparent document holding plate (for example, a plastic plate) 14 is provided in the rectangular opening 12 of the document frame 12.
It is fixed so as to cover a, and the original frame 12 and the pin 13
The document holding plate 14 and the document holding plate 14 are integrally formed.
It can be freely moved in and out of.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, which is an enlarged view of the region R in FIG. 2, a pin 13 is projected from the upper surface of the document frame 12 in the Z direction, and the tip of the pin 13 is held in the pressing unit body 11. It penetrates through the hole 15 formed in the.
A retaining ring 16 is attached to the tip of the retaining ring 16 to prevent the pin 13 from falling off. An elastic body 17 is inserted between the pressing unit body 11 and the document frame 12 to urge the document frame 12 and the document pressing plate 14 toward the document placing plate 2. Therefore, the document holding unit 1
When 0 is brought close to the original placing plate 2 side, the original holding plate 14 holds the original 20 by the urging force of the elastic body 17 and the weight of the original frame 12 and the original holding plate 14 as shown in FIG. It is pressed against the document placing plate 2 and held in close contact therewith. That is, according to the thickness of the document 20, the document pressing plate 14 comes into contact with and separates from the document placing plate 2 and presses the document 20 against the document placing plate 2 side at an appropriate position and holds it. Even when the document 20 is relatively thick (t2> t1), as shown in FIG. 4, as in the case of the relatively thin document (FIG. 3), the document holding plate 14 is used to set the document placement plate. It is held in close contact with 2. In this embodiment, in order to press the original 20 against the original placing plate 2 side,
Although the elastic force of the elastic body 17 is applied to the document pressing plate 14, it is not essential to provide the elastic body 17, and the document frame 12 and the document pressing plate 14 only have their own weight.
It is possible to hold the sheet on the original placing plate 2 closely.

Returning to FIG. 1, the description will be continued. A transmission light source 30 is provided inside the document holding unit 10 configured as described above. This transmissive light source 30 is
Direction, a moving mechanism 32 for reciprocating the rod light source 31 in the X direction, an intake fan 33 for cooling a part of the rod light source 31, and air in the document holding unit 10 to the outside. Exhaust fan 3 for
4.

The rod light source 31 is composed of a transparent cylindrical rod portion 31a such as quartz and a high-intensity lamp (for example, a halogen bulb) attached to the end of the rod portion 31a on the (-Y) direction side. 31b and the light source unit 31
When b is turned on, the light from the light source section 31b emits light from the rod section 31b.
The light having a slit shape is reflected and propagated through a, and the slit-shaped light is applied to the document placing plate 2 side.

A slide bearing 321 is attached to the joint between the rod portion 31a and the light source portion 31b, and both ends of the slide bearing 321 are attached to the rail support bracket 32.
It is movable along a rail 324 that is supported by 2, 323 and extends in the X direction. Further, a drive pulley 326 to which a drive motor 325 is connected is attached to one rail support bracket 322, and a driven pulley 327 is attached to the other rail support bracket 323, and a drive wire 328 is attached to these pulleys 326 and 327. The drive wire 328 is wound around the drive pulley 326, one end side of which is connected to the rod light source 31, and the other end portion is also connected to the rod light source 31 via the spring 329. Therefore, the drive motor 32
When 5 is operated, the rod light source 31 moves in the scanning direction X or the (−X) direction accordingly. in this way,
In this embodiment, a moving mechanism 32 for scanning and moving the rod light source 31 is constituted by the constituent elements 321 to 329. The configuration of the moving mechanism 32 is not limited to this.

In the transmissive light source 30 configured as described above, the rod light source 31 is moved and scanned by the moving mechanism 32 in the longitudinal direction of the rod portion 31a, that is, in the X direction orthogonal to the Y direction, while the light source portion 31b is turned on. By doing so, the original 20 placed on the original placing plate 2 can be illuminated over the entire surface through the original pressing plate 14. Further, if necessary, by controlling the scanning range, it is possible to selectively illuminate any area of the document.

In this embodiment, since the intake fan 33 and the exhaust fan 34 are arranged to face each other, by operating the intake fan 33 and the exhaust fan 34, the intake fan 33 forces the outside air around the apparatus. The document is held in the document holding unit 10 (arrow AIN), the light source 31b is forcibly cooled, and the air warmed by the light source 31b is forcibly discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the exhaust fan 34 (arrow AOUT). Therefore, the light source section 31b can be cooled efficiently.

Next, the operation of the image input apparatus configured as described above will be described separately for a transparent original and a reflective original.

When reading the transparent original, a force in the direction of arrow α is applied to the front side (Y direction side) of the original pressing unit 10 to open the original pressing unit 10 and place the transparent original on the original placing plate 2. Place. Then, a force in the (-α) direction is applied to the document pressing unit 10 to close the document pressing unit 10. As a result, as shown in FIG.
4 can hold the transparent original 20 from the opposite side of the original placing plate 2 and hold the transparent original 20 on the original placing plate 2 smoothly. After that, after turning on the light source unit 31b, the rod light source 31 is moved in the scanning direction, that is, the X direction to read the transparent original 20.

Next, the case of reading a reflection original will be described. Also in this case, the reflection original 20 is placed on the original placing plate 2 as in the case of the transparent original. Although some of the reflection originals 20 are comparatively thick, the original pressing plate 14 can be brought into contact with and separated from the pressing unit main body 11 in this embodiment, so that the thickness of the original 20 can be adjusted according to the thickness of the original 20. The original document 20 is constantly pressed against the original document placing plate 2 by the original document retaining plate 14, and is smoothly and closely held. When the placement of the document on the document placing plate 2 is completed in this way, a reflection light source (not shown) is turned on, and then the reflection document 20 is read by moving in the scanning direction (X direction).

As described above, according to this embodiment, regardless of the type of the document 20, one document pressing unit 10 is used.
Thus, the original 20 can be held on the original placing plate 2 smoothly and read.

[0028]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the document holding plate is connected to the holding unit main body so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the holding unit main body and the holding unit main body is brought close to the document placing plate, Depending on the thickness of the original holding plate, the original holding plate is brought into contact with or separated from the original placing plate and the original is held while pressing the original against the original placing plate at an appropriate position.
The original can be read while being held flat on the original placing plate without replacing the original pressing plate.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the document pressing plate is biased toward the document placing plate by the biasing means, the document is smoothed more effectively on the document placing plate. Can be held.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of an image input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image input device in FIG.

3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the image input device of FIG.

4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the image input device of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Device Main Body 2 Original Placement Plate 10 Original Pressing Unit 11 Holding Unit Main Body 14 Original Pressing Plate 17 Elastic 20 Original (Transparent Original, Reflective Original) 30 Transparent Light Source

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image input apparatus, wherein the apparatus main body, a translucent original placing table provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body, and the original extending on the original placing plate in a first direction. A reflection light source that emits slit-shaped light, a reading optical system that is placed inside the main body of the device and receives light from the original, and a reading optical system that is placed above the main body of the device so that it can come in contact with and separate from the original plate. The pressing unit body connected to the main body of the device is connected to the document placing plate so as to come in contact with and separate from the pressing unit body, and when the pressing unit body approaches the document placing plate, the document is placed on the original placing plate. A document holding unit composed of a translucent document holding plate that is pressed against the plate side, and a transmission that irradiates a slit-like light extending in the first direction from above the document placing plate toward the document through the document holding plate. Equipped with a light source for reflection, a light source for reflection or a light source for transmission An image input device characterized in that a document is read by scanning in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction while lighting. 2. The image input device according to claim 1, wherein the document pressing unit further includes a biasing unit that biases the document pressing plate toward the document placing plate.