JPH08181820A - Picture reading/recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a small and inexpensive picture reading/recording device which highly precisely transmits an original without spoiling. CONSTITUTION: A platen board 45 which can be moved to a position where the original or recording paper is guided in the facing position of a read part or a recording part is provided. When the platen board 45 moves to the facing position of the recording part, recording paper is guided on the surface-side. When it moves to the facing position of the read part, the original is guided on a back-side. Even if ink is errorneously adhered to the surface-side of the platen board at the time of recording, the ink adhered surface is not brought into contact with the original at the time of reading. Thus, the original is prevented from getting dirty.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading / recording apparatus integrally provided with a reading unit for reading an image of an original and a recording unit for recording an image on a recording medium, and more particularly, it is connected to a host computer such as a personal computer. The present invention relates to a compact image reading / recording device for use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in a compact ink jet recording apparatus used as a peripheral device of a host computer such as a personal computer, an original is fed / conveyed to a recording position by using a recording paper feeding means and a conveying means. A method of realizing a small-sized and low-priced image reading / recording apparatus by arranging a reading unit using a reduction optical system or a reading unit (contact sensor or the like) using an equal-magnification optical system has been considered.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the recording means is an ink jet system,
When the ink in the mist state due to the ejection of the ink at the time of recording, or the ink that is mistakenly ejected adheres to the upper surface of the platen plate that supports the back surface of the recording paper at the position facing the recording unit, When the document passes over the upper surface of the platen plate, the above-mentioned ink may adhere to the document and stain the document.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized and low-priced image reading / recording apparatus which realizes highly accurate document conveyance without contaminating the document.

[0005]

A typical structure of the present invention for achieving the above object is to provide a reading means for reading an image of an original, a recording means for recording an image on a recording medium, and an original. Alternatively, in an image reading / recording apparatus that has a common conveying unit for conveying a recording medium, and the reading unit and the recording unit are arranged at positions substantially opposite to each other via the common conveying route, the reading is performed via the conveying route. There is provided a position-movable guide means for guiding the document at a position facing the recording medium and for guiding the recording medium at the position facing the recording device via the conveyance path, and the guide device moves to the position facing the recording device. It is characterized in that the recording medium is guided by one surface when it is moved, and the original is guided by the other surface when the recording medium is moved to a position facing the reading means.

[0006]

In the above structure, the guide means is provided which is capable of moving the document or the recording medium at the position facing the reading means or the recording means, and when the guide means moves to the facing position of the recording means, The guide surface guides the recording medium, and when the recording medium is moved to the position opposite to the reading means, the other surface guides the document.Therefore, ink is accidentally attached to one side of the guide means during recording. Even in the case of reading, since the original does not come into contact with the ink adhered surface during reading, the original is not contaminated.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an image reading / recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a device sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image reading and recording apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external front view of the apparatus, FIG. 3 is a front view of a recording unit in the apparatus, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are the apparatus. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the reading unit in FIG. This apparatus has a printer function of recording an image on a recording sheet and a scanner function of reading an image of a document, and the recording section and the reading section are substantially connected via a common conveyance path of the recording sheet or the document. It is arranged at the opposite position.

(Explanation of the whole apparatus) In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a main body of an apparatus, a recording section 2 using an ink jet system is arranged in an upper part thereof, and an optical unit 3 as a reading section is arranged in a lower part opposed thereto. Are arranged. The details of the recording unit 2 and the reading unit 3 will be described later.

Reference numeral 4 is a paper feed tray for stacking recording papers or originals, which is expandable / contractible as shown by a chain line in the figure so as to accommodate long recording papers or originals. Reference numeral 5 denotes a paper feed roller, which cooperates with a separation claw (not shown) to separate and feed the recording papers or originals stacked on the paper feed tray 4 one by one from the top. A conveying roller 6 conveys a recording paper or a document to a recording position or a reading position, and 7
Is a paper ejection roller for ejecting the recording paper or the original, which has completed the recording operation or the reading operation, to the outside of the apparatus. Reference numeral 8 denotes a paper discharge tray for stacking discharged recording papers or originals, which can be pulled out and stored in the apparatus main body 1.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a switching lever for selecting whether to use the apparatus as a printer or a scanner, and has a fan-shaped gear portion inside the apparatus. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to recognize whether the apparatus is in the printer state or the scanner state by the tip position of the switching lever 9. Further, a lever detection sensor (for example, a photo interrupter or the like) 13 detects whether the switching lever 9 is in the upper position (printer) or the lower position (scanner).

Further, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 denotes an operating portion, which is a power switch, a paper feed switch, and an L for displaying an error.
Equipped with ED, etc. Reference numeral 11 denotes a waste ink pack for absorbing the waste ink produced by the preliminary ejection of ink for preventing the nozzles of the recording head 23 from clogging or the suction operation of sucking the ink from the nozzle. Reference numeral 12 is a power supply unit, and 14 is a control board that performs recording control, reading control, and the like.

(Description of Recording Unit) Next, the configuration of the recording unit 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 21 is a printer frame for mounting the main parts of the recording unit 2. Reference numeral 22 denotes a carriage that reciprocally scans in a direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 3) orthogonal to the transport direction, and is an inkjet recording head that ejects ink in accordance with a signal to perform recording.
A monochrome ink tank 24 and a color ink tank 25 for supplying ink to the head 23 are mounted, and the recording head 23 is electrically connected by a contact (not shown). The direction of the recording head 23 is set so that the ink is stably supplied from each of the ink tanks 24 and 25, and the ink is ejected downward from the nozzles of the recording head 23.

The carriage 22 is guided by a carriage rail 26 and a guide plate 28, which serve as a scanning reference, and is stretched around a motor pulley 30 fixed to a carriage motor 29 and an idler pulley 31 on the opposite side. It is fixed to the carriage belt 27 at one place. The carriage belt 27 has an idler spring for the idler pulley 31.
A constant tension is applied by the biasing force of 32. A flexible cable 33 is connected to the carriage 22 from the control board 14 mounted on the back side of the printer frame 21, and transmits various control signals to the recording head 23.

Reference numeral 34 denotes a carrying motor such as a stepping motor, the driving force of which is transmitted to the carrying roller 6 and the paper discharge roller 7 via the gear portion 35. Further, the driving force of the carry motor 34 is transmitted from the carry roller 6 to the paper feed roller 5 via a gear portion (not shown). Further, the driving force is also transmitted to the recovery system unit 36 that performs a suction operation or the like for preventing the nozzles of the recording head 23 from being clogged. That is, when the transport motor 34 rotates in the normal direction, the transport roller 6 and the paper discharge roller 7 rotate in the direction (normal rotation direction) of transporting the recording paper or the document, and when the transport motor 34 rotates in the reverse direction, the paper feed roller 5 moves in the transport direction. It is configured to rotate. The paper feed roller 5
A gear portion (not shown) for transmitting the driving force to the has a one-way clutch so that only the driving force at the time of reverse rotation of the carry motor 34 is transmitted. Further, when the transport motor 34 rotates in the reverse direction, the transport roller 6 and the paper discharge roller 7 rotate in the direction opposite to the transport direction to correct the skew of the recording paper or the document supplied by the paper feed roller 5.

Here, the conveyance roller 6 has an outer diameter dimension which is determined by a conveyance motor in order to determine the conveyance amount of the recording paper or the original.
It is determined by the basic step angle of 34, the driving method, the gear ratio of the gear section, the resolution, etc., and realizes highly accurate conveyance of the recording paper or the original. Further, the outer diameter, the gear ratio, etc. of the paper discharge roller 7 are determined so that the paper discharge roller 7 rotates at a transport speed that is about several percent (3% in this embodiment) faster than the transport speed of the transport roller 6. This is to prevent the recording paper or the document from slackening between the transport roller 6 and the paper discharge roller 7.
Further, the pressure for conveying the recording paper or the original on the paper ejection roller 7 side is set to about 1/10 of that on the conveyance roller 6 side so that the paper ejection roller 7 side slips. . This is because the recording paper or the original is conveyed at a constant speed while always applying a constant tension to the recording paper or the original during the conveyance by the rollers.

(Description of Reading Unit) Next, the configuration around the optical unit 3 as a reading unit and the sheet passing surface 15 that serves as a common conveyance path for recording paper or originals will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. To do.

At a position facing the nozzles of the recording head 23, a platen plate 45 is provided in a region where recording paper passes. On the back side of the platen plate 45, a read white background 51 is integrally provided to obtain a reference value necessary for correcting the output level of the read image signal. Below the read white background 51, an interval (about 2 m in this embodiment) for the document to pass.
m), the original glass 54 is placed, and the original glass 54
A light source 55 such as a xenon tube is arranged below the. Then, the platen plate 45 in which the read white background 51 is integrally formed
The original glass 54 and the light source 55 are fixed and integrated with the movable portion 52 of the optical unit 3. The movable portion 52 is provided with a rack portion 53 that meshes with the gear portion of the switching lever 9, and the movable portion 52 is operated by operating the switching lever 9.
Is configured to move up and down. Therefore, the movable part
By the vertical movement of 52, the platen plate 45 in which the above-mentioned reading white background 51 is integrally formed, the original glass 54, and the light source 55 also integrally move up and down.

The amount of movement of the movable portion 52 is such that the upper surface of the platen plate 45 becomes the sheet passing surface 15 as shown in FIG. 4 and the upper surface of the original glass 54 as shown in FIG. The distance to the reading position on the surface 15 (about 4 mm in this embodiment) is set.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a conveyance roller that is pressed against the conveyance roller 6 and rotates following it, and is rotatably held by a roller support plate 42 that is pressed by a pressing spring 43. The recording paper or the original is conveyed to the recording position or the reading position by the conveying roller pairs 6 and 41. A paper passing guide 44 is arranged in front of the conveying roller 6 and guides the recording paper or the original supplied by the paper feeding roller 5 to the conveying roller 6. Reference numeral 46 is a spur that presses against the paper discharge roller 7 and rotates following it. The contact area with the recording surface on the recording paper is made as small as possible, and the recording surface is not stained even when the ink is not completely dry. Is formed. The recording paper or the document is discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the pair of discharge rollers 7 and 46.

Further, the optical unit 3 is provided with three mirrors 56 and a lens 57 for guiding the reflected light (image light) from the document to the CCD unit 58, so that stray light from the outside does not enter. It has a structure that is covered without gaps. Here, the CCD unit 58 has light receiving portions of three lines corresponding to the three primary colors of RGB light, RGB color filters are arranged immediately in front of each light receiving portion, and color reading is performed by one white light source. It is configured to be able to.

(Operation of Apparatus) Next, the operation of the image reading / recording apparatus configured as described above will be described step by step.

(Printer Operation) First, when using as a printer, the switching lever 9 is set to the printer side as shown in FIG. Then, the movable part of the optical unit 3
52 moves to a position as shown in FIG. 4, and the upper surface of the platen plate 45 moves to a position where it becomes the sheet passing surface 15. At this time, the lever detection sensor 13 is turned off to recognize that the apparatus is in the printer state.

When a signal for recording is sent to the apparatus from the host computer side such as a personal computer,
The conveyance motor 34 reversely rotates and the paper feed roller 5 starts to rotate, and the recording papers on the paper feed tray 4 are separated one by one from the top and supplied into the apparatus in cooperation with a separation pawl (not shown). The recording paper is guided by the paper passing guide 44, and is fed into the nip portion between the conveying roller 6 and the conveying roller 41, the tip of which is rotating in the reverse direction,
The skew of the recording paper is corrected by following the nip portion.

After the recording paper is conveyed by a predetermined amount by the feeding roller 5 (after the above skew correction), the conveyance motor 34 rotates in the normal direction and is conveyed by the conveyance roller 6 in the conveyance direction. At this time, the paper feed roller 5 is stopped at the position shown in FIG. Then, the transport roller 6 and the transport roller 41 are temporarily stopped when the front end of the recording paper passes a recording position by the recording head 23 by a predetermined amount.

Next, the carriage motor 29 is rotated in the forward direction and the driving force is transmitted to the motor pulley 30 and the carriage belt 27, and the carriage 22 moves from a position (home position) directly above the recovery system unit 36 to a recording paper carriage rail. Start scanning along 26. When the carriage 22 reaches the recordable area on the recording paper, the recording head 23 is driven according to the image signal transmitted from the control board 14 via the flexible cable 33, and ink is ejected according to the signal. A color image or a monochrome image is formed on the recording paper. When the carriage 22 scans to the idler pulley 31 side while performing image recording by the recording head 23, the carriage motor 29 reversely rotates and the carriage 22 is returned to the home position side. At the same time, the carry motor 34 rotates in the normal direction and the recording paper is carried by a predetermined amount (the amount recorded on the recording paper in one scan). Then, after stopping as described above, the carriage motor 29 again rotates in the normal direction, and the recording head 23 records an image of the next data as described above.

Thereafter, by repeating the above-mentioned operation, an image for one sheet of recording paper is recorded. The recording paper on which the image recording has been completed is discharged onto the discharge tray 8 outside the apparatus by the discharge roller 7 and the spur 46. Further, when the image data covers a plurality of pages, the same operation as described above is continuously performed from the paper feeding operation by the paper feeding roller 5, and the image recording of a plurality of pages is automatically performed.

(Scanner Operation) Next, the operation when used as a scanner will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the switching lever 9 is set to the scanner side. Then
The movable portion 52 of the optical unit 3 moves to the position shown in FIG. 5, the platen plate 45 moves above the sheet passing surface 15, and the upper surface of the original glass 54 moves to a position where it becomes the sheet passing surface 15. At this time, the carriage 22 becomes the recovery system unit 36.
Since it is located at the upper home position and does not scan during the reading operation, even if the platen plate 45 is lifted to the scanning area of the carriage 22, they do not collide with each other. Further, when the switching lever 9 is set to the scanner side, the lever detection sensor 13 is turned on and it is recognized that the apparatus is in the scanner state.

When a signal to start reading is sent from the host computer side such as a personal computer to this apparatus, the conveyance motor 34 reversely rotates and the paper feed roller 5 starts to rotate, and a separation claw (not shown) is formed. By collaborating with each other, the originals on the paper feed tray 4 are separated one by one from the top and supplied into the apparatus. The document is guided by the sheet passing guide 44, and the leading end of the document is fed to the nip portion between the transport roller 6 and the transport roller 41, which rotate in reverse, and the skew of the document is corrected by following the nip.

After the document is conveyed by a predetermined amount by the feed roller 5 (after the above-mentioned skew correction), the conveyance motor 34 is rotated in the normal direction and is conveyed in the conveyance direction by the conveyance roller 6 and the discharge roller 7. At this time, the paper feed roller 5 is stopped at the position shown in FIG. Then, the transport roller 6 and the transport roller 41 are temporarily stopped when the leading edge of the document reaches a predetermined position before the reading position.

After that, the light source 55 is turned on, and the platen plate 45 is turned on.
The reading white background 51 provided on the back side of the sheet is read. In general, the line light source does not have a uniform light amount over the entire reading area, and therefore, when performing high-quality reading, correction for it is necessary. By reading the read white background 51 as described above, the reference value for correction can be obtained.

Then, the carry motor 34 again starts to rotate in the normal direction, and the carry roller 6 and the paper discharge roller 7 carry the document. At the same time, the light source 55 illuminates the image surface of the original, and the reflected light (image light) is reflected three times by the mirror 56, and the lens 57
To form an image on the light receiving element of the CCD unit 58 and read the image. As described above, the CCD unit 58 is
When the original is a color image, the color reading is performed when the original is a color image because it has three lines of light receiving portions and color filters corresponding to the three primary colors of B light, and the color reading is possible with one white light source. It can be performed.

Since the above-mentioned reading of the original document is performed line by line, the original document is conveyed at a constant speed. The document whose image has been read is discharged onto the discharge tray 8 outside the apparatus by the discharge roller 7 and the spur 46. At this time, since the image surface of the document faces downward, the spur 46 does not damage the image surface. Further, when there are a plurality of originals, the same operation as described above is continuously performed from the paper feeding operation by the paper feeding roller 5, and the image reading of a plurality of pages is automatically performed.

As described above, by arranging the platen plate 45 so that the position of the platen plate 45 can be moved, the ink in the mist state due to the ejection of the ink at the time of recording, or the ink accidentally ejected is opposed to the recording head. Even if the ink adheres to the upper surface of the platen plate that supports the back surface of the recording paper at a certain position, the ink surface does not come into contact with the original during reading, so the original is not contaminated with the ink adhered to the platen plate. .

Further, by setting the recording position and the reading position at substantially the same position between the transport roller and the paper discharge roller, the transport amount of both the recording paper and the original can be accurately determined with a small number of parts.

[0035]

As described above, a platen plate that is movable in position to guide a document or recording paper at a position facing the reading unit or the recording unit is provided, and when the platen plate moves to the position facing the recording unit. By guiding the recording paper on the front side and guiding the original on the back side when it moves to the opposite position of the reading unit, even if ink accidentally adheres to the front side of the platen plate during recording. Since the original does not come into contact with the ink-adhering surface during reading, the original is not contaminated, and therefore the small-sized and low-priced image reading / recording apparatus which does not stain the original can be provided.

Further, since the back side of the platen plate is white as a reference for reading, the reference value for correction can be obtained by reading the white before starting image reading.

Further, the reading section comprises a light source, a document guide transparent plate, a lens, a light receiving element, etc., and at least the document guide transparent plate of the reading section is constructed so as to move integrally with the platen plate. Moreover, since the position is moved in association with the switching operation of the switching lever for switching the reading function and the recording function, the switching operation between the printer and the scanner can be easily performed.

Further, by setting the recording surface of the recording paper on the upper side and the image surface of the original on the lower side, the ink ejection direction of the recording head is directed downward, and the ink ejection is stabilized, and the recording surface side of the recording paper is formed. The spur placed at does not damage the image surface of the document.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an apparatus cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image reading / recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external front view of the image reading and recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a recording unit in the image reading / recording apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a reading unit (during a recording operation) in the image reading / recording apparatus.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a reading unit (during a reading operation) in the image reading / recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Device body 2 ... Recording unit 3 ... Reading unit 4 ... Paper feed tray 5 ... Paper feed roller 6 ... Conveying roller 7 ... Paper ejection roller 8 ... Paper ejection tray 9 ... Switching lever 10 ... Operation unit 11 ... Waste ink pack 12 Power supply unit 13 Lever detection sensor 14 Control board 15 Sheet passing surface 21 Printer frame 22 Carriage 23 Recording head 24 Monochrome ink tank 25 Color ink tank 26 Carriage rail 27 Carriage belt 28 Guide plate 29 ... Carriage motor 30 ... Motor pulley 31 ... Idler pulley 32 ... Idler spring 33 ... Flexible cable 34 ... Transport motor 35 ... Gear unit 36 ... Recovery system unit 41 ... Transport roller 42 ... Roller support plate 43 ... Pressing spring 44 ... Paper guide 45 … Platen board 46… Spur 51… White reading 52… Movable part 53… Rack part 54… Original glass 55… Light source 56… Mirror 57… Lens 58… CCD unit

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A reading unit for reading an image of a document, a recording unit for recording an image on a recording medium, and a common conveying unit for conveying the document or the recording medium, the reading unit. And an image reading / recording device in which the recording means is disposed at a position substantially opposite to each other via a common conveyance path, the document is guided at a position opposite to the reading means via the conveyance path, and the position opposite to the recording means via the conveyance path. An image reading / recording apparatus comprising guide means capable of moving a position for guiding a recording medium. 2. The guide means guides the recording medium with one surface when it moves to the facing position of the recording means, and guides the document with the other surface when it moves to the facing position of the reading means. The image reading / recording apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The image reading / recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guide unit has a surface facing the reading unit, which is white as a reading reference. 4. The image reading / recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit is an inkjet recording system in which recording is performed by ejecting ink in response to a signal. Image reading and recording device. 5. The image reading / recording apparatus is a serial type recording method in which recording is performed while the recording unit reciprocates in a direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of a document and a recording medium. The image reading and recording apparatus according to item 4. 6. The reading means comprises a light source, an original guide transparent plate, a lens, a light receiving element and the like, and at least the original guide transparent plate of the reading means is configured to move integrally with the guide means. The image reading / recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. The image reading / recording apparatus has an operating means for switching between a reading function and a recording function, and the guide means is moved in position in association with a switching operation of the operating means. The image reading / recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 8. The image reading / recording device according to claim 1, wherein the image reading / recording device has a recording surface of a recording medium facing upward and an image surface of a document facing downward. apparatus.