JPH0918646A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce labor and time of adjustment by arranging a scanner unit aside a carriage and connecting the scanner unit and the carriage with a removable coupling means so as to arrange in a reciprocating enable way along a platen. CONSTITUTION: In the recorder, a carriage 53 and a scanner unit formed independently of each other are arranged to a guide shaft 54n and coupled by a coupling means 55. Since the carriage 53 and the scanner unit are easily coupled by engaging a coupling recessed part 55a provided to the carriage 53 with a coupling recessed part 55b provided to the unit 54, the adjustment of a distance and tilt or the like of a thermal head arranged to the carriage 53 to a platen is conducted independently. Moreover, the coupling projection 55a and the coupling recessed part 55b forming a coupling means 55 are moved integrally without time lag via a drive means.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and more particularly, to reading image information of a document by an image scanner to obtain image data, and driving a recording means based on the image data to record on a sheet. The present invention relates to a recording device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, image information of an original is read by an image scanner to obtain image data, and based on the image data, a thermal head as a recording means is used to record on plain paper, postcards, stencil paper and the like. Recording devices that can do this are known.

A general type of such a conventional recording apparatus will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 to 17.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a main part of a conventional recording apparatus, FIG. 10 is a left side view, FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a carriage unit, and FIG. 12 is a main part inside a scanner mounting part. 15 is a plan view showing the configuration of FIG. 13, FIG. 13 is a front view showing a reference plate, FIG. 14 is a side perspective view, and FIG.
FIG. 16 is a side view showing the main part of the paper detection means, FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram showing the input / output circuit of the paper detection means, and FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control means.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the conventional recording apparatus 1 has a frame 2 having a substantially rectangular plane shape disposed inside a printer body (not shown). A plate-shaped platen 3 is arranged on the frame 2 so as to extend in the left-right direction in FIG. 9 with its recording surface 3a being substantially vertical. A guide shaft 4 is disposed in front of and below the platen 3 (downward in FIG. 9) in parallel with the platen 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a substantially L-shaped guide portion 5 is formed at the front edge of the frame 2 shown in the lower part of FIG. Further, the guide shaft 4 is provided with a carriage unit 6 facing the platen 3 and capable of reciprocating along the platen 3. Further, the carriage unit 6 is
As shown in FIG. 10, the guide portion 5 of the frame 2 slidably supports the lower portion on the front edge side shown on the right side in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, the carriage unit 6
A drive belt 7 is disposed below the drive belt 7, and the carriage unit 6 is fixed to one position of the drive belt 7. The drive belt 7 is wound around a pair of left and right pulleys 8, 8 arranged near the left and right ends of the frame 2 in FIG. One pulley 8 shown on the right side in FIG. 9 is rotatable by the driving force of a carriage motor 9 including a step motor shown by a broken line on the right side in FIG. Also, the carriage motor 9
The frame 2 is electrically connected to a control means 10 which will be described later, which is arranged at a desired position, and is driven based on a control command sent from the control means 10.

That is, by driving the carriage motor 9 based on the control command sent from the control means 10, the carriage unit 6 reciprocates along the platen 3 as shown by a double-headed arrow A in FIG. It is designed to move.

The drive belt 7, the pulleys 8 and 8 and the carriage motor 9 constitute drive means 12 for reciprocating the carriage unit 6 in the main scanning direction of the image scanner 11 which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the carriage unit 6 includes a carriage portion 13 located on the right side,
Scanner mounting portion 14 located on the left side of the carriage portion 13
And

A thermal head 15 as a recording means is arranged on the carriage portion 13 so as to face the recording surface 3a of the platen 3. The thermal head 15 has a plurality of aligned heating elements (not shown) that selectively generate heat on the basis of print data (image data converted for use in printing) according to a control command from the control unit 10 described later. (Not shown), and can be freely moved to and from the recording surface 3a of the platen 3 by a head driving mechanism (not shown). Then, the thermal head 1 in a head-down state in contact with the recording surface 3a of the platen 3
The contact position between the platen 5 and the platen 3 is the recording position.

Further, the upper surface of the carriage portion 13 is shown in FIG.
The ink ribbon (not shown) is stored in the left side of the ink ribbon as shown by an imaginary line, and this ink ribbon (not shown)
A ribbon cassette 16 for guiding the sheet to the front of the thermal head 15 can be attached. Further, the carriage unit 1
3, a winding bobbin 17 and a delivery bobbin 18 are arranged so that their respective tip portions project from the upper surface of the carriage portion 13. The take-up bobbin 17 and the delivery bobbin 18 constitute a part of a well-known ribbon traveling mechanism (not shown). In the recording state, the ribbon traveling mechanism (not shown) is driven to drive the carriage. An ink ribbon (not shown) housed inside a ribbon cassette 16 mounted on the upper surface of the portion 13 is made to run.

The thermal head 15, head drive mechanism (not shown), ribbon running mechanism (not shown), etc.
It is electrically connected to a control means 10 described later and is driven based on a control command sent from the control means 10.

As shown in FIG. 12, the scanner mounting portion 14
Has a case body 19 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having an opening 19 a formed on a surface facing the platen 3.
An image scanner 11 is arranged inside 9. The image scanner 11 is arranged near the opening 19a of the case body 19 (upper left in FIG. 12),
In the image reading state, the platen 3 is inserted through the lens 20.
One light source 22 for irradiating light toward a document 21 such as a photograph or a postcard held in front of the document, and a light source 22 disposed in a substantially central portion inside the case body 19, and in the image reading state, the document 21
The image sensor unit 24 includes a small image sensor 23 that reads the image information of the original 21 and outputs an image signal by the reflected light reflected from the image sensor unit 24. Then, the image scanner 11 has a control means 10 which will be described later.
Is electrically connected to

Further, the scanner mounting portion 14 is capable of reciprocating along the platen 3 with the driving force of the carriage motor 9 together with the carriage portion 13 in the image reading state, and a carriage indicated by a double-headed arrow A in FIG. The moving direction of the unit 6 is the main scanning direction in the image reading state in which the image information of the document 21 is read by the image scanner 11.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the image scanner 11 uses the reference plate 25 which is erected on the upper left side of the frame 2 so as to be positioned on the extension line of the platen 3 so as to read the image information of the original 21. It is designed to obtain a color standard (white balance) for reading. As shown in FIG. 13, the reference plate 25 has a substantially rectangular front shape, and the surface 25 a facing the image scanner 11 has an original surface 2 a.
It is assumed to be white with high lightness, which is the reference for the color when reading 1.

Position detecting means 26 is provided on the left side surface of the scanner mounting portion 14 as shown in FIG. The position detecting means 26 detects the reference position of the operation of the carriage unit 6 in the main scanning direction,
When the carriage unit 6 is located at the home position HP shown by an imaginary line in FIG.
6 contacts the left side wall of the printer body (not shown) so that its reference position (home position HP) can be detected.

As shown in FIG. 14, the original 21 or the paper 27 is placed below the platen 3, and the arrow B in FIG.
As shown by, a paper feed roller 28 for conveying at a predetermined speed so as to pass in front of the recording surface 3a of the platen 3.
Are arranged. As shown in FIG. 9, the paper feed roller 28 can be rotated by the driving force of a paper feed motor 29 including a step motor or the like arranged outside the right side surface of the frame 2. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, auxiliary rollers 30 that are brought into contact with the paper feed roller 28 with a desired pressure contact force are rotatably disposed below and to the right of the paper feed roller 28, The auxiliary roller 30 is adapted to rotate following the paper feed roller 28. That is, the original 21 or the paper 27 is made to be able to run while being sandwiched between the paper feed roller 28 and the auxiliary roller 30.

A guide (not shown) for guiding the original 21 or the paper 27 so as to travel along a predetermined transport path is provided at an appropriate position around the paper feed roller 28.

The paper feed motor 29 is electrically connected to a control means 10 to be described later, which is arranged at a desired position on the frame 2, and is driven based on a control command sent from the control means 10. It is like this.

That is, by driving the paper feed motor 29 on the basis of the control command sent from the control means 10, the original 21 or the paper 27 is moved as shown by an arrow B in FIGS. In FIG. 9, the carriage 21 is conveyed in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the carriage unit 6, and in FIG. 9 and FIG. The sub-scanning direction is in the image reading state in which the image information of the document 21 is read.

The paper feed roller 28 and the paper feed motor 29
Further, the auxiliary roller 30 constitutes a conveying means 31 for moving the original 21 or the paper 27 in the sub-scanning direction.

As shown in FIG. 15, a paper detecting means 32 is arranged below the paper feed roller 28. The paper detection means 32 has a detection lever 33 that rotates when it comes in contact with the leading end of the original 21 or the paper 27 in the traveling direction when the original 21 or the paper 27 passes. The rotation operation is transmitted to a transmission lever 34 having a substantially bell-crank shape that is rotatable, and the transmission lever 34
By detecting the rotational movement of the photo sensor 35,
The presence or absence of the original 21 or the paper 27 and the leading edge of the original 21 or the paper 27 traveling in the sub-scanning direction are detected. Then, the detection result detected by the photo sensor 35 is sent to the control means 10 described later via the input / output circuit 36 shown in FIG. That is, the paper detection means 32 is constituted by the detection lever 33, the transmission lever 34, the photo sensor 35, and the input / output circuit 36.
Is configured.

Returning to FIG. 9, a control means 10 for controlling the operation of each part of the recording apparatus 1 is arranged at a desired position on the frame 2. As shown in FIG. 17, the control means 10 includes at least the CPU 37 and an R having an appropriate capacity.
It has a memory 38 formed by an OM, a RAM, etc., and a controller 39 for driving each unit of the recording apparatus 1.

The memory unit 38 outputs at least the image data output from the image scanner 11 and converted into a digital electric signal by the A / D converter 40, the brightness information of the reference plate 25, and the carriage unit sent from the position detecting means 26. 6 reference positions (specifically, the home position HP of the carriage unit 6) detection signals, presence / absence of the document 21 or the paper 27 sent from the photosensor 35 constituting the paper detection means 32, and detection signals of the position of the leading edge. An input data storage unit 41 for storing various input data, a program storage unit 42 for storing a program for converting image data into recording data for recording, a program for controlling the operation of each unit, and the like, Recording data for recording, a control command for inputting image information of the document 21, a recording An output data storage unit 43 storing various output data of the control command or the like for performing is provided.

The controller 39 includes a head drive driver 44 used for energizing at least a heating element (not shown) of the thermal head 15, and a carriage motor driver 4 used for driving the carriage motor 9.
5. A paper feed motor driver 46 used to drive the paper feed motor 29 is provided, and further recording used to drive a head drive mechanism (not shown) that performs a contact / separation operation with respect to the platen 3 of the thermal head 15. A head drive driver (not shown), a ribbon drive driver (not shown) used to drive an ink ribbon running mechanism (not shown), and the like are provided.

According to the conventional recording apparatus 1 thus constructed, the image scanner 11 is moved in the main scanning direction based on the control command sent from the control means 10, and the original 21 is read by the image scanner 11. By moving in the sub-scanning direction, the image information of the document 21 is read line by line to form image data, and the read image data is used as recording data for recording, and each unit is operated based on this recording information data. Thus, the thermal head 15 is used to record on the paper 27.

[0027]

However, in the above-described conventional recording apparatus 1, since the carriage portion 13 and the scanner mounting portion 14 are moved along the platen 3 by the common driving means 12, a large size is required. The carriage unit 13 and the scanner mounting unit 14 are mounted on the carriage unit 6, and the size of the scanner mounting unit 14 is increased according to the size of the carriage unit 6, resulting in an increase in dimensional variation and a decrease in dimensional accuracy. In addition to the above, there is a problem in that it becomes one of the factors that hinders recent miniaturization and weight reduction.

Further, in the conventional recording apparatus 1, since the carriage unit 13 and the scanner mounting unit 14 are mounted on the carriage unit 6, for example, the distance of the thermal head 15 with respect to the platen 3, inclination, pressure contact force, etc. Adjustment and the distance of the image scanner 11 to the platen 3,
The adjustment of the inclination and the like must be performed as one component. For example, if the image scanner 11 is adjusted after the thermal head 15 is adjusted, the adjustment of the image scanner 11 causes the thermal head 15 that has already been adjusted. There is a problem in that the adjustment is deviated, that is, the adjustment of one side is deviated from the adjustment of the other side and the readjustment is required, which requires a large amount of labor and time for the adjustment work.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of improving the dimensional accuracy by miniaturization and reducing the great labor and time required for the adjustment work. To aim.

[0030]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the recording apparatus of the present invention according to claim 1 is a scanner unit provided with an image scanner for reading image information of a document and outputting it as image data. Is disposed adjacent to a carriage on which recording means for recording on a sheet based on image data output from the image scanner is disposed, and the scanner unit and the carriage are connected by a connecting / disconnecting connecting means, The scanner unit and the carriage are arranged so as to be capable of reciprocating along a platen.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the positional relationship between the scanner unit and the carriage when the scanner unit and the carriage are connected by the connecting means. It is characterized in that a positioning means for holding the above in a predetermined relationship is provided.

[0032]

According to the recording apparatus of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the scanner unit provided with the image scanner for reading the image information of the original and outputting it as the image data is provided from the image scanner. By arranging them adjacent to the carriage on which the recording means for recording on the paper based on the output image data is arranged, the respective designs can be made independently and the adjustment of the image scanner and the recording means can be made independently. Can be done on a regular basis. By connecting the scanner unit and the carriage by the connecting means, the scanner unit and the carriage can be reciprocated along the platen at the same time.

Further, according to the recording apparatus of the present invention as defined in claim 2, the positioning unit can hold the positional relationship between the scanner unit and the carriage in a predetermined relationship, so that the scanner unit and the carriage are moved. Even in this case, it is possible to surely prevent the positional relationship between the can unit and the carriage from being displaced.

[0034]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. The same or corresponding components as those of the above-described conventional device are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and description thereof will be omitted.

1 to 7 show an embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a main portion, FIG. 2 is a left side perspective view, and FIG. 3 is FIG. 4 is a front view showing the vicinity of a carriage and a scanner unit, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part in the scanner unit, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an arrangement state of light sources, and FIG. 6 is a reference plate. FIG. 7 is a front view shown in FIG. 7, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control means.

As shown in FIG. 1, the recording device 5 of the present embodiment.
Reference numeral 0 has a frame 51 having a substantially rectangular plane shape which is arranged inside a printer body (not shown). A flat platen 3 is arranged on the frame 51 so that the recording surface 3a thereof is substantially vertical and extends in the left-right direction in FIG. A guide shaft 4 is provided in parallel with the platen 3 on the lower front side of the platen 3 (lower side in FIG. 1) so as to extend between the left and right side surfaces of the frame 51. In addition, the frame 51 shown in FIG.
A flange portion 52, which has a substantially flat plate shape and extends toward the platen 3, is formed on the front end edge of the.

The guide shaft 4 has a carriage 53 and a scanner unit 5 which are formed independently of each other.
4 and 4 are arranged adjacent to each other,
The carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 are connected by a detachable connecting means 55 (FIG. 3) described later, and are arranged so as to be capable of reciprocating along the platen 3. Also,
The carriage 53 has a flange portion 52 of the frame 51 so that the lower portion on the front edge side shown below in FIG. 1 is slidably supported.

The drive belt 7 is arranged below the carriage 53, and the carriage 53 is fixed to one position of the drive belt 7. This drive belt 7
Is wound around a pair of left and right pulleys 8, 8 arranged near the left and right ends of the frame 51 in FIG. One pulley 8 shown on the right side in FIG. 1 can be rotated by the driving force of a carriage motor 9 including a step motor shown by a broken line on the right side in FIG. Further, the carriage motor 9 is electrically connected to the control means 56 arranged at a desired position of the frame 2, and is driven based on a control command sent from the control means 56. .

That is, by driving the carriage motor 9 based on the control command sent from the control means 56, the carriage 53 and the scanner unit are moved to the positions shown in FIG.
In the figure, as shown by a double-headed arrow A, it reciprocates along the platen 3.

The drive belt 7, the pulleys 8 and 8 and the carriage motor 9 constitute drive means 12 for reciprocating the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 along the platen.

The carriage 53 is provided with a thermal head 15 as a recording means so as to face the recording surface 3a of the platen 3. This thermal head 1
Reference numeral 5 denotes a plurality of heating elements (not shown) arranged in an array that selectively generate heat based on print data (image data converted for use in printing) according to a control command from the control means 56. The head driving mechanism (not shown) can be brought into and out of contact with the recording surface 3a of the platen 3. The contact position between the thermal head 15 and the platen 3 in the head-down state in which the platen 3 is in contact with the recording surface 3a is the recording position.

An ink ribbon (not shown) is accommodated on the upper surface of the carriage 53 as shown by an imaginary line on the left side in FIG. The cassette 16 can be mounted. Further, on the carriage 53, the take-up bobbin 17 and the delivery bobbin 18 are arranged so that their respective tip portions project from the upper surface of the carriage 53. The take-up bobbin 17 and the delivery bobbin 18 constitute a part of a well-known ribbon traveling mechanism (not shown), and are mounted on the upper surface of the carriage 53 by driving the ribbon traveling mechanism in a recording state. The ink ribbon stored in the formed ribbon cassette 16 is made to run.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a connecting convex portion 55a forming a part of the connecting means 55 is provided on the lower surface of the carriage 53 so as to face the scanner unit 54 so as to project downward. There is.

The thermal head 15, the head drive mechanism, the ribbon running mechanism, etc. are electrically connected to the control means 56, and are driven based on a control command sent from the control means 56. .

As shown in FIG. 4, the scanner unit 54
Has a case body 57 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an opening 57 a formed on a surface facing the platen 3.
An image scanner 58 is disposed inside 7. The image scanner 58 is provided in the vicinity of the opening 57a of the case body 57 (upper left and right ends in FIG. 4).
Are arranged in parallel in the main scanning direction of the image scanner 58, which is the moving direction of the carriage 53, so as to face each other,
In the image reading state, the platen 3 is inserted through the lens 20.
Two light sources 22 for irradiating light toward a document 21 such as a photograph or a postcard held in front of the document, and a light source 22 disposed in a substantially central portion inside the case body 57. An image sensor unit 2 including a small image sensor 23 that reads image information of an original 21 by reflected light reflected from the document and outputs image data (image signal).
And 4. Then, the image scanner 58
It is electrically connected to the control means 56. The image scanner 58 may be a color image scanner (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a connecting recess 55b forming a part of the connecting means 55 is provided in a projecting manner on the lower surface of the scanner unit 54 at a position facing the carriage 53, and the connecting recess 55b is formed. And the connecting projection 55a provided on the carriage 53 are engaged with each other. Further, the scanner unit 54 and the carriage 53 are provided with a biasing spring 5 as a positioning means 59 which is externally inserted on the guide shaft 4.
9A, they are urged in directions away from each other as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 3, and when the connecting projection 55a and the connecting recess 55b forming the connecting means 55 are engaged,
The connecting convex portion 55a and the connecting concave portion 55b are always in contact with each other in the moving direction.

That is, the connecting convex portion 55a and the connecting concave portion 55b are urged by the urging force of the urging spring 59A in the direction in which they are separated from each other, and the side surface of the connecting convex portion 55a and the connecting concave portion 55b.
The inner surface of the scanner is always in contact with the inner surface of the carriage, so that the scanner unit 54 and the carriage 53 maintain a predetermined positional relationship. The urging force of the urging spring 59A allows the scanner unit 54 and the carriage 53 to be separated from each other by a manual operation, and when the carriage 53 is moved, the scanner unit 54 can move the carriage 53 without a time lag. It is essential to have the ability to follow.

The positioning means 59 may be an urging spring (not shown) that urges the scanner unit 54 and the carriage 53 to come close to each other, and the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 by the connecting means 55. Is easy to engage, and when the carriage 53 is run,
The carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 are not limited to the configuration of the positioning unit 59 of this embodiment as long as the positional relationship between the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 can be maintained in a predetermined relationship.

Further, in the scanner unit 54, the lower portion on the front end edge side shown on the right side in FIG. 2 is slidably supported by the flange portion 52 of the frame 51 via the roller 70.

The image scanner 58 of this embodiment is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
When the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the image scanner 58 is the Y-axis and the intersection of the X-axis and the Y-axis is the position of the image sensor 23, as shown by the solid line in FIG. The two light sources 22 are arranged so as to be symmetrical on the X axis with the intersection as the center.

As the light source 22, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 5, the positions of the two light sources 22 are symmetrically arranged on the Y-axis with the intersection as the center, and the surface of the original 21 is more numerous. In order to irradiate the light from the direction, a total of four light sources 22 shown by a solid line and a broken line in FIG. 5 may be provided. Furthermore, the arrangement position of the light source 22 may not be located on the X axis and the Y axis. That is,
The configuration is not particularly limited to the number of light sources 22 and the arrangement positions thereof in the present embodiment as long as the plurality of light sources 20 are arranged with the intersection as the center, and the number of light sources 22 and the arrangement position thereof are designed. It may be decided based on the concept.

Further, the scanner unit 54 of this embodiment is not provided with the conventional position detecting means 26 for detecting the reference position (home position HP) of the operation of the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54. The reference positions of the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 in the embodiment are configured so that they can be detected using the image scanner 58.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the image scanner 58 is provided with a reference plate 6 erected on the upper surface on the left side of the frame 51 so as to be positioned on the extension line of the platen 3.
With 0, a color reference (white balance) for reading the image information of the document 21 is obtained. As shown in FIG. 6, the reference plate 60 has a substantially rectangular front shape, and the surface 60a facing the image scanner 58 is white with high lightness, which serves as a color reference when the document 21 is read. . Further, on the surface 60a of the reference plate 60 facing the image scanner 58, a mark 61 for detecting the reference position of the operation of the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 by the image scanner 58 with high accuracy is provided.

Returning to FIG. 2, below the platen 3, the original 21 or the paper 27 is moved at a predetermined speed so as to pass in front of the recording surface 3a of the platen 3, as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. A paper feed roller 28 for transporting is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed roller 28 can be rotated by the driving force of a paper feed motor 29 including a step motor or the like arranged outside the right side surface of the frame 51.

As shown in FIG. 2, an auxiliary roller 30 that is brought into contact with the paper feed roller 28 with a desired pressure contact force is rotatably provided on the lower left and right sides of the paper feed roller 28. , The auxiliary roller 30 is the paper feed roller 2
8 is driven to rotate. That is, the manuscript 21
Alternatively, the paper 27 may be the paper feed roller 28 and the auxiliary roller 30.
, So that the vehicle can travel.
A guide (not shown) for guiding the document 21 or the paper 27 so as to travel on a predetermined transport path is provided at an appropriate position around the paper feed roller 28.

The paper feed motor 29 is electrically connected to a control means 56, which will be described later, arranged at a desired position on the frame 51, and is driven based on a control command sent from the control means 56. It is like this.

That is, by driving the paper feed motor 29 based on the control command sent from the control means 56, the original 21 or the paper 27 is moved as shown by an arrow B in FIG. 1 and FIG. 1 and 2, the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 are conveyed in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the carriage 53, and the traveling direction of the original 21 or the paper 27 indicated by the arrow B in FIGS. Document 2 by image scanner 58
The sub-scanning direction is in the image reading state in which the image information of No. 1 is read.

The paper feed roller 28 and the paper feed motor 29
Further, the auxiliary roller 30 constitutes a conveying means 31 for moving the original 21 or the paper 27 in the sub-scanning direction.

The conventional paper detecting means 32 is not provided below the paper feed roller 28 of this embodiment, and the presence or absence of the original 21 or the paper 27 and the original traveling in the sub-scanning direction in this embodiment. 21 or the tip of the paper 27 is
The image scanner 58 is used for detection.

Returning to FIG. 1, a control means 56 for controlling the operation of each part of the recording device 50 is arranged at a desired position on the frame 2. As shown in FIG. 7, the control means 56 includes at least the CPU 37 and an R having an appropriate capacity.
It has a memory 62 formed of an OM, a RAM, etc., and a controller 39 for driving each unit of the recording device 50.

In the memory 62, various data such as image data which is at least the image information of the document 21 output from the image scanner 58 and converted into a digital electric signal by the A / D converter 40 and the brightness information of the reference plate 60. An input data storage unit 63 for storing input data, a program storage unit 64 for storing various programs, recording information (recording data) for recording, a control command for inputting image information of the document 21, and recording Output data storage unit 65 for storing various output data such as control commands for performing
Are provided.

The program storage section 64 stores at least the document 21 or the paper 27 from the output information (all the scanned data) output from the image scanner 58.
And the image scanner 58, and a leading edge detector 66 that stores a program for detecting (determining) the position of the leading edge of the document 21 or the paper 27 traveling in the sub-scanning direction.
From the output information output from the image scanner 58, a side edge detection unit 67 that stores a program for detecting both side edges of the document 21 or the paper 27 positioned in the main scanning direction, and the output information output from the image scanner 58 Information when passing through the mark 61 of the reference plate 60 when scanning the facing surface 60a of the reference plate 60 (specifically, difference in lightness of color)
And a reference position detection unit 68 that stores a program that detects the reference positions of the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 based on this information. Further, the image data is recorded as recording data for recording. A program for conversion, a control program for controlling the operation of each unit, etc. are stored.

Then, based on the output information output from the image scanner 58, the leading edge detection section 6 of the program storage section 64 is detected.
6, based on the programs stored in the side edge detecting section 67 and the reference position detecting section 68, the CPU 35 controls the presence or absence of the document 21 or the paper 27, the position of the leading edge, the position of the side edge, the reference position of the carriage 53, and the scanner unit 54. Is detected, and the detected data is stored in the output data storage unit 65.

The controller 39 includes at least a head drive driver 44 used to energize a heating element (not shown) of the thermal head 15 and a carriage motor driver 4 used to drive the carriage motor 9.
5. A paper feed motor driver 46 used to drive the paper feed motor 29 is provided, and further recording used to drive a head drive mechanism (not shown) that performs a contact / separation operation with respect to the platen 3 of the thermal head 15. A head drive driver (not shown), a ribbon drive driver (not shown) used to drive an ink ribbon running mechanism (not shown), and the like are provided.

In this embodiment, the carriage 5
3, the connecting convex portion 55a is provided and the scanner unit 54 is provided with the connecting concave portion 55b, but the carriage 53 may be provided with the connecting concave portion 55b and the scanner unit 54 may be provided with the connecting convex portion 55a.

The structure of the connecting means 55 is such that the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 can be easily engaged and disengaged, for example, leaf springs are engaged with each other (in this case, the positioning means 59 is not always necessary). It does not have to be provided.) The structure is not particularly limited to the structure of the connecting means 55 of the present embodiment.

Furthermore, the recording apparatus 50 of this embodiment is
By connecting to a word processor, a computer, or the like (not shown), the controller 56 can be used as a general recording device for recording an image formed by the word processor, the computer, or the like on the paper 27 from the outside. Various external signals can be input.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above-mentioned structure will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 3 shows a connected state in which the carriage and the scanner unit are connected by the connecting means.
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a non-connected state before connecting the carriage and the scanner unit.

In the recording apparatus 50 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a carriage 53 and a scanner unit 54, which are independently formed, are arranged on the guide shaft 4, and the carriage 53, the scanner unit 54 and the Are connected by connecting means 55.

That is, in the unconnected state before the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 are connected, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
The carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54, which are formed independently of each other, are arranged adjacent to each other so as to be adjacent to each other, and the carriage 53 on which the thermal head 15 is arranged and the image scanner 58 are arranged. Since the scanner unit 54 and the scanner unit 54 can be designed independently of each other, size reduction and weight reduction can be surely achieved unlike the conventional case, and dimensional variation due to the size reduction of the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 can be reduced. It is possible to surely improve the dimensional accuracy.

Further, since the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 can be easily connected by engaging the connection recess 55a provided in the carriage and the connection recess 55b provided in the scanner unit 54, the carriage 53 can be easily connected. The adjustment of the distance, the inclination, the pressure contact force, etc. of the arranged thermal head 15 with respect to the platen 3 and the adjustment of the distance, the inclination, etc. of the image scanner 58 arranged in the scanner unit 54 with respect to the platen 3 can be performed independently. Therefore, unlike the related art, it is possible to surely prevent the inconvenience that the adjustment of the other side is deviated from the adjustment of the other side and readjustment is required, and the labor and time required for the adjustment work can be surely reduced.

Further, the connecting convex portion 55a and the connecting concave portion 55b constituting the connecting means 55 are in the connected state in which the connecting convex portion 55a and the connecting concave portion 55b are engaged with each other, the carriage 5
The biasing spring 59A biasing the scanner 3 and the scanner unit 54 in a direction away from each other surely prevents the rattling (deviation) from occurring in the main scanning direction (the longitudinal direction of the guide shaft 4). Has been As a result, the positional relationship between the scanner unit 54 and the carriage 53 can be reliably maintained in a predetermined relationship. Therefore, even when the scanner unit 54 and the carriage 53 are moved, the positional relationship between the scanner unit 54 and the carriage 53 is maintained. It is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of misalignment, and it is possible to move the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54 as one unit without a time lag by the driving force of the driving unit 12.

Further, in this embodiment, the carriage 53 or the scanner unit 54 is rotated around the guide shaft 4 so that the connecting convex portion 55 is formed.
Since it is possible to easily engage and disengage the "a" and the coupling recess 55b, the assembly workability is not impaired.

Further, according to the present embodiment, FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, two light sources 22 for irradiating the original 21 are provided so as to face each other. In the image reading state, the original 21 such as the original 21 bonded by cutting or the like is used. Even if there is a step on the surface of the original 21, it is possible to irradiate light on both sides of the original 21 to irradiate all the parts of the step, so that no shadow is formed on the surface of the original 21 and The image information 21 can also be read accurately.

That is, according to the present embodiment, even when there is a step on the surface of the original 21 such as the pasted original 21, it is possible to irradiate the surface of the original 21 with light from multiple directions by a plurality of optical paths. Since it is possible to prevent the formation of a shadow such as a black line in the read image information, it is possible to accurately and surely read the image information of the document 21.

Further, according to this embodiment, since the image information of the original 21 can be read accurately, the display device for displaying the image information for trimming the read image information and the read image information are processed. It is not necessary to provide an input device and a processing program for that, and it is possible to surely eliminate the disadvantages that the recording device 50 is upsized, the number of parts is increased, the economic burden is increased, and a great amount of labor is required for trimming. You can also do it.

In this embodiment, the image scanner 58 is used to determine the reference positions of the carriage 53 and the scanner unit 54, the presence or absence of the original 21 or the paper 27,
Since it is possible to detect the position of the leading edge of the original 21 or the paper 27, the positions of the left and right ends of the original 21 or the paper 27 in the main scanning direction, and the like, the conventional dedicated position detecting means 26 and paper detecting means 32 are required. Can be omitted, the number of parts can be reduced, the labor required for manufacturing the recording device 50 can be reduced, and the weight and price can be surely reduced. That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to surely obtain a lightweight and inexpensive one that is excellent in operability.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be modified as necessary.

[0080]

As described above, according to the recording apparatus of the present invention, by arranging the scanner unit adjacent to the carriage, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the carriage and the scanner unit. It is possible to surely reduce the size and improve the dimensional accuracy, and by connecting the scanner unit and the carriage by the connecting means via the positioning means, the adjustment of one shifts the other and the readjustment is necessary. Since it is possible to reliably prevent the above, there is an extremely excellent effect that the labor and time required for the adjustment work can be surely reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a main part of an embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the vicinity of the carriage and scanner unit of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part in the scanner unit shown in FIG.

5 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement state of the light sources of FIG.

6 is a front view showing the reference plate of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of control means in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a non-connected state before connecting the carriage and the scanner unit.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a main part of a conventional recording apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a left side view showing a main part of a conventional recording apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a carriage unit of a conventional recording apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part in a scanner mounting portion of a conventional recording apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a front view showing a reference plate of a conventional recording apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a side perspective view of a conventional recording device.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing a main part of a sheet detection unit of a conventional recording apparatus.

FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram showing an input / output circuit of a paper detection unit of a conventional recording apparatus.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration of control means of a conventional recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Platen 4 Guide Shaft 9 Carriage Motor 12 Drive Means 15 Thermal Head 21 Original Document 27 Paper 29 Paper Feed Motor 50 Recording Device 53 Carriage 54 Scanner Unit 55 Coupling Means 58 Image Scanner 59a Engagement Convex 59b Engagement Recessed portion 56 Control means 58 Image scanner 59 Positioning means 59A Energizing spring A (as positioning means) A Main scanning direction (of image scanner) B Sub scanning direction of (image scanner)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A scanner unit provided with an image scanner for reading image information of a document and outputting it as image data is provided with recording means for recording on a sheet based on image data output from the image scanner. The scanner unit and the carriage are connected to each other by a connecting means that can be engaged and disengaged, and the scanner unit and the carriage are reciprocally movable along a platen. Recording device. 2. A positioning means for holding a positional relationship between the scanner unit and the carriage in a predetermined relationship when the scanner unit and the carriage are connected by the connecting means. Item 2. The recording device according to item 1.