JPH11136444A - Image reader and image reading and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reader of a compact device size capable of simultaneously reading image information present on both surfaces of a sheet- like original and reading the image information of a thick original such as book or the like. SOLUTION: The image information on one surface of the sheet-like original G2 carried through the carrying route H of an original pressure plate part DS is read by a moving scanning optical system 2 (first image read means) for moving in a sub scanning direction and reading the image of the original G mounted on original platen glass 1 (image read part) and the image information on the other surface is read by a contact type image sensor 37 (second image read means) provided in the carrying route H of the original pressure plate part DS.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus for reading image information present on both sides of a conveyable sheet document and an image of a non-conveyable document such as a book, and an image read by the image reading apparatus. The present invention relates to an image reading / recording apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a technique for reading a sheet-shaped original having image information present on both sides, the first side of the original is read by a reading means, and then the original is turned over and the second reading is performed by the same reading means. A technique of reading surfaces one by one is used.

As a method for shortening the reading time by reading both sides simultaneously, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-236 is known.
No. 208, light sources 501 and 502 are provided on both sides of a document G 'as shown in FIG.
4, 505, 506, and 507, a method is proposed in which read image information is led to one photoelectric conversion element 508, and the image information is read alternately for each line on both sides of the original G '.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-338988 discloses a document transport path H'1, H'2, H'3 for switching back a document G 'to change a reading surface, and a mirror for switching an optical path. Switching arm 60 equipped with 601
2 and one photoelectric conversion element 603, and after reading the first surface of the original G ′ on the original transport path H ′ 1, the switching arm 602 is turned to rotate the second side of the original G ′ on the original transport path H ′ 3. A method for reading a surface has been proposed.

[0005]

However, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-236208, since the optical path passes over the front and back of the document G ', it is necessary to provide the reading optical path outside the document arrangement range.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-338988, since the original G 'is switched back and the front and back sides are scanned, it is impossible to read both sides at the same time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to simultaneously read image information present on both sides of a sheet-shaped original and to make a book or the like thicker. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image reading apparatus that is compact in size and that can read image information of a document.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided a first image reading means for reading an image of a document placed on an image reading section by moving the image in a sub-scanning direction. A transport path for transporting the sheet document to a predetermined area on the image reading unit, and a second path for reading an image of the sheet document transported on the transport path opposite to the first image reading unit. Image reading means, wherein the first image reading means moved to a position opposing the predetermined area, and the second image reading means, images of both sides of a sheet-like document conveyed on a conveyance path It is characterized by reading in one transfer.

[0009] The first image reading means is provided with a focus correcting means for reading an image of a sheet-shaped document conveyed along the conveyance path located apart from the image reading section.

[0010] The transport path and the second image reading means may include:
It is provided on a document pressing plate portion for pressing a document placed on the image reading section.

In the image reading and recording apparatus, the image reading apparatus described above and a storage means for selectively storing any one of the images read by the first and second image reading means of the image reading apparatus. A first of the image reading device
And an image forming unit for selectively forming either an image read by the second image reading unit or an image stored in the storage unit on a recording medium.

The image forming means forms an image of one of the images read by the first and second image reading means of the image reading apparatus at the same time as the image reading operation. Stores the other image, and the image forming means forms an image of the other image stored in the storage means after the formation of one image is completed.

The image forming means is capable of forming an image on both sides of the recording medium, and after completion of image formation on the first side of the recording medium, copies the image stored in the storage means to the first side of the recording medium. An image is formed on two surfaces.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(Embodiment 1) A facsimile apparatus F1 as an image reading / recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a cross-sectional configuration of the facsimile apparatus F1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a document pressure plate portion DS is closed.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the document pressure plate portion DS is opened.

The facsimile apparatus F1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The facsimile apparatus F1 includes a main body MB having image forming means and a communication function, which will be described later, and a main body MB above the main body MB. Document pressure plate D that can be freely opened and closed with a rotation reference on the back side of the device
S is provided.

In the facsimile apparatus F1, the main unit MB
The original G1 placed on the original platen glass 1 on the upper side
(The original G1 includes not only a thin sheet original but also a book or a thick original) The first image, which is arranged below the original platen glass 1 and moves in the sub-scanning direction, is capable of reading image information. A moving scanning optical system 2 as reading means is provided.

Further, the original pressing plate portion DS has a conveying path H for a sheet-shaped original G2 disposed so as to have an overlapping portion that is substantially parallel to a predetermined region of the original platen glass 1 at a predetermined distance.
1 and a contact type image sensor 3 as second image reading means for reading image information on the upper side in the drawing of the sheet document G2 conveyed along the conveyance path H1. I have.

Accordingly, the facsimile apparatus F1 performs "reading" of the book or the thick original G by the moving scanning optical system 2 which moves in the sub-scanning direction while the operator places the original G on the original table glass 1 in a stationary state. Multiple sheets of original document G2
In addition, the apparatus is provided with a configuration capable of performing “flow reading” in which the sheet-shaped originals G2 are read one by one while being separated and sequentially conveyed.

In the transport path H1 of the sheet-like document G2, a preliminary transport unit 32, a separation unit 33, a pair of document transport rollers 34, a horizontal document transport path 35, a document A discharge roller pair 36 is provided.

The pre-conveyance unit 32 uses a spring to form a sheet original G
Press-contact arm 32a urged in the direction of pressing the tip of 2
Feed roller 32b in contact with the lower surface of sheet-like original G2
, A small number of originals (sometimes one) may be fed to the separation unit 33.

The separation section 33 separates the fed small number of sheet-like originals G2 one by one by a separation piece 33a made of rubber and a separation roller 33b pressed against the separation piece 33a, and separates them one by one. Conveyed to.

A document back side reading unit R2 is provided on the lower surface of the horizontal document carrying path 35, and a document front side reading unit R is provided on the upper surface of the horizontal document carrying path 35.
3 is set. The document back surface reading unit R2 is made of a transparent member such as glass, and a light source 38 and a reflection plate 39 are disposed below the document back surface reading unit R2 to illuminate the back surface of the sheet-like document G2 passing therethrough. Reading by the scanning optical system 2 is enabled.

At a position corresponding to the original surface reading section R3 on the upper surface side of the horizontal original transport path 35, a contact type image sensor 37 having a light source and a lens as a second image reading means is provided. Further, a mylar member 40 having a reading white reference and a document urging action is provided below the document surface reading unit R3, and urges the sheet-shaped document G2 passing therethrough to the close contact type image sensor 37.

Moving scanning optical system 2 provided in main body MB
A movable scanning unit having a light source 3, a reflector 3a, and a first mirror 4 that scan and move in the sub-transport direction with respect to a stationary original G1 placed on the original table glass 1 below the original table glass 1. 2a, 1 / thereof according to the scanning movement of the first mirror 4
Second and third mirrors 5 and 6 that move by a distance of 2 and keep the length of the image reading optical path L constant, fourth and fifth mirrors 7 and 8 that turn back the image reading optical path L, a lens group 9, and a CCD sensor 1
0 is provided.

With such a configuration, the image reading of the sheet-like original G2 conveyed on the conveying path H1 is performed by conveying the sheet-like original G2 separated by the original conveying roller pair 34 at a constant speed. And the reading point R2
Then, the image on the back surface is read by the CCD sensor 10 of the moving scanning optical system 2, and the image on the front surface is read by the contact image sensor 37 at the reading point R3. The sheet-like original G2 that has been read is discharged onto the discharge tray 11 by the pair of original discharge rollers 36.

The moving scanning optical system 2 uses the transport path H1.
When reading the image of the sheet-like original G2 conveyed, the moving scanning unit 2a is moved to a reading position RP3 which is a position corresponding to the original back-side reading unit R2 (a vertically lower position in this embodiment). After stopping, the image of the sheet-shaped original G2 to be conveyed is illuminated by the light source 38 and the reflecting plate 39, the image is photoelectrically converted by the CCD sensor 10, and sent to a read image processing unit (not shown) as an electric signal.

In this case, since the position of the document back side reading portion R2 is separated from the reading position on the platen glass 1 at the reading position RP3 by the distance D1, the length of the image reading optical path L becomes longer by the distance D1 and the focus is increased. Although correction is required, either the position of the lens group 9 or the CCD sensor 10 is moved, or the positions of the second and third mirrors 5 and 6 are moved toward the reading position RP3 by a distance of 1/2 of D1. The focus is corrected by moving.

When reading the image of the original G1 placed on the original platen glass 1 by the movable scanning optical system 2, the original G1 is illuminated by the light source 3 so as to have a predetermined brightness, and the reading position is adjusted. The image is moved and scanned in the range of the reading position RP2 from RP1, the image is photoelectrically converted by the CCD sensor 10, and sent as an electric signal to a read image processing unit (not shown).

On the other hand, below the moving scanning optical system 2 of the main body MB, an image read by the moving scanning optical system 2 and the close contact type image sensor 3, which are the above-described first and second image reading means, is recorded on a recording medium. An image forming means GP for recording on a recording sheet S as the image forming apparatus is provided.

Image forming means GP in this embodiment
Adopts a so-called “electrophotographic recording method”, and has a laser exposure unit 13 for exposing an image signal sent from a read image processing unit to the photosensitive drum 12 as a main component, and is formed on the photosensitive drum 12. A developing unit 14 for supplying toner to the latent image, a transfer roller 15, a fixing unit 16, a fixing roller 17 and the like.

The recording paper S loaded on the recording paper cassette 18
Is separated and fed by a half-moon-shaped paper feed roller 19, a toner image is formed between the photosensitive drum 12 and the transfer roller 15, and then is nipped and conveyed by the fixing device 16 and the fixing roller 17 to fix the toner image. Is performed and the sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 20.

The photosensitive drum 12 and the developing device 14 are configured as an integrated process cartridge PC.
When the configuration near the paper discharge tray 20 is opened to the left in the figure, the process cartridge PC can be replaced and the recording paper S1 that has stayed in the transport path due to jam or the like can be removed. The process cartridge PC can be pulled out diagonally to the left in consideration of operability.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a multi-tray sheet feeding unit which opens the multi-tray 22 to the left of the arrow A1 in FIG.
Arbitrary recording paper other than the recording paper cassette 18 can be inserted at a position where operation is easy. The recording paper cassette 18
Can be connected by overlapping an arbitrary number of stages from one stage to four stages.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of control means of the entire apparatus. The CPU 51 has an external interface 5
2. Internal interface 53, MPU, ROM, RA
M and the like are connected. The external interface 52 includes a large-capacity magnetic disk device 54 as a storage means and an R
S232C, a serial interface can be connected. This allows the apparatus to be connected as a peripheral device of a computer, and can be used as an image reading apparatus or image forming apparatus such as an image scanner, a facsimile, a local printer, and a network printer.

The interface 53 inside the control means includes an operation section 55, a fixed reading section 56 by the close contact type image sensor 37, a moving reading section 57 by the moving scanning optical system 2, a recording section 58 for controlling the image forming means GP, and a telephone. There is a communication control unit 59 for connecting to a line or the like, and each reading unit is controlled by a sheet scanner control unit 61 and a book scanner control unit 62 for controlling the moving scanning optical system 2.

Next, the operation of the facsimile machine F1 having the above configuration will be described. This device is shown in FIG.
By using the configuration of the control means described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 1, it can be used as various image reading apparatuses and image forming apparatuses such as an image scanner, a facsimile, a local printer, and a network printer. The facsimile transmission mode and copy mode will be described below.

(A) Mode Selection First, when the user gives an instruction of either facsimile transmission or copy operation from the operation unit 55, the selected various states are displayed on the display unit 60 (display 60). You. For example, when the facsimile transmission mode is selected, “reading resolution”, “transmission reservation status”, “FAX number destination”, “selection of G3 / G4” and the like are displayed, and a copy-related status display, for example, “copy magnification” Indicators such as "number of copies" and "sort instruction status" are turned off.

Conversely, when the copy mode is selected, the status display related to the facsimile is turned off, and information unrelated to each mode is not displayed to prevent confusion of the user and improve ease of use. Let me. It is also possible to improve the usability by turning on the LED of different colors so that the current status of the device is in facsimile mode or copy mode, or by completely changing the display method. It is.
After one of the facsimile and copy modes is selected, the original is read.

(B) Facsimile transmission mode: when using a sheet scanner The operator lowers the document thick plate portion DS and stacks a plurality of sheet-like documents G1 on the mounting table 31 with the transmission surface facing upward. Further, the operator regulates both sides of the original with the slider 31a in order to eliminate variations on both sides of the sheet original G1. At this time, the document presence / absence sensor 31b detects the presence of the document, and the main body system side displays the display unit 60 on the operation unit 55.
Indicates that the document is in a standby state, and enters a state of waiting for a key input.

Here, the original plate portion DS is 1
When the opening is larger than 5 °, the pressure plate open / close sensor 31
c (see FIG. 3) detects the open / closed state of the document thick plate portion DS and displays the fact on the display portion, and suppresses the operation of the separation / conveyance portion ST even if an operation instruction is given by an operator's key input; Prevents problems with document transport.

When the sheet original G2 is the original existence sensor 31b
After a predetermined time has passed since the closed state of the document thick plate portion DS has been detected, or after a key input of an operation instruction from the operator has been performed, the main body system faces the close contact type image sensor 37. Then, the mylar member 40 having the white reference that comes into contact is pre-scanned to perform AD adjustment, and separation and conveyance of the sheet original G2 is started.

The reason why the reading position RP3 is located outside the region from the reading position RP1 to the reading position RP2 is that there are mechanical parts such as rollers, an opening for passing the sheet, etc. in the platen-side original conveying portion at the sheet scanning position. If there is a sheet scanning position on the platen glass 1 side, when reading a document smaller than the recording size on the platen glass, the shadow of the opening will be read, and the recorded image will have a portion on both sides. This is because the shadow of the opening of the sheet scanner unit is recorded on the sheet and the image quality is degraded.

When the operator specifies a facsimile transmission destination from the operation unit 55 and the start key is pressed, the document separation unit starts operating.

The lowermost sheet of the sheet original G2 is fed out by the separation piece 33a and the separation roller 33b, and is conveyed downstream. The document fed out from the separation roller 33b is nipped by the document transport roller pair 34 immediately downstream, and is transported further downstream. The original conveying roller pair 34 is made of a lower silicone rubber and receives a biasing force from the opposing backup roller 34a to generate a large conveying force. The peripheral speed is set slightly faster than that of the separation roller 33b. The separation roller 33b is provided with a one-way clutch (not shown), and the separation roller 33b can idle in the document conveying direction. is there.

Accordingly, the sheet-like original G2 nipped by the original conveying roller pair 34 has its conveying speed increased, and the separation roller 33b is rotated. This is because the separation roller 33b separates and feeds the document while sliding, so that the separation roller 33b cannot carry the document at a constant speed. It is to try to achieve by.

The leading edge of the original after passing through the original conveying roller pair 34 is detected by a DES 41 (hereinafter, DES: document edge sensor), and the original is conveyed downstream by a predetermined number of steps. The document arrives at the placed document surface reading unit R3.

The reading resolution of the facsimile transmission mode includes a standard mode (3.85 line / mm or 10
0 dpi), fine mode (7.7 line / mm or 200 dpi), super fine mode (1
There are three stages of 5.4 line / mm or 400 dpi), and the operator can freely select it from the operation unit 55.

Contact image sensor 37 or CCD
When a sensor having only one accumulation time is used as the sensor 10, sub-scanning is performed by changing the transport speed in order to read at each resolution. Standard mode, fine mode and super fine mode are read at different speeds by 1/2 each. The drive system is DES41
The sheet is conveyed at a constant speed until the detection is made, and after the front end is detected, reading is performed while changing the conveyance speed according to each resolution.

The read image is binarized in accordance with a binarization slice level determined based on a pre-scanned white background, is subjected to encoding and compression, and is sequentially transmitted by facsimile, or has a large capacity. Magnetic disk drive 5
After storing in a storage means such as No. 4, facsimile transmission is performed.

A transmitted stamp (not shown) is provided below the document feed path near the document discharge port.
When a seal instruction is issued from the operation unit of the operator, the seal is stamped on the document image surface. Unlike facsimile, unlike a copy, the result of reading is not normally output, so it is unknown whether it was sent to the other party normally.However, by using this stamp, it is possible to stamp on the original image surface Scanned the image. "
If a document that is not stamped occurs, it indicates that the document was not correctly read due to double feeding or the like. In the copy mode, the operation of the stamp is prohibited by the system.

The second and subsequent documents enter a separating operation immediately after the trailing end of the first document has passed the separation roller 33b, and are sequentially conveyed to the document reading section and read.

In order to reduce the time loss when transmitting the next original continuously, the movable scanning optical system 2 is kept at the reading position RP3 without moving for a predetermined time. At this time, if the DES 41 in the separation / conveyance unit ST detects the next document, the reading operation starts in the sheet-shaped document reading mode,
When the original plate portion DS is opened, the moving scanning optical system 2
Is returned to the reference standby position (this also applies to the copy mode described below).

(C) Copy mode: when a sheet scanner is used.

The difference between the operation in the copy mode and the operation in the facsimile transmission mode is "difference in document conveyance speed" and "synchronization with the recording unit". If a large amount of memory is provided on the system side, or if the image resolution is low and the amount of read data is small, image information can be temporarily read and stored in the memory, but the cost of the memory is large. Also, there is a disadvantage that the first copy speed (time from when the copy key is pressed to when the copy key is ejected) becomes long.

For this reason, a direct copy mode in which image data is transferred to the image forming means GP (recording unit 58) and recorded without reading the image information while passing through the memory as in the case of direct facsimile transmission reduces costs. It works well. In this case, as described below, it is necessary to control the feeding of the read original while monitoring the feeding state of the recording paper S.

After the copying operation is instructed by the operator, the original is fed to the position DES41, and the sheet scanner motor (not shown) is stopped to wait the original. In the recording technology using the electrophotographic method, usually, it is necessary to keep the fixing section warm or warm up, which often causes problems such as a large amount of power consumption due to the warming and a delay in copy time due to the warm up. The on-demand type fixing device 16 and the fixing roller 17 are employed in the fixing unit, and the fixing unit 16 has a feature that can instantaneously heat to a predetermined amount of heat without requiring heat retention or long-time warm-up. Therefore, electrophotographic image formation can be realized with low power and in a short time.

The recording paper S is fed from the paper feed cassette 18 or the multi-tray 22 during the feeding of the read original and the preparation for the operation of the fixing device 16, and is conveyed downstream to be recorded by the recording paper leading edge detection sensor 23. The leading end of the paper S is detected. Thereafter, the recording paper S is transferred to the photosensitive drum 12 and the transfer roller 1.
5 is reached, the arrival time from the recording paper leading edge detection sensor 23 to the image transfer unit is set to a predetermined time. The document is conveyed so that the timing at which the recording paper S reaches the image transfer section and the timing at which the read document reaches the reading position coincide.

After the sheet original G2 reaches the original reading position, the image is sequentially read and a recording signal is output to the recording section 58. The laser exposure unit 13 forms an image on the photosensitive drum 12, and the recording sheet S is transferred at the transfer section. The image is transferred to

The recording paper on which the image has been transferred is sent to the fixing device 16 further downstream, and is fixed to a paper discharge tray 20 after being fixed.

This apparatus has a scaling function in the copy mode. The enlargement in the main scanning direction is performed by bit complementation, and the reduction is performed by thinning out bits.
On the other hand, in the sub-scanning direction, the magnification is changed by changing the feed speed in the sub-scanning direction after the pair of transport rollers 34.

Assuming that the transport speed of the recording paper S, that is, the process speed, is 1, the sheet scanner motor is rotated at double speed for 50% reduction and half speed for 200% enlargement. The sub-scanning speed is changed according to the magnification. However, since the leading edge of the original document and the leading edge of the recording paper must match, the time required for the leading edge of the original to move from the DES 41 to the reading position differs depending on the magnification.

Therefore, when the distance from the sheet document leading edge position detection position to the reading unit and the distance from the recording paper leading edge detection position to the recording position are assumed to be the same, the document leading edge feed timing is not shown. The rising pulse speed P1 (pps) and the final pulse P2 (p
ps), and the time of constant operation at this speed is T2
(Sec), acceleration time Ta (sec), document transport amount per step of sheet scanner motor 1 (mm), process speed Vp (mm / sec), and required time from recording paper leading edge detection position to recording position Tp. Then, the relationship of Expression 1 is established.

[0063]

Vp · Tp = T1 · P1 · l + (P1 + P2) / 2 · Ta + T2 · P2 · l As parameters for controlling the sheet scanner motor, T1, T2, Ta, and P1 in the above equation are used. You just have to decide. Note that the final pulse P2 (pps) is expressed as the following Expression 2 (relational expression).

[0064]

P2 · l · magnification (%) / 100 = Vp (d) Facsimile transmission mode: When using a book scanner Open the original plate DS and place one original G1 on the platen glass 1. Arrange so that the reading surface faces down. Two document size indicators 24a and 24b (see FIG. 3) are provided on two sides of the platen glass 1, and the document G1 is
A desired area can be scanned by arranging.

In the book scanner mode, the original thick plate portion D
The apparatus can operate regardless of the detection of the pressure plate open / close detection sensor 31c so that the original G1 can be read even when S is opened. When the pressure plate is opened, particularly when the platen is opened by 15 ° or more, the document presence / absence sensor detection 31b of the document separation unit
Operates under its own weight and malfunctions as if it detected a "document present" state. However, when the pressure plate open / close detection sensor 31c detects "opening of the document pressure plate", the document separation / conveyance unit ST It is monitored on the system side to prevent operation.

When a preset destination is selected by the operation unit 55 using the dial number of the transmission destination or the one-touch key, first, the moving scanning unit 2a (the light source 3, the reflecting plate 3a and the first mirror 4) of the moving scanning optical system 2 is selected. Are integrated, and the lower surface of the platen glass 1 moves in the sub-scanning direction) at a reference standby position (between the reading point RP3 and the reading point RP1) to pre-scan a white background and once move several steps in the direction of the reading point RP3. .

At this time, the HPS 25 (HPS: home position sensor) is turned off, and the rotation of the book scanner motor is reversed from this point, and the moving scanning unit 2a starts moving in the original reading direction. The number of motor steps starts to be counted from the time when the HPS 25 is turned on, and after the moving scanning unit 2a reaches the leading end of the original to which the original is attached (the number of pulses is counted and the pulses stored in the nonvolatile memory in advance) The reading is started and stored in the memory.

After the reading is completed, the moving scanning unit 2a
Return 5 to the position where it overruns by several steps. This is to reduce the operation time when there is an instruction to read the next page. If the moving scanning unit 2a is stopped before returning to the reference standby position, the next reading instruction is continuously performed. In this case, reading is started after returning once from the reading position to the opposite side in order to eliminate backlash, and it takes time to start reading.

When the reading of the first page is completed, the display unit 6
At 0, the options of “display for prompting the next document reading instruction” and “display for prompting to finish reading and transmitting the data in the memory” are displayed. After the operator exchanges the original, the second page of the original is read by pressing the key of the reading instruction. When the data on the memory is transmitted after the reading is completed, the data is transmitted by pressing a key for instructing the original transmission.

(E) Copy Mode: When Using Book Scanner In the copy mode, the operation of the sheet scanner unit is regulated by detecting the open / close state of the pressure plate. The difference from the facsimile transmission mode is the same as the above-mentioned "copy mode: using a sheet scanner", and a description thereof will be omitted.

(F) Case of Reading Both Sides This apparatus can read both sides of a sheet-shaped document regardless of facsimile transmission or copying. Mounting table 3
1 is conveyed from the lowermost sheet-like document G2, and the image information of the lower surface (back side) is read at a reading point R2 by the CCD sensor 10 of the moving scanning optical system 2.
And the image information of the upper surface (front surface) is stored in the memory at the reading point R3 by the close contact image sensor 37.

In the case of facsimile transmission, information stored in the memory is sorted in page order and transferred by the communication means. In the case of copying, the information on the back surface read by the CCD sensor 10 is directly transferred to the synchronized image forming means GP without passing through a storage means such as a memory, thereby saving memory consumption and The time for the recording operation can be reduced.

After the first sheet of recording paper has been output, the image information of the front side stored in the memory is output to the image forming means GP for recording. After the recording is completed, the next document is fed and transferred from the information on the back side to the recording unit again for recording.

(Embodiment 2) In an apparatus provided with a reversing unit for the recording paper S, the recording paper
Is reversed, and is conveyed to the recording means again, whereby a double-sided copy having images formed on both sides can be realized.

In FIG. 5, the recording paper S fed from the recording paper cassette 18 is sent to a transfer section between the photosensitive drum 12 and the transfer roller 15 in order to record image information on the back side of the document. The sheet is fixed in the container 16 and is discharged toward the sheet discharge tray 20 by the sheet discharge roller pair 26.

After the trailing edge of the recording sheet S has passed through the flapper 27, the flapper 27 is moved, and the trailing edge of the recording sheet S is held by the pair of discharging rollers 26 while the trailing edge of the recording sheet S is held by the pair of discharging rollers 26.
Is reversed, and the recording paper S is guided to the recording paper reversal conveyance path 28.

Recording paper S conveyed after switchback
Is conveyed again from the multi tray feeder 21 to the image transfer section, transfers the image information stored in the memory, is fixed in the fixing device 16, and is discharged. At this time, since the recording paper S is discharged with the original back side information recorded thereon facing downward, the discharged paper can be stacked in a page order even for a plurality of double-sided copies.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 6 shows a sheet original G2 in an original thick plate portion DS which can be opened and closed with respect to the original platen glass 1.
The conveyance path H2 (the position where the sheet-shaped document G2 is conveyed) is substantially V-shaped, and the contact type image sensor 71, which is a fixed scanning means, is moved to the inclined conveyance section 73 immediately after the conveyance roller 72. Provided, contact type image sensor 71
A backup roller 74 for changing the direction of the transport path H2 is provided downstream, and an opening facing the document table glass 1 is provided so as to face the backup roller 74.

The back side of the sheet-like document G2 is read by the contact type image sensor 71, and the front side of the sheet-like document G2 is moved by the movable scanning unit 2a just below this opening to read the document held by the backup roller 95. In this case, since the document heights of the sheet conveyance reading and the still document reading are almost the same, the light source 3 can be shared with the light source for reading the document stationary arranged on the platen glass 1, ie, the back side of the sheet conveyance. Reading and still document reading (book reading) can be realized with one light source.

In the case where the height of the original is the same between the sheet conveying reading and the reading of the still original, the length of the image reading optical path L of the moving scanning optical system becomes the same, and this will be described in the first embodiment. It is not necessary to correct the length of the image reading optical path L by the movement of the lens group 9 and the CCD sensor 10 as described above.

The first embodiment has a configuration utilizing the advantage of horizontal conveyance, and the third embodiment has a configuration utilizing the advantage of cost.

The sheet-like document G2 having been read is scooped upward by the rake member 75 downstream of the backup roller 74, and is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 11 by the document discharge roller pair 36.

[0083]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A sheet-shaped sheet conveyed on a conveyance path by two image reading units, a first image reading unit and a second image reading unit, which are moved to a position facing a predetermined area with a conveyance path for conveying a sheet-shaped document. Images on both sides of the document can be read in one transfer. In the case of single-sided reading, a thick document such as a book is placed on the image reading unit and read by the first image reading unit, and the sheet-shaped document is read by the second image reading unit while being conveyed.

By providing the first image reading means with the focus correcting means, even when the image reading section and the conveyance path are located apart from each other, the originals at the respective positions are brought into focus so that the original can be read. The transport jam can be performed without causing a load on the original, because the original can be transported in parallel with the original and the irregular reflection due to the illumination can be reduced so that high-quality image reading can be performed. And smooth conveyance is performed. In addition, a space provided with components such as a transport unit and a light source can be set between the image reading unit and the transport path, and the degree of freedom in configuration design is increased.

In the case where an overlapping portion is formed such that the transport path is located at the same position as the image reading section, the focus correcting means of the first image reading means becomes unnecessary, which contributes to cost reduction.

Further, since the sheet-like document conveyed on the conveyance path is read by the first and second separate image reading means,
The image reading optical path becomes simple, and the device configuration becomes compact.

Further, by providing a storage means for storing the read image and an image forming means, the image can be read and recorded.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional configuration explanatory view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the first embodiment, showing a state in which a document pressing plate portion is opened.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory cross-sectional configuration diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory cross-sectional configuration diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional double-sided image reading mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional double-sided image reading mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 platen glass 2 moving scanning optical system 2a moving scanning section 3 light source 3a reflector 4 first mirror 5 second mirror 6 third mirror 7 fourth mirror 8 fifth mirror 9 lens group 10 CCD sensor 11 paper ejection tray 12 photosensitive Drum 13 Laser exposure unit 14 Developing device 15 Transfer roller 16 Fixing device 17 Fixing roller 18 Recording paper cassette 19 Paper feeding roller 20 Paper discharge tray 21 Multi-tray paper feeding section 22 Multi-tray 23 Recording paper leading edge detection sensor 24a, 24b Document size index Reference Signs List 25 HPS 26 Paper discharge roller pair 27 Flapper 28 Recording paper reversal conveyance path 31 Placement table 31b Document presence sensor 31c Pressure plate open / close detection sensor 32 Preliminary conveyance section 32a Press-contact arm 32b Feed roller 33 Separation section 33a Separation piece 33b Separation roller 34 Document conveyance Roller pair 35 horizontal original Transmission path 36 Original discharge roller pair 37 Close contact image sensor 38 Light source 39 Reflector 40 Mylar member 51 CPU 52 External interface 53 Internal interface 54 Large-capacity magnetic disk unit 55 Operation unit 56 Fixed reading unit 57 Moving reading unit 58 Recording unit 59 Communication Control unit 60 Display unit 61 Sheet scanner control unit 62 Book scanner control unit DS Document thick plate unit F1 Facsimile machine G1 Document G2 Sheet document GP Image forming means L Image reading optical path MB Body R2 Document back surface reading unit R3 Document surface reading unit RP1 , RP2, RP3 Reading position

Claims (6)

[Claims] A first image reading unit configured to move an image of a document placed on an image reading unit in a sub-scanning direction to read the image, and to convey a sheet-shaped document to a predetermined area on the image reading unit. And a second image reading means for reading an image of the sheet-shaped document conveyed on the conveyance path on the side opposite to the first image reading means, and moved to a position facing the predetermined area. An image reading apparatus, wherein the first image reading means and the second image reading means read images on both sides of a sheet-like document conveyed in a conveyance path by a single conveyance. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first image reading unit includes a focus correction unit configured to read an image of the sheet-shaped document conveyed along the conveyance path located away from the image reading unit. 2. The image reading device according to 1. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport path and the second image reading unit are provided on a document pressing plate unit that presses a document placed on the image reading unit. The image reading device according to claim 1. 4. An image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the image reading device selectively stores one of the images read by the first and second image reading means of the image reading device. Means, and an image forming means for selectively forming either an image read by the first and second image reading means of the image reading apparatus or an image stored in the storage means on a recording medium. An image reading and recording apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 5. The image forming unit performs image formation simultaneously with an image reading operation of any one of the images read by the first and second image reading units of the image reading device. The storage unit stores the other image, and the image forming unit forms an image of the other image stored in the storage unit after the formation of one image is completed. The image reading and recording apparatus according to the above. 6. The image forming means is capable of forming an image on both sides of the recording medium, and after completion of image formation on the first surface of the recording medium, stores the image stored in the storage means in the recording medium. 6. The image reading and recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an image is formed on the second surface of the image reading and recording apparatus.