JPS62137969A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To record pictures having high quality and to make the whole of a recorder small-sized and thin and to improve the operability by moving an original reading means and a recording means in the direction of main scanning and carrying an original and a recording medium synchronously in the direction of subscanning. CONSTITUTION:An original reading unit 43 is scanned on an original 13 in the direction of main scanning to read the original with a certain density and converts a read signal photoelectrically to record picture information, and a recording head 52 is arranged on a carriage 42 so that picture information can be recorded simultaneously with read of the unit 43. The signal read by reciprocal scanning (main scanning) of the unit 43 is sent to the head 52 and is recorded approximately simultaneously. Since the original 13 and a recording paper 14 are carried synchronously in the direction of subscanning, the error of the extent of advance between the original 13 and the recording paper 14 is scarecely generated, and the pictures having high quality are recorded. Since a carrying mechanism is shared between the original 13 and the recording paper 14, the whole of the recorder is made small-sized and thin, and the operability is improved.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application for Business Owners] The present invention relates to a recording device, and more specifically, to a recording device that has a function of reading a document by main and sub-scanning, and a recording device that records an image according to information on the read document. The present invention relates to a recording device having functions.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, facsimile machines, digital copying machines, and the like are known as devices having such document reading and recording functions. Facsimile machines and digital copying machines generally have separate reading and recording units.
In the reading unit, information corresponding to the paper width of the document is optically reduced and read by a line sensor, and the information is converted into a digital signal and the document information is read. Also, during recording, facsimile machines use a line head to record one line at a time, and digital copiers use laser scanning or a liquid crystal shutter to write latent image information on a photosensitive drum, which is then developed with toner or the like. after that,
Recording is performed by transferring and fixing. In that case,
Increasingly, the reading unit and storage unit are integrated into an integrated structure, rather than being separated.

For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-22353 describes a facsimile machine that reads an original with a line sensor and records with a line head. In this case, the back of the original and recording paper are brought into contact with one roller. A common conveyance roller that performs conveyance is described.

In this case, since it is line reading and recording, there is no need for a flat part in the reading and recording section, and the outer periphery of the roller can be read and used as a recording surface, making it possible to use a common conveyance roller.

In addition, instead of reading and recording with such a line sensor or line head, the reading unit and recording unit are mounted on a carriage and moved back and forth (main scanning), and the recording paper is moved in the sub-scanning direction. There is a known device that sends and records images. In this case, it is best to use the recording paper feeding mechanism to read the document information and store it in memory, then insert the recording paper, read the information stored in the memory by the recording unit, and perform recording. Since it is common and cannot be equipped with large-capacity memory, it can only read a small amount of information from the original.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 18783/1983 describes an apparatus that reads and records by such two-dimensional scanning, and in this case, reads and records by conveying the recording paper in synchronization with the original. In this case, the recording paper conveyance section and the document conveyance section are not common but are independent from each other.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, various devices have been known in which a document reading device and a recording device are integrated. It is difficult to record good images on the conveyed recording paper, and if the document and recording paper are conveyed in the sub-scanning direction after reading and recording in the main scanning direction, synchronized conveyance is incomplete. However, there is a problem in that the boundary of recording in the next sub-scanning direction tends to be non-uniform, especially in the case of image information, and the image quality is not good.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve these problems, and provides a thin and easy-to-operate recording device in which the original and the recording paper are conveyed in perfect synchronization and good image recording can be obtained. The purpose is to

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve these problems, the present invention provides a document reading means for reading information on a document, and an image corresponding to the information read by the document reading means on a recording medium. and a means for reciprocating the document reading means and the recording means in the main scanning direction.

A common conveying means for synchronously conveying the original and the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction, moving the original reading means and the recording means in the main scanning direction,
A configuration is adopted in which the original and the recording medium are conveyed synchronously in the sub-scanning direction and an image corresponding to the information on the original is recorded on the recording medium.

[Operation] In this configuration, the original is read in the main scanning direction and recorded on the recording paper. Next, the original and recording paper are transported in the sub-scanning direction, and then the main scanning direction.

Reading and recording are performed in the sub-scanning direction. in this case,
Since the original document and the recording paper are completely synchronously conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by one common conveyance means, the boundary between the next recording and the next recording is uniform even in the case of image information, and high-quality recording is possible. Further, in such a configuration, the conveyance mechanisms for the original document and the recording paper are shared or used as much as possible, so that the device can be configured to be thin and a reading and recording device with good operability can be obtained.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the example shown in the drawings.

1 to 5 (A) and (B) illustrate an embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, and the front part of the housing 10 of the recording apparatus has a power switch lla and an operation key 11b. An operating section 11 is arranged, and a document insertion slot 12 for inserting a document 13 is provided at the front end, and a recording paper 14 is provided at the rear end.
A recording paper insertion slot 15 is provided for inserting the recording paper (FIG. 1).

First, the structure of the conveyance system for the original 13 and the recording paper 14 will be explained.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 2A to 5A and 5B, side plates 22 and 23 are provided in the housing 10 of the recording device, which is composed of a base 20 and an exterior 21. , main rollers 24 and 25 are rotatably disposed on the side plates 22 and 23 in a substantially horizontal state and at positions slightly apart from each other. A platen roller 26 is placed in pressure contact with the main rollers 24 and 25 from above. Each roller 2
The shape connecting the center points of the rollers 4 to 26 is a triangle, and the two sides of the triangle that pass through the contact point between the platen roller 26 and the lower main roller 24, 25 are sloped surfaces. The normal line at this contact point corresponds to the direction in which the recording paper 14 is conveyed when each roller is rotated. Three rollers 24.26.
271:ti5 As is clear from Figures (A) and (B), the gear 24a is activated by the sub-scanning II motor (pulse motor) 30.
.

26a and 27a, and synchronized drive with the same circumferential speed is achieved. The outer circumferential surface of one of the platen rollers 26 is located slightly above the r-direction outer circumferences of the other two main rollers 24 and 25.

At the rear of the platen roller 26, a guide member 35 for the recording paper 14 is arranged along an inclined surface as shown in FIG. 2, and is fixed to both side plates 22 and 23. The recording paper 14 is inserted from above in the direction of the arrow, and is carried in smoothly in the tangential direction between the platen roller 26 and the main roller 25.
The roller 2 curves in a U-shape along the platen roller 26.
It is carried upward at 4°26. At this time, the recording paper passes through any gap in the recording head 52 along the surface of the elastic member 29a on the flat platen 29, is stopped at the position shown in the figure, and recording is performed as described later. In this way, the recording paper first advances downward at an angle that makes it easier to insert, then makes a U-turn along the curvature of the platen, and then is conveyed at an angle upward again, so thick recording media such as old leaves can be transported smoothly. Can be guided and transported.

In addition, the main rollers 24 and 25 have driven rollers 27.2 and 27.2.
8 are placed below while maintaining a parallel relationship and the pressure necessary for transporting the paper, and the document 13 is moved between the main rollers 24, 25 and the driven rollers 27, 28 as shown in FIG. It is held in the middle and conveyed almost horizontally. Gear 24a of main roller 24 and gear 27 of driven roller 27
As shown in detail in FIG. 5(B), the original 13 is meshed with the rollers 24 and 27 in order to convey it without slipping, and the original 13 is also subjected to a conveying force from the rear side via a gear 27a. and ensure reliable transportation.

All the roller axes mentioned so far have a parallel relationship,
It is rotated by a sub-scanning motor 30.

Also, near the upper part of the platen roller 26 is a flat platen 29 parallel to the platen roller. In addition, an elastic rubber member 29a having a flat surface with respect to the recording head is integrally attached to both side plates 2.
2.23 is supported.

Further, a driven roller 27 in contact with the main rollers 24 and 25
．． 28 along the vicinity of the contact surface of document guide plate 37. The lower guide plate 36 is placed in an almost horizontal position, and the original 13
These information boards are 3G.

37 in a direction opposite to that of the recording paper 14. The recording paper guide member 35 has a partially cutout portion 26 on its side.
a, and the roller 24.
26 can be contacted. This notch portion is bent downward 5 to form a bent portion 26b, and also serves as a guide portion for guiding the document between the next rl-2'y25.28. The original 13 guided by the upper and lower guide plates 36 and 37 is +
11 - It is guided along the bending part 35a of the old guide part 35 without being held between the 2427 and 25. . Since the document is guided almost horizontally in this way, any document can be conveyed, including not only thin letters but also thick letters.

In this way, the original transported horizontally for reading has a spring restoring effect in combination with the inclined ejection path. - Achieves reliable discharge with a simple configuration. In this case, the document 13 can be guided not only to the upper part but also to the rear side.

Note that the upper guide plate 37 is further provided with a structure for guiding the document to the reading section and the tangential portion of the rollers 24 and 27 without floating the document.
A weak spring member 37a is attached that does not obstruct the entry of the original.

Further, a sensor 60 for detecting the presence or absence of the original f113 is provided between the tip of the lower guide portion 36 and the rollers 24.27, and a sensor 61 for detecting the presence or absence of the recording paper 14 is provided below the recording paper guide member 35. It will be done.

These sensors are realized, for example, by mechanical sensors such as microswitches or optical sensors such as photointerrupters.

The original 13 is inserted into the passage formed by the upper guide plate 37 and the lower guide plate 36 until it abuts between the main roller 24 and the driven roller 27.

Since the document presence/absence sensor 60 is disposed just before the rollers 24 and 27, it is possible to detect the correct insertion of the document. In addition, the recording paper 14 is placed in the recording paper insertion slot 1 in a direction opposite to the conveying direction of the original 12 in order to record the original in the normal position as described later.
The correct insertion is detected by the sensor 61. In this case, it can be understood that the main roller 24 also serves to feed the document and the recording paper. In addition, what is indicated by the reference numeral 14a in FIG. 2 is a battery, and the power switch ll
Power can be supplied to each part by operating a.

Next, the reading section and recording section will be explained.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, rails 40 and 41 are attached between the side plates 22 and 23, and a carriage 42 moves along the rails 40 and 41 to move the platen roller 2.
6 is guided by a main scanning motor 65 via a bell 65a so that it can reciprocate in the main scanning direction. A reading unit 43 for reading and a recording unit 44 for recording are arranged adjacent to each other on this carriage 42 .

The reading unit 43 includes a light source 44' for document illumination, a focusing optical lens 45. Reading line sensor 46. It is composed of a photoelectric conversion circuit 47, which main scans the a-a' range (Fig. 2) of the document 13 with information facing upward, reads it at a constant density, performs photoelectric conversion, and transfers the image information to the recording section. Can be sent. The reading line sensor 46 includes a focusing light guide lens 45 (commonly known as SELFOC) and a close contact sensor 4.
6, but it may also be composed of a CC071 or the like that detects a reduced image using a cylindrical lens as shown in FIG.

In the example shown in FIG.
The signal is amplified by the A/D conversion circuit 74 and read out as a digital signal. Note that an automatic adjustment circuit 75 is connected to the amplifier circuit to automatically adjust the gain.

The recording unit 44 also has a recording rod 52 attached to the carriage 42 on a holding member 51 that is swingable about a fulcrum 50. The recording head 52 includes a plurality of heating elements arranged in a row.
They are lined up in the sub-scanning direction.

53 is a cassette containing a thermal transfer ribbon 54;
The ribbon 54 having an ink layer passes over the element surface of the recording head 52, and its end is wound around another winding bobbin in the same cassette.

The signal read out by the reading unit 43 is
As shown in FIG.
Signal processing is performed under the control of a PU (central processing unit) 81. Similarly, signals from the document presence/absence sensor 60 are input to this CPU via a signal cable 82, and the main and sub-scanning motors (both are step motors) 30, 65 are controlled via the same cable. Similarly, the CPU 81 operates the operation keys 1 l b , R via the signal cable 83 .
An OM (read only memory) 85 is connected.

The recording unit 44 is also connected to the CPU 81 via signal cables 70.82. These electronic circuits are located on a circuit board 90 located below 88 of the device.

In this embodiment, the reading unit 43 and the recording unit 44 are arranged staggered on the carriage.
As shown in FIG. 5(A), the recording head 52 is located on the right side, and the reading surface of the reading unit is located on the left side, so that the document 13 and the recording paper 14 are located on the right side as shown in FIG. 5(A).
are shifted in the main scanning direction by C3 corresponding to the shift. This allows simultaneous reading and recording.

Furthermore, since the reading optical system can be placed near the document transport rollers 24.degree. 27, it is possible to read the document from near the leading edge.

The reading section and the recording section are respectively flat sections as shown in a to a' (FIG. 2) and a flat platen 29 in order to perform high-quality reading and recording in the main scanning direction.

Next, the operation of the recording apparatus of the present invention configured as described above will be explained.

First, as illustrated in FIG. ), the recording paper is moved between the platen roller 26 and the transport kite 2.
6b in a U-turn shape, passes between the platen roller 26 and the main roller 24, moves forward, is guided by a guide member extending forward, passes through the gap between the recording pad 52 and the flat platen 29, and exits the apparatus. be discharged.

In order to facilitate setting the leading edge of the paper slightly above the recording head 52, positioning is performed by providing an index (not shown) on the upper cover of the apparatus or the like. If it goes too far, you can correct it by turning the rotation knob in the opposite direction. In this case, all the rollers 24-28 are brought into contact with each other, are pressed into contact with each other, or are connected by gears, and are all rotated simultaneously and without slipping.

In this manner, by rotating the knob, the leading edge of the recording paper 14 is moved in accordance with the rotation angle of the platen roller 26 and stopped at a desired position. At the time of this operation, the original paper has not been inserted yet, so rollers 27 and 28 are used to carry in and eject the original.
When rotating forward or backward, it simply spins idly. A sensor 61 provided on the side of the guide member 35 to detect the presence or absence of recording paper prevents recording malfunctions when no paper is inserted, and prevents printing stains on the elastic member 29a.

After the leading edge of the recording paper 14 is set at the specified position past the recording head 52 using the rotary knob, the eighth
As shown in step Sl, 33 in the figure, turn on the power, operate the operation key 11b (Fig. 1), and step S4
Set the original 13 as shown in . In this case, the original 13 is manually advanced from the original insertion slot 12 along the guide plates 36 and 37 to the readable area of the reading optical system with the character information side facing upward, and the main roller 24
The insertion is stopped until it contacts the driven roller 27. This position is detected by the document presence detection sensor 60. The distance from one end a' (Fig. 2) of the optical reading length a-a' at which the original is to be read when the original is inserted to the leading edge of the inserted original 13 is calculated from the leading edge of the recording paper 14 for recording. It is preferable that the distance be approximately equal to the distance from the dot starting point of the dot 52. In this case, since the reading optical system can be placed just before the conveyance rollers 24 and 27, it is possible to read the vicinity of the leading edge of the document.

In this way, when the sensor 60 detects the insertion of the document 13, the circuit is switched to the circuit indicating that the document is present, and reading can begin.

At the start of the operation, the document illumination light source 44' is turned on, and the CP
The reading operation is started under the control of U81, and the reading optical system of the reading unit 43 starts to move stepwise in the main scanning direction by driving the main scanning motor 65 (step S5).The original 13 is irradiated by the light source 44. , the reflected light passes through the lens 45 and forms an image on the line sensor 46, and the reading operation starts (step S6). The integrated analog information from the line sensor 46 is read out pixel by pixel in synchronization with the step feed. As shown in FIG. 6, the signal is amplified by an amplifier circuit 73 via an automatic sensitivity adjustment circuit 75, converted into a digital signal by an A/D conversion circuit 74, and the image information of the subject is photoelectrically converted. At this time, if necessary, a memory such as a line buffer may be prepared to store and perform image processing. Operation control by the CPU 81 is performed by a program input to a fixed memory (ROM) 85, and a read signal is sent to the recording unit 44, where recording is performed in synchronization with the step feed (step S7). In this case, a plurality of brightness LEDs are installed in the illumination light source 44 in a row near the two-dimensionally read document, and a wide-angle or short-focus lens with an F number of 2 or more, or a bright multi-lens lens with a small Tc value of Selfoc is used. If configured as above, it can be read at a relatively high speed. After reading, to output by the recording head 52 almost simultaneously, read,
It is necessary to perform recording synchronously, and it is preferable to improve the recording speed.
The number of pixels is at least equal to or greater than the number of recording dots on the recording head 52. This is because the resolution of the image signal read from the subject increases due to the large number of sensor bits, and it is better to perform AND or OR processing on this signal to reduce it to the number of dots on the recording head, resulting in finer details and fewer omissions. This is because a high-quality copy can be obtained.

Note that the one-time feed iP of the document 13 and the recording paper 14 that are intermittently fed in the sub-scanning direction is determined by the total length (J2) of the number of elements of the recording rad 52, as shown in FIG. 7, and cannot be exceeded. I can't.

This is because image information on a subject is not limited to characters in the row direction, but when considering continuous images such as figures, it is necessary that there be no reading errors or recording omissions.

In this way, the reciprocating scanning (main scanning) of the reading unit 43
The signals read by are immediately sent to the recording head 52, and recording is performed almost simultaneously.The original 13 and the recording paper 14 are intermittently fed at a pitch of P, and reading and recording are performed again using the aforementioned main scan. Recording is performed by sequentially repeating the steps in the longitudinal direction of the document 13 (steps 37 and 38). It should be noted that the conveyance directions of the original and the recording paper are opposite to each other in the sub-scanning direction because reading and recording of the original are performed simultaneously.

When the trailing edge of the original paper is detected by the sensor 60 (step 39), main scanning of the original is completed, the optical system and the recording head 52 return to their home positions, and the original 13 and the recording paper 14 are released from the final roller. The sub-scanning motor 30 is driven until the document 13 is ejected, and the entire operation is completed (step 5IO).

The sensor 60 is thus used to obtain signals for starting and ending the recording operation.

As described above, in this embodiment, the main roller 24 is
A platen roller 26 which has a function of conveying the original 13 and a function of conveying the recording paper 14 and cooperates with the main roller 24. The driven roller 27, the main roller 25, and the driven roller 28 rotate integrally. In this case, the roller 24
, 26, and 27 are not simply made into a press-contact structure, but if they are connected to each other via gears 24a, 26a, and 27a as shown in FIG. Feed accuracy can be significantly improved.

Therefore, there is almost no error in the advance amount P (FIG. 7) between the original and the recording paper, and the quality of the recorded image can be improved. That is, as shown in FIG. 5 CB), the drive system is such that the original and recording paper are fed together by the outer periphery of the common roller 24 without slipping, and the separate roller pairs are synchronized. Compared to those that are fed manually, there is no backlash caused by gear connections, etc., and the document and recording paper are less likely to be misaligned and skewed during the conveyance process, making highly accurate synchronous feeding possible. .

Further, the driven roller 28 may not only be brought into pressure contact with the main roller 25, but may also be connected to the main roller 25 via a gear or the like to further ensure integral rotation.

In this way, in the main scanning direction, reading and recording are performed on a flat surface, and in the sub-scanning direction, the original and the recording paper are transported in perfect synchronization, making it possible to record high-quality images. Become.

Further, in the present invention, the conveyance mechanisms for the original document and the recording paper are shared or used as much as possible, so that the apparatus can be made thin and compact.

Furthermore, various improvements have been made to the recording apparatus according to the present invention to make the apparatus thinner and smaller. For example, in order to perform reading and recording at the same time, it is necessary to place the reading original and the recording paper in the position as shown in the embodiment shown in FIG. The necessary mechanical space for recording is obtained by arranging the optical system.

In this case, the illumination light source 44' and lens system 45 are arranged near the surface of the original paper 13, the sensor 46 is arranged above them, and the highest position of the electrical board 47 for photoelectric conversion is placed on the cassette 5.
By arranging and configuring the components to have an equivalent height of up to 3, it is possible to achieve the thin configuration shown in this embodiment. In this case, if a short focus lens (wide angle) is used in the optical system, a more preferable configuration will be obtained.

Further, the outer circumferential position of the common main roller 24 and the recording guide surface 29a extend in a nearly perpendicular row, while this surface and the document reading surface form a spatial area at nearly right angles. This makes it possible to place the reading optical system deep within this orthogonal space, which also makes it possible to achieve a thin device.

Further, in the present invention, the main roller and the driven roller pair are provided on both sides of the platen roller 26, so that the document can be conveyed smoothly and the platen roller can be placed between the two roller pairs. The device can be made thin.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a notch 36a is provided in the lower guide plate 36, and a weak elastic member 36b is placed facing the notch 36a.
, 36b is attached to the lower guide plate 36 using the driven roller 27.2.
8 functions may be performed. In this case, the entire device can be made even thinner.

Note that the above-mentioned recording device is not only a recording device such as a facsimile machine or a digital copying machine, but also a recording device that has an input device such as a keyboard separately or is integrated with it, and can record input information from the keyboard via a recording unit. It can also be applied to

[Effects] As described above, according to the present invention, in an apparatus that reads and records a document in the main and sub-scanning directions, the document and recording paper are completely synchronously transported in the sub-scanning direction by one common transport means. This makes it possible to perform high-quality recording, and since the conveyance mechanisms for the original and recording paper are shared or used as much as possible, the entire device can be made smaller and thinner, making it possible to obtain a recording device with good operability. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Each shows an embodiment of the recording device of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance, Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the internal structure, Fig. 3 is a front view showing the internal structure, and Fig. 3 is a front view showing the internal structure. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the carriage, Figure 5 (A) is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the electrical system, Figure 5 (B) is a perspective view of the roller drive system,
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the reading unit, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram explaining the recording operation, FIG. 8 is a flowchart diagram showing the flow of control, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the conveyance system. be. 13...Manuscript 14...Recording paper 24.25
... Main roller 26 ... Platen roller 42 ... Carriage 43 ... Reading unit 44 ... Recording unit 52 ... Recording head 11τ
1*Hi# /+ (<t+ rr*+f9 i?, IRfi+ 1'ilFig. 9

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) Original reading means for reading information on the original, recording means for recording an image on a recording medium according to the information read by the original reading means, and the original reading means and the recording means are arranged in the main scanning direction. and a common conveying means for synchronously conveying the document and the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction, moving the document reading means and the recording medium in the main scanning direction,
A recording apparatus characterized in that a document and a recording medium are conveyed synchronously in a sub-scanning direction to record an image on the recording medium according to information on the document. 2) The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a space is formed in the vicinity of the common conveyance means in which the original and the recording medium are separated from each other, and reading and recording are performed in this space. 3) The recording device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the document reading means and the recording means are arranged adjacent to each other in the upstream and downstream directions in the main scanning direction in the vicinity of the common conveying means.