JP2023012127A - Image reading device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to satisfactorily convey a document that is difficult to bend, and satisfactorily read an image of the document. A curved transport path K1 capable of transporting a document D in a curved state at least in part thereof, and a first horizontal transport path K2 capable of transporting a document CD in a substantially horizontal state are provided. . Further, the curved conveying path K1 and the first horizontal conveying path K2 are branched and connected to the upstream side in the conveying direction or the downstream side in the conveying direction to form a second horizontal conveying path capable of conveying the documents D and CD in a substantially horizontal state. K3 is provided. Also provided is a first CIS 80 (image reading section) capable of reading images formed on the lower surfaces of the originals D and CD passing through the second horizontal transport path K3. The conveying paths from the feeding of the originals D and CD to the ejection thereof are composed of the curved conveying path K1 and the second horizontal conveying path K3, and the first horizontal conveying path K2 and the second horizontal conveying path. and K3. [Selection drawing] Fig. 3

Description

The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus for reading an image of a document, and an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a multifunction machine or printing machine equipped with the same.

Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, and printing machines, as an image reading device for reading an image of a document, a document transport path when reading an image of a normal document and a hard, hard-to-bend cash card, etc. There is known a device capable of switching between a transport path of a document when reading an image of a different document (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100003).

Specifically, the image reading apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 selects a conveying path including a curved conveying path when reading an image of a normal document, and when reading an image of a rigid document that is difficult to bend, the image reading apparatus is inclined in a substantially straight line. A conveying path extending in a shape is selected.

A conventional image reading apparatus selects a conveying path extending substantially straight in an oblique direction so as not to pass through a curved conveying path when reading an image of a hard document that is difficult to bend, which can damage the document. It is expected that the effect of reducing the troubles and the troubles such as the conveyance failure of the document will be reduced.
However, since the document passes through the transport path that extends in a substantially straight line in an oblique direction, the transport of the document is not stable, and the image of the document is not good due to the image reading section that is arranged obliquely along the transport path. There was a possibility that it could not be read by

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of satisfactorily conveying a document that is difficult to bend and reading an image of the document satisfactorily. It is to provide a device.

An image reading apparatus according to the present invention includes a curved transport path capable of transporting a document with at least a portion thereof curved, a first horizontal transport path capable of transporting the document in a substantially horizontal state, and the curved transport path. The first horizontal transport path is branched and connected to the upstream side in the transport direction or the downstream side in the transport direction, and passes through the second horizontal transport path capable of transporting the document in a substantially horizontal state, and the second horizontal transport path. and an image reading unit capable of reading an image formed on the lower surface of the original document, and the conveying path from the feeding of the original document to its ejection is formed from the curved conveying path and the second horizontal conveying path. and one consisting of the first horizontal conveying path and the second horizontal conveying path.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can satisfactorily convey a document that is difficult to bend and can satisfactorily read an image of the document.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an image reading device; FIG. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a state in which a normal document is conveyed in an image reading apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a document is placed on the document placing plate; FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a movement mechanism of the image reading unit; 2A and 2B are side views of the automatic document feeder, showing (A) a state in which the automatic document feeder is opened with the pressure plate installed, and (B) the automatic document feeder in a state where the pressure plate is removed; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the conveying unit is opened; FIG. FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing an image reading device as a modified example;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be appropriately simplified or omitted.

First, the overall configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a copying machine as an image forming apparatus, and 10 denotes an image reading device for optically reading image information of a document D. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 2, image reading apparatus 10 includes scanner section 2 in which first CIS 80 as an image reading section is installed, automatic document conveying section M, and the like.
3 is an exposure unit (writing unit) for irradiating the photosensitive drum 5 with exposure light L based on image information read by the image reader 10, and 4 is a toner image (image) on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5. , and 7 denotes a transfer section (image forming section) for transferring the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 5 onto a sheet P (paper).
Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote feeding portions in which sheets P such as paper sheets are accommodated; 17 a registration roller (timing roller) for conveying the sheet P toward the transfer portion 7; A fixing device for fixing (unfixed image), 21 a fixing roller installed in the fixing device 20 , and 22 a pressure roller installed in the fixing device 20 . Reference numeral 31 denotes a discharge tray on which sheets P discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 1 are stacked.

The operation of the image forming apparatus main body 1 during normal image formation will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the document D is transported (fed) from the first document placing section 60 in the image reading apparatus 10 and passes through the first CIS 80 (contact image sensor). At this time, the first CIS 80 optically reads the image (image information) of the document D passing through that position.
The optical image information read by the first CIS 80 is transmitted to the exposure section 3 (writing section) after being converted into an electric signal. The exposure unit 3 emits exposure light L such as laser light based on the image information of the electric signal toward the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 of the image forming unit 4 .

On the other hand, in the image forming unit 4, the photoreceptor drum 5 rotates clockwise in the figure, and image information is transferred onto the photoreceptor drum 5 through a predetermined image forming process (charging process, exposure process, development process). An image (toner image) corresponding to is formed.
After that, the image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 is transferred onto the sheet P conveyed by the registration rollers 17 in the transfer section 7 as an image forming section.

On the other hand, the sheet P conveyed to the transfer section 7 (image forming section) operates as follows.
First, one of the plurality of feeding units 12 and 13 in the image forming apparatus 1 is automatically or manually selected (for example, the uppermost feeding unit 12 in the apparatus body 1 is selected). shall be assumed.). Then, the uppermost one of the sheets P stored in the feeding section 12 is fed by the feeding mechanism 52 (consisting of a feed roller, a pickup roller, a backup roller, etc.), and is transported along the transport path. transported to. After that, the sheet P passes through a conveying path having a plurality of conveying rollers and reaches the position of the registration rollers 17 .

The sheet P, which has reached the position of the registration roller 17, is conveyed toward the transfer section 7 (image forming section) in time for alignment with the image formed on the photosensitive drum 5. FIG.
After the transfer process, the sheet P passes through the position of the transfer section 7 and then reaches the fixing device 20 through the transport path. After reaching the fixing device 20, the sheet P is fed between the fixing roller 21 and the pressure roller 22, and the toner image is fixed by the heat received from the fixing roller 21 and the pressure received from both members 21 and 22. (fixing process). After the fixing process, the sheet P on which the toner image is fixed is delivered from between the fixing roller 21 and the pressure roller 22 (fixing nip), and then discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 1 to form an output image. are stacked on the discharge tray 31 as a .
Thus, a series of image forming processes are completed.

Next, the image reading device 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 and the like.
As shown in FIG. 2, the image reading apparatus 10 includes a first document placement section 60 (first document table), a second document placement section 61 (second document table), and a document ejection section 62 (paper ejection tray). , scanner unit 2, pick-up roller 63, separation roller 64, feed roller 65, a plurality of transport roller pairs 66 to 72, first CIS 80 and second CIS 90 as an image reading unit, first contact glass 81 as a counter plate, document mount It is composed of a second contact glass 82 as a placement plate, a pressure plate 75, a moving mechanism 100 (see FIG. 5), and the like.

Here, the first document placing section 60 has an upwardly open space so that the user can place the document D (which is a normal document that can be bent) from above. (configured so that a bundle of a plurality of documents D can be stacked).
In addition, the first document placing section 60 is partially movable up and down so that the height position of the uppermost document D among the plurality of stacked documents D is always constant. .
It should be noted that a document CD (a hard document such as a credit card, a plastic card, an extra-thick card, etc.) that is hard to bend is placed on the image reading apparatus 10 of the present embodiment. A second document placing portion 61 for printing is provided so as to protrude to the side of the apparatus, which will be described later in detail.

The document discharge section 62 is installed below the first document placement section 60, and the document D (or hard document CD) after the image is read by the first CIS 80 or the second CIS 90 is discharged and placed thereon. (configured so that a bundle of multiple sheets of documents is discharged and stacked).

In addition, transport paths K1 and K3 from the first document placement unit 60 to the document discharge unit 62 include, in order from the upstream side, a pickup roller 63, an FRR type feeding mechanism (feeding roller 65, separation roller 64), a plurality of transport roller pairs 66 to 69 and 72 are installed. These members 63 to 69 and 72 convey the document D placed on the first document placement section 60 toward the first CIS 80 and the second CIS 90, and then direct the document D toward the document discharge section 62. It functions as a conveying means for conveying.

Referring also to FIG. 3, the first CIS as an image reading unit is a contact image sensor, and reads image information of a document D which is conveyed by conveying means and passes through the position of the first contact glass 81 (opposing plate). , through the first contact glass 81 .
Also, the first contact glass 81 as the opposing plate is made of a light-transmitting material such as glass, and is installed on the transport path.

An operation of reading only an image formed on one side of the document D set on the first document placing section 60 (single-sided reading operation) in the image reading apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described below.
First, in the first document placement section 60, the document D (with an image formed on the upper surface) is placed in a state where the leading end (the leading end in the conveying direction) abuts the reference wall. loaded. Then, when an instruction (copy instruction) to read the image of the original document D is given by operating an operation panel (not shown), the pickup roller 63 sequentially reads the original document D from the upper one on the first document placing unit 60 by the FRR method. The sheet is conveyed toward the feeding mechanism (the feeding roller 65 and the separation roller 64). At this time, there is a possibility that a plurality of documents D are conveyed, but only the uppermost document D is separated by the separation of the FRR method and sent to the downstream conveying path.
After that, the document D conveyed to the conveying path abuts against the nip portion of the pull-out roller 66 in a state where rotation is stopped, and skew correction (skew correction) is performed. After that, the skew-corrected document D is transported downstream by the pullout roller 66 that has started rotating, and is moved to the position of the first CIS 80 (and the first contact glass 81) by the first and second transport roller pairs 67 and 68. be transported. Then, the image (image information) of the document D is optically read by the first CIS 80 .
After that, the document D whose image has been read is discharged to the document discharge section 62 by the transport roller pair 69 and the discharge roller pair 72 . In this way, the document D set on the first document placing section 60 passes through the partially curved transport path and is transported in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3A.
Such a series of document transport operations are repeated for all the documents D stacked on the first document placement section 60 .

When reading an image formed on the back side of the document D in addition to the image formed on the front side, the image on the front side is read by the first CIS 80 at the position of the first CIS 80 (and the first contact glass 81). After that, the original document D is conveyed to the position of the second CIS 90 (contact image sensor). Then, the image of the back side of the document D is optically read by the second CIS 90 .
After that, the document D whose back side image has been read is discharged to the document discharge section 62 by the discharge roller pair 72 .
Note that the first and second CISs 80 and 90 extend in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIGS. 1 to 4) so as to include at least the entire width direction of the document D of the maximum size (maximum size). It is configured so that the image of the document D of the size can be read in the width direction).

Here, the image reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment conveys a document (hard document CD) that is difficult to bend (curve) separately from a normal document D that can be bent, and images (images) of the hard document CD. information) can be read.
More specifically, the second document placement section 61 for the hard document CD protrudes to the side of the image reading device 10 (the left side in FIGS. ), and is installed so as to extend substantially horizontally. Then, as shown in FIG. 3(B), a transport path K2 from the second document placement section 61 to the discharge port (an opening for discharging the document formed near the discharge roller pair 72), K3 is a substantially linear conveying path so as not to bend (bend) the hard original CD.

Then, the hard document CD placed on the second document placement section 61 is conveyed substantially linearly without being curved, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3B.
Specifically, the hard originals CD are placed one by one on the second original placing section 61 with the front surface (image reading surface) facing downward so that the leading edge of the hard original CD abuts against the nip of the pair of feeding rollers 70 . be done. Then, when an instruction (copy instruction) to read the image of the document D is given by operating an operation panel (not shown), the hard document CD is fed by the feeding roller pair 70 and then by the conveying roller pair 71. It is transported to the position of 1CIS 80 (and first contact glass 81). Then, the image (image information) of the hard original CD is optically read by the first CIS 80 . After that, the hard original CD whose image has been read is discharged to the original discharge section 62 by the transport roller pair 69 and the discharge roller pair 72 . At that time, when reading the image formed on the back side of the hard original CD, the image on the back side of the hard original CD is optically read by the second CIS 90 when passing the position of the second CIS 90 . .
In the present embodiment, the hard original CDs are set one by one on the second document placing portion 61, but a plurality of hard original CDs are set on the second document placing portion 61 as a bundle. It can also be configured as In this case, like the first document placing section 60, a part thereof is configured to be vertically movable, and an FRR-type feeding mechanism is provided.

Here, the image reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment does not read an image while automatically conveying the original D (or the hard original CD), but instead (conveying the original and reading the image by the automatic original conveying section M). ), and as shown in FIG. 4, the image reading can be performed even in a state in which the document D is fixed without being conveyed.
Specifically, a second contact glass 82 as a document placement plate on which the document D can be placed in a substantially horizontal state is provided on the upper surface of the scanner section 2 (the surface facing the bottom surface of the automatic document feeder M). is installed. The second contact glass 82 as a document placing plate is made of a light-transmitting material such as glass, and is configured such that the height of its upper surface substantially matches the height of the upper surface of the scanner section 2 . ing.
4, 6A, etc., the automatic document feeder M is configured such that the upper side of the second contact glass 82 (original placement plate) can be opened and closed, and a pressure plate is provided on the lower surface thereof. 75 (similar to the well-known one, which has moderate elasticity) is installed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, when reading the image of the document D placed on the upper surface of the second contact glass 82 (original placement plate) (when the document D is fixed and the image is read), the document D is sandwiched between the second contact glass 82 and the pressure plate 75 .
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, the closed automatic document feeder M is opened, and the document D (front side (image reading surface) is placed on the exposed upper surface of the second contact glass 82). ) is set. Thereafter, the open automatic document feeder M is closed so that the document D set on the second contact glass 82 is sandwiched between it and the pressure plate 75 (the state shown in FIG. 4).
When an instruction (copy instruction) to read the image of the document D is given by operating an operation panel (not shown), the first CIS 80 contacts the lower surface of the second contact glass 82 and moves in the direction of the broken arrow in FIG. 4 (perpendicular to the width direction). ), and the image of the entire surface of the document D is optically read.
As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the first CIS 80 (image reading section) used when reading an image in a state in which the document D is fixed without being conveyed is used by the automatic document conveying section M to scan the document. It is moved and shared with the first CIS 80 that is used when reading an image while conveying D. This will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 5 and the like.

The characteristic configuration and operation of the image reading apparatus 10 (image forming apparatus 1) according to the present embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6 and the like.
2 and 3, the image reading apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is provided with a curved conveying path K1, a first horizontal conveying path K2, and a second horizontal conveying path K3.

The curved conveying path K1 is a conveying path capable of conveying the document D in a curved state at least in part thereof.
Specifically, the curved conveying path K1 in the present embodiment extends from the position of the feeding port (FRR type feeding mechanism 64, 65) to the upstream position of the first CIS 80 (and the first contact glass 81). A part of the conveying path (the conveying path between the second conveying roller pair 67 and the third conveying roller pair 68) is curved, and the other portion is hardly curved. It is formed to extend substantially straight (linearly). This curved conveying path K1 is used only when conveying a normal document D (a bendable document).

The first horizontal transport path K2 is a transport path capable of transporting the document D in a substantially horizontal state.
Specifically, the first horizontal transport path K2 in the present embodiment extends from the position of the feeding port (feeding roller pair 70) to the upstream position of the first CIS 80 (and the first contact glass 81). The conveying path is formed so as to extend substantially horizontally in its entirety. The first horizontal conveying path K2 is mainly used for conveying rigid originals CD (originals that are difficult to bend).

The second horizontal transport path K3 is a transport path capable of transporting the document D (including the hard document CD) in a substantially horizontal state. branched and connected to
Specifically, the second horizontal transport path K3 in the present embodiment is a transport path from the upstream position of the first CIS 80 (and the first contact glass 81) to the position of the discharge port (discharge roller pair 72). and all of them are formed to extend straight and substantially horizontally. The most upstream part of the second horizontal transport path K3 is a part where the most downstream part of the curved transport path K1 and the most downstream part of the first horizontal transport path K2 join. Therefore, the second horizontal transport path K3 is used in common when transporting the normal document D and when transporting the hard document CD.

Also, on the second horizontal transport path K3, there is a first CIS 80 as an image reading section capable of reading an image formed on the lower surface of the document D (including the hard document CD) passing through the second horizontal transport path K3. is provided.
Further, the second horizontal transport path K3 is provided with a second CIS 90 capable of reading an image formed on the upper surface of the document D (including the hard document CD) passing through the second horizontal transport path K3.
Further, the second horizontal transport path K3 is provided with a first contact glass 81 as a counter plate capable of facing the lower surface of the document D (including the hard document CD) passing through the second horizontal transport path K3. there is

In this embodiment, the conveying route from the feeding of the document D (CD) to the discharging is composed of the curved conveying route K1 and the second horizontal conveying route K3, and the first horizontal conveying route. It is configured to be switchable between K2 and the second horizontal transport path K3.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, when a normal document D is conveyed (when the document D is fed from the first document placing section 60), the document D is conveyed along the curved conveying path K1, The document is discharged to the document discharge section 62 via the second horizontal transport path K3.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, when a hard document CD is conveyed (when the document CD is fed from the second document placing section 61), the document CD is conveyed by the first horizontal conveyance. The document is discharged to the document discharge section 62 via the route K2 and the second horizontal transport route K3. The conveying paths K2 and K3 are substantially straight and substantially horizontal from the paper feed port to the discharge port.

Here, in the present embodiment, the portion where the curved conveying route K1 and the first horizontal conveying route K2 join is in an open state when viewed from the second horizontal conveying route K3 (downstream side in the conveying direction). However, when the original document D is transferred from the curved conveying path K1 to the second horizontal conveying path K3, and when the original document CD is transferred from the first horizontal conveying path K2 to the second horizontal conveying path K3, both are conveyed. Therefore, the document D is not erroneously transported from the curved transport path K1 to the first horizontal transport path K2, nor the document CD is erroneously transported from the first horizontal transport path K2 to the curved transport path K1.
Note that the most downstream portion of the first horizontal transport path K2 when the document D is transferred from the curved transport path K1 to the second horizontal transport path K3 is located at the junction of the curved transport path K1 and the first horizontal transport path K2. can be installed to close the most downstream portion of the curved conveying path K1 when the document CD is transferred from the first conveying path K2 to the second horizontal conveying path K3.

As described above, the image reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment uses the conveying paths K1 and K3 including the curved conveying path K1 instead of the conveying paths K1 and K3 including the curved conveying path K1 when conveying and image-reading hard originals (hard originals CD) that are difficult to bend. , substantially horizontal transport paths K2 and K3.
Therefore, compared to the case where the hard document CD is transported in a straight line but in an oblique direction (non-horizontal direction), the transportability of the document CD is stabilized, and the first CIS 80 (or the second CIS 90) can transfer the image of the hard document CD. can be read well.
In addition, since the second document placement section 61 is not arranged so as to protrude below the automatic document feeding section M, the space below it can be effectively used (installation of a post-processing device such as a finisher is not required). do not interfere).
Furthermore, since the hard original CD is ejected toward the document ejection section 62 in a substantially horizontal direction, it is possible to effectively use the space below the ejection port and set a large number of stacks in the document ejection section 62. become.

Here, in the present embodiment, the first CIS 80 as an image reading unit reads images while conveying the originals D and CD by the automatic original conveying unit M as shown in FIGS. It is also used in common when the image is read while the document D is fixed without being conveyed as shown in FIG.
As a result, the cost of the image reading device 10 can be reduced. In particular, when using the first CIS 80, which is expensive and has high reading accuracy, the effect is remarkable.

More specifically, the first CIS 80 (image reading unit) contacts the lower surface of the first contact glass 81 (opposing plate) in a fixed state when reading the images of the documents D and CD conveyed by the automatic document conveying unit M. Move to the first position (the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the position of the first CIS 80 shown on the left side of FIG. 5A). Then, the first CIS 80 fixed at the first position reads the image of the entire surface of the documents D and CD that are relatively moving.
On the other hand, the first CIS 80 (image reading unit) contacts the lower surface of the second contact glass 82 (document placing plate) when reading the image of the document D placed on the upper surface of the second contact glass 82 (document placing plate). It moves to the second position (the position shown in FIG. 4 and the position of the first CIS 80' shown on the right side of FIG. 5A). Then, the image of the entire surface of the fixed document D is read by the first CIS 80 moving in the direction (scanning direction) perpendicular to the width direction at the second position.

More specifically, the first CIS 80 is installed in the scanner section 2 of the image reading apparatus 10 (the section that is fixed to the image forming apparatus main body 1 without being opened or closed in conjunction with the opening and closing of the automatic document feeding section M). A moving mechanism 100 is provided for moving between a first position and a second position.
Further, the first CIS 80 (image reading section) is in contact with the lower surface of the second contact glass 82 (document placing plate) when reading the image of the document D placed on the upper surface of the second contact glass 82 (document placing plate). The image is read while moving in a substantially horizontal direction (the direction of the dashed arrow in FIG. 4, which is the scanning direction). That is, the moving mechanism 100 is configured to be capable of moving the first CIS 80 between the first position and the second position as well as moving the first CIS 80 at the second position in the scanning direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the moving mechanism 100 includes a holder 110, a compression spring 111 (biasing member), a feed screw 116, a rod 117, a guide rail 115, a motor (not shown), and the like.
The holder 110 holds the first CIS 80 so that it can move up and down, and a compression spring 111 is installed therein for urging the first CIS 80 upward.
The feed screw 116 and the rod 117 are arranged side by side with a gap in the width direction so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the width direction. The feed screw 116 is screwed into a female threaded portion 110a formed in the holder 110, and is rotatable in forward and reverse directions by a motor (not shown) controlled by a controller. Also, the rod 117 is fitted into a hole 110b formed in the holder 110. As shown in FIG.
The guide rails 115 are in contact with the upper surfaces of the protruding portions 80a that protrude from both ends of the first CIS 80 in the width direction, and regulate the first CIS 80 so that the first CIS 80 does not move upward indefinitely due to the biasing force of the compression springs 111. .

With the moving mechanism 100 configured as described above, the control unit controls the motor to move the first CIS 80 between the first position shown in FIG. 3 and the second position shown in FIG. 4 when the document reading operation is switched. 4, or the first CIS 80 is moved in the scanning direction at the second position shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, when the first CIS 80 (image reading section) moves between the first position shown in FIG. 3 and the second position shown in FIG. The guide rail 115 is constructed so as not to come into contact with either the second contact glass 82 (original placing plate).
As a result, when the first CIS 80 moves from the first position to the second position or from the second position to the first position, it is possible to prevent the first and second contact glasses 81 and 82 from being damaged. will be

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and the like, the first contact glass 81 (opposing plate) is arranged above the second contact glass 82 (original placing plate).
That is, the first position where the first CIS 80 contacts the first contact glass 81 is located above the second position where the first CIS 80 contacts the second contact glass 82 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5A, the guide rail 115 includes a portion extending substantially horizontally upward, a portion extending substantially horizontally downward, and a portion connecting these portions (in the present embodiment, the first CIS 80). is formed to extend obliquely in order to smoothly move between the first position and the second position of and move up and down.
By arranging the first contact glass 81 above the second contact glass 82 in this manner, even when the first and second horizontal transport paths K2 and K3 extending in the substantially horizontal direction are provided, the second contact glass 81 can be arranged above the second contact glass 82. It is possible to sufficiently secure a space for providing the pressure plate 75 and the document ejection section 62 in the automatic document feeding section M that can open and close the upper side of the glass 82 .

Here, in the image reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the pressure plate 75 is installed detachably with respect to the automatic document feeder M, as shown in FIG.
In other words, the pressure plate 75 opens and closes the upper portion of the second contact glass 82 in conjunction with the opening/closing operation of the automatic document feeder M, and also opens and closes the second contact glass 82 without interlocking with the opening/closing operation of the automatic document feeder M. The operation of opening and closing the upper part of the is configured to be switchable.
With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 6B, when reading an image of a large-sized document D' (for example, a newspaper or the like) protruding from the second contact glass 82, the document can be read. The image reading operation by the first CIS 80 can be performed while the document D' on the second contact glass 82 is pressed by the pressure plate 75 removed from the automatic document feeder M while the automatic document feeder M is left open. Therefore, by closing the automatic document feeder M, the problem that the portion of the document D' protruding from the second contact glass 82 is bent is less likely to occur.

<Modification>
As shown in FIG. 7, the image reading apparatus 10 in the modified example is also provided with a curved conveying path K1, a first horizontal conveying path K2, and a third horizontal conveying path K3.
Here, in the image reading apparatus 10 in the modified example, the curved conveying path K1 and the first horizontal conveying path K2 are branched and connected to the conveying direction downstream side of the second horizontal conveying path K3.
Specifically, the image reading apparatus 10 (automatic document feeder M) in the modified example is provided with one document placement section 160 and two document discharge sections 161 and 162 . The first document discharge section 161 is arranged above the document placement section 160 , and the second document discharge section 162 is arranged on the side of the automatic document conveying section M. As shown in FIG.
The second horizontal transport path K3 extends from the position of the feeding port (downstream of the pickup roller 163 and near the nip portion between the feeding roller 165 and the separation roller 164) to the first CIS 80 (and the first contact glass). 81), on which a pair of conveying rollers 166 and a conveying roller 167 are installed. The curved conveying path K1 is a conveying path from a downstream position of the first CIS 80 (and the first contact glass 81) to a discharge port (discharge rollers 170 are installed). ~170 is installed. The first horizontal conveying path K2 is a conveying path from a downstream position of the first CIS 80 (and the first contact glass 81) to a discharge port (discharge rollers 172 are installed). is installed.

Also in the modified example, the transport path from the feeding of the document D (CD) to its ejection is composed of the curved transport path K1 and the second horizontal transport path K3, and the first horizontal transport path K2. and the second horizontal transport path K3.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, when a normal document D is conveyed (when a normal document D is fed from the document placement section 160), the document D is conveyed along the second horizontal conveying path K3. The document is discharged to the first document discharging section 161 via the transport path K1.
On the other hand, when a hard document CD is conveyed (when a hard document CD is fed from the document table 160), the document CD passes through the second horizontal conveying path K3 and the first horizontal conveying path K2. Then, the document is discharged to the document discharge section 62 . The conveying paths K2 and K3 are substantially straight and substantially horizontal from the paper feed port to the discharge port.
Further, even when the image reading apparatus 10 is configured in this manner, it is possible to satisfactorily convey the document CD which is difficult to bend and to satisfactorily read the image of the document CD.
Note that, at the branched portion of the curved transport path K1 and the first horizontal transport path K2, when the document D is transferred from the second horizontal transport path K3 to the curved transport path K1, the uppermost stream of the first horizontal transport path K2 is provided. It is preferable to install a switching member that closes the uppermost portion of the curved conveying path K1 when the document CD is transferred from the second horizontal conveying path K3 to the first conveying path K2.

7, also in the image reading apparatus 10 of the modified example, the first CIS 80 as the image reading section reads an image while the document D and CD are conveyed by the automatic document conveying section M. , and when the image is read while the document D is fixed without being conveyed.
As a result, the cost of the image reading device 10 can be reduced.

As described above, the image reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes the curved transport path K1 capable of transporting the document D in a curved state at least in part thereof, and the curved transport path K1 capable of transporting the document CD in a substantially horizontal state. A first horizontal transport path K2 is provided. Further, the curved conveying path K1 and the first horizontal conveying path K2 are branched and connected to the upstream side in the conveying direction or the downstream side in the conveying direction to form a second horizontal conveying path capable of conveying the documents D and CD in a substantially horizontal state. K3 is provided. Also provided is a first CIS 80 (image reading section) capable of reading images formed on the lower surfaces of the originals D and CD passing through the second horizontal transport path K3. The conveying paths from the feeding of the originals D and CD to the ejection thereof are composed of the curved conveying path K1 and the second horizontal conveying path K3, and the first horizontal conveying path K2 and the second horizontal conveying path. and K3.
As a result, it is possible to satisfactorily convey the document CD, which is difficult to bend, and to satisfactorily read the image of the document CD.

In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to the image reading apparatus 10 installed in the monochrome image forming apparatus 1. However, the present invention can be applied to the image reading apparatus installed in the color image forming apparatus. The present invention can be applied.
Further, in the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the image reading apparatus 10 installed in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 1, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and other systems The present invention can also be applied to an image reading apparatus installed in an image forming apparatus (for example, an inkjet image forming apparatus, a stencil printer, etc.).
Further, in this embodiment, as the curved transport path K1, a part of which is capable of transporting the document D in a curved state is used. can also be used.
Even in such cases, the same effects as those of the present embodiment can be obtained.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and it is obvious that the present embodiment can be appropriately modified within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention other than suggested in the present embodiment. be. Moreover, the number, position, shape, etc. of the constituent members are not limited to those of the present embodiment, and the number, position, shape, etc. can be set to be suitable for carrying out the present invention.

In the present application, the term "document" is defined to include not only hard documents such as credit cards, but also all documents made of sheet members such as OHPs, in addition to documents made of paper.

1 image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus main body),
2 scanner unit,
10 image reader,
60 first document placing section,
61 second document placing section,
62 document discharge unit,
75 pressure plate,
80 first CIS (image reading unit),
81 first contact glass (opposing plate),
82 second contact glass (original placement plate),
90 2nd CIS,
100 moving mechanism,
D manuscript,
CD hard manuscript,
M automatic document feeder,
K1 curved transport path,
K2 first horizontal transport path,
K3 Second horizontal transport path.

Japanese Patent No. 6540041

Claims (9)

a curved transport path capable of transporting a document with at least a portion thereof curved;
a first horizontal transport path capable of transporting the document in a substantially horizontal state;
a second horizontal transport path that branches and connects the curved transport path and the first horizontal transport path to the upstream side in the transport direction or the downstream side in the transport direction, and is capable of transporting the document in a substantially horizontal state;
an image reading unit capable of reading an image formed on the lower surface of the document passing through the second horizontal transport path;
with
A conveying route from the feeding of the document to the discharge thereof is composed of the curved conveying route and the second horizontal conveying route, and the first horizontal conveying route and the second horizontal conveying route. and an image reading apparatus configured to be switchable between. a document placement plate made of a light-transmissive material on which a document can be placed in a substantially horizontal state;
an automatic document conveying unit provided with the curved conveying path, the first horizontal conveying path, and the second horizontal conveying path, and capable of opening and closing an upper portion of the document placing plate;
a counter plate made of a light-transmitting material and capable of facing the lower surface of the document passing through the second horizontal transport path;
with
The image reading unit
When reading an image of a document conveyed by the automatic document conveying section, the document is moved to a first position where it contacts the lower surface of the counter plate in a fixed state,
2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when reading an image of a document placed on the upper surface of said document placing plate, it moves to a second position where it contacts the lower surface of said document placing plate. When reading an image of a document placed on the upper surface of the document placing plate, the image reading unit reads the image while moving in a substantially horizontal direction while being in contact with the lower surface of the document placing plate. 3. The image reading device according to claim 2, characterized by: 4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said facing plate is arranged above said document placing plate. Claims 2 to 4, wherein the image reading section does not come into contact with either the facing plate or the document placing plate when moving between the first position and the second position. The image reading device according to any one of . A pressure plate is installed on the lower surface of the automatic document feeder.
6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein when an image of a document placed on the upper surface of said document placing plate is read, said document is sandwiched between said document placing plate and said pressure plate. 1. The image reading device according to claim 1. 7. The image reading apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the pressure plate is installed detachably with respect to the automatic document feeder. 8. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image reading unit is a CIS. An image forming apparatus comprising the image reading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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