JP4313966B2 - Image scanning device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, two screws having different pitches are connected to each other. Place The present invention relates to an image scanning apparatus that includes a position adjusting mechanism, and that can align a guide member that guides an image record carrier by the position adjusting mechanism.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a system for temporarily recording radiation image information of a subject such as a human body and reproducing the radiation image information on a photographic photosensitive material such as a photographic film or outputting it as a visible image on a screen of a display device, for example, storage That use a fluorescent material (stimulable phosphor) are known.
[0003]
The stimulable phosphor accumulates a part of the radiation energy of the radiation (X-ray, α-ray, γ-ray, electron beam, ultraviolet ray, etc.) irradiated to the stimulable phosphor, and is later excited light such as visible light. Refers to a phosphor that exhibits photostimulated luminescence in response to the stored radiation energy. Such a stimulable phosphor is usually formed into a sheet shape and used as a stimulable phosphor sheet.
[0004]
As the system, for example, an image including a reading unit that reads image information recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet, and an erasing unit that erases image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet after the reading process. An information reading device is employed. In this image information reading apparatus, a cassette for storing a stimulable phosphor sheet on which radiographic image information of a subject is recorded by an external photographing apparatus is inserted into the loading unit.
[0005]
Next, with the cassette opened, the stimulable phosphor sheet is taken out from the cassette under the action of the sheet body sheet means, and this stimulable phosphor sheet is transported to the reading section via the sheet body transport means. Is done.
[0006]
The reading unit is provided with a sub-scanning transport mechanism, a laser beam irradiation unit that irradiates a laser beam, and a condensing unit. Of these, the sub-scanning transport mechanism includes the first and second roller pairs that are rotationally driven in synchronization with each other, and the storage fluorescence that is transported in a direction approaching or separating from both the roller pairs. And a guide member for guiding the body sheet. Each of the first and second roller pairs includes a driving roller and a nip roller that can be opened and closed with respect to the driving roller.
[0007]
The stimulable phosphor sheet conveyed to the reading unit is guided by the guide member and the first roller pair to reach the laser beam irradiation position between the first roller pair and the second roller pair.
[0008]
Laser light emitted from the laser light irradiation means is incident on the image recording surface side of the stimulable phosphor sheet. As a result, the stimulated emission light corresponding to the image is emitted from the image recording surface, and the stimulated emission light is condensed on the condensing guide constituting the condensing means.
[0009]
The stimulated emission light is further input to an optical-electrical signal conversion unit mounted on the condensing guide, converted into an electric signal by the optical-electrical signal conversion unit, and output. For example, the electric signal is input to the display device, converted into an optical signal again, and output as image information.
[0010]
The stimulable phosphor sheet that has been subjected to the reading process as described above is subjected to an afterimage erasing process in the erasing unit, and is then accommodated in a cassette disposed in the loading unit for reuse. .
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, it is necessary to position the guide member with high accuracy. This is because if the positioning accuracy is low, laser light is not irradiated to the stimulable phosphor sheet at a predetermined angle, resulting in inconveniences such as an image displayed on the display device being unclear.
[0012]
In this positioning, when the image information reading apparatus is manufactured, the manufacturing operator uses a standard to align the four corners of the guide member at a predetermined height, and then fixes the guide member. Etc. However, in such positioning, it is extremely difficult to displace the guide member by a minute amount, and eventually it takes a long time to position the guide member with high accuracy. For this reason, there is a concern that the production efficiency of the image information reading apparatus is reduced.
[0013]
As the position adjusting mechanism, for example, a right screw is connected to an upper end portion of a left screw, and when the right screw is screwed, the left screw is integrally screwed, thereby displacing the position of the member. Things are known. Thus, it is conceivable to align the guide member by employing this position adjusting mechanism.
[0014]
However, this position adjustment mechanism has a problem that a displacement amount in one alignment operation is large. That is, since it is extremely difficult to displace the guide member minutely, it takes a long time to position the guide member with high accuracy. In addition, in this case, since it is necessary to use a left-hand screw that is more expensive than a right-hand screw, the manufacturing cost of the image information reading device is increased.
[0015]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problem, and is capable of easily and easily displacing a member little by little, and that does not raise a manufacturing cost. Structure An object of the present invention is to provide an image scanning device provided.
[0016]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fixed member. In the through threaded part formed through Screwing Through And a second screw coupled to the head of the first screw and screwed in the same direction as the first screw, and integrally with the second screw A position adjusting mechanism for displacing a position of a member screwed to the second screw by screwing the first screw, the fastening direction of the first screw and the position of the second screw The fastening direction is the same, and the pitch of the first screw and the pitch of the second screw are different from each other.
[0017]
In this position adjusting mechanism, when the second screw is rotated once, the member screwed to the second screw is displaced by the difference between the pitch of the first screw and the pitch of the second screw. To do. That is, the displacement amount of the member can be controlled with high accuracy.
[0018]
In the above-described position adjustment mechanism, it is preferable to employ inexpensive right-hand screws as the first and second screws. In this case, the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the position adjustment mechanism according to the prior art that employs an expensive left-hand thread.
[0019]
Further, the present invention is an image scanning apparatus for reading or recording image information by irradiating scanning light to an image record carrier,
Scanning light irradiation means for irradiating the image record carrier with scanning light;
A sub-scanning transport mechanism for transporting the image record carrier in a sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction irradiated with the scanning light;
With
A position adjusting mechanism that has a first screw and a second screw that are coupled to each other and that are screwed in the same direction and that have different pitches, are configured to guide the image record carrier by constituting the sub-scanning conveyance mechanism. It is possible to displace.
[0020]
That is, this image scanning apparatus is configured to include the above-described position adjustment mechanism. For this reason, since the guide member can be displaced minutely, the position of the guide member can be controlled with high accuracy.
[0021]
here , The position adjusting mechanism Is A hollow support member screwed to the second screw so as to be displaceable is provided, and the guide member is displaceably supported by the support member. . In this configuration By twisting the second screw, the support member is displaced along the body of the second screw. Along with this, the guide member is also displaced.
[0022]
In this case, it is preferable to have a lock mechanism for positioning and fixing the support member. This is because the guide member after being aligned can be prevented from being displaced.
[0023]
The support member supports the guide member from below, and the ceiling plate of the support member and the guide member have a through hole for inserting a screwing means for screwing the second screw. It is preferable to be provided. As a result, the screwing means can be inserted into the support member from above the guide member through the through hole, and the guide is operated by screwing the second screw by the screwing means. The alignment of the members can be performed easily and easily.
[0024]
A suitable example of the image scanning device is an image information reading device. In this case, an image recording carrier that emits stimulated emission light when irradiated with scanning light is used. The image information reading apparatus includes a condensing unit that condenses the stimulated emission light.
[0025]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the position adjustment mechanism according to the present invention will be described in relation to an image scanning apparatus including the position adjustment mechanism and will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0026]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration explanatory diagram of the entire longitudinal section of an image information reading apparatus (image scanning apparatus) according to the present embodiment. This image information reading apparatus 10 condenses the stimulated emission light emitted from the image recording surface of the laser light irradiating means 12 for irradiating the laser light as the scanning light and the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 as the image record carrier. Condensing means 16 and a sub-scanning conveyance mechanism 18 that conveys the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 in a direction approaching or separating from the path of the laser light L are provided, and these are accommodated inside the apparatus main body 20. Has been.
[0027]
Of these, the sub-scanning transport mechanism 18 is driven by the first and second roller pairs 22 and 24 that are rotationally driven in synchronism with each other, until the two roller pairs 22 and 24 are transported, or both the roller pairs 22 and 24. And a guide member 26 that guides the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 conveyed from the outside. The guide member 26 includes a first screw 28 and a second screw 30 connected to the upper end of the first screw 28, as shown in FIG. The positioning is performed by a position adjusting mechanism 34 including a hollow support member 32 having a substantially U-shaped cross section that is screwed along the longitudinal direction of the second screw 30.
[0028]
Hereinafter, FIG. 1 will be referred to again.
[0029]
The stimulable phosphor sheet 14 is accommodated in a cassette 38 that is detachably loaded in a cassette loading section 36 provided on the operation surface (front surface) of the apparatus main body 20. More specifically, the cassette 38 includes a housing 40 and a lid body 44 that can be freely opened and closed in the opening 42 of the housing 40, and the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 is disposed inside the housing 40. Is housed in.
[0030]
The stimulable phosphor sheet 14 is a screen reading type sheet body in which an image recording surface is provided on a base surface. As will be described later, in this sheet body, when the image recording surface is irradiated with laser light, stimulated emission light is emitted from the image recording surface. The photostimulated emission light is collected by a light collecting guide 46 constituting the light collecting means 16, converted into an electrical signal by a photomultiplier 48 mounted above the light collecting guide 46, and then output to the outside. Is done.
[0031]
The opening 51 of the cassette loading unit 36 is provided with a support base 50 on which the cassette 38 is placed, and a shutter member 52 for shielding the inside of the apparatus main body 20 from being opened and closed. Yes.
[0032]
Then, inside the cassette loading unit 36, the storage phosphor sheet 14 is taken out from the cassette 38, and the storage phosphor sheet 14 subjected to the reading process and the erasing process described later is returned into the cassette 38. The part 54 is arranged. In order to store or take out the stimulable phosphor sheet 14, the single-wafer portion 54 includes suction plates 56 a and 56 b that can enter or retract into the cassette 38 whose lid 44 is opened by the cassette loading unit 36. .
[0033]
An erasing unit 60 and a reading unit 62 are disposed below the sheet unit 54 via a conveyance system 58. The transport system 58 includes a plurality of pairs of rollers 64 that are paired with each other, and an erasing unit 60 is disposed in a vertical transport path constituted by the roller pairs 64. The erasing unit 60 includes an erasing unit 66 disposed on the image recording surface side of the stimulable phosphor sheet 14. In the erasing unit 66, a plurality of erasing light sources 68 are arranged in the vertical direction.
[0034]
On the other hand, the reading unit 62 is disposed along a horizontal conveyance path constituted by the roller pair 64. The reading unit 62 performs laser in the main scanning direction (direction substantially orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction) with respect to the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 conveyed in the sub-scanning direction (arrow A direction) under the action of the sub-scanning conveyance mechanism 18. Laser light irradiating means 12 for irradiating the light L, condensing means 16 for photoelectrically reading the stimulated emission light generated from the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 by irradiation of the laser light L, and stimulating light emission to the condensing means 16 And a reflecting mirror 70 for efficiently collecting light.
[0035]
As described above, the sub-scanning transport mechanism 18 includes the first and second roller pairs 22 and 24 and the guide member 26. The first and second roller pairs 22 and 24 include drive rollers 22a and 24a and nip rollers 22b and 24b that can be opened and closed with respect to the drive rollers 22a and 24a.
[0036]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the guide member 26 is formed with six roller exposure openings 72a to 72f, and the three roller portions are connected by rotating shafts 74a and 74b, respectively. The outer peripheral wall portions of the roller portions of the rollers 22a and 24a are exposed from the roller exposure openings 72a to 72f.
[0037]
The guide member 26 is formed with eight through-holes 76 for inserting a tip of a screwdriver or the like that turns the second screw 30 constituting the position adjusting mechanism 34.
[0038]
On the other hand, as described above, the guide member 26 is positioned by being supported by the hollow support member 32 constituting the position adjusting mechanism 34 (see FIG. 2). For this reason, the guide member 26 is displaced as the support member 32 is displaced.
[0039]
Hereinafter, the configuration of the position adjusting mechanism 34 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
[0040]
As described above, the position adjustment mechanism 34 includes the first screw 28 and the second screw 30 connected to the upper end of the first screw 28, and the first screw 28 is the inside of the apparatus main body 20. And is engaged with a substantially L-shaped locking member 80 fixed to a frame 78 provided in the frame. That is, bolt holes are formed in the long side surfaces of the frame 78 and the locking member 80, and the locking member 80 includes a bolt 84 inserted into the bolt hole via the washer 82, and the locking member 80. It is positioned and fixed to the frame 78 by a nut 86 screwed to the tip of a bolt 84 protruding from the bolt hole.
[0041]
A female screw (not shown) for screwing the first screw 28 is formed on the side peripheral wall portion of the through hole 88 provided at the bottom of the locking member 80. In addition, a nut 90 for preventing the first screw 28 from being loosened is screwed to the tip of the first screw 28 protruding from the through hole 88.
[0042]
A bolt hole 91 in which a female screw (not shown) is formed in the inner peripheral wall portion is provided at the center of the upper end surface of the head portion 28 a of the first screw 28, and the tip end portion of the second screw 30 is in the bolt hole 91. It is screwed. That is, the second screw 30 is screwed to the first screw 28. Therefore, as the second screw 30 is screwed, the first screw 28 is also screwed in the same direction. A groove 92 is provided at the top of the second screw 30 to engage the tip of a driver (not shown).
[0043]
These first and second screws 28 and 30 are both male screws and both are right-hand screws. Therefore, when the second screw 30 is screwed clockwise, both the first and second screws 28 and 30 are displaced downward in FIG. It should be noted that the male screw crests and crests, and the gaps between the troughs and troughs of the first screw 28, that is, the screw pitch, is larger than that of the second screw 30.
[0044]
On the other hand, the second screw 30 is screwed into the bottom of the hollow support member 32 and penetrates through the bottom. That is, a through hole 94 having a female screw (not shown) formed in the side peripheral wall portion is provided at the bottom of the support member 32, and the second screw 30 is screwed into the through hole 94 via a nut 96. ing.
[0045]
In addition, a long through hole 100 through which the tip of the bolt 98 passes is formed on one side surface of the support member 32 that contacts the frame 78. As will be described later, the support member 32 is positioned and fixed by fastening the bolt 98 that has passed through the long through hole 100 to the nut 102. In other words, the bolt 98 and the nut 102 are a lock mechanism for positioning and fixing the support member 32. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 104 denotes a washer.
[0046]
Furthermore, an insertion port 106 is provided in the ceiling plate of the support member 32 at a position corresponding to the through hole 76 formed in the guide member 26. Therefore, a driver or the like for screwing the second screw 30 can be inserted into the support member 32 from above the guide member 26 via the through hole 76 and the insertion port 106.
[0047]
The position adjustment mechanism 34 is disposed for each of the eight through holes 76 of the guide member 26. In other words, the image information reading apparatus 10 includes eight position adjustment mechanisms 34.
[0048]
In the image information reading apparatus 10, the laser light L emitted from the laser light irradiation unit 12 is applied to a portion located between the first and second roller pairs 22 and 24 in the stimulable phosphor sheet 14. Incidently perpendicular (see FIG. 1).
[0049]
As described above, the light collecting unit 16 includes the photomultiplier 48 and the light collecting guide 46 joined to the lower side of the photomultiplier 48. Among these, the condensing guide 46 is arrange | positioned so that the front-end | tip part may be located in the irradiation position vicinity of the laser beam L (refer FIG. 1). The stimulated emission light emitted from the image recording surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 is condensed by the condensing guide 46, guided to the photomultiplier 48, and then the light built in the photomultiplier 48. -It is converted into an electrical signal by an electrical signal conversion mechanism and output.
[0050]
The condensing guide 46 is made of, for example, a light transmissive material such as acrylic resin and has a flat plate shape in the vicinity of the irradiation position of the laser light L. However, the condensing guide 46 is curved toward the photomultiplier 48 side and converged to be small. ing. The photomultiplier 48 is mounted above the convergence portion (see FIG. 1).
[0051]
The image information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is basically configured as described above. Next, the operation thereof will be described.
[0052]
Positioning and fixing of the guide member 26 provided in the sub-scanning transport mechanism 18 in the image information reading apparatus 10 can be performed as follows. In addition, when aligning the guide member 26, the bolt 98 is loosened in advance.
[0053]
For example, when an arbitrary portion of the guide member 26 is raised, the tip portion of the driver is passed through the through hole 76 closest to the portion to be raised and the insertion port 106 of the support member 32 to pass the tip portion of the driver. 32 and inserted into the groove 92 at the top of the second screw 30. Next, by screwing the screwdriver counterclockwise, the second screw 30 and the first screw 28 are integrally screwed counterclockwise as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the driver is not shown.
[0054]
In this case, since the first and second screws 28 and 30 are right-hand screws, the first and second screws 28 and 30 are raised. On the other hand, the support member 32 descends along the trunk portion of the second screw 30. At this time, since the pitch of the first screw 28 is formed larger than that of the second screw 30 as described above, the rising amount of the first and second screws 28 and 30 is larger than the lowering amount of the support member 32. Will be bigger. Eventually, the portions of the support member 32 and the guide member 26 that are supported by the support member 32 are increased by the difference between the rising amount of the first and second screws 28 and 30 and the lowering amount of the support member 32.
[0055]
The rising amount of the guide plate 26 can be controlled with high accuracy by adjusting the rotation amount of the second screw 30. Hereinafter, the case where the pitch of the 1st screw 28 is 0.7 mm and the pitch of the 2nd screw 30 is 0.5 mm is explained concretely as an example.
[0056]
When the second screw 30 is rotated once in the counterclockwise direction, the first screw 28 connected to the second screw 30 is also rotated once. At this time, since the pitch of the first screws 28 is 0.7 mm, the first and second screws 28 eventually rise by 0.7 mm. Since the locking member 80 to which the first screw 28 is screwed is fixed to the frame 78, the locking member 80 is not displaced as the second screw 30 is screwed.
[0057]
On the other hand, since the support member 32 is not fixed at this time, the pitch of the second screw 30 is increased along the body portion of the second screw 30 as the second screw 30 is turned counterclockwise. That is, it is lowered by 0.5 mm.
[0058]
In summary, the support member 32 is lowered by 0.5 mm along the trunk of the second screw 30 that has been raised by 0.7 mm. Eventually, the portions of the support member 32 and the guide member 26 that are supported by the support member 32 are raised by 0.2 mm from the positions before the first and second screws 28 and 30 are screwed.
[0059]
As can be understood from the above, for example, when the guide member 26 is raised by 0.1 mm, the second screw 30 may be rotated counterclockwise by half a turn.
[0060]
After completing the alignment of the guide member 26 in this way, the support member 32 is firmly fixed to the frame 78 by fastening the bolt 98 to the nut 102. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the guide member 26 from being displaced after the alignment.
[0061]
Of course, when the guide member 26 is lowered, the amount of lowering can be controlled with high accuracy. This will be specifically described with reference to FIG.
[0062]
When the second screw 30 is rotated once in the clockwise direction, the first screw 28 connected to the second screw 30 is also rotated once, and as a result, the first and second screws 28 and 30 are lowered by 0.7 mm. On the other hand, the support member 32 rises by 0.5 mm along the body portion of the second screw 30 as the second screw 30 is rotated clockwise.
[0063]
Eventually, the support member 32 rises by 0.5 mm along the trunk of the second screw 30 lowered by 0.7 mm. That is, the portions of the support member 32 and the guide member 26 that are supported by the support member 32 are lowered by 0.2 mm from the positions before the first and second screws 28 and 30 are screwed.
[0064]
Thereafter, when the bolt 98 is fastened to the nut 102, the support member 32 is firmly fixed to the frame 78, so that the guide member 26 is prevented from being displaced.
[0065]
As described above, after the operator engages the driver or the like with the groove 92 of the second screw 30, the guide member 26 is displaced minutely by performing a simple operation of rotating the second screw 30. That is, the alignment of the guide member 26 can be controlled easily and easily with high accuracy. Further, as the support member 32 that supports the guide member 26 is positioned and fixed by the bolt 98 and the nut 102, the guide member 26 is also positioned and fixed.
[0066]
Further, in the position adjusting mechanism 34, right-hand screws can be adopted as the first and second screws 28 and 30, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. That is, there is no concern of increasing the manufacturing cost of the image information reading apparatus 10.
[0067]
The operation of the image information reading apparatus 10 in the operation state will be described with reference to FIG.
[0068]
First, a cassette 38 containing a stimulable phosphor sheet 14 in which photographed image information of a subject such as a human body is accumulated and recorded by a photographing device (not shown) is placed on the cassette loading unit 36 of the image information reading device 10. It is introduced to a predetermined position inside the apparatus main body 20 along the support base 50 disposed in the opening 51 of the loading unit 36. At this time, the cassette 38 pushes the shutter member 52 open at its tip. Further, the lid body 44 is moved to a predetermined position.
[0069]
Next, the suction disks 56a and 56b of the single-wafer portion 54 move obliquely downward from above with respect to the base surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 in the cassette 38 so as not to interfere with the lid 44, and the stimulability is increased. The base surface of the phosphor sheet 14 is held by suction. In this state, the suction disks 56 a and 56 b move from the cassette 38 side toward the conveyance system 58 side, and the leading end of the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 is held between the roller pair 64.
[0070]
Next, the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 is transported from the horizontal direction to the vertically downward direction under the rotating action of the plurality of roller pairs 64 of the transport system 58, once passes through the erasing unit 60, and then again in the horizontal direction. And placed on the guide member 26 disposed in the reading unit 62.
[0071]
As described above, each portion of the guide member 26 is aligned with a predetermined position with high accuracy by the position adjusting mechanism 34 and fixed to the frame 78 in the apparatus main body 20. Therefore, the accumulation position guided in the sub-scanning direction (arrow A direction) along the guide member 26 under the action of the roller pair 22 between the irradiation position of the laser beam L, that is, between the roller pair 22 and the roller pair 24. The laser beam L is always applied to the image recording surface of the fluorescent phosphor sheet 14 at a predetermined angle. That is, the laser beam L from the laser beam irradiation unit 12 is main-scanned from a direction substantially perpendicular to the image recording surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet 14.
[0072]
Stimulated emission light is emitted from the image recording surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 irradiated with the laser light L. This stimulated emission light is photoelectrically read by the condensing means 16. Specifically, the photostimulated luminescent light is collected by the light collecting guide 46 of the light collecting means 16. Note that the stimulated emission light emitted in the direction opposite to that of the light collecting guide 46 is reflected by the reflecting mirror 70 and is eventually collected by the light collecting guide 46. The condensed stimulated emission light is guided in the light collection guide 46 and reaches the photomultiplier 48. Then, after being converted into an electric signal by an optical-electrical signal conversion mechanism built in the photomultiplier 48, it is output to an external circuit (not shown).
[0073]
During this reading, the laser beam L is always applied to the image recording surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 at a predetermined angle, so that a clear image can be displayed on a display device (not shown).
[0074]
The storage phosphor sheet 14 after the reading process is switched back by the sub-scanning transport mechanism 18, transported vertically upward, and transported to the single-wafer 54 side through the erase unit 66 of the eraser 60. At that time, the image recording surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 is irradiated with the erasing light through the erasing light source 68 of the erasing unit 66, and the erasing process of the radiation image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 is performed. The storable phosphor sheet 14 after the erasing process is accommodated in the empty cassette 38 under the suction action of the suction disks 56a and 56b of the single-wafer portion 54, thereby completing one operation.
[0075]
An image can be recorded again on the stimulable phosphor sheet 14 that has been erased.
[0076]
In the above-described embodiment, the first screw 28 having a larger pitch than the second screw 30 is used. However, the first screw 28 having a smaller pitch than the second screw 30 is employed. Also good. For example, a screw having a pitch of 0.5 mm can be used as the first screw 28 and a screw having a pitch of 0.7 mm can be used as the second screw 30. In this case, when the second screw 30 is rotated once in the clockwise direction, the first and second screws 28 and 30 are lowered by 0.5 mm. On the other hand, since the support member 32 rises 0.7 mm along the second screw 30, the support member 32 can be raised 0.2 mm from the initial position after all.
[0077]
In this embodiment, both the first and second screws 28 and 30 are right-handed screws, but both may be left-handed screws.
[0078]
Further, the case where the position adjusting mechanism 34 is applied to the image information reading apparatus has been described as an example, but the present invention is not particularly limited to this. For example, image recording for recording an image on an image record carrier such as a photographic photosensitive material is possible. The present invention can also be applied to other image scanning apparatuses such as a scanner or a scanner that photoelectrically reads image information by irradiating the image information carried on the reading document with reading light. In either case, the dimensions of the cassette may be set as appropriate so that the image record carrier can be accommodated.
[0079]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the position adjusting mechanism of the present invention, the first and second screws having the same fastening direction and different pitches are connected to each other, and the first screw is positioned and fixed. The position of the member screwed to the second screw is displaced by screwing to the other member and screwing them in the same direction.
[0080]
For this reason, the member screwed into the second screw is displaced by a difference between the pitch of the first screw and the pitch of the second screw when the second screw is rotated once. Can be displaced minutely. In addition, in this case, an inexpensive right-hand screw can be employed as both the first and second screws, so that the position adjusting mechanism can be manufactured at a low manufacturing cost.
[0081]
In addition, according to the image scanning apparatus of the present invention, since the position adjustment mechanism is provided, the position of the guide member that guides the image record carrier in the direction approaching or separating from the portion irradiated with the scanning light is highly accurate. Can be controlled.
[0082]
For this reason, since the scanning light is reliably irradiated to the image recording surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet at a predetermined angle, for example, when the image scanning device is an image information reading device, a clear image is displayed on the display device or the like. Effect is achieved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic configuration diagram of a longitudinal section of an image information reading apparatus according to an embodiment.
2 is an overall schematic configuration diagram of a main section of a position adjusting mechanism provided in the image information reading apparatus of FIG. 1;
3 is an overall schematic configuration diagram of a guide member and a driving roller included in a sub-scanning conveyance mechanism of the image information reading apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG.
4 is a main part enlarged explanatory view showing a state in which the guide member of FIG. 2 is raised by the position adjusting mechanism of FIG. 3;
5 is an enlarged explanatory view of a main part showing a state in which the guide member of FIG. 2 is lowered by the position adjusting mechanism of FIG. 3;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Image information reading apparatus (image scanning apparatus) 12 ... Laser beam irradiation means
14 ... Storage phosphor sheet (image record carrier) 16 ... Condensing means
18 ... Sub-scanning transport mechanism 20 ... Main unit
22, 24 ... Roller pair 22a, 24a ... Driving roller
26 ... Guide member 28, 30 ... Screw
32 ... Support member 34 ... Position adjustment mechanism
38 ... Cassette 46 ... Condensation guide
48 ... Photomultiplier 54 ... Single wafer section
58 ... Conveying system 60 ... Erasing part
62 ... Reading unit 64 ... Roller pair
66 ... Erasing unit 68 ... Erasing light source
72a-72f ... roller exposure openings 76, 88, 94 ... through holes
78 ... Frame 80 ... Locking member
84, 98 ... bolt
86, 90, 96, 102 ... nut 91 ... bolt hole
92 ... groove 100 ... long through hole
106 ... Insertion slot L ... Laser light

Claims (4)

An image scanning device for reading or recording image information by irradiating scanning light onto an image record carrier,
Scanning light irradiation means for irradiating the image record carrier with scanning light;
A sub-scanning transport mechanism for transporting the image record carrier in a sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction irradiated with the scanning light;
With
A position adjusting mechanism that has a first screw and a second screw that are coupled to each other and that are screwed in the same direction and that have different pitches, are configured to guide the image record carrier by constituting the sub-scanning conveyance mechanism. Is displaceable,
The position adjusting mechanism has a hollow shape that is displaced when the first screw is screwed through the through screw portion and the second screw is screwed integrally with the first screw. An image scanning apparatus, wherein the guide member is supported by the support member so as to be displaceable. The image scanning apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a lock mechanism that positions and fixes the support member. 3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the support member supports the guide member from below, and a screw means for screwing the second screw to the ceiling plate of the support member and the guide member. An image scanning device provided with a through-hole for inserting the. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the image recording carrier, which emits stimulated light when the scanning light is irradiated, the device, the emitted light An image scanning apparatus comprising an image information reading apparatus including a condensing unit for condensing light.

Images