JP4457315B2 - Image reading device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus provided with a scanner housing for housing a scanner unit for reading a document image, and in particular, the scanner housing is assembled so as to cover a bottom frame constituting the bottom portion and the bottom frame. The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus including a frame cover.

  Copiers, facsimiles, scanners, and the like are equipped with an image reading device for reading an image of a document to be copied or a document to be facsimile-transmitted. In this image reading apparatus, a scanner unit that reads a document image is accommodated in a scanner container, and a document placed on the scanner container is read while the scanner unit moves, or is conveyed along a predetermined conveyance path. The original is read with the scanner unit stopped. FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a conventional scanner container constituting the image reading apparatus. The scanner container 70 includes a bottom frame 71 that constitutes a bottom portion, and a frame cover 72 that is assembled so as to cover the bottom frame 71. Here, when the frame cover 72 is assembled to the bottom frame 71, it is necessary to accurately position the frame cover 72 at a predetermined assembly position. Conventionally, in assembling each member constituting the image reading apparatus, a method is used in which a convex portion is formed on one member and a concave portion is formed on the other member, and positioning is performed by fitting the convex portion and the concave portion. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). Similarly, the details of the assembly of the frame cover 72 and the bottom frame 71 are not shown in the figure, but a convex portion called a dowel is formed on one of the frame cover 72 and the bottom frame 71 while the dowel is formed on the other. In general, a recess called a hole is formed, and the frame cover 72 is assembled so as to fit the dowel and the dowel hole.

JP 2003-208072 A

  However, in the conventional image reading apparatus, when the position of the dowel or the dowel hole is not visible from the operator who performs the assembly work of the frame cover 72, it is possible to fit the two while checking the position of the dowel or dowel hole by groping. There was a problem that it was difficult and workability was poor.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem. Of the frame cover and the bottom frame constituting the scanner housing, the convex portion is formed on one of the two, and the concave portion is formed on the other. In a configuration in which the frame cover is assembled to the bottom frame in such a manner that the projection can be easily fitted into the recess even when the projection or recess is not visible to the worker performing the assembly work. Provide a means.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a scanner housing for housing a scanner unit for reading a document image is assembled so as to cover a bottom frame constituting the bottom and the bottom frame. In the image reading apparatus comprising a frame cover, a positioning piece for determining an assembly position of the frame cover is projected from the bottom frame, while a positioning groove into which the positioning piece is inserted is formed in the frame cover. A guide surface for guiding the positioning piece to the positioning groove is formed at the edge of the positioning groove so as to be inclined from the surface of the frame cover toward the positioning groove.

  The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a document pressing plate for pressing and fixing the document is provided on the apparatus main body so as to be openable and closable via a hinge, and the hinge is inserted into the frame cover. The hinge insertion recess is formed, and the positioning groove is formed in the hinge insertion recess.

  The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the positioning groove is formed through the hinge insertion recess, and a notch for avoiding interference with the hinge is formed in the positioning piece. is there.

  The image reading apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the bottom frame is made of sheet metal and the frame cover is made of resin, the hinge includes a spring that urges the document pressing plate in the opening direction, and the positioning piece is The thickness direction of the original pressing plate is substantially parallel to the opening / closing direction of the original pressing plate.

  The image reading apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a screw insertion hole for inserting a screw for fixing the frame cover to the bottom frame is formed in an end portion of the bottom portion of the hinge insertion recess on the front side of the apparatus. is there.

  According to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, even when the position of the positioning piece and the positioning groove is not visible when the frame cover is assembled to the bottom frame, even if the positioning piece is slightly displaced from the positioning groove, Since the positioning piece is guided by the guide surface in the direction of the positioning groove, the positioning piece can be easily inserted into the positioning groove by hand search, and the assembly of the frame cover to the bottom frame is facilitated.

  Further, according to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the frame cover has a function of receiving the hinge in addition to the function of covering the bottom frame, so that a member for receiving the hinge is separately provided in addition to the frame cover. Compared with the case of providing, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, according to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, since the positioning groove is formed in the hinge insertion recess, it is not necessary to form a location for forming the positioning groove in the frame cover separately from the hinge insertion recess. The configuration of the system is not complicated.

  According to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, since the notch is formed in the positioning piece, the positioning piece does not protrude into the hinge insertion recess and interfere with the hinge.

  Further, according to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, since the positioning piece is provided so as to be substantially parallel to the opening / closing direction of the document pressing plate, the hinge is inserted from the spring constituting the hinge when the document pressing plate is closed. Even if a moment that jumps up to the back side of the device acts on the recess, this moment can be suppressed by the positioning piece. Thereby, it can prevent that a hinge insertion recessed part receives a moment and deform | transforms.

  Further, according to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the frame cover is screwed to the bottom frame at the bottom of the hinge insertion recess, so that the hinge insertion recess is more reliably prevented from being deformed by the moment. be able to. Furthermore, since the frame cover can be fixed to the bottom frame without exposing the fixing screws to the outside, the aesthetic appearance of the image reading apparatus is not impaired.

  Further, according to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the screw insertion hole is provided at the end of the apparatus front side at the bottom of the hinge insertion recess, so that it jumps up to the back side of the apparatus acting on the hinge insertion recess. Such a moment can be suppressed more reliably.

  Hereinafter, an image reading apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an appearance of the image reading apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The image reading apparatus 1 is a copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral having a document copying function, a facsimile communication function, an Internet facsimile communication function, and the like. The image reading apparatus 1 is provided with a scanner housing 2 that houses a scanner unit (not shown) and an openable / closable structure on the scanner housing 2, and presses and fixes a document to be read onto the scanner housing 2. And an operation panel 4 provided on the front surface of the scanner housing 2 for a user to perform various operations. Here, the document pressing plate 3 includes a document tray 5 for setting a document, a discharge tray 6 for storing a document after reading, and an automatic document for conveying the document from the document tray 5 to the discharge tray 6. A transport mechanism (hereinafter abbreviated as “ADF”) 7 is provided.

  The image reading apparatus 1 configured as described above can read an image by two types of methods, a so-called flat bed method and a sheet through method. In the flat bed method, the image information is read while the scanner unit moves under the document while the document is placed on the scanner housing 2 and pressed and fixed by the document pressing plate 3. On the other hand, in the sheet-through method, a bundle of documents placed on the document tray 5 is fed out one by one from the uppermost sheet, supplied to the ADF 7, and conveyed along a conveyance path in the ADF 7. The scanner unit stopped in step S4 sequentially reads the image information.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the scanner container 2 and the document pressing plate 3 as viewed from the back side of the apparatus. The scanner housing 2 includes a sheet metal bottom frame 8 constituting a bottom portion thereof, and a resin frame cover 9 assembled so as to cover the bottom frame 8. The frame cover 9 includes a front cover 10 that constitutes the front side of the apparatus and a back cover 11 that constitutes the back side of the apparatus. An upper surface of the front cover 10 constitutes a document placement surface. A platen glass 12 is provided. As a result, the scanner unit housed in the scanner housing 2 can read the image information of the document through the platen glass 12. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, hinges 13 are attached to the document pressing plate 3 at two places on the back side of the apparatus. The hinge 13 is pivotally attached to a base 14 for mounting on the scanner housing 2 and a pressing plate support that supports the document pressing plate 3 although not shown in detail in FIG. In FIG. 2, the pressing plate support portion is fixed to the document pressing plate 3, and the base portion 14 protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the document pressing plate 3. In this embodiment, the front side cover 10 and the back side cover 11 are configured as separate members, but it is also possible to integrally configure both.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the scanner housing 2 with the back cover 11 removed as viewed from the back side of the apparatus. A sheet metal bottom frame 8 constituting the scanner housing 2 has a first fixing bracket 15 and a second fixing bracket for fixing various members such as a motor for driving the scanner unit at both ends in the apparatus width direction. 16 are arranged. 4 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the first fixed bracket 15 in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the second fixed bracket 16. The first fixing bracket 15 and the second fixing bracket 16 are formed by punching and bending a sheet metal, and are fixed to the upper surface of the bottom frame 8 with screws. As shown in FIG. 4, the first fixing bracket 15 is provided with a cover fixing piece 17 for fixing the back side cover 11 so as to protrude inward in the apparatus width direction. Is drilled. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, the second fixing bracket 16 is also provided with a cover fixing piece 19 for fixing the back side cover 11 so as to protrude outward in the apparatus width direction, and a screw is provided at the center thereof. A hole 20 is formed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a positioning piece 21 for positioning the back side cover 11 is provided at a position near the first fixing bracket 15 at the rear side end portion of the bottom frame 8. . The positioning piece 21 is erected so that the edge direction of the bottom frame 8 is bent by 90 ° so that the thickness direction thereof is substantially parallel to the opening / closing direction of the document pressing plate 3. Further, a notch 22 is formed at the outer end of the positioning piece 21 in the apparatus width direction by cutting off the upper corner of the positioning piece 21 into a substantially rectangular shape.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the back side cover 11 as seen from the back side. The back side cover 11 is formed by molding resin or the like, and has an upper surface part 23 constituting the upper surface of the scanner housing 2 and the back surface of the scanner housing 2 at an angle of approximately 90 ° with the upper surface part 23. And a pair of left and right side portions 25 that form both left and right side surfaces of the scanner housing 2 at an angle of approximately 90 ° with both the upper surface portion 23 and the rear surface portion 24. . A plurality of ribs 26 extending in the longitudinal direction and the width direction are arranged on the inner side surface of the back side cover 11, and corner portions that are boundaries between the upper surface portion 23, the back surface portion 24, and the side surface portion 25. Is structurally reinforced.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, the 1st hinge insertion recessed part 27 and the 2nd hinge insertion recessed part 28 for inserting the base 14 of the said hinge 13 are provided in the inner side of the back side cover 11, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the first hinge insertion recess 27 and the second hinge insertion recess 28 extend downward from openings 29 formed at two locations corresponding to the hinges 13 in the back side cover 11, respectively. As shown in FIG. 6, it has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. The positions where the first hinge insertion recess 27 and the second hinge insertion recess 28 are provided may be changed appropriately according to the position of the hinge 13 corresponding to the position of the center of gravity of the document pressing plate 3. Is possible. Further, the design of the first hinge insertion recess 27 and the second hinge insertion recess 28 can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the base 14 of the hinge 13.

  FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view in which the bottom portion of the first hinge insertion recess 27 in FIG. 6 is enlarged. At the bottom of the first hinge insertion recess 27, a positioning groove 30 for inserting the positioning piece 21 of the bottom frame 8 and a screw accommodating portion 31 for accommodating a fixing screw for fixing the back side cover 11 to the bottom frame 8. And a pair of left and right guide ribs 32 with an inclination for guiding the screw accommodating portion 31 so as to contact the cover fixing piece 17 of the first fixing bracket 15.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the positioning groove 30 is formed in a substantially L-shaped longitudinal section so as to penetrate the bottom surface 27 a and the side surface 27 b of the first hinge insertion recess 27, and the width of the groove is that of the positioning piece 21. It is formed approximately equal to or slightly larger than the thickness. Guiding surfaces 33 for guiding the positioning piece 21 in the direction of the positioning groove 30 are formed on both the left and right edges of the positioning groove 30, respectively. Each guide surface 33 is formed so as to fall while drawing a curve from the bottom surface of the first hinge insertion recess 27 toward the positioning groove 30 when viewed in a longitudinal section. As long as the shape of the guide surface 33 is formed so as to be inclined from the bottom surface of the first hinge insertion recess 27 toward the positioning groove 30, for example, it may be a shape that falls linearly when viewed in a longitudinal section. is there. The position where the positioning groove 30 is formed can be changed to an arbitrary position on the back cover 11 according to the standing position of the positioning piece 21, but it is formed in the first hinge insertion recess 27 as in this embodiment. Then, as will be described later, there is an advantage that the moment acting on the first hinge insertion recess 27 from the hinge 13 can be received and suppressed by the positioning piece 21.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the screw accommodating portion 31 is formed by partially dropping the end portion on the bottom surface 27 a of the first hinge insertion recess 27 on the front side of the apparatus. A screw insertion hole 34 through which the shaft portion of the fixing screw is inserted is formed in the center of the screw accommodating portion 31. In this embodiment, the screw accommodating portion 31 is formed in a substantially circular shape in plan view. However, if the screw accommodating portion 31 has a width and depth that can accommodate the head of the fixing screw, the shape of the screw accommodating portion 31 is as follows. Design changes can be made as appropriate. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the pair of left and right guide ribs 32 are provided so as to protrude from the screw accommodating portion 31, and the bottom portion thereof is formed flat. If each guide rib 32 abuts on the cover fixing piece 17 and can hold the screw accommodating portion 31 at a certain position, the projecting position, the number, the shape, and the like can be appropriately changed in design.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the second hinge insertion recess 28 is provided with a screw accommodating portion 31 and a pair of left and right guide ribs 32 at the bottom thereof, like the first hinge insertion recess 27. This is different from the first hinge insertion recess 27 in that 30 is not formed. Since this screw accommodating part 31 and the guide rib 32 are the same structures as the 1st hinge insertion recessed part 27, in FIG. 6, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted here.

  Hereinafter, the operation of assembling the back cover 11 to the bottom frame 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. In assembling the back cover 11, first, the back cover 11 is positioned at a predetermined assembly position on the bottom frame 8. This positioning is performed by inserting the positioning piece 21 erected on the bottom frame 8 into the positioning groove 30 formed in the first hinge insertion recess 27. Here, when the positioning groove 30 and the positioning piece 21 are not visible to the operator, it is necessary to perform an operation while confirming the positions of the positioning groove 30 and the positioning piece 21 by groping, and as shown in FIG. May be slightly displaced from the positioning piece 21. However, even in such a case, since the guide surfaces 33 are formed on the left and right edges of the positioning groove 30, the positioning piece 21 is guided along the guide surface 33 in the direction of the positioning groove 30. The side cover 11 slides laterally. When the positioning groove 30 reaches a position directly above the positioning piece 21, the positioning piece 21 is inserted into the positioning groove 30 as shown in FIG. 9. At this time, since the notch 22 is formed in the positioning piece 21 as described above, the positioning piece 21 does not protrude greatly into the first hinge insertion recess 27, and the first hinge insertion recess 27 The positioning piece 21 does not get in the way when the hinge 13 is inserted.

  After positioning the back side cover 11 in this way, the back side cover 11 is fixed to the bottom frame 8 with screws. FIG. 10 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the periphery of the first hinge insertion recess 27. In a state where the back side cover 11 is positioned on the bottom frame 8, the guide rib 32 of the first hinge insertion recess 27 abuts on the cover fixing piece 17, and details are not shown in FIG. The guide rib 32 also contacts the cover fixing piece 19. Thereby, the back side cover 11 is held in a horizontal state without rattling, and the bottom surface of the screw accommodating portion 31 provided at the bottom of the first hinge insertion recess 27 is the cover fixing piece 17 of the first fixing bracket 15. It will be in the state contact | abutted. From this state, the fixing screw 35 is inserted into the screw insertion hole 34 formed in the screw accommodating portion 31 from the inner side to the outer side of the first hinge insertion recess 27, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 10, The fixing screw 35 is screwed into the screw hole 18 of the cover fixing piece 17. Thereby, the 1st hinge insertion recessed part 27 is fixed to the bottom frame 8 via the 1st fixing bracket 15 in the bottom part. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the fixing screw 35 is also inserted into the second hinge insertion recess 28 and screwed into the screw hole 20 formed in the cover fixing piece 19 of the second fixing bracket 16. As a result, the second hinge insertion recess 28 is fixed to the bottom frame 8 via the second fixing bracket 16 at the bottom thereof.

  In this way, by fixing the first hinge insertion recess 27 and the second hinge insertion recess 28 to the bottom frame 8 at the bottom thereof, it is possible to prevent deformation from occurring due to the force acting from the hinge 13. it can. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the hinge 13 includes a spring 36 inside, and the spring 36 biases the document pressing plate 3 in the opening direction. Accordingly, when the document pressing plate 3 is closed or in the closed state, the rear side of the apparatus is from the hinge 13 to the first hinge insertion recess 27 as shown by an arrow in FIG. There is a problem in that a moment M that springs up acts on the first hinge insertion recess 27 made of resin. On the other hand, in the present invention, the first hinge insertion recess 27 is screwed to the sheet metal bottom frame 8 so that the moment M is suppressed, and the first hinge insertion recess 27 is difficult to deform. Further, since the screw insertion hole 34 of the first hinge insertion recess 27 is formed at the end of the bottom side of the apparatus on the front side of the apparatus, the moment M can be more reliably suppressed. In addition, as described above, the positioning piece 21 inserted into the positioning groove 30 of the first hinge insertion recess 27 is erected so that the thickness direction thereof is parallel to the opening / closing direction of the document pressing plate 3. This positioning piece 21 also suppresses the moment M from the hinge 13 and makes the first hinge insertion recess 27 more difficult to deform.

  Further, since the head of the fixing screw 35 is accommodated in the screw accommodating portion 31, the fixing screw 35 is fixed when the hinge 13 is subsequently inserted into the first hinge insertion recess 27 and the second hinge insertion recess 28. The hinge 13 can be smoothly inserted without interfering with the head of the screw 35. Furthermore, since the back cover 11 can be fixed to the bottom frame 8 without exposing the fixing screw 35 to the outside, the aesthetic appearance of the image reading apparatus 1 is not impaired.

  The image reading apparatus 1 is not limited to a copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral, and can be configured as, for example, a copy-only machine having only a copy function or a facsimile-only machine having only a facsimile communication function.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an external appearance of an image reading apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the scanner container 2 and the document pressing plate 3 as viewed from the back side of the apparatus. The schematic perspective view which looked at the scanner container 2 of the state which removed the back side cover 11 from the apparatus back side. The partial expansion perspective view which expanded the periphery of the 1st fixing bracket 15 in FIG. The partial expansion perspective view which expanded the periphery of the 2nd fixing bracket 16 in FIG. The schematic perspective view which looked at the back side cover 11 from the back side. The partial expansion perspective view which expanded the bottom part of the 1st hinge insertion recessed part 27 in FIG. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the assembly | attachment operation | work to the bottom frame 8 of the back side cover 11. FIG. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the assembly | attachment operation | work to the bottom frame 8 of the back side cover 11. FIG. The schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the periphery of the 1st hinge insertion recessed part 27. FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a scanner container 70 according to a conventional example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image reading apparatus 2 Scanner container 3 Original document pressing plate 8 Bottom frame 9 Frame cover 13 Hinge 21 Positioning piece 22 Notch part 27 1st hinge insertion recessed part (hinge insertion recessed part)
30 Positioning groove 33 Guide surface 34 Screw insertion hole 36 Spring

Claims (5)

In an image reading apparatus, a scanner container for housing a scanner unit that reads a document image includes a bottom frame that forms a bottom portion, and a frame cover that is assembled so as to cover the bottom frame.
The bottom frame is provided with a positioning piece for determining the assembly position of the frame cover, while the frame cover is formed with a positioning groove into which the positioning piece is inserted. An image reading apparatus, wherein a guide surface for guiding the positioning piece to the positioning groove is formed so as to be inclined from the surface of the frame cover toward the positioning groove.   A document pressing plate for pressing and fixing the document is provided on the apparatus main body so as to be openable and closable via a hinge, and a hinge insertion recess for inserting the hinge is formed in the frame cover. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positioning groove is formed in the insertion recess.   The image according to claim 2, wherein the positioning groove is formed through the hinge insertion recess, and a notch for avoiding interference with the hinge is formed in the positioning piece. Reader.   The bottom frame is made of sheet metal and the frame cover is made of resin, the hinge includes a spring that biases the document pressing plate in the opening direction, and the positioning piece has a thickness direction of the document pressing plate. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus is provided so as to be substantially parallel to the opening / closing direction.   5. The image according to claim 4, wherein a screw insertion hole for inserting a screw for fixing the frame cover to the bottom frame is formed at an end portion of the bottom side of the hinge insertion recess on the front side of the apparatus. Reader.

Images