JPH0649379B2 - Information input / output device - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an information input / output device, and more particularly, to a structure of an information output device having functions of recording on a sheet and reading an image of a document.

[Prior art]

Recently, there is a strong demand for not only inputting numbers and characters or various symbols from the keyboard but also inputting an image (image) from a document.

For example, a word processor or office computer is required to have a function of inputting an image of a map or a pattern and recording the image information at a desired position on a sheet to create a document such as a guide.

However, the conventional image input device is generally a dedicated device and is an independent device separate from the recording device such as a word processor, and therefore each dedicated device is required to execute recording and image input. However, there is a problem that it becomes expensive.

Also, as a conventional special specification printer proposed by the applicant, the printing head and the ribbon cassette mounted on the carriage were removed, and the connection part of the image reader (image reading device) was connected to the connector of the removed printing head. There was a model that could convert the function of the printer into an image input device. In other words, there is proposed a structure in which an image reader having a shape almost the same as that of the ribbon cassette is prepared and exchanged with each other. However, in such an exchange type printer, when the image is input, the print head and the ribbon cassette and the image reader have to be exchanged each time, and the handling is complicated.

〔Purpose〕

The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems of the prior art,
An object of the present invention is to provide an information input / output device capable of simultaneously performing both recording and image input with a simple structure.

[Outline]

An information input / output device of the present invention includes a carriage that moves in a direction perpendicular to a paper feeding direction, a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium provided on the carriage, the recording head provided on the carriage, and the recording head. An image mounted in the carriage moving direction such that the distance between the recording center position of the recording head and the reading center position for inputting an image from a document is an integral multiple of the minimum feed pitch of the carriage. By having a configuration including a reader, the above object is achieved.

〔Example〕

 Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an information input / output device according to an embodiment, in which a guide shaft 3 is installed in parallel with a platen 2 for backing up a sheet or a document 1 and a carriage 4 which moves along the guide shaft 3 is supported by the guide shaft 3. Has been done.

A recording head 5, a ribbon cassette 6 and an image reader 7 are mounted on the carriage 4. Further, in the illustrated example, a paper guide plate 8 is fixed at a position on the opposite side of the carriage 4 to the image reader.

A plurality of heating elements are mounted on the recording head 5, the carriage 4 is moved in the direction of arrow R (recording direction), and the recording head 5 is brought into sliding contact with the paper 1 via the ink ribbon.
Recording (printing) is performed by driving each heating element according to print data.

On the other hand, the image reader 7, as shown in FIG.
A light beam from a D array (light source) is applied to a sheet (in this case, an original on which an image is formed) 1 and reflected light from the image surface is passed through an optical lens 9 to a CCD element or a BB.
Projection is performed on a semiconductor image pickup element (light receiving element) array 10 such as a D element, and image information is obtained from each semiconductor image pickup element. This image reading is also performed while the carriage 4 moves in the arrow R direction (recording direction).

As shown in FIG. 3, a hood surface 11 that follows the curvature of the platen 2 is formed on the front surface of the image reader 7 (the surface on the side of the original 1), and the hood surface 11 serves as a paper guide for the paper (or the original) 1. Also serves as a guide. The hood surface 11 has a shape that tapers in the paper feeding direction (the direction of arrow P in FIGS. 1 and 2), and even when the document 1 floats above the surface of the platen 2, the document is scanned during scanning and scanning. Care has been taken not to tear the paper or create a paper jam. For the same reason, the paper guide plate 8 mounted on the opposite side of the hood surface 11 (right side in FIG. 1) also has a shape that follows the curvature of the platen 2 and tapers in the paper feed direction. Together, they form a pair of paper guide surfaces.

Since the image reader 7 prevents image blurring on the light-receiving surface and each image sensor reads an accurate position on the document 1, it is necessary to fix the position and verticality with respect to the surface of the document 1 accurately. . For this purpose, the mounting portion of the image reader 7 is provided with the following guiding means and stopper means.

The guide means is a carriage 4 or an image reader 7.
A groove formed perpendicularly to the original 1 surface on the mounting surface (on the side of the carriage 4 in the illustrated example) and a vertical direction on the original surface of the mounting surface of the image reader 7 or the carriage 4 (on the side of the image reader 7 in the illustrated example). And a convex portion 12 which is formed in the groove and fits in the groove. When the focus of the image reader 7 is adjusted, the image reader can be moved in the vertical direction without tilting with respect to the surface of the original 1.

Reference numerals 13 and 13 in FIG. 2 denote attachment holes for fixing the image reader 7 to the carriage 4.

The stopper means is composed of a stopper 14 that contacts the rear end surface of the image reader 7 and is fixed to the carriage 4.

This stopper 14 is for fixing the image reader 7 to the carriage 4 by adjusting the focus, and then abutting it on the rear end of the image reader to fix it. If the reader 7 breaks down and a new image reader is installed instead of this, the stopper 14 that has already been fixed can be used without troublesome focus adjustment.
The new image reader 7 can be fixed at the proper focus position only by positioning the device.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, an image reader position indexing jig (a kind of assembling jig) 15 is used, and it is brought into contact with the platen 2 to fix the stopper 14 at a predetermined position in advance. For example, focus adjustment can be omitted when the image reader 7 is attached later, and the number of assembling steps can be reduced.

In addition, the third side is placed on the document side (front side) of the bottom of the image reader 7.
A claw 16 as shown in the drawing is provided, and after hooking the claw on a predetermined portion of the carriage 4, the rear portion of the image reader 7 (the portion of the mounting holes 13 and 13 in FIG. 3) is sintered with a screw. With the structure, the image reader 7 can be fixed easily and in close contact with the carriage 4 with high precision.

The heating element (printing element) of the recording head 5 and the image pickup element (light receiving element) such as CCD of the image reader 7 are
In each case, a plurality of rows (for example, the same number of 24 dots) are arranged in one vertical column, and are configured so that recording scanning and reading scanning can be performed with the same number of dots.

However, the centers of both of these scanning widths, that is, the center of the recording width and the center of the reading width in the paper feed direction P are set at the same position. Further, both scanning widths themselves, that is, the recording width and the reading width in the paper feed direction P are set to the same width (height).

Further, the interval L between the recording center position and the reading center position in the recording direction (recording scanning direction) R is set to an integral multiple of the minimum feed pitch in the recording direction (the minimum feed pitch of the carriage 4), and the control starts reading from the recording start. Is configured to get. The interval L is preferably selected to be the minimum interval in order to reduce the required scanning length and downsize the device. In this case, an index mark 17 indicating the reading center position as shown in FIG. 1 is provided on the upper surface of the case of the image reader 7 to facilitate the operation of setting the carriage at the reading start position.

The distance M between the centers of the image reader 7 and the paper guide plate 8 fixed to the left and right sides of the carriage 4 is selected to be an appropriate position with respect to the width of the fed paper in automatic paper feeding.

According to the embodiment described above, both the recording operation for data output and the image reading operation for data input can be executed with a simple structure, and the vertical alignment can be easily calculated. An information input / output device that can be used is obtained.

Also, since the scanning width and the center position of the recording and reading are the same and the interval between the recording center and the reading center in the recording direction is set to an integral multiple of the minimum scanning pitch, reading and recording can be performed with the same paper feed and the same carriage feed. It is possible to obtain an information input / output device that can be performed and can easily calculate the lateral alignment.

In the structure of the above embodiment, recording and reading are carried out when the carriage 4 moves from left to right, but conversely, recording and reading are carried out when moving from right to left or bidirectionally. It is also possible to do so.

Although the image reader 7 is fixed to the left side of the recording head 5 in the illustrated structure, it may be fixed to the opposite side (right side).

Further, the recording head 5 is not limited to the thermal transfer system shown in the drawing, but various printing systems such as a thermal paper system, a wire dot system or an ink jet system can be used.

[Effect]

As is clear from the above description, according to the information input / output device of the present invention, a carriage that moves in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium provided on the carriage, and The minimum feed pitch of the carriage is a distance between the recording center position of the recording head and the reading center position for inputting an image from a document in a state where the recording head is arranged on the carriage in the moving direction of the carriage. The image reader mounted so that it is an integral multiple makes it possible to use the same paper feed and the same carriage feed for both recording and image input functions with a simple structure and without the need to attach or detach the device. Information input / output device that can be easily calculated by using a computer and can easily calculate the alignment in the vertical and horizontal directions. It is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an essential part of an information input / output device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the structure of the image reader of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the image reader as seen obliquely from the front, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a usage state of the image reader assembling jig. 1 ... paper or original, 2 ... platen, 4 ... carriage, 5 ... recording head, 7 ... image reader, P ...
Paper feed direction, R ... Recording direction.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A carriage that moves in a direction perpendicular to a paper feeding direction, a recording head that records on a recording medium that is provided on the carriage, and a moving direction of the recording head and the carriage that is provided on the carriage. An image reader which is mounted in such a manner that the distance between the recording center position of the recording head and the reading center position for inputting an image from a document is an integer multiple of the minimum feed pitch of the carriage. An information input / output device having.