JPH07110035B2 - Image information reader - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a contact type sensor unit that optically reads and scans information written on a document on a one-to-one basis using an equal-magnification imaging lens and converts it into an electrical signal. The present invention relates to an image information reading device using.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, many devices using a contact type sensor unit have been developed in order to miniaturize the reading device.

This contact type sensor unit includes a line sensor in which photoelectric conversion elements are linearly arranged over a light source and a reading width, a converging rod lens array for forming an original image on the line sensor at a 1: 1 magnification, and a line. A drive circuit that electrically drives the sensor and increases the output from the sensor is integrally attached, and the optical path length (distance between the sensor and the document surface) is 1/10 that of the reduction type optical system. It can be shortened to ~ 1/20 and the device can be downsized. As shown in FIG. 4, the conventional contact type sensor unit has a line sensor 1 and a light source 2, a focusing rod lens array 3,
Further, the contact type sensor unit 100 is configured by integrally fixing the drive circuits 4 for driving the line sensor 1 and fixing each of them. Therefore, the height H'of the contact type sensor unit 100 becomes higher than the optical path length H by the height of the drive circuit 4 and the height required for mounting.
When the contact type sensor unit 100 is moved in the sub-scanning direction and is read while the document is fixed to the document table (transparent glass) 6, a space of height H'is required inside the device over the range of the sub-scanning. .

Problems to be Solved by the Invention A reading device using such a contact type sensor unit having a conventional structure has a problem that a space (dead space) in which the contact type sensor and the unit move is large and the image information reading device becomes large. Had.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention makes a drive circuit of a contact type sensor unit rotatable about a main scanning direction as a rotation axis, an engaging portion is provided, and a sub-scan is provided. An engaging means is provided at the engaging portion at one of the start end or the end of the direction to keep the drive circuit in a state substantially parallel to the platen when moving in the sub-scan, and the drive circuit is rotated to a position substantially vertical at the start or end of the sub-scan. It is configured to move.

Effect of the Invention With the above-described configuration, the present invention reduces the moving space of the contact type sensor unit, and makes it possible to downsize the fixed document type (optical system moving) reading device (in particular, the size in the height direction can be reduced). Is something that can be done.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of the main part of the present invention, in which 10 is a line sensor, 11 is a light source, and 12 is a converging rod lens array 13.
Is a drive circuit.

The line sensor 10 is configured by arranging a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements 10a linearly in the main scanning direction over the reading width on a glass substrate. The light source 11 has a plurality of LEDs arranged equidistantly on the substrate 11a and condensed by a cylindrical lens 11b so that the document surface is linear with a width of about 1 mm and is substantially uniform over the reading width in the main scanning direction. The width is about 10 mm wider than the reading width so that illuminance can be obtained. The converging rod lens array 12 forms an image of the document 13 on the line sensor 10 through the document table (composed of transparent glass) 14 at a 1: 1 magnification, and is an SLA (selfoc lens array) made by Nippon Sheet Glass. It consists of. The line sensor 10, the light source 11, and the converging rod lens array 12 are fixed to the base 15 by adhesion or set screws. Reference numeral 16 is a circuit for electrically driving the line sensor 10. The drive circuit 16 reads and scans in the main scanning direction to take out the output of the photoelectric conversion element 10a, widen it, and send it to a signal processing circuit (not shown). .

The drive circuit 16 is mounted on a mounting plate 17 having a hole shown by a dotted line as shown in FIG. The mounting plate 16 is a shaft supported by a support plate 18 mounted on the base 15.
19 is attached at both ends so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis in the main scanning direction. Further, the mounting plate 17 and the drive circuit 16 are urged by the spring 20 in the direction of arrow A, and the locking portion 17a of the mounting plate 17 is moved to the base 1.
It is configured to keep the state of being in contact with 5, that is, the state in which the drive circuit is substantially parallel to the document table 14.

Further, the mounting plate 17 is provided with engaging portions 17b formed of rotating wheels at both ends of the rotating tip and engages with the engaging means 51 provided in the apparatus, thereby resisting the urging force of the spring 20 and forming the arrow a. The drive circuit 16 and the mounting plate 17 in the opposite direction can be rotated. The engaging portion 17b may be configured such that the drive circuit 16 or the mounting plate 17 directly engages with the engaging means 51.

By configuring the contact type sensor unit as described above, the height in the optical path direction can be set to the optical path length H when the drive circuit 16 is parallel to the document table 14.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a unit mounting plate 21 for mounting the contact type sensor unit 200 on the reading device. The unit mounting plates 21 are provided at both ends of the contact type sensor unit 200, and one contact type sensor unit is fixedly mounted on the slide bearing 52. The slide bearing 52 is a shaft fixed to the device housing 53.
The contact type sensor unit 200 is slidably attached to the device 54 and is configured to be slidable in the sub-scanning direction.

Further, a drive wire 56 is fixed to the drive wire fixing portion 52a of the spiral bearing 52 by a set screw 55.

The contact sensor unit 200 is driven by a moving unit including a drive wire 56 and a drive motor (not shown) that drives the drive wire, and moves forward and backward in the sub-scanning direction.

With the above configuration, the light source 11 illuminates the document surface,
While the line sensor 10 is read and scanned in the main scanning direction by the drive circuit 16, the contact type sensor unit 200 is moved by the moving means.
Original in the sub-scanning direction (arrow v)
Can read 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, the contact type sensor unit 200 is moved from the sub-scanning start end in a state where the drive circuit 16 is parallel to the document table 14 and the engaging portion 17b engages with the engaging means 51. The sub-scanning is continued while rotating against the spring 20 along the engaging surface of the drive circuit, and as shown in FIG.
The sub-scanning is ended in a state where 16 is perpendicular to the document table 14 (conversely, the sub-scanning may start in the state shown in FIG. 3).

Next, the contact type sensor unit 200 is moved in the opposite direction by moving means.
Is moved to the sub-scanning start position, and one reading is completed.

As described above, the space required for moving the contact sensor is only the height of the optical path length H and the portion where the drive circuit moves vertically to the sub-scanning end or the start end, and the reader is downsized (especially high height). The dimension in the depth direction).

In the description of the present invention, the drive circuit 16 is configured to rotate from the horizontal state to the vertical state at the end portion of the reading sub-scan. However, since the spring 20 exerts a force in the direction of blocking the sub-scan, the reverse operation is performed. It is preferable to set the state of rotating from the state vertical to the horizontal state to the starting end of the reading sub-scan.

As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, the moving space of the contact type sensor unit can be reduced and the image information reading device can be downsized with a simple configuration.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a main part of an image information reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main part, and FIG. 3 shows the sub-scan end (sub-scan start or end position). FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a main part, and FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part of a conventional image information reading apparatus. 10 ... Line sensor, 11 ... Light source, 12 ... Focusing rod lens array, 14 ... Platen, 16 ... Driving circuit, 17b ...
... Engaging portion, 51 ... Engaging means, 52 ... Slide bearing, 54 ...
… Axis, 56 …… Drive wire, 200 …… Contact type sensor unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A line sensor in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are linearly arranged over a reading width, a light source for irradiating a document linearly over the reading width, and a document image is formed on the line sensor at a 1: 1 magnification. Focusing rod lens array to image,
A sensor drive circuit that electrically drives the line sensor, the line sensor, the light source, and the converging rod lens array are arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction, and one end of the sensor drive circuit in the sub-scanning direction is rotatable. A contact type sensor unit including a base that is held and arranged in parallel in the sub scanning direction in the sub-scanning direction, a moving unit that moves the contact type sensor unit in the sub scanning direction, and a start end of the sub scanning or One of the ends is engaged with an end of the sensor drive circuit which is rotatably held on the base in the sub-scanning direction and which opposes the end in the sub-scanning direction, so that the sensor drive circuit is original. An image information reading apparatus comprising: a coupling unit that rotates from a state substantially parallel to the surface to a state substantially perpendicular to the document surface.