JP2012089999A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reader for suppressing the generation of a gap between a transparent member to place an object, from which an image is read, and a housing.SOLUTION: A scanner 11 includes: an upper case 12 having a rectangular shape opening part 12a; a plate-like glass plate 18 to be attached to the upper case so as to clog the opening part; and a line sensor 15 for reading the image of a manuscript paper sheet to be placed on a placement surface arranged inside the opening part in the glass plate. Spaces SL1 to SL4 for dividing the mutually orthogonally crossed edge sides of the opening part are formed by cutting from an opening part side in the four corners of the opening part in the upper case.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus that reads an image of an object through a transparent member attached to a housing.

  Conventionally, there is a scanner as an example of an image reading apparatus. The scanner places an object such as original paper on the surface of a transparent member (for example, a glass plate) attached to an opening of a housing (case), that is, a placement surface, and moves an image reading unit such as a line sensor ( Scanning), the image of the object is read through the glass plate.

  Therefore, when the object is original paper, in order to correctly read the image on the original paper, the glass plate is placed in the case so that the original paper does not move, that is, the glass plate on which the original paper is placed does not move. It is necessary to install it securely. As such an attachment method, a method of attaching a glass plate to a case using an adhesive tape (double-sided adhesive tape) is generally employed.

  However, in the operation of attaching (fixing) the glass plate to the case with the adhesive tape, for example, a complicated operation of attaching the adhesive tape to a designated position or peeling off the protective tape is required. In addition, when a glass plate or the like is damaged, the glass plate attached with the adhesive tape cannot be easily peeled off from the case, so that the entire case may be replaced, resulting in an increase in total manufacturing cost.

  Therefore, a technique for attaching a glass plate without using an adhesive tape has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for attaching a glass plate to a case using a biasing force by a biasing means (such as a coil spring). That is, a support portion having a substantially U-shaped cross section that can be supported by inserting one end portion of the glass plate from the horizontal direction along the mounting surface is provided at the periphery of the opening portion to which the glass plate is attached in the case. In a state where one end of the glass plate is abutted against the inner back surface along the vertical direction of the portion, a biasing force directed toward one end by the biasing means is applied to the other end of the glass plate. Yes.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-298685

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the glass plate is positioned by the urging force of the urging means in the direction along the placement surface, but is supported in the direction perpendicular to the placement surface. It is only sandwiched between the parts, and is not energized by any energizing means. Therefore, for example, if there is deformation such as warpage due to manufacturing in the case where the glass plate is attached, a gap is generated in the direction perpendicular to the mounting surface between the glass plate and the case at the edge of the opening of the case. There is a case.

  In such a case, for example, there is a possibility that the end portion of the document sheet placed on the placement surface enters the gap generated at the edge of the opening of the case. Then, for example, in the case of a scanner that places the original paper at the correct reading position by bringing the edge of the original paper into contact with the edge of the opening of the case, the edge of the placed original paper May enter the gap at the edge of the opening, making it impossible to place the original paper correctly. In addition, there is a possibility that the end of the original paper that has entered the gap cannot be extracted from the gap.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main purpose is between a transparent member on which an object for reading an image is placed and an edge of an opening of a housing to which the transparent member is attached. An object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus capable of suppressing the occurrence of a gap in the screen.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image reading apparatus of the present invention includes a casing having a rectangular opening, a plate-like transparent member attached to the casing so as to close the opening, and the transparent An image reading device that reads an image of an object placed on a placement surface that is inside the opening of the member, and is provided at four corners of the opening of the housing. A gap that divides the edges perpendicular to each other in the opening is formed so as to cut from the opening side.

  According to this configuration, since the edges that are orthogonal to each other in the opening of the housing are separated by the gaps formed at the four corners of the rectangular opening, the deformation of the housing affects each other between the adjacent edges. I do not receive it. Therefore, if there is a difference in the flexure of the housing between the edges of the opening due to the attachment of a transparent member, for example, the deformation due to the flexure of each edge affects each other by dividing the flexure at the four corners of the opening. Can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to provide an image reading apparatus that suppresses the occurrence of a gap between the housing and the transparent member.

  In the image reading apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the casing is provided with a protruding portion having a certain width from the edge along the edge of the opening on the side on which the transparent member is attached, and the gap is In addition, it is formed so as to divide at least the ridges.

  According to this structure, the contact part with a transparent member can be located in the edge side of the opening part provided in the housing | casing by the protruding item | line part. And, for example, even if there is a difference in the bending of the protruding portion between adjacent edges orthogonal to each other in the opening due to contact with the transparent member, the protruding portion is divided at the four corners of the opening. Moreover, it can suppress so that the deformation | transformation by the bending of a protruding item | line part may not mutually influence between the protruding item | line parts of each edge. As a result, it is possible to provide an image reading apparatus that suppresses the occurrence of a gap between the casing and the transparent member on the edge side of the opening.

In the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the ridges are provided so that the thicknesses in the direction perpendicular to the placement surface are different between the edges of the opening that are adjacent to each other at right angles.
According to this structure, the bending of the edge in an opening part can be adjusted with the thickness of a protruding item | line part. Therefore, for example, when the deformation existing in the casing is different between the edges of the opening, the thickness of each protruding strip part divided at the four corners of the opening is changed. By carrying out like this, a housing | casing can be bent so that the deformation | transformation by the bending of the protruding item | line part in each edge may not influence mutually, and the deformation | transformation of the housing | casing in an opening part can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to provide an image reading apparatus that suppresses the occurrence of a gap between the casing and the transparent member at the edge of the opening.

In the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the ridges are
The thickness in the direction perpendicular to the mounting surface is provided so as to have a slope shape that becomes thicker as it approaches the edge of the opening.

  By attaching the transparent member to the housing, the edge side of the ridge is bent most. Therefore, according to this configuration, the surface of the convex portion facing the transparent member is formed into an inclined surface, so that the convex portion can be reliably brought into contact with the transparent member on the edge side. As a result, it is possible to provide an image reading apparatus that suppresses the occurrence of a gap between the transparent member and the housing.

  In the image reading apparatus of the present invention, between the edges adjacent to each other at right angles to the opening, the thickness of the casing in a direction perpendicular to the placement surface is set to be different from the protrusions. It is provided so that it may differ between each area | region adjacent on the opposite side to the said opening part.

  According to this configuration, with respect to the existing deformation (sled or curved) existing before the transparent member is attached at the opening of the housing, one of the rectangular edges that are orthogonal to each other is more than the other adjacent edge. If it is large, the existing deformation can be easily corrected. For example, when the existing deformation of the edge in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular shape is large, the casing thickness in the region adjacent to the protruding portion in the longitudinal direction is thinned to facilitate bending, so when the transparent member is attached to the casing The amount of bending in the longitudinal direction can be made larger than that in the short direction. Therefore, since the existing deformation in the longitudinal direction in the opening can be easily corrected, it is possible to provide an image reading apparatus that suppresses the occurrence of a gap between the transparent member and the housing.

In the image reading apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of the gaps are formed to extend in different directions at the four corners of the opening.
According to this configuration, for example, a slit-shaped gap can be provided in a direction intersecting with each edge, so that the deformation of each protrusion is facilitated in the opening, and the mutual influence of the deformation of the protrusion Can be reduced.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a scanner that is an embodiment of the invention. The perspective view which shows the fixation structure of the glass plate in the scanner of embodiment. The perspective view which shows the structure of the upper case of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the shape of an upper case, (a) is the schematic plan view seen from the lower side, (b) is the top view which expanded the part of the gap | interval. Sectional drawing which shows the state by which the lower case was assembled | attached to the upper case and the glass plate was fixed. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the state before a lower case is assembled | attached to an upper case, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state where the lower case was assembled | attached to the upper case and the glass plate was fixed. In a modification, (a) is a partial top view of a case, (b) is 7b-7b arrow sectional drawing in (a). In the modification, (a) (b) (c) is a partial plan view of the case showing the shape of the gap.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a scanner which is an example of an image reading apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. Note that the “front-rear direction”, “up-down direction”, and “left-right direction” used in the following description are indicated by arrows in the respective drawings unless otherwise specified. Respectively. In this case, the “up and down direction” corresponds to the vertical direction, the “left and right direction” corresponds to the direction in which the image reading means (line sensor) constituting the scanner moves, and the “front and back direction” corresponds to the image reading means. This corresponds to the reading width direction of the (line sensor).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the scanner 11 includes an upper case 12 as a substantially rectangular box-shaped housing that forms an outer case thereof, and a lower case 13 that is assembled inside the upper case 12 (see FIG. 2). And. The upper surface of the upper case 12 is substantially flat, and a rectangular opening 12a corresponding to a region on which a document sheet as an example of an object for reading an image is placed is provided in the planar region. In this embodiment, slit-shaped gaps SL1, SL2, SL3, and SL4 are provided in the upper case 12 at the four corners of the opening 12a so as to cut from the inside to the outside of the opening 12a.

  Thus, the glass plate 18 as a transparent member is attached from the lower side (gravity direction side) to the opening 12a in which the slit-shaped gaps SL1 to SL4 are provided at the four corners. The glass plate 18 has a substantially rectangular flat surface 18p (see FIG. 2) having a larger area than the opening 12a on the upper surface side, and the glass plate 18 exposed by the opening 12a in the region of the flat surface 18p. The upper surface area is a mounting surface. When the glass plate 18 is attached to the upper case 12 so as to close the opening 12a, the gaps SL1 to SL4 suppress the generation of a vertical gap between the upper case 12 and the glass plate 18. The upper case 12 is devised so as to be fixed. This device will be described in detail later.

  A space region is formed between the assembled upper case 12 and lower case 13. In this space region, a line sensor 15 as an image reading means having an optical sensor, a lens, and the like is disposed in a predetermined length in the front-rear direction, and an image of a document sheet placed on the glass plate 18 is Reading is performed through the glass plate 18. That is, the line sensor 15 is moved in the left-right direction by the driving body 14 that moves along the guide rail 30 provided in the lower case 13 and extends in the left-right direction, and scans the image range to be read on the original paper. The image data read by the line sensor 15 by this scanning is transmitted through a circuit board 16 having an interface circuit between the driver 14 and the line sensor 15 and a connection board (not shown) connected to the circuit board 16. The data is output from the scanner 11.

  In the scanner 11 of the present embodiment, hinge portions 12b having a rotation shaft hole provided on the rear side of the upper case 12 are provided on both sides in the left-right direction. The hinge portion 12b allows the scanner 11 to be rotatably attached to the upper portion of the printer 100 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. By supplying the image data output from the scanner 11 to the printer 100, the image data can be printed on paper or the like.

  Next, a fixing structure of the glass plate 18 in the scanner 11 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows the upper case 12 and the glass plate 18 for the sake of explanation, and a part of them (here, the left half) is removed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the upper case 12 as seen from the lower oblique direction.

  In the upper case 12, a positioning member 21 having a hook shape is integrally formed with the upper case 12 in two rear regions indicated by an arrow E1 in FIG. Further, in the front region indicated by arrow E2 in FIG. 2, a support member 22 having a substantially L-shaped cross section in the left-right direction is formed integrally with the upper case 12 as shown in FIG. When the lower case 13 is assembled to the upper case 12, as shown in FIG. 2, the positioning member 21 urges the glass plate 18 with the urging force F1 in the direction along the mounting surface (here, the front direction). It is supposed to be. As a result, the glass plate 18 is positioned in the front-rear direction by being pressed against the support member 22 side.

  Similarly, in the upper case 12, a positioning member 23 having substantially the same hook shape as that formed in the region indicated by the arrow E1 in the two regions on the left side indicated by the arrow E3 in FIG. As shown, it is formed integrally with the upper case 12. Further, in the right region indicated by arrow E4 in FIG. 2, the support member 24 (FIG. 2) is substantially the same as the support member 22 formed in the region indicated by arrow E2 and the cross-sectional shape in the front-rear direction is approximately L-shaped. 4 (a)) is formed integrally with the upper case 12 as indicated by a broken line in FIG. When the lower case 13 is assembled to the upper case 12, as shown in FIG. 2, the positioning member 23 urges the glass plate 18 in the direction along the placement surface (here, the right direction) with the urging force F2. It is like that. As a result, the glass plate 18 is pressed against the support member 24 and positioned in the left-right direction.

  Thus, the glass plate 18 is moved in the direction along the mounting surface by the positioning members 21 and 23 provided on the upper case 12 at two sides (edges) adjacent to each other at right angles to each other of the rectangular opening 12a. In both the right and left directions, the urging forces F1 and F2 are pressed against the support members 22 and 24 to be positioned and fixed. In the present embodiment, the movement of the glass plate 18 in the front-rear and left-right directions is regulated by the hook shape of the positioning members 21 and 23 and the positioning wall (not shown) formed in the upper case 12. Yes. The positioning walls are formed on both sides in the left-right direction of the support member 22 provided on the front side of the upper case 12 and on both sides in the front-rear direction of the support member 24 provided on the right side of the upper case 12. Therefore, when the glass plate 18 is urged by the positioning members 21 and 23, the glass plate 18 comes into contact with the positioning wall and its position in the front-rear and left-right directions is determined. Of course, the position of the glass plate 18 in the front-rear and left-right directions may be determined by the support members 22 and 24.

  On the other hand, in the vertical direction, the glass plate 18 is positioned and fixed by sandwiching the glass plate 18 with the upper case 12 and assembling the lower case 13. Specifically, the boss engaging portion 38 provided on the lower case 13 shown in FIG. 2 and the fixing boss 28 provided on the upper case 12 shown in FIG. 3 are fixed by screws or the like. The lower case 13 is assembled to the upper case 12. The glass plate 18 is fixed by this assembly. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the glass plate 18 has ribs 31, 32, 33 formed in a wall shape in the vertical direction on each side of the lower case 13, as the lower case 13 is assembled to the upper case 12. The glass plate 18 is pressed against the upper case 12 side by abutting against the lower surface near the end of each side of the rectangular shape. As a result, the glass plate 18 is sandwiched between the upper case 12 on the upper surface (mounting surface) side and the ribs 31 to 33 on the lower case 13 on the lower surface side, and is positioned and fixed in the vertical direction. The glass plate 18 has a rectangular shape in the left-right direction, and the ribs 31, 32 extending in the left-right direction are ribs extending in the short direction (front-rear direction) intersecting the longitudinal direction. It is longer than 33. Thereby, the glass plate 18 which is easily bent in the longitudinal direction is pressed against the upper case 12 and is securely fixed.

  In the scanner 11 of this embodiment, the lower case 13 is assembled to the upper case 12 as described above, so that a vertical gap is formed between the glass plate 18 fixed in the opening 12a and the upper case 12. The upper case 12 is devised to prevent it from occurring. This device will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3, on the lower side of the upper case 12 (upper side in FIG. 3), an edge 25e extending along the left-right direction of the rectangular opening 12a, and extending along the front-rear direction. On the edge 26e, the ridges 25 and the ridges 26 are provided. The ridge portions 25 and the ridge portions 26 have a constant width from the edges 25e and 26e and bulge downward from the lower surface 12R formed substantially flat in the upper case 12 where the pressed glass plate 18 is located. Is provided. Then, slit-shaped gaps SL3 and SL4 and gaps SL1 and SL2 (see FIG. 2) so that the gap between the ridges 25 and the ridges 26 adjacent to each other at the four corners of the opening 12a is divided. ) Is provided.

  In the present embodiment, the positioning members 21 and 23, the support members 22 and 24, the ridges 25 and 26, and the gaps SL1, SL2, SL3, and SL4 with respect to the glass plate 18 to be attached are shown in FIGS. ). That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, in this embodiment, the region of the upper flat surface 18p having the same region as the outer shape of the glass plate 18 is present on the entire outer periphery of the opening 12a of the upper case 12. In addition, positioning members 21 and 23 and support members 22 and 24 are provided. In addition, gaps SL1, SL2, SL3, and SL4 are formed in regions outside the opening 12a and in the region where the upper flat surface 18p of the glass plate 18 exists.

  In the present embodiment, the four gaps SL1, SL2, SL3, SL4 are formed in the same manner as the gap SL2 shown as an example in FIG. That is, the gap SL2 has an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the edge 25e (edge 26e) of the opening 12a, has a width Ws and a semicircle having a radius R (= Ws / 2), and the edge 25e. The length from the (edge 26e) is provided in a slit shape having a length Wd. And as shown in FIG.4 (b), gap | interval SL2 is provided so that it may divide | segment so that the protruding item | line part 25 and the protruding item | line part 26 may not be connected. Accordingly, for example, when the width in the front-rear direction of the ridge portion 25 is Wy and the width in the left-right direction of the ridge portion 26 is Wx, the gap SL2 has a length Wd that is larger of the width Wx and the width Wy. It has a shape that is not less than √2 times the width and the tip of the glass plate 18 overlaps the flat surface of the glass plate 18 in the vertical direction.

  In the present embodiment, the width Wx and the width Wy have the same value. That is, the protruding line part 25 and the protruding line part 26 are formed with the same width. Of course, the width Wx and the width Wy may have different values, that is, the ridges 25 and the ridges 26 may be formed with different widths. Further, since the width Ws of the gap SL2 makes it difficult to insert the original paper, the width (opening width) at the edges 25e and 26e of the opening 12a is as small (narrow) as possible within the range in which the upper case 12 can be manufactured. Is preferred.

  As described above, the positioning members 21 and 23, the support members 22 and 24, the protrusions 25 and 26, and the gaps SL1 to SL4 are formed in the arrangement form shown in FIGS. A state in which the lower case 13 is assembled to the upper case 12 with the glass plate 18 interposed therebetween will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. In the present embodiment, in the assembly of the lower case 13, the occurrence of a gap in the vertical direction between the edges 25 e and 26 e of the opening 12 a and the glass plate 18 is suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the glass plate 18 is first attached to the upper case 12, and then the lower case 13 is assembled to the upper case 12, so that the upper case 12 and the lower case are assembled as shown in FIG. 13 to be fixed between. That is, the glass plate 18 is first inserted and attached between the positioning member 21 and the support member 22 and between the positioning member 23 and the support member 24. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the front end of the glass plate 18 is inserted into the vertical gap formed between the L shape of the support member 22 and the upper case 12. Thereafter, the glass plate 18 is attached to the upper case 12 by pushing the glass plate 18 toward the upper case 12 while displacing the positioning member 21 rearward. Although not shown in FIG. 5, the glass plate 18 is attached to the upper case 12 by a similar method between the positioning member 23 and the support member 24.

  Since the lower case 13 is not assembled in this state, the glass plate 18 is not pressed against the upper case 12. For this reason, the glass plate 18 is not lifted by the rib 31 of the lower case 13 in the vertical gap provided between the support member 22 and the upper case 12 as shown in FIG. The state is lowered in the direction of gravity, and is separated from the lower surface 12R of the upper case 12 by a distance G1. At this time, in the present embodiment, the ridges 25 provided along the edge 25e are in contact with or slightly separated from the flat surface 18p on the upper side of the glass plate 18.

  FIG. 6A illustrates the region indicated by the arrow E2 in FIG. 5, but the state of the ridge portion 25 is the same in the region indicated by the arrow E1. Further, in the present embodiment, the ridge portion 26 is also in the same state as the ridge portion 25, and therefore the same applies to the respective regions indicated by arrows E3 and E4 in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the ridge portion 25 has a slope shape with an inclination angle α with respect to the mounting surface of the glass plate 18, that is, the flat surface 18 p so that the lower surface 25 s becomes thicker as it approaches the edge 25 e. It is provided as follows. By doing so, the edge 25 e side of the opening 12 a of the upper case 12 is closest to the flat surface 18 p of the glass plate 18 in a state where the glass plate 18 is attached to the upper case 12.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper case 12 to which the glass plate 18 is attached as described above is provided on the lower case 13 on the fixing boss 28 (see FIG. 3) provided on the upper case 12. The lower case 13 is assembled by screwing the boss engaging portion 38 (see FIG. 2). In the scanner 11 of the present embodiment, the lower case 13 is assembled with respect to the upper case 12 from the lower side to the upper side, for example. By this assembly, as described above, the glass plate 18 is pressed against the upper case 12 by the ribs 31 and 32 and the rib 33, the upper side is sandwiched by the lower surface 12R of the upper case 12, and the lower side is sandwiched by the ribs 31 and 32. The vertical direction is fixed.

  At the time of fixing in the vertical direction, generation of vertical gaps between the glass plate 18 and the edges 25e and 26e of the opening 12a of the upper case 12 is suppressed. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the lower case 13 is assembled to the upper case 12, the ribs 31 push up the glass plate 18. The glass plate 18 pushes the ridge portion 25 upward by the urging force F3 generated upward along with this push-up. Then, the ridge portion 25 is bent and displaced (deformed) from the state indicated by the two-dot chain line in the drawing to the state indicated by the solid line. At this time, the lower surface (slope) 25 s of the ridge portion 25 abuts first because the end on the edge 25 e side of the opening 12 a is closest to the flat surface 18 p of the glass plate 18, and during the displacement, the lower surface (slope) 25 s The end portion maintains a contact state with the flat surface 18p of the glass plate 18. In other words, the inclination angle α of the lower surface 25s is set so that the end on the edge 25e side always abuts on the glass plate 18 when the ridge 25 is displaced.

  Similarly, the ridge portion 26 is also displaced (deformed) from the state indicated by the two-dot chain line in the drawing to the state indicated by the solid line, but the gap SL2 provided between the ridge portion 25 and the ridge portion 26. Thus, each displacement (deformation) does not affect each other. Accordingly, the thickness in the vertical direction at the edge 25e, 26e side end of the ridges 25, 26 that determines the respective displacement amounts of the ridges 25, 26 is, for example, before the lower case 13 is assembled. Different values may be used to correct the initial deformation of the upper case 12.

  6A and 6B illustrate the state of displacement (deformation) of the ridge portion 25 in the region indicated by the arrow E2 in FIG. The same applies to the region indicated by the arrow E1. Further, although description is omitted in the present embodiment, the protrusion 26 is also attached to the upper case 12 of the glass plate 18 and the glass plate 18 is fixed by assembling the lower case 13 to the upper case 12. The same displacement (deformation) as that of the ridge portion 25 is generated. Therefore, also in each area | region shown with the arrow E3 and the arrow E4 in FIG. 2, the protruding item | line part 26 is displaced (deformed) similarly to FIG. 6 (a) (b).

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the edges 25e and 26e of the opening 12a in the upper case 12 are divided by the gaps SL1 to SL4 formed at the four corners of the rectangular opening 12a, between the edges 25e and 26e adjacent to each other at right angles. The deformation of the upper case 12 is not affected by each other. Therefore, for example, by attaching the glass plate 18, if there is a difference in the bending (deformation) of the upper case 12 between the edges 25 e and 26 e of the opening 12 a, by dividing this bending at the four corners of the opening 12 a, It can suppress so that the deformation | transformation by bending of each edge 25e and 26e may not mutually influence. As a result, it is possible to provide the scanner 11 in which the generation of a gap between the upper case 12 and the glass plate 18 is suppressed. Further, since the gaps SL1 to SL4 are closed without being opened by the glass plate 18, foreign matter such as paper dust does not enter the line sensor 15 side.

  (2) The contact portions with the glass plate 18 can be positioned on the side of the edges 25e and 26e of the opening 12a provided in the upper case 12 by the ridges 25 and 26. For example, even if there is a difference in the bending of the protrusions 25 and 26 at the edges 25e and 26e of the opening 12a due to contact with the glass plate 18, the protrusions 25 and 26 are divided at the four corners of the opening 12a. By doing so, it can suppress so that the deformation | transformation by the bending of the protruding line parts 25 and 26 may not mutually influence between the protruding line parts 25 and 26 of each edge 25e and 26e. As a result, it is possible to provide the scanner 11 that suppresses the generation of a gap between the upper case 12 and the glass plate 18 on the edge 25e, 26e side.

  (3) The bending of the edges 25e and 26e in the opening 12a can be adjusted by the thickness of the ridges 25 and 26. Therefore, for example, when the deformation existing in the upper case 12 is different between the edges 25e and 26e of the opening 12a, the thickness of the protruding strips 25 and 26 divided at the four corners of the opening 12a is changed. By doing so, it is possible to bend the upper case 12 so that the deformation due to the bending of the ridges 25, 26 at the edges 25e, 26e does not affect each other, thereby suppressing the deformation of the upper case 12 at the opening 12a. it can. As a result, it is possible to provide the scanner 11 in which the generation of a gap between the upper case 12 and the glass plate 18 at the edges 25e and 26e of the opening 12a is suppressed.

  (4) By attaching the glass plate 18 to the upper case 12, the edge portions 25e and 26e side of the opening portion 12a of the ridge portions 25 and 26 are most bent. Therefore, by making the surfaces of the ridges 25 and 26 facing the glass plate 18 into a slope shape, the ridges 25 and 26 can be reliably brought into contact with the glass plate 18 on the sides 25e and 26e. . As a result, it is possible to provide the scanner 11 in which the generation of a gap between the glass plate 18 and the upper case 12 is suppressed.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the above embodiment, the thickness in the direction perpendicular to the placement surface of the upper case 12 (up and down direction) is adjacent to the respective protrusions 25 and 26 on the side opposite to the opening 12a. It may be provided so as to be different between regions. For example, the region adjacent to the longitudinal ridges 25 may be thinner than the region adjacent to the lateral ridges 26 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. This modification will be described with reference to FIG. 7A is a drawing corresponding to FIG. 4B, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7b-7b in FIG. 7A.

  As shown in FIG. 7 (a), in this modification, adjacent to the edge 25e side (here, the front side) of the ridge 25, the left and right direction along the ridge 25 with a constant width Wc. A groove portion 25c extending in the direction is formed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7B, the groove 25 c is thinner in the upper case 12 in the vertical direction of the upper case 12 than in the lower surface 12 </ b> R. By doing so, the edge 25e side in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) is more easily bent than the edge 26e side in the short side direction (front-rear direction). In this modification, as shown in FIG. 7A, the gap SL2 further extends from the region that divides the ridge portion 25 and the ridge portion 26, and extends across the formation region of the groove 25c. Has been.

  According to the present modification, the edge 25e (projection strip 25) in the longitudinal direction is easily bent, and therefore the amount of bending in the longitudinal direction is made larger than that in the short direction when the glass plate 18 is attached to the upper case 12. be able to. Therefore, for example, when the upper case 12 is formed by resin molding, the existing deformation (warping or bending) of the edge 25e in the longitudinal direction may be large in the opening 12a of the upper case 12. In such a case, since the existing deformation in the longitudinal direction in the opening 12a can be easily corrected, it is possible to provide the scanner 11 in which the generation of a gap between the glass plate 18 and the upper case 12 is suppressed. Of course, in the case where the existing deformation (warping or bending) existing in the short direction of the rectangular shape in the opening 12a is large, the existing deformation is formed by forming a groove adjacent to the side opposite to the edge 26e side of the ridge 26. Can be easily corrected.

  In the above embodiment, the gaps SL1, SL2, SL3, and SL4 formed at the four corners of the opening 12a have a single slit shape with an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the edges 25e and 26e. Of course not. For example, a plurality of gaps SL1 to SL4 may be extended in different directions at the four corners of the opening 12a.

  As an example, as shown in FIG. 8A, the gap SL2 may be formed by a slit-like gap SL2a and a gap SL2b extending in two different directions. That is, the gap SL2a extends in the front-rear direction at an angle β so as to be approximately orthogonal to the edge 25e, and the gap SL2b extends in the left-right direction at an angle γ so as to be approximately orthogonal to the edge 26e. To do. According to this configuration, the slit-shaped gap can be provided in a direction substantially orthogonal to the respective edges, so that the projections 25 and 26 can be easily deformed (bent) in the opening 12a, and the projections can be formed. The mutual influence of the deformation of the portions 25 and 26 can be reduced.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the gap SL2 is angled with respect to the edge 26e and the slit-like gap SL2d extending in a direction in which the angle β is acute with respect to the edge 25e of the opening 12a. You may make it form with slit-shaped gap | interval SL2e extended in the direction in which (gamma) makes an acute angle. By doing so, the length between the two gaps in the front-rear direction or the gap between the two gaps in the left-right direction in the upper case 12 becomes narrower away from the edges 25e, 26e. The deformation of 26 can be further facilitated. Moreover, the mutual influence of the deformation | transformation of the protruding item | line parts 25 and 26 can be decreased more.

  In the above embodiment, the gaps SL1 to SL4 do not necessarily have a slit shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 8C, the gap SL2 may be formed by one gap SL2c having a substantially fan shape. That is, the gap SL2c is formed so as to cut the upper case 12 so as to be substantially orthogonal to the edge 25e of the opening 12a and to cut the upper case 12 so as to be substantially orthogonal to the edge 26e. According to this configuration, since the ridges 25 and the ridges 26 can be largely separated from each other in the upper case 12 as compared with the slit-shaped gap, the mutual influence of the deformation of the ridges 25 and 26 is affected. Further, it can be reduced.

  -In the said embodiment, the protruding item | line parts 25 and 26 do not necessarily need to be provided. And when not providing the protruding item | line parts 25 and 26, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted here, as the shape of the lower surface 12R of the upper case 12 approaches the edge 25e and 26e in the peripheral region of the opening part 12a, for example, gradually. It is preferable to make it the slope shape which falls to. By doing so, for example, the same effect as that of the lower surface 25s of the ridge portion 25 can be obtained, so that it is possible to provide the scanner 11 in which the generation of a gap between the glass plate 18 and the upper case 12 is suppressed.

  In the above embodiment, the scanner 11 is attached to another device (in this case, the printer 100), but may be a single scanner 11 that is independent from the device. In addition, a cover that covers the document sheet placed on the glass plate 18 may be attached to the upper case 12 so as to be rotatable.

  The image reading apparatus is not limited to the scanner 11 of the above-described embodiment, and the present invention can be used as long as the apparatus has a structure in which a plate-like transparent member is attached to the casing and has a configuration for reading an image through the transparent member. Can be applied.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Scanner as image reading device, 12 ... Upper case as housing, 12a ... Opening, 13 ... Lower case, 15 ... Line sensor as image reading means, 18 ... Glass plate as transparent member, 18p ... Flat Surface, 25, 26 ... ridge, 25e, 26e ... edge, 100 ... printer, F1, F2, F3 ... biasing force, SL1, SL2, SL3, SL4, SL2a, SL2b, SL2c, SL2d, SL2e ... gap.

Claims (6)

A housing having a rectangular opening;
A plate-like transparent member attached to the casing so as to close the opening;
An image reading device comprising: an image reading unit that reads an image of an object placed on a placement surface that is inside the opening in the transparent member,
An image reading apparatus characterized in that gaps that divide edges that are orthogonal to each other in the opening are cut from the opening side at four corners of the opening in the housing. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1,
The casing is provided with a ridge having a certain width from the edge along the edge of the opening on the side on which the transparent member is attached.
2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gap is formed so as to divide at least the ridge portion. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2,
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions are provided so that the thicknesses in the direction perpendicular to the placement surface are different between edges adjacent to each other at right angles to the opening. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The ridge is
An image reading apparatus, characterized in that the thickness in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface has a slope shape that becomes thicker as it approaches the edge of the opening. The image reading apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
Between the adjacent edges of the opening perpendicular to each other, the thickness of the casing in a direction perpendicular to the placement surface is adjacent to the opposite side of the opening with respect to each of the convex strips. An image reading apparatus provided so as to be different between the respective areas. In the image reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The image reading apparatus is characterized in that a plurality of the gaps are formed to extend in different directions at the four corners of the opening.

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