JP2012171788A - Sheet material conveying device and image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet material conveying device which does not require a detection sensor to be provided at an opening part.SOLUTION: The sheet material conveying device includes: opening parts 11, 12a into which a sheet material can be introduced; rollers 112, 154 for taking in the sheet material introduced from the opening parts 11, 12a; a driving part 15 for rotatingly driving the rollers 112, 154; a CPU 50 for controlling the rotary drive of the driving part 15; and an encoder 16 for detecting rotation of the rollers 112, 154. The sheet material introduced from the opening part 11 can be taken into the device and discharged from the opening part 12a. The CPU 50 detects the opening part into which the sheet material has been introduced by the encoder 16 detecting the rotation of the take-in rollers 112, 154.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet material conveying technique for conveying a sheet-like medium.

  As an example of the sheet material conveying apparatus, there is an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) type image reading apparatus capable of continuously reading stacked sheet-like media (sheet materials). An ADF type image reading apparatus is capable of carrying out image reading processing by separating sheet materials of a predetermined size one by one and continuously automatically feeding them, so that a large amount of media is automatically conveyed. Can be read.

  On the other hand, when the sheet material is a thin medium, a film-like medium, or a medium different from commonly used paper such as a card, it may not be suitable for automatic paper feeding. Therefore, for media that are not suitable for automatic paper feeding, manual feeding from the discharge unit side is performed, and the sheet material is introduced into the apparatus by reversing the transport direction of the transport system from the normal time. Proposals have been made to enable reading (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-284478 JP 2008-270954 A

  In the image reading apparatus capable of introducing a sheet material from a plurality of openings as described above, a detection sensor is provided in the vicinity of each opening to detect the introduction of the sheet material. However, in order to provide the detection sensor, it is necessary to secure a space for disposing a mechanism including the detection sensor in the vicinity of the opening, and the apparatus becomes larger accordingly.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material conveying apparatus that detects and conveys a sheet material of each opening without providing a detection sensor in the opening. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus that detects and conveys a sheet material in each opening without reading a sensor, and reads an image.

  A sheet material conveying apparatus according to the present invention includes a first opening and a second opening that can introduce a sheet material, and a take-in roller that takes in the sheet material introduced from the first opening and the second opening. And a drive means for rotationally driving the take-in roller, a control means for controlling the rotation of the drive means, and a rotation detection means for detecting the rotation and direction of the take-in roller, from the first opening The introduced sheet material can be taken into the apparatus and discharged from the second opening, and the control means can detect the rotation of the take-in roller by the rotation detecting means, and the opening into which the sheet material has been introduced. Is detected.

  The sheet material can be detected without providing a detection sensor for detecting the sheet material of the first opening and the second opening.

1A and 1B are an external view and a schematic cross-sectional view of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a control configuration of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram of the encoder by one Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart of the conveyance control of the sheet material by one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on an image reading apparatus which is one form of an apparatus including a sheet material conveying apparatus. However, the present invention is also applicable to other forms of sheet material conveying apparatuses.

  FIG. 1A is an external view of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image reading apparatus taken along line II in FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a control configuration of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The image reading apparatus includes a conveyance / reading unit 10 having a mechanism for reading the image while conveying the sheet material M1 and the sheet material M2, and storage units 20 and 21 arranged on both sides thereof. For example, the drive unit 15 and the encoder 16 of FIG. 2 are stored in the storage unit 20. In the storage unit 21, for example, the CPU 50, the image reading control unit 51, the drive control unit 52, and the state detection unit 53 of FIG. 2 are stored.

  The sheet material M1 is, for example, paper. The sheet material M2 is, for example, a medium that is narrower and thicker than the sheet material M1, and is, for example, a plastic card.

  A paper feed tray 111 on which a plurality of sheet materials M1 are stacked is provided at one end of the conveyance / reading unit 10 so as to be openable and closable. In the state where the sheet feeding tray 111 is opened, the opening 11 (first opening) for introducing the sheet material M1 to the upper end side of the image reading apparatus is opened. On the other hand, a discharge unit 12 capable of discharging the sheet material M1 is formed at the other end of the conveyance / reading unit 10. For example, in the present embodiment, a part of the discharge unit 12 also serves as an opening 12a (second opening) into which the sheet material M2 is manually introduced. In the present embodiment, the opening 12a has a height that is larger than that of the other part of the discharge unit 12.

  Between the opening portion 11 and the discharge portion 12, a conveyance path (conveyance space) RT for conveying the sheet materials M1 and M2, and conveyance for feeding and conveying the sheet materials M1 and M2 along the conveyance path. A mechanism is provided. In the case of this embodiment, the sheet material transport mechanism includes a paper feed roller 112, a separation pad 113, a transport roller pair including a transport roller 152 and a driven roller 151, and a transport roller pair including a transport roller 154 and a driven roller 153. And.

  The paper feed roller 112 is a take-in roller for taking into the apparatus the sheet material M1 positioned in the lowest layer among the sheet materials M1 stacked on the paper feed tray 111. Further, the separation pad 113 is provided in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 112. The sheet material M1 fed along with the rotation of the sheet feeding roller 112 is taken in between the separation pad 113 and the outer peripheral surface of the sheet feeding roller 112 to automatically separate and feed one sheet at a time. Can do. The sheet material M1 introduced from the opening 11 is transported in the transport path RT by the paper feed roller 112 and the transport roller pair, and is discharged from the discharge unit 12.

  Image reading units 13 and 14 are arranged in the middle of the conveyance path RT from the opening 11 to the discharge unit 12. The image reading units 13 and 14 are units that read the images from the sheet materials M1 and M2 conveyed in the conveyance path RT, and extend over substantially the entire left and right width direction of the conveyance / reading unit 10. . The image reading units 13 and 14 are, for example, optically scanned, converted into electrical signals and read as image data, and include a light source such as an LED, an image sensor, a lens array, and the like.

  The image reading unit 13 reads the upper surfaces of the conveyed sheet materials M1 and M2, and the image reading unit 14 reads the lower surfaces of the conveyed sheet materials M1 and M2, respectively. The image reading unit 14 is disposed on the bottom side of the transport route RT on the top side. In the present embodiment, the configuration is such that both sides of the sheet materials M1 and M2 are read in this way, but one side of the image reading units 13 and 14 may be arranged to read one side.

  Here, in the conveyance of the sheet material M1 from the opening portion 11 to the discharge portion 12, the sheet material is formed at the bent portion RTw between the paper feed roller 112 and the conveyance roller pair (the conveyance roller 152 and the driven roller 151). M1 is curved and conveyed. Accordingly, it is difficult to transport card-like media (particularly thick media, high-rigid media, etc.). Therefore, the sheet material M2 is taken into the apparatus from the opening 12a by the conveying roller 154 that also functions as a sheet material take-in roller, and then conveyed to the image reading units 13 and 14 to read the image, and again the opening portion. It is made to discharge from 12a. By bending the conveyance path RT of the sheet material M1 in this way, the height dimension, depth dimension, etc. of the image reading apparatus can be reduced, and the entire apparatus can be reduced in size.

  Subsequently, a control mechanism of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The driving unit 15 is, for example, a motor that is rotated by a driving signal from the driving control unit 52, and rotationally drives the paper feeding roller 112 and the conveying rollers 152 and 154. The CPU 50 controls the drive control unit 52 to rotate the drive unit 15 in order to convey the sheet material M1 introduced from the opening 11 toward the image reading units 13 and 14. The rotation direction of the driving unit 15 for conveying the sheet material M1 toward the image reading units 13 and 14 is referred to as a first rotation direction. Further, the CPU 50 controls the drive control unit 52 to rotate the drive unit 15 in order to convey the sheet material M2 introduced from the opening 12a to the image reading units 13 and 14. The rotation direction of the drive unit 15 for conveying the sheet material M2 toward the image reading units 13 and 14 is referred to as a second rotation direction. After reading the sheet material M2 by the image reading units 13 and 14, the CPU 50 reverses the rotation direction of the driving unit 15 to the first rotation direction, and discharges the sheet material M2 from the discharge unit 12. The image reading is performed by the image reading control unit 51 controlling the image reading units 13 and 14 in accordance with an image reading instruction from the CPU 50.

  The state detection unit 53 and the encoder 16 constitute a rotation detection unit that determines whether or not the drive unit 15 is rotating and the rotation direction thereof. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the rotating shaft 165 of the encoder 16 is configured to rotate with the rotation of the driving unit 15. Further, the slit plate 163 is also rotated by the rotation of the rotation shaft 165. Further, the light detection units 161 and 162 are arranged so as to sandwich the slit plate 163. The light detection units 161 and 162 include a light emitting element and a light receiving element that face each other with the slit plate 163 interposed therebetween. The slit plate 163 is provided with one or more slits 164. When the slit 164 passes through the light detection units 161 and 162 due to the rotation of the slit plate 163, the light receiving element receives light from the light emitting elements facing each other. Receive light.

  The light detection units 161 and 162 output the light reception state of the light receiving element, that is, whether or not light is received to the state detection unit 53. When the light receiving states of the light receiving elements of the light detection units 161 and 162 do not change, the state detection unit 53 determines that the drive unit 15, that is, the paper feed roller 112 and the conveyance rollers 152 and 154 are stopped. On the other hand, when the light receiving states of the light receiving elements of the light detection units 161 and 162 change, the state detection unit 53 determines that the paper feed roller 112 and the transport rollers 152 and 154 are rotating. In this case, the state detection unit 53 determines the rotation direction from the phase difference between the light receiving states of the light receiving elements of the light detection units 161 and 162. Furthermore, the state detection unit 53 can detect the rotation amount of the drive unit 15 from the number of transitions of the light receiving state. In the present embodiment, the light from the light emitting element is blocked by the slit plate 163, and the light receiving element detects the light from the light emitting element at the position of the slit 164. However, for example, a blocking plate is provided at the slit position in FIG. 3 and nothing is provided at the slit plate 163, whereby the light receiving element detects that the light from the light emitting element is blocked. There may be. Further, in FIG. 3, one slit 164 is provided in the slit plate 163, but the number and arrangement thereof are not limited to this. The light detection units 161 and 162 are arranged at an angle of 90 degrees, but the angle is arbitrary as long as the rotation direction can be determined from the phase difference between the light reception states of the light detection units 161 and 162.

  Further, in the configuration using a DC motor as the drive unit 15, the rotation direction is switched in the direction of the voltage applied to the DC motor. In addition, the DC motor generates a counter electromotive voltage due to an external force, that is, a rotational force applied from the outside, in a non-driving state in which no voltage is applied for driving. By detecting this counter electromotive voltage, the rotation direction and rotation speed of the motor can be detected. By detecting the direction of rotation using the characteristics of the DC motor, the encoder 16 can be omitted, and the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified.

  Subsequently, a control method of the drive unit 15 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that at the start, the CPU 50 does not instruct the drive control unit 52 to drive the drive unit 15 and is not in the transport standby state. Note that the conveyance standby state is a state in which the CPU 50 detects the sheet material of the opening 11 or the opening 12a and the CPU 50 is waiting for reception of an image reading instruction signal serving as a trigger for starting conveyance of the detected sheet material. It is.

  In step S <b> 1, the CPU 50 stands by until the state detection unit 53 detects the rotation of the drive unit 15. When the state detection unit 53 detects the rotation of the drive unit 15, the CPU 50 acquires a signal indicating the rotation direction of the drive unit 15 from the state detection unit 53 in step S2, and determines the direction. When the rotation direction of the drive unit 15 is the first rotation direction, the CPU 50 determines that the sheet material M1 introduced by hand from the opening 11 is rotating the paper feed roller 112, that is, the opening The sheet material M1 of the part 11 is detected. Therefore, in step S3, the CPU 50 enters the conveyance standby state (first conveyance standby state) of the sheet material M1. On the other hand, when the rotation direction of the drive unit 15 is the second rotation direction, the CPU 50 determines that the sheet material M2 introduced by hand from the opening 12a is rotating the conveyance roller 154, that is, The sheet material M2 of the opening 12a is detected. Therefore, in step S4, the CPU 50 enters the conveyance standby state (second conveyance standby state) of the sheet material M2.

  In step S5, the CPU 50 determines whether an image reading instruction signal is received. When the image reading signal is not received, the CPU 50 determines whether or not the conveyance standby state is continued in step S9. If the transport standby state continues, the process returns to S5. On the other hand, when the conveyance standby state is not continued, the CPU 50 returns to the process of S1. Whether or not the transport standby state continues is determined by, for example, a cancel signal from an input unit (not shown) or another connected device. Alternatively, in order to determine whether or not the conveyance standby state continues, the CPU 50 acquires the rotation amount of the drive unit 15 in step S1 from the state detection unit 53 and stores it. Then, the CPU 50 determines that the conveyance standby state does not continue when the CPU 50 rotates by the rotation amount stored in the direction opposite to the rotation direction determined in step S2.

  When the CPU 50 receives the image reading instruction signal in step S5, the CPU 50 determines in step S6 whether or not it is in the first conveyance standby state. In the first conveyance standby state, the CPU 50 performs conveyance of the sheet material M1 and image reading control in step S7. Specifically, the CPU 50 instructs the drive control unit 52 to convey the sheet material M1 toward the image reading units 13 and 14, and causes the paper feed roller 112 and the conveyance rollers 152 and 154 to perform the first rotation. Rotate in the direction. Further, the CPU 50 controls the image reading control unit 51 to read the sheet material M <b> 1 after the sheet material M <b> 1 is conveyed to a position where it can be read by the image reading units 13 and 14. Thereafter, the CPU 50 instructs the drive control unit 52 to convey the sheet material M1 toward the discharge unit 12.

  On the other hand, in step S6, when it is not in the first conveyance standby state, that is, in the second conveyance standby state, the CPU 50 performs conveyance of the sheet material M2 and image reading control in step S8. Specifically, the CPU 50 instructs the drive control unit 52 to convey the sheet material M2 toward the image reading units 13 and 14, and rotates the conveyance rollers 152 and 154 in the second rotation direction. Further, the CPU 50 controls the image reading control unit 51 to read the sheet material M <b> 2 after the sheet material M <b> 2 is conveyed to a position where it can be read by the image reading units 13 and 14. Thereafter, the CPU 50 instructs the drive control unit 52 to convey the sheet material M2 toward the discharge unit 12, and rotates the conveyance rollers 152 and 154 in the first rotation direction.

  With the above configuration, the sheet material of the openings 11 and 12a can be detected without providing a detection sensor that detects the sheet material in the vicinity of the opening 11 and the opening 12a into which the sheet material can be introduced. Therefore, the image reading apparatus can be reduced in size. Further, by performing the control shown in FIG. 4, the first conveyance standby state and the second conveyance standby state become exclusive states, and the sheet material to be read can be specified.

  In the embodiment described above, a conveyance standby state in which an image reading instruction is awaited is provided. However, when it is detected in step S2 that the sheet material has been introduced into the opening 11 or the opening 12a, the reading control in step S7 or S8 may be executed as it is.

  Further, the conveyance amount of the sheet material can be obtained based on the rotation amount that can be acquired from the encoder 16, and thereby, it can be determined that the sheet material is at a reading position by the image reading units 13 and 14. Thereby, the sensor which detects the position of the sheet material with respect to the image reading units 13 and 14 can also be omitted.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the sheet material M2 is narrower and thicker than the sheet material M1, but the sheet material M2 does not have to be different from the sheet material M1. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the structure which expands the height of a part of discharge part 12, and does not provide the opening part 12a may be sufficient. That is, the whole discharge part 12 may be used as the opening 12a.

Claims (9)

A first opening and a second opening into which the sheet material can be introduced;
A take-in roller for taking in the sheet material introduced from the first opening or the second opening;
Drive means for rotationally driving the take-in roller;
Control means for controlling the rotational drive of the drive means;
Rotation detection means for detecting rotation of the take-in roller;
With
The sheet material introduced from the first opening can be taken into the apparatus and discharged from the second opening,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit detects an opening into which the sheet material is introduced when the rotation detection unit detects the rotation of the take-in roller.   When the rotation direction of the take-in roller detected by the rotation detection unit is the first rotation direction, the control unit detects the sheet material of the first opening, and the rotation detection unit detects The sheet material of the second opening is detected when the rotation direction of the take-in roller is a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction. The sheet material conveying apparatus as described.   When the control means detects the introduction of the sheet material from the second opening, the control means controls the driving means to take the sheet material into the apparatus, and then reverses the rotation of the driving means to remove the sheet material. The sheet material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material is controlled to be discharged from the second opening.   The said control means detects the opening part into which the sheet | seat material was introduce | transduced because the said rotation detection means detected the rotation of the said taking-in roller, when the rotation of the said drive means is not controlled. Item 4. The sheet material conveying apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 3. The driving means is one motor that rotationally drives each take-in roller of the first opening and the second opening,
5. The sheet material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation detecting unit detects rotation and a direction of the take-in roller. 6. The rotation detecting means includes
A slit plate that rotates with the rotation of the driving means;
A light detecting means including a light emitting element and a light receiving element opposed to each other with the slit plate interposed therebetween, and a light detecting means for changing a light receiving state of the light receiving element by rotation of the slit plate;
With
The sheet material conveying apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the rotation detection unit detects a rotation direction of the driving unit based on a light receiving state of the light detection unit. The driving means generates a voltage when receiving an external force in a non-driven state,
The sheet material conveying apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the rotation detecting unit detects a rotation direction of the driving unit based on the voltage. The sheet material conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Image reading means for reading an image of a sheet material and outputting it as image data;
An image reading apparatus comprising: The rotation detection means detects the amount of rotation of the drive means,
The control unit determines a conveyance amount of the sheet material from a rotation amount of the driving unit, and determines that the sheet material is at a reading position by the image reading unit.
The image reading apparatus according to claim 8.

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