TWI415445B - Sheet-fed scanner with emergency stop function - Google Patents

Abstract

A sheet-fed scanner with an emergency stop function includes a sheet transporting mechanism, a scanning module, a control module and an emergency stop module. The sheet transporting mechanism transports an original past a scan region in a forward direction. The scanning module acquires the original within the scan region. The control module, electrically connected to the sheet transporting mechanism and the scanning module, controls operations of the sheet transporting mechanism and the scanning module. The emergency stop module, connected to the control module and the sheet transporting mechanism, is actuated to cause the sheet transporting mechanism to stop transporting the original while the scanning module and the control module are kept in power-on states.

Description

Paper-fed scanner with emergency stop function

The present invention relates to a sheet-fed scanner, and more particularly to a sheet-fed scanner having an emergency stop function.

Due to the reduction in cost, commercially available low-cost photo scanners are generally designed to be unopenable, but in this way there is a problem in that it is difficult to remove the paper jammed in the scanner during paper jams.

Since the scanner is of a non-openable type, and the depth of field of a scanning module such as a Contact Image Sensor (CIS) is limited, the paper gap is usually small. Therefore, if there is a poor condition of the paper, or a damaged or chamfered photo is fed, it is inevitable that a paper jam will occur. At this time, the scanner without the jam detector does not know that the jam has occurred, and continues to operate until it reaches a set time or cannot be operated. As a result, the user does not know how to properly remove the jam. If only a portion of the paper passes through the feed roller, the user may be able to pull the front end of the paper to eliminate the jam. However, if the paper is thin paper or wrinkled paper, the paper may jam and squeeze the passage. In this case, the paper is difficult to remove, or the paper may be damaged.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a sheet-fed scanner having an emergency stop function as a solution to the above problem. If the user already knows that the paper to be fed is a paper that is more problematic, the user can pay special attention to whether or not a paper jam will occur, so that the emergency stop function can be activated at any time.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet-fed scanner having an emergency stop function for an emergency stop of the operation of the sheet-fed scanner in an emergency or in need.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a paper feeding scanner having an emergency stop function, comprising a paper feeding mechanism, a scanning module, a control module and an emergency stop module. The paper feeding mechanism is for feeding an original through a scanning area in a forward direction. The scanning module is configured to capture an image of the original fed through the scanning area. The control module is electrically connected to the paper feeding mechanism and the scanning module for controlling the operation of the paper feeding mechanism and the scanning module. The emergency stop module is connected to one of the control module and the paper feeding mechanism for being actuated to cause the paper feeding mechanism to stop feeding the original, and the scanning module and the control module are still maintained in an energized state.

Thereby, the user can activate the emergency stop function in the event of a paper jam to minimize the damage.

In order to make the above description of the present invention more comprehensible, a preferred embodiment will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 shows a schematic diagram of a sheet-fed scanner with an emergency stop function in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram of a paper-fed scanner having an emergency stop function in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper-feeding scanner 1 having an emergency stop function of the present embodiment includes a paper feeding mechanism 10, a scanning module 20, a control module 30, and emergency stop modules 40 and 40'. .

The paper feeding mechanism 10 is for feeding an original O through a scanning area SA toward a forward direction DF. The paper feeding mechanism 10 includes a plurality of paper feed rollers 11, 12, 16 and 17 and a power source 18 for driving the paper feed rollers 11, 12, 16 and 17, such as a motor. The paper feed rollers 11 and 16 can cooperate to feed the original O. The paper feed rollers 12 and 17 can cooperate to feed the original O. The pulley 13 rotates coaxially with the paper feed roller 11. The pulley 14 rotates coaxially with the paper feed roller 12. The belt 15 transmits the power of the pulley 13 to the pulley 14. Therefore, the paper feed rollers 11 and 16 and the paper feed rollers 12 and 17 can be simultaneously rotated to synchronously feed the original O.

The scanning module 20 is configured to capture an image of the original O fed through the scanning area SA. The scanning module 20 may include a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) or a Contact Type Image Sensor (CIS).

The control module 30 is electrically connected to the paper feeding mechanism 10 and the scanning module 20 for controlling the operation of the paper feeding mechanism 10 and the scanning module 20.

The emergency stop module 40 is connected to the control module 30, and the emergency stop module 40' is connected to the paper feed mechanism 10. The emergency stop module 40/40' is used to be actuated to cause the paper feed mechanism 10 to stop feeding the original O. It is worth noting that the emergency stop modules 40 and 40' may be present separately or simultaneously. Moreover, the function of the emergency stop modules 40 and 40' is to cause the paper feeding mechanism 10 to stop feeding the original O instead of powering down the entire paper fed scanner. Therefore, when the emergency stop modules 40 and 40' are activated, both the scan module 20 and the control module 30 are still energized. In this way, after the paper feeding mechanism 10 is urgently stopped, the user does not need to wait for the scanner 1 to warm up again in order to achieve uniform brightness of the light source of the scanning module 20.

The emergency stop module 40 is configured to output an emergency stop signal S1 to the control module 30. Then, the control module 30 stops the operation of the paper feeding mechanism 10 according to the emergency stop signal S1. At the same time, the control module 30 can control the scanning module 20 to stop scanning the original according to the emergency stop signal S1. In this example, the control module 30 stops the power source 18 from outputting power to the paper feed rollers 11, 12, 16, and 17 in response to the emergency stop signal S1. The emergency stop module 40 can include an emergency stop operation interface, such as an emergency stop button or knob, for the user to press or rotate to input an emergency stop indication, and the emergency stop module 40 outputs the emergency stop signal S1. In another example, the emergency stop operation interface can be a multi-function input interface, and can be used by the user to input an operation indication, so that the emergency stop module 40 outputs an operation signal S2 different from the emergency stop signal S1. The operation signal S2 is, for example, a signal for controlling the scanning module 20 to start scanning, a signal for the scanning module 20 to enter the sleep mode, or other signals for causing the paper-fed scanner 1 to perform other actions.

Alternatively, the emergency stop module 40 outputs one of the operation signal S2 and the emergency stop signal S1 according to the length of time during which the emergency stop operation interface is operated. For example, when the emergency stop button is pressed for more than three seconds, the emergency stop module 40 outputs an emergency stop signal S1; when the emergency stop button is pressed for less than one second, the emergency stop module 40 The operation signal S2 is output.

The paper feeding mechanism 10 can further feed the original O in a reverse direction DR opposite to the forward direction DF. In order to smoothly eliminate the jam, when the emergency stop module 40 is activated, the emergency stop module 40 can output a reverse signal S3 to the control module 30, and the control module 30 controls the paper feeding mechanism 10 according to the reverse signal S3. The document O is fed in the reverse direction DR, and the original O is returned to a home position or discharged to the outside of the scanner 1. The control module 30 controls the power source 18 to reverse according to the reverse signal S3 to drive the paper feed rollers 11, 12, 16 and 17 to feed the original O in the reverse direction DR.

After the jam is removed, if the scanning can be continued, the user can activate the emergency stop module 40 again to output a forward signal S4 to the control module 30. In this case, the control module 30 controls the paper feeding mechanism 10 to continue feeding the original O in the forward direction DF according to the forward signal S4 to continue the operation of capturing the image. Alternatively, the scanning module 20 may not perform an action of capturing an image.

Figure 3 shows an embodiment of another variation of Figure 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the paper feeding mechanism 10 includes paper feed rollers 11, 12, 16, and 17, a power source 18, and a clutch 19C. The clutch 19C is for selectively engaging the paper feed rollers 11, 12, 16 and 17 to the power source 18. The control module 30 controls the clutch 19C to interrupt the power output to the paper feed rollers 11, 12, 16, and 17 in accordance with the emergency stop signal S1.

In addition to the configuration of the clutch described above, another configuration of the clutch can be used. The emergency stop module 40' can be actuated to disconnect the power source 18 from the power of the paper feed rollers 11, 12, 16, and 17. In this example, the power connection between the power source 18 and the paper feed rollers 11, 12, 16 and 17 is achieved by meshing a plurality of gears 19A, 19B, 19C1 and 19C2. Figures 4 and 5 show an example of the application of the emergency stop module. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the clutch 19C' includes a coaxially disposed gear 19C1 and a gear 19C2. As shown in Fig. 4, the gear 19C1 meshes with the gear 19A, and the gear 19C2 meshes with the gear 19B. The roller 11 and the gear 19B are mounted on the shaft 19D. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the emergency stop module 40' has not been actuated, such as when the finger has not pressed the emergency stop module 40', the power of the power source 18 can pass through the gears 19A, 19C1, 19C2, and 19B and The shaft 19D is transmitted to the roller 11. As shown in FIG. 5, when the emergency stop module 40' is actuated, such as when the finger presses the emergency stop module 40', the link 43 rotates counterclockwise to pull the link 44 up. At this time, the gear 19C1 is separated from the gear 19A, and the gear 19C2 is separated from the gear 19B, so that the power of the power source 18 cannot be transmitted to the roller 11.

Figure 6 shows an example of an emergency stop module. As shown in FIG. 6, the emergency stop operation interface of the emergency stop module 40 includes a plurality of buttons 41 and 42 for the user to simultaneously press, so that the emergency stop module 40 outputs the emergency stop signal S1. This is an implementation that is achieved using the function keys on the original scanner. For example, when the user simultaneously presses the original "SCAN" and "SLEEP" buttons, the aforementioned emergency stop signal S1, reverse signal S3, and forward signal S4 can be generated to achieve the goal. The features you need.

Thereby, the user can activate the emergency stop function in the event of a paper jam to minimize the damage. If the user already knows that the paper to be fed is a paper that is more problematic, the user can pay special attention to whether or not a paper jam will occur, so that the emergency stop function can be activated at any time.

The specific embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative only and not to limit the invention to the above embodiments, without departing from the spirit of the invention and the following claims. The scope of the invention and the various changes made are within the scope of the invention.

DF. . . Forward direction

DR. . . Reverse direction

O. . . Original

S1. . . Emergency stop signal

S2. . . Operation signal

S3. . . Reverse signal

S4. . . Forward signal

SA. . . Scanning area

1. . . scanner

10. . . Paper feeding mechanism

11, 12, 16, and 17. . . Paper feed roller

13. . . Pulley

14. . . Pulley

15. . . Belt

18. . . Power source

19A, 19B, 19C1, 19C2. . . gear

19C, 19C'. . . clutch

19D. . . axis

20. . . Scanning module

30. . . Control module

40. . . Emergency stop module

40'. . . Emergency stop module

41, 42. . . button

43, 44. . . link

1 shows a schematic diagram of a sheet-fed scanner with an emergency stop function in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram of a paper-fed scanner having an emergency stop function in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows another embodiment of Figure 2.

Figures 4 and 5 show another embodiment of the emergency stop module.

Figure 6 shows another embodiment of the emergency stop module.

DF. . . Forward direction

DR. . . Reverse direction

O. . . Original

S1. . . Emergency stop signal

S2. . . Operation signal

S3. . . Reverse signal

S4. . . Forward signal

SA. . . Scanning area

1. . . scanner

10. . . Paper feeding mechanism

11, 12, 16, and 17. . . Paper feed roller

13. . . Pulley

14. . . Pulley

15. . . Belt

18. . . Power source

19A, 19B. . . gear

20. . . Scanning module

30. . . Control module

40. . . Emergency stop module

40'. . . Emergency stop module

Claims (15)

A paper-feeding scanner with an emergency stop function, comprising: a paper feeding mechanism for feeding an original through a scanning area in a forward direction; and a scanning module for capturing the feeding through the scanning area An image of the original; a control module electrically connected to the paper feeding mechanism and the scanning module for controlling the operation of the paper feeding mechanism and the scanning module; and an emergency stop module connected to the control module a group or the paper feeding mechanism for being actuated to cause the paper feeding mechanism to stop feeding the original, while the scanning module and the control module are still maintained in an energized state; wherein the emergency stop module is actuated The control module controls the paper feeding mechanism to stop feeding the original, and controls the scanning module to stop capturing the image of the original; and the control module then controls the paper feeding mechanism toward the forward direction or opposite to the The original is fed in one of the forward directions in the reverse direction. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 1, wherein the emergency stop module is electrically connected to the control module for outputting an emergency stop signal to the control module, wherein the control module is The emergency stop signal stops the operation of the paper feeding mechanism. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 2, wherein the paper feeding mechanism comprises a plurality of paper feed rollers and a power source for driving the paper feed rollers, and the control module is configured according to the emergency stop signal The power source output power is stopped to the paper feed rollers. A paper-feeding scanner as described in claim 2, The paper feeding mechanism includes a plurality of paper feed rollers, a power source for driving the paper feed rollers, and a clutch for selectively connecting the paper feed rollers to the power source, the control module is based on The emergency stop signal controls the clutch to interrupt the power output to the paper feed rollers. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 2, wherein the control module controls the scanning module to stop scanning the original according to the emergency stop signal. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 2, wherein the emergency stop module comprises an emergency stop operation interface for a user to input an emergency stop indication, so that the emergency stop module outputs the emergency stop module Emergency stop signal. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 6, wherein the emergency stop operation interface is further configured for a user to input an operation instruction, so that the emergency stop module output is different from the emergency stop signal. Operation signal. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 7, wherein the emergency stop module outputs the operation signal or the emergency stop signal according to a length of time during which the emergency stop operation interface is operated. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 6, wherein the emergency stop operation interface comprises a plurality of buttons for a user to simultaneously press the buttons, so that the emergency stop module outputs the emergency stop. Signal. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 2, wherein the emergency stop module further outputs a reverse signal to the control module, and the control module controls the paper feeding mechanism to reverse according to the reverse signal. The original is fed in the reverse direction. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 10, wherein the paper feeding mechanism comprises a plurality of paper feed rollers and is configured to drive the feeds A power source of the paper roller, the control module controls the power source inversion according to the reverse signal to drive the paper feed rollers to feed the original in the reverse direction. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 2, wherein the emergency stop module further outputs a forward signal to the control module, and the control module controls the paper feeding mechanism according to the forward signal The forward direction continues to feed the original. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 1, wherein the emergency stop module is connected to the paper feeding mechanism. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 13, wherein the paper feeding mechanism comprises a plurality of paper feed rollers and a power source for driving the paper feed rollers, the emergency stop module being actuated The power source is disconnected from the power of the paper feed rollers. The paper-feeding scanner of claim 14, wherein the power source and the power-feeding of the paper-feeding rollers are achieved by meshing a plurality of gears.