Medium conveyance device, medium conveyance method, and control program

Abstract

To provide a medium conveyance device, a medium conveyance method and a control program that enable a user to further reliably identify a medium in which overlap has occurred.SOLUTION: The medium conveyance device has a conveyance roller for conveying a medium, a discharge roller placed downstream from the conveyance roller in a medium conveying direction and discharging the medium conveyed by the conveyance roller, a motor for driving the conveyance roller and the discharge roller, an overlap sensor for detecting overlap of media, and a control unit for controlling the motor so that a particular position of a series of overlapping media conveyed is stopped at a position between the conveyance roller and the discharge roller after the rear end of the series of the overlapping media conveyed has passed the position of the overlap sensor when the overlap of the media is detected by the overlap sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medium transport device, a medium transport method, and a control program. [Background technology]

[0002] In a media transport device such as a scanner that captures images of media placed on a loading platform while transporting the media, multiple media may be transported overlapping each other. When overlapping media occurs, the user must identify the overlapping media, return the identified media to the loading platform, and have the media transport device transport them again.

[0003] A document reading device has been disclosed that determines whether or not a multi-feed has occurred in a sheet fed into a sheet transport path, and if it is determined that a multi-feed has occurred, continues transporting the sheet in the multi-feed state and sends it to a sheet discharge section (see Patent Document 1). This document reading device clamps the sheet that has continued to be transported in the multi-feed state between the sheet discharge rollers and holds the sheet in that state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-63101 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a medium conveying device, when overlapping of media occurs, it is required that a user can more reliably identify the overlapping medium.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a medium conveying device, a medium conveying method, and a control program that enable a user to more reliably identify a medium in which an overlap has occurred. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A media transport device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a transport roller for transporting a medium, a discharge roller arranged downstream of the transport roller in the media transport direction and discharging the medium transported by the transport roller, a motor for driving the transport roller and the discharge roller, an overlap sensor for detecting an overlap of the media, and a control unit for controlling the motor so that when an overlap of the media is detected by the overlap sensor, a specific position of the series of overlapping media transported is stopped at a position between the transport roller and the discharge roller after the rear end of the series of overlapping media transported passes the position of the overlap sensor.

[0008] A media transport method according to one aspect of the present invention includes driving a transport roller and an ejection roller arranged downstream of the transport roller with a motor, transporting the media with the transport roller, ejecting the media transported by the transport roller with the ejection roller, detecting an overlap of the media with an overlap sensor, and controlling the motor so that, when an overlap of the media is detected by the overlap sensor, a specific position of the series of overlapping media transported is stopped at a position between the transport roller and the ejection roller after the rear end of the series of overlapping media transported passes the position of the overlap sensor.

[0009] A control program according to one aspect of the present invention is a control program for a media transport device having a transport roller for transporting a medium, a discharge roller arranged downstream of the transport roller in the media transport direction and discharging the medium transported by the transport roller, a motor for driving the transport roller and the discharge roller, and an overlap sensor for detecting an overlap of the media, and causes the media transport device to control the motor so that when an overlap of the media is detected by the overlap sensor, a specific position of the series of overlapping media transported is stopped at a position between the transport roller and the discharge roller after the rear end of the series of overlapping media transported passes the position of the overlap sensor. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the medium conveying device, the medium conveying method, and the control program enable the user to more reliably identify the medium in which overlapping has occurred. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a medium conveying device 100. [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram for explaining a transport path inside the medium transport device 100. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a medium conveying device 100. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a storage device 140 and a processing circuit 150. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the overall processing. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a reception screen 600. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a medium processing operation. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a medium processing operation. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the technical significance. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a portion of another media processing operation. [Figure 11] 13(A) and 13(B) are schematic diagrams for explaining the technical significance. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a processing circuit 250 according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, a medium conveying device, a medium conveying method, and a control program according to one aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, it should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, but extends to the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0013] 1 is a perspective view showing a medium conveying device 100 configured as an image scanner. The medium conveying device 100 conveys a medium, which is an original document, and captures an image of the medium. The medium is paper, thin paper, thick paper, card, or the like. The medium conveying device 100 may be a facsimile, a copier, a multifunction printer (MFP, Multifunction Peripheral), or the like. Note that the medium being conveyed may not be an original document, but may be a print target, or the like, and the medium conveying device 100 may be a printer, or the like.

[0014] 1, arrow A1 indicates the height direction perpendicular to mounting surface 103a of mounting table 103, arrow A2 indicates the medium transport direction, arrow A3 indicates the medium discharge direction, and arrow A4 indicates the width direction perpendicular to medium transport direction A2 or medium discharge direction A3. In the following, upstream refers to the upstream of medium transport direction A2 or medium discharge direction A3, and downstream refers to the downstream of medium transport direction A2 or medium discharge direction A3.

[0015] The medium conveying device 100 includes a first housing 101, a second housing 102, a placement table 103, a side guide 104, a discharge table 105, an operation device 106, a display device 107, and the like.

[0016] The second housing 102 is disposed inside the first housing 101 and rotatably engaged with the first housing 101 by a hinge so that it can be opened and closed when media overlap or when cleaning the inside of the media conveying device 100, for example.

[0017] The placement table 103 is a so-called hopper, has a placement surface 103a, and engages with the first housing 101 so as to be able to place the medium to be transported thereon. The placement table 103 is provided on the side surface of the first housing 101 and the second housing 102 on the medium supply side so as to be movable in a height direction A1 perpendicular to the placement surface 103a, i.e., so as to be able to rise and fall.

[0018] The side guide 104 is provided on the mounting surface 103a of the mounting table 103 so as to be movable in the width direction A4. The side guide 104 is positioned according to the width of the medium mounted on the mounting table 103 and regulates the width direction of the medium. In the example shown in Fig. 1, two side guides 104 are arranged with an interval between them in the width direction A4. The number of side guides 104 may be one.

[0019] The discharge stage 105 is formed on the second housing 102. The discharge stage 105 places the media discharged from the discharge ports of the first housing 101 and the second housing 102 thereon.

[0020] The operation device 106 has an input device such as a button and an interface circuit for acquiring a signal from the input device, accepts an input operation by a user, and outputs an operation signal according to the user's input operation. The display device 107 is an example of an output unit. The display device 107 has a display including a liquid crystal, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence), or the like, and an interface circuit for outputting image data to the display, and displays the image data on the display. The display device 107 may be a liquid crystal display with a touch panel function. In that case, the operation device 106 has an interface circuit for acquiring an input signal from the touch panel.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a transport path inside the medium transport device 100. As shown in FIG.

[0022] The transport path inside the media transport device 100 includes a placement sensor 111, a pick roller 112, a feed roller 113, a separation roller 114, an overlap sensor 115, first to fifth transport rollers 116a-e, first to fifth driven rollers 117a-e, first to third media sensors 118a-c, an imaging device 119, a discharge roller 120, and an opposing roller 121, etc.

[0023] The number of each of the pick roller 112, the feed roller 113, the separation roller 114, the first to fifth conveying rollers 116a-e, the first to fifth driven rollers 117a-e, the discharge roller 120, and / or the opposing roller 121 is not limited to one, and may be more than one. In this case, the multiple pick rollers 112, the feed roller 113, the separation roller 114, the first to fifth conveying rollers 116a-e, the first to fifth driven rollers 117a-e, the discharge roller 120, and / or the opposing roller 121 are arranged at intervals in the width direction A4.

[0024] Hereinafter, the feed roller 113 and the separation roller 114 may be collectively referred to as a feed section. The first to fifth conveyor rollers 116a-e and the first to fifth driven rollers 117a-e may be collectively referred to as a conveyor section. The first conveyor roller 116a and the first driven roller 117a, which are disposed on the most upstream side of the conveyor section, i.e., closest to the feed roller 113 and the separation roller 114, may be referred to as a first conveyor section. The fifth conveyor roller 116e and the fifth driven roller 117e, which are disposed on the most downstream side of the conveyor section, i.e., closest to the discharge roller 120, may be referred to as a fifth conveyor section. The discharge roller 120 and the opposing roller 121 may be collectively referred to as a discharge section. The fifth conveyor roller 116e and the fifth driven roller 117e are an example of conveyor rollers.

[0025] The medium transport device 100 has a so-called U-turn path. The surface of the first housing 101 facing the second housing 102 forms a first guide 101a of the medium transport path, and the surface of the second housing 102 facing the first housing 101 forms a second guide 102a of the medium transport path.

[0026] The placement sensor 111 is disposed on the placement table 103, that is, upstream of the feed roller 113 and the separation roller 114, and detects the placement state of the medium on the placement table 103. The placement sensor 111 determines whether or not a medium is placed on the placement table 103 by using a contact detection sensor that passes a predetermined current when the medium is in contact with the placement table 103 or not. The placement sensor 111 generates and outputs a placement signal whose signal value changes depending on whether or not the medium is placed on the placement table 103. Note that the placement sensor 111 is not limited to a contact detection sensor, and any other sensor capable of detecting the presence or absence of a medium, such as a light detection sensor, may be used as the placement sensor 111.

[0027] The pick roller 112 is provided in the second housing 102, and contacts the uppermost medium among the media placed on the placement table 103, which has been raised to approximately the same height as the media transport path, and feeds the medium downstream.

[0028] The feed roller 113 is provided in the second housing 102 downstream of the pick roller 112, and feeds the medium placed on the placement table 103 and fed by the pick roller 112 further downstream. The separation roller 114 is provided in the first housing 101 facing the feed roller 113. The separation roller 114 is a so-called brake roller or retard roller, and is provided so as to be rotatable or stoppable in the opposite direction to the medium feeding direction. The feed roller 113 and the separation roller 114 perform a medium separation operation, separate the media, and feed them one by one. The feed roller 113 is provided above the separation roller 114, and the medium conveying device 100 feeds the media by a so-called top-take method.

[0029] The overlap sensor 115 is disposed downstream of the feeding section and upstream of the conveying section, particularly the first conveying section. The overlap sensor 115 may be disposed at any position downstream of the feeding section and upstream of the discharge section. The overlap sensor 115 is an ultrasonic sensor including an ultrasonic transmitter 115a and an ultrasonic receiver 115b. The ultrasonic transmitter 115a and the ultrasonic receiver 115b are disposed near the medium conveying path and facing each other across the medium conveying path. The ultrasonic transmitter 115a emits ultrasonic waves. Meanwhile, the ultrasonic receiver 115b receives ultrasonic waves emitted by the ultrasonic transmitter 115a and passing through the medium, and generates and outputs an overlap signal, which is an electrical signal corresponding to the received ultrasonic waves. The overlap signal indicates the attenuation of the magnitude of the ultrasonic waves received by the ultrasonic receiver 115b relative to the magnitude of the ultrasonic waves emitted by the ultrasonic transmitter 115a. The overlap signal may indicate the magnitude of the phase shift of the ultrasound received by the ultrasound receiver 115b relative to the phase of the ultrasound transmitted by the ultrasound transmitter 115a.

[0030] When multiple media are transported overlapping each other, the ultrasonic waves passing through the media are attenuated by the air layer between the overlapping media. Also, when multiple media are transported overlapping each other, the phase of the ultrasonic waves passing through the media is shifted by the air layer between the overlapping media. Therefore, the signal value of the overlap signal changes depending on whether multiple media are present between the ultrasonic transmitter 115a and the ultrasonic receiver 115b, and the overlap sensor 115 can detect the overlap of the transported media.

[0031] The first to fifth conveying rollers 116a-e and the first to fifth driven rollers 117a-e are disposed downstream of the feeding section and upstream of the discharging section, facing each other. The first to fifth conveying rollers 116a-e and the first to fifth driven rollers 117a-e convey the medium fed by the pick roller 112, the feeding roller 113, and the separation roller 114 toward the downstream side.

[0032] The first medium sensor 118a is disposed downstream of the first transport roller 116a and the first driven roller 117a and upstream of the second transport roller 116b and the second driven roller 117b in the medium transport direction A2, and detects the medium transported to that arrangement position. The first medium sensor 118a may be disposed at any position downstream of the feed unit and upstream of the imaging device 119. The first medium sensor 118a includes a light emitter and a light receiver provided on one side of the medium transport path, and a light guide tube provided at a position facing the light emitter and the light receiver across the medium transport path. The light emitter is an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or the like, and irradiates light toward the medium transport path. On the other hand, the light receiver is a photodiode or the like, and receives the light irradiated by the light emitter and guided by the light guide tube. The first medium sensor 118a generates and outputs a first medium signal whose signal value changes depending on whether a medium is present or not at the position of the first medium sensor 118a, based on the intensity of light received by the optical receiver.

[0033] The second medium sensor 118b is disposed downstream of the third transport roller 116c and the third driven roller 117c and upstream of the fourth transport roller 116d and the fourth driven roller 117d in the medium transport direction A2, and detects the medium transported to that position. The second medium sensor 118b may be disposed at any position downstream of the imaging device 119 and upstream of the third medium sensor 118c. The second medium sensor 118b includes a light emitter and a light receiver provided on one side of the medium transport path, and a light guide tube provided at a position facing the light emitter and the light receiver across the medium transport path. The light emitter is an LED or the like, and emits light toward the medium transport path. On the other hand, the light receiver is a photodiode or the like, and receives the light emitted by the light emitter and guided by the light guide tube. The second medium sensor 118b generates and outputs a second medium signal whose signal value changes depending on whether a medium is present or not at the position of the second medium sensor 118b, based on the intensity of light received by the optical receiver.

[0034] The third medium sensor 118c is disposed downstream of the transport section, particularly the fifth transport section, and upstream of the discharge section in the medium transport direction A2, and detects the medium transported to the arrangement position. The third medium sensor 118c may be disposed at any position downstream of the second medium sensor 118b and upstream of the discharge section. The third medium sensor 118c includes a light emitter and a light receiver provided on one side of the medium transport path, and a light guide tube provided at a position facing the light emitter and the light receiver across the medium transport path. The light emitter is an LED or the like, and emits light toward the medium transport path. On the other hand, the light receiver is a photodiode or the like, and receives the light emitted by the light emitter and guided by the light guide tube. The third medium sensor 118c generates and outputs a third medium signal whose signal value changes depending on whether a medium is present or not at the position of the third medium sensor 118c based on the intensity of the light received by the light receiver.

[0035] Hereinafter, first to third medium sensors 118a to 118c may be collectively referred to as medium sensor 118. Note that in each medium sensor 118, a reflective member such as a mirror may be used instead of a light guide tube. Also, the light emitter and the light receiver may be provided facing each other with the medium transport path in between. Also, each medium sensor 118 may detect the presence of the medium using a contact detection sensor or the like that passes a predetermined current when the medium is in contact or when the medium is not in contact.

[0036] The imaging device 119 is an example of an imaging section. The imaging device 119 is disposed downstream of the first and second transport rollers 116a-b in the medium transport direction A2. The imaging device 119 captures an image of the medium transported by the pick roller 112, the feed roller 113, the separation roller 114, the first and second transport rollers 116a-b, and the first and second driven rollers 117a-b. The imaging device 119 includes a first imaging device 119a and a second imaging device 119b disposed opposite each other across the medium transport path.

[0037] The first imaging device 119a has a line sensor using a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) of a life-size optical system type having imaging elements using CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) linearly arranged in the main scanning direction. The first imaging device 119a also has a lens that forms an image on the imaging element, and an A / D converter that amplifies and analog-to-digital (A / D) converts the electrical signal output from the imaging element. The first imaging device 119a sequentially generates line images at regular intervals by capturing an area facing the line sensor on the surface of the medium being transported. The first imaging device 119a generates and outputs a partial image including one or more line images.

[0038] Similarly, the second imaging device 119b has a line sensor using a CIS of a life-size optical system type having CMOS imaging elements arranged in a line in the main scanning direction. The second imaging device 119b also has a lens that forms an image on the imaging element, and an A / D converter that amplifies and analog-to-digital (A / D) converts the electrical signal output from the imaging element. The second imaging device 119b sequentially generates line images at regular intervals by capturing an area facing the line sensor on the back side of the medium being transported. The second imaging device 119b generates and outputs a partial image including one or more line images.

[0039] The medium conveying device 100 may have only one of the first imaging device 119a and the second imaging device 119b arranged to read only one side of the medium. Also, instead of a CIS line sensor of an equal magnification optical system type having a CMOS imaging element, a CIS line sensor of an equal magnification optical system type having a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) imaging element may be used. Also, a reduction optical system type line sensor having a CMOS or CCD imaging element may be used.

[0040] The discharge roller 120 and the opposing roller 121 are disposed opposite each other on the downstream side of the conveying section, particularly the fifth conveying section. The opposing roller 121 rotates following the rotation of the discharge roller 120. The discharge roller 120 and the opposing roller 121 discharge the medium conveyed by the conveying section onto the discharge tray 105.

[0041] The medium placed on the placement table 103 is transported between the first guide 101a and the second guide 102a in the medium transport direction A2 by the rotation of the pick roller 112 and the feed roller 113 in the medium feed direction A5 and A6, respectively. The medium transport device 100 has a separation mode in which the medium is separated while being fed, and a non-separation mode in which the medium is not separated and is fed. The feed mode is set by the user using the operation device 106 or an information processing device (not shown) that is connected to the medium transport device 100 for communication. When the feed mode is set to the separation mode, the separation roller 114 rotates or stops in the direction of the arrow A7, i.e., in the opposite direction to the medium feed direction. This limits the feeding of media other than the separated medium (prevention of double feeding). On the other hand, when the feed mode is set to the non-separation mode, the separation roller 114 rotates in the opposite direction to the arrow A7, i.e., in the medium feed direction.

[0042] The medium is guided by the first guide 101a and the second guide 102a, and is sent to the imaging position of the imaging device 119 by the rotation of the first and second transport rollers 116a-b in the directions of arrows A8-A9, and is imaged by the imaging device 119. Furthermore, the medium is discharged onto the discharge table 105 by the rotation of the third to fifth transport rollers 116c-e and the discharge roller 120 in the directions of arrows A10-A13, respectively.

[0043] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the medium conveying device 100. As shown in FIG.

[0044] In addition to the components described above, the medium conveying device 100 further includes a motor 131, a communication device 132, a storage device 140, a processing circuit 150, and the like.

[0045] The motor 131 includes one or more motors. The motor 131 generates a driving force for rotating the pick roller 112, the feed roller 113, the separation roller 114, the first to fifth conveying rollers 116a-e, and the discharge roller 120 in response to a control signal from the processing circuit 150. The motor 131 drives the pick roller 112, the feed roller 113, the separation roller 114, the first to fifth conveying rollers 116a-e, and the discharge roller 120 with this driving force, thereby conveying and discharging the medium. Note that the first to fifth driven rollers 117a-e and / or the opposing roller 121 may be provided so as to rotate according to the driving force of the motor 131, rather than being driven to rotate by the first to fifth conveying rollers 116a-e or the discharge roller 120. The motors driving the pick roller 112, the feed roller 113, the separation roller 114, the first to fifth transport rollers 116a to 116e, and / or the discharge roller 120 may be the same motor or different motors. In addition, the motor 131 generates a driving force for moving the mounting table 103 according to a control signal from the processing circuit 150.

[0046] The communication device 132 is an example of an output unit. The communication device 132 has a wired communication interface circuit according to a communication protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol). The communication device 132 is capable of communicating with an information processing device, and is communicatively connected to the information processing device to transmit and receive various images and information. The communication device 132 may have an antenna for transmitting and receiving wireless signals, and a wireless communication interface circuit for transmitting and receiving signals through a wireless communication line according to a predetermined wireless communication protocol, and may be communicatively connected to the information processing device. The predetermined wireless communication protocol is, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), etc. The communication device 132 may also have an interface circuit conforming to a serial bus such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), and may be electrically connected to the information processing device.

[0047] The storage device 140 includes a memory device such as a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM), a fixed disk device such as a hard disk, or a portable storage device such as a flexible disk or an optical disk. The storage device 140 also stores computer programs, databases, tables, and the like used for various processes of the medium conveying device 100. The computer programs may be installed in the storage device 140 from a computer-readable portable recording medium using a known setup program or the like. The portable recording medium is, for example, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) or a digital versatile disc read only memory (DVD-ROM). The storage device 140 also stores partial images, input images, and the like as data.

[0048] The processing circuit 150 operates based on a program previously stored in the storage device 140. The processing circuit is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processing circuit 150 may be, for example, a DSP (digital signal processor), an LSI (large scale integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0049] The processing circuit 150 is connected to the operation device 106, the display device 107, the placement sensor 111, the overlap sensor 115, the medium sensor 118, the imaging device 119, the motor 131, the communication device 132, the storage device 140, and the like, and controls each of these components. The processing circuit 150 performs drive control of the motor 131, imaging control of the imaging device 119, and the like, based on signals received from the placement sensor 111 and the medium sensor 118. The processing circuit 150 acquires a partial image from the imaging device 119 to generate an input image, and transmits the input image to the information processing device via the communication device 132. The processing circuit 150 also determines whether or not an overlap of media has occurred based on an overlap signal received from the overlap sensor 115, and when an overlap of media has occurred, controls the motor 131 to stop a series of overlapping and transported media at a predetermined position.

[0050] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the storage device 140 and the processing circuit 150. As shown in FIG.

[0051] 4, the storage device 140 stores a control program 141, a reception program 142, a determination program 143, a combination program 144, and the like. Each of these programs is a functional module implemented by software that runs on a processor. The processing circuit 150 reads each program stored in the storage device 140 and operates according to the read program. As a result, the processing circuit 150 functions as a control unit 151, a reception unit 152, a determination unit 153, and a combination unit 154.

[0052] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall processing operation of the medium conveying device 100.

[0053] An example of the overall processing operation of the medium conveying device 100 will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 5. The flow of the operation described below is executed mainly by the processing circuit 150 in cooperation with each element of the medium conveying device 100 based on a program previously stored in the storage device 140. The overall processing is executed when the medium conveying device 100 is powered on.

[0054] First, the control unit 151 waits until a user inputs an instruction to read a medium using the operation device 106 or an information processing device, and an operation signal instructing the user to read a medium is received from the operation device 106 or the communication device 132 (step S101).

[0055] Next, control unit 151 acquires a placement signal from placement sensor 111, and determines whether or not a medium is placed on placement table 103 based on the acquired medium signal (step S102). If no medium is placed on placement table 103, control unit 151 returns the process to step S101 and waits until a new operation signal is received.

[0056] On the other hand, when a medium is placed on the placement table 103, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 to raise the placement table 103. Furthermore, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 to rotate the pick roller 112, the feeding roller 113, the separation roller 114, the first to fifth transport rollers 116a-e, the first to fifth driven rollers 117a-e, the discharge roller 120 and / or the opposing roller 121. In this way, the control unit 151 feeds, transports and discharges the medium (step S103).

[0057] Next, the control unit 151 determines whether or not a medium remains on the placement table 103 based on the placement signal received from the placement sensor 111 (step S104).

[0058] If media remain on the placement table 103, the control unit 151 determines whether or not the stop flag is set to ON (step S105). The stop flag is a flag that indicates whether or not the medium being transported is to be stopped, and is managed for each transported medium. In the medium processing described below, the stop flag is set to OFF when feeding of each medium begins, and is set to ON when an overlap of media is detected and a specific position of the series of media transported in an overlapping state reaches a predetermined position in the medium transport path. The specific position of the series of media transported in an overlapping state and the predetermined position in the medium transport path will be described later. If the stop flag is set to OFF, the control unit 151 returns the process to step S104, and repeats the processes from step S104 onwards.

[0059] On the other hand, when the stop flag is set to ON, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 to stop the pick roller 112, the feed roller 113, the separation roller 114, the first to fifth transport rollers 116a-e, the first to fifth driven rollers 117a-e, the discharge roller 120 and / or the opposing roller 121 (step S106). As a result, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 to stop a specific position of a series of media transported in an overlapping state at a predetermined position. Furthermore, when the imaging device 119 is performing imaging, the control unit 151 causes the imaging device 119 to stop imaging.

[0060] Next, the reception unit 152 receives an instruction from the user to resume or end the transport of the medium, and an instruction to acquire or discard the generated input image (step S107). The reception unit 152 displays a reception screen for receiving each instruction on the display device 107, or transmits the reception screen to the information processing device via the communication device 132 and displays it on the information processing device. The reception unit 152 receives each instruction specified by the user using the reception screen by receiving it from the operation device 106, or from the information processing device via the communication device 132.

[0061] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a reception screen 600 displayed on the display device 107 or an information processing device.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 6, the reception screen 600 includes an input image 601, a resume selection button 602, an acquisition selection button 603, a setting button 604, an end button 605, and the like.

[0063] An input image obtained by capturing an image of a series of overlapping media transported is displayed as an input image 601. The resume selection button 602 is a button for selecting whether or not to resume transport of the media. The acquire selection button 603 is a button for selecting whether to acquire or discard the input image. The set button 604 is a button for setting (confirming) the instruction selected by the user with the resume selection button 602 and the acquire selection button 603. The end button 605 is a button for ending the display of the reception screen 600.

[0064] When the user selects restarting the transport of the medium with the resume selection button 602 and presses the set button 604, the reception unit 152 receives a resume instruction to restart the transport of the medium. When the user selects ending the transport of the medium with the resume selection button 602 and presses the set button 604, the reception unit 152 receives an end instruction to end the transport of the medium. When the user selects acquiring an input image with the acquire selection button 603 and presses the set button 604, the reception unit 152 receives an acquire instruction to acquire the input image. When the user selects discarding the input image with the acquire selection button 603 and presses the set button 604, the reception unit 152 receives a discard instruction to discard the input image.

[0065] By the reception unit 152 receiving each instruction from the user, the medium conveying device 100 can execute an appropriate process according to the purpose of the user or the current status of the medium conveying device 100.

[0066] Next, the control unit 151 determines whether the reception unit 152 has received a resume instruction or an end instruction (step S108). If the reception unit 152 has received an end instruction, the control unit 151 returns the process to step S101 and waits until a new operation signal is received. The control unit 151 also controls the motor 131 to lower the placement table 103 to place it in the initial position shown in FIG. 1. In this case, the control unit 151 stops the transport of the media remaining on the placement table 103 among the media collectively placed on the placement table 103. Thereafter, the user removes the media transported in a double feed from the media transport path, re-places them on the placement table 103, and causes the medium transport device 100 to re-execute the entire process. When a double feed of media occurs, the medium transport device 100 temporarily stops transporting the media and re-transports the media transported in a double feed, thereby appropriately acquiring an input image in which each medium is captured.

[0067] On the other hand, when the reception unit 152 receives a restart instruction, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 to rotate the pick roller 112, the feed roller 113, the separation roller 114, the first to fifth conveying rollers 116a-e, the first to fifth driven rollers 117a-e, the discharge roller 120 and / or the opposing roller 121 again (step S109). Furthermore, when the control unit 151 has stopped the imaging device 119 during imaging in step S106, it causes the imaging device 119 to restart imaging. Then, the control unit 151 returns the process to step S104 and repeats the process from step S104 onwards. In this case, the control unit 151 continues transporting the media remaining on the mounting table 103 among the media collectively mounted on the mounting table 103. As a result, when media with attachments such as labels (stickers) or small pieces of paper (photographs, clippings, stamps, revenue stamps, etc.) are transported and overlapping media is detected, the media transport device 100 can continue transporting the media while reducing the hassle for the user.

[0068] If no media remain on the placement table 103 in step S104, the control unit 151 waits until all media currently being transported in the media transport path are discharged (step S110). For example, the control unit 151 periodically acquires a first medium signal from the first medium sensor 118a. The control unit 151 determines that the trailing end of the last fed medium has passed the position of the first medium sensor 118a when the signal value of the first medium signal changes from a value indicating the presence of the medium to a value indicating the absence of the medium. The control unit 151 determines that all media have been discharged when the motor 131 is driven to rotate the transport unit and the discharge unit by a first drive amount after the trailing end of the last fed medium has passed the position of the first medium sensor 118a. The first drive amount is preset to a drive amount that moves the medium from the position of the first medium sensor 118a to the discharge port.

[0069] The control unit 151 may determine whether all of the media have been discharged based on the second medium signal obtained from the second medium sensor 118b and / or the third medium signal obtained from the third medium sensor 118c. In this case, the control unit 151 periodically obtains the second medium signal from the second medium sensor 118b after the trailing edge of the last fed medium passes the position of the first medium sensor 118a. The control unit 151 determines that the trailing edge of the medium has passed the position of the second medium sensor 118b when the signal value of the second medium signal changes from a value indicating that the medium is present to a value indicating that the medium is not present. In addition, the control unit 151 periodically obtains the third medium signal from the third medium sensor 118c after the trailing edge of the medium has passed the position of the second medium sensor 118b. The control unit 151 determines that the trailing edge of the medium has passed the position of the third medium sensor 118c when the signal value of the third medium signal changes from a value indicating that the medium is present to a value indicating that the medium is not present. The control unit 151 determines that all of the medium has been discharged when the motor 131 is driven to rotate the transport unit and discharge unit by the second drive amount after the rear end of the medium has passed the position of the third medium sensor 118c. The second drive amount is preset to a drive amount that moves the medium from the position of the third medium sensor 118c to the discharge port. By using each medium sensor 118, the medium conveying device 100 can more accurately determine whether all of the medium has been discharged without being affected by medium slippage or the like.

[0070] Next, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 to stop the pick roller 112, the feed roller 113, the separation roller 114, the first to fifth transport rollers 116a-e, the first to fifth driven rollers 117a-e, the discharge roller 120, and / or the opposing roller 121. The control unit 151 also controls the motor 131 to lower the placement table 103 to place it in the initial position shown in FIG. 1 (step S111). Next, the control unit 151 returns the process to step S101 and waits until a new operation signal is received. This causes the medium conveying device 100 to complete the conveyance of the media collectively placed on the placement table 103.

[0071] 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing an example of the medium processing operation of the medium conveying device 100. FIG.

[0072] An example of the medium processing operation of medium conveying device 100 will be described below with reference to the flowcharts shown in Figures 7 and 8. The flow of the operation described below is executed mainly by processing circuit 150 in cooperation with each element of medium conveying device 100 based on a program previously stored in storage device 140. Media processing is executed in parallel with the overall processing shown in Figure 5 each time a new medium is fed, i.e., for each medium fed.

[0073] The control unit 151 executes a medium process corresponding to each medium when starting feeding of the first medium and when the rear end of each medium passes the feeding unit and starts feeding of the next medium. The control unit 151 periodically acquires a first medium signal from the first medium sensor 118a, for example, and determines that the rear end of the medium has passed the feeding unit when the signal value of the first medium signal changes from a value indicating the presence of the medium to a value indicating the absence of the medium. In addition, when starting a medium process, the control unit 151 initializes a stop flag and an overlap flag corresponding to each medium process to OFF. The overlap flag is a flag indicating whether or not an overlap of media has occurred, and is managed for each medium to be transported. The overlap flag is set to OFF when feeding of each medium starts, and is set to ON when an overlap of media is detected.

[0074] First, the determination unit 153 determines whether or not an overlap of media has occurred, that is, whether or not an overlap of media has been detected by the overlap sensor 115 (step S201). The determination unit 153 receives an overlap signal from the overlap sensor 115, and determines whether or not an overlap of media has occurred based on the received overlap signal. If the signal value of the overlap signal is greater than the overlap threshold, the determination unit 153 determines that an overlap of media has occurred at the position of the overlap sensor 115, and if the signal value of the overlap signal is equal to or less than the overlap threshold, the determination unit 153 determines that an overlap of media has not occurred at the position of the overlap sensor 115. The overlap threshold is preset to a value between the signal value of the overlap signal when an overlap of media has occurred at the position of the overlap sensor 115 and the signal value of the overlap signal when an overlap of media has not occurred at the position of the overlap sensor 115. If an overlap of media has not occurred, the determination unit 153 does not execute any particular process and proceeds to step S203.

[0075] On the other hand, if overlapping of media occurs, determination unit 153 sets the overlap flag to ON (step S202). If overlapping of media occurs, control unit 151 may stop pick roller 112 and feed roller 113 to stop the subsequent feeding of media. This allows medium conveying device 100 to prevent other media from remaining in the medium conveying path when the conveyance of the overlapping medium is stopped in the process described below. The user is no longer required to remove a large number of media from the medium conveying path and reload them on mounting table 103, and medium conveying device 100 can improve user convenience.

[0076] Next, the control unit 151 determines whether the leading edge of the medium to be processed has passed the imaging start position for the first time (step S203). The control unit 151 periodically acquires a first medium signal from the first medium sensor 118a, for example, and determines that the leading edge of the medium has passed the imaging start position when the signal value of the first medium signal changes from a value indicating that the medium is not present to a value indicating that the medium is present. If the leading edge of the medium to be processed has not yet passed the imaging start position, or if the leading edge of the medium to be processed has already passed the imaging start position, the control unit 151 proceeds to step S205 without performing any particular processing.

[0077] On the other hand, when the leading edge of the medium to be processed passes the imaging start position for the first time, the control unit 151 causes the imaging device 119 to start imaging (step S204).

[0078] Next, the control unit 151 determines whether or not a new partial image has been received from the imaging device 119 (step S205). If a new partial image has not been received, the control unit 151 does not execute any particular process and moves the process to step S207.

[0079] On the other hand, when a partial image is newly received from the imaging device 119, the control unit 151 stores the received partial image in the storage device 140 (step S206).

[0080] Next, the control unit 151 determines whether the rear end of the medium to be processed has passed the imaging end position for the first time (step S207). The control unit 151 periodically acquires a second medium signal from the second medium sensor 118b, for example, and determines that the rear end of the medium has passed the imaging end position when the signal value of the second medium signal changes from a value indicating the presence of the medium to a value indicating the absence of the medium. If the rear end of the medium to be processed has not yet passed the imaging end position, or if the rear end of the medium to be processed has already passed the imaging end position, the control unit 151 proceeds to step S209 without performing any particular processing.

[0081] On the other hand, when the rear end of the medium to be processed passes the imaging end position for the first time, the combining unit 154 combines the partial images stored in the memory device 140 to generate an input image, and stores the generated input image in the memory device 140 (step S208).

[0082] Next, the control unit 151 determines whether or not the overlap flag is set to ON (step S209). If the overlap flag is set to OFF, the control unit 151 moves the process to step S212 without executing any particular process.

[0083] On the other hand, if the overlap flag is set to ON, the control unit 151 determines whether or not the specific position of the series of media transported in an overlapping state has reached a predetermined position in the media transport path (step S210). The specific position of the series of media transported in an overlapping state is set to the rear end position of the series of media transported in an overlapping state, that is, the rear end position of the medium whose rear end is located furthest downstream among the series of media transported in an overlapping state. The predetermined position is set to a position downstream of the overlap sensor 115 and upstream of the discharge unit in the media discharge direction A3. In particular, the predetermined position is set to a position downstream of the transport unit, particularly the fifth transport unit, and upstream of the discharge unit in the media discharge direction A3.

[0084] For example, after the overlap flag is set to ON, the control unit 151 periodically acquires a first medium signal from the first medium sensor 118a. The control unit 151 determines that the trailing end of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state has passed the position of the first medium sensor 118a when the signal value of the first medium signal changes from a value indicating the presence of a medium to a value indicating the absence of a medium. The control unit 151 determines that all of the media have been discharged when the control unit 151 drives the motor 131 to rotate the conveying unit and the discharge unit by a third drive amount after the trailing end of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state has passed the position of the first medium sensor 118a. The third drive amount is preset to a drive amount that moves the media from the position of the first medium sensor 118a to a predetermined position.

[0085] The control unit 151 may determine whether the rear end of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state has reached a predetermined position based on the second medium signal acquired from the second medium sensor 118b and / or the third medium signal acquired from the third medium sensor 118c. In this case, the control unit 151 periodically acquires the second medium signal from the second medium sensor 118b after the rear end of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state has passed the position of the first medium sensor 118a. The control unit 151 determines that the rear end of the medium has passed the position of the second medium sensor 118b when the signal value of the second medium signal changes from a value indicating that the medium is present to a value indicating that the medium is not present. In addition, the control unit 151 periodically acquires the third medium signal from the third medium sensor 118c after the rear end of the medium has passed the position of the second medium sensor 118b. The control unit 151 determines that the rear end of the medium has reached a predetermined position when the signal value of the third medium signal changes from a value indicating that the medium is present to a value indicating that the medium is not present. By using each media sensor 118, the media conveying device 100 can determine with greater accuracy whether the rear end of a series of overlapping media conveyed has reached a predetermined position without being affected by media slippage or the like.

[0086] Furthermore, the control unit 151 may determine whether or not a specific position of the series of media transported in an overlapping state has reached a predetermined position based on a partial image received from the imaging device 119. The control unit 151 detects the rear end of the medium from the partial image using a known image processing technique, and when the control unit 151 detects the rear end of the medium, determines that the rear end of the series of media transported in an overlapping state has reached the imaging position of the imaging device 119. The control unit 151 determines that the rear end of the series of media transported in an overlapping state has reached a predetermined position when the control unit 151 drives the motor 131 to rotate the transport unit and the discharge unit by a fourth drive amount after the rear end of the series of media transported in an overlapping state has reached the imaging position. The fourth drive amount is preset to a drive amount that moves the medium from the imaging position to the predetermined position.

[0087] Since the predetermined position is set downstream of overlap sensor 115, when the rear end of the series of overlapping media transported reaches the predetermined position, the rear end of the series of overlapping media transported has already passed the position of overlap sensor 115. If the specific position of the series of overlapping media transported has not yet reached the predetermined position in the media transport path, control unit 151 transitions to step S212 without performing any particular process.

[0088] On the other hand, when a specific position of a series of overlapping media transported reaches a predetermined position in the media transport path, the control unit 151 sets the stop flag to ON (step S211). In this case, in step S106 of FIG. 5, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 to stop each roller.

[0089] In this way, when the overlap sensor 115 detects an overlap of media, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 so that a specific position of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the fifth conveying unit and the discharge unit. In particular, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 so that a specific position of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the fifth conveying unit and the discharge unit after the rear end of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state passes the position of the overlap sensor 115. Also, when the overlap sensor 115 detects an overlap of media, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 so that the rear end of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the fifth conveying unit and the discharge unit. In other words, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 so that the rear end of the medium whose rear end is the laggingmost among the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the fifth conveying unit and the discharge unit.

[0090] 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the technical significance of stopping the rear end of a series of overlapping media transported at a position between the fifth transport unit and the discharge unit when the media overlap. Fig. 9 shows a state in which media M1 and M2 are transported in an overlapping state.

[0091] As described above, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 so that the specific position of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the fifth conveying unit and the discharge unit after the rear end of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state passes the position of the overlap sensor 115. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the medium conveying device 100 can stop conveying the media so that most of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state are positioned outside the medium conveying path. The user can more reliably recognize that the media are overlapping, and can more reliably identify the media in which the overlap has occurred. Therefore, the user can appropriately process the media conveyed in an overlapping state, and the medium conveying device 100 can suppress the occurrence of omissions in the generation of an input image.

[0092] Also, as described above, when the overlap sensor 115 detects an overlap of media, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 so that the rear end of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the fifth conveying unit and the discharge unit. As a result, the media conveyed before the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state are reliably discharged from the media conveying path, so that the user can determine up to which media the input image has been generated. Therefore, the medium conveying device 100 can suppress the occurrence of an input image generation omission. Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops in a state where it is clamped only by the discharge unit, so that the user can easily take out the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state from the media conveying path. Therefore, the medium conveying device 100 can improve the convenience of the user.

[0093] In addition, since the predetermined position is set downstream of the imaging device 119, when the rear end of the series of media conveyed in a stacked state reaches the predetermined position, the rear end of the series of media conveyed in a stacked state has already passed the imaging position of the imaging device 119. Therefore, at least one side of each medium conveyed in a stacked state may be well imaged by the imaging device 119. Therefore, for example, when a medium with printing on only one side is conveyed, the medium conveying device 100 can omit re-conveying and re-imaging at least one of the media conveyed in a stacked state, thereby reducing the total time required to read the medium. In addition, since the conveyance and imaging of the medium are not stopped while the medium is passing the imaging position, the medium conveying device 100 can suppress the occurrence of image stretching or shrinking in the input image due to the stop of conveyance and imaging of the medium.

[0094] Furthermore, the control unit 151 determines the timing to set the stop flag to ON based on the timing at which the medium sensor 118 detects the trailing end of the series of media that are transported in an overlapping state, and determines the timing to stop the motor 131. This allows the control unit 151 to easily and reliably stop the trailing end of the series of media that are transported in an overlapping state at a position between the fifth transport unit and the discharge unit.

[0095] Next, the control unit 151 determines whether the medium to be processed has been discharged (step S212). When the stop flag is OFF, the control unit 151 determines whether the medium to be processed has been discharged in the same manner as the process of step S110 in Fig. 5. Furthermore, when a restart instruction has been received from the user, the control unit 151 determines that the medium has been discharged when the motor 131 is driven to rotate the transport unit and discharge unit by the second drive amount described above after receiving the restart instruction from the user, i.e., after re-rotating each roller.

[0096] If the medium has not yet passed the ejection unit, the control unit 151 determines whether the reception unit 152 has received an end instruction from the user (step S213). If the end instruction has not been received from the user, that is, if the medium has not yet been ejected and an end instruction has not been received from the user, the control unit 151 returns the process to step S201 and repeats the processes from step S201 onward.

[0097] On the other hand, if the medium has been ejected, or if an end instruction has been received from the user, the control unit 151 determines whether the overlap flag is ON (step S214).

[0098] If the overlap flag is OFF, the control unit 151 outputs the input image generated in step S208 by transmitting it to the information processing device via the communication device 132 (step S215). With the above, the control unit 151 ends the medium processing for the medium to be processed.

[0099] On the other hand, if the overlap flag is ON, the control unit 151 determines whether the receiving unit 152 has received a discard instruction from the user (step S216).

[0100] If a discard instruction has not been received from the user, that is, if an acquisition instruction has been received from the user, the control unit 151 outputs the input image generated in step S208 by transmitting it to the information processing device via the communication device 132 (step S215). With the above, the control unit 151 ends the medium processing for the medium to be processed.

[0101] On the other hand, if a discard instruction has been received from the user, control unit 151 deletes the input image generated in step S208 from storage device 140 (step S217). With the above, control unit 151 ends the medium processing for the processing target medium.

[0102] As described above in detail, when media are transported in an overlapping state, medium transport device 100 controls the specific position of the media to stop at a position between the fifth transport unit and the discharge unit after the rear end of the series of media transported in an overlapping state passes the position of overlap sensor 115. This allows medium transport device 100 to allow the user to more reliably identify the media in which the overlap has occurred.

[0103] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a portion of the operation of a media processing apparatus according to another embodiment.

[0104] The flowchart shown in Fig. 10 is executed instead of the flowchart shown in Fig. 8. The processes of steps S309 and S313 to S318 in Fig. 10 are similar to the processes of steps S209 and S212 to S217 in Fig. 8, respectively, so their explanation will be omitted and only the processes of steps S310 to S312 will be explained below.

[0105] If it is determined in step S309 that the overlap flag is set to ON, the control unit 151 determines whether or not the rear end of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state has passed the position of the overlap sensor 115 (step S310). The control unit 151 periodically acquires an overlap signal from the overlap sensor 115. If the signal value of the overlap signal is greater than the second overlap threshold, the control unit 151 determines that a medium is present at the position of the overlap sensor 115, and if the signal value of the overlap signal is equal to or less than the second overlap threshold, the control unit 151 determines that a medium is not present at the position of the overlap sensor 115. The second overlap threshold is set to a value smaller than the overlap threshold. The second overlap threshold is set to a value between the signal value of the overlap signal when a medium is present at the position of the overlap sensor 115 and the signal value of the overlap signal when a medium is not present at the position of the overlap sensor 115. If the signal value of the overlap signal changes from a value greater than the second overlap threshold to a value equal to or less than the second overlap threshold, the control unit 151 determines whether or not the rear end of the series of media has passed the position of the overlap sensor 115.

[0106] The control unit 151 may determine whether the trailing end of the medium has passed the position of the first media sensor 118a, and when the trailing end of the medium has passed the position of the first media sensor 118a, determine that the trailing end of the series of media has passed the position of the overlap sensor 115.

[0107] If the trailing edge of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state has not passed the position of overlap sensor 115, control unit 151 does not execute any particular process and transitions to step S313.

[0108] On the other hand, when the rear end of the series of media transported in an overlapping state has passed the position of the overlap sensor 115, the control unit 151 determines whether or not the specific position of the series of media transported in an overlapping state has reached a predetermined position in the media transport path (step S311). In this embodiment, the specific position of the series of media transported in an overlapping state is set to the rear end position of the overlapping portion of the series of media transported in an overlapping state, that is, the rear end position of the medium whose rear end is located most upstream among the series of media transported in an overlapping state. The predetermined position is set to a position downstream of the overlap sensor 115 and upstream of the discharge unit in the medium discharge direction A3. In particular, the predetermined position is set to a position downstream of the transport unit, particularly the fifth transport unit, and upstream of the discharge unit in the medium discharge direction A3.

[0109] After determining in step S201 that an overlap of media has occurred, the control unit 151 periodically receives an overlap signal from the overlap sensor 115. When the signal value of the overlap signal changes from a value greater than the overlap threshold to a value equal to or less than the overlap threshold, the control unit 151 determines that the rear end of the overlapping portion of the series of media that have been transported in an overlapping state has passed the position of the overlap sensor 115.

[0110] When the signal value of the overlap signal changes multiple times, the control unit 151 may determine that the rear end of the overlapping portion has passed the position of the overlap sensor 115 when the signal value first changes from a value greater than the overlap threshold to a value equal to or less than the overlap threshold. This allows the control unit 151 to control the transport of the media so that when multiple small media are transported without overlapping each other and overlapping with a large medium, the leading small medium is not discharged to the discharge tray 105, i.e., so that none of the small media are discharged to the discharge tray 105. The control unit 151 may also determine that the rear end of the overlapping portion of a series of media transported in an overlapping state has passed the position of the overlap sensor 115 when the signal value of the overlap signal changes from the maximum value for the medium to be processed to a value that is at least a predetermined amount lower than the maximum value. The predetermined amount is set in advance to the amount of change in the signal value of the overlap signal corresponding to one sheet of PPC (Plain Paper Copier) paper. As a result, when three or more media are transported overlapping with their trailing ends shifted, the control unit 151 can control the transport of the media so that the medium whose trailing end is furthest ahead is not discharged to the discharge table 105, i.e., so that none of the media is discharged to the discharge table 105.

[0111] Control unit 151 determines that the rear end of the overlapping portion has reached a predetermined position when control unit 151 drives motor 131 to rotate the transport unit and discharge unit by a fifth drive amount after determining that the rear end of the overlapping portion has passed the position of overlap sensor 115. The fifth drive amount is set in advance to a drive amount that moves the medium from the position of overlap sensor 115 to the predetermined position.

[0112] A second overlap sensor similar to overlap sensor 115 may be provided in the transport section, particularly downstream of the fifth transport section and upstream of the discharge section, in the medium transport direction A2. In this case, control unit 151 periodically receives an overlap signal from the second overlap sensor and determines whether the rear end of the overlapping portion of a series of media transported in an overlapping state has passed the position of the second overlap sensor. When the rear end of the overlapping portion has passed the position of the second overlap sensor, control unit 151 determines that the rear end of the overlapping portion has reached a predetermined position.

[0113] If the specific position of the series of overlapping media transported has not yet reached the predetermined position in the media transport path, control unit 151 does not execute any particular process and transitions to step S313.

[0114] On the other hand, when the specific position of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state reaches a predetermined position in the media conveying path, the control unit 151 sets the stop flag to ON (step S312). In this case, in step S106 of FIG. 5, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 to stop each roller. In this way, when the overlap sensor 115 detects an overlap of media, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 so that the specific position of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the fifth conveying unit and the discharge unit. In particular, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 so that the specific position of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the fifth conveying unit and the discharge unit after the rear end of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state passes the position of the overlap sensor 115. In addition, when the overlap sensor 115 detects an overlap of media, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 so that the rear end of the overlapping portion of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the fifth conveying unit and the discharge unit. That is, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 so that the trailing end of the leading medium among the series of overlapping media transported stops at a position between the fifth transport unit and the discharge unit.

[0115] Figures 11(A) and (B) are schematic diagrams for explaining the technical significance of stopping the rear end of a series of overlapping media transported at a position between the fifth transport section and the discharge section when media overlap. Figures 11(A) and (B) show a state in which media M1 and media M2 are transported in an overlapping state and the positions of the rear ends are not aligned. Figure 11(A) shows an example in which transport of media is stopped according to the flowchart shown in Figure 8, and Figure 11(B) shows an example in which transport of media is stopped according to the flowchart shown in Figure 10.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 11(A), when the rear end of a series of media conveyed in an overlapping state is stopped at a position between the fifth conveying section and the discharge section, the medium M2 whose rear end is ahead may be discharged to the discharge table 105 without being clamped by the discharge section. In particular, when media of different sizes are conveyed in an overlapping state, the smaller medium is likely to be discharged to the discharge table 105 without being clamped by the discharge section. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the overlap sensor 115 detects an overlap of media, the control unit 151 controls the motor 131 so that the rear end of the overlapping portion of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the fifth conveying section and the discharge section. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11(B), the medium M2 whose rear end is ahead is also securely clamped by the discharge section and is not discharged to the discharge table 105. In particular, even when media of different sizes are conveyed in an overlapping state, the smaller medium is also securely clamped by the discharge section and is not discharged to the discharge table 105. Even if multiple media are conveyed overlapping with the rear ends not aligned, the user can more reliably recognize that the media are overlapping and can more reliably identify the media where the overlap has occurred. Therefore, the user can appropriately process the overlapping media conveyed, and the medium conveying device 100 can prevent the occurrence of missed generation of an input image.

[0117] Also in this embodiment, the medium conveying device 100 can stop conveying the media so that the majority of the media whose leading ends are ahead of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping manner are positioned outside the medium conveying path. Therefore, the user can more reliably recognize that the media are overlapping, and can more reliably identify the media in which the overlap has occurred. The user can appropriately process the overlapping media conveyed, and the medium conveying device 100 can suppress the occurrence of omissions in the generation of the input image. In addition, the media conveyed before the series of media conveyed in an overlapping manner are reliably discharged, so the user can determine up to which media the input image has been generated. Therefore, the medium conveying device 100 can suppress the occurrence of omissions in the generation of the input image.

[0118] Furthermore, the control unit 151 determines the timing to set the stop flag to ON based on the timing at which the overlap sensor 115 detects the rear end of the overlapping portion of the series of media that are transported in an overlapping state, and determines the timing to stop the motor 131. This allows the control unit 151 to easily and reliably stop the rear end of the overlapping portion of the series of media that are transported in an overlapping state at a position between the fifth transport unit and the discharge unit.

[0119] In addition, among the media transported in an overlapping state, even though the rear end of the leading medium is located downstream of the fifth transport section, the rear end of the lagging medium may be located upstream of the imaging position. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the rear end of the leading medium among the media transported in an overlapping state reaches a predetermined position and the transport of the media is stopped, the lagging medium may be passing through the imaging position.

[0120] When the media overlap, the transport and image capturing of the media are temporarily stopped in step S106 of FIG. 5, and when a restart instruction is received from the user, the transport and image capturing of the media are resumed in step S109 of FIG. 5. In this case, the partial images generated before and after the stop of the transport and image capturing of the media are stored in the storage device 140 in step S206 of FIG. 7, and are combined by the combining unit 154 in step S208 of FIG. 7 after the rear end of the medium passes the image capturing end position. That is, when the receiving unit 152 receives a restart instruction to resume the transport of the medium, the combining unit 154 combines an image captured by the imaging device 119 before the medium is stopped and an image captured after the transport of the medium is resumed. As a result, even when the media overlap, the medium transport device 100 can generate an input image without re-transporting the medium from the state where it is placed on the placement table 103 if the user wishes to obtain an image. Therefore, the medium transport device 100 can improve the convenience of the user.

[0121] As described above in detail, when media are transported in an overlapping state, medium transport device 100 controls the media so that the rear end of the overlapping portion stops at a position between the fifth transport unit and the discharge unit after the rear end of the series of media transported in an overlapping state passes the position of overlap sensor 115. This allows medium transport device 100 to allow the user to more reliably identify the media in which the overlap has occurred.

[0122] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a processing circuit 250 of a medium conveying device according to another embodiment.

[0123] The processing circuit 250 is used in place of the processing circuit 150 of the medium conveying device 100, and executes medium reading processing and the like in place of the processing circuit 150. The processing circuit 250 has a control circuit 251, a receiving circuit 252, a determination circuit 253, a coupling circuit 254, and the like. Each of these components may be composed of an independent integrated circuit, microprocessor, firmware, and the like.

[0124] The control circuit 251 is an example of a control unit, and has the same functions as the control unit 151. The control circuit 251 receives an operation signal from the operation device 106 or the communication device 132, a placement signal from the placement sensor 111, each medium signal from each medium sensor 118, a user instruction from the reception circuit 252, and a determination result of overlapping of media from the determination circuit 253. The control circuit 251 controls the motor 131 based on each received information, and acquires a partial image from the imaging device 119. The control circuit 251 stores the acquired partial image in the storage device 140, and reads out an input image from the storage device 140 and outputs it to the communication device 132.

[0125] The receiving circuit 252 is an example of a receiving unit, and has the same function as the receiving unit 152. The receiving circuit 252 receives an instruction from a user via the operation device 106 or the communication device 132, and outputs the received instruction to the control circuit 251.

[0126] The determination circuit 253 is an example of a determination unit, and has the same function as the determination unit 153. The determination circuit 253 receives an overlap signal from the overlap sensor 115, detects an overlap of the media based on the received overlap signal, and outputs a determination result to the control circuit 251.

[0127] The combining circuit 254 is an example of a combining section, and has the same function as the combining section 154. The combining circuit 254 reads out the partial images from the storage device 140 to generate an input image, and stores the generated input image in the storage device 140.

[0128] As described above in detail, the medium conveying device, even when using the processing circuit 250, allows the user to more reliably identify the medium on which overlap has occurred.

[0129] Although preferred embodiments have been described above, the embodiments are not limited to these. For example, the overlap sensor 115 may be a thickness sensor instead of an ultrasonic sensor. The thickness sensor includes a light emitter and a light receiver. The light emitter and the light receiver are disposed near the medium transport path and facing each other across the transport path. The light emitter irradiates light (infrared light or visible light) toward the light receiver. Meanwhile, the light receiver receives the light irradiated by the light emitter and passed through the medium, and generates and outputs an overlap signal, which is an electrical signal according to the intensity of the received light. The overlap signal indicates the amount of attenuation of the intensity of the light received by the light receiver relative to the intensity of the light irradiated by the light emitter.

[0130] The light passing through the medium is attenuated by the medium located between the light emitter and the light receiver, and the more media there are between the light emitter and the light receiver, the greater the attenuation of the light intensity. Therefore, the signal value of the overlap signal changes depending on whether there are multiple media between the light emitter and the light receiver, and the thickness sensor can detect the overlap of the transported media.

[0131] In addition, a reflected light sensor, a pressure sensor, or a mechanical sensor may be used as the thickness sensor. The reflected light sensor includes a pair of a light emitter and a light receiver provided on one side of the medium transport path, and a pair of a light emitter and a light receiver provided on the other side. The reflected light sensor detects the distance between each pair and each side of the medium from the time from when one pair irradiates one side of the medium with light to when it receives the reflected light, and the time from when the other pair irradiates the other side of the medium with light to when it receives the reflected light. The reflected light sensor generates a subtraction value obtained by subtracting each detected distance from the distance between the two pairs, that is, a signal indicating the thickness of the entire medium, as an overlap signal. The pressure sensor detects pressure that changes depending on the thickness of the medium, and generates a signal indicating the detected pressure as an overlap signal. The mechanical sensor detects the amount of movement of a roller in contact with the medium, and generates a signal indicating the detected amount of movement as a thickness signal.

[0132] Even when a thickness sensor is used as the overlap sensor 115, in step S201 of Fig. 7, the determination unit 153 receives an overlap signal from the overlap sensor 115 and determines whether an overlap of media has occurred based on the received overlap signal. If the signal value of the overlap signal is greater than the overlap threshold, the determination unit 153 determines that an overlap of media has occurred at the position of the overlap sensor 115, and if the signal value of the overlap signal is equal to or less than the overlap threshold, the determination unit 153 determines that an overlap of media has not occurred at the position of the overlap sensor 115. Also, in step S311 of Fig. 10, the control unit 151 determines that the rear end of the overlapping portion of a series of overlapping media conveyed has passed the position of the overlap sensor 115 when the signal value of the overlap signal changes from a value greater than the overlap threshold to a value equal to or less than the overlap threshold.

[0133] Furthermore, when an overlap of media is detected, the medium conveying device may receive a setting from a user as to whether to stop the rear end of a series of overlapping media conveyed at a predetermined position, or to stop the rear end of the overlapping portion of a series of overlapping media conveyed at a predetermined position. In this case, the medium conveying device receives a setting input by the user using the operation device 106 or an information processing device that is communicatively connected to the medium conveying device 100. This allows the user to change the setting depending on the type or use of the media, and the medium conveying device can improve user convenience.

[0134] The medium transport device may also have a so-called straight path, and feed and transport the media placed on the loading table from the bottom up, and discharge the media to the discharge table. In this case, the feed roller is disposed below the separation roller and facing the separation roller. In this case, when the overlap sensor detects an overlap of media, the medium transport device controls the motor so that a specific position of the series of overlapping media transported stops at a position between the transport section and the discharge section after the rear end of the series of overlapping media transported passes the position of the overlap sensor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0135] 100 medium conveying device, 115 overlap sensor, 116e fifth conveying roller, 117e fifth driven roller, 118c third medium sensor, 119 imaging device, 120 discharge roller, 121 opposing roller, 131 motor, 151 control unit, 152 reception unit, 154 connection unit

Claims

1. a conveying roller for conveying the medium; a discharge roller disposed downstream of the transport roller in the medium transport direction and configured to discharge the medium transported by the transport roller; a motor that drives the conveying roller and the discharge roller; an overlap sensor for detecting an overlap of the media; a control unit that controls the motor so that, when the overlap sensor detects an overlap of media, a specific position of the series of media conveyed in overlapping state stops at a position between the conveying roller and the discharging roller; A medium transport device comprising:

2. 2. The medium transport device according to claim 1, wherein when the overlap sensor detects an overlap of media, the control unit controls the motor so that the rear end of the overlapping portion of a series of media transported in an overlapping state stops at a position between the transport roller and the discharge roller.

3. The medium transport device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit determines the timing to stop the motor based on the timing at which the overlap sensor detects the rear end of the overlapping portion.

4. 2. The media transport device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the motor so that, when the overlap sensor detects an overlap of media, the rear end of a series of media transported in overlapping state stops at a position between the transport roller and the discharge roller.

5. a media sensor for detecting the media; The medium transport device according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit determines the timing to stop the motor based on the timing at which the medium sensor detects the rear end of a series of media that have been transported overlapping each other.

6. The medium transport device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit further comprises a receiving unit that receives an instruction from a user as to whether or not to resume transport of the media after stopping the overlapping media being transported.

7. an imaging unit that captures an image of the medium being conveyed and generates the image; The medium transport device of claim 6, further comprising a combining unit that, when the receiving unit receives an instruction to resume transport of the medium, combines an image captured by the imaging unit before the medium stops with an image captured after transport of the medium is resumed.

8. a motor driving the conveying roller and the discharge roller disposed downstream of the conveying roller; The medium is transported by the transport roller, The medium conveyed by the conveying roller is discharged by the discharge roller; The overlap sensor detects overlapping media, When the overlap sensor detects an overlap of the media, the motor is controlled so that a specific position of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the conveyance roller and the discharge roller. A medium transport method comprising:

9. A control program for a medium transport device having a transport roller that transports a medium, a discharge roller that is disposed downstream of the transport roller in a medium transport direction and discharges the medium transported by the transport roller, a motor that drives the transport roller and the discharge roller, and an overlap sensor that detects an overlap of the medium, the program comprising: When the overlap sensor detects an overlap of the media, the motor is controlled so that a specific position of the series of media conveyed in an overlapping state stops at a position between the conveyance roller and the discharge roller. a control program for causing the medium transport device to execute the above steps;

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