Image reading device, and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image reading apparatus that improves operability when an operator cleans the glass of a reading unit.SOLUTION: An image reading device comprises: a drawer unit 500 that allows a user to draw a scanner unit 300 to the outside of a housing according to a user operation; and a rotation unit 600 that can rotate the scanner unit 300 to a predetermined angle at which the user can easily clean transmission glass 303. The scanner unit 300 is moved in a sliding manner by the drawer unit 500 in a width direction with the transmission glass 303 directed downward in the vertical direction. The drawn scanner unit 300 is rotated by the rotation unit 600 to a position where the transmission glass 303 is inclined at the predetermined angle, and is locked with the transmission glass 303 inclined. Consequently, when the user intends to clean the transmission glass 303, the user can easily perform an operation to move the transmission glass 303 to a position where the user can easily clean the transmission glass with good visibility.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image reading device that reads an image formed on a sheet, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the image reading device. [Background technology]

[0002] An image forming apparatus is provided with an image reading device for reading an image formed on a sheet. The image reading device includes a reading unit having a glass disposed at a position facing the conveyed sheet and an image sensor for reading an image on the sheet through the glass (Patent Document 1). In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the reading unit and the backing unit are provided to be rotatable around one end side of the backing unit that conveys the sheet as the center of rotation in the width direction intersecting with the conveying direction of the sheet so that the reading unit can be removed from the housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-109351 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, ink, toner, paper dust, and the like used in image formation are likely to adhere to the glass of the reading unit. In the case of the device described in Patent Document 1, the opening angle between the reading unit and the backing unit is limited, and the gap between the reading unit and the backing unit is narrower at one end than at the other end that is open. Therefore, the working space required for the worker to clean the glass cannot be sufficiently secured, and the visibility of the glass is limited, making it difficult for the worker to clean the glass. In other words, the operability when the worker cleans the glass is poor.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to improve operability when an operator cleans the glass of a reading unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An image reading device according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a support section that supports a second side of a sheet having an image formed on its first side in a transport path along which a sheet is transported, a reading unit that is arranged on the side of the transport path opposite the support section and that reads the image formed on the sheet by facing its reading surface to the first side of the sheet transported along the transport path, a moving section that is capable of moving the reading unit between an opposing position where the reading surface faces the support section and a non-opposing position where the reading surface does not face the support section in a second direction that is perpendicular to the transport direction in which the sheet is transported along the transport path and a first direction that intersects the first side of the sheet being transported, a pivot axis, and a rotating section that is capable of rotating the reading unit around the pivot axis between the non-opposing position and an inclined position where the reading surface is inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the non-opposing position. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the operability when an operator cleans the glass of a reading unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an inkjet recording apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a print module. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a scanner unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a scanner unit in a reading position. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a case where the scanner unit is in a separated position. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7]FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a case where the scanner unit is in a non-opposing position. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the scanner unit in an inclined position. [Figure 11] 5A and 5B are side views for explaining the rotation unit when the scanner unit is in the non-opposing position and when the scanner unit is in the inclined position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an inkjet recording apparatus will be taken as an example of an image forming apparatus of this embodiment and will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The inkjet recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called sheet-fed inkjet recording method that forms an image on a sheet using ink. The sheet may be any recording material that can accept ink, such as paper such as plain paper or cardboard, plastic film such as an overhead projector sheet, specially shaped sheets such as envelopes or index paper, and cloth.

[0010] <Inkjet recording device> 1, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes a paper feed module 1000, a print module 2000, a drying module 3000, a fixing module 4000, a cooling module 5000, an inverting module 6000, and a stacking module 7000. The sheet S supplied from the paper feed module 1000 undergoes various processes while being transported along a transport path within each module, and is finally discharged to the stacking module 7000.

[0011] The paper feed module 1000, print module 2000, drying module 3000, fixing module 4000, cooling module 5000, reversing module 6000, and stacking module 7000 may each have a separate housing, and these housings may be connected to configure the inkjet recording apparatus 100. Alternatively, the paper feed module 1000, print module 2000, drying module 3000, fixing module 4000, cooling module 5000, reversing module 6000, and stacking module 7000 may be arranged in a single housing.

[0012] The paper feed module 1000 has storages 1500a, 1500b, and 1500c for storing sheets S, and the storages 1500a to 1500c are provided so as to be able to be pulled out to the front side of the apparatus in order to store the sheets S. The sheets S are fed one by one in each of the storages 1500a to 1500c by a separation belt and a transport roller, and are transported to the print module 2000. The number of storages 1500a to 1500c is not limited to three, and one, two, or four or more may be provided. The print module 2000 will be described later (see FIG. 2).

[0013] The drying module 3000 has a decoupling section 3200, a drying belt unit 3300, and a hot air blowing section 3400. The drying module 3000 reduces the liquid content of the ink applied to the sheet S in order to improve the fixation of the ink to the sheet S by the subsequent fixing module 4000. The sheet S on which an image has been formed is transported to a decoupling section 3200 arranged in the drying module 3000. In the decoupling section 3200, frictional force is generated between the sheet S and the belt by the wind pressure of the wind blown from above, causing the sheet S to be transported by the belt.

[0014] The sheet S conveyed from the decoupling section 3200 is adsorbed and conveyed by the drying belt unit 3300, and the ink applied to the sheet S is dried by blowing hot air from the hot air blowing section 3400 arranged above the belt. The ink applied to the sheet S is heated by the drying module 3000 to promote evaporation of moisture, thereby suppressing the occurrence of so-called cockling, in which ink is scattered on the sheet S and a line like a border is formed around the periphery. The drying module 3000 may be any device that can heat and dry the sheet S, but a hot air dryer or a heater is preferable. As the heater, for example, heating by an electric heating wire or an infrared heater is preferable from the viewpoint of safety and energy efficiency.

[0015] The fixing module 4000 has a fixing belt unit 4100. The fixing belt unit 4100 fixes the ink onto the sheet S by passing the sheet S conveyed from the drying module 3000 between a heated upper belt unit and a lower belt unit.

[0016] The cooling module 5000 has a plurality of cooling sections 5100, which cool the high-temperature sheet S transported from the fixing module 4000. The cooling section 5100, for example, takes in outside air with a fan into a cooling box to increase the pressure inside the cooling box, and cools the sheet S by blowing air from the cooling box through a nozzle due to the pressure against the sheet S. The cooling sections 5100 are disposed on both sides of the transport path of the sheet S, and cool both sides of the sheet S.

[0017] The cooling module 5000 is provided with a transport path switching unit 5002. The transport path switching unit 5002 switches the transport path of the sheet S depending on whether the sheet S is transported to the reversing module 6000 or to a double-sided transport path for double-sided printing in which images are formed on both sides of the sheet S.

[0018] The inversion module 6000 has an inversion section 6400. The inversion section 6400 inverts the sheet S being conveyed, and changes the orientation of the sheet S when it is discharged to the stacking module 7000. The stacking module 7000 has a top tray 7200 and a stacking section 7500, and stacks the sheet S conveyed from the inversion module 6000.

[0019] During double-sided printing, the sheet S is transported to a transport path below the cooling module 5000 by the transport path switching unit 5002. Thereafter, the sheet S passes through a double-sided transport path of the fixing module 4000, the drying module 3000, the print module 2000, and the paper feed module 1000, and is returned to the print module 2000. The double-sided transport section of the fixing module 4000 is provided with an inversion unit 4200 that inverts the sheet S. The sheet S returned to the print module 2000 has an image formed with ink on the other side on which the image is not formed, and is discharged to the stacking module 7000 via the drying module 3000, the fixing module 4000, the cooling module 5000, and the inversion module 6000.

[0020] <Print module> Next, the print module 2000 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the print module 2000 has a pre-imaging registration correction section (not shown), a print belt unit 2200, and a recording section 2300. The sheet S conveyed from the paper feed module 1000 has its inclination and position corrected by the pre-imaging registration correction section, and is conveyed to the print belt unit 2200.

[0021] A recording unit 2300 is disposed at a position facing the print belt unit 2200 with respect to the transport path of the sheet S. The recording unit 2300 forms an image by ejecting ink from above onto the front surface (first surface) of the sheet S as an image forming unit using recording heads 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K, and 1H.

[0022] In this embodiment, a total of five line-type recording heads 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K, and 1H corresponding to four colors, Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black), and reaction liquids, are arranged along the conveying direction (arrow X direction) of the sheet S. However, the number of ink colors and the number of recording heads are not limited to five. In addition, the inkjet method for ejecting ink can employ a method using a heating element, a method using a piezoelectric element, a method using an electrostatic element, a method using a MEMS element, or the like. Ink of each color is supplied to the recording head from an ink tank (not shown) via an ink tube.

[0023] The sheet S is attracted and conveyed by the print belt unit 2200. Also, the print belt unit 2200 is provided with a mechanism (not shown) for adjusting the height of a facing region 3a facing the recording heads 1Y-1H and the scanner unit 300 so that the sheet S is conveyed while maintaining a constant clearance between the recording heads 1Y-1H and the scanner unit 300 described below. The print belt unit 2200 includes an endless conveyor belt 3, a plurality of tension rollers 51, 52, 53, 54 that rotatably stretch the conveyor belt 3, a platen unit 2, and a suction fan 4.

[0024] The conveyor belt 3 as a support portion is disposed vertically below the recording heads 1Y-1H, and conveys the sheet S by rotating while supporting the back surface (second surface) of the sheet S having an image formed on its front surface by the recording heads 1Y-1H in a conveying path along which the sheet S is conveyed. In this embodiment, the conveyor belt 3 is tensioned on both sides of an opposing region 3a that faces the recording heads 1Y-1H in the rotation direction by a pair of tension rollers 51 and 52. At least one of the tension rollers 51, 52, 53, and 54 is a drive roller that rotationally drives the conveyor belt 3.

[0025] The sheet S is conveyed while being attracted to the outer circumferential surface of the rotating conveyor belt 3 so as to secure a predetermined clearance between the sheet S and the recording heads 1Y to 1H (more specifically, the ejection openings of each nozzle). To achieve this, the conveyor belt 3 is formed with a large number of fine holes through which air can pass, and a suction fan 4 is disposed vertically below the conveyor belt 3 and a platen unit 2, which will be described later. The suction fan 4 sucks air downward (in the direction of the arrow Z) to attract the sheet S to the outer circumferential surface of the conveyor belt 3. Note that, although the case where the two suction fans 4 themselves are disposed at the illustrated positions is shown here, this is not limiting, and a suction port of a duct connected to a suction fan disposed at a different position (not shown) may be disposed at the position of the suction fan 4 shown in the figure.

[0026] A scanner unit 300 serving as a reading unit is disposed downstream in the transport direction of the recording unit 2300. The sheet S on which an image is formed by the recording unit 2300 is transported by the print belt unit 2200 to the scanner unit 300, and the image on the sheet S is read by the scanner unit 300.

[0027] <Scanner unit> The scanner unit 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the scanner unit 300 is disposed on the side facing the conveyor belt 3, and has a reading surface 310 facing the surface of the sheet S conveyed along a conveying path 320 to read an image formed on the sheet S. The scanner unit 300 has a reading section 302 that reads an image on the sheet by irradiating the conveyed sheet S with light and receiving reflected light from the sheet S, and a container 301 that contains the reading section 302. On the reading surface 310 of the container 301, a transmission glass 303 as a transmission section that can transmit the light irradiated from the reading section 302 and the reflected light from the sheet S, and a shading sheet 304 for performing shading correction to reduce unevenness in the amount of light, etc. are provided.

[0028] The print module 2000 adjusts the execution conditions of the image forming operation based on the image information acquired by the reading unit 302. For example, when aligning an image with respect to the sheet S, rectangular patch images are output to the four corners of the sheet S, and the positions of the patch images with respect to the four sides of the sheet S are obtained from the image information of the patch images read by the reading unit 302. The print module 2000 can adjust parameters representing the positions in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, the magnification, the rotation angle, etc. of the image to be formed on the sheet S so as to correct an error between a predetermined image position and an actual position of the patch image. Thereafter, the print module 2000 controls the recording heads 1Y to 1H using the adjusted parameters, and executes the image forming operation to obtain a product with an adjusted image formation position.

[0029] <Lifting unit> In this embodiment, the scanner unit 300 is provided so as to be movable between a reading position where the image of the sheet S can be read by the reading unit 302 and a separated position that is further away from the conveyor belt 3 (the conveyor path of the sheet) than the reading position in a first direction (here, the vertical direction) that intersects with the surface of the sheet S conveyed on the conveyor path 320. FIG. 4 shows a case where the scanner unit 300 is at the reading position, and FIG. 5 shows a case where the scanner unit 300 is at the separated position. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the scanner unit 300 is moved between the reading position and the separated position in the vertical direction by the lifting unit 400 as a contact / separation unit while the transparent glass 303 faces downward in the vertical direction and faces the conveyor belt 3 (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, when the scanner unit 300 is at the reading position and the separated position, the reading surface 310 is at an opposing position facing the conveyor belt 3.

[0030] The lifting unit 400 will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7 while also referring to Figs. 2 and 3. As shown in Fig. 6, the lifting unit 400 has a rotating shaft 401, a handle 402, and a pair of lifting parts 403. The rotating shaft 401 extends in a second direction (arrow Y direction, referred to as the width direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction (arrow X direction) in which the sheet S is conveyed in the conveying path 320 and the vertical direction (arrow Z direction). The handle 402 is fixed to one end of the rotating shaft 401 in the width direction so that a user (operator) can grip the handle 402 to rotate the rotating shaft 401.

[0031] A pair of lifting units 403 are disposed opposite both ends of the rotating shaft 401 in the width direction, and rotatably support the rotating shaft 401. The lifting units 403 lift the scanner unit 300 vertically in response to the rotation of the rotating shaft 401. However, a holding plate 601 is provided vertically below each lifting unit 403, and as described below, the holding plate 601 holds the scanner unit 300 rotatably. In this embodiment, when a user rotates the handle 402, the holding plate 601 moves vertically together with the lifting units 403 and the rotating shaft 401, and the scanner unit 300 held by the holding plate 601 moves up and down accordingly.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 7, the lifting unit 403 has a worm gear 410 fixed to the rotating shaft 401, a worm wheel 411 meshing with the worm gear 410, a pinion gear 413 connected to the worm wheel 411 via a gear shaft 412, and a rack gear 414 meshing with the pinion gear 413. The worm gear 410, the worm wheel 411, and the pinion gear 413 are housed in a case as shown in Fig. 6. Meanwhile, the rack gear 414 is fixed to a moving frame 502 (see Fig. 9) described later so that a gear train meshing with the pinion gear 413 is aligned vertically.

[0033] In this embodiment, the worm wheel 411 is disposed below the worm gear 410 in the lifting section 403 at one end in the width direction where the handle 402 is provided, and the worm wheel 411 is disposed above the worm gear 410 in the lifting section 403 at the other end in the width direction. In this way, in a pair of lifting sections 403 disposed at both ends in the width direction, the worm wheel 411 and the worm gear 410 are engaged at opposite positions above and below in the vertical direction, so that the pinion gear 413 does not move vertically downward due to gravity relative to the rack gear 414. In other words, unless the rotating shaft 401 is rotated, a brake is applied by the worm wheel 411 and the worm gear 410, and the scanner unit 300 is maintained in a stopped state without moving vertically downward due to its own weight.

[0034] According to the above-described lifting unit 400, a user can lift and lower the scanner unit 300 in the vertical direction by operating the handle 402. In this embodiment, when a user wants to clean the transparent glass 303 of the scanner unit 300, the user must first move the scanner unit 300 from the reading position (see FIG. 4) to the separated position (see FIG. 5). In this case, the user grips the handle 402 and operates the rotating shaft 401 to rotate it in the clockwise direction. Then, the worm gear 410 rotates together with the rotating shaft 401, and the worm gear 410 drives the worm wheel 411, and the pinion gear 413 connected to the worm wheel 411 via the gear shaft 412 is rotated. As the pinion gear 413 rotates, it moves vertically upward along the rack gear 414 whose gear train is arranged vertically. As a result, the lifting unit 403 moves vertically upward, and the scanner unit 300 held by the holding plate 601 moves to the separated position.

[0035] <Drawer unit> Furthermore, when the scanner unit 300 is in a separated position (see FIG. 5) that is farther away from the conveyor belt 3 than the above-mentioned reading position, the scanner unit 300 is provided so as to be movable in the width direction between a facing position where the reading surface 310 faces the conveyor belt 3 and a non-facing position where the reading surface 310 does not face the conveyor belt 3. FIG. 8 shows the case where the scanner unit 300 is in the non-facing position. As shown in FIG. 8, the scanner unit 300 slides and moves in the width direction between the separated position (facing position) and the non-facing position by the drawer unit 500 as a moving part with the transparent glass 303 facing vertically downward (see FIG. 3).

[0036] The drawer unit 500 will be described using FIG. 9 with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. FIG. 9 shows the state in which the scanner unit 300 is in the separated position, that is, the state before the scanner unit 300 is drawn to the non-opposing position. As shown in FIG. 9, the drawer unit 500 has a pair of slide rails 501 extending in the width direction with a gap in the transport direction, and a moving frame 502 that holds the above-mentioned lifting unit 400 (see FIG. 6) and is provided so as to be slidable along the slide rails 501 between the separated position and the non-opposing position. The slide rails 501 are fixed to the housing of the print module 2000.

[0037] The moving frame 502 has a pair of rail portions 502a at both ends in the transport direction, and is supported so as to be slidable by fitting these rail portions 502a into slide rails 501. In addition, a frame gripping portion 503 that a user can grip to slide the moving frame 502 is provided at one end in the width direction of the moving frame 502.

[0038] The moving frame 502 has a pair of lifting unit holding plates 502b arranged opposite to each other at both ends in the width direction. The lifting unit holding plate 502b has the rack gear 414 (see FIG. 7) of the lifting unit 400 arranged on the inside. The lifting unit holding plate 502b has a through hole 502c for supporting the rotation shaft 401 of the lifting unit 400. The through hole 502c is formed in an elongated shape with a vertical length longer than a conveying direction length so as not to impede the vertical movement of the lifting unit 400 along the rack gear 414 and to restrict the movement in the conveying direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the handle 402 of the lifting unit 400 is fixed to the rotation shaft 401 on the outside of the lifting unit holding plate 502b on the side where the frame grip part 503 is provided so that the user can easily operate it.

[0039] When a user wants to clean the transparent glass 303 of the scanner unit 300, the user must move the scanner unit 300 from the reading position (see FIG. 4) to the separated position (see FIG. 5), and then move it from the separated position (opposed position) to the non-opposed position (see FIG. 8). In this case, the user grips the frame gripping portion 503 and pulls the moving frame 502 toward the front side (opposite the direction of the arrow Y in FIG. 9). Then, the moving frame 502 slides along the slide rail 501 to the non-opposed position. As a result, the lifting unit 400 also moves to the non-opposed position, and the scanner unit 300 held by the holding plate 601 moves to the non-opposed position. In this embodiment, when the scanner unit 300 is in the non-opposed position, it is in a state of being pulled out from inside the housing of the print module 2000 to the outside of the housing toward the front side of the housing, and the transparent glass 303 is exposed outside the housing of the print module 2000.

[0040] <Rotating unit> Furthermore, the scanner unit 300 is provided so as to be rotatable between the non-opposing position where the reading surface 310 does not face the conveyor belt 3 (see FIG. 8) and an inclined position where the reading surface 310 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the non-opposing position. FIG. 10 shows the case where the scanner unit 300 is in the inclined position. The scanner unit 300 is rotated by a rotating unit 600 as a rotating part between the non-opposing position (see FIG. 8) where the transparent glass 303 of the reading surface 310 faces vertically downward and the inclined position where the reading surface 310 is inclined at a predetermined angle as shown in FIG.

[0041] The rotating unit 600 will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 10 to Fig. 11(b). Fig. 11(a) shows the scanner unit 300 in the non-opposing position, and Fig. 11(b) shows the scanner unit 300 in the inclined position. As shown in Fig. 10, the rotating unit 600 has a pair of holding plates 601 extending in the width direction with a gap in the transport direction. As described above, the holding plates 601 are provided below the lifting / lowering section 403 of the lifting / lowering unit 400 (see Fig. 6), and hold the scanner unit 300 so that it can rotate freely.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 10 to Fig. 11(a), a holding plate 601 as a holding part is formed with an arc-shaped slit 602, a locking part 603, and a rotation hole 604. On the other hand, a rotation shaft 330 and an engagement protrusion 331 are formed in the housing 301 of the scanner unit 300 so as to protrude from both side surfaces in the width direction. The direction of the rotation axis of the rotation shaft 330 is along the second direction. The rotation shaft 330 is passed through the rotation hole 604 of the holding plate 601, and the housing 301 rotates with respect to the holding plate 601 around the rotation shaft 330. In addition, the engagement protrusion 331 is inserted into the slit 602 of the holding plate 601, and when the housing 301 rotates around the rotation shaft 330, the engagement protrusion 331 regulates the movement direction of the housing 301 together with the slit 602.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 11B, when the scanner unit 300 is in the inclined position, the locking portion 603 engages with the engaging protrusion 331 protruding from the slit 602, and locks the scanner unit 300 (specifically, the container 301) in the inclined position. The locking portion 603 has an engaging claw at its tip for engaging the engaging protrusion 331, and the engaging claw side is biased downward by a spring (not shown) so as to be rotatable around a rotating portion 605. When the scanner unit 300 is rotated from the non-facing position shown in FIG. 11A to the inclined position shown in FIG. 11B, if the engaging protrusion 331 comes into contact with the tip edge of the locking portion 603, the locking portion 603 retreats upward against the biasing force of the spring as if pushed up by the engaging protrusion 331. Then, when the scanner unit 300 is further rotated to the inclined position, the locking portion 603 that has retreated upward moves downward by the biasing force of the spring and returns to its original position before retreat. In this way, the lock portion 603 returns to its original position before it was retracted, and the engaging claw engages the engaging projection 331 .

[0044] At one end in the width direction of the housing 301 of the scanner unit 300, a unit gripping portion 332 is provided for a user to grip and rotate the scanner unit 300.

[0045] When a user wishes to clean the transmission glass 303 of the scanner unit 300, the user must move the scanner unit 300 from the separated position (see FIG. 5) to the non-opposing position (see FIG. 8) and then move it from the non-opposing position to the inclined position (see FIG. 10). That is, when cleaning the transmission glass 303, the user operates the rotation unit 600 with the scanner unit 300 pulled out, and rotates the scanner unit 300 to a predetermined angle at which the transmission glass 303 can be easily cleaned.

[0046] Specifically, the user grips the unit gripping portion 332 and rotates the scanner unit 300. Then, the scanner unit 300 moves to the inclined position along the slit 602 of the holding plate 601. When the scanner unit 300 reaches the inclined position, the locking portion 603 engages the engagement protrusion 331, so that the scanner unit 300 is locked so as not to rotate at the inclined position where the transmission glass 303 is at a predetermined angle that is easy to clean. This allows the user to clean the inclined transmission glass 303 with the scanner unit 300 locked. Also, with the scanner unit 300 locked, the user can easily view the transmission glass 303. The predetermined angle at which the transmission glass 303 is easy to clean is an angle of "60° to 70°" when the angle of the transmission glass 303 when the scanner unit 300 is in the non-opposing position is "0°".

[0047] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user can improve the operability when cleaning the transmission glass 303 of the scanner unit 300. That is, after the user pulls out the scanner unit 300 from the housing of the print module 2000 by using the drawer unit 500, the user can rotate the pulled out scanner unit 300 by using the rotation unit 600. Then, the scanner unit 300 is locked in a state in which the transmission glass 303 is tilted at a predetermined angle that makes it easy to clean. By pulling out the scanner unit 300 to the outside of the housing, a sufficient working space required to clean the transmission glass 303 can be secured. In addition, by rotating the scanner unit 300, the visibility of the transmission glass 303 is improved. In this way, when the user wants to clean the transmission glass 303, the user can easily perform an operation to move the transmission glass 303 to a position that is easy to clean and has good visibility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K, 1H...image forming section (recording head), 3...support section (conveyor belt), 100...image forming apparatus (inkjet recording apparatus), 300...reading unit (scanner unit), 301...container, 302...reading section, 303...transmission section (transmission glass), 310...reading surface, 320...transport path, 330...rotating shaft, 331...engagement protrusion, 332...unit gripping section, 400...contact and separation section (lifting unit ), 401...rotating shaft, 402...handle, 403...lifting section, 410...worm gear, 411...worm wheel, 413...pinion gear, 414...rack gear, 500...moving section (drawing unit), 501...slide rail, 502...moving frame, 503...frame gripping section, 600...rotating section (rotating unit), 601...holding section (holding plate), 602...slit, 603...locking section, S...sheet

Claims

1. In a transport path for transporting sheets, a support part supports the second surface of a sheet on which an image has been formed on the first surface, A reading unit is positioned on the opposite side to the side on which the support is located via the transport path, and reads the first surface of the sheet being transported along the transport path. In the aforementioned transport path, if the transport direction in which the sheet is transported is defined as the first direction, the width direction of the first surface of the sheet perpendicular to the first direction is defined as the second direction, and the direction perpendicular to the first and second directions is defined as the third direction, then the reading unit is moved in the second direction by a first moving unit, The first moving unit moves the reading unit between the first position and the second position. The first position is a position where the reading surface of the reading unit and the support portion face each other, and the second position is a position where the reading surface of the reading unit and the support portion do not face each other. An image reading device characterized by the following.

2. A rotating part that rotates the reading unit around a pivot axis, The rotating part rotates the reading unit, which is in the second position, to an inclined position where the reading surface is tilted at a predetermined angle. The image reading device according to feature 1.

3. A second moving unit for moving the reading unit in the third direction, The second moving unit moves the reading unit, which is in the first position, to a reading position and to a separated position which is further from the support than the reading position. The first moving unit moves the reading unit, which is in the separated position, to the first position and the second position. The image reading device according to feature 1.

4. A second moving unit for moving the reading unit in the third direction, The second moving unit moves the reading unit, which is in the first position, to a reading position and to a separated position which is further from the support than the reading position. The first moving unit moves the reading unit, which is in the separated position, to the first position and the second position. The image reading device according to feature 2.

5. The rotating part has a pair of holding parts provided on the second moving unit that hold both ends of the reading unit in the second direction, The reading unit has protrusions on both sides in the second direction, The pair of holding parts have arc-shaped slits into which the projections are inserted to restrict the direction of movement of the reading unit, At least one of the pair of holding parts has a locking part that engages with the projection protruding from the slit when the reading unit is in the inclined position, thereby locking the reading unit in the inclined position. The image reading device according to feature 4.

6. The reading unit is provided with a unit gripping portion that is gripped when the reading unit is rotated along the slit, The image reading device according to feature 5.

7. The first moving unit is A pair of slide rails extending in the second direction with a gap between them in the transport direction, The device includes a moving frame that holds the second moving unit and moves the reading unit along the slide rail between the first and second positions, The image reading device according to feature 5.

8. The movable frame is provided with a frame gripping portion for sliding the movable frame along the slide rail, The image reading device according to feature 7.

9. The second moving unit comprises a rotating shaft extending in the second direction, a handle provided at one end of the rotating shaft in the second direction for rotating the rotating shaft, and a pair of lifting parts arranged at both ends of the rotating shaft in the second direction for raising and lowering the holding part in the third direction in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shaft, The lifting mechanism includes a worm gear fixed to the rotating shaft, a worm wheel that meshes with the worm gear, a pinion gear connected to the worm wheel via a gear shaft, and a rack gear provided on the moving frame, the gear row that meshes with the pinion gear is arranged in the third direction. The image reading device according to feature 7.

10. The direction of the rotation axis of the rotation shaft is along the second direction, The image reading device according to feature 2.

11. The support part is an endless conveying belt for conveying the sheet. The image reading device according to feature 1.

12. The reading unit comprises: a reading unit that reads an image of a sheet by irradiating light onto a sheet being transported and receiving reflected light from the sheet; a housing that houses the reading unit; and a transparent portion provided on the reading surface of the housing that is capable of transmitting light irradiated from the reading unit and reflected light from the sheet. The image reading device according to feature 1.

13. An image forming unit that forms an image on the first surface of the sheet, The system comprises an image reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, which is positioned downstream of the image forming unit with respect to the sheet transport direction. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following features.

14. The image forming unit is a recording head that ejects ink to form an image on a sheet, The reading unit is disposed downstream of the recording head with respect to the transport direction. The image forming apparatus according to feature 13.

15. The position of the recording head is adjusted based on the reading result read by the reading unit. The image forming apparatus according to feature 14.

Images