Image reading device and image formation device

Abstract

To reduce inspection man-hours as compared with the case where an inclination of an image reading part is repaired by removing the image reading part from an image reading device.SOLUTION: An image reading device comprises: a housing member; an image reading part that is housed in the housing member, and in which a reading line is arranged along a main scanning direction in reading of an image, and which reads the image while being moved in a sub-scanning direction; and a guide part that is housed in the housing member, and is a long member that is arranged along the sub-scanning direction, in which a fixing end as one of end parts is fixed to a side surface of the housing member; an adjustment end as the other of the end parts is held so as to enable an adjustment of a position along a reading plan surface of the image that is specified by the main-scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction to the side surface of the housing member, and which guides the movement of the image reading part in the sub-scanning direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image reading device and an image forming device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an invention in which, with the aim of detecting misalignment of a set document and notifying the user of the misalignment in a short period of time, before reading the entire set document, a control unit causes the image reading unit to read a judgment range, and based on the image data of the judgment range (judgment image data), the control unit calculates the main scanning direction width of the document at each point in the sub-scanning direction, and using the inclination calculated based on the calculated main scanning direction width, the control unit determines whether or not the document is misaligned, and if it is determined that the document is misaligned, the control unit notifies a notification unit that the document is misaligned, and if it is determined that the document is not misaligned, the control unit causes the image reading unit to read the entire set document. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-5793 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In addition to the misalignment of the document, another possible cause of misalignment in the scanned image data is when the image scanning unit disposed in the image scanning device is tilted. If the image scanning unit mounted in the image scanning device is tilted, the image scanning unit must be removed from the image scanning device and adjusted to correct the tilt of the image scanning unit, which requires inspection man-hours.

[0005] The present invention has an object to reduce the number of inspection steps compared to a case in which the image reading unit is removed from the image reading device and the inclination of the image reading unit is corrected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is an image reading device comprising: a storage member; an image reading unit housed in the storage member, having a reading line arranged along the main scanning direction for reading an image, and reading an image while moving in a sub-scanning direction; and a guide unit which is a long member housed in the storage member and arranged along the sub-scanning direction, having one end portion, a fixed end, fixed to a side of the storage member and the other end portion, an adjustable end, held on the side of the storage member so that its position can be adjusted along a reading plane of an image specified by the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, and which guides the movement of the image reading unit in the sub-scanning direction. The invention described in claim 2 is the image reading device described in claim 1, characterized in that a long hole is provided on the side of the accommodating member to movably hold the position of the adjustment end, and an adjustment member is provided to adjust the position of the adjustment end in the long hole. The invention described in claim 3 is the image reading device described in claim 2, characterized in that the adjustment member has a support portion that rotatably supports the adjustment member and a holding portion that holds the adjustment end, and adjusts the position of the adjustment end held by the holding portion by rotating in an arc around the support portion. The invention described in claim 4 is the image reading device described in claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with an adjustment member installed on the outer surface of the accommodating member and adjusts the position of the adjustment end by user operation from outside the accommodating member. The invention described in claim 5 is the image reading device described in claim 4, further comprising a document stand on which a document is placed, arranged to cover the storage member that houses the image reading unit and the guide unit, and characterized in that the adjustment member is arranged in a position where it can be operated without removing the document stand from the storage member. The invention described in claim 6 is an image reading device comprising a housing member, an image reading unit housed in the housing member and reading an image along a reading line, a guide unit housed in the housing member and guiding movement of the image reading unit in a direction intersecting the reading line, and an adjustment member that adjusts the misalignment of the reading direction of the reading line of the image reading unit relative to the main scanning direction when reading an image by changing the movement direction of the image reading unit guided by the guide unit. The invention described in claim 7 is an image forming apparatus comprising the image reading device described in any one of claims 1 to 6. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the invention of claim 1, the number of inspection steps can be reduced compared to a case in which the image reading unit is removed from the image reading device and the inclination of the image reading unit is corrected. According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to improve operability in adjusting the adjustment end and reduce inspection man-hours, compared to a case in which the image reading unit is removed from the image reading device and the inclination of the image reading unit is corrected. According to the invention of claim 3, the initial position at which the adjustment member is installed can be fixed, as compared with the case where the adjustment member is moved horizontally. According to the invention of claim 4, in comparison with the case where the inclination of the image reading unit with respect to the guide unit is corrected, it is possible to make the adjustment without removing the image reading unit from the image reading device. According to the invention of claim 5, the number of inspection steps can be reduced compared to a case in which the image reading unit is removed from the image reading device and the inclination of the image reading unit is corrected. According to the invention of claim 6, the number of inspection steps can be reduced compared to a case in which the image reading unit is removed from the image reading device and the inclination of the image reading unit is corrected. According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the number of inspection steps can be reduced compared to a case in which the image reading unit is removed from the image reading device and the inclination of the image reading unit is corrected. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] These are views of the image reading device as viewed from the side, with Figure 3(A) being a view of the image reading device as viewed from a first side, and Figure 3(B) being a view of the image reading device as viewed from a second side. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing a housing that holds the end of a shaft, where FIG. 5(A) is a diagram of the housing as viewed from a first side, and FIG. 5(B) is a diagram of the housing as viewed from a second side. [Figure 6] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating examples of an adjustment member. [Figure 7] 7A and 7B are diagrams showing an example of an adjustment member installed on a housing, where FIG. 7(A) shows the state where the member is screwed into the support hole, and FIG. 7(B) shows the state where the member is screwed into the support hole and the initial fastening hole. [Figure 8] These figures show an example of installing an adjustment member on a housing using an adjustment hole, where Figure 8(A) shows the state in which the adjustment member has been rotated to the left and fixed when viewed from the second side, Figure 8(B) shows the state in which the adjustment member has been rotated to the right and fixed when viewed from the second side, and Figure 8(C) shows the state in which the adjustment member has been fixed at an intermediate position between Figures 8(A) and (B). [Figure 9] 11 is a diagram showing an example in which a reading line of a CIS is arranged so as to be shifted from the main scanning direction; [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of a state in which a deviation in the reading line of a CIS has been corrected, in which FIG. 10A shows the relationship between an adjustment end and an adjustment member, and FIG. 10B shows the inside of a housing. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a state in which the direction of the shaft is shifted, with FIG. 11A illustrating movement of the CIS in the sub-scanning direction, and FIG. 11B illustrating an example of a read image. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the configuration of a control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <Overall configuration of image forming apparatus> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 1 shows the state of the image forming apparatus 100 as seen from the front side of the image forming apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 100 shown in the figure includes an image reading device 1 that reads an image of an original G, an image forming section 2 that forms an image on a sheet P, which is an example of a recording medium, a paper feed section 3 that supplies the sheet P to the image forming section 2, and a control section 50 that controls each section of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 1, in the image forming apparatus 100, the image forming section 2, the paper feed section 3, and the control section 50 are provided inside a main body 10. The image reading device 1 is disposed above the main body 10. The main body 10 also has a paper discharge section 9 on its upper surface for accommodating the sheet P on which an image has been formed by the image forming section 2.

[0010] 1, the image reading device 1 is composed of a housing 11, which is an example of a storage member, and a document table 12 on which a document G is placed. The internal configuration of the image reading device 1 will be described later. A document cover 101 that covers the document table 12 and can be opened and closed relative to the housing 11 may be provided on the upper surface of the image reading device 1. The document cover 101 is composed of a document tray 102 on which documents G are stacked, an automatic document feeder 103 that feeds the documents G to a reading position and discharges the documents G after reading, and a document storage unit 105 that stores the documents G discharged from the automatic document feeder 103.

[0011] <Main body configuration> As described above, the main body 10 includes the image forming section 2, the paper feeding section 3, and the control section 50. The image forming section 2 includes, for example, an image forming unit 4 that forms toner images of the respective colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) by electrophotography, an intermediate transfer unit 5 that conveys the toner images formed by the image forming unit 4 until they are transferred onto paper P, and a fixing unit 6 that fixes the toner images transferred from the intermediate transfer unit 5 onto paper P. Note that the image forming section 2 may form images by, for example, an inkjet system other than the electrophotographic system.

[0012] The paper feed section 3 includes a paper storage section 7 that stores multiple sheets of paper P of a predetermined size and type, and a feeding device 8 that feeds the sheets of paper P stored in the paper storage section 7 one by one onto a conveying path.

[0013] 1, the main body 10 is provided with a paper transport path R1 that transports the paper P sent out from the paper feed section 3 to the paper discharge section 9. As the paper P passes through the paper transport path R1, a toner image is transferred onto the paper P at a secondary transfer position by the intermediate transfer unit 5, and the toner image transferred onto the paper P is fixed by the fixing unit 6. The paper P with the image formed thereon is then discharged to the paper discharge section 9.

[0014] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control unit 50. As shown in FIG. The control unit 50 includes a calculation processing unit 60 that executes digital calculation processing according to a program, a secondary storage unit 70 that records information such as the program, and a communication unit 80 that transmits and receives information to and from an external device. The calculation processing unit 60 includes a CPU 61 as an example of a processor. The calculation processing unit 60 also includes a RAM 62 used as a working memory for the CPU 61, and a ROM 63 in which programs executed by the CPU 61 are stored. The calculation processing unit 60 also includes a non-volatile memory 64 that is rewritable and can hold data even when the power supply is cut off. In this embodiment, the CPU 61 executes each process by reading the program stored in the secondary storage unit 70 or the ROM 63. The calculation processing unit 60, the secondary storage unit 70, and the communication unit 80 are connected through a bus or a signal line.

[0015] Next, the basic operation of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described. First, in the image reading device 1, the user places the document G on the document table 12 or the document tray 102. Then, when the user operates an operation button (not shown) or the like to accept an instruction to read an image, the reading operation of the document G is started. That is, the image reading device 1 reads the image of the document G. Then, the image forming unit 2 performs an image forming operation based on the image information of the document G received from the image reading device 1. Then, in accordance with the operation of the image forming unit 2, the paper P is sent from the paper feed unit 3. Then, after the image is formed on the paper P by the image forming unit 2, it is discharged to the paper discharge unit 9. The image forming operation described above is repeated in the same manner according to the number of documents G and the number of sheets on which images are formed.

[0016] <Configuration of image reading device> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the image reading device 1 according to the present embodiment. In the following description, the image reading device 1 in this embodiment will be described assuming that the main scanning direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the "main scanning direction") in reading an image is the Y-axis direction, the sub-scanning direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the "sub-scanning direction") in reading an image is the X-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to the image reading plane specified by the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction is the Z-axis direction.

[0017] The image reading device 1 is composed of, for example, a rectangular housing 11 having a bottom and sides, and a document table 12 covering the top of the housing. As shown in FIG. 2, one of the sides of the housing 11 is a first side 11A, and the other side opposite the first side 11A is a second side 11B. The document table 12 is made of, for example, a light-transmitting transparent plate. The document table 12 is removable from the housing 11.

[0018] Figure 3 is a diagram of the image reading device 1 when viewed from the side, where Figure 3(A) is a diagram of the image reading device 1 when viewed from the first side 11A side, and Figure 3(B) is a diagram of the image reading device 1 when viewed from the second side 11B side. As shown in FIG. 3(A), a first hole 19 is provided in the first side surface 11A of the housing 11 in this embodiment. The first hole 19 is a hole for fixing one end of a rail shaft 15 (see FIG. 4) described later, and has a size that matches the size of the end of the rail shaft 15. Also, as shown in FIG. 3(B), a second hole 20 is provided in the second side surface 11B of the housing 11 in this embodiment. The second hole 20 is a hole for movably holding the other end of the rail shaft 15, and is a long hole that is larger than the size of the end of the rail shaft 15 and is wide in the horizontal (Y-axis direction). Also, in the vicinity of the second hole 20 in the second side surface 11B, a third hole 24, a fourth hole 25, and a fifth hole 26 are provided as holes for installing an adjustment member 23 (see FIG. 6) described later. Details will be described later. In this embodiment, the first hole 19 is a hole for fixing the end of the rail shaft 15, and the second hole 20 is a hole for movably holding the end of the rail shaft 15, but this is not limited to this. The first hole 19 may be a hole for movably holding the end of the rail shaft 15, and the second hole 20 may be a hole for fixing the end of the rail shaft 15.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the image reading device 1 according to this embodiment. The internal configuration of the image reading device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The housing 11 accommodates therein a contact image sensor 13, a holder 14, a rail shaft 15, a drive unit 16, a first belt member 17, a second belt member 18, a first gear member 21, and a second gear member 22.

[0020] The contact image sensor (hereinafter abbreviated as "CIS") 13 is an example of an image reading unit. The CIS 13 is an image reading sensor composed of a plurality of point-like light sources arranged in a row, and a plurality of light receiving lenses and light receiving elements arranged in the same direction as the plurality of light sources. For example, a light emitting diode is used for each light source. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the reading line of the CIS 13 is arranged in the main scanning direction within the housing 11. Note that the reading line refers to a line when the CIS 13 reads the image of the document G.

[0021] The holder 14 is a member that holds the CIS 13. Specifically, the holder 14 is a member that has a bottom surface and a side surface, and is formed in a rectangular shape corresponding to the size of the CIS 13, and the CIS 13 can be fitted inside the holder 14. The holder 14 also has a connection portion 14a on the outer bottom surface of the holder 14 for connecting to the rail shaft 15.

[0022] The rail shaft (hereinafter referred to as "shaft") 15 is a member that guides the CIS 13 along the sub-scanning direction. For example, a long member that is arranged along the sub-scanning direction from the first side surface 11A to the second side surface 11B of the housing 11 is used as the shaft 15. Specifically, for example, the shaft 15 is made of a rod-shaped member with a circular cross section. In this embodiment, the end 15A, which is one end of the shaft 15, is fixed to a first hole 19 provided in the first side surface 11A of the housing 11. The end 15B, which is the other end of the shaft 15, is movably held in a second hole 20 provided in the second side surface 11B of the housing 11. Hereinafter, the end 15A of the shaft 15 fixed to the first hole 19 is referred to as the fixed end 15A, and the end 15B of the shaft 15 movably held in the second hole 20 is referred to as the adjustment end 15B, and when no distinction is made, they are simply referred to as the ends 15A and B.

[0023] The connection portion 14a of the holder 14 described above is a cylindrical member having an inner surface having a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the shaft 15. The shaft 15 slidably holds the CIS 13 on the upper side of the shaft 15 via the connection portion 14a of the holder 14 at a position where the shaft 15 intersects with the CIS 13. The shaft 15 guides the movement of the CIS 13 in the sub-scanning direction. The shaft 15 is an example of a guide portion.

[0024] In this embodiment, the movement of the CIS 13 in the sub-scanning direction is performed by a driving device 16, a first belt member 17, and a second belt member 18. The first belt member 17 and the second belt member 18 are members that have the role of transmitting the driving force from the driving device 16.

[0025] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the driving device 16, the first gear member 21, and the second gear member 22 are arranged in the housing 11. The first belt member 17 is arranged in a ring shape so as to be hung on the first gear member 21 and the second gear member 22 along the sub-scanning direction as shown in Fig. 4. The second belt member 18 is arranged in a ring shape so as to be hung on the driving device 16 and the second gear member 22 as shown in Fig. 4. The second gear member 22 is a two-stage gear, and each of the first belt member 17 and the second belt member 18 is configured to be hung on the second gear member 22 at different positions of the second gear member 22.

[0026] When the driving device 16 starts operating, first, the driving force is transmitted to the second belt member 18. Then, the driving force transmitted to the second belt member 18 is transmitted to the first belt member 17 via the second gear member 22. Furthermore, the first belt member 17 is disposed along the sub-scanning direction, and is held so as to mesh with the holder 14 at a contact portion (not shown) between the first belt member 17 and the holder 14. Then, as the first belt member 17 is driven, the CIS 13 moves in the sub-scanning direction.

[0027] Figure 5 shows the housing 11 holding the ends 15A and B of the shaft 15, where Figure 5(A) is a view of the housing 11 seen from the first side 11A side, and Figure 5(B) is a view of the housing 11 seen from the second side 11B side. As shown in Fig. 5(A), fixed end 15A is fixed to a first hole 19 provided in a first side surface 11A of housing 11. Also, as shown in Fig. 5(B), adjustable end 15B is movably held in a second hole 20 provided in a second side surface 11B of housing 11. Note that shaft 15 is fixed to housing 11 using an E-ring (not shown) or the like to prevent it from coming off in the axial direction.

[0028] <Adjustment parts> Next, a description will be given of the adjustment member 23. The adjustment member 23 in this embodiment is a member that has a role of adjusting the position of the adjustment end 15B of the shaft 15 within the second hole 20 provided in the second side surface 11B of the housing 11.

[0029] In this embodiment, adjustment member 23 is installed on the outer surface of housing 11. More specifically, adjustment member 23 is attached to, for example, second side surface 11B of housing 11. Then, a user operates adjustment member 23 from outside housing 11 to adjust the position of adjustment end 15B.

[0030] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the adjustment member 23. As shown in FIG. As shown in Fig. 6, adjustment member 23 is provided with a support hole 27, a retaining hole 28, an initial fastening hole 29, and an adjustment hole 30. Support hole 27 is a screw fastening hole provided to correspond to third hole 24 (see Fig. 3) of housing 11 described above. Retaining hole 28 is a hole for retaining adjustment end 15B, and is a vertically wide long hole. Support hole 27 is an example of a support portion. Retaining hole 28 is also an example of a retaining portion.

[0031] The initial fastening hole 29 is a screw fastening hole provided to correspond to the fourth hole 25 (see FIG. 3(B)) of the housing 11, and the adjustment hole 30 is a screw fastening hole provided to correspond to the fifth hole 26 (see FIG. 3) of the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 6, the adjustment hole 30 is an arc-shaped long hole.

[0032] Initial fastening hole 29 is a hole used for fixing adjusting end 15B at a predetermined position in second hole 20. In an initial state such as at the time of shipment of image reading device 1, adjusting end 15B is fixed using initial fastening hole 29. On the other hand, adjustment hole 30 is a hole used when adjusting the position of adjusting end 15B by adjustment member 23.

[0033] Figure 7 shows an example of installing adjustment member 23 on housing 11, where Figure 7(A) shows the state where it is screwed into support hole 27, and Figure 7(B) shows the state where it is screwed into support hole 27 and initial fastening hole 29. In this embodiment, as described above, the adjustment member 23 is attached to the second side surface 11B of the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 7(A), the adjustment member 23 is screwed at a position where the third hole 24 (see FIG. 3(B)) provided in the second side surface 11B of the housing 11 and the support hole 27 provided in the adjustment member 23 coincide. Further, in a state where the support hole 27 is screwed, the adjustment member 23 can rotate in an arc around the support hole 27 with the support hole 27 as a fulcrum. Also, as shown in FIG. 7(B), by screwing the support hole 27 and screwing the fourth hole 25 (see FIG. 3(B)) provided in the second side surface 11B of the housing 11 and the initial fastening hole 29 provided in the adjustment member 23, the adjustment member 23 is fixed at a position where the fourth hole 25 and the initial fastening hole 29 coincide.

[0034] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which the adjustment member 23 is installed on the housing 11 using the adjustment hole 30. FIG. 8(A) is a diagram showing a state in which the adjustment member 23 is rotated and fixed in the left direction as viewed from the second side surface 11B side, FIG. 8(B) is a diagram showing a state in which the adjustment member 23 is rotated and fixed in the right direction as viewed from the second side surface 11B side, and FIG. 8(C) is a diagram showing a state in which the adjustment member 23 is fixed at an intermediate position between FIGS. 8(A) and (B). As described above, the adjustment member 23 can be rotated in an arc with the support hole 27 as a fulcrum in a state where the support hole 27 is screwed. Then, by screwing using the adjustment hole 30, the adjustment member 23 can be fixed to the housing 11 at a position where it is rotated in an arc. When rotating the adjustment member 23 in an arc, graduations may be provided on the second side surface 11B of the housing 11 so that the user can easily visually recognize the amount of rotation of the adjustment member 23.

[0035] <Adjustment of CIS> Incidentally, in image reading, a read image may be misaligned simply because the document G is misaligned from the document table, but other than that, for example, a read line of the CIS 13 may be misaligned from the main scanning direction. In such a case, in order to rearrange the CIS 13 and correct the orientation, it is necessary to remove the document table 12 from the housing 11, take out the CIS 13 from inside the housing 11, and then rearrange it again. In this embodiment, instead of rearranging the CIS 13, the shaft 15 that holds the CIS 13 is tilted to correct the misalignment of the read line of the CIS 13 with respect to the main scanning direction.

[0036] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example in which the reading line of the CIS 13 is arranged so as to be shifted from the main scanning direction. In addition, in explaining the deviation of the reading line of the CIS 13 in the housing 11 with respect to the main scanning direction, the deviation is shown exaggerated for ease of understanding. In reality, the deviation is, for example, about 0.5 mm to 1 mm.

[0037] In the diagram shown in FIG. 9, the reading line of CIS 13 is tilted counterclockwise with respect to the main scanning direction. If an image is read in this state, the read image will be distorted. Therefore, it is necessary to correct the arrangement of CIS 13 so that the reading line of CIS 13 coincides with the main scanning direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the orientation of shaft 15 is shifted in the opposite direction (i.e., clockwise in FIG. 9) by an amount equivalent to the tilt of CIS 13 with respect to the main scanning direction. As a result, the reading line of CIS 13 coincides with the main scanning direction. As a specific means for shifting the orientation of shaft 15, the position of adjustment end 15B of shaft 15 is adjusted using adjustment member 23.

[0038] More specifically, as described above, the adjustment member 23 has a holding hole 28 (see FIG. 6) for holding the adjustment end 15B of the shaft 15, and the adjustment end 15B is held by the adjustment member 23 through this holding hole 28. In addition, in a state in which the support hole 27 is screwed into the third hole 24 (see FIG. 3B) provided in the second side surface 11B of the housing 11, the adjustment member 23 can rotate in an arc shape around the support hole 27 as a fulcrum while holding the adjustment end 15B in the holding hole 28. This arc shape rotation of the adjustment member 23 moves the position of the adjustment end 15B and shifts the orientation of the shaft 15. Note that the adjustment end 15B moves laterally according to the second hole 20 that is wide in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction) described with reference to FIG. 3, but the adjustment member 23 moves in an arc shape as described above. Therefore, the distance from the support hole 27 to the adjustment end 15B varies depending on the orientation of the adjustment member 23. Therefore, in order to be able to hold the adjustable end 15B regardless of the orientation of the adjustment member 23, the holding hole 28 is made vertically elongated.

[0039] Fig. 10 shows an example of a state in which the deviation of the reading line of CIS 13 has been corrected, with Fig. 10(A) showing the relationship between adjustment end 15B and adjustment member 23, and Fig. 10(B) showing the inside of housing 11. In Fig. 10(B), the state before adjustment by adjustment member 23 is shown by a dashed line, and the state after adjustment is shown by a solid line. As shown in FIG. 9, the reading line of CIS 13 is inclined with respect to the main scanning direction. Therefore, in order to correct the deviation of the reading line of CIS 13, the orientation of shaft 15 is shifted in the direction opposite to the inclination of CIS 13 by an amount equivalent to the inclination of CIS 13 with respect to the main scanning direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 10(A), adjustment member 23 is rotated in an arc shape in the Y-axis left direction with support hole 27 as a fulcrum, thereby moving the position of adjustment end 15B of shaft 15 to the left. As a result, the orientation of shaft 15 is shifted in a direction that corrects the inclination of CIS 13 (clockwise in FIG. 9). As a result, as shown in FIG. 10(B), the reading line of CIS 13 and the main scanning direction are aligned. Then, with the reading line of CIS 13 aligned with the main scanning direction, the fifth hole 26 (see FIG. 3B) and the adjustment hole 30 are used for screw fastening, and the position of adjustment end 15B of shaft 15 is fixed.

[0040] In the above, a case where the reading line of CIS 13 is tilted counterclockwise (counterclockwise in FIG. 9) with respect to the main scanning direction has been described, but if it is tilted in the opposite direction (clockwise in FIG. 9), the adjustment member 23 should be rotated in an arc in the Y-axis rightward direction, which is the opposite to that described with reference to FIG. 10(A). Since the operation is similar, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0041] The above describes a method for correcting the inclination of the reading line of the CIS 13 with respect to the main scanning direction by changing the orientation of the shaft 15. However, in the above method, the movement direction of the CIS 13 is shifted with respect to the sub-scanning direction when reading an image by changing the orientation of the shaft 15. This affects the range of image reading. Therefore, it is necessary to perform image correction according to the adjustment of the orientation of the shaft 15. This image correction is performed by the CPU 61, which is an example of a processor, reading a program stored in the ROM 63 or the like into the RAM 62, which is used as a working memory or the like.

[0042] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing a state in which the orientation of shaft 15 has been shifted, with FIG. 11A showing the movement of CIS 13 in the sub-scanning direction, and FIG. 11B showing an example of a read image. In addition, in order to explain the movement of CIS 13 in the sub-scanning direction, the orientation of shaft 15 is shown significantly shifted for ease of understanding. In reality, the movement of adjustment end 15B performed by adjusting the orientation of shaft 15 is about 0.5 mm to 1 mm.

[0043] As shown in Figure 11(A), when the orientation of shaft 15 is shifted from the sub-scanning direction (the direction of the arrow indicated by the dashed line in the figure), the movement direction of CIS 13 is shifted, and CIS 13 reads the image while moving in the direction of the arrow indicated by the dashed line.

[0044] When an image is read as described above, the resulting read image is as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 11(B). Therefore, it is necessary to perform image correction on the read image. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 11(B), the portion shown by the dashed line is trimmed to perform image correction on the read image. The portion shown by the solid line in Fig. 11(B) is the read image after image correction.

[0045] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, in this embodiment, the adjustment member 23 is rotated in an arc shape around the support hole 27 as a fulcrum, thereby shifting the direction of the shaft 15, but this is not limited to this. For example, the adjustment member holding the adjustment end 15B of the shaft 15 may be configured to move linearly along the second hole 20. In this case, for example, a long hole parallel to the second hole 20 may be provided, and when the adjustment member is moved to the adjustment position, the long hole parallel to the second hole 20 and the fixing hole of the adjustment member may be screwed together. In addition, various modifications and alternative configurations that do not deviate from the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention are included in the present invention.

[0046] <Additional Notes> (((1))) an image reading unit that is housed in the housing member and has a reading line arranged along a main scanning direction for reading an image and reads an image while moving in a sub-scanning direction; and a guide unit that is a long member housed in the housing member and arranged along the sub-scanning direction, with one end portion being a fixed end fixed to a side of the housing member and the other end portion being an adjustable end held on the side of the housing member so that its position can be adjusted along a reading plane of an image specified by the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, and that guides the movement of the image reading unit in the sub-scanning direction. (((2))) The image reading device described in (((1))) is characterized in that a long hole is provided on a side of the storage member to movably hold the position of the adjustment end, and an adjustment member is provided to adjust the position of the adjustment end in the long hole. (((3))) The adjustment member has a support portion that rotatably supports the adjustment member and a holding portion that holds the adjustment end, and is characterized in that the adjustment member adjusts the position of the adjustment end held by the holding portion by rotating in an arc around the support portion. (((4))) The image reading device described in any one of ((1)) to (((3))) is characterized in that it is provided with an adjustment member that is installed on an outer surface of the storage member and that adjusts the position of the adjustment end by user operation from outside the storage member. (((5))) The image reading device described in any one of (((2))) to (((4))) further comprises a document stand on which a document is placed, the document stand being arranged to cover the storage member which houses the image reading unit and the guide unit, and the adjustment member being arranged in a position where it can be operated without removing the document stand from the storage member. (((6))) An image reading device comprising: a storage member; an image reading unit housed in the storage member and reading an image along a reading line; a guide unit housed in the storage member and guiding movement of the image reading unit in a direction intersecting the reading line; and an adjustment member that adjusts a deviation of the reading direction of the reading line of the image reading unit relative to a main scanning direction when reading an image by changing the movement direction of the image reading unit guided by the guide unit. (((7))) An image forming apparatus comprising the image reading device according to any one of ((1)) to ((6)).

[0047] According to the invention (((1))), the number of inspection steps can be reduced compared to a case in which the image reading unit is removed from the image reading device and the inclination of the image reading unit is corrected. According to the invention (((2))), it is possible to improve operability in adjusting the adjustment end and reduce inspection man-hours, compared to the case where the image reading unit is removed from the image reading device and the inclination of the image reading unit is corrected. According to the invention (((3))), the initial position at which the adjustment member is installed can be fixed, as compared with the case where the adjustment member is moved horizontally. According to the invention (((4))), in comparison with the case where the inclination of the image reading unit with respect to the guide unit is corrected, the adjustment can be made without removing the image reading unit from the image reading device. According to the invention (((5))), the number of inspection steps can be reduced compared to a case in which the image reading unit is removed from the image reading device and the inclination of the image reading unit is corrected. According to the invention (((6))), the number of inspection steps can be reduced compared to a case in which the image reading unit is removed from the image reading device and the inclination of the image reading unit is corrected. According to the invention (((7))), the number of inspection steps can be reduced compared to a case in which the image reading unit is removed from the image reading device and the inclination of the image reading unit is corrected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...image reading device, 2...image forming unit, 3...paper feeding unit, 10...main body, 11...housing, 11A...first side, 11B...second side, 12...original table, 13...contact image sensor, 14...holder, 15...rail shaft, 15A...fixed end, 15B...adjustment end, 16...driving device, 17...first belt member, 18...second belt member, 19...first hole, 20...second hole, 21...first gear member, 22...second gear member, 23...adjustment member, 24...third hole, 25...fourth hole, 26...fifth hole, 27...support hole, 28...holding hole, 29...initial fastening hole, 30...adjustment hole, 50...control unit, 100...image forming device

Claims

1. A housing member; an image reading unit that is accommodated in the accommodating member, has a reading line arranged along a main scanning direction in reading an image, and reads an image while moving in a sub-scanning direction; a guide section which is an elongated member accommodated in the accommodation member and disposed along the sub-scanning direction, one of the ends being a fixed end fixed to a side surface of the accommodation member and the other end being an adjustable end held on the side surface of the accommodation member so as to be adjustable in position along a reading plane of an image specified by the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, and which guides movement of the image reading section in the sub-scanning direction; An image reading device comprising:

2. A long hole for movably holding the position of the adjustment end is provided on a side surface of the housing member, and an adjustment member for adjusting the position of the adjustment end in the long hole is provided.

2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus comprises:

3. The adjustment member has a support portion that rotatably supports the adjustment member and a holding portion that holds the adjustment end, and adjusts the position of the adjustment end held by the holding portion by rotating on an arc around the support portion.

3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image reading apparatus comprises:

4. and an adjustment member that is installed on an outer surface of the housing member and adjusts the position of the adjustment end by a user's operation from outside the housing member.

2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus comprises:

5. a document table for placing a document thereon, the document table being disposed to cover the housing member housing the image reading unit and the guide unit; The adjustment member is provided at a position where it can be operated without removing the document table from the storage member.

5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 4,

6. A housing member; an image reading unit that is accommodated in the accommodation member and that reads an image along a reading line; a guide portion that is accommodated in the accommodation member and that guides the movement of the image reading portion in a direction that intersects with the reading line; an adjustment member that adjusts a deviation of a reading direction of the reading line of the image reading unit with respect to a main scanning direction in reading an image by changing a moving direction of the image reading unit guided by the guide unit; An image reading device comprising:

7. 7. An image forming apparatus comprising the image reading device according to claim 1.

Images