Image reading device

Abstract

To appropriately feed a document by more reliably selecting an appropriate separation state according to a type of document.SOLUTION: An image reading device comprises: a reading unit that reads a document; a document placement part on which the document is placed; a feeding roller that feeds out the document from the document placement part; a separation roller that nips the document between the separation roller and the feeding roller, and that can switch between a separation state where the document is separated and a non-separation state where the document is not separated; and a control unit that controls feeding of the document. The control unit determines whether to perform the feeding in the separation state or perform the feeding in the non-separation state based on a type of document that is set through a user interface for instructing selection of the type of the document to be read and start of the reading.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image reading device that reads a document, and a control program that controls feeding of the document in the image reading device. [Background technology]

[0002] The following describes a scanner, which is an example of an image reading device. The scanner may be provided with a feeding device (also called an ADF (Auto Document Feeder)) that automatically feeds a document, which is an example of a medium, and may be configured to automatically feed and read multiple documents.

[0003] Such a feeding device, as shown in Patent Document 1, is configured to include a tray on which the original document is placed (referred to as "shooter 14" in Patent Document 1), a feeding roller (referred to as "set roller 2" in Patent Document 1) that contacts the surface of the original document set on the tray and rotates to feed the original document, and a separation roller (referred to as "separation roller 12" in Patent Document 1) that contacts the feeding roller to separate the original document.

[0004] The feed roller described in Patent Document 1 is configured to feed multiple documents (a stack of papers) loaded on a tray in order from the bottom paper, i.e., the paper on the tray's loading surface side, and the top paper, i.e., the paper to be separated, has its leading edge abutted against the separation roller to prevent it from proceeding downstream. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4820314 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, there are various kinds of documents, some of which are composed of multiple layers, and if the separating force of the separating roller is applied to such documents in the same way as to normal documents, the layers may separate, causing serious damage. One such document is, for example, the film used in instant cameras (hereinafter referred to as "instant film"). However, it is difficult for the scanner control unit to know that such a document has been set, and it is also difficult for the user to understand that if such a document is fed as is in the same way as other documents, it will be seriously damaged.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to more reliably select an appropriate separation state according to the type of document, thereby appropriately feeding the document. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, an image reading device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a reading unit that reads a document, a document placing unit on which a document is placed, a feed roller that sends out the document from the document placing unit, a separation roller that is a roller that nip the document between the document placing unit and the feed roller and is switchable between a separation state in which the document is separated and a non-separation state in which the document is not separated, and a control unit that controls the feeding of the document, wherein the control unit determines whether to feed the document in the separated state or the non-separated state based on the type of document set via a user interface for selecting the type of document to be read and instructing the start of reading.

[0009] According to this aspect, the separation roller is switchable between a separation state in which the document is separated and a non-separation state in which the document is not separated, and the control unit which controls the feeding of the document determines whether to feed the document in the separated state or the non-separation state based on the type of document to be read and the type of document set via a user interface for selecting the type of document to be read and instructing the start of reading, so that an appropriate separation state can be reliably selected according to the type of document, and the document can be fed appropriately. In addition, the user need only select the type of document and start reading through the user interface, and does not need to select between the separation state and the non-separation state of the separation roller, making it user-friendly and also preventing user setting errors.

[0010] A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, a switching means is provided for switching between the separation state and the non-separation state under the control of the control unit, and the control unit controls the switching means based on the type of document that is set.

[0011] According to this aspect, a switching means is provided for switching between the separated state and the non-separated state under the control of the control unit, and the control unit controls the switching means based on the type of document set. In other words, switching between the separated state and the non-separated state is performed automatically without user intervention, improving user operability.

[0012] A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, a switching means is provided for switching between the separation state and the non-separation state by user operation, and the control unit issues an alert when the state of the separation roller does not correspond to the set type of document.

[0013] According to this aspect, a switching means is provided for switching between the separated state and the non-separated state by user operation, and the control unit issues an alert if the state of the separation roller does not correspond to the set type of document, thereby urging the user to perform the correct operation and ultimately allowing the document to be fed.

[0014] A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the first to third aspects, a multi-feed detection unit for detecting multi-feeding of documents is provided downstream of the feed roller, and the control unit is capable of switching between a first feeding mode in which a first document is fed and a second feeding mode in which a second document is fed, the first feeding mode being a mode in which the separation roller is fed with the state of the non-separated state, and the second feeding mode being a mode in which the separation roller is fed with the state of the separated state, and the control unit does not use the multi-feed detection unit in the first feeding mode and uses the multi-feed detection unit in the second feeding mode.

[0015] The document that is fed with the separation roller in the non-separated state may be composed of multiple layers, and therefore, if a multi-feed detection unit is used to detect multi-feeds of documents, it may determine that a multi-feed has occurred even when there is no multi-feed, and the job may be stopped. According to this aspect, the control unit does not use the double feed detection unit in the first feeding mode in which the non-separated state is achieved, and uses the double feed detection unit in the second feeding mode in which the separated state is achieved, thereby avoiding the above-mentioned problem. Furthermore, the first feeding mode makes it possible to appropriately feed an original that is made up of a plurality of layers, that is, an original that would be damaged if separated by the separation roller.

[0016] An image reading device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the fourth aspect, the first feeding mode is a feeding mode in which only one document set on the document placing section is fed and the device is in a feeding standby state until the next document is set, and the second feeding mode is a feeding mode in which multiple documents set on the document placing section are separated by the separation roller and then fed continuously.

[0017] According to this aspect, in the first feeding mode, it is possible to appropriately feed an original that is made up of a plurality of layers, that is, an original that would be damaged if separated by the separation roller.

[0018] A control program according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a control program for controlling the feeding of a document in an image reading device equipped with a reading unit for reading a document, a document placing unit for placing the document, a feed roller for sending out the document from the document placing unit, and a separation roller which is a roller for nipping the document between the document placing unit and the feed roller and is switchable between a separation state in which the document is separated and a non-separation state in which the document is not separated, and is characterized in that the control program includes a process for determining whether to feed a document in the separated state or the non-separated state based on the type of document set via a user interface for selecting the type of document to be read and instructing the start of reading.

[0019] According to this aspect, the separation roller is switchable between a separation state in which the document is separated and a non-separation state in which the document is not separated, and the control program for controlling the feeding of the document includes a process for determining whether to feed the document in the separated state or the non-separation state based on the type of document to be read and the type of document set via a user interface for selecting the type of document to be read and instructing the start of reading, so that an appropriate separation state can be reliably selected according to the type of document, and the document can be fed appropriately. In addition, the user need only select the type of document and start reading through the user interface, and does not need to select between the separation state and the non-separation state of the separation roller, making it user-friendly and also preventing user setting errors. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a scanner according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the scanner according to the present invention, seen from an angle different from that of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a document transport path in the scanner according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the scanner according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a switching unit that switches the separation roller between a separation state and a non-separation state. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a condition table showing feeding conditions for each document type. [Figure 7] 11A to 11C are diagrams showing an example of transition of a user interface when scanning a normal photo. [Figure 8] 11A to 11C are diagrams showing an example of transition of a user interface when reading a panoramic photograph. [Figure 9] 11A to 11C are diagrams showing an example of transition of a user interface when reading an instant photograph. [Figure 10] 11A to 11C are diagrams showing an example of transition of a user interface when scanning a normal photo. [Figure 11] 11A to 11C are diagrams showing an example of transition of a user interface when reading an instant photograph. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is an external perspective view showing a scanner according to the present invention (second embodiment). [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a switching unit that switches the separation roller between a separation state and a non-separation state (second embodiment). [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a switching unit that switches the separation roller between a separation state and a non-separation state (second embodiment). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] An embodiment of an image reading device and an example of a control program according to the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, a document scanner (hereinafter simply referred to as scanner 1) capable of reading at least one of the front and back sides of a document, which is an example of a medium, will be taken as an example of an image reading device.

[0022] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a scanner according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an oblique view of the scanner according to the present invention seen from a different angle than FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the document transport path in the scanner according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control system of the scanner according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of a switching means for switching the separation roller between a separated state and a non-separated state. In addition, Figure 6 is a condition table diagram showing feeding conditions for each document type, Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the user interface when reading a normal photograph, Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the user interface when reading a panoramic photograph, Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the user interface when reading an instant photograph, Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the user interface when reading a normal photograph, and Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the user interface when reading an instant photograph.

[0023] FIG. 12 is an external perspective view showing a scanner according to the present invention (second embodiment), and FIGS. 13 and 14 are perspective views (second embodiment) of a switching means for switching the separation roller between a separation state and a non-separation state.

[0024] In the XYZ coordinate system shown in each figure, the X direction is the device width direction and the document width direction, and the Y direction is the document transport direction. The Z direction is a direction that intersects with the Y direction and generally indicates a direction perpendicular to the surface of the document being transported. The +Y direction side is the front side of the device, and the -Y direction side is the rear side of the device. When viewed from the front side of the device, the left side is the +X direction and the right side is the -X direction. The +Z direction is the upper side of the device (including the upper part, upper surface, etc.), and the -Z direction side is the lower side of the device (including the lower part, lower surface, etc.). The direction in which the document P is fed (+Y direction side) is called "downstream", and the opposite direction (-Y direction side) is called "upstream".

[0025] ■■■Scanner Overview■■■ A scanner 1 according to the present invention will be described below mainly with reference to FIGS. The scanner 1 includes a device main body 2 that includes a reading section 20 (FIG. 3) for reading an image of an original P therein. The device main body 2 is comprised of a lower unit 3 and an upper unit 4. The upper unit 4 is attached so as to be openable and closable with the downstream side in the document transport direction as a pivot point with respect to the lower unit 3, and is configured so that the upper unit 4 can be opened by rotating it toward the front side of the device to expose the document transport path of the document P, making it easy to clear paper jams of the document P.

[0026] An original placement unit 11 having a placement surface 11a on which a fed original P is placed is provided on the rear side (-Y axis direction side) of the device body 2. The original placement unit 11 is provided detachably with respect to the device body 2. The document placement section 11 is also provided with a pair of left and right edge guides 12, 12 each having a guide surface 13 for guiding the side edges of the document P in the width direction (X-axis direction) intersecting with the feeding direction (Y-axis direction).

[0027] The document placement section 11 includes a first paper support 8 and a second paper support 9. The first paper support 8 and the second paper support 9 can be stored inside the document placement section 11 as shown in Fig. 2, and can be pulled out from the document placement section 11 as shown in Fig. 1, so that the length of the placement surface 11a can be adjusted.

[0028] The device body 2 is provided with an operation panel 7 on the front side of the upper unit 4, which realizes a user interface (UI) for performing various reading settings and reading execution operations and displaying the reading setting contents, etc. In this embodiment, the operation panel 7 is a so-called touch panel that can perform both display and input. A feed opening 6 that leads to the inside of the device main body 2 is provided at the top of the upper unit 4, and the document P placed on the document placement section 11 is sent from the feed opening 6 towards the reading section 20 provided inside the device main body 2. Further, on the front side of the lower unit 3, a paper discharge tray 5, which will be described later, is provided.

[0029] ■■■About the document transport path in the scanner■■■ Next, the document transport path in the scanner 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, the dotted line indicated by the symbol T indicates the document transport path. On the downstream side of the document placing section 11, there is provided a feed roller 14 that sends the document P placed on the placing surface 11a of the document placing section 11 toward the reading section 20, and a separation roller 15 that nips the document P between the feed roller 14 and separates it.

[0030] The document P placed on the placement surface 11a of the document placement section 11 is fed downstream (+Y direction) by a feed roller 14 rotatably provided with respect to the lower unit 3. Therefore, when multiple documents P are set on the document placement section 11 in the scanner 1, the documents P are fed downstream in order starting from the document placement surface 11a side. The document placement section 11 is provided with a sensor (not shown) for detecting whether or not the document P is present on the document placement section 11.

[0031] The feed roller 14 is rotationally driven by a feed roller motor 45 (FIG. 4). The feed roller 14 receives rotational torque from the feed roller motor 45 and rotates counterclockwise in FIG. A rotational torque is transmitted to the separation roller 15 from a transport roller motor 46 (FIG. 4) via a torque limiter (not shown).

[0032] When no document P is interposed between the feed roller 14 and the separation roller 15, or when only one document P is interposed, the separation roller 15 rotates (clockwise in Figure 3) regardless of the rotational torque it receives from the conveying roller motor 46 due to slippage occurring at a torque limiter not shown. When a second or subsequent document P, in addition to the document P to be fed, enters between the feed roller 14 and the separation roller 15, slippage occurs between the documents, causing the separation roller 15 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 3 due to the rotational torque received from the transport roller motor 46. This prevents multiple documents P from being fed. Incidentally, a separation switching means 68A (FIGS. 4 and 5) is provided on the drive force transmission path from the transport roller motor 46 to the separation roller 15, which will be described later.

[0033] Provided downstream of the feed roller 14 are a transport roller pair 16, a reading unit 20 that reads an image, and a discharge roller pair 17. The document P nipped by the feed roller 14 and the separation roller 15 and fed downstream is nipped by the transport roller pair 16 and transported to the reading unit 20 located downstream of the transport roller pair 16. The pair of transport rollers 16 is rotationally driven by a transport roller motor 46 (FIG. 4).

[0034] An ultrasonic transmitter 31 and an ultrasonic receiver 32 that constitute a double feed detector 33 are provided on the document transport path between the feed roller 14 and the reading unit 20. More specifically, the double feed detector 33 includes an ultrasonic transmitter 31 that emits ultrasonic waves, and an ultrasonic receiver 32 that receives the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic transmitter 31 and outputs a detection signal according to the received ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic transmitter 31 and the ultrasonic receiver 32 are provided above and below the document transport path, respectively. More specifically, the ultrasonic transmitter 31 is provided on the upper unit 4 side, and the ultrasonic receiver 32 is provided on the lower unit 3 side. The multi-feed detection unit 33 can detect multi-feeding of the conveyed documents P and documents P with folds, wrinkles, or the like.

[0035] The reading unit 20 includes an upper reading sensor 20a provided on the upper unit 4 side, and a lower reading sensor 20b provided on the lower unit 3 side. In this embodiment, the upper reading sensor 20a and the lower reading sensor 20b are configured as a contact image sensor module (CISM) as an example.

[0036] In addition, a document detection unit 47 that detects the passage of the leading or trailing end of the document P is provided between the double feed detection unit 33 and the feed roller 14 in the document transport path. The control unit 40 of the scanner 1 can grasp the position of the document P in the document transport path based on the signal sent from the document detection unit 47.

[0037] After the image of at least one of the front and back sides of the document P is read in the reading unit 20, the document P is nipped by a pair of discharge rollers 17 located downstream of the reading unit 20 and discharged from a discharge outlet 18 provided on the front side of the lower unit 3. The pair of discharge rollers 17 is rotated by a transport roller motor 46 (FIG. 4).

[0038] The lower unit 3 is provided with a paper output tray 5 that can be pulled out from the discharge port 18 toward the front side of the device. The paper output tray 5 can be stored in the bottom of the lower unit 3 (FIG. 1) or pulled out to the front side of the device (not shown). When the paper output tray 5 is pulled out, the document P discharged from the discharge port 18 can be stacked on the paper output tray 5.

[0039] ■■■About the control system of the scanner■■■ 4, a control unit 40 performs various controls of the scanner 1, including the feeding control of the document P. A signal is input to the control unit 40 from an operation panel 7, and a signal for realizing the display of the operation panel 7, particularly a user interface (UI), is sent from the control unit 40 to the operation panel 7. The control unit 40 controls the motor 45 for the feed roller and the motor 46 for the transport roller. As described above, the motor 45 for the feed roller is the drive source for the feed roller 14, and the motor 46 for the transport roller is the drive source for the separation roller 15, the transport roller pair 16, and the discharge roller pair 17. The control unit 40 receives read data from the reading unit 20 and also transmits a signal for controlling the reading unit 20 to the reading unit 20 . Signals from the double feed detector 33 and the document detector 47 are also input to the controller 40 .

[0040] The control unit 40 includes a CPU 41, a ROM 42, and a memory 43. The CPU 41 performs various arithmetic processing in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 42, and controls the operation of the entire scanner 1. The memory 43, which is an example of a storage unit, is a non-volatile memory that can be read and written, and stores various data necessary for multifeed detection, which will be described later. The ROM 42 stores a control program 44 for controlling the feeding of the document P according to an embodiment of the present invention (described in detail later).

[0041] The scanner 1 is also configured to be connectable to an external computer 60, and information is input from the external computer 60 to the control unit 40. The external computer 60 is equipped with a display unit 62. A user interface (UI) is realized on the display unit 62 by a control program stored in a storage means (not shown).

[0042] The control unit 40 also controls a separation switching means 68A provided on a power transmission path from the transport roller motor 46 to the separation roller 15. Hereinafter, the separation switching means 68A will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, the symbol 22 indicates a transmission shaft that transmits driving force from the motor 46 for the conveying rollers to the separation roller 15, and the driving force from the motor 46 for the conveying rollers is transmitted to the transmission shaft 22 via a drive gear 71, a slide gear 72, and a group of gears 70. The drive gear 71 , slide gear 72 , gear group 70 , transmission shaft 22 , and separation switching means 68 A described later constitute a power transmission mechanism 69 that transmits a driving force from the transport roller motor 46 to the separation roller 15 .

[0043] The slide gear 72 is provided slidably in the direction of the rotation axis (left and right direction in FIG. 5), and by sliding, it is possible to switch between a state where it meshes with the drive gear 71 and transmits a driving force to the gear group 70 (solid line) and a state where it disengages from the drive gear 71 and does not transmit a driving force to the gear group 70 (two-dot chain line). Hereinafter, a state where a driving force is transmitted from the drive gear 71 to the gear group 70, i.e., a state where the driving force of the transport roller motor 46 is transmitted to the separation roller 15, is referred to as a "separation state" where the document P is separated. A state where a driving force is not transmitted from the drive gear 71 to the gear group 70, i.e., a state where the driving force of the transport roller motor 46 is not transmitted to the separation roller 15, is referred to as a "non-separation state" where the document P is not separated. In the non-separation state, the separation roller 15 is in a state where it can rotate freely with a light force.

[0044] The separation switching means 68A switches between the separated state and the non-separated state. The separation switching means 68A includes an electromagnetic plunger 74 and a gear engagement member 73A that is displaced in the left-right direction in FIG. 5 by the electromagnetic plunger 74. The gear engagement member 73A is shaped to sandwich the slide gear 72, and the operation of the electromagnetic plunger 74 displaces the slide gear 72, switching between the separated state and the non-separated state.

[0045] ■■■Feed control in scanners■■■ Next, with reference to FIG. 6 and subsequent figures, a description will be given of the feed control that is switched depending on the document type. The control program 44 (FIG. 4) included in the control unit 40 realizes the user interfaces (UI) shown in FIG 7 to FIG 9, or FIG 10 and FIG 11. The user interfaces shown in FIG 7 to FIG 9, or FIG 10 and FIG 11 are user interfaces realized on the operation panel 7, and are operation menus for performing reading.

[0046] 7, operation menu U-1 is an operation menu that is realized when reading various photographs, which are examples of documents P. Although not shown, operation menu U-1 is an operation menu for selecting whether to read a photograph or a document, and is an operation menu that is realized when a photograph is selected. In this embodiment, three types of photo types can be selected: "normal photo," "panorama photo," and "instant photo." An instant photo is a photo that is made up of multiple layers, such as a Polaroid (registered trademark of Polaroid Corporation) photo, and if separation is performed with the separation roller 15 in the separating state, the layers may separate and cause damage.

[0047] When "Normal Photo" is selected in the operation menu U-1 as shown in Fig. 7, the operation menu U-1A is displayed. In the operation menu U-1A, a guide "Please set the document" is displayed, and three operation icons "Start", "Stop", and "Cancel" are displayed, with the "Stop" icon set as unselectable. When "Cancel" is selected in the operation menu U-1A, the operation menu U-1 is returned to. When "Start" is selected in the operation menu U-1A, the operation menu U-1B is displayed and normal photo feeding and reading begins. In the operation menu U-1B, a guide "Reading" is displayed, and the "Start" and "Cancel" icons are set to be unselectable. If "Stop" is selected in the operation menu U-1B, reading is stopped and the screen returns to the operation menu U-1A. If "Stop" is not selected in the operation menu U-1B and reading is completed, the screen returns to the operation menu U-1. Furthermore, the "Cancel" icons on the operation menus U-1A and U-1B may be omitted.

[0048] When "normal photo" is selected in the operation menu U-1, the control unit 40 selects table No. 3 in FIG. 6, the "double feed detection threshold" is a threshold used to determine whether or not a double feed has occurred based on the signal level obtained by the double feed detection unit 33. The thicker the document is, the lower the signal level becomes, so the threshold is also made lower. Here, a "photo" threshold is used. In addition, "ON" of "Double feed detection" indicates that a double feed detection is performed, and "OFF" indicates that a double feed detection is not performed. Here, it is "ON" and a double feed detection is performed. "Single-sheet feed mode" is a feed mode in which the document P is set and fed one sheet at a time, rather than multiple sheets being set, and "ON" indicates that the mode is applied, and "OFF" indicates that the mode is not applied. In this case, it is "OFF", allowing multiple sheets of the document P to be set, and the documents P are fed in order starting from the bottom one. The "separation mode" refers to either the separation state or the non-separation state of the separation roller 15. In this example, the "separation" mode is selected, and the separation roller 15 is in the separation state to separate the document.

[0049] Next, when "Panorama" is selected in the operation menu U-1 as shown in Fig. 8, the operation menu U-2A is displayed. In the operation menu U-2A, a guide "Please set the document" is displayed, and three operation icons "Start", "Stop", and "Cancel" are displayed, with the "Stop" icon set as unselectable. When "Cancel" is selected in the operation menu U-2A, the operation menu U-1 is displayed again. When "START" is selected in the operation menu U-2A, the operation menu U-2B is displayed and feeding and reading of the panoramic photo is started. In the operation menu U-2B, a guide "Reading" is displayed, and the "Start" and "Cancel" icons are set to be unselectable. If "Stop" is selected in the operation menu U-2B, reading is stopped and the operation menu U-2A is displayed again. If "Stop" is not selected in the operation menu U-2B and reading is completed, the operation menu U-1 is displayed again. Furthermore, the "Cancel" icons in the operation menus U-2A and U-2B may be omitted.

[0050] When "panorama" is selected in the operation menu U-1, the control unit 40 selects table No. 1 in Fig. 6 as the feeding conditions to be applied when feeding the document P. The feeding mode realized by the feeding conditions of table No. 1 becomes the "second feeding mode." Here, the "Photo" threshold is applied to the "Double Feed Detection Threshold", "Double Feed Detection" is selected to "ON" to perform double feed detection. "Single Sheet Feeding Mode" is selected to "OFF", allowing multiple documents to be set, and the documents are fed in order starting from the bottom one. In the "separation mode", "separation" is selected, the separation roller 15 is brought into the separating state, and document separation is performed.

[0051] Next, when "Instant" is selected in the operation menu U-1 as shown in Fig. 9, the operation menu U-3A is displayed. In the operation menu U-3A, a guide "Please set the first document" is displayed, and two operation icons "Start" and "Cancel" are also displayed. When "Cancel" is selected in the operation menu U-3A, the operation menu U-1 is returned to. When "START" is selected in the operation menu U-3A, feeding and reading of the instant photograph begins, and then the operation menu U-3B is displayed. When the operation menu U-3B is displayed, the scanning of the first instant photo is complete, the "Start" icon is set to unselectable, and a guide message appears stating "Please insert the next document." In this state, if you set the next sheet of original, a sensor (not shown) will detect it and feed and read it automatically. In other words, you only need to touch the "Start" icon for the first sheet of original, but from then on, feeding and reading will be done automatically as the original P is set. When "Cancel" is selected in operation menu U-3A or U-3B, the operation menu U-1 is displayed again. Furthermore, the "Cancel" icons on the operation menus U-3A and U-3B may be omitted.

[0052] When "instant" is selected in the operation menu U-1, the control unit 40 selects table No. 2 in Fig. 6 as the feeding conditions to be applied when feeding the document. The feeding mode realized by the feeding conditions in table No. 2 becomes the "first feeding mode." Here, "OFF" is selected for "Double Feed Detection" so that double feed detection is not performed, and "Single Sheet Feed Mode" is selected to be "ON." "Non-separation" is selected for "Separation Mode," so that the separation roller 15 is in the non-separation state and document separation is not performed.

[0053] When "Document" is selected in an operation menu (not shown) before transitioning to the operation menu U-1, the control unit 40 selects table No. 4 in FIG. Here, the "document" threshold is applied to the "multi-feed detection threshold", and "on" is selected for "multi-feed detection" to perform multi-feed detection. "Off" is selected for "single sheet feed mode", allowing multiple sheets of original P to be set, and the multiple sheets of original P set are fed in order starting from the bottom one. "Separation mode" is selected to "separate", and separation roller 15 is set to the separation state, and original separation is performed.

[0054] The UIs shown in Figures 7 to 9 can also be modified as shown in Figures 10 and 11. In the operation menu U-2 shown in Figures 10 and 11, the document type is selected using so-called radio buttons, and when the "Start" icon is selected, feeding and reading of the document P selected by the radio button begins. In the case of "Normal Photo" (and "Panoramic Photo"), a guide saying "Please set the document" is displayed, and when the "Start" icon is selected, feeding and reading of the document P begins, and the operation menu U-4A appears. In the operation menu U-4A, a "Stop" icon is displayed. When reading is completed or when the "Stop" icon is selected, the operation menu U-2 is displayed again. When "panorama" is selected, the menu transition is the same as for "normal photo."

[0055] On the other hand, when "Instant" is selected, a guide "Please set the first document" is displayed as shown in Figure 11. When the user sets one document P and selects the "Start" icon, feeding and scanning of the instant photo begins, and the operation menu U-5C is displayed. When the operation menu U-5C appears, the first instant photo has already been scanned and a guide appears saying "Please insert the next document." In this state, when the next sheet of document P is set, a sensor (not shown) detects the setting and feeding and reading are performed automatically. That is, from the second sheet onwards, feeding and reading are performed automatically when the document P is set. If "Cancel" is selected in the operation menu U-5C, the operation menu U-2 is displayed again. Incidentally, the feed setting when each document type is selected and the document P is fed follows the contents of FIG. 6, as in the embodiment already described. The "cancel" message may be changed to a more specific message such as "exit instant mode and return to photo selection."

[0056] The features of the scanner 1 described above can be summarized as follows. That is, the scanner 1 includes a reading unit 20 that reads the document P, a document placement unit 11 on which the document P is placed, a feed roller 14 that sends out the document P from the document placement unit 11, a separation roller 15 that is a roller that nips the document P between itself and the feed roller 14 and can switch between a separation state in which the document P is separated and a non-separation state in which the document P is not separated, and a control unit 40 that controls the feeding of the document P. The control unit 40 determines whether to feed the document P in a separated state or a non-separated state based on the type of document P set via a user interface (FIGS. 7 to 11) for selecting the type of document P to be read and instructing the start of reading. The control program 44 (Figure 4) includes a process for determining whether to feed the document P in a separated or non-separated state based on the type of document P set via a user interface (Figures 7 to 11) for selecting the type of document P to be read and instructing the start of reading.

[0057] This makes it possible to reliably select an appropriate separation state according to the type of document P, and to appropriately feed the document P. In addition, the user does not need to select (or be aware of) the separation state or non-separation state of the separation roller 15, and only needs to select the type of document P and instruct to start reading via the user interface, making it user-friendly and also preventing user setting errors.

[0058] The scanner 1 also includes a separation switching means 68A (FIGS. 4 and 5) that switches the separation roller 15 between a separation state and a non-separation state under the control of the control unit 40, and the control unit 40 controls the separation switching means 68A based on the set type of document P. This allows the separation state and the non-separation state to be switched automatically without the user's intervention, improving user operability and ensuring proper feeding.

[0059] The scanner 1 also has a multi-feed detection unit 33 downstream of the feed roller 14 for detecting multi-feeding of the original P, and the control unit 40 is capable of switching between a first feeding mode (table No. 2 in FIG. 6) for feeding an instant photograph, which is an example of a first original, and a second feeding mode (table No. 1 in FIG. 6) for feeding a panoramic photograph, which is an example of a second original, the first feeding mode being a mode in which feeding is performed with the separation roller 15 in the non-separated state, and the second feeding mode being a mode in which feeding is performed with the separation roller 15 in the separated state, and the control unit 40 does not use the multi-feed detection unit 33 in the first feeding mode, but uses the multi-feed detection unit 33 in the second feeding mode.

[0060] The document P fed by the separation roller 15 in the non-separated state may be composed of multiple layers. Therefore, if the multi-feed detection unit 33 that detects multi-feeding of the document P is used, there is a risk that it will be determined as a multi-feed even though there is no multi-feed, and the job will be stopped. However, the control unit 40 does not use the double feed detection unit 33 in the first feeding mode in which the non-separated state is achieved, but uses the double feed detection unit 33 in the second feeding mode in which the separated state is achieved, so that the above problem can be avoided.

[0061] In addition, the first feeding mode (table No. 2 in FIG. 6) for feeding an instant photograph, which is an example of the first original, is a feeding mode in which only one original P set on the original placing section 11 is fed and the feeding standby state is maintained until the next original P is set, and the second feeding mode (table No. 1 in FIG. 6) for feeding a panoramic photograph, which is an example of the second original, is a feeding mode in which multiple originals set on the original placing section 11 are separated by a separation roller 15 and then fed continuously. This makes it possible to properly feed an original that is made up of a plurality of layers and would be damaged if separated by the separation roller 15, i.e., an instant photograph in the above example.

[0062] The embodiment described above can be modified as follows. (1) In the above embodiment, the separation roller 15 is automatically switched between the separation state and the non-separation state under the control of the control unit 40 without any user operation. However, the separation roller 15 may be configured to be switched between the separation state and the non-separation state by user operation. 12 to 14 are diagrams showing such an embodiment, and the scanner 100 has an operation unit (slide switch) 73c on the front side of the device next to the operation panel 7 as shown in Fig. 12. The operation unit 73c is slidable in the left-right direction.

[0063] As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the operation portion 73c is formed integrally with the gear engagement member 73B, and this gear engagement member 73B is integrally provided with a gear engagement portion 73d shaped to sandwich the slide gear 72 therebetween. With the above-described configuration, when the operating portion 73c is slid, the sliding gear 72 is slid and displaced, and the sliding gear 72 is switched between a separated state in which the sliding gear 72 meshes with the driving gear 71 and transmits the driving force to the gear group 70, and a non-separated state in which the sliding gear 72 disengages from the driving gear 71 and does not transmit the driving force to the gear group 70. As described above, the separation switching means 68B according to this embodiment is configured to include the gear engagement member 73B. 13 and 14, a gear 24 is provided on the transmission shaft 22, and driving torque is transmitted from the gear 24 to the separation roller 15 via a gear 23. Reference numeral 21 denotes a separation roller unit including the separation roller 15, and reference numeral 25 denotes a coil spring as a biasing means for biasing the separation roller unit 21 toward the feed roller 14.

[0064] In this configuration including separation switching means 68B that switches between the separation state and the non-separation state by user operation, a detection means (not shown) that detects the position of slide gear 72 may be provided, and control unit 40 may issue an alert if the state of separation roller 15 does not correspond to the set type of document P (does not conform to the feeding conditions shown in FIG. 6). This alert may be displayed, for example, on operation panel 7 or on display unit 62 (FIG. 4) provided in external computer 60 (FIG. 4). More specifically, this alert may be a message such as "Slide the operation knob on the front of the device to the opposite side." This makes it possible to prompt the user to perform the correct operation, and ultimately to proceed to feeding of the original P.

[0065] (2) In the configuration including the separation switching means 68B for switching between the separated state and the non-separated state by a user operation as shown in Figures 12 and 13, a detection means (not shown) for detecting the position of the slide gear 72 may be provided, and the control unit 40 may be configured to select a feeding mode (feeding condition) based on the position of the slide gear 72, i.e., whether the state is the separated state or the non-separated state. This allows appropriate feeding control based on the state of the separation roller 15.

[0066] (3) A control program including a process for determining whether to feed the document P in a separated or non-separated state based on the type of document P set via a user interface (FIGS. 7 to 11) for selecting the type of document P to be read and instructing the start of reading may be stored in a memory means (not shown) of an external computer 60 (FIG. 4) connected to the scanner 1, executed on the external computer 60, and the user interface may be realized on a display unit 62 of the external computer 60 (FIG. 4). [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1...scanner (image reading device), 2...device body, 3...lower unit, 4...upper unit, 5...paper output tray, 6...feed port, 7...operation panel, 8...first paper support, 9...second paper support, 11...original placement section, 12...edge guide, 13...guide surface, 14...feed roller, 15...separation roller, 16...pair of transport rollers, 17...pair of discharge rollers, 18...discharge port, 20...reading section, 20a...upper reading sensor, 20b...lower reading sensor, 21...separation roller unit, 22...transmission shaft, 23, 24...gear, 25...coil 3, 31...ultrasonic transmission unit, 32...ultrasonic reception unit, 33...double feed detection unit, 40...control unit, 41...CPU, 42...ROM, 43...memory, 44...control program, 45...feed roller motor, 46...transport roller motor, 47...document detection unit, 60...external computer, 62...display unit, 68A, 68B...separation switching means, 69...power transmission mechanism, 70...gear group, 71...driving gear, 72...slide gear, 73A, 73B...gear engagement member, 73c...operation unit, 73d...gear engagement unit, 74...electromagnetic plunger, P...document (medium)

Claims

1. A reading unit capable of reading a document; a document placement section for placing a document; A transport roller that transports a document to the reading unit; A feed roller that feeds the document from the document placement unit; a separation roller that is a roller that nips the document between itself and the feed roller, and is switchable between a separation state in which the document is separated and a non-separation state in which the document is not separated; a conveying roller motor that rotates the conveying roller and the separation roller; a control unit that controls feeding of the document based on the contents set via a user interface; A switching means for switching between the separated state and the non-separated state under the control of the control unit; Equipped with the separation state is a state in which a driving force of the motor for the transport roller is transmitted to the separation roller, The non-separation state is a state in which a driving force of the motor for the transport roller is not transmitted to the separation roller, and the separation roller is freely rotatable; the user interface has a document selection menu for displaying the name of the document type to be read and for accepting selection of the document type; Furthermore, when a type of document is selected, the user interface transitions to a menu corresponding to the selected type of document, the control unit determines whether to perform feeding in the separated state or the non-separated state based on the type of document set via the user interface, and switches the state to either the separated state or the non-separated state determined by the switching unit.

1. An image reading apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, The manuscript selection menu includes: A first selection menu; a second selection menu transitioned from the first selection menu; Including, the first selection menu allows the user to select either a document or a photograph as the document to be read; the second selection menu is a menu to which the user transitions when the photograph is selected in the first selection menu, and displays a name of a single-layer document consisting of one layer and a name of a multi-layer document consisting of multiple layers, and the user can select the single-layer document or the multi-layer document as the document to be read; When a type of document is selected via the user interface and a command to start reading is issued, the control unit executes a feeding process based on a condition table in which feeding conditions for each document type are defined. When the selected original is the document or the single-layer original, a separation feed mode is executed in which the separation roller is set to the separation state, and the multiple originals set on the original placement unit are separated by the separation roller and then continuously fed; When the selected document is the multi-layer document, a non-separation feeding mode is executed in which the separation roller is in the non-separation state, the document set on the document placement unit is fed, and the document is placed in a feeding standby state until the next document is set.

1. An image reading apparatus comprising:

3. 3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, a double feed detection unit for detecting double feed of documents is provided downstream of the feed roller; the control unit does not use the multi-feed detection unit in the non-separate feeding mode and uses the multi-feed detection unit in the separate feeding mode based on a type of document set via the user interface.

1. An image reading apparatus comprising:

4. 4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, The control unit is When the document is selected as the type of document to be read, a document threshold is used as a threshold for determining whether or not a double feed has occurred based on the signal level obtained by the double feed detection unit, and a double feed threshold is used to determine whether or not a double feed has occurred; When the single-layer document, which is one of the photographs, is selected as the type of document to be read, whether or not a double feed has occurred is determined using the threshold value for photographs, which is lower than the threshold value for documents.

1. An image reading apparatus comprising:

5. 5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, Equipped with a touch panel operation panel, the user interface is realized on the touch panel; The control unit controls the display of the touch panel.

1. An image reading apparatus comprising:

6. 6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 5, The control unit is When feeding of the document is started in the separated state, a guide indicating that reading is in progress is displayed on the touch panel, and when reading of the document is completed, the guide is made non-display; When feeding of the original is started in the non-separated state, when reading of one sheet of the original is completed, a guide for prompting the user to set the next sheet of the original is displayed on the touch panel.

1. An image reading apparatus comprising:

Images