Document transportation device and image reading device

Abstract

To provide an image reading device with high usability, in which a script is discharged to stop a transportation of the script, or the transportation of the script is stopped without discharging the script in accordance with a type of the script in an interruption instruction.SOLUTION: An image reading device A comprises: transportation means 10 of transporting a script (transportation medium S); control means 8 of controlling the transportation means 10; interruption instruction means of enabling an input of an interruption instruction for interrupting the transportation of the script by the transportation means 10; and script type acquisition means of acquiring a type of the script to be transported. The control means 8 switches whether or not the transportation of the script is stopped with or without the discharging of the script in accordance with the type of the script when the interruption instruction is input to the interruption instruction means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a document conveying device for conveying a document and an image reading device for reading an image of the conveyed document.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there are image reading devices equipped with an ADF (Auto Document Feeder). In an image reading device equipped with an ADF, a document is loaded onto the image reading device and image reading processing is performed. When there is an error in the loaded document or when skewing occurs during document conveyance, the user presses the stop button to stop the document conveyance and interrupt the image reading processing.

[0003] There is known an image reading device capable of lowering a mounting table from a supply position to a non-supply position after stopping the conveyance of a document, preventing a new document from being supplied to a conveyance path, and discharging the document in the conveyance path from the conveyance path (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in a method of discharging a document from a conveyance path as in the above-described image reading device, when a long document is stopped during image reading, it is necessary to wait until the discharging is completed, which takes time until the stop and is not user-friendly. "Long" refers to a document longer than a standard fixed document size such as "A4", "A3", "B5", or "B4" defined in the reading settings of the image reading device.

[0006] For example, when the present invention stops image reading for a long document, it can immediately stop without discharging the document, providing an image reading apparatus that makes it easy for the user to efficiently acquire image data.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In view of the above, the document conveyance apparatus according to the present invention includes conveyance means for conveying a document, control means for controlling the conveyance means, interruption input means capable of inputting an interruption instruction for interrupting the conveyance of the document by the conveyance means, document type acquisition means for acquiring the document type of the document being conveyed, and is provided with the control means is characterized in that when an interruption instruction is input to the interruption input means, it switches whether to discharge the document or stop the conveyance of the document without discharging the document according to the document type.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, by switching whether to discharge the document and stop the conveyance of the document or stop the conveyance of the document without discharging the document according to the document type, a user-friendly image reading apparatus can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiment for Carrying out the Invention

[0010] <First Embodiment> <Configuration of the Device> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image reading device A which is an example of a document conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image reading device A is a device that conveys one or a plurality of conveying media S stacked on a mounting table 1 one by one into the device through a path RT, reads the image thereof, and discharges it to a discharge tray 2. The conveying media S to be read is, for example, a sheet such as OA paper, checks, bills, cards, etc., and may be a thick sheet or a thin sheet. Examples of cards include insurance cards, driver's licenses, credit cards, etc. The conveying media S also includes booklets such as passports.

[0011] A first conveying unit 10 is provided as a feeding mechanism for feeding the conveying media S along the path RT. In the case of the present embodiment, the first conveying unit 10 includes a feed roller 11 and a separation roller 12 disposed opposite to the feed roller 11, and sequentially conveys the conveying media S on the mounting table 1 one by one in the conveying direction D1. A driving force is transmitted to the feed roller 11 from a driving unit 3 such as a motor via a transmission unit 5, and it is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in the figure (the positive direction for conveying the conveying media S along the path RT). The transmission unit 5 is, for example, an electromagnetic clutch, and interrupts the driving force from the driving unit 3 to the feed roller 11.

[0012] The transmission unit 5 connecting the driving unit 3 and the feed roller 11 is, for example, in the present embodiment, in a state where the driving force is transmitted normally, and interrupts the driving force in the case of reverse feeding of the conveying media S. When the transmission of the driving force to the feed roller 11 is interrupted by the transmission unit 5, the feed roller 11 becomes in a state where it can rotate freely. Note that such a transmission unit 5 may not be provided when the feed roller 11 is driven in only one direction.

[0013] The separating roller 12 disposed opposite to the feed roller 11 is a roller for separating the transport media S one by one, and is in pressure contact with the feed roller 11 at a constant pressure. In order to ensure this pressure contact state, the separating roller 12 is provided so as to be swingable and is configured to be biased toward the feed roller 11. The separating roller 12 is driven by a driving force transmitted from the driving unit 3 via a torque limiter 12a, and is rotationally driven in the direction of the solid line arrow (the direction opposite to the forward direction of the feed roller 11).

[0014] Since the transmission of the driving force to the separating roller 12 is regulated by the torque limiter 12a, when it is in contact with the feed roller 11, it rotates in the direction of being carried around by the feed roller 11 (the direction of the broken line arrow). Thereby, when a plurality of transport media S are conveyed to the pressure contact portion between the feed roller 11 and the separating roller 12, two or more transport media S are blocked from being conveyed downstream, leaving one.

[0015] In this embodiment, the separating roller 12 and the feed roller 11 constitute a separating mechanism. However, such a separating mechanism is not necessarily provided, and any feeding mechanism that sequentially feeds the transport media S one by one to the path RT may be used. Further, when providing a separating mechanism, instead of the configuration of the separating roller 12, a separating pad that applies frictional force to the transport media S may be pressed against the feed roller 11 to perform a similar separating operation.

[0016] The second transport unit 20 as a transport mechanism on the downstream side in the transport direction of the first transport unit 10 includes a driving roller 21 and a driven roller 22 that is driven by the driving roller 21, and transports the transport media S transported from the first transport unit 10 to its downstream side. A driving force is transmitted from a driving unit 4 such as a motor to the driving roller 21, and it is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The driven roller 22 is in pressure contact with the driving roller 21 at a constant pressure and is carried around by the driving roller 21. This driven roller 22 may be configured to be biased toward the driving roller 21 by a biasing unit (not shown) such as a spring.

[0017] The third conveying unit 30 located downstream of the second conveying unit 20 in the conveying direction is provided with a driving roller 31 and a driven roller 32 driven by the driving roller 31, and conveys the conveyed medium S conveyed from the second conveying unit 20 to the discharge tray 2. That is, the third conveying unit 30 is configured as a paper discharge roller that functions as a discharge mechanism. A driving force is transmitted from a driving unit 4 such as a motor to the driving roller 31, and it is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The driven roller 32 is pressed against the driving roller 31 with a constant pressure and is carried along by the driving roller 31. This driven roller 32 may be configured to be biased against the driving roller 31 by a biasing unit (not shown) such as a spring.

[0018] Here, in the image reading apparatus A of the present embodiment, since the image is read by the image reading unit 70 disposed between the second conveying unit 20 and the third conveying unit 30, the second conveying unit 20 and the third conveying unit 30 convey the conveyed medium S at a constant speed. By always setting the conveying speed to be equal to or higher than the conveying speed of the first conveying unit 10, it is possible to surely avoid a situation where the subsequent conveyed medium S catches up with the preceding conveyed medium S. For example, in the present embodiment, the conveying speed of the conveyed medium S by the second conveying unit 20 and the third conveying unit 30 is speed-controlled to be higher than the conveying speed of the conveyed medium S by the first conveying unit 10.

[0019] Even when the conveying speed of the conveyed medium S by the second conveying unit 20 and the third conveying unit 30 is the same as the conveying speed of the conveyed medium S by the first conveying unit 10, it is also possible to form a minimum interval between the preceding conveyed medium S and the subsequent conveyed medium S by controlling the driving unit 3 to intermittently shift the feeding start timing of the subsequent conveyed medium S.

[0020] The double-feed detection sensor 40 disposed between the first conveying unit 10 and the second conveying unit 20 is an example of a detection sensor (a sensor that detects the behavior and state of a sheet) for detecting the case where conveying media S such as paper adhere to each other due to static electricity or the like and pass through the first conveying unit 10 (that is, in the case of a double-feed state where they are conveyed overlapping). As the double-feed detection sensor 40, various types can be used, but in the case of this embodiment, it is an ultrasonic sensor, which includes a transmission unit 41 of ultrasonic waves and a reception unit 42 thereof, and detects double-feed based on the principle that the attenuation amount of the ultrasonic waves passing through the conveying media S differs between the case where the conveying media S such as paper are double-fed and the case where they are conveyed one by one.

[0021] The media detection sensor 50 disposed on the downstream side in the conveying direction from such a double-feed detection sensor 40 is an example of an upstream detection sensor (a sensor that detects the behavior and state of a sheet) disposed on the upstream side of the second conveying unit 20 and on the downstream side of the first conveying unit 10, and detects whether the end of the conveying media S conveyed by the first conveying unit 10 reaches or passes through the detection position of the media detection sensor 50, specifically, the position of the media detection sensor 50. As the media detection sensor 50, various types can be used, but in the case of this embodiment, it is an optical sensor, which includes a light-emitting unit 51 and a light-receiving unit 52 thereof, and detects the conveying media S based on the principle that the light-receiving intensity (light-receiving amount) changes due to the arrival or passage of the conveying media S.

[0022] In the case of this embodiment, when the tip of the conveying media S is detected by the media detection sensor 50, the media detection sensor 50 is provided on the downstream side in the vicinity of the double-feed detection sensor 40 so that the conveying media S reaches a position where double-feed can be detected by the double-feed detection sensor 40. Note that the media detection sensor 50 is not limited to the above optical sensor, and for example, a sensor (such as an image sensor) that can detect the end of the conveying media S may be used, or a lever-type sensor protruding into the path RT may also be used.

[0023] A media detection sensor 60, which is different from the media detection sensor 50, is an example of a downstream detection sensor disposed upstream of the image reading unit 70 and downstream of the second conveyance unit 20, and detects the position of a conveyance medium S conveyed by the second conveyance unit 20. As the media detection sensor 60, various types can be used. In the case of this embodiment, it is an optical sensor similar to the media detection sensor 50, includes a light emitting unit 61 and a light receiving unit 62, and detects the conveyance medium S on the principle that the light receiving intensity (light reception amount) changes due to the arrival or passage of the conveyance medium S. Note that in this embodiment, the media detection sensors 50 and 60 are disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the conveyance direction of the second conveyance unit 20, respectively, but only one of them may be used.

[0024] The image reading unit 70 located downstream of the media detection sensor 60 optically scans, for example, converts it into an electrical signal, and reads it as image data, and includes a light source such as an LED, an image sensor, a lens array, etc. inside. In the case of this embodiment, the image reading units 70 are disposed one on each side of the path RT and read the front and back surfaces of the conveyance medium S. However, it may be configured to arrange only one on one side of the path RT and read only one side of the conveyance medium S. Also, in this embodiment, the image reading units 70 are arranged to face each other on both sides of the path RT, but they may be arranged at intervals in the direction of the path RT, for example.

[0025] The control unit 8 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control unit 8 of the image reading apparatus A.

[0026] The control unit 8 includes a CPU 81, a storage unit 82, an operation unit 83, a communication unit 84, and an interface unit 85. The CPU 81 controls the entire image reading apparatus A by executing a program stored in the storage unit 82. The storage unit 82 is composed of, for example, a RAM, a ROM, etc. The operation unit 83 is composed of, for example, a switch, a touch panel, etc., and receives operations from an operator.

[0027] The communication unit 84 is an interface for information communication with an external device. When assuming a PC (personal computer) as the external device, examples of the communication unit 84 include a USB interface and a SCSI interface. In addition to such a wired communication interface, the communication unit 84 may also be a wireless communication interface, or may be equipped with both wired and wireless communication interfaces.

[0028] The interface unit 85 is an I / O interface for inputting and outputting data with the actuator 86 and the sensor 87. The actuator 86 includes the drive units 3 and 4, the transmission unit 5, etc. The sensor 87 includes the double-feed detection sensor 40, the medium detection sensors 50 and 60, the image reading unit 70, etc.

[0029] The basic operation of the image reading device A will be described. When the control unit 8 receives, for example, an instruction to start image reading from an external personal computer to which the image reading device A is connected, it starts driving the first transport unit 10 to the third transport unit 30. The transport medium S loaded on the mounting table 1 is transported one by one from the transport medium S located at the bottommost.

[0030] During the transport, the presence or absence of double-feed of the transport medium S is determined by the double-feed detection sensor 40, and if it is determined that there is no double-feed, the transport is continued. If it is determined that there is double-feed, the transport may be stopped, or the subsequent intake of the transport medium S by the first transport unit 10 may be stopped, and the transport medium S in the double-feed state may be discharged as it is.

[0031] Based on the detection result of the medium detection sensor 60, the control unit 8 starts the image reading of the transport medium S transported by the second transport unit 20 by the image reading units 70 and 70, temporarily stores the read image, and sequentially transmits it to the external personal computer. The transport medium S from which the image has been read is discharged to the discharge tray 2 by the third transport unit 30, and the image reading process of the transport medium S is completed.

[0032] Figure 3 shows the system configuration according to this embodiment. An image reading device A and a personal computer (PC) 6002 that functions as an image processing device are connected to be able to communicate with each other via USB, SCSI, or a network. Further, a display device 6001 composed of a CRT, a liquid crystal screen, etc., a keyboard 6003 and a mouse 6004 that a user operates to input various instructions to the personal computer 6002 are connected to the personal computer 6002.

[0033] Figure 6 shows the display screen of an image reading application 7001 that controls the operation of the image reading device A according to this embodiment. The image reading application 7001 operates on a personal computer (PC) 6002, and the display screen shown in Figure 6 is displayed on the display device 6001. The original document size setting section 7002 is a drop-down list for selecting the original document size. As an example of the values that can be set, A4, long size, etc. can be set. The color mode setting section 7003 is a drop-down list for selecting the color mode. As an example of the values that can be set, black and white, color, etc. can be set. The resolution setting section 7004 is a drop-down list for selecting the resolution. As an example of the values that can be set, 150 dpi, 300 dpi, etc. can be set. The original document type setting section 7005 is a drop-down list for selecting the type of the original document. As an example of the values that can be set, plain paper, thin paper, etc. can be set. The scan button 7006 is a button for starting image reading. The stop button 7007 is an example of a button (interruption instruction input means) for inputting an interruption instruction to stop image reading during image reading.

[0034] <Image reading process> Here, an embodiment of the present invention will be described according to the flowchart of the image reading function for one sheet of the original document in Figure 4. The flowchart in Figure 4 starts when a user places a stack of original documents composed of a plurality of transport media S on the image reading device A shown in Figure 1 and gives an image reading instruction from the operation unit 83 or the personal computer (PC) 6002.

[0035] When the scan button 7006 of the image reading application 7001 is pressed in S4001, the control unit 8 starts the operations of the first conveyance unit 10, the second conveyance unit 20, and the third conveyance unit 30, and starts the reading process.

[0036] In S4002, the control unit 8 checks whether there is an instruction to interrupt the image reading in which the stop button 7007 of the image reading application 7001 operating on the operation unit 83 or the personal computer (PC) 6002 is pressed. If there is an interruption instruction, it proceeds to S4003. If there is no interruption instruction, it proceeds to S4009.

[0037] In S4003, the control unit 8 checks the settings for reading. The reading settings to be checked include, as an example of the document type, the document size, the document type, and the like.

[0038] In S4004, the control unit 8 checks whether the document size is long from the reading settings confirmed in S4003. If it is long, it proceeds to S4005. If it is not long, it proceeds to S4006.

[0039] In S4005, the control unit 8 stops the operations of the first conveyance unit 10, the second conveyance unit 20, and the third conveyance unit 30, and immediately interrupts the conveyance without discharging the document.

[0040] In S4006, the control unit 8 checks whether the document type is thin paper from the reading settings confirmed in S4003. If it is thin paper, it proceeds to S4007. If it is not thin paper, it proceeds to S4008. Note that the determination of whether the document is thin paper is confirmed by the document type, but it may also be automatically determined using a sensor such as a thickness detection sensor. In any case, in S4004 and S4006, the control unit 8 functions as a document type acquisition means for acquiring the document type.

[0041] In S4007, the control unit 8 sets the time when the rear end of the document is detected by the medium detection sensor 60 as the reference time, and calculates the timing at which the rear end of the document reaches the third conveyance unit 30 from the conveyance time from the detection time and the conveyance speed of the third conveyance unit 30, and stops with the rear end of the document sandwiched by the third conveyance unit 30.

[0042] In S4008, the control unit 8 discharges the manuscript being read.

[0043] In S4009, the control unit 8 reads the image of the manuscript by the image reading unit 70.

[0044] In S4010, the control unit 8 determines whether the medium detection sensors 50 and 60 have detected the trailing edge of the manuscript. If the trailing edge of the manuscript has not been detected, the process proceeds to S4002. If the trailing edge of the manuscript has been detected, the process proceeds to S4011.

[0045] When the trailing edge of the manuscript is detected, the reading is terminated in S4011. While it is determined in S4010 that it is not the trailing edge, the reading of the image in S4009 is continued while checking whether there is an interruption instruction in S4002.

[0046] As described above, in this embodiment, when the image reading is interrupted, by changing whether to discharge the manuscript or not according to the paper size of the reading setting, for example, when it is a long sheet, the manuscript is stopped without discharging it, and damage to the manuscript due to continuing the conveyance while trying to discharge it can be prevented, or the manuscript can be taken out by opening the cover after stopping. Therefore, the manuscript can be taken out without waiting for the time until discharging. Also, when the type of the manuscript is thin paper, by sandwiching the trailing end portion of the manuscript at the discharging unit and stopping the discharging operation, the manuscript does not adhere to the discharge tray, and damage to the manuscript when grasping it can be prevented.

[0047] According to the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment described above, it is possible to realize an image reading apparatus that is convenient for the user.

[0048] <Second Embodiment> The second embodiment of the present invention will be described according to the flowchart of the image reading function for one sheet of manuscript in FIG. 5. The flowchart of FIG. 5 starts when the user places a manuscript on the image reading apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 and gives an image reading instruction from the operation unit 83 or the personal computer (PC) 6002.

[0049] When the scan button 7006 of the image reading application 7001 is pressed in S5001, the control unit 8 starts the operations of the first transport unit 10, the second transport unit 20, and the third transport unit 30.

[0050] In S5002, the control unit 8 functions as a transport distance storage means and starts storing the distance by which the document has been transported in the storage unit 82. Using the time when the end of the document is detected by the medium detection sensor 50 as the reference time, the distance by which the document has been transported is calculated from the elapsed time from the reference point and the transport speed by the first transport unit 10, and is continuously updated at predetermined time intervals.

[0051] In S5003, the control unit 8 checks whether there is an instruction to interrupt the image reading when the stop button 7007 of the image reading application 7001 operating on the operation unit 83 or the personal computer (PC) 6002 is pressed. If there is an interruption instruction, it proceeds to S5004. If there is no interruption instruction, it proceeds to S5011.

[0052] In S5004, the control unit 8 checks whether the transport distance started to be stored in S5002 is 100 mm or more. Here, it is determined whether the transport has not advanced much based on whether the transport distance is 100 mm, but it is not limited to this. When the transport distance is 100 mm or more, it proceeds to S5005, and when the transport distance is less than 100 mm, it proceeds to S5006.

[0053] In S5006, the control unit 8 stops the operations of the first transport unit 10, the second transport unit 20, and the third transport unit 30. After stopping, it determines that it is faster to return the document to the placement table 1 rather than discharging it to the discharge tray 2, and reversely rotates the first transport unit 10, the second transport unit 20, and the third transport unit 30 to return the document to the placement table 1.

[0054] In S5005, the control unit 8 checks the document size set by the document size setting unit 7002 in the currently executed image reading.

[0055] In S5007, the control unit 8 checks whether the manuscript size confirmed in S5005 is long. If it is long, it proceeds to S5008. If it is not long, it proceeds to S5009.

[0056] In S5008, the control unit 8 determines whether the conveyance distance started to be memorized in S5002 is equal to or less than two-thirds of the reading upper limit length of the long manuscript. The reading upper limit length of the long manuscript is usually determined by the length of the manuscript that can be read due to the limitation of the capacity of the storage unit 82. For example, if the conveyance distance is 1 m and the reading upper limit length of the long manuscript is 3 m, two-thirds of the reading upper limit length of the long manuscript is 2 m. Therefore, it is determined that there are still many parts where the image has not been read, and it proceeds to S5010. When the conveyance distance is equal to or more than two-thirds of the reading upper limit length of the long manuscript, it is determined that it is faster to discharge the paper and take out the manuscript, and it proceeds to S5009. Here, whether it is equal to or less than two-thirds of the reading upper limit length of the long manuscript is used as the determination condition for whether it is close to the reading upper limit length, but it is not limited to this.

[0057] In S5009, the control unit 8 discharges the manuscript being read.

[0058] In S5010, the control unit 8 stops the operations of the first conveyance unit 10, the second conveyance unit 20, and the third conveyance unit 30, and immediately interrupts the conveyance without discharging the manuscript.

[0059] In S5011, the control unit 8 reads the image of the manuscript by the image reading unit 70.

[0060] In S5012, the control unit 8 determines whether the medium detection sensors 50 and 60 have detected the rear end of the manuscript. If the rear end of the manuscript has not been detected, it proceeds to S5002. If the rear end of the manuscript has been detected, it proceeds to S5013.

[0061] When the rear end of the manuscript is detected, the reading is terminated in S5013. While it is determined in S5012 that it is not the rear end, the reading of the image in S5011 is continued while checking whether there is an interruption instruction in S5003.

[0062] As described above, in this embodiment, when the image reading is interrupted, if the paper size of the reading setting is long and the remaining length until the upper limit length of the document reading is slightly less (the difference between the conveyance distance and the upper limit length of reading is equal to or less than a predetermined value), instead of immediately interrupting, the paper is discharged, which saves the user's effort. It becomes possible to realize an image reading apparatus that is convenient for the user. When the difference between the conveyance distance and the upper limit length of reading exceeds the predetermined value at the time of input of the interruption instruction, the conveyance of the document is stopped as described above.

[0063] As described above in each embodiment, according to the present invention, by changing the control at the time of the interruption instruction according to the situation of the document, the convenience can be improved. The embodiments described above are examples, and various changes are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0064] For example, in the above embodiment, it is determined whether the document is long based on the document size set in the document size setting unit 7002 on the display screen of the image reading application 7001, but it is not limited to this. For example, an elongated scan button for executing the image reading of an elongated document may be provided on the operation unit 83 provided in the image reading apparatus A, and it may be determined that the document size is long based on the operation of this elongated scan button.

[0065] Also, when starting to read an image, the leading edge of the document is detected by the medium detection sensor 50 or the like, and then the trailing edge of the document is detected. When the elapsed time since the leading edge of the document was detected at this time exceeds a predetermined threshold value (for example, a standard size such as A4), it may be determined that the document is an elongated document.

[0066] Also, in the second embodiment, when the conveyance distance is close to the upper limit length of reading, it has been described that the document is discharged even when there is an interruption instruction. Instead, when the trailing edge of the document is detected by any sensor (for example, the medium detection sensors 50 and 60, the image reading unit 70, etc.) at the time when the interruption instruction is given, it may be configured to discharge the document if it is determined that it is faster to take out the document by discharging it.

[0067] Also, in the above embodiment, when an interruption instruction is given, in the case where conveyance is stopped, image reading is also interrupted at that time, and in the case where paper is discharged without stopping conveyance, it is premised that image reading is continued in the same manner as normal reading. On the other hand, even when the state is controlled to discharge the original document when there is an interruption instruction, the image reading may be configured to be stopped at the time when the interruption instruction is given. According to this aspect, when an interruption instruction is given, image reading is interrupted at that time. Therefore, for example, when it is desired to read only up to the middle of the original document, by giving an interruption instruction, an image obtained by reading only the original document up to that point can be acquired, and since the original document itself is discharged, the original document itself can be handled in the same manner as normal image reading. In this case, when the original document is not long, it is controlled to discharge the original document at the time when the interruption instruction is given, but even in such a situation, the image reading may be stopped at the time when the interruption instruction is given.

[0068] Furthermore, as an application of the above, it may be configured such that the image reading start position can be instructed after an image reading instruction is given and the conveyance of the original document is started. For example, a "designated area scan button" or the like is provided on the operation unit 83 of the image reading apparatus A. When this button is pressed, only the conveyance of the original document is started, and when the user further presses a region designation button (for example, the designated area scan button) provided on the operation unit 83, the image reading control by the image reading unit 70 is actually started, and the image reading may be continued until the region designation button is pressed or the rear end of the original document is reached. According to this configuration, compared to those that specify the reading position in advance with the image reading application 7001 or the like, or those that trim a predetermined region from the read image, it is possible to read only a specific region in the original document by a simple operation.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0069] A Image reading apparatus 8 Control unit 10 First conveyance unit 20 Second conveyance unit 30 Third conveyance unit 7001 Image reading application 7007 Stop button (interruption input means)

Claims

1. A conveying means for conveying a document, A control means for controlling the conveying means, An interruption input means for inputting an interruption instruction to interrupt the conveyance of the document by the conveying means, A document type acquisition means for acquiring the document type of the conveyed document and comprising, The control means, when an interruption instruction is input to the interruption input means, switches whether to discharge the document or stop the conveyance of the document without discharging the document according to the document type, characterized in that it is a document conveyance apparatus.

2. When the document type acquisition means acquires a long size as the document type, the control means stops the conveyance of the document when the interruption instruction is input, characterized in that it is the document conveyance apparatus according to Claim 1.

3. A document conveyance apparatus according to Claim 2, A reading means for reading an image of the document conveyed by the conveying means, A conveyance distance storage means for storing the distance the document has been conveyed and comprising, when the document type acquisition means acquires a long size as the document type, the control means compares the conveyance distance stored by the conveyance distance storage means with the upper reading limit length which is the length of the document that can be read by the reading means when the interruption instruction is input, discharges the document when the difference between the conveyance distance and the upper reading limit length is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and stops the conveyance of the document when the difference exceeds the predetermined value, characterized in that it is an image reading apparatus.

4. It is provided with a paper discharge roller for discharging the document conveyed by the conveying means outside the apparatus, When the thin paper is obtained as the document type by the document type acquisition means, when the interruption instruction is input, the control means continues the conveyance until the rear end of the document reaches the paper discharge roller, and stops the paper discharge operation by the paper discharge roller with the rear end of the document sandwiched between the paper discharge rollers. The image reading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

5. A document conveyance device according to claim 1, comprising: a reading means for reading an image of a document conveyed by the conveying means; When the control means determines to discharge the document when the interruption instruction is input, the control means controls the reading means to stop reading the image by the reading means. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

Images