Image reader

Abstract

To provide a reader capable of both grounding a guide shaft and preventing it from coming off.SOLUTION: A compound machine 1 has: an image sensor 11 reading a document mounted on a platen glass 12; a metal guide shaft 14 guiding the image sensor 11 in a scanning direction; a base part 43 having a support part 43a supporting the guide shaft 14 from below; a guide shaft plate 50 contacting the guide shaft 14; and a driving sheet metal 41 to which the guide shaft plate 50 is fitted. The guide shaft plate 50 has: a fitted part 53 fitted to the driving sheet metal 41 and becoming conductive; a regulation part 51 extending from the fitted part 53, positioned on an upper end of the guide shaft 14 at a prescribed gap, and regulating upward movement to the guide shaft 14; and a contact part 52 extending from the fitted part 53, separating from the regulation part 51, and contacting by gripping the guide shaft 14 from outside in the radial direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image reading device that reads an original. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, a configuration is known in which one end of a leaf spring, which serves as a grounding means, is positioned so as to abut against the guide shaft of a reading device from above, and the other end of the leaf spring is fixed to a ground member with a screw. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-17873 A (Figure 7, paragraphs

[0061]

[0062] ) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the image reading device described in Patent Document 1, the leaf spring serves both to ground the guide shaft and to prevent it from coming loose, and therefore the leaf spring is always in contact with the guide shaft, pressing it down from above. As a result, if the leaf spring contacts too tightly, the screw fastening the other end may come loose, resulting in insufficient grounding, or if the leaf spring deforms over time, the prevention of it coming loose may become insufficient.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a reading device that can both ground the guide shaft and prevent it from coming off. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the image reading device of the present invention comprises a reading sensor that reads a document placed on a document table, a metal guide shaft that guides the reading sensor in a scanning direction, a reading housing having a support portion that supports the guide shaft from below, a sheet metal member that abuts the guide shaft, and a mounting member to which the sheet metal member is attached, and the sheet metal member has an attached portion that is attached to the mounting member and is conductive, a regulating portion that extends from the attached portion and is positioned with a predetermined gap relative to the upper end of the guide shaft and regulates the upward movement of the guide shaft, and an abutting portion that extends from the attached portion and is spaced apart from the regulating portion and abuts the guide shaft by sandwiching it from the radially outside.

[0007] In the present invention, the sheet metal member has a restricting portion and an abutting portion. The restricting portion restricts the upward movement of the guide shaft, while the abutting portion abuts against the guide shaft from both radially outer sides to establish ground contact. The restricting portion is located separately from the contact portion and does not need to have a grounding function, so it is located away from the guide shaft, i.e., with a gap from the upper end of the guide shaft. Therefore, there is no deterioration in the retaining function as with conventional structures that always contact the guide shaft. The abutment portion extends from the mounting portion and abuts against the guide shaft from the radially outer side, so that even if it is in constant abutment with the guide shaft, only the clamped free end side is deformed, and the grounding function is less likely to deteriorate. As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably maintain both the contact of the guide shaft with the ground and the prevention of its coming off. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably maintain both the ground contact and the prevention of the guide shaft from coming off. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an external configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment in a state where an automatic document feeder is closed. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an external configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment in a state where an automatic document feeder is open. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating an example of the internal structure of the flatbed unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the structure of a guide shaft plate according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating an example of the structure of a guide shaft plate according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of a guide shaft plate according to an embodiment, taken along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of a guide shaft plate according to an embodiment, with a portion of a wall of a base portion cut away. [Figure 8] 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in a direction parallel to the axial direction of a shaft, illustrating an example of the structure of a guide shaft plate according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of a guide shaft plate according to an embodiment, taken along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft. FIG. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the shape of a contact portion of a guide shaft plate according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the shape of a contact portion of a guide shaft plate according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <Multifunction device> FIG. 1 shows an example of the external configuration of the multifunction peripheral 1 according to the embodiment with the automatic document feeder 3B closed, and FIG. 2 shows an example of the external configuration of the multifunction peripheral 1 according to the embodiment with the automatic document feeder 3B open. In the following description, directions such as up, down, left, right, front, and back may be used as appropriate for the convenience of explaining the configuration of the multifunction peripheral 1, etc., but these directions do not limit the orientation or position of each component of the multifunction peripheral 1, etc. In the following description, the up, down, front, and back directions correspond to the directions of the arrows shown in each drawing. That is, the up, down direction is the direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane when the multifunction peripheral 1 is installed on a horizontal surface, the front is the direction toward which the operation panel 5, described later, is directed, the rear is the direction opposite to the front, and the left and right direction is the left and right direction when the multifunction peripheral 1 is viewed from the front.

[0012] The multifunction device 1 is an example of an image reading device. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the multifunction device 1 includes a main unit 2 and a reading unit 3. The main unit 2 includes a control unit that controls the entire multifunction device 1, an image forming unit, a LAN communication unit, and the like. The reading unit 3 includes a flatbed unit 3A and an automatic document feeder 3B.

[0013] An operation panel 5 that is operated by the user is provided on the front of the multifunction device 1. The operation panel 5 has an input device that the user operates to give various commands to the multifunction device 1, and an output device that notifies the user of the operating status of the multifunction device 1. The input device is, for example, a touch panel, buttons, and switches, and the output device is, for example, a liquid crystal display, lamps, etc.

[0014] Below the operation panel 5 is provided a media output tray 6 onto which recording media on which images have been formed in the image forming unit are output. Below the media output tray 6 is provided a front cover 7 that is configured to be openable and closable. When the front cover 7 is opened, the image forming unit provided inside the main unit 2 becomes accessible, allowing maintenance of the image forming unit to be performed. Furthermore, when forming images on cardboard, envelopes, or the like, the front cover 7 can be opened and used as a media supply tray. Below the front cover 7 is attached a media supply cassette 8 that stores recording media to be supplied to the image forming unit. The image forming unit may be an electrophotographic image forming unit, or an inkjet or thermal image forming unit.

[0015] The automatic document feeder 3B is connected to the flatbed 3A so as to be rotatable about a rear axis. As shown in FIG. 2, when the automatic document feeder 3B is opened, a platen glass 12 disposed on the flatbed 3A is exposed. The platen glass 12 is a transparent glass plate and is configured to be able to support a document, which is the object to be read. The platen glass 12 is an example of a document table.

[0016] The automatic document feeder 3B is provided with a pressing unit 17. The pressing unit 17 is made of, for example, a laminate of a foamed resin layer and a hard resin film layer. When the automatic document feeder 3B is closed, the pressing unit 17 comes into close contact with the platen glass 12 with slight elastic deformation, and presses the document placed on the platen glass 12 toward the platen glass 12.

[0017] <Flatbed section> An example of the internal structure of the flatbed unit 3A is shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, the flatbed unit 3A is provided with an image sensor 11, a guide shaft 14, a carriage 15, and a toothed belt 16. The guide shaft 14 is made of a round metal bar and extends in the left-right direction below the platen glass 12. The carriage 15 carries the image sensor 11, is attached to the guide shaft 14, and is supported so as to be able to move back and forth in the left-right direction along the guide shaft 14. In other words, the guide shaft 14 guides the image sensor 11 in the left-right direction, which is the scanning direction.

[0018] The carriage 15 moves back and forth in the left and right directions. That is, the carriage 15 moves rightward from the leftmost position to the rightmost position, and moves leftward from the rightmost position to the leftmost position. The carriage 15 carries the image sensor 11 with the reading element of the image sensor 11 facing upward, in the direction facing the platen glass 12.

[0019] The image sensor 11 reads a document placed on the platen glass 12. The image sensor 11 is an example of a reading sensor. The image sensor 11 is a one-dimensional image sensor having a plurality of reading elements (not shown) arranged in one direction. In this embodiment, the image sensor 11 is a contact image sensor (CIS). The image sensor 11 may also be a charge coupled device (CCD). The image sensor 11 has the above-mentioned reading elements arranged in the front-to-rear direction.

[0020] When reading an image of a document placed on the upper surface of the platen glass 12, the image sensor 11 reads the image while moving together with the carriage 15 in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the reading elements. The image sensor 11 reads the image of the document supported by the platen glass 12 while the carriage 15 moves from the left end position to the right end position. After completing reading of the image of the document, the carriage 15 moves toward the left end position and completes its operation when it reaches the left end position. From the completion of one operation until the start of the next operation, the image sensor 11 waits at the left end position. The right end position is set to a position where the image sensor 11 can read the right end of the maximum reading range set on the platen glass 12.

[0021] In addition to the image sensor 11, guide shaft 14, carriage 15, and toothed belt 16, the flatbed unit 3A is also provided with a motor 35, a reducer 37, and a pair of pulleys 39A and 39B. The motor 35 provides a driving force for moving the carriage 15. A stepping motor, for example, may be used as the motor 35. The reducer 37 is made up of multiple gears and transmits the driving force of the motor 35 to the pulley 39A. The reducer 37 is an example of a gear. The pair of pulleys 39A and 39B are each rotatable and are arranged at a distance in the left-right direction. One of the pulleys, 39A, is rotationally driven by power transmitted from the motor 35 via the reducer 37.

[0022] The toothed belt 16 is endless. The toothed belt 16 is stretched between a pair of pulleys 39A and 39B. The toothed belt 16 is driven to rotate by power transmitted from one pulley 39A, and the other pulley 39B is driven to rotate by the toothed belt 16. The toothed belt 16 is driven to rotate in forward and reverse directions by a motor 35, and the carriage 15 moves back and forth in the left and right directions following the toothed belt 16.

[0023] The motor 35, the reducer 37, the pulley 39A, etc. constitute a drive mechanism 38. The drive mechanism 38 is supported by a metal drive plate 41. The drive plate 41 is an example of an attachment member and an example of a drive mechanism mounting plate. The drive plate 41 is attached to a base portion 43 by screws or insertion. The base portion 43 is a molded product made of a resin material and is an example of a reading housing. The image sensor 11, the guide shaft 14, the carriage 15, the toothed belt 16, the motor 35, the reducer 37, and the pair of pulleys 39A and 39B described above are housed in the space between the base portion 43 and the platen glass 12.

[0024] <Features of this embodiment> As shown in Fig. 3, the guide shaft 14 is supported at both ends by a pair of support portions 43a, 43b provided on a resin base portion 43. Because the guide shaft 14 is made of metal, if there is no grounding conductivity, noise may cause distortion of the reading results of the image sensor 11 or an error in the LCD display of the operation panel 5. For this reason, a metal guide shaft plate 50 is provided near the support portion 43a for the purposes of holding and fixing the guide shaft 14 and providing grounding conductivity to the drive metal plate 41. The guide shaft plate 50 abuts against the guide shaft 14 and is attached to the drive metal plate 41.

[0025] If the guide shaft plate is connected to the drive metal plate 41 by screws and has its tip bent in an L-shape on the side opposite the screw to abut against the guide shaft 14, the following problem may arise: Because the guide shaft plate does not have spring properties, dimensional tolerances may cause the guide shaft plate to contact the guide shaft 14 or a gap to form between the guide shaft 14 and the plate. If the guide shaft plate contacts the drive metal plate, the guide shaft plate may be deformed due to interference from the screw fastening of the guide shaft 14, or the screw fastening that secures the guide shaft plate to the drive metal plate 41 may become loose. In this case, the guide shaft 14 may not be held securely in place. On the other hand, if a gap forms, poor grounding conductivity may occur. This poses a problem, requiring secondary measures to fill the gap, such as providing a gap between the guide shaft 14 and the guide shaft plate and applying conductive grease to the gap or adding aluminum tape to ensure conductivity.

[0026] Therefore, in this embodiment, focusing on the two functions required for the guide shaft plate 50—holding and fixing the guide shaft 14 and grounding conductivity—the restricting portion 51 and the abutting portion 52, which fulfill these two functions, are clearly separated and configured as a single component. The restricting portion 51 has a sole purpose of holding and fixing the guide shaft 14. The restricting portion 51 has an L-shape extending perpendicular to the guide shaft 14, is provided with a gap between it and the guide shaft 14, and restricts upward movement of the guide shaft 14. The abutting portion 52 has a sole purpose of providing grounding conductivity for the guide shaft 14. The abutting portion 52 has a U-shape extending perpendicular to the guide shaft 14, and by sandwiching the guide shaft 14 using its spring properties, contacts the guide shaft 14 while allowing vertical movement of the guide shaft 14. This allows for stable holding and fixing of the guide shaft 14 and grounding conductivity. Furthermore, the two functions of holding and fixing the guide shaft 14 and providing grounding conductivity can be integrated into one component, thereby reducing the number of components. Furthermore, the elimination of the need for secondary measures as described above reduces costs and the labor involved in the manufacturing process. Furthermore, the stability of the grounding conductivity function is ensured, contributing to accurate machine operation and improved product quality. Details of the guide shaft plate 50 according to this embodiment are described below.

[0027] <Guide shaft plate> 4 to 9 show an example of the structure of the guide shaft plate 50 according to this embodiment. In order to illustrate the guide shaft plate 50 in Fig. 7, part of the wall of the base portion 43 is broken away.

[0028] The guide shaft plate 50 is a sheet metal member that abuts against the guide shaft 14. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the guide shaft plate 50 has a restricting portion 51, an abutting portion 52, and an attached portion 53. The attached portion 53 is a plate-shaped member that is attached to the driving sheet metal 41 for electrical conduction. As shown in FIG. 6, the attached portion 53 has a through hole 53a, and the guide shaft plate 50 is fixed to the driving sheet metal 41 by a screw 54 that passes through the through hole 53a of the attached portion 53.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 , the restricting portion 51 is a substantially L-shaped member when viewed from the left-right direction. The restricting portion 51 extends from the mounting portion 53 to cover the upper end of the guide shaft 14 and restricts upward movement of the guide shaft 14. Specifically, the restricting portion 51 has a first restricting portion 51a located on the mounting portion 53 side and extending upward, and a second restricting portion 51b that bends from the side of the first restricting portion 51a opposite the side connected to the mounting portion 53 toward the guide shaft 14 and is located above the guide shaft 14. In other words, the restricting portion 51 has the first restricting portion 51a extending upward from the left of the through-hole 53a of the mounting portion 53, and the second restricting portion 51b that bends rearward from the upper end of the first restricting portion 51a to pass above the guide shaft 14 and extend rearward beyond the rear end of the guide shaft 14. Therefore, when viewing the restricting portion 51 from the left-right direction, the first restricting portion 51a has a shape that is longer in the up-down direction and shorter in the front-rear direction than the second restricting portion 51b. The restricting portion 51 is a metal plate with its thickness in the left-right direction, and its length in the left-right direction is shorter than its lengths in the up-down and front-rear directions. The restricting portion 51 has a drawn portion 51c that is recessed from left to right, thereby improving its rigidity and providing it with higher rigidity than the abutting portion 52. As shown in FIG. 8, the second restricting portion 51b is positioned with a predetermined gap G from the upper end of the guide shaft 14.

[0030] As shown in Figure 6, a top cover 60 covering the top surface of the flat bed unit 3A has a downwardly protruding rib 61 at a position corresponding to the restricting portion 51. For example, if the flat bed unit 3A is dropped with its top surface facing downwards while in a packaged state, and an impact force equivalent to the weight of the guide shaft 14 is applied to the restricting portion 51, causing deformation, the rib 61 will strike the upper portion of the restricting portion 51, preventing further deformation. This prevents the guide shaft 14 from falling off.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 , the abutting portion 52 is a substantially U-shaped member when viewed from the left-right direction. The abutting portion 52 is located at a distance from the restricting portion 51. More specifically, the abutting portion 52 is located to the right of the restricting portion 51, and the restricting portion 51 is located closer to the left end of the guide shaft 14 than the abutting portion 52 is to the left of the guide shaft 14. The abutting portion 52 extends from the attached portion 53 toward the tip and abuts against the guide shaft 14 by sandwiching it from the radially outer side in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the abutting portion 52 has a first abutting portion 52a that abuts against the guide shaft 14 between the tip and the attached portion 53, and a second abutting portion 52b that is located closer to the tip than the first abutting portion 52a and abuts against the guide shaft 14 to sandwich the guide shaft 14 together with the first abutting portion 52a. As shown in FIG. 6 , the abutting portion 52 is bent between the first abutting portion 52a and the second abutting portion 52b so that the direction of extension from the first abutting portion 52a to the second abutting portion 52b is reversed, and the abutting portion 52 is separated from the guide shaft 14 by a distance L. In other words, the abutting portion 52 extends upward from a position rearward of the through-hole 53a of the mounting portion 53 and forward of the guide shaft 14, curves downward and rearward, passes above the guide shaft 14, and extends downward. The first abutting portion 52a is located midway along the upward extension from the rear of the through-hole 53a, and the second abutting portion 52b is located midway along the curved, downward extension. In this embodiment, the abutting portion 52 is curved in an arc between the first abutting portion 52a and the second abutting portion 52b, but this is not limited thereto and may be bent in a substantially V-shape, for example.

[0032] As shown in Figure 6, the width dimension W of the U-shaped abutment portion 52 is set narrower than the diameter R of the guide shaft 14. As a result, the abutment portion 52 sandwiches the guide shaft 14, deforming the U-shape in the opening direction, and the spring property applies a constant load, ensuring stable electrical continuity between the metals. Also, as described above, a gap of distance L is provided between the guide shaft 14 and the upper end of the U-shaped abutment portion 52, which allows the length of the arms from the fulcrums of the first abutment portion 52a and the second abutment portion 52b to be longer. This allows for the dispersion of stress concentration that occurs when the abutment portion 52 is deformed by being sandwiched.

[0033] 4 to 6, the base portion 43 has a protruding positioning portion 43c for positioning the guide shaft plate 50. The guide shaft plate 50 is positioned by inserting the positioning portion 43c into a positioning hole 53b (see FIG. 6) formed in the mounting portion 53. As shown in FIG. 5, the through hole 53a of the mounting portion 53, through which the screw 54 is inserted, is disposed so as to be located between the first abutment portion 52a or the second abutment portion 52b of the abutment portion 52 and the positioning portion 43c of the base portion 43, in a plan view from above.

[0034] 4 and 5, the drive sheet metal 41 has a locking hole 41a that stops the rotation of the guide shaft plate 50, and the guide shaft plate 50 has a locking portion 55 that protrudes downward from the attached portion 53. The locking portion 55 of the guide shaft plate 50 engages with the locking hole 41a of the drive sheet metal 41, thereby preventing the guide shaft plate 50 from rotating. The locking hole 41a is an example of a locking portion. As shown in FIG. 5, the through hole 53a, through which the screw 54 of the attached portion 53 is inserted, is positioned between the first restricting portion 51a of the restricting portion 51 and the locking hole 41a of the drive sheet metal 41 in a plan view from above.

[0035] 7 and 8, the guide shaft 14 has a small-diameter portion 14b, the outer diameter of which is smaller than that of the main body portion 14a, at a position corresponding to the restricting portion 51 in the left-right direction. The main body portion 14a is an example of another portion. The second restricting portion 51b of the restricting portion 51 is disposed with a gap G between it and the upper end of the small-diameter portion 14b. The abutting portion 52 is located on the opposite side of the restricting portion 51 from the shaft end portion 14c of the guide shaft 14 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the support portion 43a of the base portion 43 supports, from below, the main body portion 14a of the guide shaft 14, the main body portion 14a having an outer diameter larger than that of the small-diameter portion 14b.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 8, the base portion 43 has a support portion 43e that is inserted into a recess corresponding to the small diameter portion 14b of the guide shaft 14. As shown in FIG. 9, the support portion 43e of the base portion 43 is formed in a semicircular shape and faces substantially the lower half of the small diameter portion 14b of the guide shaft 14 from below, with a gap therebetween. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 8, the second restricting portion 51b of the restricting portion 51 has a support portion 51d that is inserted into a recess corresponding to the small diameter portion 14b of the guide shaft 14. As shown in FIG. 9, the support portion 51d of the second restricting portion 51b is formed in a semicircular shape and faces substantially the upper half of the small diameter portion 14b of the guide shaft 14 from above, with a gap therebetween. The support portion 43e of the base portion 43 and the support portion 51d of the second restricting portion 51b can withstand an impact load in the thrust direction of the guide shaft 14 and prevent it from coming loose in the thrust direction. If support were provided solely by the support portion 43e of the base portion 43, only the lower half would be supported and, in addition, the support portion 43e would be made of resin, and therefore, if a strong thrust impact load were to be applied to the guide shaft 14 due to, for example, the product being dropped, there is a risk that the support portion 43e would be damaged. In this embodiment, in addition to the support portion 43e of the base portion 43, the upper half is also supported by the support portion 51d of the metal second restriction portion 51b, so that even if a strong thrust impact load is applied to the guide shaft 14, it is possible to prevent the guide shaft 14 from coming loose in the thrust direction.

[0037] <Effects of the embodiment> In the embodiment described above, the guide shaft plate 50 has a restricting portion 51 and an abutting portion 52. The restricting portion 51 restricts upward movement of the guide shaft 14, while the abutting portion 52 abuts against and sandwiches the guide shaft 14 from the radially outer side to establish grounding. The restricting portion 51 is disposed separately from the abutting portion 52 and does not need to have a grounding function, so it is disposed apart from the guide shaft 14, i.e., with a gap from the upper end of the guide shaft 14. Therefore, the retaining function is not deteriorated as in a structure that constantly abuts against the guide shaft 14. The abutting portion 52 abuts against the guide shaft 14 from the radially outer side in a shape extending from the attached portion 53, so even when constantly abutting against the guide shaft 14, only the sandwiched free end side is deformed, and the grounding function is less likely to deteriorate. As a result, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reliably maintain both the contact with the ground and the prevention of the guide shaft 14 from coming off.

[0038] In this embodiment, the contact portion 52 has a first contact portion 52a and a second contact portion 52b, and is bent so as to form an inverted U-shape between the first contact portion 52a and the second contact portion 52b. The bent portion is spaced apart from the guide shaft 14. This allows the contact portion 52 to function as a leaf spring member, so that the first contact portion 52a and the second contact portion 52b elastically bias the guide shaft 14. This allows the contact portion 52 to have a shape that makes it easier to contact the guide shaft 14, thereby ensuring more reliable ground contact.

[0039] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the guide shaft plate 50 is fixed to the drive metal plate 41 with a screw at an intermediate portion between the positioning portion 43c, where positioning is performed by the base portion 43, and the first abutment portion 52a or the second abutment portion 52b of the abutment portion 52. That is, the positioning portion 43c is disposed on one side of the screw fixing location, and the abutment portion 52 is disposed on the other side. In this arrangement, the positioning portion 43c, the through-hole 53a for screw fixing, and the abutment portion 52 can be disposed in a substantially straight line, thereby optimizing their arrangement to save space and enable the guide shaft plate 50 to be made smaller.

[0040] In particular, in this embodiment, the restricting portion 51 has a shape such as an L-shape, in which the first restricting portion 51a and the second restricting portion 51b are connected in this order starting from the attached portion 53. This allows the restricting portion 51 to face the guide shaft 14 from above while leaving a gap therebetween, thereby reliably preventing it from coming off.

[0041] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the guide shaft plate 50 is fastened to the drive sheet metal 41 by the screws 54 that pass through the through holes 53a, and therefore, when the screws are tightened, a rotational force is applied to the guide shaft plate 50. In response to this, in this embodiment, the drive sheet metal 41 is provided with locking holes 41a for preventing rotation of the guide shaft plate 50, thereby suppressing rotation of the guide shaft plate 50 when the screws are tightened, and preventing torsional deformation and displacement due to rotational torque.

[0042] In particular, in this embodiment, the through hole 53a is located between the first restricting portion 51a of the restricting portion 51 and the locking hole 41a of the drive metal plate 41. In other words, the locking hole 41a for preventing rotation is provided on the opposite side of the first restricting portion 51a of the restricting portion 51, with the through hole 53a in between. That is, the locking hole 41a is disposed on one side of the screw fixing location, and the first restricting portion 51a is disposed on the other side. In this arrangement, the locking hole 41a, the through hole 53a for screw fixing, and the first restricting portion 51a can be disposed in a substantially straight line, thereby optimizing their arrangement and thereby saving space and enabling the miniaturization of the guide shaft plate 50. Furthermore, the restricting portion 51 can be positioned with high precision relative to the guide shaft 14 in the rotational direction.

[0043] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, since the restricting portion 51 is inserted from above and faces the small diameter portion 14b of the guide shaft 14, the restricting portion 51 can position the guide shaft 14 in the thrust direction. Furthermore, since the diameter of the small diameter portion 14b is small, the position at which the restricting portion 51 is disposed can be lowered, which has the effect of reducing the vertical dimension of the guide shaft plate 50. The support portion 43a of the base portion 43 supports the guide shaft 14 at a portion other than the small diameter portion 14b of the guide shaft 14, i.e., the main body portion 14a, thereby enabling stable support.

[0044] Furthermore, the present embodiment particularly achieves the following effect: If the contact portion 52 and the restricting portion 51 were arranged in this order from the shaft end portion 14c of the guide shaft 14 toward the opposite side, the restricting portion 51 would be within the operating range of the carriage 15 and would interfere with the carriage 15, and therefore it would be necessary to widen the base portion 43 so that it is outside the operating range. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the restricting portion 51 and the contact portion 52 are arranged in this order from the shaft end portion 14c of the guide shaft 14 toward the opposite side, thereby avoiding the above-mentioned adverse effect. Furthermore, at this time, by making the support portion 43a of the base portion 43 support the main body portion 14a of the guide shaft 14 between the restricting portion 51 and the abutting portion 52, the small diameter portion 14b is positioned closer to the shaft end portion 14c than the support point of the support portion 43a. This ensures the rigidity of the supported guide shaft 14 compared to when the small diameter portion 14b is positioned on the side opposite the shaft end portion 14c from the support point of the support portion 43a, i.e., closer to the middle portion of the guide shaft 14.

[0045] In particular, in this embodiment, the strength of the restricting portion 51 for holding and fixing the guide shaft 14 is made greater than that of the abutting portion 52. This makes it possible to more reliably restrict the upward movement of the guide shaft 14.

[0046] In particular, in this embodiment, the guide shaft plate 50 is attached to the drive metal plate 41. As a result, the drive metal plate 41, on which the motor 35, the reducer 37, and the like, which are normally used in the multifunction device 1, are arranged, can be utilized as an attachment member, thereby ensuring reliable grounding without adding any new members.

[0047] <Modification> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the spirit and technical concept of the present invention.

[0048] In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 10, the first abutment portion 52a and the second abutment portion 52b of the abutment portion 52 are configured to sandwich the guide shaft 14 in the front-to-rear direction and abut against it, but the shape of the abutment portion 52 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 11, the first abutment portion 52a and the second abutment portion 52b of the abutment portion 52 may be configured to sandwich the guide shaft 14 in the up-down direction and abut against it. Furthermore, although not shown, the abutment portion 52 may be configured to sandwich the guide shaft 14 in a direction inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction or the up-to-down direction and abut against it. Furthermore, it is not necessary to sandwich the guide shaft 14 from both sides. For example, a configuration in which a metal plate is pressed against one side of the guide shaft 14 by spring property may be used.

[0049] Furthermore, the image reading device according to the present invention is not limited to a multifunction peripheral, but can also be applied to a scanner, a copier, or the like.

[0050] In addition to the above, the methods according to the above embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

[0051] Although not specifically illustrated, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1. Multifunction printer (an example of an image reading device) 3A Flatbed section 3B Automatic document feeder 5 Operation panel 11 Image sensor (an example of a reading sensor) 12 Platen glass (example of a document table) 14 Guide shaft 14a Main body (an example of another part) 14b Small diameter section 14c Shaft end 16 Belt 35 motor 37 Reducer 38 Drive mechanism 41 Drive plate (an example of a mounting member or drive mechanism arrangement plate) 41a Locking hole (an example of a locking portion) 43 Base unit (example of reading housing) 43a Support part 43b Support part 43c Positioning part 50 Guide shaft plate 51 Regulatory Department 51a 1st Regulatory Division 51b Second Regulatory Division 51c Drawing section 52 Contact part 52a 1st contact part 52b 2nd contact part 53 Mounting part 53a Through hole 53b Positioning hole 54 screws 55 Locking part G Gap L distance R diameter W width dimension

Claims

1. a reading sensor that reads a document placed on a document table; a metal guide shaft that guides the reading sensor in a scanning direction; a reading housing having a support portion that supports the guide shaft from below; a sheet metal member that abuts against the guide shaft; a mounting member to which the sheet metal member is attached; and The sheet metal member is a mounting portion that is attached to the mounting member and is electrically conductive; a restricting portion extending from the mounting portion and positioned with a predetermined gap from the upper end of the guide shaft, restricting upward movement of the guide shaft; a contact portion extending from the attached portion and spaced apart from the restricting portion, the contact portion sandwiching the guide shaft from the radially outer side and contacting the guide shaft; An image reading device comprising:

2. The abutting portion of the sheet metal member is the guide shaft is provided with a first contact portion between the tip and the attached portion, the first contact portion being in contact with the guide shaft, and a second contact portion being located on the tip side of the first contact portion and in contact with the guide shaft to sandwich the guide shaft together with the first contact portion; 2. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the contact portion are bent so that the direction of extension from the first contact portion toward the second contact portion is reversed, and the contact portion is spaced apart from the guide shaft.

3. The attached portion is having a through hole, The sheet metal member is the mounting portion is fixed to the mounting member by a screw passing through the through hole of the mounting portion, The reading housing includes: a positioning portion for positioning the sheet metal member; The through hole of the mounting portion is The image reading device according to claim 2 , wherein the contact portion is disposed between the first contact portion or the second contact portion of the contact portion and the positioning portion of the reading housing in a plan view from above.

4. The restricting portion of the sheet metal member is 2. An image reading device as described in claim 1, having a first regulating portion located on the mounting portion side and extending upward, and a second regulating portion located above the guide shaft, bending and extending from the side of the first regulating portion opposite to the side connected to the mounting portion toward the guide shaft side.

5. The attached portion is having a through hole, The sheet metal member is the mounting portion is fixed to the mounting member by a screw passing through the through hole of the mounting portion, The sheet metal member is a locking portion for stopping the rotation of the metal plate member; The through hole of the mounting portion is The image reading device according to claim 4 , wherein the restricting portion is disposed between the first restricting portion of the restricting portion and the locking portion of the sheet metal member in a plan view from above.

6. The guide shaft a small diameter portion having an outer diameter smaller than that of other portions at a position corresponding to the restriction portion in the scanning direction; The restriction portion is The gap is disposed with respect to the upper end of the small diameter portion, The abutment portion is the restricting portion is located on the opposite side of the shaft end portion of the guide shaft in the scanning direction, The support portion of the reading housing is The image reading device according to claim 1 , wherein the other portion of the guide shaft, which has an outer diameter larger than that of the small diameter portion, is supported from below.

7. The image reading device according to claim 1 , wherein the restricting portion of the metal plate member has a higher rigidity than the contact portion.

8. The mounting member is 2. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism mounting plate supports a drive mechanism including a motor that applies a drive force to move the reading sensor and a gear that transmits the drive force of the motor, and is electrically connected to ground.

Images