Image reading device

Abstract

The rotating unit is relatively heavy because it houses mechanisms for transporting and reading the media. Therefore, when a user lifts and opens the rotating unit, it places a significant weight burden on them. [Solution] The image reading device 1 comprises a lower unit 2, an upper unit 3 positioned above the lower unit, a hinge positioned on one side of the lower unit and the upper unit and connecting the upper unit to the lower unit so that it can be opened and closed, and an assist mechanism 5 that reduces the lifting weight of the upper unit when transitioning the upper unit from a closed state to an open state. The assist mechanism comprises a base portion 12 integrally attached to the upper unit, an arm portion 13, a rotating shaft 14 provided on the base portion that rotatably supports the arm portion, an operating portion 17 connected to one end of the arm portion, an operating portion 18 connected to the other end of the arm portion, and a support portion 19 positioned on the lower unit that contacts and supports the operating portion from below.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image reading device.

Background Art

[0002] As an example of the prior art of this type of device, there is the one described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a medium feeding device including a rotating unit that can be opened and closed with respect to a fixed unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since a mechanism for transporting a medium, a reading mechanism, etc. are arranged in the rotating unit, the weight becomes relatively large. Therefore, when the user lifts and opens the rotating unit, a large weight burden is imposed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To solve the above problems, the image reading device according to the present invention comprises a lower unit, an upper unit disposed on the upper part of the lower unit, a hinge disposed on one side of the lower unit and the upper unit and connecting the upper unit to the lower unit so that it can be opened and closed, and an assist mechanism disposed on the other side opposite to the one side and reducing the lifting weight of the upper unit when transitioning the upper unit from a closed state to an open state, wherein the assist mechanism comprises a base portion integrally attached to the upper unit, an arm portion disposed on the upper unit and extending in a rod shape, and a rotating shaft provided on the base portion. The device comprises a rotating shaft that rotatably supports the arm portion at a position between one end and the other end of the arm portion, an operating part connected to one end of the arm portion, extending downward and movable in the vertical direction, an action part connected to the other end of the arm portion, extending downward, and a support part arranged in the lower unit that contacts and supports the action part from below, wherein as the operating part moves upward, the arm portion rotates with the rotating shaft as a pivot point, and the action part pushes the support part, causing the base portion to lift upward, thereby lifting the upper unit upward relative to the lower unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] A perspective view from the front of the image reading device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] A side view of the image reading device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] A side view of the image reading device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] Front view of the main part of the image reading device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] Front view of the main part of the image reading device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] Front view of the main part of the image reading device of Embodiment 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] The present invention will now be described in general terms. To solve the above problems, an image reading device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a lower unit, an upper unit disposed on the upper part of the lower unit, a hinge disposed on one side of the lower unit and the upper unit and connecting the upper unit to the lower unit so as to be openable and closable, and an assist mechanism disposed on the other side opposite to the one side and reducing the lifting weight of the upper unit when transitioning the upper unit from a closed state to an open state, wherein the assist mechanism comprises a base portion integrally attached to the upper unit, an arm portion disposed on the upper unit and extending in a rod shape, and a rotating part provided on the base portion The upper unit is characterized in that it comprises a rotating shaft which rotatably supports the arm portion at a position between one end and the other end of the arm portion, an operating part connected to one end of the arm portion and extending downward and movable in the vertical direction, an action part connected to the other end of the arm portion and extending downward, and a support part arranged in the lower unit and supporting the action part from below, wherein as the operating part moves upward, the arm portion rotates with the rotating shaft as a pivot point, and the action part pushes the support part, causing the base portion to lift upward, thereby lifting the upper unit upward relative to the lower unit.

[0008] According to this embodiment, the upper unit is provided with an assist mechanism that reduces the lifting weight of the upper unit when transitioning the upper unit from a closed state to an open state. The assist mechanism comprises a base portion integrally attached to the upper unit, a rod-shaped arm portion, a rotating shaft that rotatably supports the arm portion, an operating portion connected to one end of the arm portion, extending downward and movable in the vertical direction, an action portion connected to the other end of the arm portion, extending downward, and a support portion arranged on the lower unit that contacts and supports the action portion from below. Furthermore, as the operating part moves upward, the assist mechanism causes the arm to rotate around the pivot point of the rotation axis, and the working part pushes the support part, causing the base to lift upward, thereby lifting the upper unit upward relative to the lower unit. In other words, the assist mechanism is configured to assist in lifting the upper unit upward using the principle of leverage. This allows the upper unit to be lifted and opened with minimal force relative to the lower unit, using a simple configuration based on the principle of leverage.

[0009] An image reading device according to a second aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, wherein the upper unit has a processing unit including a transport unit capable of transporting a medium and a first reading unit that reads an image of the medium transported by the transport unit, and when viewed from the other side to the one side, at least a part of the assist mechanism overlaps with at least a part of the processing unit.

[0010] According to this embodiment, the upper unit has a processing unit that includes the transport unit and the first reading unit. That is, the center of gravity of the upper unit is located closer to the part where the processing unit is located. The assist mechanism is positioned such that, when viewed from the other side to the one side, at least a part of the assist mechanism overlaps with at least a part of the processing unit. As a result, the assist mechanism is provided in the heavier part of the upper unit, which greatly reduces the weight burden when opening the upper unit.

[0011] An image reading device according to a third aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, characterized in that the operating section comprises an elongated first rod portion and a force receiving portion located at the lower end of the first rod portion and receiving a lifting force, the working section comprises an elongated second rod portion and a pressing portion located at the lower end of the second rod portion and in contact with the support portion, and the base portion comprises a vertical portion having the rotation axis at its upper part and an elongated horizontal portion provided at the lower part of the vertical portion. Furthermore, this embodiment may be subordinate to the second embodiment.

[0012] According to this embodiment, the operating section comprises a long first rod and a force receiving section located at the lower end of the first rod to receive lifting force. The working section comprises a long second rod and a pressing section located at the lower end of the second rod to contact the support section. The base section comprises a vertical section having the rotation axis at its upper end and a long horizontal section provided at the lower part of the vertical section. This makes it possible to realize the assist mechanism, which enables the upper unit to be lifted with little force relative to the lower unit, with a simple structure.

[0013] An image reading device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the third aspect, characterized in that the horizontal portion comprises a first through portion and a second through portion that penetrate in the vertical direction, the first rod portion is movably arranged to penetrate the first through portion, and the second rod portion is movably arranged to penetrate the second through portion.

[0014] According to this embodiment, the horizontal portion includes a first through portion and a second through portion, the first rod portion is movably positioned to pass through the first through portion, and the second rod portion is movably positioned to pass through the second through portion. That is, both the first rod portion and the second rod portion are provided to move while passing through the horizontal portion of the base portion. This allows the lifting operation of the upper unit by the assist mechanism to be performed stably.

[0015] An image reading device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the fourth aspect, characterized in that the first through portion has a first guide portion that guides the first rod portion to move in the vertical direction, and the second through portion has a second guide portion that guides the second rod portion to move in the vertical direction.

[0016] According to this aspect, the first through-hole has a first guide portion that guides the vertical movement of the first rod portion. The second through-hole has a second guide portion that guides the vertical movement of the second rod portion. Thereby, the movement of the first rod portion and the second rod portion with respect to the base portion can be performed with good stability.

[0017] The image reading apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the first aspect, and is characterized by including a regulating portion that regulates a range in which the base portion can move upward in a state where the acting portion is in contact with the supporting portion. In addition, this aspect can also be made subordinate to any one of the second aspect to the fifth aspect.

[0018] In the initial stage of the opening operation in which the upper unit shifts from the closed state to the open state with respect to the lower unit, the weight load is the largest. After this initial stage, the load decreases. According to this aspect, a regulating portion is provided that regulates a range in which the base portion can move upward in a state where the acting portion is in contact with the supporting portion. Thereby, it becomes possible to design so as to receive assistance from the assist mechanism only in the initial stage where the load of the opening operation is large. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in size of the assist mechanism.

[0019] The image reading apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the first aspect, and is characterized in that after the upper unit is lifted via the assist mechanism, by lifting the operation unit, the acting portion is separated from the supporting portion. In addition, this aspect can also be made subordinate to any one of the second aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0020] According to this aspect, after the upper unit is lifted via the assist mechanism, by lifting the operation unit, the acting portion is configured to be separated from the supporting portion. Thereby, when the upper unit is in the open state, the acting portion is separated from the supporting portion, so it does not get in the way when placing a medium on the lower unit or the like.

[0021] An image reading device according to the eighth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, characterized in that when the upper unit is in a closed state, there is a gap between the working part and the support part. Furthermore, this embodiment may be subordinate to any one of the second through seventh embodiments.

[0022] According to this embodiment, when the upper unit is in the closed state, there is a gap between the operating part and the support part. This prevents the upper unit from immediately opening even if an inadvertent lifting force is applied to the operating part, thereby enabling stable image reading operation.

[0023] An image reading device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, comprising an operation panel positioned on the other front side, characterized in that, in a plan view, the operation unit and the operation panel do not overlap. Furthermore, this embodiment may be subordinate to any one of the second through eighth embodiments.

[0024] According to this embodiment, an operation panel is provided on the other front side, and in a plan view, the operation unit and the operation panel are configured not to overlap. As a result, the operation panel does not get in the way when lifting the operation unit upwards, allowing the assist mechanism to be operated smoothly.

[0025] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, an image reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In this case, the image reading device is a scanner. In the following explanation, the three mutually orthogonal axes will be referred to as the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, as shown in each figure. The direction indicated by the arrows on the three axes (X, Y, Z) is the positive direction, and the opposite direction is the negative direction. The Z-axis direction corresponds to the vertical direction, i.e., the direction in which gravity acts, with the +Z direction indicating vertically upwards and the -Z direction indicating vertically downwards. The X-axis and Y-axis directions correspond to the horizontal direction. The +Y direction indicates the forward direction of the image reader, and the -Y direction indicates the backward direction of the image reader. The +X direction indicates the right direction of the image reader, and the -X direction indicates the left direction of the image reader.

[0026] [Embodiment 1] <Overall Overview of the Image Reading Device> As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the image reading device 1 of this embodiment comprises a lower unit 2 and an upper unit 3 positioned above the lower unit 2. The lower unit 2 and the upper unit 3 are connected via a hinge 4 at one rear side (-Y side). As shown in Figure 3, the front side of the upper unit 3, which is the opposite end (+Y side) to the one side (-Y side), can be opened and closed vertically relative to the lower unit 2 using the hinge 4 as a pivot point. Figures 1 and 2 show the upper unit 3 in the closed state, and Figure 3 shows the upper unit 3 in the open state. Furthermore, an assist mechanism 5 is positioned on the front side of the upper unit 3. The assist mechanism 5 reduces the lifting weight of the upper unit 3 when transitioning it from the closed state to the open state. Details of the assist mechanism 5 will be described later.

[0027] In this embodiment, the upper unit 3 includes a transport unit 7 capable of transporting the medium 6 set in the set unit 37, and a processing unit 9 including a first reading unit 8 (for example, a CIS type sensor) that reads an image of the medium 6 transported by the transport unit 7. The medium 6 whose image has been read by the first reading unit 8 is discharged to the discharge unit 38. As shown in Figure 1, when the upper unit 3 is viewed from the front side (+Y side) towards the rear side (-Y side), at least a part of the assist mechanism 5 is arranged to overlap with at least a part of the processing unit 9. Note that in Figure 1, only the transport roller 10, which is a part of the components that make up the transport unit 7, is shown, and other parts are omitted from the viewpoint of avoiding complexity of the drawing. Furthermore, the lower unit 2 has a mounting surface 11 (Figure 3) on which the medium 6 can be placed, and a second reading unit (for example, a CIS type sensor) which reads the image of the medium 6 (not shown in the figure). The lower unit 2 has a known structure, and the image of the medium 6 placed on the mounting surface 11 is read by the second reading unit. As shown in Figure 1, the lower unit 2 has an operation panel 35 located on the front side (+Y side).

[0028] <Assist mechanism> Next, the assist mechanism 5 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1, 4, and 5. The assist mechanism 5 comprises a base portion 12 integrally attached to the upper unit 3, an arm portion 13 positioned on the upper unit 3 and extending in a rod shape, and a rotating shaft 14 provided on the base portion 12. The rotating shaft 14 is configured to rotatably support the arm portion 13 at a position between one end 15 and the other end 16 of the arm portion 13. Here, the rotating shaft 14 is configured to be located approximately in the center between one end 15 and the other end 16 of the arm portion 13. An operating section 17 is connected to one end 15 of the arm section 13. The operating section 17 extends downward (in the -Z direction) and is movable in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the operating section 17 is positioned offset in the X-axis direction so as not to overlap with the operation panel 35 in a plan view. An action section 18 is connected to the other end 16 of the arm section 13. The action section 18 extends downward (in the -Z direction) similar to the operating section 17. A support section 19 is also provided on the lower unit 2. The support section 19 is configured to support the action section 18 from below.

[0029] The assist mechanism 5 is configured to perform the following operations: As the operating unit 17 moves upward, the arm unit 13 rotates around the rotation axis 14 as a pivot point. This rotation causes the working unit 18 to push against the support unit 19. As a result, the arm unit 13 changes from the upward-sloping position shown in Figure 4 to the upward-sloping position shown in Figure 5. At this time, since the working unit 18 is supported by the support unit 19 to prevent it from lowering, the base unit 12 is lifted upward via the rotation axis 14, as shown in Figure 5. This causes the upper unit 3, which is integrated with the base unit 12, to be lifted upward. In other words, the assist mechanism 5 is configured to assist in lifting the upper unit 3 upward relative to the lower unit 2.

[0030] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in this embodiment, the operating section 17 further includes a long first rod section 20 and a force receiving section 22 located at the lower end 21 of the first rod section 20 that receives a lifting force P. The working section 18 includes a long second rod section 23 and a pressing section 25 located at the lower end 24 of the second rod section 23 that contacts the support section 19. The base portion 12 also has a rotation axis 14 at its upper part 26 and comprises a vertical portion 27 extending along the Z-axis, and a horizontal portion 29 provided at the lower part 28 of the vertical portion 27 and extending along the X-axis. The horizontal portion 29 has a first through portion 30 and a second through portion 31 that penetrate in the vertical direction. The first rod portion 20 is movably positioned to pass through the first through portion 30. The second rod portion 23 is movably positioned to pass through the second through portion 31. The closer the rotation axis 14 is positioned to the other end 16 of the arm portion 13, rather than in the center between the two ends 15 and 16, the smaller the lifting force P can be. In other words, the closer the rotation axis 14 is positioned to the other end 16, the greater the reduction in the operating force of the operating portion 17 can be.

[0031] In this embodiment, the first through-section 30 further has a first guide section 32 that guides the first rod section 20 to move in the vertical direction. The second through-section 31 has a second guide section 33 that guides the second rod section 23 to move in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, both the first guide section 32 and the second guide section 33 are formed in a cylindrical shape. In addition, the first guide section 32 is formed to be shorter in the vertical direction than the second guide section 33, making it easier to lift the operating section 17. Furthermore, it is equipped with a restricting part 34 that limits the range in which the base part 12 can move upward while the working part 18 is in contact with the support part 19. Here, the restricting part 34 is fixed to the second rod part 23. When the base part 12 is lifted and moves upward by the rotation of the arm part 13, and the upper end of the second guide part 33 comes into contact with the restricting part 34, the upward movement of the base part 12 stops. The restricting part 34 is arranged according to the following design concept. The upper unit 3 experiences the greatest weight load during the initial opening phase of the opening operation, transitioning from a closed state to an open state relative to the lower unit 2. After this initial phase, the load gradually decreases. The design ensures that the assist mechanism 5 provides assistance only during the initial stage when the load during the opening operation is high. Here, the restricting section 34 is positioned such that the amount the assist mechanism 5 lifts the upper unit 3 relative to the lower unit 2 is approximately 40 mm.

[0032] <Explanation of how to open the upper unit> When the upper unit 3 shown in Figures 1 and 4 is in the closed position, and the medium 6 is placed on the mounting surface 11 of the lower unit 2, the user applies a lifting force P upward to the force receiving part 22 of the operating part 17. As a result, the operating part 17 moves upward, and the arm part 13 rotates around the rotation axis 14 as a pivot point. At this time, since the lower end of the working part 18 is supported by the pressing part 25 in contact with the support part 19, as the arm part 13 rotates, one end 15 of the arm part 13 is lifted upward. As one end 15 of the arm portion 13 lifts upward, the rotation axis 14 also lifts upward, causing the base portion 12 to lift upward as well. As the base portion 12 lifts, the upper unit 3, which is integrated with the base portion 12, also lifts. As a result, the upper unit 3 transitions from a closed state to an open state relative to the lower unit 2. When the upper end of the second guide portion 33 comes into contact with the restricting portion 34 due to the upward movement of the base portion 12, the upward movement of the base portion 12 stops. Figure 5 shows the state just before the upper end of the second guide portion 33 comes into contact with the restricting portion 34.

[0033] In this embodiment, the upper unit 3 is lifted with the assistance of the assist mechanism 5, and then the operating unit 17 is further lifted, thereby separating the working unit 18 from the support unit 19. In other words, by further lifting the upper unit 3, which has the assist mechanism 5 integrated into it, the upper unit 3 can be opened to the state shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 shows the open state that allows for easy setting of the medium 6 when it is placed on the mounting surface 11 of the lower unit 2.

[0034] <Description of the effects of Embodiment 1> (1) In this embodiment, an assist mechanism 5 is provided to reduce the lifting weight of the upper unit 3 when transitioning the upper unit 3 from a closed state to an open state. The assist mechanism 5 comprises a base portion 12 integrally attached to the upper unit 3, a rod-shaped arm portion 13, a rotating shaft 14 that rotatably supports the arm portion 13, an operating portion 17 connected to one end 15 of the arm portion 13, extending downward and movable in the vertical direction, an action portion 18 connected to the other end 16 of the arm portion 13, extending downward, and a support portion 19 arranged in the lower unit 2 that contacts and supports the action portion 18 from below. Then, as the operating part 17 moves upward, the assist mechanism 5 causes the arm part 13 to rotate around the pivot point 14, and the working part 18 pushes the support part 19, causing the base part 12 to lift upward, thereby lifting the upper unit 3 upward relative to the lower unit 2. In other words, the assist mechanism 5 is configured to assist in lifting the upper unit 3 upward using the principle of leverage. This allows the upper unit 3 to be lifted and opened with minimal force relative to the lower unit 2, using a simple configuration based on the principle of leverage.

[0035] (2) In this embodiment, the upper unit 3 has a processing unit 9 which includes a transport unit 7 and a first reading unit 8. That is, the center of gravity of the upper unit 3 is located closer to the part where the processing unit 9 is located. The assist mechanism 5 is positioned such that, when viewed from the front side (+Y side) to the rear side (-Y side), at least a part of the assist mechanism 5 overlaps with at least a part of the processing unit 9. As a result, the assist mechanism 5 is provided in the heavier part of the upper unit 3, which greatly reduces the weight burden when opening the upper unit 3.

[0036] (3) In this embodiment, the operating section 17 comprises a long first rod section 20 and a force receiving section 22 located at the lower end 21 of the first rod section 20 to receive the lifting force. The working section 18 comprises a long second rod section 23 and a pressing section 25 located at the lower end 24 of the second rod section 23 to contact the support section 19. The base section 12 comprises a vertical section 27 having a rotating shaft 14 at its upper part 26 and a long horizontal section 29 provided at the lower part 28 of the vertical section 27. This makes it possible to realize an assist mechanism 5 that enables the upper unit 3 to be lifted with little force relative to the lower unit 2 with a simple structure.

[0037] (4) In this embodiment, the horizontal section 29 is provided with a first through section 30 and a second through section 31, the first rod section 20 is movably positioned to pass through the first through section 30, and the second rod section 23 is movably positioned to pass through the second through section 31. That is, both the first rod section 20 and the second rod section 23 are provided to move through the horizontal section 29 of the base section 12. This allows the lifting operation of the upper unit 3 by the assist mechanism 5 to be performed stably.

[0038] (5) In this embodiment, the first through-hole 30 has a first guide portion 32 that guides the vertical movement of the first rod portion 20. The second through-hole 31 has a second guide portion 33 that guides the vertical movement of the second rod portion 23. This allows the first rod portion 20 and the second rod portion 23 to move relative to the base portion 12 with good stability.

[0039] (6) The upper unit 3 experiences the greatest weight load during the initial opening operation, when transitioning from a closed state to an open state relative to the lower unit 2. After this initial phase, the load gradually decreases. In this embodiment, a restricting portion 34 is provided that limits the range in which the base portion 12 can move upward while the working portion 18 is in contact with the support portion 19. This makes it possible to design the mechanism so that the assist mechanism 5 provides assistance only in the initial stage when the load of the opening operation is large. Thus, it is possible to avoid increasing the size of the assist mechanism 5.

[0040] (7) In this embodiment, the upper unit 3 is lifted via the assist mechanism 5, and then the operating part 17 is lifted, thereby separating the working part 18 from the support part 19. As a result, when the upper unit 3 is opened, the working part 18 is separated from the support part 19, so it does not get in the way when placing the medium 6 on the mounting surface 11 of the lower unit 2, etc.

[0041] (8) In this embodiment, an operation panel 35 is provided on the front side, and in a plan view, the operation unit 17 and the operation panel 35 are configured not to overlap. As a result, when lifting the operation unit 17 upward, the operation panel 35 does not get in the way, so the assist mechanism 5 can be operated smoothly.

[0042] [Embodiment 2] Next, the image reading device 1 according to Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Figure 6. The same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as in Embodiment 1, and the explanation of their configuration and corresponding effects will be omitted. In Embodiment 1, the operating part 18 and the support part are in contact when the upper unit 3 is in the closed state. However, in this embodiment, when the upper unit 3 is in the closed state, there is a gap 36 between the operating part 18 and the support part 19. The distance of the gap 36 is set so that the upper unit 3 does not immediately move upward even if force is inadvertently applied to the operating part 17. Here, the distance of the gap 36 is about 3 mm.

[0043] In this embodiment, when the upper unit 3 is in the closed state, there is a gap 36 between the operating part 18 and the support part 19. This prevents the upper unit 3 from immediately opening even if an inadvertent lifting force is applied to the operating part 17, thus enabling stable image reading operation.

[0044] [Other embodiments] The image reading device 1 according to the present invention is based on having the configuration of the embodiment described above, but it is of course possible to make partial changes or omissions to the configuration without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 1…Image reading device, 2…Lower unit, 3…Upper unit, 4…Hinge 5...Assist mechanism, 6...Media, 7...Transportation unit, 8...First reading unit, 9...Processing unit, 10...Conveyor roller, 11...Placement surface, 12...Base section, 13...Arm section, 14...Rotation axis, 15...One end, 16...Other end, 17...Operating part, 18...Working part, 19...Support part, 20...First rod part, 21...Lower end, 22...Force receiving part, 23...Second rod part, 24...Bottom end, 25...Pressing part, 26...Top part, 27...Vertical part, 28...Bottom part, 29...side section, 30...first penetration section, 31...paper dust, 32...first guide section, 33...Second guide section, 34...Regulating section, 35...Second penetration section, 36...Gap, 37...Setting section, 38...Discharge section

Claims

1. Lower unit and An upper unit positioned on top of the aforementioned lower unit, A hinge is provided on one side of the lower unit and the upper unit, and connects the upper unit to the lower unit in a way that allows it to be opened and closed. The system includes an assist mechanism located on the opposite side from the aforementioned one side, which reduces the lifting weight of the upper unit when transitioning the upper unit from a closed state to an open state, The aforementioned assist mechanism is A base portion which is integrally attached to the upper unit, The upper unit is arranged and includes an arm portion that extends in a rod-like shape, A rotating shaft provided on the base portion, which rotatably supports the arm portion at a position between one end and the other end of the arm portion, An operating section is connected to one end of the aforementioned arm section, extends downward, and is movable in the vertical direction. A working part is connected to the other end of the arm portion and extends downward, The lower unit comprises a support portion that is positioned on the lower unit and supports the working portion by contacting it from below, As the operating part moves upward, the arm rotates around the pivot point of the rotation axis, and the working part pushes the support part, causing the base part to lift upward, thereby lifting the upper unit upward relative to the lower unit. An image reading device characterized by the following:

2. An image reading device according to claim 1, The aforementioned upper unit is, A transport unit capable of transporting media, The processing unit includes a first reading unit that reads an image of the medium being transported by the transport unit, When viewed from the other side to the one side, at least a part of the assist mechanism overlaps with at least a part of the processing unit. An image reading device characterized by the following:

3. An image reading device according to claim 1, The aforementioned operating unit is The long first rod section, The first rod portion is equipped with a force receiving portion located at the lower end of the rod portion that receives a lifting force, The aforementioned working part is, The long second rod section, It comprises a pressing portion located at the lower end of the second rod portion and in contact with the support portion, The base portion is A vertical section having the aforementioned rotating shaft at its upper part, The system comprises a long horizontal section provided at the lower part of the vertical section, An image reading device characterized by the following:

4. An image reading device according to claim 3, The aforementioned horizontal portion includes a first through portion and a second through portion that penetrate in the vertical direction, The first rod portion is movably inserted through the first through portion, The second rod portion is movably inserted through the second through portion, An image reading device characterized by the following:

5. An image reading device according to claim 4, The first through portion has a first guide portion that guides the first rod portion to move in the vertical direction, The second through portion has a second guide portion that guides the second rod portion to move in the vertical direction. An image reading device characterized by the following:

6. An image reading device according to claim 1, The system includes a restricting portion that limits the range in which the base portion can move upward while the working portion is in contact with the support portion. An image reading device characterized by the following:

7. An image reading device according to claim 1, After the upper unit is lifted via the assist mechanism, the operating part is lifted, thereby separating the working part from the support part. An image reading device characterized by the following:

8. An image reading device according to claim 1, When the upper unit is in the closed position, there is a gap between the working part and the support part. An image reading device characterized by the following:

9. An image reading device according to claim 1, The lower unit is equipped with an operation panel located on the other side, the front side. In a plan view, the operating section and the operating panel do not overlap. An image reading device characterized by the following:

Images