Document scanner

Abstract

The challenge is to improve document scanners to make them suitable for outdoor use. [Solution] The present invention relates to a document scanner (10) comprising a housing (12) in which a document detection device (14) is housed. The housing (12) has a scan opening (18) for a detection area (16) of the detection device (14), and the scan opening (18) is surrounded by a housing area (20) of the housing (12) for a transparent mounting plate (22). The mounting plate (22) covers the scan opening (18) and is used for placing documents to be scanned. According to the present invention, a polymer seal (26) surrounding the scan opening (18) is placed between the mounting plate (22) and the housing area (20), thereby protecting the document scanner (10) from dust and splashes of water with an IP54 protection rating, and thus making it suitable for outdoor placement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a document scanner used to detect the identity of a person at security-related locations such as government offices and airports.

[0002] Such a document scanner typically includes a housing in which a document detection device, such as a laser scanner, is arranged. The housing further has a scan aperture through which the detection area of the detection device passes, and the scan aperture is surrounded by a receiving area for a transparent mounting plate. The transparent mounting plate is designed to cover the scan aperture and to allow passage of the detection area. The mounting plate is further used for mounting or installing the document to be scanned.

[0003] This type of document scanner of corresponding nature needs to be usable even outdoors where it is exposed to the weather.

[0004] Summary of the Invention Therefore, it is an object to improve the above type of document scanner so as to be suitable for outdoor use. This object is solved by a document scanner having the features of claim 1. Other advantageous aspects, details and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the dependent claims, the following description and the drawings.

[0005] According to the present invention, a polymer seal surrounding the scan aperture is arranged between the mounting plate and the receiving area of the housing. In this way, dust or moisture is prevented from entering the interior of the housing through the scan aperture, where it could possibly impair the detection performance of the detection device in some cases. Therefore, with the design of the document scanner according to the present invention, full usability according to protection class IP54 is achieved, whereby this document scanner is particularly suitable for outdoor use.

[0006] Preferably, the polymer seal is positioned in a groove located in the housing area of ​​the housing, thereby maintaining its position within the housing area.

[0007] Preferably, the polymer seal protrudes slightly above the groove. In this case, the mounting plate presses against the protruding portion of the polymer seal, thereby slightly deforming the polymer seal, and thus a secure seal is achieved between the groove and the mounting plate in the housing area.

[0008] Preferably, the reading device is formed by a laser scanner that has demonstrated very high reliability and operational certainty for document detection. However, it is also possible to use other optical detection devices that are well known in the prior art.

[0009] In one advantageous evolution of the present invention, the polymer seal is designed as a closed sealing ring that completely encloses the scan opening. Because the polymer seal is designed as a closed sealing ring, there are no gaps through which water could potentially enter the housing. While it is theoretically possible to use an elongated polymer seal and roll it into a ring, this always presents the problem of potential leaks at the abutting or overlapping ends of the polymer seal. A closed sealing ring effectively avoids this problem.

[0010] In an advantageous development of the present invention, the polymer seal is a silicone rubber seal. Silicone rubber seals have excellent deformability while providing very good sealing quality, making this type of material extremely suitable for sealing between a mounting plate and the housing area of ​​a housing.

[0011] Preferably, the polymer seal has a Shore hardness of 40 to 70, which means that the polymer seal is soft enough to deform when the mounting plate is attached to the housing area of ​​the housing, and the resulting spring force creates a very good seal between the mounting plate and the housing area of ​​the housing.

[0012] In principle, it would be possible to use polymer seals with any cross-section. However, preferably, the polymer seal is designed as an O-ring seal, which has the advantage of preventing incorrect or tilted installation, as can occur with polymer seals having, for example, a rectangular cross-sectional area. As a result, the polymer seal is always in the correct position when placed in the housing area surrounding the scan opening, especially when it is positioned in a groove as specified.

[0013] In an advantageous development of the present invention, the housing plate (Aufnahmeplatte) is attached to the housing such that it presses against a polymer seal held in the housing area of ​​the housing, and in doing so slightly deforms it, thereby creating a pressing force on the polymer seal between the housing plate and the housing area of ​​the housing, as already described above, which ensures a secure seal of this intermediate space.

[0014] An advantageous development of the present invention is a design in which the first side edge of the mounting plate is accommodated by a stepped edge receiving portion of the housing, thereby fixing it to the receiving area. This has the advantage that the mounting plate is shape-coupled to the receiving area by being placed in the edge receiving portion at its first side edge, and as a result, by fixing the second side edge of the mounting plate away from the first side edge, secure mounting of the mounting plate in the receiving area is possible, and this mounting further allows the mounting plate to apply pressure to the polymer seal located beneath it.

[0015] Preferably, the edge receiving portion is formed by a stepped portion projecting from the receiving area at an acute angle, particularly at an angle of 30 to 60 degrees, preferably at an angle of about 45 degrees, and the first side edge of the mounting plate is inclined at an equally acute angle with respect to the plane of the mounting plate, so that when the mounting plate rests on the receiving area, the edge receiving portion and the first side edge of the mounting plate are aligned with each other. In this way, the cooperation of the aligned first side edge of the mounting plate and the edge receiving portion presses the mounting plate against the receiving area, thereby pressing it against the polymer seal, which results in a good seal between the mounting plate and the housing. Alternatively, however, it is also possible to form a profile on the first side edge of the mounting plate, for example, a stepped portion aligned with the corresponding profile of the edge receiving portion. This allows the mounting plate to be shape-coupled with the edge receiving portion, particularly by a pivoting motion, thereby fixing the mounting plate to the receiving area of ​​the housing at its first side edge.

[0016] In this case, the mounting plate is preferably secured to the housing area of ​​the housing by a document mounting element at a second side edge away from its first side edge. In this case, the document mounting element pushes the mounting plate downward toward the housing area at its second side edge, securing it to the housing, thereby also firmly fitting the polymer seal located beneath it between the mounting plate and the housing area of ​​the housing. The document mounting element can be secured to the housing, for example, by screws or by other known methods. For this purpose, the document mounting element has a pressing area that grips the mounting plate from above (uebergreifen) and presses the mounting plate toward the housing area of ​​the housing.

[0017] The housing area is preferably recessed somewhat from the upper surface of the housing, particularly by approximately the thickness of the mounting plate, so that the surface of the mounting plate is flush with the upper surface of the housing. This also prevents dirt from entering and makes cleaning the document scanner easier.

[0018] The present invention will be described below illustratively with reference to schematic drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view of a document scanner, showing the mounting plate, polymer seal, and document placement elements separately. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a side view of the assembled document scanner. [Figure 3] This is a detailed view of III in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a detailed view of IV in Figure 2. [Figure 5] Figure 2 is a top view of the assembled document scanner as seen in the V direction.

[0020] Embodiments for carrying out the present invention Figure 1 shows a document scanner 10 with a rectangular housing 12 surrounding a detection device 14, which is shown schematicly only. The detection device 14 has a detection area 16 facing upward toward the scan opening 18 of the housing 12. A recessed housing area 20 surrounds the scan opening 18 relative to the upper surface 21 of the housing. The housing area 20 is designed for this purpose, in particular to accommodate a transparent mounting plate 22 made of glass.

[0021] The housing area 20 is provided with a groove 24 surrounding the scan opening 18, which is designed to house a closed polymer seal, specifically a polymer ring seal 26. The ring seal 26 is made of a soft polymer, specifically silicone rubber, and is designed as an O-ring seal as shown in the figure.

[0022] Because the displacement of the housing area 20 relative to the surface 21 is only slightly greater than the thickness of the mounting plate 22, the mounting plate 22 fitted into the housing area 20 is pushed slightly out from the surface of the housing area 20 by the polymer seal 26 and aligns in a straight line with the surface 21 of the housing 12.

[0023] FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a kind including a separated polymer seal 26 and a mounting plate 22. In FIG. 1, the mounting plate 22 when being fitted into the accommodation region 20 of the housing 12 is shown. The mounting plate 22 has a first side edge 28 that extends at an acute angle with respect to the lower surface of the mounting plate 22. In the housing 12, an edge accommodation portion 30 is formed adjacent to the accommodation region 20, which is formed as a stepped portion arranged at an acute angle with respect to the accommodation region 20 of the housing. The mounting plate 22 is also fitted into this acute-angled edge accommodation portion 30 with the acute-angled first side edge 28. Between the mounting plate 22 and the accommodation region 20 of the housing 12, the polymer ring seal 26 is inserted into the groove 24, and its upper surface protrudes somewhat from the groove 24. After fitting the first side edge 28 into the edge accommodation portion 30 of the housing 12, the mounting plate is pushed downward toward the accommodation region 20 and attached to the housing 12, and is fixed particularly by a document installation element 32 that is screwed to the housing. The document installation element 32 has a pressing region 34 that grasps the mounting plate from above, which presses the mounting plate 22 against the accommodation region 20 and fixes it there when the document installation element 32 is assembled.

[0024] In this way, when the assembly is completed, the document scanner 10 shown in FIG. 2 is obtained, in which the mounting plate 22 is attached and the polymer ring seal 26 is arranged between the accommodation region 20 and the mounting plate 22. Such an arrangement is very well protected from dust and moisture and is thus suitable for outdoor use. This meets the requirements of protection class IP54 and can thus be considered to have reliable outdoor operation.

[0025] Figure 3 shows a detailed view of III in Figure 1, which shows an enlarged view of the first side edge 28 of the mounting plate 22 when it is fitted into the edge receiving portion 30 of the housing 12. This figure also shows the O-ring seal 26 protruding somewhat upward from the groove 24 into the receiving area 20. As shown in Figure 4 as a detailed view of IV in Figure 2, the groove causes the ring seal 26 to be somewhat compressed and deformed by the mounting plate after the mounting plate 22 is attached, and a compressive force is applied by the deformed polymer seal 26 between the mounting plate 22 and the groove 24, and this compressive force provides absolute sealing. Thereby, the scan opening 18 is effectively protected from the intrusion of dust and water splashes. This figure shows very well how the mounting plate 22 is fixed to the housing's receiving area 20 by the edge receiving portion 30 at its first side edge 28, and the edge receiving portion extends at an acute angle to the receiving area, thus gripping the mounting plate 22 shape-locking from above towards the receiving area 20.

[0026] Finally, Figure 5 shows a top view as seen in the V direction of Figure 2. There, the scan opening 18, the receiving area 20 surrounding the scan opening 18, the groove 24 arranged in the receiving area 20, and the closed ring seal 26 received therein and pressed against the receiving area by the mounting plate 22 can be seen very well. The mounting plate 22 is pressed against the receiving area 20 and thereby against the ring seal 26 by the edge receiving portion 30 at its first side edge 28. The mounting plate 22 is gripped from above by the document placement element 32 at its second side edge 29, and thereby firmly pressed against the receiving area 20, whereby the entire mounting plate 22 is securely attached to the receiving area 20 of the housing 12. The document placement element 32 is further used to place the document to be scanned there, whereby the information to be detected is arranged at a specified location in the scan opening, and thereby is reliably detected by the detection device 14 through the scan opening 18 and the transparent mounting plate 22.

[0027] The present invention is not limited to the illustrated exemplary embodiments, but can instead be modified within the scope of protection of the appended claims. [[ID=**10**]]

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0028] 10 Document Scanners 12 Document scanner housing 14. Detection devices (illustrated schematicly only), especially laser scanners 16 Detection area of ​​the detection device 18 Scanning opening for the housing 20 Accommodation area for mounting plate recessed relative to the surface of the housing 21 The surface of the housing on the upper surface of the housing 22 A transparent plate, especially made of glass, for covering the scanning opening and for placing or mounting the document to be scanned. 24 Grooves surrounding the scan opening in the housing's containment area. 26. Ring-shaped closed O-ring seals positioned in grooves. 28 The first side edge of the mounting plate is inclined at an acute angle with respect to the lower surface of the mounting plate. 29. Second side edge of the mounting plate, separated from the first side edge. 30 Housing edge for the first side edge of the mounting plate, which is inclined at an acute angle to the housing area. 32 Document mounting element for fixing the second side edge of the mounting plate to the containment area 34 Pressing area of ​​the document mounting element for securing the mounting plate in the storage area

Claims

1. A document scanner (10) comprising a housing (12) in which a document detection device (14) is arranged, the housing (12) further comprising a scan opening (18) for a detection area (16) of the detection device (14), the scan opening (18) being surrounded by a housing area (20) of the housing (12) for a transparent mounting plate (22), the mounting plate (22) covering the scan opening (18) and used for placing and / or setting up a document to be scanned, wherein a polymer seal (26) surrounding the scan opening (18) is arranged between the mounting plate (22) and the housing area (20) of the housing (12).

2. The document scanner (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the polymer seal (26) is located in a groove (24) located in the housing area (20) of the housing (12).

3. The document scanner (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the polymer seal (26) protrudes somewhat above the groove (24).

4. The document scanner (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the detection device (14) is formed by a laser scanner.

5. The document scanner (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the polymer seal (26) is designed as a closed sealing ring that completely surrounds the scan opening (18).

6. The document scanner (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the polymer seal (26) is a silicone rubber (VMQ) seal.

7. The polymer seal (26) is characterized in that it has a Shore hardness of 40 to 70, as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, for the document scanner (10).

8. The document scanner (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the polymer seal (26) is designed as an O-ring seal.

9. The document scanner (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the mounting plate (22) is attached to the housing (12) such that it presses against the polymer seal (26) held in the housing area (20), and in doing so deforms the polymer seal (26).

10. The document scanner (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the first side edge (28) of the mounting plate (22) is housed by the stepped edge housing portion (30) of the housing (12) and fixed in the housing area (20).

11. The document scanner (10) according to claim 10, characterized in that the edge receiving portion (30) is formed by a stepped portion that protrudes from the receiving area (20) at an acute angle, particularly at an angle of 30 to 60 degrees, and the first side edge (28) is inclined at the same acute angle with respect to the lower surface of the aforementioned mounting plate (22), so that when the aforementioned mounting plate (22) is placed on the receiving area (20), the edge receiving portion (30) and the first side edge (28) of the aforementioned mounting plate (22) are aligned in a straight line with respect to each other.

12. The document scanner (10) according to claim 11, characterized in that the angle is 45 degrees.

13. The document scanner (10) according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the mounting plate (22) is fixed to the housing area (20) of the housing (12) by a document setting element (32) at a second side edge (29) that is separated from the first side edge (28).

14. The document scanner (10) according to claim 13, wherein the document setting element (32) has a pressing area (34) for the setting plate (22) that grasps the setting plate (22) from above, and the pressing area (34) presses the setting plate (22) against the storage area (20) at least by a second side edge (29).

15. The document scanner (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the storage area (20) is preferably recessed from the upper surface (21) of the housing (12) by approximately the thickness of the aforementioned plate (22).

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