Image-reading device

Abstract

An image-reading device (2) comprises a document table (62), a document conveyance unit (64), an image-reading unit (11), a display unit (15), a pressing mechanism (70), an orientation detection unit (90), a control unit (10), and an operation unit (16). The pressing mechanism (70) selectively assumes a pressing orientation for pressing a document on the document table from above and a non-pressing orientation for separating from the document on the document table according to a user operation. When the orientation detection unit (90) detects the pressing orientation, the control unit 10 causes the display unit (15) to display a setting screen image (101) for setting a mixed-loading mode indicating that a plurality of documents of different sizes are to be read.

Description

Image reading device

[0001] The present invention relates to an image reading device, and particularly to a technique for setting a mixed loading mode.

[0002] Generally, an image reading device including an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) and a scanner is known. In such an image reading device, a technique for reading a plurality of documents having different sizes by a mixed loading mode corresponding to reading of documents of different sizes is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of conveying and reading a plurality of documents having different sizes by an ADF, determining the size of each document based on the detection result of a document size sensor, and performing size adjustment of image data obtained by reading based on the determined size to generate image data adapted to the size of the read document.

[0004] International Publication No. 2014 / 192613

[0005] By the way, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the user needs to place a plurality of documents on the document table and display a setting screen for the mixed loading mode on the display unit by operating a touch panel or the like to set the mixed loading mode, which is troublesome. At this time, if the user forgets to set the mixed loading mode, the documents are read in the normal mode corresponding to reading of documents of the same size, so that it is necessary to read again, which is inconvenient.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to enable easy and reliable setting of the mixed loading mode.

[0007] An image reading device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a document tray on which a document is placed; a document transport unit that transports documents placed on the document tray one by one; an image reading unit that reads the documents transported by the document transport unit and generates image data; a pressing mechanism that, at the user's operation, selectively adopts a pressing position in which the document on the document tray is pressed down from above and a non-pressing position in which the document is separated from the document tray; a posture detection unit that detects the posture of the pressing mechanism; a display unit; an operation unit into which user instructions corresponding to the screen displayed on the display unit are input; and a control unit that, when the posture detection unit detects the pressing position, displays a setting screen on the display unit for setting a mixed loading mode indicating the reading of multiple documents of different sizes.

[0008] According to the present invention, when there is a high probability that the mixed loading mode will be set, a setting screen for setting the mixed loading mode will be displayed, allowing the user to easily and reliably set the mixed loading mode. As a result, user operability and convenience are improved.

[0009] This is a front cross-sectional view showing the structure of an image forming apparatus. This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus. This is a diagram showing the state when the pressing mechanism is in a pressing position. This is a diagram showing the state when the pressing mechanism is in a non-pressing position. This is a diagram showing an example of the home screen. This is a diagram showing an example of the transmission screen. This is a flowchart showing the settings screen display process. This is a diagram showing an example of the settings screen. This is a diagram showing an example of the confirmation screen. This is a flowchart showing the notification screen display process. This is a diagram showing an example of the notification screen.

[0010] Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus equipped with an image reading device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 1] Figure 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing the structure of the image forming apparatus 1. Referring to Figure 1, the image forming apparatus 1 is a multifunction device equipped with multiple functions such as a copy function, a transmission function, a printer function, and a facsimile function.

[0012] The image forming apparatus 1 includes an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 6, an image reading unit 11, an image forming unit 12, a fixing unit 13, a paper feeding unit 14, a display unit 15, an operation unit 16, and a transport unit 17, etc.

[0013] The ADF 6 comprises a document tray 62 and a document transport unit 64. Documents are placed on the document tray 62. The document transport unit 64 transports the documents placed on the document tray 62 one by one to the reading position of the image reading unit 11. The ADF 6 is configured to open and close the platen glass 7 by rotating vertically with the back of the paper surface in Figure 1 as the pivot point. The ADF 6 functions as a cover that holds down the document on the platen glass 7 from above.

[0014] The image reading unit 11 is a scanner that optically reads a document and generates image data. The image reading unit 11 includes a platen glass 7 on which a single document is placed. The image reading unit 11 reads a document transported by the ADF 6 or a document placed on the platen glass 7 and generates image data. The platen glass 7 is an example of a platen as defined in the claims.

[0015] The image forming unit 12 includes a photoreceptor drum, a charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, and a transfer device. Based on image data generated by the image reading unit 11, or image data input via the communication unit 22, the image forming unit 12 forms a toner image on the paper P that is transported along the transport path T by the transport unit 17.

[0016] The fixing unit 13 fixes the toner image on the paper P, which has a toner image formed on it by the image forming unit 12, by heating and pressurizing it. The paper P, on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing unit 13 and an image has been formed, is discharged into the discharge tray 8.

[0017] The paper feeding unit 14 includes a manual feed tray and multiple paper feed cassettes. The paper feeding unit 14 uses a pickup roller to pull out sheets of paper P stored in one of the multiple paper feed cassettes or placed in the manual feed tray one by one and feeds them into the transport path T. Note that the paper P is not limited to paper media and may be, for example, an OHP (Overhead Projector) sheet.

[0018] The display unit 15 is a liquid crystal display or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, etc. The display unit 15 displays various screens.

[0019] The operation unit 16 includes a plurality of hard keys, such as a start key 16A, for inputting instructions to start each process that can be executed by the image forming apparatus 1. The operation unit 16 also includes a touch panel 16B that is placed on top of the display unit 15. User instructions are input to the operation unit 16.

[0020] The transport unit 17 includes a transport roller pair 17A and an discharge roller pair 17B, etc., and a transport motor. The transport roller pair 17A and the discharge roller pair 17B, etc. are rotated by the drive of the transport motor, so that the paper P fed by the paper feeding unit 14 is transported along the transport path T.

[0021] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. Referring to Figure 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 100. The control unit 100 includes a processor, RAM (Random Access Memory), and ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0022] The control unit 100 functions as a control unit 10 when a control program stored in ROM or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 18 is executed by the processor. The control unit 10 controls the operation of each part of the image forming apparatus 1 and communication with a PC (Personal Computer) 23, etc., connected via a network. The control unit 10 may be configured using logic circuits instead of operating based on the control program.

[0023] The control unit 100 is electrically connected to the ADF 6, image reading unit 11, image forming unit 12, fixing unit 13, paper feeding unit 14, display unit 15, operation unit 16, transport unit 17, HDD 18, image processing unit 19, image memory 20, facsimile communication unit 21, communication unit 22, and various detection units 90, 92A, 92B, 94, etc.

[0024] In this embodiment, the control unit 100, including the control unit 10, ADF 6, image reading unit 11, display unit 15, operation unit 16, HDD 18, image processing unit 19, image memory 20, facsimile communication unit 21, communication unit 22, and various detection units 90, 92A, 92B, and 94, functions as an image reading device 2.

[0025] The HDD 18 is a large-capacity storage device for storing various data such as image files. The HDD 18 stores various control programs for realizing the general operation of the image forming apparatus 1. As part of the above-mentioned control programs, the HDD 18 stores a first program for executing the setting screen display process described later.

[0026] The image processing unit 19 performs image processing on the image data generated by the image reading unit 11 as needed. The image memory 20 temporarily stores the image data generated by the image reading unit 11. The facsimile communication unit 21 transmits and receives image data via a public network.

[0027] The communication unit 22 includes a communication module such as a LAN (Local Area Network) board. The control unit 10 performs data communication with external devices such as a PC 23 that are connected via the network through the communication unit 22.

[0028] Each part of the image forming apparatus 1 is connected to a power supply. When the user turns on the power, power is supplied from the power supply to each part of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0029] [Configuration of the retaining mechanism 70 and the pair of restricting members 80] Referring to Figures 3A and 3B, the ADF6 comprises a retaining mechanism 70 and a pair of restricting members 80. The retaining mechanism 70 comprises a storage section 72, a retaining member 74, and a knob section 76. A recess for housing the retaining member 74 is formed in the upper part of the storage section 72.

[0030] The pressing member 74 is a plate-shaped member that is bendable along two fold lines formed in the center of its longitudinal direction, extending in the width direction D2 perpendicular to the document transport direction D1. One end of the pressing member 74 in the longitudinal direction is pivotally supported by an axis extending in the width direction D2. A handle portion 76 is provided at the other end of the pressing member 74 in the longitudinal direction.

[0031] By the user grasping the knob 76 and rotating the pressing member 74, the pressing mechanism 70 can selectively adopt a pressing position as shown in Figure 3A, in which it presses down on the document on the document table 62 from above, and a non-pressing position as shown in Figure 3B, in which it is separated from the document on the document table 62 and stored in the recess of the storage section 72.

[0032] The pair of restricting members 80 are provided on the document tray 62, sandwiching the central part in the width direction D2. The pair of restricting members 80 are configured to slide back and forth in the width direction D2. The position of the pair of restricting members 80 is adjusted to match the width of the document on the document tray 62, thereby restricting the movement of the document on the document tray 62 in the width direction D2.

[0033] When multiple documents on the document glass 62 are the same size, the movement of the documents in the width direction D2 is restricted by adjusting the position of the pair of regulating members 80. Thus, when multiple documents on the document glass 62 are the same size, that is, when scanning documents in normal mode, the user leaves the holding mechanism 70 in the unholding position.

[0034] On the other hand, if multiple documents on the document tray 62 are of different sizes, adjusting the position of the pair of regulating members 80 restricts the movement of the largest document in the width direction D2, but does not restrict the movement of documents smaller than the largest size in the width direction D2.

[0035] Therefore, when multiple documents on the document tray 62 are of different sizes, that is, when scanning documents in mixed-load mode, the user sets the holding mechanism 70 to the holding position. This also restricts the movement of documents smaller than the maximum size in the width direction D2.

[0036] [Configuration of various detection units 90, 92A, 92B, 94] The ADF 6 includes a posture detection unit 90, a document detection unit 92A, and a width detection unit 94. The image reading unit 11 includes a document detection unit 92B.

[0037] The posture detection unit 90 detects whether or not the holding mechanism 70 is in a holding position. The posture detection unit 90 is a reflective photosensor and is positioned, for example, on the upstream side of the document transport direction D1 of the storage unit 72.

[0038] When the clamping mechanism 70 is in a clamping position, the light emitted by the light-emitting element of the attitude detection unit 90 is reflected by the clamping member 74 of the clamping mechanism 70 and incident on the light-receiving element. When the clamping mechanism 70 is in a non-clamping position, the light emitted by the light-emitting element of the attitude detection unit 90 is not reflected by the clamping member 74 and does not incident on the light-receiving element.

[0039] The attitude detection unit 90 outputs an ON signal when it detects the retaining member 74 as described above, and outputs an OFF signal when it does not detect the retaining member 74. Note that the attitude detection unit 90 is not limited to a photosensor, but may be a mechanical sensor, for example, that has a configuration to physically detect contact with the retaining member 74.

[0040] The document detection unit 92A detects whether or not there is a document on the document tray 62. The document detection unit 92A is, for example, a reflective type photosensor and is positioned in a location on the document tray 62 that can detect a document. When a document is placed on the document tray 62, the light emitted by the light-emitting element of the document detection unit 92A is reflected by the document and incident on the light-receiving element. When there is no document on the document tray 62, the light emitted by the light-emitting element of the document detection unit 92A is not reflected by the document and does not incident on the light-receiving element.

[0041] The original document detection unit 92B detects the presence or absence of an original document on the platen glass 7. The original document detection unit 92B is, for example, a reflection type photosensor and is arranged at a position where it can detect the original document on the platen glass 7. When an original document is placed on the platen glass 7, the light emitted from the light emitting element of the original document detection unit 92B is reflected by the original document and enters the light receiving element. When no original document is placed on the platen glass 7, the light emitted from the light emitting element of the original document detection unit 92B is not reflected by the original document and does not enter the light receiving element.

[0042] When the original document detection units 92A and 92B detect an original document as described above, they output an ON signal, and when they do not detect an original document, they output an OFF signal. Note that the original document detection units 92A and 92B are not limited to photosensors, and may be, for example, mechanical sensors having a configuration that physically detects contact with an original document.

[0043] The width detection unit 94 detects the distance in the width direction D2 between the pair of regulating members 80. The width detection unit 94 is not particularly limited as long as it can detect the distance in the width direction D2 between the pair of regulating members 80. For example, as the width detection unit 94, a sensor including a variable resistor whose resistance value changes according to the positions of the pair of regulating members 80 can be used. The sensor outputs different output values according to the positions of the pair of regulating members 80.

[0044] [Operation] (Setting screen display process) Hereinafter, the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 when executing the setting screen display process will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8 and the like.

[0045] (1) When the setting screen 101 is displayed When the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on, the control unit 10 causes the display unit 15 to display the home screen 40 shown in FIG. 4. At this time, the pressing mechanism 70 is in a non-pressing posture, and the posture detection unit 90 is outputting an OFF signal. No original document is placed on the platen glass 7 and the original document table 62, and the original document detection units 92A and 92B are outputting OFF signals. The control unit 10 also sets the default "A4" as the original document size.

[0046] When the user touches the key 42 on the home screen 40, the control unit 10 receives an instruction to display the transmission screen and an instruction to execute the setting screen display process via the touch panel 16B, causes the transmission screen 50 shown in FIG. 5 to be displayed on the display unit 15, and starts the execution of the setting screen display process shown in FIG. 6. In the setting screen display process, the control unit 10 first repeats a process of determining that the pressing mechanism 70 is not in the pressing posture until an ON signal is input from the posture detection unit 90 (NO in step S10).

[0047] In such a situation, the user places a plurality of originals with different sizes on the original platen 62, and adjusts the positions of the pair of regulating members 80 so as to match the width of the largest-sized original (in this case, A4 size) among the plurality of originals. As a result, the original detection unit 92A outputs an ON signal, and the width detection unit 94 outputs an output value corresponding to 210 mm. Next, it is assumed that the user manually changes the pressing mechanism 70 from the non-pressing posture to the pressing posture using the knob 76.

[0048] When the posture detection unit 90 outputs an ON signal because the pressing mechanism 70 takes the pressing posture, the control unit 10 determines that the pressing mechanism 70 is in the pressing posture (YES in step S10), and determines whether an instruction to set the mixed loading mode has already been received (step S11).

[0049] In this case, since "A4 size" corresponding to the normal mode is set as the original size, the control unit 10 determines that an instruction to set the mixed loading mode has not been received (NO in step S11), and determines whether an original is placed on the platen glass 7 based on the output signal of the original detection unit 92B (step S12).

[0050] In this case, since the original detection unit 92B outputs an OFF signal, the control unit 10 determines that no original is placed on the platen glass 7 (NO in step S12), and determines whether an original is placed on the original platen 62 based on the output signal of the original detection unit 92A (step S13).

[0051] In this case, since the document detection unit 92A outputs an ON signal, the control unit 10 determines that a document is placed on the document tray 62 (YES in step S13) and determines whether the distance in the width direction of the pair of regulating members 80 is less than or equal to a predetermined length (step S14).

[0052] The predetermined length is not particularly limited, but for example, it could be the width of an A5, A6, or B5 size. Here, the control unit 10 is set to the width of an A5 size (148 mm) as the predetermined length.

[0053] In this case, the control unit 10 calculates 210 mm as the distance in the width direction of the pair of restricting members 80 based on the detection result of the width detection unit 94. Based on the calculation result, the control unit 10 determines that the distance in the width direction of the pair of restricting members 80 is not less than or equal to a predetermined length (NO in step S14), and displays the setting screen 101 shown in Figure 7 on the display unit 15 (step S15).

[0054] The settings screen 101 is a screen for setting a mixed loading mode that indicates scanning multiple documents of different sizes, at least one of which is different in size. After the processing in step S15, the control unit 10 repeatedly determines that it has not received a setting instruction (NO in step S16) and determines that it has not received a cancel instruction (NO in step S17) until the OK key 103 or the cancel key 105 on the settings screen 101 is touched.

[0055] In this situation, when the user touches the OK key 103, the control unit 10 receives the setting instruction via the touch panel 16B (YES in step S16) and sets the document size to "irregular size" corresponding to the mixed loading mode (step S18). After processing in step S18, the control unit 10 terminates the setting screen display process.

[0056] On the other hand, when the user touches the cancel key 105, the control unit 10 receives the cancel instruction via the touch panel 16B (YES in step S17) and terminates the setting screen display process without changing the document size setting from "A4 size".

[0057] (2) If the setting screen 101 is not displayed (2-1) If the mixed loading mode setting instruction has been received, the user shall be deemed to have touched key 52 on the transmission screen 50. When the control unit 10 detects the touch operation on key 52 via the touch panel 16B, it receives the mixed loading mode setting instruction, turns on the mixed loading mode setting, and sets "irregular size" as the document size.

[0058] The user then places multiple documents on the document glass 62 as described above, with no documents placed on the platen glass 7, and changes the press mechanism 70 from the non-pressing position to the pressing position. At this time, the document detection unit 92A outputs an ON signal, the document detection unit 92B outputs an OFF signal, and the position detection unit 90 outputs an ON signal.

[0059] In this case, the control unit 10 determines in the setting screen display process that the holding mechanism 70 is in a holding position (YES in step S10), and then determines that it has already received an instruction to set the mixed loading mode (YES in step S11), and terminates the setting screen display process without executing the processes from step S12 onwards.

[0060] (2-2) When a document is placed on the platen glass 7, the user does not realize that a document that has already been scanned is still on the platen glass 7, and places multiple documents on the document glass 62 as described above. The user also changes the press mechanism 70 from the unpressed position to the pressed position without touching the key 52 on the transmission screen 50. At this time, the document detection units 92A and 92B output an ON signal, and the position detection unit 90 outputs an ON signal.

[0061] In this case, the control unit 10 determines in the setting screen display process that the pressing mechanism 70 is in a pressing position (YES in step S10), determines that it has not received an instruction to set the mixed loading mode (NO in step S11), then determines that a document is placed on the platen glass 7 (YES in step S12), and displays the confirmation screen 110 shown in Figure 8 on the display unit 15 (step S19). The confirmation screen 110 is a screen that notifies the user that the document on the platen glass 7 will be read preferentially, that is, that the mixed loading mode cannot be set.

[0062] After the processing in step S19, the control unit 10 repeatedly determines (NO in step S20) that it has not received a command to hide the confirmation screen until the OK key 112 on the confirmation screen 110 is touched. In this situation, when the user touches the OK key 112, the control unit 10 receives a command to hide the screen via the touch panel 16B (YES in step S20) and tells the display unit 15 to end the display of the confirmation screen 110 (step S21). After the processing in step S21, the control unit 10 ends the setting screen display process.

[0063] (2-3) If no document is placed on the document glass 62, the user changes the document holder mechanism 70 from the non-holding position to the holding position without placing a document on the platen glass 7 or the document glass 62, and without touching the key 52 on the transmission screen 50. At this time, the document detection units 92A and 92B output an OFF signal, and the position detection unit 90 outputs an ON signal.

[0064] In this case, during the setting screen display process, the control unit 10 determines that the pressing mechanism 70 is in the pressing position (YES in step S10) and that it has not received a setting instruction for mixed loading mode (NO in step S11). The control unit 10 then determines that no document is placed on the platen glass 7 (NO in step S12) and that no document is placed on the document tray 62 (NO in step S13), and terminates the setting screen display process without executing the processes from step S14 onwards.

[0065] (2-4) If the distance between the pair of regulating members 80 in the width direction is less than or equal to a predetermined length, the user shall place multiple A6 size (postcard size) documents on the document glass 62 without touching the key 52 on the transmission screen 50, while the documents are not placed on the platen glass 7. The user shall then adjust the pair of regulating members 80 to match the width of the multiple documents and change the press mechanism 70 from the non-pressing position to the pressing position. At this time, the document detection unit 92A outputs an ON signal, the document detection unit 92B outputs an OFF signal, the width detection unit 94 outputs an output value corresponding to 105 mm, and the posture detection unit 90 outputs an ON signal.

[0066] In this case, the control unit 10 determines in the setting screen display process that the pressing mechanism 70 is in the pressing position (YES in step S10) and that it has not received a setting instruction for mixed loading mode (NO in step S11). The control unit 10 further determines that no document is placed on the platen glass 7 (NO in step S12) and that a document is placed on the document table 62 (YES in step S13), and then executes the determination in step S14.

[0067] In this case, the control unit 10 calculates 105 mm as the distance in the width direction of the pair of restricting members 80 based on the detection result of the width detection unit 92. Based on the calculation result, the control unit 10 determines that the distance in the width direction of the pair of restricting members 80 is less than or equal to a predetermined length (YES in step S14), and terminates the setting screen display process without executing the processes from step S15 onward.

[0068] After the settings screen display process is completed, the user configures each setting item via the transmission screen 50 and presses the start key 16A to input an instruction to execute the transmission process. When the control unit 10 detects that the start key 16A has been pressed, it instructs the image reading unit 11 to read the original document being transported by the ADF 6 or the original document placed on the platen glass 7 and generate image data. The control unit 10 then transmits the generated image data to a predetermined destination via the communication unit 22.

[0069] In this case, if "irregular size" is set as the document size, the control unit 10 instructs the image reading unit 11 to read the document in mixed-format mode. If a size other than "irregular size" is set as the document size, the control unit 10 instructs the image reading unit 11 to read the document in normal mode. Furthermore, if documents are placed on both the platen glass 7 and the document table 62, the control unit 10 instructs the image reading unit 11 to prioritize reading the document placed on the platen glass 7.

[0070] According to the above embodiment, when the posture detection unit 90 detects a pressing posture, the control unit 10 displays a setting screen 101 for setting the mixed loading mode on the display unit 15. In this way, the setting screen 101 is displayed when there is a high probability that the mixed loading mode will be set, so the user can easily and reliably set the mixed loading mode. As a result, the user's operability and convenience are improved.

[0071] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, if the control unit 10 has received a setting instruction for the mixed loading mode via the operation unit 16, the setting screen 101 will not be displayed on the display unit 15, even if the attitude detection unit 90 has detected a restraining attitude. In this way, since the setting screen 101 is not displayed when a setting instruction for the mixed loading mode has already been received, it is possible to prevent the setting screen 101 from being displayed unnecessarily.

[0072] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, when the document detection units 92A and 92B detect a document, the control unit 10 instructs the image reading unit 11 to prioritize reading the document placed on the platen glass 7. When the document detection unit 92B detects a document, the control unit 10 does not display the setting screen 101 on the display unit 15, even if the posture detection unit 90 detects a pressing posture. In this way, the setting screen 101 is not displayed when no document on the document glass 62 is read, thus preventing the setting screen 101 from being displayed unnecessarily.

[0073] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, if the document detection unit 92A does not detect a document, the control unit 10 does not display the setting screen 101 on the display unit 15, even if the posture detection unit 90 detects a holding posture. In this way, the setting screen 101 is not displayed when no document is placed on the document tray 62, thus preventing the setting screen 101 from being displayed unnecessarily.

[0074] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, if the distance in the width direction of the pair of restricting members 80 detected by the width detection unit 94 is less than or equal to a predetermined length, the control unit 10 will not display the setting screen 101 on the display unit 15, even if the pressing mechanism 70 is in a pressing position. In this way, the width of the pair of restricting members 80 is adjusted to match the size of the original document, and the possibility of setting the mixed loading mode is low, so the setting screen 101 is not displayed, thus preventing the setting screen 101 from being displayed unnecessarily.

[0075] (First Modification) The first modification of the above embodiment has the same configuration as the above embodiment, except that the HDD 18 further stores a second program for executing the notification screen display process described later. The same configuration as the above embodiment will not be described again below.

[0076] [Operation] (Notification screen display processing) The operation of the image forming apparatus 1 during the execution of the notification screen display processing will be described below with reference to Figures 9 and 10, etc.

[0077] The user touches key 52 on the transmission screen 50, and then places multiple documents of different sizes on the document glass 62 as described above. When the control unit 10 detects the touch operation on key 52 via the touch panel 16B, it receives an instruction to set the mixed loading mode, turns on the mixed loading mode setting, and sets the document size to "irregular size". The control unit 10 then starts executing the notification screen display process shown in Figure 9.

[0078] In the notification screen display process, the control unit 10 determines whether the holding mechanism 70 is in a holding position based on the output signal of the posture detection unit 90 (step S30). At this time, it is assumed that the holding mechanism 70 is in a non-holding position and the posture detection unit 90 is outputting an OFF signal.

[0079] In this case, the control unit 10 determines that the holding mechanism 70 is not in the holding position (NO in step S30) and displays the notification screen 120 shown in Figure 10 on the display unit 15 (step S31). The notification screen 120 is a screen that prompts the user to change the holding mechanism 70 to the holding position.

[0080] After the processing in step S31, the control unit 10 repeatedly determines (NO in step S32) that it has not received a command to hide the notification screen until the OK key 122 on the notification screen 120 is touched. In this situation, when the user touches the OK key 122, the control unit 10 receives a command to hide the screen via the touch panel 16B (YES in step S32) and tells the display unit 15 to stop displaying the notification screen 120 (step S33). After the processing in step S33, the control unit 10 terminates the notification screen display process.

[0081] If, before the user touches the key 52 on the transmission screen 50, the user has placed multiple documents on the document tray 62 as described above, and changed the document holder mechanism 70 from the non-holding position to the holding position, then at step S30, the posture detection unit 90 outputs an ON signal. In this case, the control unit 10 determines that the document holder mechanism 70 is in the holding position (YES at step S30), and terminates the notification screen display process without displaying the notification screen 120.

[0082] According to the first modified example, when the control unit 10 receives a setting instruction for mixed loading mode, if the posture detection unit 90 detects a non-pressing posture, it displays a notification screen 120 on the display unit 15 to prompt the user to change the presser mechanism 70 to a pressing posture. This prevents reading in mixed loading mode from being performed while the presser mechanism 70 is in a non-pressing posture. As a result, it is possible to prevent the original document from being read in a misaligned state, further improving user convenience.

[0083] (Other Modifications) In the above embodiment, the settings screen display process and the notification screen display process were executed when the transmission function was selected, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. For example, the settings screen display process and the notification screen display process may be executed when the copy function is selected.

[0084] The configuration and processing of the above embodiment shown with reference to Figures 1 to 10 are merely one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not intended to be limited to this configuration and processing.

Claims

1. An image reading device comprising: a document table on which documents are placed; a document transport unit that transports the documents placed on the document table one by one; an image reading unit that reads the documents transported by the document transport unit and generates image data; a pressing mechanism that, at the user's operation, selectively adopts a pressing position in which the documents on the document table are pressed down from above, and a non-pressing position in which the documents are separated from the document table; a posture detection unit that detects the posture of the pressing mechanism; a display unit; an operation unit into which user instructions corresponding to the screen displayed on the display unit are input; and a control unit that, when the posture detection unit detects the pressing position, causes the display unit to display a setting screen for setting a mixed loading mode indicating the reading of multiple documents of different sizes.

2. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein when the control unit receives a setting instruction for the mixed loading mode via the operation unit, the setting screen is not displayed on the display unit even if the attitude detection unit has detected the holding posture.

3. The image reading device according to claim 2, wherein when the control unit receives the setting instruction, if the posture detection unit has detected the non-pressure posture, the control unit causes the display unit to display a notification screen prompting the press mechanism to change to the press posture.

4. The image reading device according to claim 1, further comprising: a platen on which a document is placed; a first document detection unit for detecting the document on the document table; and a second document detection unit for detecting the document on the platen, wherein the control unit, when the first document detection unit and the second document detection unit have detected the document, causes the image reading unit to prioritize reading the document placed on the platen; and when the second document detection unit has detected the document, the setting screen is not displayed on the display unit, even if the posture detection unit has detected the pressing posture.

5. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit does not display the setting screen on the display unit when the first document detection unit has not detected the document, even if the posture detection unit has detected the pressing posture.

6. The image reading device according to claim 1, further comprising: a pair of regulating members provided on the document table, sandwiching the center of the width direction perpendicular to the document transport direction and capable of reciprocating in the width direction; and a width detection unit for detecting the distance between the pair of regulating members in the width direction, wherein the control unit, when the distance between the pair of regulating members in the width direction detected by the width detection unit is less than or equal to a predetermined length, does not display the setting screen on the display unit even when the pressing mechanism is in the pressing position.

7. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing mechanism includes a plate-shaped member whose longitudinal end is pivotally supported and whose other longitudinal end is provided with a knob.

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