Image reading apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11039033-B2
Application number	US-202016793593-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2020
Priority date	Sep 28, 2017
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A scanner includes a reading unit that reads an image of a paper, a medium feeding portion that is capable of selecting a first feeding mode in which a separation feeding for separately feeding a paper bundle in which a plurality of sheets of paper is overlapped with each other is performed and a second feeding mode in which a non-separation feeding for collectively feeding the paper bundle without separating is performed, and a pair of first transporting rollers and a pair of second transporting rollers that transport the paper fed by the medium feeding portion, in a case in which the medium feeding portion feeds the paper in the second feeding mode, a first driven roller and a second driven roller respectively constituting the pair of first transporting rollers and the pair of second transporting rollers are driven in a rotation direction where the paper is transported.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image reading apparatus comprising:
a reading unit that reads an image of a medium; and
a transport roller pair that is configured to transport a medium bundle,
wherein the transport roller pair transports the medium bundle by driving both of the rollers of the transport roller pair when the reading unit reads the medium bundle,
wherein the reading unit includes a first reading unit that reads a first surface of the medium and a second reading unit that reads a second surface which is an opposite surface of the first surface,
wherein the first reading unit moves relative to the second reading unit to change a gap between the first reading unit and the second reading unit, and
wherein the gap in a case in which the transport roller pair transports the medium bundle is set to be wider than the gap in a case in which the transport roller pair transports the medium.

2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a first contact load between the transport roller pair and the medium bundle when the transport roller pair transports the medium bundle is set to be smaller than a second contact load between the transport roller pair and the medium when the transport roller pair transports the medium.

3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein both of the rollers of the transport roller pair are separated from each other when the transport roller pair transports the medium bundle.

4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transport roller pair is configured to be rotatable in a normal rotation direction where the medium bundle is transported in a transporting direction and a reverse rotation direction where the medium bundle is transported in a reverse direction that is opposite to the transporting direction,
wherein the transport roller pair transport the medium bundle after being read by the reading unit in the reverse direction to the transporting direction by rotating in the reverse rotation direction.

5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a medium feeding portion that feeds the medium bundle,
wherein the medium feeding portion separates the plurality of medium from the media bundle and transports the separated medium to the reading unit.

6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transport roller pair is located on both sides of the reading unit in the transport direction.

7. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transport roller pair includes a driven roller and a drive roller,
wherein a load applying unit is capable of changing a contact load between the rollers of the transport roller pair,
wherein the load applying unit includes a spring supporting portion which is displaceable along a direction where the driven roller applies the contact load to the driving roller, and a pressing spring which is provided between the spring supporting portion and the driven roller and presses the driven roller,
wherein the contact load is adjusted by displacing the spring supporting portion.

8. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a medium feeding portion that is configured to perform a first feeding mode in which a separation feeding is performed for separately feeding the medium the medium bundle, and is configured to perform a second feeding mode in which a non-separation feeding is performed for collecting and feeding the medium bundle, and
an operation unit that switches the first feeding mode and the second feeding mode.

9. An image reading apparatus comprising:
a reading unit that reads an image of a medium;
a transport roller pair that is configured to transport a medium bundle, the medium bundle comprising a plurality of media that are stacked so as to overlap each other,
wherein the transport roller pair is configured to be rotatable in a normal rotation direction where the medium bundle is transported in a transporting direction toward the reading unit and a reverse rotation direction where the medium bundle is transported in a reverse direction that is opposite to the transporting direction,
wherein the transport roller pair transports the medium bundle, after being read by the reading unit, in the reverse direction that is opposite to the transporting direction by rotating in the reverse rotation direction,
wherein the reading unit includes a first reading unit that reads a first surface of the medium and a second reading unit that reads a second surface which is an opposite surface of the first surface,
wherein the first reading unit and the second reading unit are configured to be displaceable by a gap, and
wherein the gap in a case in which the transport roller pair transports the medium bundle that has not had the plurality of medium separated from each other is set to be wider than the gap in a case in which the transport roller pair transports the medium that has been separated from the medium bundle.

10. The image reading apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein a first contact load between the transport roller pair and the medium bundle that has not had the plurality of medium separated from each other when the transport roller pair transports the medium bundle is set to be smaller than a second contact load between the transport roller pair and a medium that has been separated from the medium bundle when the transport roller pair transports the separated medium.

11. The image reading apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein both of the rollers of the transport roller pair are separated from each other when the transport roller pair transports the medium bundle that has not had the plurality of medium separated from each other.

12. The image reading apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein both of the rollers of the transport roller pair are driven in the reverse rotation direction, when the transport roller pair transports the medium bundle in the reverse direction opposite to the transporting direction.

13. The image reading apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein both of the rollers of the transport roller pair are driven in the reverse rotation direction, when the transport roller pair transports the medium bundle in the reverse direction opposite to the transporting direction.

14. The image reading apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a medium feeding portion that feeds the medium bundle,
wherein the medium feeding portion separates the plurality of medium from the media bundle and transports the separated medium to the reading unit.

15. The image reading apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the both of the rollers of the transport roller pair are driven, when transporting the medium bundle.

16. The image reading apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the transport roller pair includes a driven roller and a drive roller,
wherein a load applying unit is capable of changing a contact load between the rollers of the transport roller pair,
wherein the load applying unit includes a spring supporting portion which is displaceable along a direction where the driven roller applies the contact load to the driving roller, and a pressing spring which is provided between the spring supporting portion and the driven roller and presses the driven roller,
wherein the contact load is adjusted by displacing the spring supporting portion.

17. The image reading apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the medium feeding portion includes:
a feeding roller that feeds the medium,
a separating roller that is rotary-driven in a reve

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Tezuka Seiji
• Koyanagi Noriyuki
• Sakamoto Naoki

Classifications

• B65H5/305

  comprising rotary means for opening the folded sheets (B65H5/308 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H2301/453

  opening folded material · CPC title

• H04N1/00

  Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof · CPC title

• B65H5/006

  Feeding stacks of articles to machines · CPC title

• B65H2801/39

  Scanning · CPC title