Image reading apparatus and image forming system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016366296-A1
Application number	US-201615157016-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 17, 2016
Priority date	Jun 10, 2015
Publication date	Dec 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image reading apparatus and an image forming system which are hardly affected by noise due to paper dust or the like is provided. An image reading apparatus includes a back side image reading unit and a front side image reading unit which are continuously arranged in a sheet conveying direction. Also, an upstream side conveyance member and an intermediate conveyance member are arranged adjacent to each other in the upstream and downstream sides of the back side image reading unit. The intermediate conveyance member and the downstream side conveyance member are arranged adjacent to each other in the upstream and downstream sides of the front side image reading unit. The colorimetric unit is arranged outside an area from the upstream side conveyance member to the downstream side conveyance member in the sheet conveying direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image reading apparatus comprising:
a first conveyance member structured to convey a sheet; a first image reading unit arranged in a downstream side of the first conveyance member in a sheet conveying direction and structured to read the sheet which is conveyed; a second image reading unit arranged in a downstream side of the first image reading unit in the sheet conveying direction and structured to read the sheet which is conveyed; a second conveyance member arranged in a downstream side of the second image reading unit in the sheet conveying direction and structured to convey the sheet; and a colorimetric unit arranged outside an area from the first conveyance member to the second conveyance member and structured to colorimetric measure the sheet which is conveyed.

2 . The image reading apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a third conveyance member arranged in the downstream side of the first image reading unit in the sheet conveying direction and in an upstream side of the second image reading unit in the sheet conveying direction and structured to convey the sheet, wherein
the first conveyance member and the third conveyance member are arranged adjacent to each other respectively in upstream and downstream sides of the first image reading unit which is located therebetween, and wherein
the third conveyance member and the second conveyance member are arranged adjacent to each other respectively in the upstream and downstream sides of the second image reading unit which is located therebetween.

3 . The image reading apparatus of claim 2 , wherein
the first conveyance member, the second conveyance member and the third conveyance member are set up in order that the more downstream side in the sheet conveying direction the conveyance member is located in, the greater a speed of conveying a sheet is, and that the more upstream side in the sheet conveying direction the conveyance member is located in, the greater a force of conveying a sheet is.

4 . The image reading apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
a conveying route in a downstream side of the second conveyance member in the sheet conveying direction consists of a linear segment which is linearly extending from the second conveyance member and a curved segment which is extending from the linear segment and curved, and wherein in the case where the colorimetric unit is arranged in the downstream side of the second conveyance member in the sheet conveying direction, the colorimetric unit is arranged in an area from the second conveyance member to the curved segment.

5 . The image reading apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the colorimetric unit is arranged to face the sheet as a colorimetric measurement object from above.

6 . The image reading apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the colorimetric unit is arranged in such an area that the difference between a temperature of a sheet which is colorimetrically measured by the colorimetric unit and a temperature of a sheet which is read by the first image reading unit and the second image reading unit is within a predetermined range.

7 . The image reading apparatus of claim 6 , wherein
the colorimetric unit is arranged in the area and apart from a neighboring heat source.

8 . The image reading apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the colorimetric unit is arranged in an area where a speed of conveying a sheet is constant.

9 . The image reading apparatus of claim 2 , wherein
a conveying route between the first conveyance member and the third conveyance member is curved toward a background plate which is arranged opposite to the first image reading unit, and wherein a conveying route between the third conveyance member and the second conveyance member is curved toward a background plate which is arranged opposite to the second image reading unit.

10 . An image reading apparatus comprising:
a first conveyance member structured to convey a sheet; a first image reading unit arranged in a downstream side of the first conveyance member in a sheet conveying direction and structured to read the sheet which is conveyed; a second image reading unit arranged in a downstream side of the first image reading unit in the sheet conveying direction and structured to read the sheet which is conveyed; a second conveyance member arranged in a downstream side of the second image reading unit in the sheet conveying direction and structured to convey the sheet; and a colorimetric unit structured to colorimetric measure the sheet which is conveyed, wherein an area from the first conveyance member to the second conveyance member is set as an inhibition area in which installation of the colorimetric unit is inhibited.

11 . An image forming system comprising:
an image forming apparatus structured to form an image on a sheet; and an image reading apparatus structured to receive the sheet on which the image is formed, the image reading apparatus comprising: a first conveyance member structured to convey a sheet; a first image reading unit arranged in a downstream side of the first conveyance member in a sheet conveying direction and structured to read the sheet which is conveyed; a second image reading unit arranged in a downstream side of the first image reading unit in the sheet conveying direction and structured to read the sheet which is conveyed; a second conveyance member arranged in a downstream side of the second image reading unit in the sheet conveying direction and structured to convey the sheet; and a colorimetric unit arranged outside an area from the first conveyance member to the second conveyance member and structured to colorimetric measure the sheet which is conveyed.

12 . The image forming system of claim 11 further comprising:
a third conveyance member arranged in the downstream side of the first image reading unit in the sheet conveying direction and in an upstream side of the second image reading unit in the sheet conveying direction and structured to covey the sheet, wherein
the first conveyance member and the third conveyance member are arranged adjacent to each other respectively in upstream and downstream sides of the first image reading unit which is located therebetween, and wherein
the third conveyance member and the second conveyance member are arranged adjacent to each other respectively in the upstream and downstream sides of the second image reading unit which is located therebetween.

13 . The image forming system of claim 12 , wherein
the first conveyance member, the second conveyance member and the third conveyance member are set up in order that the more downstream side in the sheet conveying direction the conveyance member is located in, the greater a speed of conveying a sheet is, and that the more upstream side in the sheet conveying direction the conveyance member is located in, the greater a force of conveying a sheet is.

14 . The image forming system of claim 11 , wherein
a conveying route in a downstream side of the second conveyance member in the sheet conveying direction consists of a linear segment which is linearly extending from the second conveyance member and a curved segment which is extending from the linear segment and curved, and wherein in the case where the colorimetric unit is arranged in the downstream side of the second conveyance member in the sheet conveying direction, the colorimetric unit is arranged in an area from the second conveyance member to the curved segment.

15 . The image forming system of claim 11 , wherein
the colorimetric unit is arranged to face the sheet as a colorimetric

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Isokawa Hiroshi

Classifications

• H04N1/00724 Primary

  Type of sheet, e.g. colour of paper or transparency · CPC title

• H04N1/00795

  Reading arrangements (details of scanning heads H04N1/024; scanning arrangements therefor H04N1/04) · CPC title

• H04N1/0057 Primary

  Conveying sheets before or after scanning (arrangements for conveying sheets as part of the scanning operation H04N1/04 and subgroups) · CPC title

• G03G15/6529

  Transporting (G03G15/6555 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G15/5029

  by measuring the copy material characteristics, e.g. weight, thickness · CPC title