Image reading device and image forming apparatus incorporating the image reading device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017180603-A1
Application number	US-201615378676-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 14, 2016
Priority date	Dec 17, 2015
Publication date	Jun 22, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image reading device, which may be incorporated in an image forming apparatus, includes an image reader, a color reference body, a biasing body, a reading gap forming device, and a driving device. The image reader reads an image of an original document. The color reference body has a white reference face to position facing the image reader within a predetermined range in a document width direction. The biasing body biases the color reference body to the image reader. The reading gap forming device forms a reading gap while receiving a biasing force from the biasing body on the outside of the predetermined range. The driving device has a force drive transmission body engaged with a center of the color reference body in the document width direction and drives the color reference body in the document width direction at the center via the force drive transmission body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image reading device comprising:
an image reader configured to read an image formed on a surface of an original document; a color reference body movable and having a white reference face used for shading correction in the image reader, the color reference body configured to position the white reference face at a position facing the image reader within a predetermined range in a document width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the document; a biasing body configured to bias the color reference body to the image reader; a reading gap forming device interposed between the image reader and the color reference body and configured to form a reading gap for reading the image between the image reader and the color reference body, while receiving a biasing force from the biasing body, on the outside of the predetermined range; and a driving device configured to drive the color reference body to move the color reference body in the document width direction, relative to the image reader, the driving device having a force drive transmission body engaged with a center of the color reference body in the document width direction and driving the color reference body in the document width direction at the center via the force drive transmission body.

2 . The image reading device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the force drive transmission body of the driving device includes a cylindrical cam configured to rotate about a center axis extending in the document width direction, and wherein the color reference body includes a plate body extending in the document width direction, and a projection projecting from the plate body toward the cylindrical cam and being engaged with the cylindrical cam.

3 . The image reading device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the driving device rotates the cylindrical cam in a specific rotation direction such that the projection engaged with the cylindrical cam is biased toward the image reader, and wherein the color reference body is biased toward the image reader when driving the color reference body in the document width direction by rotation of the cylindrical cam.

4 . The image reading device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the reading gap forming device includes a pair of spacers interposed between the image reader and the color reference body, on the outside of the predetermined range, and wherein the pair of spacers is slidably engaged with at least one of the image reader and the color reference body.

5 . The image reading device according to claim 4 ,
wherein at least one of the pair of spacers and both ends of the color reference body positioned outside the predetermined range includes a conductive body configured to contact with the image reader.

6 . The image reading device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the biasing body includes a pressing body configured to press the color reference body to the image reader, and wherein the pressing body and the color reference body are engaged with each other to be slidable in the document width direction.

7 . The image reading device according to claim 1 , further comprising a document conveying device configured to convey the original document to a position at which the image reader reads the image.

8 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
the image reading device according to claim 1 ; and an image forming device configured to form an image read by the image reading device on a recording medium.

Assignees

• Hatayama Koji
• Nagano Tatsuaki
• Andoh Takayuki
• Tada Kaoru
• Hirata Munekazu
• Youda Yasunobu
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hatayama Koji
• Nagano Tatsuaki
• Andoh Takayuki
• Tada Kaoru
• Hirata Munekazu
• Youda Yasunobu

Classifications

• H04N1/00588

  to the scanning position (H04N1/00572, H04N1/00594 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/4076 Primary

  dependent on references outside the picture · CPC title

• H04N2201/0094

  Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception · CPC title

• H04N1/1225

  Means for maintaining contact between the sheet and the image sensor, e.g. pressing means · CPC title

• H04N1/125

  the sheet feeding apparatus serving an auxiliary function, e.g. as a white reference · CPC title