Image reading and recording apparatus with marking board and moveable scanning arm conveyed by a cable and drum arrangement

• US 5,299,033 A
• Filed: 05/01/1992
• Issued: 03/29/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Graphic Communication Systems, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Abe, Yuuichi, Watanabe, Toshio, Takimoto, Hiroshi, Morikawa, Hiroto
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Sr., Edward L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rogers, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US07/877,515
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 358/296, 358/451, 358/497, 346/76 PH, 74/506, 254/266, 254/268, 254/362, 254/329
• US Class Current: 358/497
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1017 the main-scanning components remaining positionally invariant with respect to one another in the sub-scanning direction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1026 using a belt or cable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0438 Scanning displays; Scanning large surfaces, e.g. projection screens, writing boards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0442 Details of scanning carriage or moving picture-bearing surface support, e.g. bearing contact with guide rails

Abstract

An image reading and recording apparatus such as an electronic blackboard includes a reading unit movable along a guide rail for reading information written on a board, a drive motor integral with the reading unit and operative to move the reading unit relative to the board, and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting a driving force of the drive motor to the reading unit so as to move the reading unit relatively to the board. The power transmission mechanism is composed of a pulley fixed to a drive shaft of the motor and a wire rope extending along the guide rail in a stretched condition and wound around the pulley by one turn. Upon rotation of the motor, the pulley rolls on and along the wire rope, thereby moving the reading unit relative to the board. Due to a large contact area provided between the pulley and the wire rope, the movement of the reading unit is highly reliable and hence the information on the board can be read with high accuracy. The apparatus also includes an image recording unit which is so constructed as to prevent accidental separation of a recording paper from a recording head, thereby ensuring a high quality printing of the information on the recording paper.

Claims

1. An image recording unit, for use in an image reading and recording apparatus, for producing a hard copy of a picture signal received from an image reading unit of the image reading and recording apparatus, said image recording unit comprising:

a fixed unit body;

a drive unit mounted on said unit body and including a motor and a transmission gear rotatably driven by said motor;

a recording head mounted on said unit body;

a closure assembly attached to said unit body and movable relative to said unit body between an open position remote from said body and a closed position united with said body;

a recording roller mounted on said closure assembly and forcing a recording sheet against said recording head when said closure unit is disposed in said closed position;

a driven gear fixedly mounted on an end of said recording roller and releasable engaged with said transmission gear for rotating said recording roller when said closure assembly is disposed in said closed position; and

said transmission gear being disposed in such a position that said driven roller is urged by said transmission gear in a direction as to force said recording roller against said recording head when said transmission gear is rotating.

2. An image recording unit according to claim 1, wherein said recording head is a thermal printing head.

3. An image recording unit according to claim 1, wherein said transmission gear is disposed on the opposite side of said recording head relative to said recording roller.

4. An image reading and recording apparatus comprising:

a) a board for receiving information written thereon;

b) a guide rail extending along one side of said board;

c) a reading unit movable along said guide rail for reading the information on said board; and

d) a recording unit for recording a picture signal received from said reading unit, said recording unit being capable of regenerating the information on a reduced scale as a hard copy of said picture signal, wherein said image recording unit comprises;

i) a fixed unit body,

ii) a drive unit mounted on said unit body and including a motor and a transmission gear rotatably driven by said motor,

iii) a recording head mounted on said unit body,

iv) a closure assembly attached to said unit body and movable relative to said unit body between an open position remote from said body and a closed position united with said body,

v) a recording roller mounted on said closure assembly and forcing a recording sheet against said recording head when said closure unit is disposed in said closed position, and

vi) a driven gear fixedly mounted on an end of said recording roller and releasable engaged with said transmission gear for rotating said recording roller when said closure assembly is disposed in said closed position, said transmission gear being disposed in such a position that said driven roller is urged by said transmission gear in a direction as to force said recording roller against said recording head when said transmission gear is rotating.

5. An image reading and recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said recording head is a thermal printing head.

6. An image reading and recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said transmission gear is disposed on the opposite side of said recording head relative to said recording roller.