JP7501100B2 - Reading device, output device and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a reading device, an output device, and an image forming device.

Patent document 1 describes a reading device in which the angle of incidence of light irradiated by a second irradiating means, which irradiates light to read a portion of the specularly reflected light component from the document, on the document has a non-zero angle with respect to the reflection angle of the principal ray of the specularly reflected light guided to the light guiding means.

JP 2010-130444 A

In a reading device that reads an image displayed on a reflective area that reflects the reflected light that reaches an image sensor, the production cost of parts can be reduced by using a common light source for diffuse reflected light and specular reflected light. On the other hand, since the reflected light of diffuse reflected light is directed over a wider range than that of specular reflected light, the amount of light directed to the image sensor tends to be reduced.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to suppress the difference in the amount of light when diffusely reflected light and specularly reflected light having the same amount of light from a light source reach an image sensor.

The reading device according to claim 1 of the present invention is characterized by comprising a diffusion optical system that diffusely reflects a determined amount of light emitted by a first light source in a reading area of a document and guides it to a light receiving element, and a specular reflection optical system that specularly reflects the light emitted by a second light source in the reading area and guides it to a light receiving element, in which the amount of light that reaches the reading area is smaller than the amount of light in the diffusion optical system.

The reading device according to claim 2 of the present invention is the embodiment described in claim 1, characterized in that the diffusion optical system also guides the light emitted by the first light source, which directly reaches the reading area and is diffusely reflected, to the light receiving element.

The reading device according to claim 3 of the present invention is the embodiment of claim 1, characterized in that the diffusion optical system has a first reflecting section, the specular reflection optical system has a second reflecting section, and the amount of light reflected by the second reflecting section is less than the amount of light reflected by the first reflecting section.

The reading device according to claim 4 of the present invention is an embodiment of any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the second light source is provided at a position farther away from the document than the first light source.

The reading device according to claim 5 of the present invention is the embodiment described in claim 4, characterized in that the first light source and the second light source are arranged on the same side of the reading area with respect to the light reflected therefrom.

The reading device according to claim 6 of the present invention is an embodiment of the invention according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the first light source has a first substrate and a first light-emitting unit disposed close to a first end of the first substrate and emitting light, the second light source has a second substrate and a second light-emitting unit disposed close to a second end of the second substrate and emitting light, and the first light source and the second light source are disposed with the first end and the second end adjacent to each other.

The reading device according to claim 7 of the present invention is the same as the reading device according to claim 6, in which the first substrate and the second substrate are manufactured as a common component.

The reading device according to claim 8 of the present invention is the embodiment of claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the first substrate is fixed by a fastener provided on the side opposite the first end, and the second substrate is fixed by a fastener provided on the side opposite the second end.

The reading device according to claim 9 of the present invention is an embodiment of any one of claims 6 to 8, and includes a frame on which components are attached, and the components include a first light guide that emits light emitted by the first light emitter, a first reflecting section that reflects the light emitted by the first light guide, a second light guide that emits light emitted by the second light emitter, and a second reflecting section that reflects the light emitted by the second light guide, and is characterized in that the components are attached to the frame in the following order: the second substrate, the second light guide, the second reflecting section, the first substrate, the first light guide, and the first reflecting section.

The reading device according to claim 10 of the present invention is the embodiment of claim 9, characterized in that the first substrate, the first light guide, and the first reflector are attached to the frame from a first direction, and the second substrate, the second light guide, and the second reflector are attached to the frame from a second direction opposite to the first direction.

The reading device according to claim 11 of the present invention is an embodiment of any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the first reflecting section is provided at a position farther away from the document than the second reflecting section.

The output device according to claim 12 of the present invention is characterized in that it includes a reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, and outputs the degree of specular reflection based on the specular reflection light read by the reading device.

The image forming device according to claim 13 of the present invention is characterized in that it includes the output device according to claim 12 and outputs an image formed based on the degree of regular reflection read by the reading device.

According to the invention as set forth in claims 1, 12, and 13, it is possible to suppress the difference in the amount of light when diffusely reflected light and specularly reflected light having the same amount of light from a light source reach an image sensor.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the brightness of the image produced by the diffuse reflected light can be increased compared to a case in which the light that directly reaches the reading area is not used.
According to the invention of claim 3, the difference in the amount of light when diffusely reflected light and specularly reflected light having the same light amount from the light source reach the light receiving element can be suppressed, compared to the case where the relationship of the light amount is the opposite to that of the present invention.
According to the invention of claim 4, compared to the case where the distance from the original to the light source is the opposite to that of the present invention, it is possible to easily arrange each reflective surface in a manner that suppresses the difference in the amount of light when diffusely reflected light and specularly reflected light, which have the same amount of light from the light source, reach the light receiving element.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the wiring for supplying power to the light sources can be made shorter than in the case where the light sources are arranged on different sides.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the wiring for supplying power to each light-emitting portion can be made shorter than in a case where the first end and the second end are not adjacent to each other.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the cost of manufacturing the component can be reduced compared to when the first substrate and the second substrate are separate components.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the first light emitting portion and the second light emitting portion can be disposed closer to each other than in the case where the fastener is positioned differently from the present invention.
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the installation work can be made easier than when parts are installed in an order different from that of the present invention.
According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress an error in the mounting position from becoming large, compared to a case in which a component is mounted from one direction.
According to the invention of claim 11, compared to the case where the distance between the original and the reflective part is the opposite to that of the present invention, it is possible to easily arrange each reflective part in a position that suppresses the difference in the amount of light when diffusely reflected light and specularly reflected light, which have the same light amount from the light source, reach the light receiving element.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of an image reading unit. Enlarged view of the carriage A close-up of the reflector and its surroundings Diagram showing a reflecting surface seen from the front A close-up of the reflector and its surroundings Diagram showing a reflecting surface seen from the front Diagram showing a reflecting surface seen from the front Diagram to explain what happens when the document floats A close-up of two light sources A diagram showing an example of specular reflected light mixed with diffuse reflected light Diagram showing a frame FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified specular reflector; FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a carriage according to a modified example; FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a carriage according to a modified example; FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a light amount distribution of light emitted from a light irradiation unit for regular reflection. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of a light irradiation unit for regular reflection. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a modified image forming apparatus.

[1] Example Fig. 1 shows a hardware configuration of an image reading device 10 according to an example. The image reading device 10 is a device that reads an image shown on a document. The image reading device 10 is an example of a "reading device" of the present invention. The image reading device 10 is a computer including a processor 11, a memory 12, a storage 13, a communication unit 14, a UI unit 15 (UI = User Interface), an image forming unit 16, and an image reading unit 20.

The processor 11 includes, for example, an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a register, and peripheral circuits. The memory 12 is a recording medium readable by the processor 11, and includes, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage 13 is a recording medium readable by the processor 11, and includes, for example, a hard disk drive or a flash memory.

The processor 11 controls the operation of each piece of hardware by executing programs stored in the ROM and storage 13 using the RAM as a work area. The communication unit 14 has an antenna, a communication circuit, etc., and communicates via a communication line (not shown). The program executed by the processor 11 may be obtained from an external device communicating via the communication unit 14.

The UI unit 15 is an interface provided to a user who uses the device. The interface is a device that accepts information input by the user and outputs the information by the image reading device 10. The UI unit 15 has, for example, a touch screen that has a display as a display means and a touch panel provided on the surface of the display, and displays images and accepts operations from the user.

The image forming unit 16 forms an image on a medium such as paper. In this embodiment, the image forming unit 16 forms an image on the medium using an inkjet method. Note that the method of image formation is not limited to this, and may be, for example, an electrophotographic method.

The image reading unit 20 includes a light source, an optical system, an image sensor, etc., and reads the image shown on the document by reflecting light from the light source off the document. The image reading unit 20 supplies document image data indicating the image of the read document to the processor 11. The processor 11 uses the supplied document image data to perform various processes (printing process, facsimile transmission process, etc.).

Figure 2 shows the detailed configuration of the image reading unit 20. In Figure 2, the image reading unit 20 is shown as viewed in a direction along the main scanning direction A1. The main scanning direction A1 is the direction from the front to the back of the page. The image reading unit 20 includes a document table 21, a document cover 22, a carriage 30, a carriage 40, an imaging lens 50, and an image sensor 60. These components of the image reading unit 20 have a width in the main scanning direction A1. The carriage 30, the carriage 40, the imaging lens 50, and the image sensor 60 all have an elongated shape with the main scanning direction A1 as the elongated direction. The direction indicated by the arrow marked "A2" in the figure is the sub-scanning direction A2. The image reading unit 20 is a so-called reduced optical system reading device.

The manuscript table 21 is a transparent glass plate that supports the manuscript 2, which is the object of image reading. The manuscript table 21 may be an acrylic plate or the like as long as it is a transparent plate-like member. The manuscript cover 22 covers the manuscript table 21 to block external light, and sandwiches the manuscript 2 between the manuscript table 21 and the manuscript cover 22. The manuscript 2 is supported by the manuscript table 21 and the manuscript cover 22 so as not to move.

When reading the original 2, the carriage 30 moves in the sub-scanning direction A2 at a set speed. The carriage 30 has an irradiation section that irradiates the original 2 with light, which will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 3. The carriage 30 has a mirror 35. In this embodiment, the carriage 30 is box-shaped with an open top, and the mirror 35 is disposed inside it. Note that the carriage 30 does not have to be box-shaped, and may be hollow as long as it can move together. The mirror 35 reflects the light reflected by the original 2. The reflected light is guided to the optical path B1 that leads to the image sensor 60.

When reading the original 2, the carriage 40 moves in the sub-scanning direction A2 at half the speed of the carriage 30. The carriage 40 has mirrors 41 and 42 inside. The mirrors 41 and 42 reflect the light reflected by the mirror 35 and guide it to the optical path B1. The imaging lens 50 forms an image of the light reflected by the mirror 42 at a determined position.

The image sensor 60 has a light receiving element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), receives the light focused by the imaging lens 50, and generates an image signal according to the received light. The image sensor 60 supplies the generated image signal to the processor 11 shown in FIG. 1. The processor 11 generates image data of the original 2 based on the supplied image signal.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the carriage 30. The carriage 30 has a diffuse reflection light irradiator 31, a specular reflection light irradiator 32, a diffuse reflection reflector 33, a specular reflection reflector 34, a mirror 35, and a frame 36. Note that the frame 36 is not shown in Figure 3 to make the drawing easier to see, but will be described later using a different figure.

The diffuse reflection light irradiation unit 31 irradiates light for specular reflection by the original 2. The diffuse reflection light irradiation unit 31 has an exit surface 313 for emitting light, and emits light for diffuse reflection by the original 2 from the exit surface 313. The specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 irradiates light for diffuse reflection by the original 2. The specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 has an exit surface 323 for emitting light, and emits light for diffuse reflection by the original 2 from the exit surface 323.

The diffuse reflection light irradiation section 31 has a light source 311 and a light guide 312. The light source 311 is a light source that emits light, such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The light guide 312 is a transparent member that transmits light to the inside. The light guide 312 has the above-mentioned emission surface 313, and guides the light emitted by the light source 311 to the emission surface 313 and emits it. The emission surface 313 is generally flat, but has fine undulations, which diffuse the emitted light. The light source 311 is an example of the "first light source" of the present invention, and the light guide 312 is an example of the "first light guide" of the present invention.

The specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 has a light source 321 and a light guide 322. The light source 321 is a light source that emits light such as an LED. The light guide 322 is a transparent member that transmits light to the inside. The light guide 322 has the above-mentioned exit surface 323, and guides the light emitted by the light source 321 to the exit surface 323 and emits it. The exit surface 323 is generally flat, but has fine undulations, which diffuse the emitted light. The specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 has a structure similar to that of the diffuse reflection light irradiation unit 31. The light source 321 is an example of a "second light source" in the present invention, and the light guide 322 is an example of a "second light guide" in the present invention.

In this embodiment, the same components are used for the diffuse reflection light irradiation section 31 and the specular reflection light irradiation section 32. Therefore, the amount of light emitted by the light source 311 of the diffuse reflection light irradiation section 31 is the same as the amount of light emitted by the light source 321 of the specular reflection light irradiation section 32, and the amount of light emitted by the light guide 312 of the diffuse reflection light irradiation section 31 is also the same as the amount of light emitted by the light guide 322 of the specular reflection light irradiation section 32.

A part of the light emitted from the emission surface 313 reaches the diffuse reflector 33 as shown in FIG.
4 shows an enlarged view of the periphery of the diffuse reflector 33. The diffuse reflector 33 is a member having a reflecting surface 331 that reflects light emitted from an exit surface 313 toward the reading region R1 of the document 2 and irradiates light for specular reflection (light specularly reflected by the document 2) toward the reading region R1. The diffuse reflector 33 is an example of the "first reflecting portion" of the present invention. In this embodiment, the reflecting surface 331 has a flat shape.

Figure 5 shows the reflective surface 331 as viewed from the front. As shown in the figure, the reflective surface 331 of the diffuse reflector 33 is a surface whose longitudinal direction is the main scanning direction A1, similar to the emission surface 313 of the light guide 312, and has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The reflective surface 331 is formed with a size such that the dimension in the short side direction A4 is dimension W3. The short side direction A4 is the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the reflective surface 331 (= the direction along the main scanning direction A1) and along the reflective surface 331.

On the other hand, a part of the light emitted from the emission surface 323 of the light guide 322 reaches the specular reflector 34 as shown in FIG.
6 shows an enlarged view of the periphery of the specular reflector 34. The specular reflector 34 is a member having a reflecting surface 341 that reflects light emitted from the emission surface 323 toward the reading region R1 of the original 2 and irradiates light for diffuse reflection (light diffusely reflected by the original 2) toward the reading region R1. The specular reflector 34 is an example of the "second reflecting portion" of the present invention. In this embodiment, the reflecting surface 341 has a flat shape.

Figure 7 shows the reflecting surface 341 as viewed from the front. As shown in the figure, the reflecting surface 341 of the specular reflector 34 is a surface whose longitudinal direction is the main scanning direction A1, similar to the exit surface 323 of the light guide 322, and has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The reflecting surface 341 is formed with a size such that the dimension in the short side direction A5 is dimension W4. The short side direction A5 is the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the reflecting surface 341 (= the direction along the main scanning direction A1) and along the reflecting surface 341.

The dimension W4 of the reflecting surface 341 is shorter than the dimension W1 in the short-side direction A3 of the exit surface 323. The dimension W4 is not only smaller than the dimension W1, but also smaller than the dimension W3 in the short-side direction of the reflecting surface 331 of the diffuse reflection reflector 33. Furthermore, the dimension W4 is smaller than the dimension W1 in the short-side direction of the exit surface 313 of the diffuse reflection light irradiation section 31. On the other hand, the dimension W3 in the short-side direction of the reflecting surface 331 is larger than the dimension W1 in the short-side direction of the exit surface 313. In this embodiment, the dimension W4 is 2.0 mm, and the dimension W3 is 4.5 mm.

When the light reflected by the reflective surface 331 of the diffuse reflector 33 reaches the reading area R1 of the original 2, the original 2 diffusely reflects a portion of the light. The light diffusely reflected by the original 2 reaches the mirror 35 shown in FIG. 2. The mirror 35 has a reflective surface 351 that reflects the light reflected by the diffuse reflector 33 and diffusely reflected by the original 2.

Figure 8 shows the reflecting surface 351 as seen from the front. As shown in the figure, the reflecting surface 351 of the mirror 35 is a surface whose longitudinal direction is the main scanning direction A1, and has a rectangular shape when seen from the front. The reflecting surface 351 is formed with a size such that the dimension in the short side direction A6 is dimension W5. The short side direction A6 is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the reflecting surface 351 (= the direction along the main scanning direction A1) and along the reflecting surface 351. The light reflected by the mirror 35 is guided by the mirrors 41, 42, and imaging lens 50 shown in Figure 2 to reach the image sensor 60.

The light guide 312, the diffuse reflector 33, the mirror 35, the mirror 41, the mirror 42, and the imaging lens 50 function as a diffusion optical system 3 that diffusely reflects a determined amount of light emitted by the light source 311 in the reading region R1 of the original 2 and guides it to the image sensor 60. The image sensor 60 generates an image represented by the light guided by the diffusion optical system 3. The image sensor 60 is an example of the "light receiving element" of the present invention.

In addition, a portion of the light emitted from the exit surface 313 of the light guide 312 heads directly toward the reading region R1 of the original 2, where it is diffusely reflected and a further portion of the light heads toward the optical path B1. In other words, the diffuse reflection light irradiator 31 emits light toward the diffuse reflection reflector 33 and the reading region R1. The diffusion optical system 3 also guides the light emitted by the light source 311 of the diffuse reflection light irradiator 31, which directly reaches the reading region R1 and is diffusely reflected, to the image sensor 60.

On the other hand, part of the light emitted by the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 is specularly reflected by the original 2 to show an image. The light emitted from the emission surface 323 of the light guide 322 of the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 heads toward the specular reflection reflector 34. The reflective surface 341 of the specular reflection reflector 34 reflects the light irradiated by the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 toward the reading region R1 of the original 2.

When the light reflected by the reflective surface 341 reaches the reading area R1 of the original 2, the original 2 reflects the light. The light reflected by this original is hereinafter referred to as "original reflected light." This original reflected light includes both specular reflection and diffuse reflection, but in this embodiment, the light specularly reflected by the original 2 is directed toward the mirror 35. Note that specular reflection here is not limited to perfect specular reflection in which the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection are perfectly equal, but also includes cases where the angles are slightly off as long as approximately the same characteristics are obtained.

In this embodiment, the mirror 35 is disposed vertically below the reading area R1. By disposing the mirror 35 in this manner, it is possible to cope with the case where the original 2 is lifted off the platen 21.
9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining a case where the original 2 is lifted. Fig. 9A shows a case where the mirror 35 is not disposed vertically below the reading region R1, and Fig. 9B shows a case where the mirror 35 is disposed vertically below the reading region R1.

The specularly reflected light incident on mirror 35 in FIG. 9(a) has a smaller angle of incidence with respect to original 2 than the specularly reflected light incident on mirror 35 in FIG. 9(b), so if original 2 floats, the optical path of the specularly reflected light is significantly shifted and it is likely not to be incident on mirror 35. In other words, even if the positional relationship between mirror 35 and original 2 changes due to the original 2 floating, the reduction in specularly reflected light reflected by mirror 35 is suppressed in the case of FIG. 9(b) compared to the case of FIG. 9(a).

On the other hand, when trying to receive light that is completely specularly reflected vertically downward, the incident light must also be incident vertically downward. However, this is not possible due to the structure, so in this embodiment, the light is tilted at about 5 degrees. Although it is not completely specularly reflected light, the reflection characteristics are detected to be almost the same as specularly reflected light. Note that the angle is not limited to 5 degrees as in this embodiment, and if it is 9 degrees or less, an image similar to specularly reflected light is detected to some extent.

The light reflected by the original 2 reaches the mirror 35 shown in FIG. 2. The light reflected by the mirror 35 is guided by the mirrors 41, 42, and the imaging lens 50 shown in FIG. 2 to reach the image sensor 60. In this way, the light guide 322, the specular reflector 34, the mirror 35, the mirrors 41, 42, and the imaging lens 50 function as a specular reflection optical system 4 that specularly reflects a determined amount of light emitted by the light source 321 at the reading region R1 of the original 2 and guides it to the image sensor 60.

The image sensor 60 generates an image represented by the light guided by the specular reflection optical system 4, i.e., the light diffusely reflected by the original 2. As described above, the image sensor 60 generates an image from both the light specularly reflected and the light diffusely reflected in the reading region R1.

The dimension W4 in the short side direction A5 of the reflecting surface 341 of the specular reflector 34 in the specular optical system 4 is shorter than the dimension W3 in the short side direction A4 of the reflecting surface 331 of the diffuse reflector 33 in the diffuse optical system 3. Therefore, as described above, the amount of light emitted by the light source 311 of the diffuse reflection light irradiation unit 31 and the amount of light emitted by the light source 321 of the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 are the same, but the amount of light reflected by the specular reflector 34 is less than the amount of light reflected by the diffuse reflection reflector 33.

As a result, the amount of light reaching the reading region R1 in the specular reflection optical system 4 is less than the amount of light in the diffusion optical system 3. Note that the distance from the exit surface 323 to the reflection surface 341 in the specular reflection optical system 4 is shorter than the distance from the exit surface 313 to the reflection surface 331 in the diffusion optical system 3.

Since the emitted light diverges little by little, if the short-side dimensions of reflecting surface 331 and reflecting surface 341 were the same, the amount of light reflected by reflecting surface 341, which is closer to the exit surface, would be greater than the amount of light reflected by reflecting surface 331. However, by making the short-side dimension of reflecting surface 341 smaller than that of reflecting surface 331 as described above, the amount of light reflected is reduced, counteracting the increase in the amount of light due to the distance from the exit surface.

The amount of light reflected in the reading region R1 toward the image sensor 60 is less for diffuse reflected light, in which the incident light is reflected in all directions, than for specular reflected light, which contains the majority of the incident light. In this embodiment, by making the amount of light reaching the reading region R1 have the above-mentioned relationship, the difference in the amount of light when diffuse reflected light and specular reflected light, which have the same light amount from the light source, reach the image sensor 60 is suppressed compared to when the light amount relationship is reversed.

In addition, the light source 321 in the specular reflection optical system 4 is located farther from the original 2 than the light source 311 in the diffusion optical system 3. This makes it easier to arrange the light source so that the distance along the optical path from the light source 321 to the original 2 in the specular reflection optical system 4 is shorter than the distance along the optical path from the light source 311 to the original 2 in the diffusion optical system 3, compared to when the distance from the original 2 to the light source is the opposite to that in this embodiment.

In other words, compared to the case where the distance between the original 2 and the light source is the opposite to that in this embodiment, it is easier to arrange the reflection surfaces (reflection surface 331 in the diffusion optical system 3 and reflection surface 341 in the specular reflection optical system 4) in a way that suppresses the difference in the amount of light when the diffuse reflection light and specular reflection light, which have the same amount of light from the light source, reach the image sensor 60.

Similarly, the specular reflector 34 in the specular optical system 4 is located farther from the original 2 than the diffuse reflector 33 in the diffuse optical system 3. In this case, compared to the case where the distance between the original 2 and the reflector is the opposite to that in this embodiment, it is easier to arrange the reflection surfaces (reflecting surface 331 in the diffuse optical system 3 and reflecting surface 341 in the specular optical system 4) in a way that suppresses the difference in the amount of light when the diffuse reflected light and the specular reflected light, which have the same amount of light from the light source, reach the image sensor 60.

In addition, the light source 311 in the diffusion optical system 3 and the light source 321 in the specular reflection optical system 4 are arranged on the same side (in this embodiment, the right side of the optical path B1 shown in FIG. 3) with respect to the light reflected in the reading region R1. This allows the wiring for supplying power to the light sources to be shorter than when the light sources are arranged on different sides.

In addition, in this embodiment, the light emitted by the light source 311 of the diffuse reflection light irradiation unit 31, which reaches the reading region R1 directly and is diffusely reflected, is also guided to the image sensor 60. This increases the brightness of the image produced by the diffuse reflection light compared to when light that reaches the reading region R1 directly is not used.

Next, the detailed configuration of the light source 311 and the light source 321 will be described.
10 shows an enlarged view of the light source 311 and the light source 321. The light source 311 has a substrate 111 that supports an electronic circuit, a light-emitting unit 112 that emits light, and a fastener 113 that fixes the substrate 111. The light-emitting unit 112 is, for example, an LED array, and is provided close to a lower end 114 of the substrate 111.

The substrate 111 is fixed to the above-mentioned frame 36 by a fastener 113 provided on the side opposite the end 114. The substrate 111 is an example of a "first substrate" of the present invention, and the end 114 is an example of a "first end" of the present invention. The light-emitting portion 112 is an example of a "first light-emitting portion" of the present invention, and the fastener 113 is an example of a "fastener" of the present invention.

The light source 321 has a substrate 211 that supports an electronic circuit, a light-emitting unit 212 that emits light, and a fastener 213 that secures the substrate 211. The light-emitting unit 212 is, for example, an LED array, and is provided close to the lower end 214 of the substrate 211. The substrate 211 is secured to the frame 36 by the fastener 213 provided on the side opposite the end 214.

The substrate 211 is an example of a "second substrate" of the present invention, and the end 214 is an example of a "second end" of the present invention. The light-emitting portion 212 is an example of a "second light-emitting portion" of the present invention, and the fastener 213 is an example of a "fastener" of the present invention. The substrate 111 and the light-emitting portion 112 are provided in different orientations, but are manufactured as a common part with the substrate 211 and the light-emitting portion 212.

This reduces the number of production lines for the parts and reduces the cost of manufacturing the parts compared to when these are separate parts. Also, by providing each fastener on the opposite side of the light-emitting unit, the light-emitting unit 112 and the light-emitting unit 212 are positioned closer together compared to when the fasteners are positioned differently from this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, the light sources 311 and 321 are provided so that the end 114 of the substrate 111 and the end 214 of the substrate 211 are adjacent to each other. This allows the light emitting units 112 and 212 to be positioned closer together, and shortens the wiring required to supply power to each light emitting unit, compared to when the end 114 of the substrate 111 and the end 214 of the substrate 211 are not adjacent to each other.

Reflectors and mirrors are arranged so that the reflected light from the original 2 is guided to the image sensor 60 via optical path B1, which is a common optical path for specular reflection light and diffuse reflection light, but the timing of the light irradiation is separate. First, the image reading unit 20 turns on the diffuse reflection light irradiation unit 31, moves the carriage 30 and the carriage 40 to the end of the original in the sub-scanning direction, reads the original 2, and supplies the original image data showing the image of the diffuse reflection light of the original 2 to the processor 11.

Next, when carriage 30 and carriage 40 are returned to their original positions from the ends in the sub-scanning direction, specular reflection light irradiation section 32 is turned on, original document 2 is read, and original document image data showing an image of the specularly reflected light of original document 2 is supplied to processor 11. In this manner, in this embodiment, an image shown by specularly reflected light and an image shown by diffusely reflected light are read separately for one original document. Processor 11 performs processing to obtain one image using the supplied image data showing the two images.

In this embodiment, the reading region R1 is sandwiched between the diffuse reflection reflector 33 and the diffuse reflection light irradiator 31, but the diffuse reflection light irradiator 31 may be disposed on both sides of the reading region R1. In this embodiment, the shape of the light guide is the same for both specular and diffuse reflection, but this may be different. Also, the cross-sectional shape of the light guide perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is the same everywhere, but the shape may change in the longitudinal direction. Also, the exit surface may be multiple faces rather than a single flat surface.

In this embodiment, the light emitted by the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 is specularly reflected by the original 2 as a narrower light distribution range as shown in FIG. 6 by the specular reflection reflector 34 as described above, and is guided to the image sensor 60. If the range of the light distribution of the light incident on the area on the surface of the original 2 that reflects specular light is too wide, the specular reflected light from a certain area such as the optical axis C1 in this embodiment, or from other areas that are distant areas, deviates from the optical path B1, and conversely, the diffuse reflected light of that light heads toward the optical path B1.

Figure 11 shows an example in which specularly reflected light is mixed with diffusely reflected light. Figure 11 (a) shows, as a comparative example, a state in which the diffusely reflected light of the light emitted by the specular light irradiator 32 and reflected by the specular reflector 34x is directed toward the image sensor 60. The light that enters the original 2 through the optical path E11 with a deep incident angle (the closer the angle to the original 2 is to 90 degrees, the deeper the incident angle is) has an angular relationship with the light that travels through the optical path E12 toward the image sensor 60 that is almost specularly reflected, but the light that enters the original 2 through the optical path E21 with a shallow incident angle does not travel toward the image sensor 60 through the optical path E22.

Instead, the diffuse reflection of light that entered the original 2 through optical path E21 travels toward the image sensor 60 through optical path E23. In such a case, the image sensor 60 receives both the specular reflection and the diffuse reflection simultaneously, so it is not possible to obtain the specular reflection characteristics of the image. This is also true when the reflected light is not directed vertically downward; if the variation in the angle of incidence is not suppressed, the diffuse reflection of light with a significantly shifted angle of incidence will be mixed into the specular reflection.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the size (length in the short direction) of the reflective surface 341 of the specular reflector 34 is made smaller than the size of the exit surface 323 to prevent the angle of incidence of light toward the original from changing significantly. As a result, the size of the specular reflector 34 reduces the variation in the angle of incidence of light toward the original on the exit surface compared to when the size of the reflective surface 341 is larger than the size of the exit surface 323, and increases the proportion of specularly reflected light components in the components of light reflected by the original 2 and heading toward the mirror 35 (original reflected light).

It should be noted that there is a method of narrowing the width of the light by shortening the short dimension of the exit surface for specular reflection, but when this method is used, a small amount of light enters the reading area, as shown in the light amount distribution D1 in Figure 5. In this embodiment, by shortening the short dimension A5 of the reflecting surface 341 of the specular reflector 34 as described above, the uniformity of the light is maintained compared to when an attempt is made to narrow the exit surface and narrow the reflection area of the document.

In addition, in this embodiment, the light path of the diffuse reflected light and the specular reflected light is common, so the reading device is more compact than when the light paths of the diffuse reflected light and the specular reflected light are different. In addition, in this embodiment, the reflective surface 341 of the specular reflection reflector 34 is arranged in the direction in which the amount of light emitted by the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 is the greatest. This prevents the specular reflected light from including areas with low light amounts, compared to when the reflective surface 341 of the specular reflection reflector 34 is arranged in a different direction, and the brightness of the generated image is increased.

When the surface of a document has undulations caused by ink or the like, the distribution of the amount of diffusely reflected light may change depending on the direction in which the light is incident. In this embodiment, an image is generated not only from light emitted by the diffuse reflection light irradiating section 31, reflected by the diffuse reflection reflector 33, reaching the reading area R1 and being diffusely reflected, but also from light emitted by the diffuse reflection light irradiating section 31, directly reaching the reading area R1 and being diffusely reflected. This reduces changes in image quality when the orientation of the document is changed, compared to when light is irradiated onto the reading area from only one direction.

Figure 12 shows the frame 36. Figure 12(a) shows the frame 36 as viewed in the main scanning direction A1, and Figure 12(b) shows the frame 36 as viewed from the back side of the diffuse reflection reflector 33. The frame 36 is a member to which components are attached. The frame 36 has plate-like members 361 and 362, and both ends of the light guide 312, the diffuse reflection reflector 33, the light guide 322, and the specular reflection reflector 34 are fixed to each plate-like member, for example, by screws (not shown).

Furthermore, the frame 36 has plate-shaped fixing plates 363 and 364 provided between two plate-shaped members. The substrate 111 is fixed to the fixing plate 363 by the fastener 113 shown in FIG. 9. The substrate 211 is fixed to the fixing plate 364 by the fastener 213 shown in FIG. 9. Components are attached to the frame 36 in the following order: a light source 321 having the substrate 211, a light guide 322, a specular reflector 34, a light source 311 having the substrate 111, a light guide 312, and a diffuse reflector 33.

For example, if the light guide 322 is attached before the light source 321, the light guide 322 gets in the way and the light source 321 cannot be attached. Also, if the specular reflector 34 is attached before the light guide 322, the light guide 322 can be attached, but the specular reflector 34 gets in the way of the installation work. In this embodiment, by attaching the parts in the above order, the installation work is easier than if they were attached in a different order.

The light source 311 having the substrate 111, the light guide 312, and the diffuse reflection reflector 33 are attached to the frame 36 from above vertically. The light source 321 having the substrate 211, the light guide 322, and the specular reflection reflector 34 are attached to the frame 36 from below vertically (i.e., in the direction opposite to above vertically). In this case, the direction from above vertically to below vertically is an example of the "first direction" of the present invention, and the direction from below vertically to above vertically is an example of the "second direction" of the present invention.

If there is an error in the mounting position of an installed part, it is likely that an error will also occur in the mounting position of parts installed subsequently. For example, if all parts are installed from a direction from vertically above to vertically below, if there is an error in the mounting position of the first part, the errors in the mounting positions of the parts installed subsequently will also be added together, resulting in a large error. In this embodiment, by mounting parts from two directions as described above, the mounting position error is prevented from becoming large compared to when parts are mounted from one direction.

[2] Modifications The above-described embodiment is merely one example of the implementation of the present invention, and may be modified as follows. Furthermore, the embodiment and each modification may be combined and implemented as necessary.

[2-1] Reflector In the embodiment, the reflecting surface 331 of the diffuse reflection reflector 33 for diffuse reflection light and the reflecting surface 341 of the specular reflection reflector 34 for specular reflection light are flat, but are not limited thereto. For example, the reflecting surface 341 may be shaped (usually a concave shape) to reflect the light emitted from the emission surface 323 of the light guide 322 toward the document 2 so as to become convergent light, thereby narrowing the width of the light.

Figure 13 shows the specular reflector 34a of this modified example. The specular reflector 34a has a concave reflecting surface 341a, which reflects the light emitted from the emission surface 323 toward the original 2 so that it becomes convergent light. Convergent light is light that converges toward a determined focal point. The focal point may be set on the original or may be set further back than the original. Note that the shape is not limited to that shown in the figure, and may be a concave, multi-faceted, curved, or other shape.

In the embodiment, the width W4 in the short direction A5 of the specular reflector 34 is narrowed to less than half the length W2 in the short direction A4 of the emission surface 323 of the specular light irradiation section 32, but in the case of converging light, it does not need to be so narrow and may be the same or even longer. According to this modified example, the amount of light reflected by the original 2 is increased, for example, compared to when the emitted light is reflected toward the original 2 to become diverging light.

The reflecting surface 331 of the diffuse reflector 33 may also be concave or convex. In this case, the reflecting surface 331 of the diffuse reflector 33 may have a smaller degree of change in the direction of travel of the light rays contained in the light when reflecting the incident light (hereinafter referred to as the "convergence degree") than the reflecting surface 341 of the specular reflector 34.

In the above embodiment, the width of the light was adjusted by the width of the reflecting surface between the reflecting surface 341 for specular reflection and the reflecting surface 331 for diffuse reflection, but the width of the light may also be adjusted by the shape. For example, the reflecting surface 341 for specular reflection may be concave, and the reflecting surface 331 for diffuse reflection may be flat or convex. Also, the reflecting surface 341 for specular reflection may be flat, and the reflecting surface 331 for diffuse reflection may be convex.

In such a case, even if the width of the reflective surface is the same, the width of the light reflected by the reflective surface 341 for specular reflection will be narrower. The smaller the convergence of the light irradiated to the reading area, that is, the greater the degree to which the direction of travel of the light rays contained in the light is changed to a diverging direction, the more the light spreads and the more gentle the light quantity distribution becomes. Therefore, according to this modified example, the light quantity distribution of the diffuse reflected light becomes gentler than when the convergence relationship is the opposite to this modified example.

[2-2] Light Entry Although the above embodiment describes an example in which multiple LEDs are provided in the longitudinal direction, a configuration in which a light guide extends in the longitudinal direction and a power LED is provided at the end of the light guide in the longitudinal direction may also be used. Also, light from multiple LEDs provided in the longitudinal direction may be directed directly at the document without using a light guide.

[2-3] Angle In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the angle between the incident light and the reflected light was set small, but it is sufficient that the angle arrangement is such that the specular reflected light can be guided to the image sensor 60. In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the member that irradiates the diffuse reflected light (the exit portion and the reflector) is closer to the document than the member that irradiates the specular reflected light, but the member that irradiates the diffuse reflected light may be farther from the document. In that case, for example, the incident angle and the exit angle of the specular reflected light are arranged to be inclined by, for example, 40° each with respect to the document. In this way, the optical path toward the document and the optical path from the document can be separated in distance from each other, making it easier to arrange the components.

Furthermore, although the exit portion for diffuse reflection is disposed on the same side of the optical path as the exit portion for regular reflection, they may be disposed on different sides.
14 is an enlarged view of a carriage 30b according to this modified example. The carriage 30b has a specular reflection light irradiating section 32b, a diffuse reflection light irradiating section 31b, a specular reflection reflector 34b, and a mirror 35b.

The specular reflection light irradiation unit 32b is disposed on a different side of the light path B1b than the diffuse reflection light irradiation unit 31b. The light emitted by the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32b is reflected by the specular reflection reflector 34b and enters the reading area R1. The diffuse reflection light irradiation unit 31b also irradiates the reading area R1 of the original 2 with direct light without using a reflector. In the example of FIG. 14, the vertical height of the reading device relative to the original 2 is kept low compared to when the light source is disposed vertically below the reading area R1.

[2-4] Regarding the optical axis In the above embodiment, the optical axis C1 is located in the center of the optical path, but the optical axis C1 may be included but moved to one side of the optical path, or the optical axis C1 may not be included in the optical path.
Fig. 15 shows an enlarged view of a carriage 30c according to this modification. In addition to the diffuse reflection light irradiator 31 shown in Fig. 3, the carriage 30c includes a specular reflection light irradiator 32c whose optical axis C1c faces a position shifted from the specular reflection reflector 34c.

The amount of light reflected by the left end region 341L and the right end region 341R of the reflecting surface 341c of the regular reflection reflector 34c will be described with reference to FIG.
Fig. 16 shows an example of the light amount distribution of the light emitted by the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32c. In the example of Fig. 16, a light amount distribution D1c when a plane located a predetermined distance from the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32c is viewed in a direction along the main scanning direction A1 is shown in a graph.

In the example of FIG. 16, the amount of reflected light at the left end region 341L and the amount of reflected light at the right end region 341R are shown, with the former being greater than the latter. Also, the optical axis C1c is not included in the reflected light at the specular reflector 34c. Note that the optical axis C1c may be included in the reflected light at the specular reflector 34c, but may be positioned so that it is closer to one side (either the left end region 341L or the right end region 341R).

In the example of FIG. 15, the specular reflector 34c is positioned so that a difference in the amount of light occurs in the optical path that leads to the reading region R1 of the document, and the part with a large amount of light (the optical path that reflects at the left end region 341L) provides document reflected light that is closer to perfect specular reflection than the part with a small amount of light (the optical path that reflects at the right end region 341R).

In this way, when the optical path does not include the optical axis or is shifted to one side, there is a greater likelihood of there being some differences in the amount of light heading toward the original 2 compared to when the optical axis is at the center of the optical path. Therefore, it is better to make the left end region 341L, which has the greater amount of light, enter at an angle that is more precisely aligned for regular reflection, and make the right end region 341R, which has less light, enter at an angle that is further away from that.

For example, if only a portion of the emitted light is reflected by the specular reflector 34c, the end closest to the specular reflection angle should be the left end region 341L, and the end that is more deviated from the specular reflection angle should be the right end region 341R. By doing so, the proportion of specularly reflected light is increased compared to when the end closest to the specular reflection angle is the right end region 341R.

[2-5] Light Irradiation Unit The shape of the light irradiation unit is not limited to that described in the embodiment. For example, the light irradiation unit may have an exit surface in a shape other than a rectangle. Furthermore, the exit unit may have two or more surfaces as the exit surface instead of one surface.

Figure 17 shows the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32d of this modified example. The specular reflection light irradiation unit 32d has a first exit surface 323-1 and a second exit surface 323-2, and emits light from each exit surface. In the example of Figure 17, the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32d is positioned so that the light emitted from the first exit surface 323-1 heads toward the specular reflection reflector 34, so the first exit surface 323-1 corresponds to the exit surface 323 of the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 of the above embodiment. In other words, the specular reflection reflector 34 reflects a portion of the light from the first exit surface 323-1.

In the configuration of FIG. 17, the light emitted from the second exit surface 323-2 is not directed toward the specular reflector 34 or toward the document. In this modified example, light is emitted from the second exit surface 323-2, but the second exit surface 323-2 is not a surface designed for emitting light. The specular reflection light irradiator 32d may be positioned so that the light emitted from the second exit surface 323-2 is directed toward the document.

In addition, two or more exit surfaces may be configured as exit surfaces corresponding to the exit surface 323 of the specular reflection light irradiation unit 32 in the above embodiment. In that case, the light from the two exit surfaces that emit light toward the specular reflection reflector 34 may be directed toward the document by the specular reflection reflector 34 or the like.

[2-6] Equal-magnification optical system The above embodiment shows a reading device with a reduced optical system, but the present invention may be applied to a reading device with an equal-magnification optical system. The equal-magnification optical system is, for example, a CIS (Contact Image Sensor), and is composed of an LED light source that emits light, a SELFOC (registered trademark) lens that is an equal-magnification lens through which light reflected from the original 2 passes, and a light receiving element provided on the extension of the light source.

In the case of a CIS, since a SELFOC (registered trademark) lens is used, it may be difficult to set the angle between the incident light and the reflected light small, as in the above example. In that case, the incident light and the reflected light may be arranged so that the angles are the same, for example, so that they are tilted at 45 degrees with respect to the original. The incident light may also be limited by providing a slit between the LED light source and the original.

[2-7] Reading Device In the above embodiment, a reading device that reads a document placed on a document table has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to, for example, an in-line sensor arranged in the transport direction of a document being transported, and a reading device that reads a sheet of paper being transported as a document. In the above embodiment, one document was read twice, one with the specular reflection light source turned on and the other with the diffuse reflection light source turned on.

In contrast, in the case of an in-line sensor, an image sensor can be provided for each of the specular reflection light source and the diffuse reflection light source, and reading can be performed at different positions in the transport direction, or the desired reading mode can be switched, for example, if priority is given to chromaticity, the diffuse reflection light source can be turned on, and if priority is given to gloss, the specular reflection light source can be turned on. Also, even if not all documents are read during transport, for inspection, etc., the diffuse reflection light source and specular reflection light source can be switched at intervals of a certain number of sheets rather than for full inspection.

[2-8] Output Device The results of reading by the image reading device 10 may be output.
Fig. 18 shows an image forming apparatus 70 according to this modified example. The image forming apparatus 70 includes the image reading apparatus 10 shown in Fig. 2. The stronger the specular reflection light in the reading area, the higher the glossiness of the reading area. Therefore, it is possible to determine by calculations using a CPU or the like which position on the document is a glossy document and to what extent. In this case, the difference from the diffuse reflection light may also be used.

The image forming device 70 forms an image reflecting the result as image data using inkjet. In this way, the image forming device 70 outputs the degree of specular reflection based on the specular reflection light read by the image reading device 10. More specifically, the image forming device 70 outputs an image formed based on the degree of specular reflection read by the image reading device 10. Note that, in addition to outputting the image by the image forming device, the image may be processed according to the degree of gloss and output to a display device such as the screen of a PC or tablet.

10...image reading device, 20...image reading section, 21...original table, 22...original cover, 30...carriage, 31...diffuse reflection light irradiating section, 32...specular reflection light irradiating section, 33...diffuse reflection reflector, 34...specular reflection reflector, 35...mirror, 36...frame, 40...carriage, 41...mirror, 42...mirror, 50...imaging lens, 60...image sensor, 70...image forming device.

Claims (8)

a diffusion optical system having a first reflecting portion, which diffuses and reflects a determined amount of light emitted by a first light source in a reading area of a document and guides the light to a light receiving element;
a specular reflection optical system having a second reflecting portion and specularly reflecting the amount of light emitted by the second light source at the reading area and guiding the light to a light receiving element ;
Equipped with
a dimension in a short side direction of the second reflecting portion is shorter than a dimension in a short side direction of the first reflecting portion;
The amount of light reflected by the second reflecting portion is less than the amount of light reflected by the first reflecting portion,
the first light source and the second light source are disposed on the same side of the reading area with respect to the reflected light,
The first light source has a first substrate and a first light emitting unit disposed near a first end of the first substrate and emitting light, and the second light source has a second substrate and a second light emitting unit disposed near a second end of the second substrate and emitting light, and the first light source and the second light source are disposed with the first end and the second end adjacent to each other.
Reading device. The reader of claim 1 , wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are manufactured as a common component. The reading device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first substrate is fixed by a fastener provided on an opposite side to the first end, and the second substrate is fixed by a fastener provided on an opposite side to the second end. 4. The reading device according to claim 1, comprising: a frame on which components are attached; and the components include a first light guide that emits light emitted by the first light emitter, a first reflecting portion that reflects the light emitted by the first light guide, a second light guide that emits light emitted by the second light emitter, and a second reflecting portion that reflects the light emitted by the second light guide, and the components are attached to the frame in the following order: the second substrate, the second light guide, the second reflecting portion, the first substrate, the first light guide, and the first reflecting portion. The reading device of claim 4 , wherein the first substrate, the first light guide, and the first reflecting portion are attached to the frame from a first direction, and the second substrate, the second light guide, and the second reflecting portion are attached to the frame from a second direction opposite to the first direction. The reading device according to claim 4 , wherein the first reflecting portion is provided at a position farther from the document than the second reflecting portion is. A reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
an output device that outputs the degree of specular reflection based on the specular reflection light read by the reading device; An output device according to claim 7 ,
An image forming apparatus that outputs an image formed based on the degree of regular reflection read by the reading device.

Images