JP7501103B2 - 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 that reads an original using a first irradiation means that reads the diffuse reflection light component from the original and a second irradiation means that irradiates light to read a portion of the specular reflection light component from the original, in which the first irradiation means and the second irradiation means are oriented toward the original at different angles.

JP 2010-130444 A

When an image is generated by reading the diffusely reflected light and specularly reflected light of light emitted toward a document using an image sensor, factors other than the angle of the light emitted toward the document also have an effect.
Therefore, the present invention aims to reduce the amount of diffuse reflected light that is reflected from areas of the document surface that reflect specular light and reaches the image sensor when the specular reflected light is read, when an apparatus that reads diffuse reflected light and specular reflected light from the document surface using an image sensor changes the light that is shone on the document surface depending on the light to be read.

The reading device according to claim 1 of the present invention is characterized by comprising an image sensor that generates an image from both light diffusely reflected and light specularly reflected in a reading area, a diffuse reflection irradiation section that has a main scanning direction as its longitudinal direction and irradiates the diffusely reflected light toward the reading area, and a specular reflection irradiation section that has a main scanning direction as its longitudinal direction and irradiates the specularly reflected light toward the reading area, the specular reflection irradiation section irradiating light whose width in the short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is narrower than the width of the diffuse reflection irradiation section.

The reading device according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized by comprising an image sensor that generates an image from both light diffusely reflected and light specularly reflected in a reading area, a diffuse reflection irradiation unit having a reflective surface that is longitudinal in the main scanning direction and reflects the diffusely reflected light toward the reading area, and a specular reflection irradiation unit having a reflective surface that is longitudinal in the main scanning direction and reflects the specularly reflected light toward the reading area, the specular reflection irradiation unit having a reflective surface that is shorter in the short dimension of the reflective surface than the diffuse reflection irradiation unit.

The reading device according to claim 3 of the present invention is an embodiment of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, which includes an emission section that emits light toward the diffuse reflection irradiation section and the reading area, and the image sensor also generates an image from the light emitted by the emission section, which reaches the reading area directly and is diffusely reflected.

The reading device according to claim 4 of the present invention is an embodiment of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the diffuse reflection irradiation unit reflects the light emitted from the first exit surface, the specular reflection irradiation unit reflects the light emitted from the second exit surface, and the distance from the second exit surface to the reflection surface of the specular reflection irradiation unit is shorter than the distance from the first exit surface to the reflection surface of the diffuse reflection irradiation unit.

The reading device according to claim 5 of the present invention is an embodiment of any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is provided with a first blocking section that prevents the light emitted from the first emission surface from directly reaching the reflection surface of the specular reflection irradiation section.

The reading device according to claim 6 of the present invention is the embodiment described in claim 5, characterized in that it includes a second blocking section that prevents the light emitted from the second emission surface from directly reaching the reading area, the second blocking section being integrated with the first blocking section.

The reading device according to claim 7 of the present invention is an embodiment of any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the reflecting surface of the specular reflection irradiation unit has a greater degree of change in the direction of travel of the light rays contained in the light when reflecting the incident light to a converging direction than the reflecting surface of the diffuse reflection irradiation unit.

The reading device according to claim 8 of the present invention is an embodiment of any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the light source that emits the light incident on the diffuse reflection irradiation section has a greater degree of diffusion of the emitted light than the light source that emits the light incident on the specular reflection irradiation section.

The output device according to claim 9 of the present invention is characterized in that it uses a reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 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 10 of the present invention is characterized in that it includes the output device according to claim 9 and outputs an image formed based on the degree of regular reflection read by the reading device.

According to the inventions of claims 1, 2, 9 and 10, when an apparatus for reading diffuse reflected light and specular reflected light from a document surface using an image sensor changes the light irradiated onto the document surface depending on the light to be read, it is possible to reduce the amount of diffuse reflected light that is reflected from areas of the document surface that reflect specular reflected light and reaches the image sensor when the specular reflected light is read.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress a change in image quality when the orientation of the document is changed, compared to a case in which light is irradiated onto the reading area only from one direction.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the light amount distribution of the diffusely reflected light can be made gentler than when the distance relationship is opposite to that of the present invention.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an event in which the quality of a read image is changed due to the light emitted for diffuse reflection being mixed with the light for specular reflection.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an event in which the image quality of a read image is changed due to the light emitted for specular reflection being mixed with the light for diffuse reflection.
According to the invention of claim 7, the light amount distribution of the diffusely reflected light can be made gentler than when the relationship of the degree to which the propagation direction of the light rays contained in the light is changed in a converging direction is the opposite to that of the present invention.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the light amount distribution of the diffusely reflected light can be made gentler than when the relationship of the degree of diffusion of the light emitted by the light source is opposite to that of the present invention.

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 Diagram showing the emission surface as seen from the front FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of light quantity distribution. 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 Comparison of light distribution 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 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 emitting portion for regular reflection; FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of a light output section 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), 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 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 seen in a direction along the main scanning direction A1. Note that the main scanning direction A1 in the figure is represented by an arrow pointing from the front to the back of the page, but the direction from the back to the front of the page is also referred to as the main scanning direction A1.

The image reading unit 20 comprises 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 their longitudinal 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 emitting section 31, a specular reflection light emitting section 32, a diffuse reflection reflector 33, a specular reflection reflector 34, a mirror 35, a first blocking member 36, and a second blocking member 37.

The light emitting section 31 for diffuse reflection has an exit surface 313 and emits light for diffuse reflection from the original 2 from the exit surface 313. The light emitting section 32 for specular reflection has an exit surface 323 and emits light for specular reflection from the original 2 from the exit surface 323. The light emitting section 31 for diffuse reflection is an example of an "exit section" in the present invention, and the light emitting section 32 for specular reflection is an example of a "second exit section" in the present invention.

The diffuse reflection light emitting 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 aforementioned exit surface 313, and guides the light from the light source 311 to the exit surface 313. The exit surface 313 is generally flat, but has fine undulations, which diffuse the emitted light.

The light emitting section for specular reflection 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 aforementioned exit surface 323, and guides the light from the light source 321 to the exit surface 323. The exit surface 323 is generally flat, but has fine undulations, which diffuse the emitted light. The structure of the light emitting section for specular reflection 32 is the same as that of the light emitting section for diffuse reflection 31.

The diffuse reflection exit surface 323 of the specular reflection light exit section 32 has a greater degree of diffusion of the emitted light than the specular reflection exit surface 313 of the diffuse reflection light exit section 31. The shapes of the exit surface 313 and the exit surface 323 will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

Figure 4 shows the exit surface as seen from the front. As shown in Figure 4(a), the exit surface 313 is a surface whose longitudinal direction is the main scanning direction A1, and has a rectangular shape when seen from the front. The light guide 312, the light source 311, and the diffuse reflection light exit section 31 having them are also members whose longitudinal direction is the main scanning direction A1. The dimension of the short side direction A3 of the exit surface 313 is dimension W1. The short side direction A3 is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the exit surface 313 (= the direction along the main scanning direction A1) and along the exit surface 313.

The light emitting section for regular reflection 32 is a member of the same shape and size as the light emitting section for diffuse reflection 31. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, the exit surface 323 is also a surface whose long side is in the main scanning direction A1, and has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The exit surface 313 is formed to have a size such that the dimension in the short side direction A3 is dimension W1.

The light emitting section for specular reflection 32 is a member of the same shape and size as the light emitting section for diffuse reflection 31. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, the exit surface 323 is also a surface whose longitudinal direction is the main scanning direction A1, and has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The exit surface 323 is formed with a size such that the dimension in the short side direction A4 is dimension W2. The short side direction A4 is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the exit surface 323 (= the direction along the main scanning direction A1) and along the exit surface 323.

In addition, light guide 312 has a portion whose cross section intersecting with a plane perpendicular to exit surface 313 is rectangular, and light guide 322 has a portion whose cross section intersecting with a plane perpendicular to exit surface 323 is rectangular. When the front shapes of exit surface 313 and exit surface 323 and the cross-sectional shapes of light guide 312 and light guide 322 are rectangular in this way, the light quantity distribution is more likely to be stable even if a tolerance occurs in the shape of the light guide, compared to when they are not rectangular.

The light amount distribution referred to here is a distribution expressed by the amount of light passing through each position on an imaginary plane parallel to the emission surface when the imaginary plane is provided in the space irradiated with light.
Fig. 5 shows an example of the light amount distribution of the light emitted by the light emitting portion for specular reflection 32. In the example of Fig. 5, a light amount distribution D1 in a case where a plane positioned at a distance L1 from the emission surface 323 of the light guide 322 is viewed in a direction along the main scanning direction A1 is shown in a graph.

The horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 5 represents the spatial position in the short direction A4 of the exit surface 323. The vertical axis of the graph shown in FIG. 5 represents the amount of light passing through each position. FIG. 5 also shows the optical axis C1, which is the optical path of light that passes through the center of the exit surface 323 and is emitted in the normal direction of the exit surface 323.

The light exit surface 323 diffuses the light in both the main scanning direction A1 and the short side direction A4 due to the fine undulations described above. This prevents the amount of light from concentrating at a specific position, and makes the amount of light more uniform than in the absence of diffusion. However, this does not result in completely uniform light, so the amount of light at each position in space in the short side direction A4 is maximum on the optical axis C1 and decreases the further away from the optical axis C1.

The light quantity distribution D1 extends over a range wider than the dimension W2 of the short side direction A4 of the exit surface 323. This is because the exit surface 323 is not a perfect plane but has some undulations, which causes the emitted light to be diffused, and because light has the tendency to travel in directions other than a straight line. The shape of the specular reflector 34 is designed so that only a portion of the light emitted from the exit surface 323 is reflected toward the original 2, as shown in Figure 3.

A part of the light emitted from the emission surface 313 of the light emitting portion 31 for diffuse reflection reaches the reflector 33 for diffuse reflection, as shown in FIG.
6 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 the emission surface 313 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 diffuse reflector 33 is an example of the "diffuse reflection irradiation section" of the present invention, and the emission surface 313 is an example of the "first emission surface" of the present invention. In this embodiment, the reflecting surface 331 has a flat shape.

Figure 7 shows the reflective surface 331 as viewed from the front. As shown in the figure, the reflective surface 331 of the diffuse reflector 33 has a longitudinal direction in the main scanning direction A1, similar to the exit 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 dimension W3 in the short direction A4. The reflective surface 331 is located at a distance L2 from the exit surface 313 along the optical axis C1.

On the other hand, a part of the light emitted from the emission surface 323 of the light guide 322 of the light emitting portion 32 for specular reflection reaches the reflector 34 for specular reflection as shown in FIG.
8 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 specular reflection (light specularly reflected by the original 2) toward the reading region R1. The specular reflector 34 is an example of the "specular reflection irradiating section" of the present invention, and the emission surface 323 is an example of the "second emission surface" of the present invention. In this embodiment, the reflecting surface 341 has a flat shape.

Figure 9 shows the reflective surface 341 as viewed from the front. As shown in the figure, the reflective 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 reflective surface 341 is formed with a dimension W4 in the short direction A5. The reflective surface 341 is provided at a position that is distance L3 from the exit surface 323 along the optical axis C1.

In this embodiment, the distance L3 from the exit surface 323 to the reflecting surface 341 of the specular reflector 34 is shorter than the distance L2 from the exit surface 313 to the reflecting surface 331 of the diffuse reflector 33 shown in FIG. 6. In addition, the dimension W4 in the short side direction A5 of the specular reflecting surface 341 is shorter than the dimension W3 in the short side direction A4 of the diffuse reflecting surface 331 shown in FIG. 7.

Note that dimension W4 is not only smaller than dimension W3, but also smaller than dimensions W1 and W2. On the other hand, dimension W3 is larger than dimension W1. In this embodiment, dimensions W1 and W2 are the same. Note that in this embodiment, dimension W4 is 2.0 mm, and dimension W3 is 4.5 mm.

In this embodiment, since both the reflective surface 331 and the reflective surface 341 are flat, the width of the reflected light is proportional to the width of the reflective surface. Therefore, the specular reflector 34 irradiates the reading area R1 with light whose width in the short direction A4 is narrower than the width of the light in the short direction A5 of the diffuse reflector 33. As a result, the following differences occur in the light quantity distribution between the light reflected by the reflective surface 331 of the diffuse reflector 33 and the light reflected by the reflective surface 341 of the specular reflector 34.

Figure 10 shows a comparison of light quantity distributions. In Figure 10, the light quantity distribution D2 due to the reflecting surface 331 of the diffuse reflector 33 is shown by a two-dot chain line, and the light quantity distribution D3 due to the reflecting surface 341 of the specular reflector 34 is shown by a solid line. In addition, to make it easier to compare the light quantity distributions, the optical axis C1 of the light reflected by the reflecting surface 331 of the diffuse reflector 33 and the optical axis C1 of the light reflected by the reflecting surface 341 of the specular reflector 34 are shown overlapping each other in Figure 10.

Because light outside the diffuse reflector 33 is not reflected by the diffuse reflector 33, the amount of light outside the specular reflector 34 is reduced in light distribution D3 compared to light distribution D1. However, the light reflected by the specular reflector 34 diverges slightly even after being reflected by the specular reflector 34, and the width of the light beam increases, so that the amount of light also appears outside the width of the specular reflector 34 before it reaches the original.

As described above, the dimension W4 in the short direction A5 of the reflecting surface 341 is shorter than the dimension W3 in the short direction A4 of the reflecting surface 331, and the width in the short direction A4 of the light reflected by the specular reflector 34 is narrower than the width in the short direction A5 of the light reflected by the diffuse reflector 33. Therefore, the light quantity distribution D3 indicates that the amount of light at positions away from the optical axis C1 is significantly reduced compared to the light quantity distribution D2.

As shown in Figures 5 and 10, the amount of light heading toward the reading region R1 is greatest in the space through which the optical axis C1 passes. The reflective surface 331 of the diffuse reflection reflector 33 reflects the light passing through the optical axis C1. In other words, the reflective surface 331 is positioned in the direction in which the amount of light emitted by the diffuse reflection light emitting section 31 is greatest. By setting the optical path to include the optical axis C1 while restricting the light in this way, stable light can be directed toward the original 2. Furthermore, the orientation of the self-reflective surface of the reflective surface 331 is fixed so that the light reflected by the self-reflective surface reaches the reading region R1 of the original 2 shown in Figure 3.

When the light reflected by the reflective surface 331 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.
11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining a case where the original 2 is lifted. Fig. 11A shows a case where the mirror 35 is not disposed vertically below the reading region R1, and Fig. 11B 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. 11(a) has a smaller angle of incidence with respect to original 2 than the specularly reflected light incident on mirror 35 in FIG. 11(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, etc., the reduction in specularly reflected light reflected by mirror 35 is less in the case of FIG. 11(b) than in the case of FIG. 11(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 specularly reflected by the original 2 is reflected by the mirror 35 and guided to the optical path B1 shown in FIG. 2 that leads to the image sensor 60. In this way, for the light specularly reflected by the original 2, the specular reflector 34 forms an optical path that guides the light emitted from the exit surface 323 of the light guide 322 toward the reflecting surface 341 of the specular reflector 34 to the original 2, i.e., an optical path for the light that is directed toward the specular reflector 34 and an optical path that is reflected by the specular reflector 34 and is directed to the original 2.

The light reflected by the specular reflector 34 and specularly reflected by the original 2 is guided by mirrors 35, 41, 42, and imaging lens 50 to reach the image sensor 60. The image sensor 60 generates an image represented by the light that has reached it, i.e., the light specularly reflected by the original 2. As described above, part of the light emitted by the specular light emitting section 32 is reflected by the specular reflector 34 and is further specularly reflected by the original 2 to represent an image.

On the other hand, the light emitted by the diffuse reflection light emitting section 31 is diffusely reflected by the original 2 to show an image. Most of the light emitted from the emission surface 313 of the light guide 312 of the diffuse reflection light emitting section 31 heads directly towards the reading area of the original 2, but the diffuse reflection reflector 33 is provided so that the light that is not headed directly can also be directed towards the original 2. Since it is desirable to receive as much diffuse reflection light as possible, the configuration is such that more light reaches the original 2 in this way.

Therefore, the reflecting surface 331 of the diffuse reflector 33 has a width such that the light traveling from the exit surface 313 toward the diffuse reflector 33 travels toward the reading area of the original 2, and is fixed in a direction that reflects the light toward the reading area of the original 2. In other words, the diffuse reflector 33 is provided in a position where the specularly reflected light of the light reflected by the reflecting surface 331 and reaching the original 2 does not travel toward the optical path B1. Therefore, a portion of the diffusely reflected light of the light reflected by the reflecting surface 331 and reaching the original 2 travels toward the optical path B1, as shown in FIG. 3.

The light thus traveling along optical path B1 is guided to image sensor 60 by mirror 35 and the like. As described above, diffuse reflection light emitting section 31 is positioned so that an image represented by the light emitted by its own emitting section and diffusely reflected by original 2 is generated by image sensor 60. Image sensor 60 generates an image represented by the light that reaches it, i.e., the light diffusely reflected by original 2. As described above, image sensor 60 generates an image from both the light diffusely reflected and the light specularly reflected in reading region R1.

In addition, a portion of the light emitted from the emission surface 313 of the light guide 312 of the diffuse reflection light emitting section 31 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 emitting section 31 emits light toward the diffuse reflection reflector 33 and the reading region R1. The diffuse reflection light emitting section 31 is an example of an "emitting section" in the present invention. The image sensor 60 also generates an image from the light emitted by the diffuse reflection light emitting section 31, which reaches the reading region R1 directly and is diffusely reflected.

The first blocking member 36 is a plate-like member provided between the emission surface 313 of the diffuse reflection light emitting portion 31 and the reflection surface 341 of the specular reflection reflector 34, and prevents the light emitted from the emission surface 313 from directly reaching the reflection surface 341. The first blocking member 36 is an example of the "first blocking portion" of the present invention. The provision of the first blocking member 36 prevents the occurrence of an event in which the light emitted for diffuse reflection also reaches the reflection surface 341, where it is reflected and mixed as light heading toward the reading region R1 at an angle for specular reflection, thereby changing the image quality of the image read as a diffuse reflection image.

The second blocking member 37 is a plate-like member provided between the emission surface 323 of the specular reflection light emission section 32 for specular reflection and the reflection surface 331 of the diffuse reflection reflector 33 for diffuse reflection, and is formed to be integrated with the first blocking member 36. The second blocking member 37 prevents the light emitted from the emission surface 323 from directly reaching the reflection surface 331. The second blocking member 37 is an example of the "second blocking section" of the present invention. The provision of the second blocking member 37 prevents the occurrence of an event in which the image quality of the read image changes due to the light emitted for specular reflection being mixed with the light for diffuse reflection.

The first blocking member 36 and the second blocking member 37 are plate-like members that do not transmit light, and are examples of the "first blocking section" and "second blocking section" of the present invention, respectively. The first blocking member 36 and the second blocking member 37 are integrally configured. Here, the second blocking member 37 is attached to the reading region R1 side of the light guide 322 to support and reinforce the light guide 322. This reduces damage to the light guide 322 compared to when the second blocking member 37 is not attached to the light guide 322.

In addition, since the first blocking member 36 is indirectly attached to the light guide 322, it can be arranged closer to the reflecting surface 341 than if it were attached to the light guide 312. The first blocking member 36 and the second blocking member 37 do not have to be integrated, and the location of attachment is not limited to the light guide.

Next, the detailed configuration of the light source 311 and the light source 321 will be described.
12 shows an enlarged view of light source 311 and light source 321. 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 substrate 111. Light-emitting unit 112 is, for example, an LED array, and is provided close to a lower end 114 of substrate 111. Substrate 111 is fixed to a frame of its own device by fastener 113 provided on the side opposite end 114.

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 fixes the substrate 211. The light-emitting unit 212 is, for example, an LED array, and is provided close to the upper end 214 of the substrate 211. The substrate 211 is fixed to the frame of the device by the fastener 213 provided on the side opposite the end 214. The substrate 111 and the light-emitting unit 112 are provided in different orientations, but are manufactured as a common part to the substrate 211 and the light-emitting unit 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. 12, 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 and diffuse reflection, but the timing of the light irradiation is separate. First, the image reading unit 20 turns on the diffuse reflection light emitting 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 processor 11 with original image data showing an image of the diffuse reflection light from the original 2.

Next, when carriage 30 and carriage 40 are returned to their original positions from the ends in the sub-scanning direction, specular reflection light emitting 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 emitting section 31, but the diffuse reflection light emitting section 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 reflection 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 emission surface may be multiple faces rather than a single flat surface.

In this embodiment, the light emitted by the specular reflection light emitting section 32 is specularly reflected by the original 2 as the light with 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 the specular light is too wide, the specularly 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 diffusely reflected light of that light heads toward the optical path B1.

Figure 13 shows an example in which specularly reflected light is mixed with diffusely reflected light. Figure 13(a) shows, as a comparative example, a state in which the diffusely reflected light of light emitted by the specular light emitting section 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 diffuse reflected light and the specular reflected light share a common optical path, which results in a smaller reading device than when the diffuse reflected light and the specular reflected light have different optical paths. 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 emitting section 32 is the greatest. This prevents the specular reflected light from including areas with low amounts of light, compared to when the reflective surface 341 of the specular reflection reflector 34 is arranged in a different direction, and increases the brightness of the generated image.

When the surface of a document has undulations caused by ink or the like, the light distribution of the 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 the light emitted by the diffuse reflection light emitting section 31, which is reflected by the diffuse reflection reflector 33 and reaches the reading area R1 and is diffusely reflected, but also from the light emitted by the diffuse reflection light emitting section 31, which reaches the reading area R1 directly and is 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.

The longer the distance from the exit surface to the reflecting surface, the more the light is diffused and the more gentle the light distribution becomes. On the other hand, it is desirable for the light distribution of diffuse reflected light to be gentle. In this embodiment, the distance L3 from the exit surface 323 to the reflecting surface 341 shown in FIG. 8 is shorter than the distance L2 from the exit surface 313 to the reflecting surface 331 shown in FIG. 6. This results in a gentler light distribution of the diffuse reflected light compared to the opposite distance relationship.

In addition, in this embodiment, the exit surface 323 of the specular reflection light exit section 32 is an example of a diffusion section that diffuses the emitted light. As a result, compared to a case where there is no diffusion section, the reflection area of the document is narrowed by shortening the short dimension of the reflection surface while maintaining the uniformity of the amount of light by diffusing the light.

In addition, the absolute amount of light of diffuse reflected light is smaller than that of specular reflected light, so the difference in light amount is more likely to affect image quality. In this embodiment, the diffuse reflection exit surface 313 of the diffuse reflection light exit section 31 diffuses the emitted light to a greater extent than the specular reflection exit surface 323 of the specular reflection light exit section 32. This reduces the effect of diffuse reflection light on the image quality of the image it represents, compared to when the magnitude relationship of the degree of diffusion is reversed.

When creating a single image by combining a specular reflection image based on specularly reflected light and a diffuse reflection image based on diffusely reflected light, the image is generated based on the diffuse reflection image for characteristics other than gloss, which is more sensitive to specular reflection (characteristics such as color and sharpness that are more accurately indicated by diffuse reflection). In this embodiment, the diffuse reflection image generated in this way has less impact on image quality.

In addition, in this embodiment, by using the regular reflection reflector 34 to focus only a portion of the light, it is not necessary to add new parts, and the number of parts can be reduced.

In this way, when the light emitted by the specular light emitting section 32 reaches the specular reflector 34, only a portion of the light is directed toward the original document because the width of the reflective surface of the specular reflector 34 is narrow, and the rest of the light passes behind the specular reflector 34 and does not go in the direction of the original document. In other words, only a certain area of the irradiated light is directed toward the original document, and the other areas of the light do not. This is different from a configuration in which a filter or the like is provided over the entire optical path to adjust so that only a specific component of the light is directed toward the original document, or the amount of light is reduced by adjusting the light transmittance.

[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] Blocking Section In the embodiment, the carriage 30 is provided with the first blocking member 36 and the second blocking member 37, but it may be provided with only one of them. Even in this case, the change in image quality caused by mixing of the light emitted for diffuse reflection from the side where the blocking section is provided and the light for specular reflection is prevented.

[2-2] 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 14 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 other shapes such as concave, multi-faceted, and curved surfaces are also possible.

In the embodiment, the width W4 in the short direction A5 of the specular reflector 34 is narrowed to less than half the width of the dimension W2 in the short direction A4 of the exit surface 323 of the specular light exit section 32, but in the case of converging light, it does not need to be that 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.

[2-3] Light Entry In the above embodiment, the light from the irradiation unit is first reflected by the specular reflector 34, so that only the light reflected from the specular reflector 34 is allowed to enter the reading region R1 of the document 2, but it is also possible to allow the light to enter directly without using reflection. Note that, 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 an 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.

[2-4] 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.
15 is an enlarged view of a carriage 30b according to this modified example. The carriage 30b has a light emitting portion for specular reflection 32b, a light emitting portion for diffuse reflection 31b, a reflector for specular reflection 34b, and a mirror 35b.

The specular reflection light emitting section 32b is disposed on a different side of the light path B1b than the diffuse reflection light emitting section 31b. The light emitted by the specular reflection light emitting section 32b is reflected by the specular reflection reflector 34b and enters the reading region R1. The diffuse reflection light emitting section 31b irradiates the reading region R1 of the original 2 with direct light without using a reflector. In the example of FIG. 15, 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 region R1.

[2-5] 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 and shifted to one side of the optical path, or the optical axis C1 may not be included in the optical path.
Fig. 16 shows an enlarged view of a carriage 30c according to this modified example. In addition to the diffuse reflection light emitting portion 31 shown in Fig. 3, the carriage 30c includes a specular reflection light emitting portion 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. 17 shows an example of the light amount distribution of the light emitted by the light emitting portion for specular reflection 32c. In the example of Fig. 17, a light amount distribution D1c when a plane located a predetermined distance from the light emitting portion for specular reflection 32c is viewed in a direction along the main scanning direction A1 is shown in a graph.

In the example of FIG. 17, 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. 16, 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.

[2-6] Light emitting portion The shape of the light emitting portion is not limited to that described in the embodiment. For example, the light emitting portion may have an exit surface having a shape other than a rectangle. Furthermore, the light emitting portion may have two or more surfaces as the exit surface instead of one surface.

Figure 18 shows the specular reflection light emitting section 32d of this modified example. The specular reflection light emitting section 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 18, the specular reflection light emitting section 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 emitting section 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. 18, the light emitted from the second exit surface 323-2 is not directed toward the specular reflection 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 created for emitting light. The specular reflection light exit section 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 exit section 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.

[2-7] 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.

[2-8] 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.

[2-9] Output Device The results of reading by the image reading device 10 may be output.
Fig. 19 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 glossy to what degree. 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...light emitting section for diffuse reflection, 32...light emitting section for regular reflection, 33...reflector for diffuse reflection, 34...reflector for regular reflection, 35...mirror, 36...first blocking member, 37...second blocking member, 40...carriage, 41...mirror, 42...mirror, 50...imaging lens, 60...image sensor, 70...image forming device.

Claims (9)

the image sensor generating an image from both light diffusely reflected and light specularly reflected in a reading area; a diffuse reflection irradiation section having a longitudinal direction in a main scanning direction and irradiating the diffusely reflected light toward the reading area; and a specular reflection irradiation section having a longitudinal direction in the main scanning direction and irradiating the specularly reflected light toward the reading area, the specular reflection irradiation section irradiating light whose width in a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is narrower than the width of the diffuse reflection irradiation section ,
The light source that emits the light that is incident on the diffuse reflection irradiation section has a greater degree of diffusion of the emitted light than the light source that emits the light that is incident on the specular reflection irradiation section.
Reading device. an image sensor that generates an image from both diffusely reflected light and specularly reflected light in a reading area;
a diffuse reflection irradiation unit having a reflecting surface that is elongated in a main scanning direction and that reflects the diffusely reflected light toward the reading area;
a specular reflection irradiation unit having a reflecting surface that is longitudinal in the main scanning direction and reflects the specularly reflected light toward the reading area, the specular reflection irradiation unit having a smaller dimension in the short side direction of the reflecting surface than the diffuse reflection irradiation unit ;
The light source that emits the light that is incident on the diffuse reflection irradiation section has a greater degree of diffusion of the emitted light than the light source that emits the light that is incident on the specular reflection irradiation section.
Reading device. The reading device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an emission section which emits light toward the diffuse reflection irradiation section and the reading area, and the image sensor also generates an image from light emitted by the emission section, which reaches the reading area directly and is diffusely reflected. The diffuse reflection irradiation unit reflects light emitted from a first emission surface,
The specular reflection irradiation unit reflects the light emitted from the second emission surface,
The reading device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a distance from the second exit surface to the reflecting surface of the specular reflection irradiating unit is shorter than a distance from the first exit surface to the reflecting surface of the diffuse reflection irradiating unit. The reading device according to claim 4 , further comprising a first blocking section that prevents the light emitted from the first emission surface from directly reaching the reflection surface of the regular reflection irradiation section. The reading device according to claim 5 , further comprising a second blocking section that prevents the light emitted from the second exit surface from directly reaching the reading area, the second blocking section being integral with the first blocking section. The reading device according to claim 1 , wherein the reflective surface of the specular reflection irradiation unit changes the direction of travel of light rays contained in the incident light to a converging direction to a greater extent than the reflective surface of the diffuse reflection irradiation unit when reflecting the incident light. A reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
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 8 ,
An image forming apparatus that outputs an image formed based on the degree of regular reflection read by the reading device.

Images