Image sensor and image input/output apparatus using same
AssigneeMitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorToshio Matsumoto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is a problem that the contact-type image sensor, for adoption in an image input/output apparatus to input/output the image of a large-sized document, such as A0 or A1 size, is weak in lengthwise rigidity and readily deflected at its lengthwise center by its own weight. Accordingly, by attaching a deformation rectifier to the image sensor in a lengthwise direction thereof, the contact type image sensor is reinforced in lengthwise rigidity. The deformation rectifier reinforces the rigidity of the contact type image sensor, thereby preventing the contact type image sensor from deflecting vertically relative to its lengthwise direction and keeping constant the focal length between the surface of the document to be read and the sensor IC.
Claims8
An image sensor comprising:
- a glass plate -for passing through the light reflected from a document arranged at a predetermined distance from said grass plate;
- a light source for illuminating the surface of a document to be read through said glass plate;
- a lens for focusing, to a predetermined position, light emitted from said light source and reflected from the reading surface of the document;
- an image reading device for converting the light reflected from the document and passing said lens into image read-out information;
- a housing accommodating and supporting said glass plate, said light source, said lens and said image reading device in a predetermined position and formed to have a length greater than a width of the document;
- and
- a deformation preventing device formed along the lengthwise direction of said housing and reinforcing rigidity of said housing to thereby prevent said housing from deflecting perpendicularly to the lengthwise direction, thereby keeping the interval between surface of the document to be read and said image reading device constant at the focal length.
An image input/output apparatus comprising:
- a document inserting inlet for inserting a document for image reading from the outside;
- a roller for transporting the document inserted from said document inserting inlet;
- an image sensor having a light source for illuminating the surface of the document to be read and inserted at said document inserting inlet and transported by said roller, a lens for focusing light emitted from said light source and reflected from the surface of the document to a predetermined position, an image reading device for converting the light reflected from the document and passing said lens into image read-out information, a housing accommodating and supporting said light source, said lens and said image reading device in a predetermined position and formed to have a length greater than the width of the document;
- and a deformation preventing device formed along a lengthwise direction of said housing and reinforcing rigidity of said housing, thereby keeping the interval between the surface of the document to be read and said image reading device at the focal length;
- and
- a read-out image information output device for outputting image information read out by said image sensor to the outside.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.