# US 2013/0155472 A1 · Image reading apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0155472 A1 - Document ID: US20130155472A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/361,518 - Filed: 2012-01-30 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-20 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Inventors: Hiroyuki KAWANO; Taku MATSUZAWA; Tatsuki OKAMOTO; Tadashi MINOBE; Tatsuya KUNIEDA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130155472A1 ## CPC - G03G 15/60: {Apparatus which relate to the handling of originals (for photographic purposes in general G03B)} - H04N 2201/0434: specially adapted for scanning pages of a book - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract The object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus having a large depth of field and being compact in size. The image reading apparatus includes a light source, an imaging optics system, an image pickup device unit, a memory, and a processor. The imaging optics system has a plurality of cells each being an independent optics system arranged in a main scanning direction, and arranged in two rows in a sub-scanning direction. In each of the cells, a first reflective light-gathering optical element, a first plane mirror, an aperture, and a second reflective light-gathering optical element are arranged in this order from a document, and the aperture is arranged at the back focal point position of the first reflective light-gathering optical element to form a telecentric optics system at the side of the document. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image reading apparatus, comprising: a light source configured to apply light to a document; an imaging optics system configured to condense light which is the light from the light source and reflected on the document to form an image, the imaging optics system including a plurality of cells each of which is an independent optics system, a plurality of the cells being arranged in a main scanning direction, and being arranged to form two rows of a first row and a second row in a sub-scanning direction being perpendicular to the main scanning direction, the cells arranged in an identical one of the rows being arranged such that light beams directed from the document to the cells out of chief rays are in parallel to one another, and the cells of the first row and the cells of the second row being arranged zigzag in the main scanning direction; a plurality of image pickup device units configured to be arranged so as to correspond to the cells, respectively, and configured to receive the light having passed through the cells; a memory configured to store image information pieces of the document that are respectively sent out from corresponding ones of the image pickup device units in the sub-scanning direction; and a processor configured to combine image information pieces of adjacent ones of the cells such that images in overlapping areas of the image information pieces stored in the memory match with each other, to create an image of the document, wherein each of the cells has first and second reflective light-gathering optical elements configured to reflect and condense the light from the document, a first plane mirror, and an aperture, wherein the first reflective light-gathering optical element, the first plane mirror, the aperture, and the second reflective light-gathering optical element are arranged in order in a traveling direction of the light from the document to the image pickup device unit in each of the cells, and wherein the aperture is arranged at a back focal point position of the first reflective light-gathering optical element, to form a telecentric optics system at the side of the document. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the cells has a third plane mirror, and the third plane mirror, the first reflective light-gathering optical element, the first plane mirror, the aperture, and the second reflective light-gathering optical element are arranged in order in the traveling direction of the light from the document to the image pickup device unit in each of the cells. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a reflective surface of the first reflective light-gathering optical element and a reflective surface of the second reflective light-gathering optical element are oriented in a substantially identical direction. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first reflective light-gathering optical element and the second reflective light-gathering optical element are arranged in close proximity to each other. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The image reading apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first reflective light-gathering optical element and the second reflective light-gathering optical element are integrally molded. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first plane mirror and the third plane mirror are one plane mirror. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the cells has a second plane mirror, and the first reflective light-gathering optical element, the first plane mirror, the aperture, the second plane mirror, and the second reflective light-gathering optical element are arranged in order in the traveling direction of the light from the document to the image pickup device unit in each of the cells. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image reading apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a reflective surface of the first reflective light-gathering optical element and a reflective surface of the second plane mirror are oriented in a substantially identical direction. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an incident angle of the chief rays to each of the first reflective light-gathering optical element, the second reflective light-gathering optical element, and the first plane mirror is 30 degrees or less. ### Claim 10 An image reading apparatus, comprising: a light source configured to apply light to a document; an imaging optics system configured to condense light which is the light from the light source and reflected on the document to form an image, the imaging optics system including a plurality of cells each of which is an independent optics system, a plurality of the cells being arranged in a main scanning direction, and being arranged to form two rows of a first row and a second row in a sub-scanning direction being perpendicular to the main scanning direction, the cells arranged in an identical one of the rows being arranged such that light beams directed from the document to the cells out of chief rays are in parallel to one another, and the cells of the first row and the cells of the second row being arranged zigzag in the main scanning direction; a plurality of image pickup device units configured to be arranged so as to correspond to the cells, respectively, and configured to receive the light having passed through the cells; a memory configured to store image information pieces of the document that are respectively sent out from corresponding ones of the image pickup device units in the sub-scanning direction; and a processor configured to combine image information pieces of adjacent ones of the cells such that images in overlapping areas of the image information pieces stored in the memory match with each other, to create an image of the document, wherein each of the cells has first and second reflective light-gathering optical elements configured to reflect and condense the light from the document, and an aperture, wherein the first reflective light-gathering optical element, the aperture, and the second reflective light-gathering optical element are arranged in order in a traveling direction of the light from the document to the image pickup device unit in each of the cells, the aperture is arranged at a back focal point position of the first reflective light-gathering optical element, to form a telecentric optics system at the side of the document, and wherein each of the cells only has the first reflective light-gathering optical element and the second reflective light-gathering optical element, as optical elements that reflect an optical path. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The image reading apparatus according to claim 10, wherein an incident angle of the chief rays to each of the first reflective light-gathering optical element and the second reflective light-gathering optical element is 30 degrees or less. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cells arranged in the first row and the cells arranged in the second row are arranged in a state where the light beams directed from the document to the cells out of the chief rays of the cells arranged in the first row and the light beams directed from the document to the cells out of the chief rays of the cells arranged in the second row are tilted toward a gap between the first row and the second row. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plate-like light shielding member configured to be arranged between adjacent ones of the cells in each of the first row and the second row. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the first reflective light-gathering optical element and the second reflective light-gathering optical element is a free-form surface in which a light reflective surface is different in curvature between the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The image reading apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cells arranged in the first row and the cells arranged in the second row are arranged in a state where the light beams directed from the document to the cells out of the chief rays of the cells arranged in the first row and the light beams directed from the document to the cells out of the chief rays of the cells arranged in the second row are tilted toward a gap between the first row and the second row. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The image reading apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a plate-like light shielding member configured to be arranged between adjacent ones of the cells in each of the first row and the second row. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The image reading apparatus according to claim 10, wherein one of the first reflective light-gathering optical element and the second reflective light-gathering optical element is a free-form surface in which a light reflective surface is different in curvature between the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction.