Image reading device
AssigneeMitsubishi Electric Corporation
InventorsKosaku YAMAGATA, Hironobu ARIMOTO
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image reading device can easily increase or improve the depth of field. The image reading device includes a lens array (1) including lenses (2) arrayed in a main scanning direction, a sensor array (4) including sensor elements (4) arrayed in the main scanning direction to receive light converged by the lenses (2), and an overlap preventer located between the lens array (1) and the sensor array (4) to prevent an overlap of images formed by the lenses (2). The overlap preventer includes a slit assembly (5) including at least one specific-light blocker or optically transparent columns (13).
Claims20
An image reading device, comprising:
- a lens array including lenses arrayed in a main scanning direction;
- a sensor array including sensor elements arrayed in the main scanning direction, the sensor elements being configured to receive light converged by the lenses;
- and
- an overlap preventer located between the lens array and the sensor array, the overlap preventer being configured to prevent an overlap of images formed by the lenses, the overlap preventer being a slit assembly, wherein
- the slit assembly includes
- two sidewall plates extending in the main scanning direction and facing each other in a sub-scanning direction intersecting with the main scanning direction,
- a plurality of slit plates extending in the sub-scanning direction between the two sidewall plates to partition a space between the two sidewall plates, and
- at least one specific-light blocker protruding from each of the plurality of slit plates in the main scanning direction to block specific light incident at an angle smaller than or equal to an angular aperture of the lenses from entering the sensor elements, and
- the at least one specific-light blocker includes a beam extending between the two sidewall plates and has a portion nearer the lenses protruding further than a portion nearer the sensor elements.
-7. (canceled)
An image reading device, comprising:
- a lens array including lenses arrayed in a main scanning direction;
- a sensor array including sensor elements arrayed in the main scanning direction, the sensor elements being configured to receive light converged by the lenses;
- and
- overlap preventers each located, for a corresponding optical axis of optical axes of the lenses, between the lens array and the sensor array, the overlap preventers being configured to prevent an overlap of images formed by the lenses, the overlap preventers being optically transparent columns, wherein
- the optically transparent columns are arrayed in the main scanning direction and correspond one-to-one to the lenses with bottom surfaces of the optically transparent columns and bottom surfaces of the lenses facing and spaced apart from each other, and
- the optically transparent columns each have an optical axis aligned with the optical axis of a corresponding lens of the lenses, and a dimension of each of the optically transparent columns in an optical axis direction is adjustable to prevent an overlap of images formed by the lenses.
(canceled)
An image reading device, comprising:
- a lens array including lenses arrayed in a main scanning direction;
- a sensor array including sensor elements arrayed in the main scanning direction, the sensor elements being configured to receive light converged by the lenses;
- and
- an overlap preventer located between the lens array and the sensor array, the overlap preventer being configured to prevent an overlap of images formed by the lenses, the overlap preventer being a slit assembly, wherein
- the slit assembly includes
- two sidewall plates extending in the main scanning direction and facing each other in a sub-scanning direction intersecting with the main scanning direction, and
- a plurality of slit plates extending in the sub-scanning direction between the two sidewall plates to partition a space between the two sidewall plates to form a plurality of slits, and
- a number of the slits of the slit assembly that are arranged in the main scanning direction is smaller than a number of the lenses of the lens array that are arranged in the main scanning direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.