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US 8,575,581 B2Granted
Image reading apparatus
AssigneePfu Limited
InventorMikio Murosaki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus includes: a body including a port into which a medium is insertable; a light source that is provided in the body and illuminates when an image is read for the medium that has been inserted into the port; a guide and output unit that is optically connected to the light source, guides light emitted from the light source, and outputs the guided light into the port; a receiver that detects the output light; and a determiner that determines whether the medium has been inserted into the port based on a result of the detection. The light source also illuminates when the determiner makes the determination. A region in the port through which the light output from the light guide and output unit passes exists from one end to the other end of the port in a width direction being a longitudinal direction of the port.
Claims9
An image reading apparatus, comprising:
- an apparatus body including an insertion port into which a sheet medium is insertable;
- a light source provided in the apparatus body and configured to emit light for reading an image on the sheet medium inserted into the insertion port;
- a light guide and output unit optically connected to the light source and configured to guide the light emitted from the light source and output the guided light into the insertion port;
- a light receiving unit configured to detect the light output from the light guide and output unit;
- and
- a determining unit configured to determine whether the sheet medium is inserted into the insertion port based on a detection result by the light receiving unit, wherein
- the light source is configured to emit the light when the determining unit determines whether the sheet medium is inserted into the insertion port,
- the insertion port includes a region through which the light output from the light guide and output unit passes, the region extending from one end to the other end of the insertion port in a width direction, the width direction being a longitudinal direction of the insertion port,
- the light guide and output unit is configured to output the light emitted from the light source from the one end of the insertion port in the width direction,
- the light receiving unit is configured to detect the light output from the light guide and output unit at the other end of the insertion port in the width direction,
- the image reading apparatus further comprises a pair of light reflecting members provided opposite to each other in a sheet thickness direction orthogonal both to (i) an inserting direction of the sheet medium into the insertion port and to (ii) the width direction, the pair of light reflecting members is configured to reflect light incident on opposite surfaces of the pair of light reflecting members, and
- an optical axis of the light output from the light guide and output unit is configured to intersect with a normal line direction of one of the opposite surfaces of the pair of light reflecting members, so that the light reflected by the pair of light reflecting members is received by the light receiving unit.
9 more elements
An image reading apparatus, comprising:
- an apparatus body including an insertion port into which a sheet medium is insertable;
- a light source provided in the apparatus body and configured to emit light for reading an image on the sheet medium inserted into the insertion port;
- a light guide and output unit optically connected to the light source and configured to guide the light emitted from the light source and output the guided light into the insertion port;
- a light receiving unit configured to detect the light output from the light guide and output unit;
- and
- a determining unit configured to determine whether the sheet medium is inserted into the insertion port based on a detection result by the light receiving unit, wherein
- the light source is configured to emit the light when the determining unit determines whether the sheet medium is inserted into the insertion port,
- the insertion port includes a region through which the light output from the light guide and output unit passes, the region extending from one end to the other end of the insertion port in a width direction, the width direction being a longitudinal direction of the insertion port,
- the light guide and output unit is configured to output the light emitted from the light source from the one end of the insertion port in the width direction,
- the light receiving unit is configured to detect the light output from the light guide and output unit at the other end of the insertion port in the width direction,
- in the light guide and output unit, a plurality of light output positions from which the light from the light guide and output unit is output is set in a sheet thickness direction orthogonal both to (i) an inserting direction of the sheet medium into the insertion port and to (ii) the width direction, and
- in the light receiving unit, a plurality of light receiving positions at which the light output from the light guide and output unit is received is set in the sheet thickness direction, correspondingly with the plurality of light output positions set in the light guide and output unit.
9 more elements
An image reading apparatus, comprising:
- an apparatus body including an insertion port into which a sheet medium is insertable;
- a light source provided in the apparatus body and configured to emit light for reading an image on the sheet medium inserted into the insertion port;
- a light guide and output unit optically connected to the light source and configured to guide the light emitted from the light source and output the guided light into the insertion port;
- a light receiving unit configured to detect the light output from the light guide and output unit;
- a determining unit configured to determine whether the sheet medium is inserted into the insertion port based on a detection result by the light receiving unit;
- and
- a first light refracting member and a second light refracting member opposite each other in a sheet thickness direction orthogonal both to (i) an inserting direction of the sheet medium into the insertion port and to (ii) a width direction which is a longitudinal direction of the insertion port, wherein
- the first light refracting member is optically connected to the light guide and output unit and configured to receive the light output from the light guide and output unit, refract the received light, and output the refracted light to an inside of the insertion port from a plurality of positions in the width direction;
- and
- the second light refracting member is optically connected to the light receiving unit, and configured to receive light passed inside the insertion port, converge the received light by refracting the received light, and output the converged light to the light receiving unit,
- the light source is configured to emit the light when the determining unit determines whether the sheet medium is inserted into the insertion port, and
- the insertion port includes a region through which the light output from the light guide and output unit passes, the region extends from one end to the other end of the insertion port in the width direction.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.