IMAGE READING APPARATUS

• US 20120314264A1
• Filed: 02/08/2012
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: KIMURA, Keisuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,854,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/474
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/03 Combinations of cameras with lighting apparatus; Flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/561 Support related camera accessories
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0282 Using a single or a few point light sources, e.g. a laser diode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/10 using flat picture-bearing surfaces H04N1/113, H04N1/195 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/193 using electrically scanned linear arrays , e.g. linear CCD arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0436 Scanning a picture-bearing surface lying face up on a support H04N2201/0434 takes precedence; using cylindrical picture bearing surfaces H04N1/06; with manual scanning H04N1/107
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors

Abstract

An image reading apparatus includes a main body, a rotation unit supported on the main body so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis, an imaging unit that is mounted on the rotation unit at an outward position in a radial direction of the rotation axis and images a medium to be read that is placed on a placement surface located under the rotation unit in the vertical direction, and a light source that irradiates the medium to be read with light. The light source and the imaging unit can be arranged with a relative positional relationship capable of suppressing specular reflected light of light that is emitted from the light source and reflected by the medium to be read from being incident on the imaging unit.

Claims

1. An image reading apparatus, comprising:

a main body;

a rotation unit supported on the main body and configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis;

an imaging unit mounted on the rotation unit at an outward position in a radial direction of the rotation axis and configured to image a medium to be read that is placed on a placement surface located under the rotation unit in a vertical direction; and

a light source configured to irradiate the medium to be read with light.

2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source and the imaging unit are arranged with a relative positional relationship capable of suppressing specular reflected light of light that is emitted from the light source and reflected by the medium to be read from being incident on the imaging unit.

3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source is mounted on the rotation unit.

4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, in the rotation unit, a distance between the rotation axis and the light source in the radial direction of the rotation axis is equal to or more than a distance between the rotation axis and the imaging unit in the radial direction of the rotation axis.

5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein optical axes of the light source and the imaging unit do not intersect with the rotation axis, and

when the rotation unit is located at a position at which the imaging unit starts reading the medium to be read, the light source and the imaging unit face the placement surface in respective optical axis directions.

6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the imaging unit and the light source are arranged on a single virtual line parallel to the rotation axis.

7. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the imaging unit and the light source are arranged on a single virtual line extending outward in the radial direction of the rotation axis from the rotation axis, in an axial direction view of the rotation axis.

8. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the main body includes a pedestal placed on the placement surface and an arm extending upward in the vertical direction from the pedestal, and

the rotation axis protrudes from an upper end of the arm in the vertical direction to a placement side on which the medium to be read is placed in relation to the pedestal.

9. The image reading apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a cover mounted on the rotation axis of the rotation unit, wherein

a movable area of the rotation unit is on a side opposite the placement side on which the medium is placed in relation to a tangent line of the pedestal and the cover on the placement side.

10. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging unit includes a lens that focuses light reflected from the medium to be read on a light receiving surface, and

an illuminance distribution of the light source on the medium to be read reduces unevenness of a light amount distribution on the light receiving surface due to a characteristic of the lens.

11. The image reading apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the illuminance distribution evens out the light amount distribution on the light receiving surface.