Image reading apparatus

• US 8,854,700 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Kimura, Keisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Worku, Negussie
• Application Number:
  US13/369,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20120314264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 358/474, 358/501, 358/475, 358/473, 358/509, 396/428, 396/419, 396/430
• 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 by the main body and configured to be rotatable on 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 while being rotated together with the rotation unit; and

a light source configured to irradiate the medium with light, wherein

the rotation unit is configured to position the imaging unit on the side of the medium relative to the rotation axis.

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.

12. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation unit is configured to position the imaging unit on the side of the medium relative to the rotation axis when imaging the medium.

13. An image reading apparatus comprising:

a main body;

a rotation unit supported by the main body and configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis, the rotation unit extending from the rotation axis in a first direction;

an imaging unit mounted on the rotation unit at an outward position in the first direction and configured to image a medium while being rotated together with the rotation unit, an direction of an optical axis of the imaging unit being non-parallel with the first direction; and

a light source configured to irradiate the medium with light.

14. The image reading apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the rotation axis.

15. The image reading apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the optical axis of the imaging unit is oriented to avoid receiving specular reflection light from the medium, the specular reflection light is being mirror-like reflection of the light originated from the light source.

16. The image reading apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the light source is mounted on the rotation unit, and

the rotation unit is configured to rotate the light source and the imaging unit together when imaging the medium.

17. The image reading apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

a position of the imaging unit in the rotation unit is distant from the rotation axis and is in the first direction of the rotation axis,

a position of the light source in the rotation unit is distant from the rotation axis and is in the first direction of the rotation axis, and

a distance between the rotation axis and the light source is equal to or greater than a distance between the rotation axis and the imaging unit.

18. The image reading apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the optical axis of the imaging unit does not intersect with an optical axis of the light source, and

when the rotation unit is located at a position from which the imaging unit starts imaging the medium, the light source and the imaging unit both face the medium.

19. The image reading apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the imaging unit is aligned with the light source in a second direction parallel to the rotation axis.

20. The image reading apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the main body includes a pedestal placed on a surface, and an arm extending upwardly from the pedestal, the medium being placed on the surface, and

the rotation axis is located in a position directly above the surface without presence of the pedestal between the rotation axis and the surface.

21. The image reading apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the rotation unit is configured to rotate the imaging unit between a first position and a second position in order for the imaging unit to image the medium.

22. The image reading apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the imaging unit comprises an imager and a lens for focusing light reflected from the medium on the imager,

the light source is configured to emit the light having an illuminance distribution on the medium, and

the lens has a characteristic to reduce unevenness of a light amount distribution on the imaging unit.

23. The image reading apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the illuminance distribution evens out the light amount distribution on the imager.

24. The image reading apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the optical axis of the imaging unit is maintained to be inclined with respect to a normal line of the medium.

25. An image reading apparatus comprising:

a main body;

a rotation unit supported by the main body and configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis, the rotation unit extending from the rotation axis in a first direction;

an imaging unit mounted on the rotation unit at an outward position in the first direction and configured to image a medium while being rotated together with the rotation unit, an optical axis of the imaging unit crossing the first direction; and

a light source configured to irradiate the medium with light.