Image sensor unit, and image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus using the same

• US 8,964,262 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Components Incorporated (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Components Incorporated (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shimoda, Shuuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Worku, Negussie
• Application Number:
  US14/139,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20140112020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 358/474, 358/475, 358/1.9, 358/497, 358/504, 358/509, 358/518, 358/520, 250/226, 362/613, 382/162, 382/167, 382/191
• US Class Current: 358/474
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0035 provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/02835 in combination with a light guide, e.g. optical fibre, glass plate light-guides per se G02B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0289 Light diffusing elements, e.g. plates or filters optical diffusing elements per se G02B5/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/193 using electrically scanned linear arrays , e.g. linear CCD arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

An image sensor unit includes: a light guide reflecting light rays entering through a first light entering surface and a second light entering surface provided at both ends thereof, by a reflection surface to make the light rays exit through a light exiting surface and illuminates an original; a first light source provided near the first light entering surface; a second light source provided near the second light entering surface and different in wavelength from the first light source; and a first reflection part and a second reflection part provided on the reflection surface and composed of dot patterns constituted of two kinds of dots different in spectral reflectance.

Claims

1. An illumination device, comprising:

a first light source composed of one or a plurality of light emitting elements;

a second light source different in emission wavelength from said first light source and composed of one or a plurality of light emitting elements; and

a light guide having a reflection surface, a first light entering surface at one end in a longitudinal direction thereof, and a second light entering surface at the other end, the light guide configured to reflect light rays from the first light source and from the second light source on the reflection surface to illuminate an illuminated object,

wherein the reflection surface is provided at a surface opposing the light exiting surface and is provided with a first reflection part and a second reflection part,

wherein the first reflection part has a high spectral reflectance with respect to an emission wavelength from the light emitting element provided in said first light source, and has a reflectance on a side of the second light entering surface higher than a reflectance on a side of the first light entering surface, and

wherein the second reflection part has a high spectral reflectance with respect to an emission wavelength from the light emitting element provided in said second light source, and has a reflectance on the side of the first light entering surface higher than a reflectance on the side of the second light entering surface.

2. The illumination device according to claim 1,

wherein the light emitting elements are classified into a light emitting element on a relatively long wavelength side and a light emitting element on a relatively short wavelength side, and disposed in said first light source and said second light source.

3. The illumination device according to claim 2,

wherein when the light emitting element on the relatively long wavelength side is disposed in said first light source and the light emitting element on the relatively short wavelength side is disposed in said second light source, the first reflection part has a reflectance to an emission wavelength on the long wavelength side higher than a reflectance to an emission wavelength on the short wavelength side, and the second reflection part has a reflectance to the emission wavelength on the short wavelength side higher than a reflectance to the emission wavelength on the long wavelength side.

4. The illumination device according to claim 1,

wherein each of the first reflection part and the second reflection part is composed of a light diffusion pattern, and

wherein a distribution density of the light diffusion pattern varies according to a distance from each of the first light entering surface and the second light entering surface.

5. The illumination device according to claim 4, wherein the light diffusion pattern is formed by applying a paint on the reflection surface.