Illuminating device, image reading device, and image forming apparatus

• US 8,395,829 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2010
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Shimada, Hironori, Yokota, Shusaku, Takahashi, Kaoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Houshang
• Application Number:
  US12/700,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20110013233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 358/509, 358/474, 358/496, 358/497, 358/498
• US Class Current: 358/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/02815 Means for illuminating the original, not specific to a particular type of pick-up head
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/02855 in combination with a light guide, e.g. optical fibre, glass plate light-guides per se G02B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/02865 using an array of light sources or a combination of such arrays, e.g. an LED bar

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention provides an illuminating device including point-light-sources arranged in a line, that emit light; an optical guide member formed by injection molding and one end face of the optical guide member facing the point-light-sources, that guides light emitted from the point-light-sources to a surface to be illuminated such that the light emitted from the point-light-sources is incident on the one end face and the light incident on the one end face exits from the other end face; and first pin marks formed by projection pins used when removing the optical guide member when injection molding, the first pin marks being formed on one of faces of the optical guide member facing in a thickness direction of the optical guide member at the one end face side, and being formed in positions offset from the point-light-sources in a direction along which the point-light-sources are arranged.

Claims

1. An illuminating device comprising:

point light sources arranged in a line, that emit light;

an optical guide member formed by injection molding and one end face of the optical guide member facing the point light sources, that guides light emitted from the point light sources to a surface to be illuminated such that the light emitted from the point light sources is incident on the one end face of the optical guide member and the light incident on the one end face of the optical guide member exits from the other end face of the optical guide member, which opposes the one end face; and

first pin marks formed by projection pins used when removing the optical guide member when injection molding the optical guide member, the first pin marks being formed on one of faces of the optical guide member, which contact with the one end face facing a direction along which the point light sources are arranged and which extend in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged, and being formed in positions offset from the point light sources in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged such that each of the first pin marks is formed at a side of the one end face and at a substantially center position between two adjacent point light sources in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged so as to suppress leakage of the light incident on the one end face to the outside of the optical guide member by the first pin marks.

3. The illuminating device of claim 1, wherein the first pin marks are formed at the side of the one end face and in the vicinity of the one end face.

2. An illuminating device comprising:

point light sources arranged in a line, that emit light;

an optical guide member formed by injection molding and one end face of the optical guide member facing the point light sources, that guides light emitted from the point light sources to a surface to be illuminated such that the light emitted from the point light sources is incident on the one end face of the optical guide member and the light incident on the one end face of the optical guide member exits from the other end face of the optical guide member;

first pin marks formed by projection pins used when removing the optical guide member when injection molding the optical guide member, the first pin marks being formed on one of faces of the optical guide member facing in a thickness direction of the optical guide member at a side of the one end face, and being formed in positions offset from the point light sources in a direction along which the point light sources are arranged; and

second pin marks formed by projection pins used when removing the optical guide member when injection molding the optical guide member, the second pin marks being formed on the one of the faces of the optical guide member facing in the thickness direction of the optical guide member at a side of the other end face, and being formed in positions offset from the respective first pin marks in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged.

4. An image reading device comprising:

an illuminating device including;

point light sources arranged in a line, that emit light;

an optical guide member formed by injection molding and one end face of the optical guide member facing the point light sources, that guides light emitted from the point light sources to a surface to be illuminated such that the light emitted from the point light sources is incident on the one end face of the optical guide member and the light incident on the one end face of the optical guide member exits from the other end face of the optical guide member, which opposes the one end face; and

first pin marks formed by projection pins used when removing the optical guide member when injection molding the optical guide member, the first pin marks being formed on one of faces of the optical guide member, which contact with the one end face facing a direction along which the point light sources are arranged and which extend in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged, and being formed in positions offset from the point light sources in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged such that each of the first pin marks is formed at a side of the one end face and at a substantially center position between two adjacent point light sources in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged so as to suppress leakage of the light incident on the one end face to the outside of the optical guide member by the first pin marks; and

a reading unit that reads light which is emitted from the point light sources provided at the illuminating device to a surface to be read and is reflected by the surface to be read.

5. The image reading device of claim 4, further comprising second pin marks formed by projection pins used when removing the optical guide member when injection molding the optical guide member,

the second pin marks being formed on the one of the faces of the optical guide member facing in the thickness direction of the optical guide member at a side of the other end face, and being formed in positions offset from the first pin marks in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image reading device including an illuminating device including;

point light sources arranged in a line, that emit light;

an optical guide member formed by injection molding and one end face of the optical guide member facing the point light sources, that guides light emitted from the point light sources to a surface to be illuminated such that the light emitted from the point light sources is incident on the one end face of the optical guide member and the light incident on the one end face of the optical guide member exits from the other end face of the optical guide member, which opposes the one end face; and

first pin marks formed by projection pins used when removing the optical guide member when injection molding the optical guide member, the first pin marks being formed on one of faces of the optical guide member, which contact with the one end face facing a direction along which the point light sources are arranged and which extend in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged, and being formed in positions offset from the point light sources in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged such that each of the first pin marks is formed at a side of the one end face and at a substantially center position between two adjacent point light sources in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged so as to suppress leakage of the light incident on the one end face to the outside of the optical guide member by the first pin marks; and

a reading unit that reads light which is emitted from the point light sources provided at the illuminating device to a surface to be read and is reflected by the surface to be read; and

an exposing device that forms a latent image by emitting light to a surface of an image carrier on the basis of image data read by the image reading device.

7. The image forming apparatus of claim 6, further comprising second pin marks formed by projection pins used when removing the optical guide member when injection molding the optical guide member,

the second pin marks being formed on the one of the faces of the optical guide member facing in the thickness direction of the optical guide member at a side of the other end face, and being formed in positions offset from the first pin marks in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged.

8. An illuminating device comprising:

point light sources arranged in a line, that emit light;

an optical guide member formed by injection molding and one end face of the optical guide member facing the point light sources, that guides light emitted from the point light sources to a surface to be illuminated such that the light emitted from the point light sources is incident on the one end face of the optical guide member and the light incident on the one end face of the optical guide member exits from the other end face of the optical guide member; and

first pin marks formed by projection pins used when removing the optical guide member when injection molding the optical guide member, the first pin marks being formed on one of the faces of the optical guide member, which contact with the one end face facing a direction along which the point light sources are arranged and which extend in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged, and being formed in positions offset from the point light sources in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged such that each of the first pin marks is formed at a side of the one end face and at a substantially center position between two adjacent point light sources in the direction along which the point light sources are arranged,

wherein the optical guide member guides the light incident on the one end face to the other end face by the light incident on the one end face being total-reflected by the faces.