Nisca Corporation

Seiko Epson Corporation

Yuichi Kagami

Fumihide Sakamoto

Shinnosuke Enomoto

Junya Ozawa

Toru Ochiai

Kouji Ogino

Fumimasa Amemiya

Takashi Kanda

Hiroyuki Hirokawa

Koji Ogino

A rod lens array includes a plurality of columnar rod lenses each having a refractive index distribution in which a refractive index continuously decreases from a central axis thereof to an outer periphery, and arranged in at least one row to align the central axes in parallel to each other. Each of the plurality of columnar rod lenses includes an emission-side end portion region, an incident-side end portion region, and an intermediate region between the emission-side end portion region and the incident-side end portion region, each having a central refractive index. The central refractive index of the incident-side end portion is equal to that of the emission-side end portion region in an optical axis direction, and the central refractive index at the intermediate region is higher than those of the emission-side and incident-side end portion regions.

Rod lens array and image sensor

A contact-type image sensor is designed to prevent, in an effective manner, dust from entering into a space between a rod lens array and a light receiving sensor. A rod lens array includes a large number of rod lenses between two flat substrates and between spacers located at left and right ends; one row of the rod lenses is arranged in such a way that central axes of the rod lenses become parallel to each other. At an emission side of a rod lens in an axis line direction, each substrate includes an extension portion, whose length is determined based on an operating distance of the rod lens. A lower end of the extension portion of each substrate is in contact with an upper surface of a sensor substrate. In this manner, the rod lens array is positioned with high accuracy with respect to the light receiving sensor.

Image sensor unit and image reading device

To provide an illumination device in which there is no variation in light intensity distribution of the illumination device, and in which illumination spots, particularly light intensity spots, are not prone to occur in a read image in an image reading device, by maintaining a constant gap between a light source and an end face of a light guide. The illumination device includes: a light guide having an end face for taking in light, a diffuse reflecting surface for diffusely reflecting the light taken in from the end face, and a light exit surface for emitting the light that is diffusely reflected at the diffuse reflecting surface towards an irradiation surface. The illumination device further include a reflector having a diffuse reflecting surface that reflects light from the light source toward the one end face of the light guide. The light guide has, at the one end, a flange portion that abuts the reflector, the light source is mounted to a circuit board, and the reflector is held between the flange portion of the light guide and circuit board so as to maintain a predetermined gap between the light source and light guide.

Illumination device

Provided is an image scanning unit which makes it possible to improve scanning accuracy while also making the overall body thinner by appropriately positioning a plurality of reflection members within an effective space in a carriage frame without wasting space. An image scanning unit, wherein a frame is divided into at least two spaces facing an irradiation surface, a first accommodation unit for accommodating a light source unit is formed in one of the spaces, a second accommodation unit for accommodating at least one reflection member is formed in the other adjacent space, a first reflection member for initially receiving light reflected from the irradiation surface is positioned at the side opposite the irradiation surface with the first accommodation unit positioned therebetween, and a light-shielding member is provided between the first reflection member and the reflection member positioned in the other space and prevents light that has strayed from a scanning light path from the first reflection member from being incident on the reflection member in the other space.

Image scanning unit

An LED light source device installed in an image reading apparatus, includes an LED that is a light-emitting source; and a light guide for reflecting light of the LED by an inner surface thereof to diffuse along a main scanning line direction and irradiating the light reflected by the light guide to a surface of a sheet. The light guide has a plurality of reflecting surface bodies spaced at predetermined pitches in the main scanning line direction inside an inner surface reflection optical path to reflect the light from the LED toward an outside along the main scanning line direction. The plurality of reflecting surface bodies includes a first reflecting surface body and a second reflecting surface body, and a length in a perpendicular direction to the main scanning line direction of the second reflecting surface body is different from that of the first reflecting surface body.

LED light source and image reading apparatus

Image-capturing apparatus meeting demands for high-image resolution and high-speed data capture during both still- and moving-document data-capture modes. Includes: a reading unit having first and second linear photoreceptors arrayed along an data capture sub-scanning direction, a delay circuit delaying output from the first photoreceptor, and an adding circuit adding delayed first-photoreceptor output to second-photoreceptor output; and a scanning unit illuminating from underneath the platen, and shiftable along it to guide linear reflected light from a document to the first and second photoreceptors. During a moving-document data-capture mode, the scanning unit is disposed in a data-capture position established at one edge of the platen to scan a document being conveyed, and when in a still-original data-capture mode, it is shifted from along the platen's opposite edge toward the one edge thereof to scan a stationary document.

Image-capturing apparatus

An image processing apparatus stores image data according to color constituent, sets an order of correction value data to correct input image data for each color constituent according to a command that specifies an output order of the color constituents, performs color correction in a color correction operation circuit using the specified correction value data, and outputs the image data. Without an output order change circuit, it is possible to perform the color correction and output image data of the color constituents according to an output device, resulting in a compact apparatus.

Image processing, image reading apparatus and image processing method

An image data transferring system interfaces an image processor and an image scanner by utilization of signal input and output ports of a common printer connector mounted on the image processor without using a specific dedicated interface to rationally transfer a multiple-bit image data signal from the image scanner. The image processor and said image scanner can share the signal input and output ports by classifying said ports into an output port block for feeding out a command signal from the image processor, an image data input port block for transferring the image data signal from the image scanner, and a control port block for issuing a control signal to be given to the image scanner. The effective transfer ports can be recognized by comparing a check signal to be given to the image scanner and its echo signal sent back from the image scanner.

Growing community of inventors

Yamanashi-ken, Japan

Yuichi Kagami