Patent ID: 6539129
Filing Date: 2003-03-25
Classification: G02B,H04N

Abstract:
An image reading apparatus comprising:a plurality of sensors for converting pickup light into electrical signals, each of said plurality of sensors being provided on a separate chip; a board on which said plurality of sensors is arranged, wherein each of said plurality of sensors includes light-receiving elements, an amplifier connected to said plurality of light-receiving elements in common and adapted to sequentially read out electrical signals from said plurality of light-receiving elements, and a signal switch adapted to read out a signal from the amplifier, wherein said board includes a first signal line for reading out electrical signals from a first sensor included in said plurality of sensors, and a second signal line for reading out electrical signals from a second sensor included in said plurality of sensors, each of the first and second signal lines being connected to respective ones of the amplifiers through respective ones of the signal switches, and being arranged where said plurality of sensors are not positioned; and a driving circuit adapted to drive the first and second sensors, wherein said driving circuit drives the first and second sensors of said plurality of sensors so that the signal switches included respectively in the first and second sensors are opened after an elapse of predetermined time from reception of a start signal for starting an operation of the respective sensor, and to drive the first and second sensors so as to read out the signal from one of the plurality of light-receiving elements included in the first sensor of said plurality of sensors through the respective amplifier, subsequently read out the signal from one of the plurality of light-receiving elements included in the second sensor of said plurality of sensors through the respective amplifier, and subsequently read out the signal from another one of the plurality of light-receiving elements included in the first sensor through the respective amplifier, and wherein said driving circuit differentiates a timing when the signal from the first sensor is read out through the respective amplifier, and a timing when the signal from the second sensor is read out through the respective amplifier.