Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7339150.html
Timestamp: 2020-01-19 10:08:18
Document Index: 798746063

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 54', 'art 1']

Imaging unit and image reading apparatus - Seiko Epson Corporation
United States Patent 7339150
11/263782
250/216, 250/234, 358/471, 358/473, 382/162, 382/312
H01L27/00; G06K7/00; G06K9/00; H01J3/14; H04N1/024; H04N1/40
250/208.1, 358/505, 358/512, 250/226, 358/475, 356/435, 359/619, 358/497, 358/487, 358/494, 356/445, 358/506, 250/234, 359/621, 359/212, 382/162, 358/514, 358/473, 359/196, 358/474, 358/509, 356/407, 358/513, 358/519, 257/433, 382/313, 250/216, 382/140, 358/518, 382/312, 358/471, 358/482, 257/293, 257/435, 358/483, 250/214R
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20060077475 Scanning device with multifocus and multiresolution 2006-04-13 Ta Su 358/474
6643038 Contact type color image sensor 2003-11-04 Kawahara et al. 358/512
20020048055 IMAGE READING APPARATUS FOR GROUPING SENSORS ACCORDING TO CHARACTERISTICS 2002-04-25 Yushiya 358/518
JP2004126284A 2004-04-22
1. An imaging unit comprising: a first light source adapted to illuminate a first object with first light; a first sensor, including a first light receiving element adapted to detect the first light by way of the first object; a second sensor, including a second light receiving element adapted to detect a second light which is externally inputted by way of a second object; a first lens; a second lens; and a transparent member, disposed on an optical path extending from the second object to the second sensor through the second lens, wherein a first conjugate length of the first lens is equal to a second conjugate length of the second lens, the first light receiving element is adapted to detect the first light reflected by the first object and the second light receiving element is adapted to detect the second light passing through the second object, the second light receiving element includes a plurality of kinds of third light receiving elements provided color filters differing in color from one another a first resolution of the first sensor is less than a second resolution of the second sensor, and the third light receiving elements extend in a main scanning direction and are arranged in a sub scanning direction.
2. The imaging unit according to claim 1, wherein the second light includes white light.
3. The imaging unit according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are directly mounted onto a same substrate.
4. The imaging unit according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is colored.
5. The imaging unit according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is made of glass.
6. The imaging unit according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is made of synthetic resin.
7. An imaging unit comprising: a first light source adapted to illuminate a first object with first light; a first sensor, including a first light receiving element adapted to detect the first light by way of the first object; a second sensor, including a second light receiving element adapted to detect a second light which is externally inputted by way of a second object; a first lens; a second lens; and a transparent member, disposed on an optical path extending from the second object to the second sensor through the second lens, wherein a first conjugate length of the first lens is equal to a second conjugate length of the second lens, the first light receiving element is adapted to detect the first light reflected by the first object and the second light receiving element is adapted to detect the second light passing through the second object, the second light receiving element includes a plurality of kinds of third light receiving elements provided color filters differing in color from one another, a first longitudinal width of first light receiving element differs from a second longitudinal width of the second light receiving element, and the third light receiving elements extend in a main scanning direction and are arranged in a sub scanning direction.
13. An image reading apparatus comprising: a first light source adapted to illuminate a first object with first light; a second light source adapted to illuminate a second object with second light; a first sensor, including a first light receiving element adapted to detect the first light by way of the first object; a second sensor, including a second light receiving element adapted to detect the second light by way of the second object; a first lens; a second lens; and a transparent member, disposed on an optical path extending from the second object to the second sensor through the second lens, wherein a first conjugate length of the first lens is equal to a second conjugate length of the second lens, the first light receiving element is adapted to detect the first light reflected by the first object and the second light receiving element is adapted to detect the second light passing through the second object, the second light receiving element includes a plurality of kinds of third light receiving elements provided color filters differing in color from one another, a first resolution of the first sensor is less than a second resolution of the second sensor, and the third light receiving elements extend in a main scanning direction and are arranged in a sub scanning direction.
14. An image reading apparatus comprising: a first light source adapted to illuminate a first object with first light; a second light source adapted to illuminate a second object with second light; a first sensor, including a first light receiving element adapted to detect the first light by way of the first object; a second sensor, including a second light receiving element adapted to detect the second light by way of the second object; a first lens; a second lens; and a transparent member, disposed on an optical path extending from the second object to the second sensor through the second lens, wherein a first conjugate length of the first lens is equal to a second conjugate length of the second lens, the first light receiving element is adapted to detect the first light reflected by the first object and the second light receiving element is adapted to detect the second light passing through the second object, the second light receiving element includes a plurality of kinds of third light receiving elements provided color filters differing in color from one another, a first longitudinal width of first light receiving element differs from second longitudinal width of the second light receiving element, and the third light receiving elements extend in a main scanning direction and are arranged in a sub scanning direction.
A housing 8 is formed like a box opened in the top end thereof. An original table 10 is supported on the opened side of the housing 8. The original table 10 is formed of a transparent plate, such as a substantially rectangular glass plate. A reflection original 4 or a 35 mm film 6 is placed on a surface 10a of the original table 10 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B). The 35 mm film 6 is held 1 mm apart above the surface 10a of the original table 10 by a holder 14.
The second image sensor 32 is directly mounted on the substrate 40. Practically, the second image sensor 32 is mounted on the substrate 40 by soldering external terminals thereof to pads of the substrate 40, respectively. The second image sensor 32 includes a plurality of second light receiving elements 32 linearly aligned in three lines (see FIG. 5B), and a MOS transistor switch. The lines of the second light receiving elements 33 are arranged in parallel to the line of the first light receiving elements 31, and are provided with color filters having different characteristics, respectively. Practically, the color filters are a filter adapted to transmit red light (a red filter) 34r, a filter adapted to transmit green light (a green filter) 34g, and a filter adapted to transmit blue light (a blue filter) 34b. Consequently, white light radiated from the fluorescent tube lamp 19 can be color-separated into red light, green light, and blue light. Thus, the second image sensor 32 can detect pieces of image information, which respectively correspond to channels (an R-channel, a G-channel, and a B-channel), in parallel. Incidentally, the color filters may be separated from the second image sensor 32.
The first lens array 26 includes a plurality of linearly aligned cylindrical lenses (first rod lenses) 36. As shown in FIG. 1A, the first lens array 26 forms an optical image of the reflection original 4 on the light receiving surface of the first light receiving element 31 so that the optical image has the same size as the original 4. The conjugate length of the first lens array 26 is designed according to the distance from the surface 10a of the original table 10 to the light receiving surface of the first light receiving element 31. Further, the first lens array 26 is disposed so that the focal point (what is called a front focal point) thereof at the side of the original table 10 is positioned on the surface 10a of the original table 10, and that the focal point (what is called a back focal point) thereof at the side of the first image sensor 30 is positioned on the light receiving surface of the first light receiving element 31. Hereinafter, the focal point of each of the first lens array 26 and the second lens array 28 at the side of the original table 10, and the focal point of each of the lens arrays 26 and 28 at the side of the image sensor are referred to as a “front focal point” and a “back focal point”, respectively.
The second lens array 28 has a configuration similar to the configuration of the first lens array 26, and has a plurality of second rod lenses 38. As shown in FIG. 1B, the second lens array 28 is adapted to form an optical image of the 35 mm film 6 on the light receiving surface of the second light receiving element 33. The conjugate length of the second lens array 28 is equal to that of the first lens array 26. Consequently, the manufacturing cost of the first lens array 26 and the second lens array 28 can be reduced. Needless to say, a low cost lens array differing in conjugate length from the first lens array 26 may be used as the second lens array 28. Practically, a low cost rod lens array having such a conjugate length may be selected from, for example, standardized rod lens arrays whose conjugate lengths are discretely determined and may be used as the second lens array 28. The-second lens array 28 is disposed so that the front focal point thereof is positioned on a virtual plane 86, which is placed in parallel to and apart 1 mm above the surface 10a of the original table 10. That is, the front focal point of the second lens array 28 is positioned on the original surface 6a of the 35 mm film 6. However, in a state in which a transparent member 100 (to be described later) is not provided, the back focal point of the second lens array 28 is placed 1 mm above the light receiving surface of the second light receiving element 33. Thus, the second lens array 28 cannot clearly form an optical image of the 35 mm film on the light receiving surface of the second light receiving element 33.
Δ1=(1−1/n)×t (1)
The reflection original illuminating part 24 includes a plurality of light sources, which are adapted to emit light rays differing in color from one another, and a light guiding member. Practically, the plurality of light sources are an LED (a red LED) 25r adapted to emit red light, an LED (a green LED) 25g adapted to emit green light, and an LED (a blue LED) 25b adapted to emit blue light, which are used to read a color image. The light radiated from the LEDs is guided toward the original table 10 by the light guiding member (not shown) and is uniformly diffused over the scanning range of the reflection original 4. The light guiding member is formed of an optical transparent member made of glass or the like. Incidentally, each of the red LED 25r, the green LED 25g, and the blue LED 25b may be either a dip LED or a chip LED. Also, each of the red LED 25r, the green LED 25g, and the blue LED 25b may be a chip LED integrated into one chip. Further, the reflection original illuminating part 24 may include a discharge lamp, such as a fluorescent tube lamp, and plurality of color filters permitting light rays, which differ in color from one another, to pass therethrough.
Practically, the controller 60 turns on the red LED 25r, the green LED 25g, and the blue LED 25b of the reflection original illuminating part 24 in a time sharing manner while moving the carriage 22. Thus, the color image of the reflection original 4 is read. For example, the controller 60 turns on the red LED and simultaneously controls the sensor driver 50 to thereby cause the first image sensor 30 to output electrical signals correlated with the densities of the scanning range of the reflection original 4. Then, digital data outputted from the AFE part 54 is stored in the RAM 66 as red component data correlated with the red component of the optical image. Subsequently, the controller 60 turns on the green LED, and causes the RAM 66 to store green component data correlated with the green component of the optical image. Subsequently, the controller 60 turns on the blue LED, and causes the RAM 66 to store blue component data correlated with the blue component of the optical image. When the red component data, the green component data, and the blue component data consecutively read at each of different places are stored in the RAM 66, the controller 60 causes the digital image processor 56 to generate color image data of 1 line according to such digital red, green, and blue component data. The controller 60 repeats reading of data of 1 line by simultaneously moving the carriage until color image data of all lines are generated. Consequently, the image scanner 1 reads the color image of the reflection original 4.
In the image scanner 1 according to the aforementioned first embodiment of the invention, the first lens array 26 clearly forms an optical image of the reflection original 4 on the light receiving surface of the first light receiving element 31. Thus, the image scanner 1 can clearly read the reflection original 4 placed on the surface 10a of the original table 10.
The transparent member 100 clearly forms an optical image of the 35 mm film 6 on the second lens array 28. Thus, the image scanner 1 can clearly read the 35 mm film 6 held apart 1 mm above the surface 10a of the original table 10.
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