Patent ID: 8439350

Claim:
An image reading apparatus comprising: a first reading unit that reads a first region of a document that is divided in a main scanning direction; a second reading unit that is located downstream in a sub-scanning direction of the first reading unit and that reads a second region of the document other than the first region of the document; a conveying unit that conveys a document to the first reading unit and the second reading unit, the conveying unit including: a plurality of conveyance drive rollers made of resin and that each having an outer circumference surface in contact with a document during conveyance of the document; a rotary shaft which extends in the main scanning direction and to which the conveyance drive rollers are attached in an axis direction of the rotary shaft with a space interposed therebetween, the rotary shaft rotating the conveyance drive rollers; and a plurality of conveyance follower rollers that are rotated together with the conveyance drive rollers; a holding unit which is made of metal and to which the first reading unit and the second reading unit are fixed in a manner to maintain a certain interval between the first reading unit and the second reading unit; a delay unit that delays an output signal from the first reading unit in accordance with the interval between the first reading unit and the second reading unit in the sub-scanning direction; and an image combining unit that combines the output signal that has been output from the first reading unit and delayed by the delay unit with an output signal from the second reading unit so as to obtain image signals, wherein linear coefficients of expansion of the conveyance drive rollers and a linear coefficient of expansion of the holding unit are determined such that an amount of change in an outer diameter of each of the conveyance drive rollers due to a change in temperature environment is substantially the same as an amount of change in the interval between the first reading unit and the second reading unit due to a change in the temperature environment, the rotary shaft has a plurality of screw fastening portions formed in the axis direction of the rotary shaft with a space interposed between each of the screw fastening portions, the conveyance drive roller includes: a large-diameter rotary portion that has an outer circumference surface in contact with a document; a small-diameter rotary portion that is protruded from the large-diameter rotary portion in the main scanning direction and that has a smaller diameter than the large-diameter rotary portion; and a through-hole that is formed on the small-diameter rotary portion and through which a screw is inserted so as to be fastened into the screw fastening portion, and the conveyance drive rollers are attached to the rotary shaft such that positions of head portions of the screws are alternately located along the axis direction of the rotary shaft on opposite sides of the outer circumference surface in a direction perpendicular to the axis direction of the rotary shaft.