Patent ID: 8253989

Claim:
An optical reader which reads image information on an original document by moving to the original document, comprising: an illumination unit having at least one light source arranged on a substrate and illuminating the original document; a first minor reflecting reflection light from the original document; a second mirror reflecting reflection light from the first mirror; a focusing lens focusing the reflection light from the original document reflected by the second mirror; and a photoelectric conversion element arranged in a focusing position of the focusing lens, wherein a normal direction of an emission surface of the light source and a normal direction of a light-receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion element are the same direction, an original document reading position is set near an end portion of the optical reader in the normal direction, a reflection section reflecting illumination light in a surface direction of the original document is disposed between the original document reading position and the end portion of the optical reader in the normal direction of the light emission surface of the light source, an optical path from the first mirror to the second mirror has an angle relative to the normal direction of the emission surface of the light source, and a diffusion control section controlling diffusion of the illumination light from the light source is disposed on both sides of the light source in an up and down direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the light source.