Patent ID: 8711442

Claim:
An image reading apparatus, comprising: a light source configured to apply light to a document; an imaging optics system configured to condense light which is the light from the light source and reflected on the document to form an image, the imaging optics system including a plurality of cells each of which is an independent optics system, a plurality of the cells being arranged in a main scanning direction, and being arranged to form two rows of a first row and a second row in a sub-scanning direction being perpendicular to the main scanning direction, the cells arranged in an identical one of the rows being arranged such that light beams directed from the document to the cells out of chief rays are in parallel to one another, and the cells of the first row and the cells of the second row being arranged zigzag in the main scanning direction; a plurality of image pickup device units configured to be arranged so as to correspond to the cells, respectively, and configured to receive the light having passed through the cells; a memory configured to store image information pieces of the document that are respectively sent out from corresponding ones of the image pickup device units in the sub-scanning direction; and a processor configured to combine image information pieces of adjacent ones of the cells such that images in overlapping areas of the image information pieces stored in the memory match with each other, to create an image of the document, wherein each of the cells has first and second reflective light-gathering optical elements configured to reflect and condense the light from the document, a first plane mirror, and an aperture, wherein the first reflective light-gathering optical element, the first plane mirror, the aperture, and the second reflective light-gathering optical element are arranged in order in a traveling direction of the light from the document to the image pickup device unit in each of the cells, and wherein the aperture is arranged at a back focal point position of the first reflective light-gathering optical element, to form a telecentric optics system at the side of the document.