JP2010114486A - Image sensor module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image sensor module quickly and easily performing read processing and having a simplified arrangement configuration as an integration component. <P>SOLUTION: The image sensor module A includes: a body case 1; a plurality of photodetectors 30 provided in a row in a main-scanning direction inside the body case 1; a lens module 4 provided inside the body case 1 so as to guide light to the plurality of photodetectors 30 along a direction orthogonal to a main-scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction Y; and light-emitting units 5 and 7 provided inside the body case 1 so as to emit the light toward the outside of the body case 1. The plurality of photodetectors 30, the lens module 4 and the light-emitting units 5 and 7 are provided as a one of an optical system, and two or more sets of the optical systems S1-S3 are provided inside the body case 1 so as to be arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a contact image sensor module, for example.

  A conventional image sensor module is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The image sensor module disclosed in this document is classified as a so-called contact type. This type of image sensor module is configured by housing a pair of optical systems including a substrate and a lens module on which a plurality of light receiving elements and light emitting elements are arranged in a row in the main scanning direction in a main body case. The substrate is disposed at the bottom of the main body case, and the light receiving element and the light emitting element are mounted on the substrate while being shielded from each other. The light from the light emitting element is guided to an imaging target located above the lens module while being reflected by an inclined surface provided inside the main body case.

  However, in the conventional image sensor module, for example, when an RGB image and an infrared image of an imaging target are to be obtained, a plurality of types of image sensor modules corresponding to the respective images must be prepared. For example, in a handy scanner, different types of image sensor modules must be applied to different handy scanners, and the reading process must be performed a plurality of times using these handy scanners. On the other hand, when a plurality of image sensor modules are incorporated into a stationary scanner, there is a problem that the arrangement configuration as an embedded component becomes complicated.

JP 2001-223844 A

  The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances described above, and provides an image sensor module that can perform a reading process quickly and easily and can simplify the arrangement configuration as an embedded part. The task is to do.

  An image sensor module provided by the present invention includes a main body case, a plurality of light receiving elements provided in a row in the main scanning direction inside the main body case, and a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. A lens module provided inside the main body case so as to guide light to the plurality of light receiving elements, and a light emission provided inside the main body case so as to emit light toward the outside of the main body case. A plurality of light receiving elements, a lens module, and a light emitting unit are provided as a set of optical systems, and the body case includes an optical sensor module. A plurality of sets are provided so as to be arranged in the sub-scanning direction.

  As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of sets of optical systems includes the light emitting unit that emits light having different wavelengths.

  As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the optical system of at least one of the plurality of sets of optical systems, the light emitting unit is in an in-plane direction with a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. It has a light emitting substrate that is fixed inside the main body case and on which a plurality of light emitting elements are mounted in a row in the main scanning direction.

  As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting unit further includes a reflector that reflects light from the plurality of light emitting elements toward the outside of the main body case.

  As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting surface of the light emitting substrate on which the plurality of light emitting elements are mounted is a surface capable of reflecting light, and the reflector reflects light from the plurality of light emitting elements. A direct reflecting surface that is directed directly to the outside of the main body case, and reflects light from the plurality of light emitting elements toward the mounting surface, and is directed outward of the main body case through the mounting surface. An indirect reflection surface for directing reflected light is provided.

  As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in at least one of the plurality of optical systems, the light emitting unit emits light from the light emitting element as linear light extending in the main scanning direction. have.

  As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the plurality of sets of optical systems, the light emitting unit is fixed inside the main body case in a posture in which a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction is an in-plane direction. In addition, light from a light emitting substrate having a plurality of light emitting elements mounted in a row in the main scanning direction and light from a light emitting element different from the plurality of light emitting elements is emitted as linear light extending in the main scanning direction. And having a light guide member.

  As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of sets of optical systems includes the light emitting units that emit light of the same wavelength, and are arranged so as to be arranged at predetermined intervals in the sub-scanning direction. .

  As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting unit includes a light guide member that emits light from the light emitting element as linear light extending in the main scanning direction.

  According to such a configuration, for example, by providing a plurality of sets of optical systems corresponding to RGB color images and infrared images, reading processing corresponding to these images can be quickly and easily performed collectively. Can do. Further, in the case of incorporation into a stationary scanner, the arrangement configuration as an integral part can be simplified.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  1 and 2 show an embodiment of an image sensor module according to the present invention. The image sensor module A of the present embodiment reads the imaging object in a state of being in close contact with the imaging object. The image sensor module A has a main body case 1 and a translucent cover 2. As an example, three sets of optical systems S1 to S3 are provided in the main body case 1 so as to be arranged in the sub-scanning direction Y. The optical systems S1 and S2 include a light receiving substrate 3, a lens module 4, and a light emitting unit 5. The light emitting unit 5 includes a light emitting substrate 50 and a reflector 60. Another optical system S <b> 3 includes a light receiving substrate 3, a lens module 4, and a light emitting unit 7. The light emitting unit 7 includes a light guide member 70 and a light emitting substrate 71.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the main body case 1 has a rectangular shape whose longitudinal direction is the main scanning direction X and has an opening 10. The opening 10 is closed by the translucent cover 2 so that light can be emitted to the imaging object and light from the imaging object can be taken in. The main body case 1 is provided with internal spaces R1 to R3 for arranging the optical systems S1 to S3 side by side in the sub-scanning direction Y. The light receiving substrate 3 is fixed to the bottom of each of the internal spaces R1 to R3, and the lens module 4 is disposed at a position directly above the light receiving substrate 3. The light emitting units 5 and 7 are arranged on the Y side in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the lens modules 4 in the internal spaces R1 to R3.

  The translucent cover 2 is made of, for example, a transparent resin or glass. An imaging object (not shown) is in close contact with the outer surface of the translucent cover 2, and light transmitted from the imaging object through the translucent cover 2 enters the internal spaces R1 to R3 of the main body case 1. Led.

  The light receiving substrate 3 is a substrate on which a plurality of light receiving elements 30 are mounted in a row in the main scanning direction X. The light receiving substrate 3 is arranged in a horizontally placed posture (a posture in which the main scanning direction X and the sub scanning direction Y are in-plane directions) at the bottom of each of the internal spaces R1 to R3. The light receiving element 30 is located immediately below the lens module 4 and, when receiving light that has passed through the lens module 4, outputs a pixel signal having a level corresponding to the amount of light received.

  In the lens module 4, a plurality of rod lenses 41 for image formation are held in a long holder 40 extending in the main scanning direction X. Each rod lens 41 has a focal point set on the outer surface of the translucent cover 2 and is set to form an image on the focal point on each light receiving element 30.

  The light emitting substrate 50 of the light emitting unit 5 is a substrate on which a plurality of light emitting elements 51 are mounted in a row in the main scanning X direction. The light emitting substrate 50 is disposed in a vertical position (an attitude in which the direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction X and the sub-scanning direction Y is an in-plane direction) on the side of the lens module 4 in the internal spaces R1 and R2. Each light emitting element 51 emits light toward the lens module 4. The mounting surface 50a of the light emitting substrate 50 on which each light emitting element 51 is mounted is a surface capable of reflecting light. The light emitting element 51 includes LEDs that emit light having different wavelengths for each of the optical systems S1 and S2. For example, the optical system S1 includes an LED that emits infrared light as the light emitting element 51, and the optical system S2 includes an LED that emits ultraviolet light as the light emitting element 51.

  The reflector 60 is for reflecting the light from the light emitting element 51 toward the upper side of the lens module 4. The reflecting surface of the reflector 60 is formed so as to be positioned in front of the light emitting element 51. The reflection surface includes a direct reflection surface 60a that reflects the light from the light emitting element 51 and directs the light upward to the lens module 4, and reflects the light from the light emitting element 51 toward the mounting surface 50a of the light emitting substrate 50. In addition, there is an indirect reflection surface 60b that directs reflected light indirectly above the lens module 4 through the mounting surface 50a. The direct reflection surface 60 a is formed as a flat slope at the tip of the reflector 60 that is closer to the top of the main body case 1. The indirect reflection surface 60b is formed so as to form a concave curved surface following the direct reflection surface 60a at a position substantially overlapping with the light emitting element 51 in the vertical direction. Such a direct reflection surface 60a and an indirect reflection surface 60b increase the optical path length from the light emitting element 51 to the object to be imaged, and also have an effect of diffusing light from the light emitting element 51 in the main scanning direction X. It has the role of making the light intensity distribution uniform for objects. In the optical systems S1 and S2 having such a light emitting unit 5, infrared rays and ultraviolet rays are irradiated toward an imaging target, and infrared images and ultraviolet images are read.

  The light guide member 70 of the light emitting unit 7 has a longitudinal shape extending in the main scanning direction X, and linearly extends light from the light emitting substrate 71 provided at the end portion above the lens module 4 in the main scanning direction X. It leads as light. Such a light guide member 70 has an action of diffusing light from the light emitting substrate 71 in the main scanning direction X, and has a role of making the light intensity distribution uniform with respect to the imaging target. The light emitting substrate 71 is a substrate on which light sources 72R, 72G, and 72B for emitting RGB light, for example, are mounted, and is attached to one end or both ends of the light guide member 70. In the optical system S3 having the light emitting unit 7 as described above, RGB light is irradiated as visible light toward the imaging target, and an RGB color image is read.

  Such optical systems S1 to S3 are arranged in the sub-scanning direction Y so as to be arranged at a predetermined interval. That is, when the imaging object is conveyed at a constant speed in the sub-scanning direction Y, the imaging object is simultaneously read line by line in the main scanning direction X by the optical systems S1 to S3. In the optical system S1, an infrared image is obtained, in the optical system S2, an ultraviolet image is obtained, and in the optical system S3, an RGB color image is obtained.

  For example, when the image sensor module A is incorporated into a stationary scanner and used, an infrared image and an ultraviolet image can be obtained together with a color image of the entire imaging object by a single reading process. Further, when incorporating into a stationary scanner, it is not necessary to incorporate a plurality of separate and independent parts as in the prior art, and only one image sensor module A needs to be incorporated as an incorporated part.

  Therefore, according to the image sensor module A of the present embodiment, it is possible to quickly and easily perform image reading processing of different tones simply by incorporating one of them into the scanner, and simplify the arrangement configuration as an embedded component. be able to.

  The light emitting substrate 50 on which the light emitting element 51 is mounted is a main body case 1 containing a plurality of sets of optical systems S1 to S3, because the light emitting substrate 50 is disposed in a vertical orientation in the internal spaces R1 and R2 of the main body case 1. The size can be easily reduced.

  3 and 4 show another embodiment of the image sensor module according to the present invention. Note that the same or similar components as those according to the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the image sensor module B shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the light emitting unit 7 is provided in all three optical systems S1 to S3. These optical systems S <b> 1 to S <b> 3 are arranged at equal pitches in the sub-scanning direction Y at a predetermined interval t.

  When reading the imaging object, the reading process is performed as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, for example, the imaging object W is brought into close contact with the image sensor module B while being held at a predetermined position, and the image sensor module B moves rightward at a predetermined speed. While reading.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, when the image sensor module B moves by a distance equal to the interval t in which the optical systems S1 to S3 are arranged, the position of the optical system S1 at the right end shown in FIG. The area of the imaging target W that is a range up to the position of the leftmost optical system S3 shown in FIG. That is, each of the optical systems S1 to S3 acquires partial images having a width equal to the interval t in which they are arranged in the sub-scanning direction Y. The partial images corresponding to the t width obtained in this way are synthesized by digital image processing, whereby a color image corresponding to 3 × t width is obtained in the sub-scanning direction.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the image sensor module B is moved at a relatively high speed in the sub-scanning direction Y by a distance corresponding to 2 × t width without performing a reading operation. Thereby, the image sensor module B reaches the tip position of the area to be read next without reading again the area of the imaging object W that has been read so far.

  Thereafter, until the image sensor module B reads the entire width of the imaging object W along the sub-scanning direction Y, the state of FIG. 4 (A) through FIG. 4 (B) is reached again. The above operation is repeated. As a result, an entire image of the imaging target W is obtained.

  According to such a reading process, the imaging object W can be read while jumping by 2 × t width in the sub-scanning direction Y. Therefore, compared with the conventional case where the image sensor module is moved at a constant speed that is relatively low, the image sensor module B can be moved quickly, and the reading time can be shortened as much as possible.

  Therefore, the image reading process can be performed quickly and easily also by the image sensor module B of the present embodiment.

  The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiments. The specific configuration of each part of the image sensor module according to the present invention can be varied in design in various ways.

  As a plurality of sets of optical systems, two or more sets of optical systems may be incorporated. For example, four or five sets of optical systems may be provided as long as the size of the image sensor module allows.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the image sensor module concerning this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the image sensor module shown in FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows other embodiment of the image sensor module concerning this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the image reading process using the image sensor module shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

A, B Image sensor module S1 to S3 Optical system X Main scanning direction Y Sub scanning direction 1 Body case 10 Upper opening 2 Translucent cover 3 Light receiving substrate 30 Light receiving element 4 Lens module 5, 7 Light emitting unit 50, 71 Light emitting substrate 50a Light emission Substrate mounting surface 51 Light emitting element 60 Reflector 60a Direct reflection surface 60b Indirect reflection surface 70 Light guide member

Claims (9)

A body case,
A plurality of light receiving elements provided in a row in the main scanning direction inside the main body case;
A lens module provided inside the main body case so as to guide light to the plurality of light receiving elements along a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction;
A light emitting unit provided inside the main body case to emit light toward the outside of the main body case;
An image sensor module comprising:
The plurality of light receiving elements, the lens module, and the light emitting unit are provided as a set of optical systems,
An image sensor module, wherein a plurality of sets of the optical systems are arranged in the sub-scanning direction inside the main body case.   The image sensor module according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sets of optical systems includes the light emitting unit that emits light having different wavelengths. In at least one of the plurality of sets of optical systems,
The light emitting unit is fixed inside the main body case in a posture in which a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction is an in-plane direction, and a light emitting substrate on which a plurality of light emitting elements are mounted in a row in the main scanning direction The image sensor module according to claim 1, comprising:   The image sensor module according to claim 3, wherein the light emitting unit further includes a reflector that reflects light from the plurality of light emitting elements toward the outside of the main body case. The mounting surface of the light emitting substrate on which the plurality of light emitting elements are mounted is a surface capable of reflecting light,
The reflector reflects light from the plurality of light emitting elements and directs the light directly to the outside of the main body case, and reflects light from the plurality of light emitting elements toward the mounting surface. The image sensor module according to claim 4, further comprising: an indirect reflection surface for directing reflected light to the outside of the main body case through the mounting surface. In at least one of the plurality of sets of optical systems,
The image sensor module according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit includes a light guide member that emits light from the light emitting element as linear light extending in the main scanning direction.   In the plurality of sets of optical systems, the light emitting unit is fixed inside the main body case in a posture in which a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction is an in-plane direction, and the plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in the main scanning direction. Including a light-emitting substrate mounted in a row and a light-guiding member that emits light from a light-emitting element different from the plurality of light-emitting elements as linear light extending in the main scanning direction. The image sensor module according to claim 1.   2. The image sensor module according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sets of optical systems include the light emitting units that emit light having the same wavelength, and are arranged in a predetermined interval in the sub-scanning direction. .   The image sensor module according to claim 8, wherein the light emitting unit includes a light guide member that emits light from the light emitting element as linear light extending in the main scanning direction.

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