JP2002232645A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an image reader capable of obtaining a reading range of image information on an original in a short time without making dust and flaws being conspicuous. SOLUTION: In this image reader which has an illuminating means for illuminating the original, an optical image-forming system for image-forming the image information of the original illuminated by the illuminating means, a light detecting means for detecting light image-formed by the optical image- forming system, a storing means for storing detection results by the light detecting mean, a reading range setting means for setting the reading range of the original and reads the image information on the original by a relative scanning operation of the original and the light detecting means, the image information of the original is scanned to be read in a range set by the reading range setting means with respect to a scanning direction and in the whole readable range with respect to a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus which scans (scans) image information such as a transparent original such as a developed photographic film or an opaque film original (reflective original).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A part of the configuration of a conventional film scanner will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a film carriage used as a document table, and reference numeral 102 denotes a developed film, which is fixed on the film carriage 101. 1
03 is a lamp serving as a light source, 104 is a mirror, 105 is a lens, and 106 is a line sensor composed of a CCD or the like. Light from the lamp 103 enters the film 102. Light transmitted through the film 102 and reflected on the mirror 104 is transmitted by the lens 105 to the line sensor 10.
6 is formed.

Reference numeral 107 denotes a motor for moving the film carriage 101 in the scanning direction, 108 denotes a sensor for detecting the position of the film carriage 101 in the scanning direction, and 109 denotes a lamp 103 to a line sensor 106.
110 is a control circuit, 111 is a lens 105
, 112 is an outer case of the film scanner, and 113 is an input / output terminal.

A lamp 103, a line sensor 106,
The motor 107, the sensor 108, and the input / output terminal 113 are electrically connected to the control circuit 110, and are drive-controlled. The control circuit 110 is a film scanner control circuit,
Sensor control circuit, motor control circuit, image information processing circuit,
It comprises a lamp control circuit, a line sensor control circuit, a film density detection circuit, a motor drive speed determination circuit, and the like.

Next, a method of reading image information recorded on the film 102 will be described.

First, when a film reading operation command is input from the outside through the input / output terminal 113, the position of the film carriage 101 is detected by the sensor 108 and the sensor control circuit, and this information is transmitted to the film scanner control circuit. Then, the motor 107 is driven by a motor control circuit to cause the film carriage 101 to wait at a predetermined standby position, and moves the film carriage 101 to the standby position. The density of the film 102 is detected by a film density detecting circuit by a known method, and the driving speed of the motor 107 for performing scanning is determined by the motor driving speed determining circuit based on this information. Then, the lamp 103 is turned on by the lamp control circuit, and the motor 107 is rotated at the previously determined driving speed to perform the scanning operation. During this scan, image information is transmitted from the line sensor 106 to the image information processing circuit through the line sensor control circuit. When this scanning operation is completed, the lamp control circuit turns off the lamp 103 and at the same time, the image information processing circuit performs image information processing. Then, image information is output from the input / output terminal 113, and the image reading operation of the film scanner ends.

In recent years, in addition to scanning with visible light as described above, dust and scratches on the film are detected by performing the same scanning with infrared light as described above, and the visible light is used to detect the dust. A film scanner has been proposed in which dust and scratches detected are superimposed on image information and corrected by image processing to make the dust and scratches inconspicuous. In this method, it is possible to solve the problems that the time is lengthened by performing two scans, one using visible light and the other using infrared light, and that the required memory capacity is increased by holding image data. The method is disclosed in JP-A-2000-1
No. 15,462.

[0009]

However, the prior art has the following problems.

[0010] Even when a prescan result is output and an image information reading range is specified based on the output, an unnecessary range not specified as the reading range is scanned, so that the scanning time becomes longer. .
If the focusing operation is not performed between infrared light scanning and visible light scanning, the focusing position where the image information on the film is combined with a normal imaging optical system depends on the performance of the imaging optical system. Because of the difference, at least one of the image information on the line sensor becomes blurred image information, and an image of dust or a flaw cannot be detected properly.

According to the present invention, image information on a document can be obtained in a short time with less noticeable dust and scratches, and the accuracy of detection of dust and scratches can be increased to read image information with high accuracy. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image reading apparatus capable of performing the following.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reading apparatus, comprising: an illuminating means for illuminating a document; an image forming optical system for forming image information of the document illuminated by the illuminating means; Light detecting means for detecting light formed by the image forming optical system, storage means for storing a detection result by the light detecting means, and reading range setting means for setting a reading range of the document; In an image reading apparatus that reads image information on the document by a relative scanning operation of the document and the light detection unit, the image information of the document is scanned in a scanning direction within a range set by a reading range setting unit, and reading is performed. The scanning is performed in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the scanning direction of all of the image information on the original is scanned and read in the range set by the reading range setting means. It is characterized in that reading is performed over the entire readable range.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the original and the light detecting means perform relative reciprocal scanning, and the illuminating means uses light sources having different emission spectra in the forward and backward paths of the reciprocating scanning operation. The illumination of the document is performed using the illumination.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the third aspect of the invention, one of the illumination lights of the different light sources is visible light and one is infrared light.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the third aspect of the present invention, image information is read by visible light in the forward scan and infrared light is read in the backward scan.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reading apparatus for illuminating an original, an image forming optical system for forming an image of image information of the original illuminated by the illuminating means, and an image formed by the image forming optical system. Light detecting means for detecting the detected light, storage means for storing a detection result by the light detecting means, and reading range setting means for setting a reading range of the document. In an image reading device that reads image information on the document by a reciprocating scan operation,
In the forward scan, the scan direction scans and reads the range set by the read range setting means, and the scan direction and the vertical direction read the entire readable range.In the return scan, the scan direction is It is characterized in that scanning and reading are performed over a range slightly wider than the range set by the reading range setting means, and reading is performed over the entire readable range in the scanning direction and the vertical direction.

An image reading apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention includes an illuminating means for illuminating the original, an image forming optical system for forming image information of the original illuminated by the illuminating means, and an image forming optical system. An image reading device that has light detection means for detecting the detected light, and reading range setting means for setting a reading range of the document, and reads image information of the document by a relative scanning operation between the document and the light detection means. At
In the reading range set by the reading range setting means, the scanning direction scans and reads the set reading range, and the scanning direction and the vertical direction are all readable regardless of the set reading range. It is characterized by having control means for reading in the range.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the original and the light detecting means perform relative reciprocal scanning in the invention of the seventh aspect, and illuminate the original using light sources having different emission spectra in the forward and backward paths of the reciprocal scanning operation. It is characterized by performing.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the original and the light detecting means perform relative reciprocal scanning in the seventh or eighth aspect of the invention. Is wider than the reading width of the image information in the scanning direction.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A configuration in which the present invention is applied to a film scanner will be described.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of the film scanner of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the film scanner shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 to 6 show the operation of the film scanner shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a reading range of an image by visible light scanning in the entire reading range on the document surface, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a reading range of an image by infrared light scanning in the entire reading range on the document surface. is there.

1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a carriage holding a film adapter, 2 denotes a transparent original (film) on which image information for reading such as a film is recorded,
Reference numeral 3 denotes a light source for irradiating the transmissive document 2, and includes a light source 3a for visible light and a light source 3b for infrared light. Reference numeral 4 denotes an imaging lens which forms image information on a predetermined surface.
A line sensor 5 reads image information.
Reference numeral 6 denotes a sub-scanning motor for driving (scanning) the carriage 1 in the sub-scanning direction (X direction); 7, a carriage sensor for detecting the position of the carriage 1 in the scanning direction (scanning direction); 9 is a lighting circuit of the light source 3, 10 is an analog processing circuit, 11 is an A / D conversion circuit, 12 is an image processing circuit, 13 is a line buffer, 14 is an interface, and 15 is a personal computer. External equipment, such as
16 is a D / A conversion circuit, 17 is a system controller (control means), 18 is an offset RAM, 19 is a CPU
A bath, 20 is a lens holder for holding the lens 4, 21
Is a mirror for turning back the optical path, 22 is the exterior of the scanner unit, 23 is a focus motor, 24 is a focus position detection sensor, and 25 is a holding frame.

When the optical path is expanded in FIG.
), The scanning direction of the carriage 1 (film 2) is the X-axis (sub-scanning direction), the arrangement direction of the pixels of the line sensor 5 is the main scanning direction (Y-axis), and the optical axis direction of the imaging lens 4 (Y-axis). (Direction perpendicular to the axis) is the Z axis.

In this embodiment, a transparent original is used as the original, but the basic configuration is the same for a reflective original.

Next, a system for converting the film image (image information) recorded on the transparent original 2 into an electric signal using the film scanner having the above-described pixels and taking it into the external device 15 will be described.

The film 2 is fixedly held on the carriage 1 by a film holder (not shown) or the like, and is drivably connected to the sub-scanning motor 6 via a feed mechanism such as a speed reducer. In this driving mechanism, the minimum feed pitch is appropriately set according to the reading resolution of the film 2.

The light source 3 includes a visible light source 3a and an infrared light source 3b.
The visible light source 3a is constituted by a line-shaped fluorescent tube containing an inert gas such as xenon or mercury therein, and is disposed substantially parallel to the main scanning direction (Y direction) of the line sensor 5, and The external light source 3b is composed of an LED or the like. The fluorescent tube emits light of wavelengths corresponding to at least blue, green, and red. The light source 3a, which is a fluorescent tube, is turned on by a light source lighting circuit 9, which is a so-called inverter circuit.

Even if image information is formed on the film, the infrared light transmits the image information, and as a result, penetrates the entire reading range on the film, so that dust, dust, scratches, etc. can be detected with high accuracy. Used to be able to.

The image forming lens 4 forms an image on the line sensor 5 from image information on the film 2 irradiated with the light beam from the light source 3. The imaging lens 4 and the line sensor 5 are held by a holding frame 25.
The distance between the optical axes of the imaging lens 4 and the line sensor 5 is adjusted in advance.
Therefore, the image recorded on the film 2 is formed on the line sensor 5 at a fixed magnification. In addition, the inclination of the film 2 and the line sensor 5 in the main scanning direction is also adjusted in advance to prevent the output image from being distorted. Holding frame 2
Numeral 5 is drivably coupled to the focus motor 23, and its position (position in the optical axis direction) can be detected by the focus position detection sensor 24. By monitoring the luminance signal level of the video signal from the line sensor 5 and driving the focus motor 23 so that the film signal becomes the maximum, and correcting the optical path length, the film 2 in the best focus state is obtained.
The above image is being captured.

As the line sensor 5, a line sensor having three lines (R, G, B) for reading image information of red, green, and blue light is used. As shown in FIG. 11, such line sensors are arranged in parallel with a certain interval between the light receiving units R, G, and B. An image signal (analog signal) generated by the line sensor 5 is converted into a digital signal by an A / D conversion circuit 11 and further converted into image data by an image processing circuit 12, and this image data is converted into a D / A conversion circuit. The signal is added to the analog processing circuit 10 via the line 16 and a stable black level signal can be obtained.

The image processing circuit 12 is composed of a gate array and the like, and digital AGC converted by the A / D conversion circuit 11, shading correction, γ correction, color data synthesis, resolution / magnification conversion, filter processing, masking processing, It performs various processing such as binarization / AE processing, negative / positive inversion, and mirror image processing, and further outputs the operation clock of the line sensor 5 and the sample timing of the A / D conversion circuit 11.

The dynamic range of each input color signal is adjusted by the digital AGC process.

In the shading correction processing, non-uniformity such as the light amount of the light source 3, the transmittance of the imaging lens 4, and the sensitivity of the line sensor 5 is corrected.

In the γ correction processing, the input gradation is converted into the output gradation while adjusting the contrast of the image.

In the color data synthesizing process, image data is temporarily stored in an offset RAM in order to correct the positional gap between the respective light receiving portions of the line sensor 5 as described above. Output as data.

In the resolution / magnification conversion processing, data thinning-out and addition processing are performed so as to be set by input of conversion parameters from the system controller 17. This is performed according to an instruction from the external device 15.

In the filter processing, processing such as main scanning interpolation, sub-scanning interpolation, averaging, smoothing, and edge processing are selectively performed according to gradation and resolution.

The binarization / AE processing is performed in accordance with a command from an external device using data of the green channel. At this time, the slice level is automatically set when the density of the film 2 is detected.

In the negative / positive reversing process, when a negative film is set on the film 2, the system controller 1
7 is performed according to the instruction. This is constituted by an exclusive logic circuit, for example.

The mirror image processing is performed by reading the data written in the offset RAM 21 in reverse according to an instruction from the external device 17.

The offset RAM 18 is provided as a working area for performing the above-described image processing.
And temporarily stores the image data.

The line buffer 13 is for temporarily storing the image data processed by the image processing circuit 12 as described above, and outputs the image data from an interface circuit 14 such as a SCSI controller to an external device 15. I do.

The system controller 17, image processing circuit 12, line buffer 13, interface 1
4. The offset RAM 18 is connected as shown in FIG. 1 by a CPU bus 19 constituted by an address bus and a data bus. This allows data communication between the circuits.

In such a configuration, the user of the film scanner sets the reading range of the image information on the document to the external device 15 which also serves as the reading range setting means.
The instruction of the reading range is given to the system controller 17 through the. The instruction from the user is transmitted to the system controller 17 via the interface circuit 14. Specifically, the user command may include a type of film, an image reading range, a reading resolution, a main scan command, and whether or not to perform dust / flaw correction processing. Electrical preparation and processing are performed in accordance with a flow appropriately programmed in the system controller 17 based on these user commands and outputs from various detection circuits.

In this embodiment, the image information of the original is scanned in the scanning direction for the range set by the reading range setting means, and the reading is performed. In the scanning direction and the vertical direction, the entire readable range is read. I have.

Next, a flow of converting a film image into an electric signal will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a main routine of the film scanner in this embodiment, and FIGS. 4 to 6 are flowcharts showing subroutines of preview, main scan, and eject, respectively.

First, the main flow will be described with reference to FIG.
Here, the description will be made assuming that the power of the external device 15 such as a personal computer has already been turned on.

Step 301: When the power of the scanner is turned on, various initializations are performed by the system controller 17. This includes, for example, a RAM memory check, various motor drive checks, black level correction, shading correction, and SCSI controller initial settings. Upon completion of the initialization, the process proceeds to step 302.

Step 302: Here, a standby state for waiting for a command from the external device 15 is entered. In this case, the standby state is released by the user inputting an operation command for what the film scanner should do with the application of the external device, and the process proceeds to step 303.

In steps 303 to 308, it is determined what the command from the external device 15 is.

Step 303: It is determined whether or not the command from the external device 15 is a preview instruction. If so, go to step 304; otherwise, go to step 3
Go to 05.

Step 304: A preview sequence is performed (FIG. 4). Thereafter, the flow advances to step 302 to wait for command reception.

Step 305: It is determined whether or not the command from the external device 15 is a main scan instruction. If so, go to step 306; otherwise, go to step 3
Proceed to 07.

Step 306: A main scan sequence is performed (FIG. 5). Thereafter, the flow advances to step 302 to wait for command reception.

Step 307: It is determined whether or not the command from the external device 15 is an ejection instruction. If so, go to step 308; otherwise, go to step 3
Go to 09.

Step 308: An ejection sequence is performed (FIG. 6). Thereafter, the flow advances to step 302 to wait for command reception.

Step 309: It is determined that a command (abnormal command) that cannot be detected in the command reception content check up to step 307 has been received, and processing is performed. This can be considered, for example, by giving an abnormality warning to an external device and notifying the user by a monitor or the like.

Next, various subroutines shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 will be described.

First, the preview sequence will be described with reference to FIG.

Step 401: Move to the carriage initial position and wait. The initial position of the carriage refers to a start position when scanning a film image, that is, a state in which any image end of the film or its vicinity is on the optical axis.

Step 402: The light source lighting circuit 9 is driven by the system controller 17 to light the light source 3a.

Step 403: Drive the sub-scanning motor to position the optical axis within the film image range (for example, near the center of the film), input light amount data with the line sensor, and adjust the gain so that this value becomes an appropriate value. To adjust the exposure. Thereafter, the film is moved to the initial position again.

Step 404: The driving speed of the sub-scanning motor at the time of preview is determined based on the result of step 404. That is, when the light amount is very small and a sufficient light amount cannot be obtained only by adjusting the gain, the driving speed is reduced.

Step 405: The holding frame 25 is driven by the focus motor 23 to perform focus adjustment.

Step 406: A scan operation for preview is started. At this time, if the preview range is specified by a command from the external device 15, the image processing circuit is set to that effect and scanning is performed. Then, the created image data is stored in the offset RAM 21.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the designated portion of the image designated as the range and the range of the image actually scanned and stored in the offset RAM 21 next.

Step 407: It is determined whether or not a command for performing dust / scratch correction processing has been received upon receiving a command from the external device 15 (step 302). If the correction process is to be performed, the process proceeds to step 408;
Proceed to.

Step 408: The light source 3a passes through the light source lighting circuit 9 according to an instruction from the system controller 17.
Is turned off and 3b is turned on.

Step 409: Focus motor 23
Is driven to move the holding frame 25 in the optical axis direction to change the optical path length. This change in the optical path length may be performed by moving the holding frame 25 based on a predetermined moving amount, by moving the amount calculated by using a calculating means based on information obtained from focus adjustment, or by holding a document such as a film holder. The holding frame 25 is moved so that the position of the marker provided on the means coincides with the position of the marker for infrared light and the position of the marker for visible light.

Step 410: A scanning operation for detecting dust / scratch is started. At this time, if the preview range is designated, the image processing circuit is set to that effect and scanning is performed.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the specified portion of the image whose range is specified and the range of the image which is actually scanned and stored in the next offset RAM 21.

Step 411: Based on the infrared image information captured in step 410, dust on the film
Create wound information.

Step 412: The image data of the dust / scratch area on the film is corrected with the dust / scratch information data created in step 411.

Step 413: The image data created in step 406 or 412 is output to the external device 15 via the interface 14.

Step 414: The light source 3 is turned off by the light source lighting circuit 9 according to an instruction from the system controller 17.

Step 415: When the input of the preview image is completed, the sub-scanning motor and the line sensor drive pulses are stopped, the film is moved to the initial position again, and a standby state is set.

The preview sequence is completed as described above, and the flow returns to the main routine to wait for a command (step 302).
Becomes

FIG. 5 shows a main scan sequence, which is basically the same as the preview sequence. In the case of main scan, the only difference is that the selection range of the image capture resolution is widened. I do. Here, the infrared light scan may be performed at a lower resolution than the visible light scan.

FIG. 6 illustrates the ejection sequence.

Step 601: The sub-scanning motor is driven to move the carriage to the eject position.

The ejection sequence is completed and the process returns to the main routine to wait for a command (step 302).
Becomes

FIGS. 7 and 8 are explanatory diagrams for reading image information on the original 2 using visible light and infrared light.

In FIGS. 7 and 8, reference numeral 71 denotes the entire range in which image information can be read.

Reference numeral 72 (72R) denotes a reading range Wa × wb (War × WbR) in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction input by the user from the reading range setting means.

Reference numeral 73 (73 R) denotes a range that can be actually read, the scanning (sub-scanning) direction is the range Wa (WaR) input by the reading range setting means, and the main scanning direction is the entire readable range Wc ( WcR).

FIGS. 7 and 8 show that, when the reading range of the image information on the film 2 is designated by the reading range setting means, the range actually taken in both the visible light scan and the infrared light scan is the main scanning direction. Is the entire reading range,
The sub-scanning direction is a portion whose range is specified. As a result, the carriage can be moved at a high speed outside the designated range for reading in the sub-scanning direction, so that the time can be reduced. The main scanning direction is the entire reading range because the image obtained when using infrared light in the generation of dust flaw information performed in step 411 is the same as the image obtained when using visible light and the main scanning direction. In order to match the sizes of More specifically, in the image data of the infrared light scan, the imaging magnification changes because the position of the imaging lens in the optical axis direction is moved for focus adjustment. Therefore, the image becomes smaller in the main scanning direction than the image data of the visible light scan. Image processing is performed on the infrared image to match the different sizes. In this image processing, a process of multiplying a fixed coefficient from the reading center of the main scanning is performed. Since the reading center is always required for such processing, the entire reading range is read in the main scanning direction regardless of the designation of the reading range on the document by the reading range setting means. Even if the reading range of the main scan is expanded to the entire readable range outside the specified range, no significant time loss occurs as the reading time. Conversely, in order to take in only the designated reading range in the main scanning direction and perform image processing, it is necessary to have data for change for size matching for pixels in the entire range, and therefore, it is necessary to secure the memory thereof. .

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 9 shows Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

The flowchart of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.
The description is omitted because it is the same as.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a reading range on the document 2 according to the present embodiment.

In this embodiment, when a plurality of image data are read by a relative reciprocal scanning operation between the original and the light detecting means, in the forward scan, the scanning direction is to scan the range Wa set by the reading range setting means. In the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, reading is performed in the entire range of the readable range Wc, and in the return path, the scanning direction is scanned in a range Waa slightly wider than the range set by the reading range setting means, and reading is performed. In the scanning direction and the vertical direction, all reading in the readable range Wc is performed.

FIG. 9 is different from FIG. 8 in that the capture range Waa in the sub-scanning direction is slightly wider than the designated range Wa. The reason why the capture range is slightly widened in the sub-scanning direction is that the misalignment in the sub-scanning direction in the image with visible light and the image with infrared light in the sub-scanning direction is performed by image processing for the correction of dust and scratches performed in step 512. It is. More specifically, when the film is reciprocally scanned, a backlash existing in the scanning mechanism causes a position shift in the reading position of the image information between the forward path and the backward path. Even if this positional deviation is corrected, dust / scratch correction can be performed normally if there is enough margin that the image scanned on the return path can cover the image on the outward path.

[0094]

According to the present invention, image information on a document can be obtained in a short time with less noticeable dust and scratches.
Moreover, an image reading apparatus capable of reading image information with high accuracy can be achieved by increasing the detection accuracy of dust and scratches.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a film scanner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a main flowchart of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a subroutine at the time of pre-scanning of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a subroutine at the time of a main scan of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a subroutine for ejecting the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a reading range in a visible light image using the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a reading range in an infrared light image using the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a reading range in an infrared light image using the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing an essential part of a conventional image reading apparatus.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the line sensor of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 film carriage, 2 film (transparent original),
3 light source, 3a visible light source, 3b infrared light source, 4
Lens, 5 line sensor (image sensor), 6 sub-scanning motor, 7 carriage sensor, 14 interface, 17 system controller, 20 lens barrel, 21 mirror, 22 exterior

Claims (9)

[Claims] An illumination unit configured to illuminate the original; an imaging optical system configured to form image information of the original illuminated by the illumination unit; and a light configured to detect light formed by the imaging optical system. Detecting means, storing means for storing a result of detection by the light detecting means, and reading range setting means for setting a reading range of the document, wherein a relative scanning operation between the document and the light detecting means performs the scanning operation. In an image reading apparatus that reads image information on a document, the image information of the document is scanned and scanned in a scanning direction within a range set by a reading range setting unit, and the scanning direction and the vertical direction are all readable ranges. An image reading apparatus for reading an image. 2. The scanning direction of all of the image information on the document is scanned and read in the range set by the reading range setting means, and the entire readable range is read in the scanning direction and the vertical direction. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The document and the light detecting means perform relative reciprocal scanning, and the illuminating means illuminates the document using light sources having different emission spectra in the forward and backward paths of the reciprocating scanning operation. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The illumination light of said different light sources, one of which is visible light and one of which is infrared light.
An image reading device according to claim 1. 5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein image information is read by visible light in the forward scan and infrared light is read in the backward scan. 6. An illuminating means for illuminating a document, an image forming optical system for forming an image of image data of the document illuminated by the illuminating means, and a light detecting device for detecting light formed by the image forming optical system. Means, storage means for storing a detection result by the light detection means, and reading range setting means for setting a reading range of the document. In the image reading apparatus that reads the image information, in the forward scan, the scanning direction is to scan the range set by the reading range setting means, and the reading is performed. In the return scan, the scan direction is scanned over a range slightly wider than the range set by the read range setting An image reading apparatus which performs reading, and performs reading in an entire range that can be read in a scanning direction and a vertical direction. 7. Illumination means for illuminating a document, an imaging optical system for forming image information of the document illuminated by the illumination means, and light detection for detecting light formed by the imaging optical system Means, a reading range setting means for setting a reading range of the document, an image reading apparatus for reading image information of the document by a relative scanning operation of the document and the light detection means, wherein the reading range setting means Of the set reading range, the scanning direction scans and reads the set reading range, and the scanning direction and the vertical direction read the entire readable range regardless of the set reading range. An image reading device comprising control means. 8. A document according to claim 7, wherein said document and said light detecting means perform relative reciprocal scanning, and illuminate the document using light sources having different emission spectra in the forward and backward paths of the reciprocating scanning operation. The image reading device according to any one of the preceding claims. 9. The original document and the light detecting means perform relative reciprocal scanning, and the read width of the image information in the scan direction in the backward scan is wider than the read width of the image information in the scan direction in the backward scan. 9. The image reading device according to claim 7, wherein: