JP2003248274A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reader by which the image quality of a read image is improved by providing a light emitting mechanism which possesses a light source to radiate light balanced from a short wavelength side to a long wavelength side and prevents the lowering and the unevenness of the light quantity of outgoing light from the light source. <P>SOLUTION: In the image reader possessing the light emitting mechanism 20 and a reading means to read specified image information by detecting transmitted light or reflected light by irradiating an original 100 on which the specified image information is recorded with the light from the light emitting mechanism 20, the light emitting mechanism 20 is provided with several light sources 21 and 22, a light mixing means 23 to form the outgoing light nearly in the same direction by mixing the light emitted by several light sources 21 and 22 and a light converging means 26 to converge light mixed by the light mixing means 23 on the side of the original 100. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

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, and more particularly to an image reading apparatus for reading image information from a document such as a negative film or a photograph on which image information is recorded.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a photographic image processing system for converting an image taken by a camera into digital image data has been proposed and put into practical use. In this system, an image processing apparatus is used for reading a document such as a negative film photographed by a camera with a film scanner (image reading unit), converting it into digital image data, and recording it.

A film scanner (image reading section) constituting the image processing apparatus is provided with a light emitting mechanism for irradiating a document with predetermined light. It is emitted by this light emitting mechanism,
The light transmitted through the document or reflected by the document is received by a light receiving means such as a CCD and is read as image information.

[0004]

It has been proposed that the light emitting mechanism includes a predetermined light source and a light focusing means for focusing the light from the light source. Conventionally, a halogen lamp has been used as a light source. However, since the spectral component of the light emitted from this halogen lamp is biased to the long-wavelength component, it was not possible to irradiate the original with light balanced from the short-wavelength side to the long-wavelength side. This hinders accurate output of image information.

Further, with only the light converging means provided in the conventional light emitting mechanism, it is unavoidable that the amount of light emitted from the light source is reduced or nonuniform, and as a result, the quality of the read image is deteriorated. It was

An object of the present invention is to have a light source that radiates a balanced light from the short wavelength side to the long wavelength side, and to prevent a decrease in the amount of light emitted from this light source or a non-uniform light emission. An object of the present invention is to provide an image reading device including a mechanism and capable of improving the image quality of a read image.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 obtains a light emitting mechanism and a document on which predetermined image information is recorded by irradiating light from the light emitting mechanism. In the image reading apparatus having a reading unit that detects the transmitted light or the reflected light and reads the predetermined image information, the light emitting mechanism mixes a plurality of light sources and light emitted from the plurality of light sources. And light converging means for converging the light mixed by the light mixing means to the document side.

According to the first aspect of the invention, since the light emitting mechanism has a plurality of light sources, the wavelength of the light emitted from each light source can be appropriately distributed from the short wavelength side to the long wavelength side. it can. Therefore, the light emitted from the light source can be balanced light from the short wavelength side to the long wavelength side.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the lights emitted from the plurality of light sources can be mixed by the light mixing means, focused by the light focusing means, and then incident on the original. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the diffusion of the light emitted from the plurality of light sources, and thus it is possible to effectively suppress the decrease in the amount of light from the emission of the plurality of light sources to the incidence on the original. As a result, the quality of the read image can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to the first aspect, the plurality of light sources emit light beams having different wavelengths, and the light mixing means responds to the light wavelengths. The wavelength-selective optical member selectively transmits or reflects the light.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
In the image reading apparatus described above, the light source has a directivity angle set within a range of 10 ° to 40 °.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to any of the first to third aspects, the light source has a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a honeycomb shape.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a light guide unit for guiding the light mixed by the light mixing unit to the light focusing unit side is provided. Is characterized by.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the light (mixed light) mixed by the light mixing means is guided by the light guiding means.
It can be guided to the light focusing means side. Therefore, for example, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the amount of light until the mixed light reaches the light converging unit, or to make the mixed light uniform.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the light guiding means includes a light diffusing means for diffusing light.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, since the light diffusing means is provided in the light guiding means, the light incident on the light guiding means is further diffused and uniformized, and then guided to the light focusing means. be able to.

The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 5 or 6.
In the image reading apparatus described above, the light guide unit includes a flat optical element that focuses light.

According to the invention described in claim 7, since the light guide means is provided with a flat plate-shaped optical element for converging light, the light incident on the light guide means is preliminarily converged and then,
It can lead to a light focusing means. For this reason, it is possible to further prevent the diffusion of light, so that it is possible to more effectively suppress the decrease in the amount of light until it is incident on the document.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the flat optical element is a Fresnel lens.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to any of the first to eighth aspects, the light focusing means is a rod lens.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the distance between the exit surface of the rod lens and the document is 5 mm or more and twice the diameter of the rod lens or less. Characterize.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, since the exit surface of the rod lens (light focusing means) and the document are separated by a specific distance, it is effective to reduce the amount of light until the document is incident. It is possible to suppress the influence of unevenness of the emission surface of the rod lens (light focusing means) and the influence of dust adhering to the emission surface while suppressing the above.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, an image reading apparatus used in a photographic image processing system that converts an image captured by a camera into digital image data will be described.

[First Embodiment] An image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a film scanner 10 as a reading unit,
It is composed of a controller 40 (which will be described later) which is a control unit for controlling the film scanner 10. Figure 1
[Fig. 3] is a schematic perspective view of the film scanner 10 when viewed obliquely from below. Further, FIG. 2 shows the film scanner 10.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view for explaining a configuration of a light emitting mechanism built in the, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a III-III portion of FIG. 2. Further, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment.

First, the mechanical structure of the film scanner 10 of the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Film scanner 10
The light emitting mechanism 20 includes a light emitting mechanism 20, a reading unit that reads the light emitted from the light emitting mechanism 20 and transmitted through the document 100, and a conveying unit that allows the document 100 to reciprocate with respect to the light emitting mechanism 20 and the reading unit. In this embodiment, a piece film of 6 frames is used as the original 100.

The light emitting mechanism 20 has a function of irradiating the original 100 on which image information is recorded with predetermined light. The mechanical structure of the light emitting mechanism 20 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The light emitting mechanism 20 includes a first LED 21 which is a B (blue) light source, a second LED 22 which is a G (green) light source, an R (red) light source and an Ir (infrared) source, and a first LE.
The second LE while reflecting the light emitted from D21
The light emitted from D22 is transmitted to mix both lights, and the light mixed by the dichroic mirror 23 that is the light mixing means for forming the emitted light to the piece film side, and the light mixed by the dichroic mirror 23 is directed to the piece film side. A mirror tunnel 25 that is a light guiding unit that guides the light and a rod lens 26 that is a light focusing unit that focuses the light emitted from the mirror tunnel 25 to the piece film side are provided.

The first LED 21 has wavelengths of 420 to 470n.
It is a light source that emits B (blue) light of m, and is configured by mounting a plurality of light emitting elements 21b in a honeycomb shape on a substrate 21a. The second LED 22 has a wavelength of 500 to 600 nm.
G (green) light, R (red) light having a wavelength of 640 to 680 nm, and infrared light having a wavelength of 700 nm or more. The second LED 22 is also configured by mounting a plurality of light emitting elements 22b on the substrate 22a in a honeycomb shape.

In the present embodiment, the first LED 21
And each of the light emitting elements 21b, 2b that constitute the second LED 22.
The directivity angle of 2b is set to 30 °. Further, since the widths of the first LED 21 and the second LED 22 are made slightly wider than the width of the original 100, the original 100
The whole can be irradiated with light.

The dichroic mirror 23 is a wavelength-selective optical member that selectively transmits or reflects light according to the wavelength of light, and the inside thereof has a wavelength of 420 to 470 nm.
The average transmittance for (blue) light is 10% or less, and the wavelength is 5
A predetermined metal film 23a is provided so that the average transmittance for light of 00 nm or more is 90% or more. Therefore, the dichroic mirror 23 reflects the blue light emitted from the first LED 21 and the second LED 22.
It is possible to transmit green light, red light and infrared light emitted from. Then, the reflected blue light and the transmitted green light and red light can be mixed to form light emitted to the original 100 side.

The first LED 21 and the second LED
The dichroic mirror 22 and the dichroic mirror 23 are fixed in a rectangular parallelepiped casing 24 by fixing means (not shown).

The mirror tunnel 25 is a light guiding means for guiding the light mixed by the dichroic mirror 23 (hereinafter referred to as "mixed light") to the piece film side. The mirror tunnel 25 is capable of preventing the decrease in the amount of the mixed light and making the mixed light uniform by totally reflecting the mixed light that has entered therein. The mirror tunnel 25 has a wide rectangular prism shape as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and its width is set to be substantially the same as the width of the original 100. Further, the area of the light incident surface and the area of the light emitting surface are set to be substantially the same.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, most of the mirror tunnel 25 is housed in a rectangular parallelepiped casing 24, and the mirror tunnel 25 is fixed in a state in which the vicinity of the leading end on the exit surface side projects toward the original 100. Has been done.

The exit surface of the mirror tunnel 25 (original 100
On the side surface), a diffusion film 25a which is a light diffusion means for diffusing light and a Fresnel lens 25b which is a flat optical element for converging light are provided.

The diffusion film 25a is a thin film made of polycarbonate and having a thickness of 0.254 mm, and has a function of diffusing the mixed light entering the mirror tunnel 25 just before it is emitted to the original 100 side and making it uniform. Fulfill. The directivity angle of the diffusion film 25a is set to 5 ° or more.

Further, the Fresnel lens 25b has a function of converging the light diffused and made uniform by the diffusion film 25a. That is, the mirror tunnel 25
The mixed light that is incident on and is diffused by the diffusion film 25a and made uniform is condensed by the Fresnel lens 25b in the direction (main scanning direction) indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG. It is emitted to the original 100 side).

The rod lens 26 has a cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and functions as a light focusing means for focusing the light emitted from the mirror tunnel 25 on the original 100 side. That is, the mirror tunnel 25,
The mixed light sequentially passing through the diffusing film 25a and the Fresnel lens 25b is emitted by the rod lens 26 to the original 100 side in a state of being condensed in the direction (sub-scanning direction) indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG.

Here, the distance from the emitting surface of the mirror tunnel 25 to the rod lens 26 can be appropriately determined according to the area of the emitting surface of the mirror tunnel 25 and the diameter of the rod lens 26. In this embodiment, the width of the mirror tunnel 25 and the diameter of the rod lens 26 are set to 20 mm, and the distance from the exit surface of the mirror tunnel 25 to the rod lens 26 is set to 15 mm.

The distance from the exit surface of the rod lens 26 to the original 100 can be appropriately determined according to the diameter of the rod lens 26, the light amount of the light sources (first LED 21 and second LED 22), the type of the original, and the like. . For example, the distance from the exit surface of the rod lens 26 to the original 100 can be set within the range of 5 mm or more and twice or less the diameter of the rod lens 26. In the present embodiment, the diameter of the rod lens 26 is set to 20 mm, and the distance from the exit surface of the rod lens 26 to the original 100 is set to 12 mm.

Next, the reading means will be described. The reading unit reads the light emitted from the light emitting mechanism 20 and transmitted through the document 100. The reading unit includes a mirror 11 that reflects the light emitted from the light emitting mechanism 20 and transmitted through the document 100, and a lens 1 that focuses the reflected light from the mirror 11.
2 and the optical signals focused by this lens 12 are RGB
Dichroic prism 1 that separates into a component and an Ir component
3 and a CCD 14 that receives the optical signal separated by the dichroic prism 13 and converts the optical signal into an electric signal.

The dichroic prism 13 functions to transmit only the RGB components of the incident optical signal and reflect the Ir components in the vertical direction (FIG. 1).
reference). In the present embodiment, the CCD 14 is
First CCD 14 for receiving color information corresponding to R, G, B
a and a second CCD 14b that receives information related to Ir are adopted. The second CCD 14b functions to read the R irradiation, the G irradiation, and the B irradiation at the same time each time a frame is fed by one step by a stepping motor described later.

Next, the conveying means will be described. The conveying means is the original 10 for the light emitting mechanism 20 and the reading means.
It enables zero reciprocating motion. The transport means is a pinion 15 provided in the main body of the film scanner 10.
With the original 100 attached, the film scanner 1
The rack and pinion mechanism is composed of a rack 31 provided on the side surface of a film carrier 30 that is transported into the main body of No. 0. The rack-and-pinion mechanism is driven by a stepping motor, which will be described later, and can feed the frame of the document 100 step by step.

Next, the electrical configuration of the image reading apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The film scanner 10 includes a CPU 16 and
A data communication unit 17 for exchanging data with a controller 40, which will be described later, and an A / D conversion circuit 18 for converting an image signal read by the CCD 14 into digital image data are provided. Then, these data communication units 1
6 and the A / D conversion circuit 18 are electrically connected to the CPU 16. In this embodiment, a SCSI interface is used as the data communication unit 17.

Further, the film scanner 10 has the first LE
An LED driver 20a that drives the D21 and the second LED 22, and a CCD driver 14c that drives the CCD 14.
A stepping motor 15a for driving the rack-and-pinion mechanism, and a stepping motor driver 15b for controlling the stepping motor 15a. Then, the LED driver 20a and the CCD driver 1
4a and the stepping motor driver 15b are CP
It is electrically connected to U16.

The controller 40 is a control unit for controlling the entire film scanner 10 which is a reading unit. The controller 40 includes a CPU 41, a data communication unit (SCSI interface) 42 for exchanging data with the film scanner 10, operation means (keyboard, mouse, etc.) 43 for instructing the CPU 20 to perform various operations, and the film scanner 10. A memory 44 for storing the image data read by the memory 44 and a display means (CRT) 45 for displaying the image data stored in the memory 44 are provided.

In the image reading apparatus according to this embodiment, the light emitting mechanism 20 emits B (blue) light having a wavelength of 420 to 470 nm, and the wavelength of 500 to 60.
It has the 2nd LED22 which emits 0 nm G (green) light and wavelength 640-680 nm R (red) light,
The spectral distributions of the light emitted from the first LED 21 and the second LED 22 are balanced from the short wavelength side to the long wavelength side. Therefore, it is possible to provide accurate output of image information.

In the image reading apparatus according to this embodiment, the first LED 21 and the second LED 22 are also included.
Light emitted from the light source is mixed by a dichroic mirror 23 which is a light mixing means, is focused in the sub-scanning direction by a rod lens 26 which is a light focusing means (see FIG. 3), and is then incident on the original 100. it can. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the diffusion of light in the sub-scanning direction, and thus it is possible to effectively suppress a decrease in the amount of light from being emitted from the first LED 21 and the second LED 22 to being incident on the original 100.

Further, in the image reading apparatus according to this embodiment, the dichroic mirror 23 which is the light mixing means.
The mixed light (mixed light) can be guided to the rod lens 26 that is the light converging means by the mirror tunnel 25 that is the light guiding means. Inside the mirror tunnel 25, the mixed light can be totally reflected and made uniform.
Further, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the amount of light until the mixed light reaches the rod lens 26.

Further, in the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment, since the diffusion film 25a which is the light diffusing means is provided on the emitting surface side of the mirror tunnel 25, the light immediately before being emitted from the mirror tunnel 25 is provided. Can be further diffused and made uniform, and then can be guided to the rod lens 26.

Further, in the image reading apparatus according to this embodiment, since the Fresnel lens 25b is provided on the exit surface side of the mirror tunnel 25, the mirror tunnel 25
The light immediately before being emitted from the light source can be focused in the main scanning direction (see FIG. 2) and then guided to the rod lens 26. The Fresnel lens 25b can prevent the diffusion of light in the main scanning direction, and thus the original 10
It is possible to more effectively suppress the decrease in the amount of light until the light reaches 0.

Further, in the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment, since the exit surface of the rod lens 26, which is the light focusing means, and the original 100 are separated by a specific distance (12 mm), they are incident on the original 100. It is possible to suppress the influence of the unevenness of the emission surface of the rod lens 26 and the influence of dust adhering to the emission surface while effectively suppressing the decrease in the amount of light until the emission.

[Second Embodiment] In the present embodiment, in the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment, the configurations of the light source and the light mixing means of the light emitting mechanism are changed, and Since the configurations are substantially the same, the description of the duplicate configurations will be omitted.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the mechanical structure of the light emitting mechanism 20A incorporated in the film scanner of the image reading apparatus according to this embodiment. In the present embodiment, the first LE that is a G (green) light source is used as the light source.
D21Ag, second LED 21Ar that is an R (red) light source and infrared source, and third LED that is a B (blue) light source
21 Ab is adopted.

The first LED 21Ag has a wavelength of 500 to 60.
The second LE is a light source that emits 0 nm G (green) light.
D21Ar is a light source that emits R (red) light having a wavelength of 640 to 680 nm and infrared light having a wavelength of 700 nm or more, and the third LED 21Ab has a wavelength of 420 to 470 nm.
Is a light source that emits B (blue) light. These first, second and third LEDs 21Ag, 21Ar and 21Ab
Includes a plurality of light emitting elements mounted on a substrate in a honeycomb shape. Also, the first, second and third LEDs 21
The directivity angle of each light emitting element forming Ag, 21Ar and 21Ab is set to 15 °.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first dichroic mirror 23Aa and the second dichroic mirror 23Ab, which are two wavelength selective optical members, are adopted as the light mixing means.

Although not shown, the inside of the first dichroic mirror 23Aa has a G wavelength of 500 to 600 nm.
The average transmittance for (green) light is 10% or less, and the wavelength 6
A predetermined metal film having an average transmittance of 90% or more for 40 or more light is provided. Although not shown inside the second dichroic mirror 23Ab, the average transmittance for B (blue) light having a wavelength of 420 to 470 nm is 10% or less, and the average transmittance for light having a wavelength of 500 or more is 90%. A predetermined metal film as described above is provided.

Therefore, the first dichroic mirror 23
Aa can reflect the green light emitted from the first LED 21Ag and transmit the red light and the infrared light emitted from the second LED 21Ar. In addition, the second dichroic mirror 23Ab includes the third LED 21A.
The blue light emitted from b is reflected and the first L
It is possible to transmit green light emitted from the ED 21Ag and reflected by the first dichroic mirror 23Aa, and red light and infrared light emitted from the second LED 21Ar and transmitted by the first dichroic mirror 23Aa.
Then, the green light, the blue light, and the red light can be mixed to form light emitted to the original 100 side.

These first, second and third LEDs 21A
The g, 21Ar and 21Ab and the first and second dichroic mirrors 23Aa and 23Ab are fixed in a rectangular parallelepiped casing 24A by fixing means (not shown).

In the image reading apparatus according to this embodiment, the light emitting mechanism 20 emits G (green) light having a wavelength of 500 to 600 nm and the first LED 21Ag and the wavelength 640 to 640.
Second LED 21A that emits R (red) light of 680 nm
r and a third LED 21Ab that emits B (blue) light having a wavelength of 420 to 470 nm.
Second and third LEDs 21Ag, 21Ar and 21A
The spectral distribution of the light emitted from b is balanced from the short wavelength side to the long wavelength side. Therefore,
The output of accurate image information can be brought about.

Further, in the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment, these first, second and third LEDs 21A are provided.
The light emitted from g, 21Ar, and 21Ab is mixed with the first and second dichroic mirrors 23, which are light mixing means.
Mix by Aa, 23Ab, mirror tunnel 25A
After being focused in the sub-scanning direction by the rod lens 26A via the light source, the light can be incident on the original 100. Therefore, the diffusion of light in the sub-scanning direction can be prevented, and the first, second, and third LEDs 21Ag, 21Ar can be prevented.
It is possible to effectively suppress a decrease in the amount of light from being emitted from the light source 21 and 21Ab and entering the document 100.

In the above embodiments, the mirror tunnel is used as the light guiding means, but instead of this, a transparent acrylic resin cylindrical body may be used. Further, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the diffusion film is adopted as the light diffusing means, but instead of this, a milk white plate, a diffusing plate, a lens array or the like may be adopted. The light diffusing means such as a diffusing film can be provided on the incident surface side of the mirror tunnel, or can be provided on both the incident surface and the exit surface.

[0063]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the light emitting mechanism has a plurality of light sources, the wavelength of the light emitted from each light source is appropriately distributed from the short wavelength side to the long wavelength side. be able to. Therefore, the light emitted from the light source can be balanced light from the short wavelength side to the long wavelength side.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the light emitted from the plurality of light sources can be mixed by the light mixing means, focused by the light focusing means, and then incident on the original. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the diffusion of the light emitted from the plurality of light sources, and thus it is possible to effectively suppress the decrease in the amount of light from the emission of the plurality of light sources to the incidence on the original. As a result, the quality of the read image can be improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the light (mixed light) mixed by the light mixing means is guided by the light guiding means.
It can be guided to the light focusing means side. Therefore, for example, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the amount of light until the mixed light reaches the light converging unit, or to make the mixed light uniform.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the light guiding means is provided with the light diffusing means, the light incident on the light guiding means is further diffused and made uniform and then guided to the light focusing means. be able to.

According to the invention described in claim 7, since the light guide means is provided with the flat optical element for converging light,
The light incident on the light guide means can be preliminarily focused and then guided to the light focusing means. For this reason, it is possible to further prevent the diffusion of light, so that it is possible to more effectively suppress the decrease in the amount of light until it is incident on the document.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, since the exit surface of the rod lens (light focusing means) and the document are separated by a specific distance, it is effective to reduce the amount of light until the document is incident. It is possible to suppress the influence of unevenness of the emission surface of the rod lens (light focusing means) and the influence of dust adhering to the emission surface while suppressing the above.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a film scanner of an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a mechanical configuration of a light emitting mechanism built in the film scanner shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an electrical configuration of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a mechanical configuration of a light emitting mechanism incorporated in a film scanner of the image reading apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 film scanner 11 mirror 12 lenses 13 Dichroic prism 14 CCD 14a First CCD 14b Second CCD 14c CCD driver 15 pinion 15a Stepping motor 15b stepping motor driver 16 CPU 17 Data Communication Department 18 A / D conversion circuit 20, 20A light emitting mechanism 20a LED driver 21 First LED (B) 21a substrate 21b Light emitting element 21Ag 1st LED (G) 21Ar Second LED (R, Ir) 21Ab Third LED (B) 22 Second LED (G, R, Ir) 22a substrate 22b light emitting element 23 Dichroic mirror 23Aa First Dichroic Mirror 23Ab 2nd dichroic mirror 24 housing 25, 25A mirror tunnel 25a diffusion film 25b fresnel lens 26,26A rod lens 30 film carrier 31 racks 40 controller 41 CPU 42 Data Communication Department 43 Operation means 44 memory 45 display means 100 manuscripts

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Toru Kawabe             591-7 Kamihirose, Sayama City, Saitama Konica Stock             In the company F-term (reference) 2H109 AA13 AA53 AA72 AA77                 5C051 AA01 BA03 DB01 DB29 DB31                       DC05 DC07 FA04                 5C062 AA05 AB03 AB38 AB41 AC02                 5C072 AA01 CA05 CA07 CA09 CA15                       DA02 DA06 DA10 DA16 EA05                       QA11

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A light emitting mechanism, and reading means for detecting transmitted light or reflected light obtained by irradiating a document on which predetermined image information is recorded with light from the light emitting mechanism to read the predetermined image information. In the image reading apparatus having the above, the light emitting mechanism includes a plurality of light sources, a light mixing unit that mixes lights emitted from the plurality of light sources to form light emitted in substantially the same direction, and the light mixing unit. An image reading apparatus comprising: a light focusing unit that focuses the light mixed by the light source toward the document. 2. The plurality of light sources emit light of different wavelengths, and the light mixing means is a wavelength-selective optical member that selectively transmits or reflects light according to the wavelength of the light. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source has a directivity angle set within a range of 10 ° to 40 °. 4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source has a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a honeycomb shape. 5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a light guiding unit that guides the light mixed by the light mixing unit to the light focusing unit side. 6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the light guide unit includes a light diffusion unit that diffuses light. 7. The image reading apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the light guide unit includes a flat plate-shaped optical element that focuses light. 8. The image reading apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the flat optical element is a Fresnel lens. 9. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light focusing unit is a rod lens. 10. The image reading apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the distance between the light exit surface of the rod lens and the original is 5 mm or more and twice the diameter of the rod lens or less.