JP2009284012A - Irradiator and reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To read information for reproducing texture from an object to be read without mechanically moving a light source for changing an incidence angle and an optical system for reading the reflected light. <P>SOLUTION: An irradiation section 100 has first, second, and third light sources 110, 120, 130, and a support member 140. The second and third light sources 120, 130 are used for reading irregularities and gloss, respectively, on the surface of the object O to be read. The second light source 120 is closer to a read position P than the first and third light sources 110, 130. The third light source 130 is farther from the read position P than the first and second light sources 110, 120. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an irradiation apparatus and a reading apparatus.

In general, in order to reproduce the texture of the surface of the object to be read, it is necessary to read the object to be read with light having an incident angle different from the normal (about 45 °). Patent Document 1 describes a multi-angle scanner corresponding to a plurality of incident angles by making an optical system that reads reflected light movable.
JP 2005-331934 A

  The present invention makes it possible to read information for reproducing a texture from an object to be read without mechanically moving a light source or an optical system for reading reflected light in order to change an incident angle. Objective.

An irradiation apparatus according to the present invention is an irradiation apparatus that irradiates light to generate image information representing an object to be read based on reflected light from the object to be read and has a width in a predetermined direction. A supporting means for supporting an object, and the predetermined direction in parallel to the object to be read supported by the supporting means, and one end from the other end to the object to be read in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. A light source support member that is provided close to the light source support member, and a plurality of light sources that are supported by the light source support member and irradiate light to a reading position of an object to be read supported by the support means. Each of the light source support members is provided so as to be adjacent to each other in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and the light source near the one end is larger in intensity of light irradiated to the reading position than the light source near the other end. Special features To.
Or the irradiation apparatus which concerns on this invention is an irradiation apparatus which irradiates light in order to produce | generate the image information showing the said to-be-read based on the reflected light from a to-be-read object, Comprising: It has a width | variety in a predetermined direction. A supporting means for supporting an object to be read, and the predetermined direction, provided so as to be parallel to the object to be read supported by the supporting means, and one end from the other end in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. A light source support member provided close to an object, and a plurality of light sources that are supported by the light source support member and irradiate light to a reading position of an object to be read supported by the support means. In the light source support member, each of the light source support members is provided so as to be adjacent to each other in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and the light source closer to the one end has an intensity of light irradiated to the reading position than the light source closer to the other end. Small Configuration and said.

In the irradiation apparatus according to the present invention, each of the plurality of light sources has a light emitting region having a predetermined width in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and is closer to the one end than the first light source and the first light source. A second light source and a third light source located closer to the other end than the first light source, wherein a width of a light emitting region of the first light source is that of a light emitting region of the second and third light sources. A configuration that is larger than the width may be employed.
In the irradiation apparatus according to the present invention, the light source support member includes the plurality of light sources so that a distance between the light source near the one end and the reading position is smaller than a distance between the light source near the other end and the reading position. You may employ | adopt the structure which supports a light source.
In the irradiation apparatus according to the present invention, the first light source has an incident angle of 30 ° to 60 ° with respect to the reading position, and the second light source has an incident angle of 65 ° to 75 ° with respect to the reading position. In addition, the third light source may adopt a configuration in which an incident angle with respect to the reading position is 5 ° to 15 °.
The irradiation apparatus according to the present invention may employ a configuration in which the light source near the one end has higher luminance than the light source near the other end.
The irradiation apparatus according to the present invention may employ a configuration in which the light source is a surface light source.

A reading apparatus according to the present invention includes the irradiation apparatus described above and generation means for generating image data representing an image at the reading position based on reflected light from the reading position.
In the reading apparatus according to the present invention, the reading device includes a specifying unit that specifies an image quality of the image information, and a control unit that controls irradiation by the plurality of light sources, and the control unit corresponds to the image quality specified by the specifying unit. In addition, a configuration in which a light source that performs irradiation among the plurality of light sources may be different may be employed.
The reading apparatus according to the present invention includes a moving unit that moves the reading position in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction of the reading object, and a control unit that controls irradiation by the plurality of light sources. The means may adopt a configuration in which the number of the light sources that irradiate is increased when the movement by the moving means is high speed than when the movement is low speed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to read information for reproducing a texture from an object to be read without mechanically moving a light source or an optical system for reading reflected light in order to change an incident angle.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the reading apparatus 10 includes an irradiation unit 100, a reading unit 200, a light source driving unit 300, a reading driving unit 400, an operation unit 500, a control unit 600, and an image processing unit 700. Prepare. The irradiation unit 100 includes a light source that irradiates light to the object to be read, and the reading unit 200 receives reflected light of light emitted from the light source and generates image information representing the object to be read. The light source driving unit 300 includes a driving circuit that turns on and off the light irradiation by the irradiation unit 100. The reading drive unit 400 includes a motor that performs mechanical movement inside the reading unit 200. The operation unit 500 includes operation elements such as buttons and accepts an operation from a user. The operation unit 500 supplies operation information representing a user operation to the control unit 600. The control unit 600 includes a control circuit that controls the operations of the irradiation unit 100 and the reading unit 200 by supplying control information to the light source driving unit 300 and the reading driving unit 400. The control unit 600 operates according to operation information supplied from the operation unit 500. The image processing unit 700 includes an image processing circuit that generates image data based on the image information generated by the reading unit 200. The image processing unit 700 outputs the generated image data to an external device. Here, the external device is, for example, a storage device or a computer device.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the reading unit 200. As shown in the figure, the reading unit 200 includes a platen glass 210, a full rate carriage 220, a half rate carriage 230, an imaging lens 240, and a line sensor 250. The platen glass 210 is a plate-like member that transmits light, and supports an object to be read (O in the drawing) on the upper surface thereof. In this embodiment, the object to be read is a rectangular sheet having a long side in the direction of arrow A in the figure and a short side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. However, this is not a limitation. The full rate carriage 220 is driven by the reading drive unit 400 and is reciprocated in the direction of arrow A in the drawing. Inside the full-rate carriage 220, an irradiation unit 100 and a mirror 221 having a configuration described later are provided. That is, the full rate carriage 220 moves the irradiation position (that is, the reading position) of the light from the irradiation unit 100. The half-rate carriage 230 is driven by the reading drive unit 400 and is reciprocated in the direction of arrow A in the drawing. The half-rate carriage 230 is moved with the movement of the full-rate carriage 220, and the movement speed is half of the movement speed of the full-rate carriage 220. The half-rate carriage 230 includes mirrors 231 and 232, and reflects the reflected light from the object to be read in the direction indicated by the one-dot chain line in the drawing. The reflected light is basically diffusely reflected light, but may include a component of diffusely reflected light and a component of specularly reflected light (specularly reflected light). The case where the component of regular reflection light is included will be described later.

  The imaging lens 240 images the reflected light from the object to be read at the position of the line sensor 250. The line sensor 250 includes a plurality of light receiving elements that receive the reflected light imaged by the imaging lens 240, and generates image information corresponding to the amount of light received. In the present embodiment, the line sensor 250 generates image signals for a plurality of color components and combines them to obtain image information. The line sensor 250 of the present embodiment generates image signals of three color components of red (R), green (G), and blue (B). Here, the wavelength ranges of the R, G, and B color components are about 400 to 500, 500 to 580, and 575 to 700 (nm), respectively.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration inside the full rate carriage 220, and a diagram showing a configuration of the irradiation unit 100. As shown in the figure, the irradiation unit 100 includes a first light source 110, a second light source 120, a third light source 130, and a support member 140. The first light source 110, the second light source 120, and the third light source 130 each radiate light toward the object to be read. The light emitted from the first light source 110, the second light source 120, and the third light source 130 may be diffused light, but the main irradiation direction is the direction indicated by the one-dot chain line in the drawing. That is, the 1st light source 110, the 2nd light source 120, and the 3rd light source 130 are each irradiating the light which goes to the point P in a figure. This point P is hereinafter referred to as “reading position”. In the present embodiment, the first light source 110, the second light source 120, and the third light source 130 are all surface light sources, and are configured by organic EL (electroluminescence) elements. The mirror 221 reflects the reflected light from the reading position toward the half rate carriage 230. This reflected light is perpendicular to the object to be read. That is, the reflection angle of this reflected light is 0 °.

  The support member 140 is a member that supports the first light source 110, the second light source 120, and the third light source 130. The support member 140 has a curved surface shape, and the upper end is closer to the platen glass 210 than the lower end. That is, the upper end of the support member 140 is closer to the object to be read than the lower end. The support member 140 has a shape such that the irradiation direction of the first light source 110, the second light source 120, and the third light source 130 faces the reading position. For example, when the first light source 110, the second light source 120, and the third light source 130 are supported by the support member 140, the normal defined with respect to the light emitting surface thereof is configured to face the reading position. . In FIG. 3, the support member 140 has a shape that is closer to the reading position toward the upper end and is further away from the reading position toward the lower end.

  In the present embodiment, the incident angles of light of the first light source 110, the second light source 120, and the third light source 130 (the angles formed by the incident light with respect to the normal from the reading position) are as follows. That is, the incident angle of light of the first light source 110 is 45 °, the incident angle of light of the second light source 120 is 70 °, and the incident angle of light of the third light source 130 is 10 °. However, the incident angles of light of the first light source 110, the second light source 120, and the third light source 130 are not limited to these. For example, the incident angle of light from the first light source 110 may be about 30 ° to 60 °. Similarly, the light incident angle of the second light source 120 may be 65 ° to 75 °, and the light incident angle of the third light source 130 may be about 5 ° to 15 °.

  Note that the irradiation unit 100 and the reading unit 200 have the configuration as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 continuously in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. That is, each unit of the irradiation unit 100 and the reading unit 200 has a predetermined width corresponding to the object to be read in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. Therefore, the support member 140 is configured so that the object to be read is parallel to the width direction.

  4 is a diagram showing the irradiation unit 100 in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. As shown in the figure, the first light source 110 is substantially at the center of the support member 140. The second light source 120 is closer to the upper end than the first light source 110, and the third light source 130 is closer to the lower end than the first light source 110. The first light source 110, the second light source 120, and the third light source 130 are provided so as to be parallel to each other in the direction of arrow B in the drawing, and the widths in this direction are equal to each other. The first light source 110, the second light source 120, and the third light source 130 have a predetermined width in the direction of arrow C in the drawing, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the direction of arrow B in the drawing, and are illustrated by hatching. Light is emitted in the entire band-like region. The area of the light emitting region of the first light source 110 is larger than the areas of the light emitting regions of the second light source 120 and the third light source 130. That is, the first light source 110 is wider than the second light source 120 and the third light source 130 in the direction of arrow C in the drawing.

  The configuration of the reading device 10 is as described above. With this configuration, the reading device 10 generates image data in response to an instruction from the user. The reading apparatus 10 has the following three modes as modes for generating image data. That is, the reading device 10 uses “normal mode” for generating standard image data, “unevenness emphasis mode” for generating image data that can recognize the unevenness of the object to be read than standard image data, and standard image data. Also, the image data is generated in one of the “gloss enhancement modes” for generating image data capable of recognizing the glossiness of the read object. The user designates one of these modes by operating the operation unit 500. When the image data is generated, the reading device 10 changes the reading mode according to the designated mode.

  When the normal mode is designated, the control unit 600 of the reading device 10 scans the object to be read once. Here, scanning refers to an operation of moving the reading position so that the entire surface of the object to be read is read. At this time, the control unit 600 drives only the first light source 110 in the irradiation unit 100. That is, the irradiation unit 100 turns on the first light source 110 and turns off the second light source 120 and the third light source 130. The image processing unit 700 generates image data using the image information generated at this time. Hereinafter, image information generated by turning on the first light source 110 is referred to as “normal image information”.

  On the other hand, when the concavo-convex emphasis mode is designated, the control unit 600 of the reading apparatus 10 scans the object to be read twice. At this time, the control unit 600 drives only the first light source 110 in the irradiation unit 100 in the first scan, and drives only the second light source 120 in the irradiation unit 100 in the second scan. The image processing unit 700 generates image data using the two pieces of image information generated at this time. One of the two pieces of image information is normal image information, and the other is image information generated by turning on the second light source 120. This other image information is hereinafter referred to as “uneven image information”.

  The concavo-convex image information is information that better represents the concavo-convex feeling on the surface of the object to be read than other image information. This is because, in the concavo-convex image information, since the incident angle of light is relatively large, the shadow caused by the concavo-convex on the surface of the object to be read becomes significant. In the concavo-convex emphasis mode, a combination of the concavo-convex image information and the normal image information is image data. The external device that acquired this image data can recognize the unevenness on the surface of the object to be read with higher accuracy than the case without the uneven image information by analyzing the combination of the uneven image information and the normal image information. It becomes.

  When the gloss enhancement mode is designated, the control unit 600 of the reading apparatus 10 scans the object to be read twice. At this time, the control unit 600 drives only the first light source 110 in the irradiation unit 100 in the first scan, and drives only the third light source 130 in the irradiation unit 100 in the second scan. The image processing unit 700 generates image data using the two pieces of image information generated at this time. One of the two pieces of image information is normal image information, and the other is image information generated by turning on the third light source 130. The other image information is hereinafter referred to as “glossy image information”.

  The glossy image information is information that better represents the glossiness of the surface of the read object than other image information. This is because the glossy image information has a relatively small incident angle of light and is closer to 0 °. Therefore, when the surface of the object to be read is glossy, the reflected light includes a component due to the specularly reflected light. This is because it becomes easier. In the gloss enhancement mode, image data is a combination of the gloss image information and the normal image information. The external device that has acquired this image data can recognize the gloss of the surface of the object to be read more accurately than when it does not have gloss image information by analyzing the combination of gloss image information and normal image information. It becomes.

The regular reflection light component has a peak in the regular reflection direction, that is, the direction equal to the incident angle, but is not only in the direction equal to the incident angle.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the intensity distribution of specularly reflected light. In the figure, the horizontal axis indicates the deviation of the reflection angle with respect to the incident angle, and the vertical axis indicates the light intensity. In general, the intensity I of the peak of the specularly reflected light component is higher as the surface of the object has a higher glossiness (degree of gloss), and the width W in which the specularly reflected light component is generated is smaller as the surface of the object has a higher glossiness. Therefore, on the object surface having a low glossiness, the intensity I decreases and the width W increases. Therefore, if the incident angle of the third light source 130 is set so that the reflected light to be read appropriately includes the regular reflected light component, the glossiness of the surface of the object to be read is obtained even if the reflected light is not completely reflected in the regular reflection direction. It becomes possible.

  As described above, according to the reading device 10 of the present embodiment, the first image data based on the normal image information, the second image data based on the normal image information and the uneven image information, the normal image information, and the glossy image information. It is possible to generate the third image data based on. That is, the reading apparatus 10 can change the image quality related to the texture of the object to be read according to the user's designation.

  Further, when generating these image data, the reading apparatus 10 does not need to mechanically move the light source or the optical system that reads the reflected light in order to change the incident angle, and therefore requires a configuration necessary for such movement. And not. Therefore, the reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment can reduce the size of the apparatus, reduce the cost, and make it difficult to cause a failure as compared with a case where the reading apparatus 10 includes a configuration necessary for such movement.

Further, the reading apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is configured such that the distance between the third light source 130 and the reading position is larger than the distance between the first light source 110 and the reading position. In this way, even when the amount of light emitted by the first light source 110 and the amount of light emitted by the third light source 130 are equal, the intensity at the reading position of the light emitted from the third light source 130 is set to the first level. It can be made smaller than that of the light emitted from the light source 110. As shown in FIG. 4, the reflected light of the light emitted from the third light source 130 exhibits a steep peak when the glossiness is high. Therefore, if the intensity is excessive, the line sensor 250 receives an intensity that can be received. There is a risk that the exact strength cannot be specified. That is, by configuring as in the present embodiment, it is possible to read appropriate glossy image information without unnecessarily widening the dynamic range of the signal output from the line sensor 250.
Note that the same effect can be obtained by making the area of the light emitting region of the third light source 130 smaller than that of the first light source 110.

  Further, the reading device 10 of the present embodiment is configured such that the distance between the second light source 120 and the reading position is smaller than the distance between the first light source 110 and the reading position. When the incident angle of the illumination light increases, the illumination efficiency with respect to the surface of the object to be read decreases, and the loss of the irradiation light amount due to the interface reflection of the platen glass 210 increases. Although the amount of light tends to decrease, the configuration as in the present embodiment has an effect of compensating for the decrease in the amount of light.

[Second Embodiment]
This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration related to irradiation, but the other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. Also, explanations of matters common to the present embodiment and the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate. For convenience of explanation, the reading device of the present embodiment is referred to as “reading device 20”, and is distinguished from the reading device 10 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the irradiation unit of the present embodiment. The reading device 20 of the present embodiment employs this irradiation unit 800 instead of the irradiation unit 100 of the reading device 10 described above. As shown in the figure, the irradiation unit 800 includes a first light source 810, a second light source 820, a third light source 830, a fourth light source 840, a fifth light source 850, and a support member 860. The first light source 810 to the fifth light source 850 have different structures, but have the same structure. The first light source 810 to the fifth light source 850 have the same size and area of the light emitting region. The support member 860 is a member that supports the first light source 810 to the fifth light source 850. The support member 860 has an arc shape that overlaps an arc of a circle centered on the reading position. That is, the first light source 810 to the fifth light source 850 of the present embodiment have the same distance to the reading position.

  The incident angle of light from the first light source 810 is about 10 °. The incident angle of the light from the second light source 820 is about 30 °. The incident angle of the light from the third light source 830 is about 45 °. The incident angle of the light from the fourth light source 840 is about 60 °. The incident angle of the light from the fifth light source 850 is about 75 °.

  Based on the above configuration, the reading apparatus 20 operates in four types of modes in which “high light amount mode” is added to “normal mode”, “unevenness emphasis mode”, and “gloss emphasis mode” as in the first embodiment. To do. When the normal mode is designated, the reading device 20 turns on the second light source 820, the third light source 830, and the fourth light source 840 at the same time, turns off the first light source 810 and the fifth light source 850, and turns off the reading object. Perform one scan. Hereinafter, the image information generated by turning on the second light source 820, the third light source 830, and the fourth light source 840 in this way is referred to as “normal image information”.

  When the unevenness emphasis mode is designated, the reading device 20 scans the object to be read twice. In the first scan, the reading device 20 turns on the second light source 820, the third light source 830, and the fourth light source 840, and generates normal image information. Next, in the second scan, the reading device 20 turns on the fourth light source 840 and the fifth light source 850, and turns off the first light source 810, the second light source 820, and the third light source 830. Hereinafter, the image information generated by the second scan is referred to as “uneven image information”.

  When the gloss enhancement mode is designated, the reading device 20 scans the object to be read twice. In the first scan, the reading device 20 turns on the second light source 820, the third light source 830, and the fourth light source 840, and generates normal image information. Next, in the second scan, the reading device 20 turns on the first light source 810 and turns off the second light source 820, the third light source 830, the fourth light source 840, and the fifth light source 850. The image information generated by the second scan is hereinafter referred to as “gloss image information”.

  When the high light amount mode is designated, the reading device 20 turns on all of the first light source 810 to the fifth light source 850 and scans the object to be read once. The image information generated at this time is generated with a higher light quantity than the normal image information. Hereinafter, this image information is referred to as “high light amount image information”.

The reading device 20 generates image data using the image information generated as described above. The procedure for generating image data is the same as in the first embodiment.
As described above, according to the reading device 20 of the present embodiment, it is possible to generate image data in the high light amount mode in addition to the modes (normal mode, unevenness emphasis mode, and gloss enhancement mode) similar to those in the first embodiment. . The image data generated in the high light amount mode can irradiate the reading position with a higher light amount than the image data generated in the normal mode. Therefore, the high light amount mode is particularly suitable when sufficient brightness cannot be obtained in the normal mode when the object to be read has a high density as a whole.

  Further, in the high light amount mode, the light intensity emitted from the light source is larger than that in the normal mode, and thus the light intensity at the reading position is large. Then, in the high light quantity mode, even if the moving speed of the full rate carriage 220 is set to be higher than that in the normal mode, it is possible to receive light having the same intensity as that in the normal mode at the reading position. That is, the control unit 600 may set the moving speed of the full rate carriage 220 to be higher than that in the normal mode in the high light quantity mode. Alternatively, when the moving speed of the full-rate carriage 220 is set to be higher than that in the normal mode, the control unit 600 may increase the number of light sources that perform irradiation as in the high light amount mode of the present embodiment.

  Note that the reading device 20 may turn on only the fifth light source 850 when generating uneven image information. Similarly, when generating glossy image information, only the first light source 810 may be turned on. Further, the reading device 20 is not limited to these examples, and one or a plurality of light sources at arbitrary positions may be turned on to generate image information as necessary.

[Modification]
The present invention can be implemented in a form different from the above-described embodiment. The following modifications are examples of modifications applicable to the present invention. In addition, these modifications may be implemented by appropriately combining each as required.

(1) Modification 1
In the first embodiment, three scans may be performed, and normal image information, uneven image information, and glossy image information may be generated in each scan. In this case, the control unit 600 generates image data based on normal image information, uneven image information, and glossy image information. In this way, it is possible to obtain image data reflecting both the unevenness and glossiness.

(2) Modification 2
In the present invention, the shape of the support member is not limited to that disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, the surface to which the light source of the support member is attached may not be a curved surface. Further, the support member may be formed in a desired shape by combining a plurality of members (parts). Here, the desired shape is a shape in which one end is closer to the object to be read than the other end, and is typically an inclined shape that is not parallel to the platen glass 210.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the support member. The support member 140a shown in the figure supports the first light source 110, the second light source 120, and the third light source 130. Here, the relationship between the incident angle of each light source and the distance to the reading position is the same as in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 8 is a modification of the irradiation unit 800 of the second embodiment. The irradiation unit 800a shown in the figure includes a support member 860a in addition to the same support member 860 as in the second embodiment, and the support member 860a includes a sixth light source 810a, a seventh light source 820a, and an eighth light source 830a. , A ninth light source 840a and a tenth light source 850a. The irradiation unit 800a has a configuration that is line-symmetric with respect to the normal line from the reading position. That is, the support member 860a has the same configuration as the support member 860 except that the support member 860a is provided in the direction opposite to the support member 860 with respect to the moving direction. The sixth light source 810a to the tenth light source 850a have the same configuration as the first light source 810 to the fifth light source 850.

  In this configuration, the irradiation unit 800a turns on the second light source 820, the third light source 830, the fourth light source 840, the seventh light source 820a, the eighth light source 830a, and the ninth light source 840a when generating normal image information. Let Further, the irradiation unit 800a turns on the fourth light source 840 and the fifth light source 850 or the ninth light source 840a and the tenth light source 850a when generating the uneven image information, and generates the gloss information when generating the gloss information. The first light source 810 and the sixth light source 810a are turned on.

  By adopting a configuration such as the irradiation unit 800a, the light intensity at the reading position can be further increased. Therefore, according to such a configuration, it is possible to facilitate scanning at a higher speed and to obtain image data that can read an object to be read more clearly. In addition, by irradiating light from both the front and rear of the reading position as in the irradiation unit 800a, it is possible to obtain image data in which shading is suppressed even for a read object having an uneven surface. .

(3) Modification 3
In the present invention, in order to adjust the light intensity at the reading position, the brightness of the light source may be adjusted in addition to adjusting the distance to the light source or adjusting the area of the light emitting region. That is, the light source may have a dimming function, that is, a function of adjusting the luminance of the light to be irradiated, or may be set so that the luminances of the light sources are different from each other in advance. For example, in the first embodiment, the light emitting areas of the first light source 810, the second light source 820, and the third light source 830 are made equal, the distances to the respective reading positions are made equal, and the second light source 820 is made higher than the others. The third light source 830 can be configured to have lower brightness than the others.

(4) Modification 4
In the present invention, the light source is not limited to an organic EL element, and is not limited to a surface light source. For example, the light source may be a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged. Further, the light source does not have to be a white light source, and may be any color as long as it can read the object to be read.
Further, the light source may be configured not to have a material for reading glossy image information on the support member, or may be configured to have no device for reading the uneven image information on the support member.

(5) Modification 5
The moving means of the present invention is not limited to moving the light source. The moving means of the present invention may move the object to be read as long as it moves the reading position. For example, when the object to be read is sandwiched between roller-like members and rotated to move the object to be read, the roller-like member serves as both a supporting means and a moving means.

(6) Modification 6
In the present invention, the irradiation unit 100 and the irradiation unit 800 may be specified not as a reading device but as an irradiation device for irradiating light on an object to be read. The present invention may be specified as an image forming apparatus (printer, copier, etc.) provided with a reading device. In particular, the present invention has a structure substantially similar to that of an existing flatbed scanner, and therefore can be applied to an image forming apparatus relatively easily.

Block diagram showing the configuration of the reader The figure which shows the structure of a reading part Diagram showing the configuration of the irradiation unit Diagram showing the configuration of the irradiation unit Diagram showing intensity distribution of specular reflection light Diagram showing the configuration of the irradiation unit The figure which illustrates the composition of a support member Diagram showing the configuration of the irradiation unit

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Reading apparatus, 100 ... Irradiation part, 110 ... 1st light source, 120 ... 2nd light source, 130 ... 3rd light source, 140 ... Support member, 200 ... Reading part, 300 ... Light source drive part, 400 ... Read drive part, 500 ... operation unit, 600 ... control unit, 700 ... image processing unit, 800 ... irradiation unit, 810 ... first light source, 820 ... second light source, 830 ... third light source, 840 ... fourth light source, 850 ... fifth light source 860 ... Supporting member

Claims (10)

An irradiation device that emits light to generate image information representing the object to be read based on reflected light from the object to be read,
Support means for supporting an object to be read having a width in a predetermined direction;
A light source support member which is provided so as to be parallel to the object to be read supported by the support means with respect to the predetermined direction, and whose one end is provided closer to the object to be read from the other end in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. When,
A plurality of light sources that are supported by the light source support member and irradiate light to a reading position of an object to be read supported by the support means;
The plurality of light sources are
In the light source support member, each is provided so as to be adjacent to each other in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction,
The light source near the one end has an intensity of light radiated to the reading position larger than that near the other end. An irradiation device that emits light to generate image information representing the object to be read based on reflected light from the object to be read,
Support means for supporting an object to be read having a width in a predetermined direction;
A light source support member which is provided so as to be parallel to the object to be read supported by the support means with respect to the predetermined direction, and whose one end is provided closer to the object to be read from the other end in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. When,
A plurality of light sources that are supported by the light source support member and irradiate light to a reading position of an object to be read supported by the support means;
The plurality of light sources are
In the light source support member, each is provided so as to be adjacent to each other in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction,
The light source near the one end has an intensity of light irradiated to the reading position smaller than that near the other end. The plurality of light sources are
Each has a light emitting region of a predetermined width in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction,
A first light source, a second light source closer to the one end than the first light source, and a third light source closer to the other end than the first light source,
The irradiation apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a width of a light emitting region of the first light source is larger than a width of a light emitting region of the second and third light sources. The light source support member is
The plurality of light sources are supported such that a distance between the light source near the one end and the reading position is smaller than a distance between the light source near the other end and the reading position. Irradiation apparatus in any one of. The first light source has an incident angle with respect to the reading position of 30 ° to 60 °,
The second light source has an incident angle with respect to the reading position of 65 ° to 75 °,
The irradiation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the third light source has an incident angle with respect to the reading position of 5 ° to 15 °.   6. The irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source near the one end has higher luminance than the light source near the other end.   The irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a surface light source. An irradiation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A reading apparatus comprising: generating means for generating image data representing an image at the reading position based on reflected light from the reading position. A designation means for designating an image quality of the image information;
Control means for controlling irradiation by the plurality of light sources,
The control means includes
The reading apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a light source that performs irradiation among the plurality of light sources is made different according to an image quality designated by the designation unit. Moving means for moving the reading position in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction of the object to be read;
Control means for controlling irradiation by the plurality of light sources,
The control means includes
The reading apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when the movement by the moving unit is at a high speed, the number of the light sources that perform irradiation is increased as compared with a case where the movement is at a low speed.

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