JPS62179269A - Color original reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain color information by a simple structure and to obtain good color reproducibility by condensing light reflected from single light source by a lens, separating the condensed light by a prism, and reading the separated light by plural photodetector arrays. CONSTITUTION:When the face of an original is projected by light from a light source 2, a microlens array 3 condenses reflected light, and the condensed light is color separated while passing through a prism 4, and the rays of light of three colors, red, green, blue, are projected on three photodetector arrays 5. Thereby, the information of each color is converted to electric signals simultaneously in each photodetector array 5a, 5b, 5c. The number of colors to be read and the selection of colors can be made suitably, and can be set freely by selection of the position of the photodetector array 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document reading device that optically reads information on the surface of a document, and particularly to a color document that can extract color-separated information as an electrical signal for each color. This relates to a reading device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in facsimiles and the like, reflected light from the surface of a document is received by a light receiving section, and changes in the amount of reflected light are detected to read information on the surface of the document. Although this is mainly limited to the detection of black and white information, recently there has been a demand for reading color originals to obtain color information. In order to read this color information, for example,
A method is used that uses red, green, and blue ternary sources, circulates irradiation with these light sources, detects and combines the respective color signals, and reproduces the signals.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention As mentioned above, the use of a plurality of light sources causes problems such as the complexity of the device, and variations in the intensity ratio of the respective light sources, such as poor color reproduction.

Means for Solving the Problems Reflected light from an original is separated into colors by a prism, and an image sensor is provided with a plurality of light-receiving element arrays that respectively receive the plurality of separated color components.

By simply irradiating the document surface with a single-action light source, color-separated information for each color can be obtained by a plurality of light-receiving element arrays.

Example An embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

First, a document 1 is provided so as to be moved in the direction of arrow A with the surface to be read facing down, and a light source 2 having a straight tube shape and serving as a white light source such as a fluorescent lamp is arranged below the document 1. A microlens array 3 is provided parallel to the light source 2 as a lens for condensing light from the document surface. A prism 4 is provided below the microlens array 3 in parallel to separate the condensed light into colors. An image sensor 6 is provided below the prism 4 and includes a plurality of rows of light receiving element arrays 5 positioned at positions where the light separated by the prism 4 reaches. for example,
The light-receiving element array 5 is assumed to have three rows of light-receiving sections 5a, 5b, and 5c that read the three color-separated colors of red, green, and blue.
A drive circuit 7 formed by thin film technology is connected to the drive circuit 7, and a terminal portion 8 is connected to the drive circuit 7.

In such a configuration, when the light from the light source 2 illuminates the document surface, the microlens array 3 collects the reflected light, and the collected light is color-separated while passing through the prism 4 and divided into three colors. The light-receiving element array 5 of the book is irradiated with three colors of light: red, green, and blue. As a result, each light receiving element array 5a,
Information for each color is simultaneously converted into electrical signals at 5b and 5c.

In addition, in implementation, the number of colors to be read and the selection of the colors can be made as appropriate, and can be set freely by selecting the position of the light receiving element array 5.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention collects reflected light from a single light source using a lens, separates the focused light using a prism, and reads the separated light using a plurality of light receiving element arrays. As a result, color information can be obtained with a simple structure, and good color reproducibility can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view, Fig. 2 is a side view thereof, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an image sensor, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an image sensor using a prism. A side view showing the spectral state, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a part of the image sensor. 1... Manuscript, 2... Light source, 3... Microlens array (lens), 4... Prism, 5... Light receiving element array, 6... Image sensor Applicant Tokyo Electric Corporation -Moisture・)I

Claims (1)

[Claims] A light source that illuminates the reading surface, a lens that collects the reflected light from the reading surface, a prism that separates the light from this lens into colors, and a plurality of lenses that individually receive the multiple color components separated by the prism. 1. A color document reading device comprising: an image sensor having a light-receiving element array;