US-12627763-B2 - Reading device, output device, and image forming apparatus

Abstract

A reading device includes a radiator radiating light, a light receiver receiving the light reflected from a target, a first optical path on which the light is reflected by a reflection surface to irradiate a surface of the target in a radiation area so that diffuse reflection light diffusely reflected by the surface of the target is guided to the light receiver as a read image, a second optical path on which the light is reflected by the reflection surface to irradiate the surface of the target in the radiation area so that regular reflection light regularly reflected by the surface of the target is guided to the light receiver as a read image, and a switcher switching the first optical path and the second optical path in a carriage that houses the radiator and the reflection surface and moves along a sub-scanning direction for image reading.

Inventors

• Masato Serikawa
• Yoji NISHIDA

Assignees

• FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20230322

Priority Date

20220905

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A reading device comprising: a radiator configured to radiate light; a light receiver configured to receive the light reflected from an image capturing target; a first optical path on which the light radiated by the radiator is reflected by a first reflection surface to irradiate a surface of the image capturing target in a radiation area so that diffuse reflection light diffusely reflected by the surface of the image capturing target is guided to the light receiver as a read image; a second optical path on which the light radiated by the radiator is reflected by a second reflection surface to irradiate the surface of the image capturing target in the radiation area so that regular reflection light regularly reflected by the surface of the image capturing target is guided to the light receiver as a read image; and a switcher configured to switch the first optical path and the second optical path in a carriage that houses the radiator, the first reflection surface, and the second reflection surface and moves along a sub-scanning direction for image reading, wherein the diffuse reflection light of the first optical path and the regular reflection of the second optical path follow the same trajectory after reflecting in the radiation area.
2. 2 . A reading device comprising: a radiator configured to radiate light; a light receiver configured to receive the light reflected from an image capturing target; a first optical path on which the light radiated by the radiator is reflected by a first reflection surface to irradiate a surface of the image capturing target in a radiation area so that diffuse reflection light diffusely reflected by the surface of the image capturing target is guided to the light receiver as a read image; a second optical path on which the light radiated by the radiator is reflected by a second reflection surface to irradiate the surface of the image capturing target in the radiation area so that regular reflection light regularly reflected by the surface of the image capturing target is guided to the light receiver as a read image; and a switcher configured to switch the first optical path and the second optical path in a carriage that houses the radiator, the first reflection surface, and the second reflection surface and moves along a sub-scanning direction for image reading, wherein the switcher is configured to switch the first optical path and the second optical path by rotating the radiator.
3. 3 . The reading device according to claim 1 , wherein the switcher is configured to switch the first optical path and the second optical path by moving the reflection surface.
4. 4 . The reading device according to claim 1 , wherein, in response to switching to the second optical path by the switcher, the switching to the second optical path is adjusted by reading reflected light from a white reference plate serving as a reference to correct the read image.
5. 5 . The reading device according to claim 2 , wherein, in response to switching to the second optical path by the switcher, the switching to the second optical path is adjusted by reading reflected light from a white reference plate serving as a reference to correct the read image.
6. 6 . The reading device according to claim 3 , wherein, in response to switching to the second optical path by the switcher, the switching to the second optical path is adjusted by reading reflected light from a white reference plate serving as a reference to correct the read image.
7. 7 . The reading device according to claim 1 , further comprising a detector configured to detect a movement amount of the switcher, wherein switching to the second optical path is adjusted based on the movement amount detected by the detector.
8. 8 . The reading device according to claim 2 , further comprising a detector configured to detect a movement amount of the switcher, wherein switching to the second optical path is adjusted based on the movement amount detected by the detector.
9. 9 . The reading device according to claim 3 , further comprising a detector configured to detect a movement amount of the switcher, wherein switching to the second optical path is adjusted based on the movement amount detected by the detector.
10. 10 . The reading device according to claim 7 , wherein the detector is a rotation detector configured to detect rotation of a magnetic member rotated by a driver configured to drive the switcher to rotate.
11. 11 . The reading device according to claim 8 , wherein the detector is a rotation detector configured to detect rotation of a magnetic member rotated by a driver configured to drive the switcher to rotate.
12. 12 . The reading device according to claim 9 , wherein the detector is a rotation detector configured to detect rotation of a magnetic member rotated by a driver configured to drive the switcher to rotate.
13. 13 . The reading device according to claim 1 , wherein the switcher comprises a rotary solenoid stoppable at a predetermined rotation amount, and wherein switching to the second optical path is adjusted based on the rotation amount of the rotary solenoid.
14. 14 . The reading device according to claim 2 , wherein the switcher comprises a rotary solenoid stoppable at a predetermined rotation amount, and wherein switching to the second optical path is adjusted based on the rotation amount of the rotary solenoid.
15. 15 . The reading device according to claim 3 , wherein the switcher comprises a rotary solenoid stoppable at a predetermined rotation amount, and wherein switching to the second optical path is adjusted based on the rotation amount of the rotary solenoid.
16. 16 . An output device configured to output a regular reflection degree based on the regular reflection light read by the reading device according to claim 1 .
17. 17 . An output device configured to output a regular reflection degree based on the regular reflection light read by the reading device according to claim 2 .
18. 18 . An output device configured to output a regular reflection degree based on the regular reflection light read by the reading device according to claim 3 .
19. 19 . An image forming apparatus comprising the output device according to claim 16 , wherein the image forming apparatus is configured to output an image formed based on the regular reflection degree read by the reading device.
20. 20 . An image forming apparatus comprising the output device according to claim 17 , wherein the image forming apparatus is configured to output an image formed based on the regular reflection degree read by the reading device.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-140436 filed Sep. 5, 2022. BACKGROUND (i) Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a reading device, an output device, and an image forming apparatus. (ii) Related Art There is known a reading device including a transparent plate member that supports a document, a first radiator that radiates light from the plate member side to read diffuse reflection light from the document supported on the plate member, a light guide that guides, to a predetermined position, the diffuse reflection light originating from the light radiated by the first radiator, a generator that generates a signal based on the light received at the predetermined position, and a second radiator that radiates light from the plate member side to read a part of a regular reflection light component from the document supported on the plate member. The second radiator radiates light so that the part of the regular reflection light component is guided by the light guide and a signal is generated by the generator at the predetermined position. The incident angle of the light on the document from the second radiator includes an offset angle that is not 0° from the reflection angle of the principal ray of the regular reflection light to be guided by the light guide (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-130444). SUMMARY Aspects of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure relate to image reading based on regular reflection light and diffuse reflection light from an image capturing target by light radiation from one light source. Aspects of certain non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure address the above advantages and/or other advantages not described above. However, aspects of the non-limiting embodiments are not required to address the advantages described above, and aspects of the non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure may not address advantages described above. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a reading device comprising: a radiator configured to radiate light; a light receiver configured to receive the light reflected from an image capturing target; a first optical path on which the light radiated by the radiator is reflected by a reflection surface to irradiate a surface of the image capturing target in a radiation area so that diffuse reflection light diffusely reflected by the surface of the image capturing target is guided to the light receiver as a read image; a second optical path on which the light radiated by the radiator is reflected by the reflection surface to irradiate the surface of the image capturing target in the radiation area so that regular reflection light regularly reflected by the surface of the image capturing target is guided to the light receiver as a read image; and a switcher configured to switch the first optical path and the second optical path in a carriage that houses the radiator and the reflection surface and moves along a sub-scanning direction for image reading. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein: FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view illustrating the internal structure of an image forming apparatus including a reading device; FIG. 2 is a sectional structural view illustrating the internal structure of the reading device; FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged sectional view illustrating the internal structure of a carriage in which a light emitter is at a first position; FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the carriage in which the light emitter is at a second position; FIG. 5A is a schematic plan view illustrating a switching mechanism in the carriage; FIG. 5B is a schematic sectional view of an image reader, illustrating disposition of a white reference plate; FIG. 6A illustrates adjustment of the rotation amount of the switching mechanism according to Modification 1; FIG. 6B illustrates adjustment of the rotation amount of the switching mechanism according to Modification 2; FIG. 7A illustrates the image reader that reads a sheet with the carriage moving in a sub-scanning direction from a home position; FIG. 7B illustrates the image reader that reads the sheet with the carriage returning to the home position from a movement end; FIG. 8 is a schematic enlarged sectional view illustrating the internal structure of a carriage in which a reflector is at a diffuse reflection position; and FIG. 9 is a schematic enlarged sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the carriage in which the reflector is at a regular reflection position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Exemplary embodiments and specific examples of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The exemplary embodiment